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Comic books vs. books

A lot of what I want to say has pretty much been said by other posters, so I'll try to be succinct.

It is true that comics today are intended more for adults than children; for that matter I think that shift had already started in the 1970s and '80s. Several of the Batman comics I have from 1983-85 (when I was still less than 10 years old) were written for fairly sophisticated readers and a bit intense with their violence.

Granted, a tale of the Penguin seeking out US defense secrets to hold the entire nation hostage isn't going to win a literary award, but compared to Batman stories of the '50s and '60s they were rather intelligent.

Same goes for the Spider-Man comics I read back then. They weren't as violent, but were more sophisticated compared to their counterparts from 20 years earlier.

I would say that the majority of comics are still produced for and marketed to young people, mainly because of their fantastic subject matter, whether it be superheroes, fantasy, sci-fi or horror. But the medium itself can be used to produce artistic work with meaning, depth and purpose just as much as traditional literature. The Sandman (which I haven't actually read) and DC's Arkham Asylum are good examples off the top of my head, and I'm sure other members here could think of a lot more.

It's just that most people who read Dickens and the like aren't likely to read even the most sophisticated comics. That's why I didn't really get along with one of my college English profs who taught the first creative writing course I took. She didn't like genre fiction of any kind; I don't think that fiction has to be about an old lesbian in Florida to have literary merit.
 
Maybe I missed it, but I can't believe nobody has mentioned Harvey Pekar and R. Crumb. Has anyone read American Splendor or seen the movie? Pekar writes the comics and R. Crumb (and other illustrators) do the artwork.
Brilliant stuff.
This is not kid's stuff by any stretch of the imagination.
 
Reading comics is not a bad thing. I own over 300 books but about 30 of them are manga. I am pretty sure I'm a bookworm but I also love comics. Like others have said if it gets people started reading what's the problem? There might be pictures but you are still reading.
 
For me, comics are essential in my reading. What I mean is, I'll have just finished a very long and indepth book, and my mind needs a break. I read a manga book or two, and I'm ready to go for another book. A comic book is like a little mental healing process to prepare my brain for another book. It's a bit of a relief.
 
At the moment I have very little reason to put books and comic books on the same level. However, I hope that one day comics will produce literary masterpieces on a regular basis. These already exist, but they are scarce: Watchmen (not 'The' there :) ), The Sandman, V For Vendetta, From Hell (the only comic book I consider genuinely literary), Love & Rockets, some Will Eisner graphic novels, and not much more.

Watchmen didn't show the industry that adults read comics. Adults were already reading them in other countries long before the '80s. Mature comics arose in South America in the '60s and in Europe in the '70s. Although Watchmen is a brilliant comic book (but not Alan Moore's best), it has had a very pernicious effect on American comics, making superhero comics darker, more violent, more sexed up, but not necessarily more mature, complex or intelligent. The new artists that arised from Alan Moore's success have been wasted in mediocre superhero comics.

In fact, I doubt American comics can become serious until they get rid of superheroes once and for all, the economic backbone of the industry, but also home to countless mediocre comics. The best American comics artists don't work for the big two publishers, Marvel and DC. In fact, some of the best comics coming out today are published by book publishers. Chris Ware and Marjane Satrapi, for instance, are published by Pantheon. Independent publishers like Fantagraphics and Top Shelf also put out more origial work.

But I keep my fingers crossed
 
Has not anyone heard of tropes and medium?

Idun said:
A lot of people say that comic books are of a lesser value than a "real" books; that comic strips belong to a culture of pictures, so are good enough for those who spend their free time watching TV or surfing the Net. It is widely belief that comic books are an obstacle on the way to reading something more serious; that they are mostly aimed at children, and adults, who are wise enough to appreciate literature shouldn't waste time on them.

Is this opinion true? Or rather: is it a rule? Can one person be a bookworm and a comic books fan?
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This is along the lines of what do you prefer a book or a film? Each medium has its own tropes and powers of expression and also its own limitations. The validity of each is found in the fact that it is suited to the storyline it depicts and succeeds in creating the verisimilitude necessary for the suspension of disbelief that takes us into another world.

There is no 'better' or 'preferable' it's simply what works for the storyline at hand.
 
The thing lads and ladies IS... their BOTH very different furry Bunny's.!
Like films/TV based on books and or comics, they'll mickyditich around with the final thing, and you'll wind up with a half arsed story.
Marvel Comics are or were doing a reasonable..ish rendition of Stephen King's
Dark Tower series of books, the books themselves I've not read, as yet, their in my, with a hell of lot of others TBRPile, which is about 600 and pregnant!:D

I've know connection with or even write for The Comics Journal, but I've been reading it for yonks now, 25 years if memory serves,! and it is a damn good magazine. If you want a mature non arse licking Marvel/DC etc,

I would highly recommend tcj.com site, for some pointers to some really innovative and truly thought provoking stories and Graphic novels .
You'll not be disappointed but it WILL blow your mind, thoughtful well thought out reviews, interviews and...well go see for yourselves:p, like I said it's a goodie.
 
Not strictly relevant to the thread but I spotted a hardback book containing "10 of the best Commando comics". ;)
I was tempted but unusually for me resisted.

I think my years of reading comics when younger (Eagle, Battle, Tiger) is one of the reasons for my voracious appetite for books now. Generally I prefer books but do occasionally still pick up comics (or Graphic Novels to give them their grown up name). These do however tend to be more of a mature theme such as Sandman.
 
Marvel and DC may not produce particularly good monthly comics today, but they have their importance in reprinting seminal classic comics. DC, for instance, has recently finished publishing the complete collection of Will Eisner's 1940's The Spirit, which is one of the landmarks in comics history. And I'll give credit to Marvel for translating the occasional Franco-Belgian comic.

But the really good American comics today are being published by small publishers like Fantagraphics and Drawn & Quarterly.

I think it's unfair to compare comics to novels: comics are a medium and have their own language; you don't just read them; the pictures complement the writing. When writer and penciller work closely, it's a joy to experience the result. The way words and pictures can interact to form a narrative is unpredictable and fascinating.
 
Libra6, I think sparkchaser was referring to this body of work, when "comics" really became more then the funny pages, or clowns (superheroes?!) in equally funny outrageous clothes,
from 1989 until 1996.
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Check out the below thingie, can't at the more give you URL addy proper, haven't enough posts on this site apperantly. :rolleyes:

httpenwikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sandman_(DC_Comics_Modern_Age]The Sandman (DC Comics Modern Age - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Comic books vs. books
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Comic books have a more specialized style than books. My guess is that readers of comic books are generally younger and much more male than female and so it fits more of a niche audience. I appreciate how they can introduce people to reading but they are just not as powerful or versatile as something that forces you to use your imagination from beginning to end.
 
joderu95 said:
Comic books have a more specialized style than books. My guess is that readers of comic books are generally younger and much more male than female and so it fits more of a niche audience. I appreciate how they can introduce people to reading but they are just not as powerful or versatile as something that forces you to use your imagination from beginning to end.
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I do not agree that "readers of comic books are generally much more male than female "...

I mean, when I go to my work by public transportation, I frequently see both male and female persons reading comic. But yeah, regarding the age - I never saw a grand-ma (or a grand-pa)- aged people reading comic books... The very idea of it makes me smile for whatever reason...

I myself like only one comic - Asterix! I can not concetrate on the others...
awww.espacioblog.com_myfiles_literaturainfantilycine_asterix_obelix.gif
 
So not even in the most general sense? Really?

I'll stand by that claim as far as U.S. readership goes and I'll concede that it is not necessarily the case elsewhere. We need a random sample to know for sure.
 
i read both comic books and books, it depends on the comic as they tend to show feelings expression well, you get a good idea about clothing etc, books give you a good feeling of these but sometimes it is good to see what the characters actually look like. Laurell k hamiltons anita blake books have been turned into a comic series, they are good, but the characters are slighty different. also quite a few authors of the sci-fi and fantasy genre are writing comics at the moment like tamora pierce.

Idun said:
A lot of people say that comic books are of a lesser value than a "real" books; that comic strips belong to a culture of pictures, so are good enough for those who spend their free time watching TV or surfing the Net. It is widely belief that comic books are an obstacle on the way to reading something more serious; that they are mostly aimed at children, and adults, who are wise enough to appreciate literature shouldn't waste time on them.

Is this opinion true? Or rather: is it a rule? Can one person be a bookworm and a comic books fan?
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