Like most kids I grew up reading comics. I read things like The Dandy and The Beano, Later I moved onto more grown-up stuff like Action and 2000A.D. I even read the read the original Star Wars comic. I wish I'd kept some of those as they are probably worth something. I loved the books of Asterix and Tintin. I just seemed to stop reading them as I got older. I've read hundreds of novels in the intervening years, but very few comics.
I've been well aware of the growth of comic culture in more recent times, but hadn't really got into it. Some of the movie adaptations encouraged me to investigate some more and I acquired a few books and enjoyed them.
I just finished reading Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud. It's a sort of textbook about how comics work, written as a comic. He gives a good overview of comic history and surveys the techniques used. It's interesting to learn about some of the differences between western and Japanese comic art. It is art of course, despite what some literary snobs may say. I think of comics as a bridge between literature and movies. The comic artist has to design the whole look of the story and create 'shots' that emphasise the drama. Of course a lot of it is fairly trashy, mass-produced stuff, but even that can have merit. The Simpsons book was a second hand purchase that had some nice moments. It's not always about realism. I bought the X-Men book for my son and read it myself. I think you need to have more knowledge of the characters to really enjoy it. I only know them from the movies.
Steemit has also encouraged me to look at comics more. Artists like @katharsisdrill produce great original work. He's also written about some of the artists he enjoys.
I found some of my old annuals. I picked these up second hand as a kid. The old adventure comics were great fun and I would read them many times. I ought to re-visit them to see if they match my memories. I just looked them up on ebay and they don't go for very high prices. I expect there are certain editions that are more collectable.
Action like this in a movie would need a huge budget, even in black and white.
Steem on!
I'll buy guitar picks for Steem Dollars
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I always liked when people took up new thing, I try to do so myself as often as possible. It shows a curiosity for the world and it is always rewarding in some way.
In the eighties we really was living through comics - the wave of French comic artists around Metal Hurlant was very big inspirations for us. The US superheros also played their part, but you are right the serialised nature of these comics often make them just as hard to get into as if you started watching Dynasty in the middle of season five.
Through my daughter I have been reading some Japanese manga and some of them are magnificent (also a lot of crap of course) and they can also be enjoyed as film. That has been one of the adventures I have set out on these last years.
Glad Steemit has made you re-investigate this niche of art.
Thanks for inspiring me to get into this. The limiting factor tends to be time as there's so much I want to do and read.
Yes, I know that problem. We will only know a little corner of the whole picture - but on the other hand, our life-expectancy is very much increased compared to our parents and grandparents. We will have some immobile years in the far end where we can read some crazy old comics .
I' m one of those guys who is 100 % addicted to comics, my father used to bring me tintin and asterix since i was 7, i started reading DC and Marvel since i was 11 truly comics are the best thing that ever happened to me 😍😍.
In the photo, I see two volumes by the high-priest, Alan Moore, and I cannot resist replying. I've recently read some manga (Death Note & Attack on Titan) and I must agree, these are so different that western comics; it's only natural, given the huge cultural differences.
I was really into comics during the 80's & 90's, following several titles (Savage sword of Conan, Hellblazer, Sandman, ABC Warriors, Judge Dredd, marvel super-heros, Strontium Dog, etc); I've also bought many others on a whim, but I rarely regretted getting one. I have an almost complete collection of Asterix, and several Lucky Lukes, Mafaldas, Iznogouds, Tintins, and local (greek) comics.
Also, I am proud of my full collection of Hugo Pratt's Corto Maltese. It's awesome to see how his abstract art style when drawing action panels, transforms to an extremely detailed and realistic style when drawing architecture.
For me, Alan Moore is a true master of the comic medium. His panels' setup is so well-thought, with a true cinematic feeling; his stories are extremely detailed and well-plotted. Yes, he really bridges the gap between literature & cinema, as you said.
Moore seems to be a real character himself. A little eccentric, but definitely a powerful force
Yeah, "little" in a big way! He managed to remain an outsider to corporate politics and games. I've read several of his interviews, and he has a unique view on life and what matters. I am impressed by his disregard for finances -- not that he is poor, but he does not care to make even more, to milk the cow. He values the presence (or absence!) of his name on the credits more than any financial profits. He is an idealist, we ain't got many left.
And he made this --you got to read the "lyrics".
I was a keeno Beano reader. Then got side tracked into Look and Learn and later New Scientist.
My eldest daughter is now a keen comic collector.
Watchmen is the only comic series I've ever really been captivated reading. The writing is beyond genius-level.
Also, I noticed that I took about three months off Steemit and now you have 1000 more followers than me. It shows how consistently good content is the best approach to building an audience. Well done!
I want to explore some of the range of comics out there, but there are just so many. I've also had some e-comics, but you need something decent to read them on. I don't really want to sit at the PC and read.
I should pass 3000 followers soon. That's pretty amazing I think. There are enough who really engage to make it fun.
Although I haven't brought a new comic for many years, I still enjoy a good comic read when I get hold of one.
I was big on collecting comics in the 90s mostly Image Comics and still have 99% of them in a large book shelf.
Kind of miss the excitement of getting each new addition every month.
and you have a Terry Pratchett in the mix! Well done. ;-)
I grew up reading Footrot Flats - a very New Zealand cartoon. It was our version of Peanuts. The creator of it died last year, sadly. But i still have all of the comics I had as a kid, stored away..... somewhere.
It might be time to see if I can find them.....
We have lots of Pratchett, but just that one comic. My daughter is a massive Peanuts fan. I enjoyed it as a kid.
Hi @steevc - I too had a comic-awakening as an adult. In fact, I remember my dad gave me a Superman comic when I was a kid, and I couldn't get into it. I tossed it and forgot about comics for about 25 years.
Have you looked at any Brian K Vaugn stuff? He's one of my favorites for modern adult-oriented comics. Saga, his current series is great - but I LOVED Y: The Last Man and some of his other earlier work.
(Plug alert) I'll be sharing my own comic endeavors here, so I hope you'll take a look and give some feedback!
I think I read the first part of Saga. I've seen a lot of interesting comics available on Google Play. I may try some from there.
I've actually fallen off on Saga - probably six months behind.
The more and more I see posts about comics I want to get into them. Not necessarily to collect but I feel like I'd enjoy just reading them and seeing the visual and putting it away somewhere and coming back to it in 20 years.
I absolutely love batman so I feel like I would have to start there but is there any that you would recommend getting into? Im not picky at all but would be fun to start reading a series.
I've not read the Batman series. I know there are a lot. The excess of choice is part of the problem. Maybe others can suggest something.
well i am 14 years old and i have been reading comics for about 8 years i became an expert on comics
Nice, an Alan Moore fan.
yes u write kiding days so lovely na i remember that
that was great things when i get chance to read a comics book, its make nostalgia.
your comic is so enjoyable
very interesting post....
thanks for sharing it...
upvoted and followed...!!!!!
Considered spam. Be original. Don't just copy thinks for your posts.
very nice content.....I like this
Poor comment. Considered spam.