A to Z Challenge 2013

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Comics

Yes, I skipped Wednesday but it is actually on purpose.  Right now my Wednesdays are too hectic to manage a blog post, so I decided Wednesdays are my Sundays in the A to Z Challenge.  So for a small period of time each week, I'll be a day behind.  I'm weird, but no I'm not doing it just to be different.

On to today's topic - comics.  And what I mean is comic books, a form of literature that in my mind is not recognized enough for its excellence.  Comic books are and always have been more than just artists drawing on a page.  Particularly in the case of Marvel, the characters are realistic and have the same drama normal people have; they just have the drama alongside their respective powers, gadgets, etc.

One of the greatest tragedies is when these stories are brought to the big screen.  Too often writers for such films ignore what is already a well-written story and try to recreate their own version.  I could list the errors, but all of us with our geek badges know who screwed up what story.  What you end up with is the potential for a great comic book movie, ruined by a writer who obviously didn't grasp what made the comic book great.

For those who don't know, yes there are other comic book publishers besides DC and Marvel.  Those two are the biggies of course, but that doesn't mean there aren't other gems to be found outside the spotlight.  I don't know if I'm odd among geeks either, but I like some characters from DC and some from Marvel; I get the sense that some people are loyal either way.  To give some examples, I like Batman big time.  My all time favorite though is the Hulk.  The former is DC, the latter Marvel.  I will say that Superman is one of the most boring superheroes ever.  He's too perfect in most respects.   I'd rather root for lowly little Spiderman as I cackle at his battlefield remarks.

Anyone else hold comics in this high regard?  Anyone feel they're not worth the adoration?

2 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

The amount of work that goes into a comic book or graphic novel is amazing. It's not just the writing - a skilled animator is required.
I like a variety, but admit I will always be a DC fan.

Eric said...

Alex - You are so correct. There's a reason so many people read comics. There's true skill displayed there, from a number of different facets. That's cool that you're a fan of DC. I do have to admit that I like the clean art style of DC (among other things).