Thursday, November 29, 2012

Why bother reading comics?


Why do I dedicate so much of my time reading comics? Doesn't that take up a lot of my time? Is it expensive? Doesn't it get boring after a while? What's so special about comics anyway? Why not just watch superhero movies instead of spending so much time reading about them? (Why are you dragging this post out with an endless amount of questions?)

It would be next to impossible to add up all the hours (let alone minutes and seconds) that I've put into reading and thinking about comic books, and I've only really gotten into the medium just over a year ago (I've always had a great appreciation for superheroes like most people, but never knew how to get into reading about them on a daily basis). Have you ever had something take such a strong hold of you that it feels like there's no going back to the way your life was before you experienced this such thing? I mean, I've felt pretty strongly about certain things before, be it music, film, literature, video games, action figures (really?), masturbation (*Jim Gaffigan voice* oh he's anti-appropriate), etc... but there's something about comics that sets all those other activities apart for me.

Maybe it's how the comic book incorporates multiple different functions into one pretty little package, for instance, the reading/writing aspect of literature, with the visual features of (you guessed it) visual art, and the shot-by-shot detailing that film exercises. Comics are essentially refined storyboards that are compiled monthly and sold to the public, so screenwriting and comics aren't so unfamiliar with each other in that respect. I love the three aforementioned mediums immensely, and having a medium (can't think of a synonym) roll all of them into one is like having your top three favourite people in the world somehow have a three-way conception and give birth to the most triumphant offspring ever.

Perhaps I'm exaggerating my love for comics a little... nah!

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