Do you know anyone who reads comic books?

[bloomen]

I don't. Not one single person I've met. Ever.

Most films used to be made from novels because studios believed they had a built in audience. I'll guess that not many people knew who Doctor Strange was before he was luzzed at them by the marketers.

I've tried a few. It simply does not compute for me. And the timelines are so all over the place and incomprehensible that it feels like you're not invited to the club.

I challenge anyone to look up a comic book character biography and not have their eyes glaze over at the 500th time the character dies having been murdered by fifty of its own fetuses in hell or something.

How did they end up taking over the world?

[Foliage]

Yes

[Jinx]

You're reading the wrong comic books - e.g. try V for Vendetta or Watchmen.

[HRL]

My daughter.

[ozzuk]

I used to read 2000AD, and still have wolverine issues 1-15 sealed away (not worth much though). I don't read much now (in my forties) but I did recently buy a Judge Dredd graphic novel as I was after a specific storyline.

[Mr Snrub]

No, for the same reason as the OP. Despite the massive explosion in the popularity of the characters I don't think many are even that profitable

[RC1807]

My eldest daughter loves anime and manga. She hates it if I call them comics.

[Shakermaker]

Yes, I have a few friends who read them, they are quite specific in what they go for of course, but they enjoy it and attend some of the conventions and from what I understand they are relatively active in discussing it online with like-minded fans.

I do enjoy all the films though, but I have no care for the back story from the comics at all.

[BryanC]

Yes - I do.
The French call them Bande Dessinee and the illustrations can be pieces of art in themselves. It also helps my language practice.
I have a growing collection, mostly aircraft related....



... but also cars including the History of Grand Prix racing.
Perhaps buy some of the Chapman series when I go back again.



This type of comic is typically a thin hardback but in France there are shops dedicated to selling just these and always packed. Being French, the subjects are diverse including History, Literature, childrens lit ie TinTin, and of course lots of top shelf stuff too for the errr.. discerning gentleman.

[perdu]

Nicely drawn, er .. tiger



I'm still partial to an occasional Tintin or Peanuts book but not the manga stuff

I did find one of those French comic shops in Paris

odd

very odd

[Colonial]

Sandman series is absolutely top notch stuff.

[marcosgt]

I used to quite enjoy TinTin as a kid (and the Beano and a few weeklies), but I tried the first "Walking Dead" 'graphic novel' and, sorry, but it did nothing for me, although I could see the correlation to the first TV episode.

To be honest, none of the DC/Marvel stuff ever appealed to me much in comic or film form (Iron Man is OK and I don't mind Thor, but I think most of that is down to the actors'/directors' style - I think The Avengers mashups are just a car crash format to appease as many fans as possible, who will watch anything with their favourite superhero in...)

That said, I'm far, far too old to be 'target market' these days, so I don't suppose the studios care if I know about Superheros from comics or not.

M.

[TheJimi]

I agree in that not all comics are equal.

To answer the question, I'm a huge Calvin and Hobbes fab

I have V for Vendetta as well - brilliant stuff.

[havoc]

Jinx said:

You're reading the wrong comic books - e.g. try V for Vendetta or Watchmen.

I'll second those two.

Also second Sandman - forget it's a 'graphic novel', it puts most 'normal' novels to shame, it's appeared in the Times 100 Bestsellers list and it's won awards, including a couple of Hugo's.

I'll also add in Maus - completely different, real change of pace, but also very well written.




If you want to stay with the 'known' Hollywood characters, then Frank Miller is probably the best writer across the Marvel/DC universes, esp. his Batman books - Dark Knight Returns is probably the best.

[ali_kat]

Yes, lots.

bloomen said:

How did they end up taking over the world?

Superpowers

It may surprise you to know that Filmmakers have been using comics for stories since colour became mainstream (1940s), this isn't a new phenomenon

[LordGrover]

When I were a lad, I used to love Marvel and DC comics, as well as Commando, War, etc - but that was the sixties, maybe early seventies and I was very young. Guy I went to school with still reads comic books. He's a teacher.

[ali_kat]

You make that sound like a bad thing

Some people prefer graphic novels, it helps them read them better.

I can't cope with the pictures, they don't help me visualise or get lost in the story. But I know others that can't visualise a book in their head, they can get lost in a graphic novel.

[Flip Martian]

Using a derogatory expression like "comics" makes it sound like everything graphic based is Whizzer and Chips or The Beano. Far from it. I don't have time for many graphic novels but dismissing them out of hand is a bit closed minded. Maus I and Maus II are cleverly done for example and depict the anti Jewish sentiment in pre WW2 Germany. Using mice and other animals. Shouldn't work but it does.

So much out there is far removed from what a "comic" is.

[Eddie Strohacker]

I loved Asterix as a kid, does that count? Bought them all again for my daughter to read & she couldn't get them off me. They truly work on two levels & I delighted in re-reading them & picking up all the adult gags I'd missed first time round.

The DC/Marvel thing? Never did it for me.

[Flip Martian]

Asterix certainly counts. I think it was pretty huge in France.