In defense of comic books
When I started this blog, I promised my husband that at some point I would write about comics. (I refuse to use the term graphic novels. Let's be real here.) I heard this story about comics on NPR the other day, so now seemed as good a time as any to keep my word.
My husband has been trying to get me to read comics since before we were dating. He's fond of saying there's a comic out there for every literary taste.
So once in a while I read his recommendations, and turns out, he's right. Personally, I'm fond of "Fables," a series about storybook characters forced out of their homeland and into the dim world of New York City. (It's a lot more grown-up than it sounds. In fact, kids probably shouldn't read it.) I also like "Sandman," a series by fantasy writer Neil Gaiman.
My husband is really into super-hero comics, yes, but he also likes "Y: The Last Man," a series about a mysterious disease that kills every man on earth, except one. And even super-hero comics often have a lot more depth than you might imagine.
If you're a real literary snob and are convinced no comic can have literary value, I insist you read "Maus," by Art Spiegelman. It's an autobiographical work about the author's complicated relationship with his father, a Holocaust survivor. It'll blow you away.
One of the wonderful things about books is the wonderful variety of them. Comics are the same way, though they seem to have gotten a bad rap over the years. So try one out. It just might surprise you.
Mar 29, 2008 at 9:30 p.m.
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I didn't know we had a local author/illustrator! Where is his work available?
Mar 29, 2008 at 2:51 p.m.
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Territory 51 from local author/illustrator Jim Heffron is excellent.
Mar 29, 2008 at 8:50 a.m.
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Here's some more non-superhero comics for those of you interested in comics, but not tights or capes. By the way, none of these are aimed at children:
1) The Dark Tower - Yes, there's a comic based on Stephen King's epic story, and yes, it is canon. King acts as story adviser while Peter David handles scripts. If you want to know more about Roland's past, pick it up. The first volume, The Gunslinger Born, is collected while the new volume, The Long Road Home, is 1 issue in so far.
2) Transmetropolitan - Imagine the bizarre world of Hunter S. Thompson where he is the only sane one. And its in the future. That's how Spider Jerusalem, rogue journalist and enemy of the mayor can best be described. Definitely not for children, but hilarious and filled with social commentary.
3) Preacher - Soon to be an HBO series (the rights were picked up at least), this book takes a Texas preacher and outfits him with the power of the Word of God. When he uses the power, you do exactly what he tells you. Exactly. Given the power by Genesis, the lovechild of an angel and demon, Jesse finds out that God has left his post in heaven, and begins a search to tell the Lord to get back up there.
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