comic books
My friend Ishtar79 is doing a series of podcasts w/her posse in London, this recent one is about comic books... and whether you read them for the characters, the artist, or the writer?
Rather than respond at their youtube I thought I'd share their podcast and respond here (my stroll down memory lane):
I was never into superheroes (or even the Archie comics, although I had a friend who read them way back when), but early on I LOVED 'Mad Magazine' which was silly, over the top, and satirical. It spoke to my grade school aged self in every possible way. Let's face it, back then the comic books were too light and sweet for that kind of edge.
Throughout my teen years I didn't even check out comics (I think they kinda sucked at that time...?).
I rediscovered comics in college when it was all about R. Crumb. I would read anything R. Crumb illustrated, it was all about his silly obscene, bizarre, outrageous images! We didn't worry about the misogyny (EVERYTHING was misogynistic back then, at least he was fearless and in your face about it).
But again there was a time when I saw nothing interesting happening in comics (and I was too busy to look for it anyway). UNTIL the 1980s when comics really had a major resurgence!
Alan Moore's Watchmen and V for Vendetta
Frank Miller's Dark Knight
Neil Gaiman's Sandman
really there was so many beautiful dark haunting stories being told!
Oh and I was reading AKIRA too.... So much awesome.
As we moved into the 1990s I got busy again, and the comics became less interesting to me again... Until I discovered
Joss Whedon's Fray. It wasn't groundbreaking or particularly dark, but I loved it (I already loved BtVS by then), and although Joss' schedule for Fray was pretty hit and miss (didn't a whole year go by between issues? LOL) I hung in there.
Joss' Astonishing X-Men was huge fun, and Joss turned me on to
Brian K. Vaughan's Runaways which led me to his Pride of Baghdad, and Y the Last Man.
and Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise (who also drew some early BtVS comics, and wrote some later Runaways...). I also deeply loved his Echo.
So now I'm a definitely one who follows the writer, I adore:
Brian K. Vaughan's SAGA
Terry Moore's Rachel Rising
and I'm limping along w/Dark Horse's BtVS (and the BtVS spin off comics) ... wishing they would put out more
Felicia Day's Guild,
Zack Whedon's Doctor Horrible, & Dollhouse,
and/or Firefly comics (because they were all so much better than their current books...).
I would actually stop reading them, but I hate to let my comic book store down!
Click to viewRather than respond at their youtube I thought I'd share their podcast and respond here (my stroll down memory lane):
I was never into superheroes (or even the Archie comics, although I had a friend who read them way back when), but early on I LOVED 'Mad Magazine' which was silly, over the top, and satirical. It spoke to my grade school aged self in every possible way. Let's face it, back then the comic books were too light and sweet for that kind of edge.
Throughout my teen years I didn't even check out comics (I think they kinda sucked at that time...?).
I rediscovered comics in college when it was all about R. Crumb. I would read anything R. Crumb illustrated, it was all about his silly obscene, bizarre, outrageous images! We didn't worry about the misogyny (EVERYTHING was misogynistic back then, at least he was fearless and in your face about it).
But again there was a time when I saw nothing interesting happening in comics (and I was too busy to look for it anyway). UNTIL the 1980s when comics really had a major resurgence!
Alan Moore's Watchmen and V for Vendetta
Frank Miller's Dark Knight
Neil Gaiman's Sandman
really there was so many beautiful dark haunting stories being told!
Oh and I was reading AKIRA too.... So much awesome.
As we moved into the 1990s I got busy again, and the comics became less interesting to me again... Until I discovered
Joss Whedon's Fray. It wasn't groundbreaking or particularly dark, but I loved it (I already loved BtVS by then), and although Joss' schedule for Fray was pretty hit and miss (didn't a whole year go by between issues? LOL) I hung in there.
Joss' Astonishing X-Men was huge fun, and Joss turned me on to
Brian K. Vaughan's Runaways which led me to his Pride of Baghdad, and Y the Last Man.
and Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise (who also drew some early BtVS comics, and wrote some later Runaways...). I also deeply loved his Echo.
So now I'm a definitely one who follows the writer, I adore:
Brian K. Vaughan's SAGA
Terry Moore's Rachel Rising
and I'm limping along w/Dark Horse's BtVS (and the BtVS spin off comics) ... wishing they would put out more
Felicia Day's Guild,
Zack Whedon's Doctor Horrible, & Dollhouse,
and/or Firefly comics (because they were all so much better than their current books...).
I would actually stop reading them, but I hate to let my comic book store down!