What do you think about Comic books?

[Onasi]

That is to say, do you think they are just mindless entertainment or do you think some can be viewed as literature on the same level as novels.

A good argument, much like the case of video games being considered art, can be made either way.

Personally I think you can see them as literature. Certainly comics such as Berlin, Persepolis, Maus, Pride of Baghdad, Watchmen, Johnny the Homicidal maniac, V for Vendetta, and DMZ (Not to mention even some story arcs main stream super hero comics) have some literary merit beyond simple entertainment right? Or am I, and my opinion, part of a great minority?

Please, tell me what you think.

 

[Solar]

As someone who casually to sometimes quite avidly, I completely agree. I remember having a copy of Watchmen confiscated and arguing with my Social teacher if comic-books good classify as good literature or not.

I can't see why they wouldn't be. Visuals and text in any combination can evoke emotion and thought, tell a story, make social commentary, etc and these things make up what people might classify as having depth.

 

[Nyangoro]

I tend to believe that any entertainment medium can be as "quality" as any other.

Books simply tend to get more recognition because, well, they've been around much longer and have far more examples of masterpieces because of this.

 

[Reflection]

i think theyd be cooler if the people who read them werent fucking greaase balls

 

[Solar]

i think theyd be cooler if the people who read them werent bonking greaase balls

This applies heavily to anime and manga enthusiasts as well. Thankfully, I have the privilege of knowing/meeting/seeing several attractive nerds with comic-book fandom tendencies. Or you could just be referring to Stooge since you don't really seem to like him.

 

[Reflection]

johnny stooge is gay sources say

 

[Solar]

Also: DC is rebooting issues all the way back to #1 come August/September.

So all of you interested in comics but intimidated by the current storylines and history better jump on that.

 

[Johnny Stooge]

That is to say, do you think they are just mindless entertainment or do you think some can be viewed as literature on the same level as novels.

A good argument, much like the case of video games being considered art, can be made either way.

Personally I think you can see them as literature. Certainly comics such as Berlin, Persepolis, Maus, Pride of Baghdad, Watchmen, Johnny the Homicidal maniac, V for Vendetta, and DMZ (Not to mention even some story arcs main stream super hero comics) have some literary merit beyond simple entertainment right? Or am I, and my opinion, part of a great minority?

Please, tell me what you think.

Comics is a medium. The type of story you can tell within that medium is vast and endless. To write it off as being without merit is just ignorant. If we're happy to accept film as art and paintings as art and literature as art, then why not a medium that blends conventions of all of them? Watchmen proved that there are things you can do in comics that you just can't do any where else.

i think theyd be cooler if the people who read them werent bonking greaase balls

johnny stooge is gay sources say

just admit you want my dick already so i can reject you and then you can get over it so i can go back to living in peace. gosh.

 

[Wehrmacht]

Comics is a medium. The type of story you can tell within that medium is vast and endless. To write it off as being without merit is just ignorant. If we happy to accept film as art and paintings as art and literature as art, then why not a medium that blends conventions of all of them? Watchmen proved that there are things you can do in comics that you just can't do any where else.

^
It's the same thing as people writing off videogames as mindless murder simulation. No medium should be wholly written off before it's given the benefit of the doubt.

Really, if comics haven't achieved some sort of grand masterpiece yet, you have the same people complaining about that to blame for it. What with "Seduction of the Innocent" and the Comics Authority Code, comic books have it hard.

i think theyd be cooler if the people who read them werent bonking greaase balls

Manga are comics too.

 

[Reflection]

nah playa manga got heart

 

[Love Machine]

Does Scott Pilgrim count? 'Cuz I loved those. So certain comics, yah, I like them.

 

[Johnny Stooge]

nah playa manga got heart

You're a greasy slime-bitch.

Does Scott Pilgrim count? 'Cuz I loved those. So certain comics, yah, I like them.

Scott Pilgrim is fun, but isn't exactly a masterpiece. And we're discussing the artistic merits of comics and I guess manga since it's the same thing.

 

[Nyangoro]

Regarding novels themselves, there is a fun game I like to play called "Count the number of NYT Best Sellers that aren't mindless."

Fun fact: If they made a drinking game out of it, that game would be utilized by the AA.

 

[Haeralis]

I love comics. I read a lot of Daredevil and The Punisher.

 

[denizenofevil]

I love comic books (and manga) as well. Batman's a favorite of mine. It's odd though. I find that some comics fanatics despise manga. I think comic books can be considered art but people generally don't consider them that way because they compare them to picture books made for children.

 

[Silverslide]

I wouldn't call comics 'art' I mean the drawings are art of course, but as a whole I'm not sure. I also don't see the point of it being one or the other, art or not. I would rather just enjoy w/e it is without having to label it as art or whatever.

 

[Luap]

I used to follow the Marvel comics, but, after ignoring it for a couple years, I got lost when trying to get back into it. The DC Reboot might be a cool thing to look into...

As for whether they are art or not, they are. People are just to unaccepting of new things... although, comics have been around for quite a long time. I guess my stand on it is the stand on Video Games. They are art, just as movies, books, and pictures are, but it'll take a few generations of people to get used to them.

 

[Wehrmacht]

The DC Reboot might be a cool thing to look into...

Do it. There's a ton of great artists and writers involved.

 

[Able_Beard]

All art started off under hate. The Piano was hated by most art scholars for a really long time. I took a class on History of Art, and the first thing we were told was "All art has been hated at one time or another."

The only art that has truly been around since the start of time is literature, always has always will be. Then art came around and was put under scrutiny for the majority of it's beginning. Then when it was finally socially accepted music got big. To sum it up it's all just a cycle. Every generation has a form of entertainment that becomes art. Yes comics have been along for a really long time now, but at the moment they need something to stand out. For example, Video Games are actually on the rise to becoming an official form of art. The Supreme Court just ruled it as such.
In the long run of thing's if it is to be taken as an art form seriously, it would need to stand out, and do something a book hasn't, but as of now people can argue that a Book gives off more imagery then a Comic, and the stories are to mediocre. I enjoy comics, for the record, please don't construe this as me taking a jab at it, by all means that is not what I'm saying. I would like for it to be considered art by the general populous.

 

[Onasi]

Personally I see a lot of similarities between the evolution of how people view film and how people view comics. At first people simply saw film as just entertainment. It was forced into self censorship and wasn't until years later did people start to treat film as art and teach it as an art form. Comics were thought of as just entertainment and also put through censorship. Much like films however comics can deal with pretty emotional and serious subject matter.

I like to view the more kid friendly super heroes young adult books and comics like the ones I mentioned in my previous post as more Adult oriented novels. They are classics in their own right.

I think putting a label on it as "art" helps it become more legitimate and not something that only "Little kids and Geeks" read.