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Post by callipygias on Mar 4, 2009 17:04:39 GMT -5
I've never paid attention to the praise some of the modern "graphic novels" have gotten, I've just assumed the people going on about them were the same people who voted The Matrix or The Dark Knight as the greatest movie of all time on IMDB. Then I see that the recommended book of the month at deepdiscount.com is a comic called Watchmen.
They say things like, "Watchmen literally changed the whole industry," and, "If you couldn't imagine yourself ever reading a graphic novel, give it a chance." And on Amazon it says, "Moore's characterization is as sophisticated as any novel's."
Plus, Amazon has it priced 45% off; I'm tempted to try it.
I'm not a comic book guy (haven't read one in 25 years) but I do like the fantasy of things like X-Men (settle down, ladies, get in line) and V for Vendetta. Anyone read this and agree that non-comic types would enjoy this?
(And does it change to text only, or are all 416 pages panels?)
Also, admins, maybe we could try out a sub board for reading. I don't spend much time at the Rifftrax forum, but when I do go there I've found several great recommendations in theirs. Most recently A Confederacy of Dunces.
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Post by Trumpy's Magic Snout on Mar 4, 2009 19:32:00 GMT -5
I'm in the middle of it now. I'm not a comics fan but thought I'd check it out as most reports on the movie says it doesn't live up to it (to be expected). So far it's pretty damn fantastic, and yes it does flit between comic panels and text from books that exist within the world of the book.
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Post by Chuck on Mar 4, 2009 20:06:10 GMT -5
I read the comic (it was in 12 parts) when it first came out, and at the time, it was a jaw dropper. There was nothing else like it.
Whether it translates to silver screen, who knows? The reviews have been mixed -- the critics hate it, and the fanboy bloggers love it.
I think I'll pass, and remember it for the great comic it was.
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Post by Captain Hygiene on Mar 4, 2009 21:00:11 GMT -5
I'd definitely go for it - it's pretty cheap as far as books go, and I'd recommend it as the one graphic novel to check out if you have any interest at all in the medium. The comic sections move pretty fast, but the text supplements are Moore at his finest, and really flesh out the story's world.
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Post by Don Quixote on Mar 4, 2009 21:34:38 GMT -5
I especially like the text segment about Rorschach and his stay at the state home.
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Mar 4, 2009 22:12:15 GMT -5
It's a great book, but I think it has the most impact on people who have something invested in the idea of superheroes to begin with. Of course, Superman, Batman, etc., are part of mainstream culture, but I think it's most interesting as a real analysis and (sorry for this word) deconstruction of the hero myth, which is what Moore was getting at, of course. To me, it's always been an anti-comic comic by someone who loves comics.
It's also just a good story done in a very thoughtful way.
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Post by Ratso on Mar 4, 2009 22:20:15 GMT -5
Also, admins, maybe we could try out a sub board for reading. I don't spend much time at the Rifftrax forum, but when I do go there I've found several great recommendations in theirs. Most recently A Confederacy of Dunces. Nice idea, but the topic isn't strong enough to support a sub board. A Confederacy of Dunces, and Watchmen are awesome though. |
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Post by Afgncaap5 on Mar 4, 2009 22:20:20 GMT -5
I'm going to watch the movie.
Which is more a statement about how awesome the preview looks than what I liked about the comic. Honestly, I really didn't like the comic, with the possible exception of the last two or three pages. (And no, not "I liked it because it was over!", but I legitimately thought that the ending, at least, was one of the books finer points.)
Did the novel revolutionize the world of comics? Yes. Do I consider it to be good? Eh...mmmmaybe... Do I like it? Not especially. I'm more grateful to it for acting as a stepping stone for stuff that would come later than I am to it for what it provided on its own.
For instance, I don't know if Sandman would've happened without Watchmen. The Sandman comics by Neil Gaiman rock in so many awesome ways.
Anyway, my suggestion would be to read it with an open mind. There's some good quality stuff there, and it's certainly not your average comic. But read Sandman immediately after for another kind of different. ;-)
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Post by angilasman on Mar 4, 2009 22:21:32 GMT -5
Comics are an artform like any other and they can be as strong or as weak as whoever the writer and artists are. Watchmen is great. The Blues Brothers and Ikiru are great movies. Catch 22 and Gulliver's Travels are great books. Fear of Music by Talking Heads is a great album.
...and there is a practically endless supply of horrible comics, movies, books, and albums.
BTW, I'm thinking of buying the collected Alan Moore Swamp Thing series. Is it any good?
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Post by Don Quixote on Mar 4, 2009 22:26:01 GMT -5
Yes, but in Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, Swamp Thing kills oppressive government agents in England after a nuclear war.
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Post by Ratso on Mar 4, 2009 22:29:15 GMT -5
BTW, I'm thinking of buying the collected Alan Moore Swamp Thing series. Is it any good? F-ing amazing. They're some of the best comics ever written. |
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Post by angilasman on Mar 4, 2009 22:31:45 GMT -5
Anyway, my suggestion would be to read it with an open mind. There's some good quality stuff there, and it's certainly not your average comic. But read Sandman immediately after for another kind of different. ;-) I got the first two Sandman books for Christmas (and will try to get more soon). Really interesting stuff. I especially liked the issue where Death cheers Dream up and the one that follows the immortal man that Dream has lunch with every hundred years ("I almost thought you weren't coming"). Sandman and Concrete (by Paul Chadwick) are the two comics I'm getting into right now. Hellboy (and it's off-shoots) and The Goon are the only current continuing comics I follow (and with prices for comics going up to $4 I'm glad). |
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Post by angilasman on Mar 4, 2009 22:33:16 GMT -5
...
Now that I see those two posts let me amend myself:
The Sandman, Concrete, and Swamp Thing are the three comics I'm getting into right now.
;D
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Post by Captain Hygiene on Mar 4, 2009 22:35:37 GMT -5
I was fortunate enough to find the entire collection of the main Sandman series at the library. Two ginormous hardbacks and multiple smaller paperbacks, but I waded through them all. Aside from a few that were a bit more grotesque than I typically go for, I enjoyed the series a lot. It feels much more sprawling than a more limited release like Watchmen, but it's worth digging through just the same.
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Post by Afgncaap5 on Mar 4, 2009 23:13:29 GMT -5
Heck, I'm a fan of almost everything that Neil Gaiman's written, with the possible exception of his contribution to the script for the Beowulf movie (and even that was for aesthetic reasons, not because I thought it was bad.) His books Neverwhere and American Gods are fantastic (I also recommend Anansi Boys, though it's not "good" so much as it is "fun.")
And I actually found something else of his called The Books Of Magic. I'd heard about those comics ages ago, but never thought I'd get the chance to read 'em. Next time I can swing by the book shop (and have the cash) I intend on adding them to my collection.
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