Question for you comic book fans:

[serenity]

So. I've always wanted to get into comic books and with our TRS boys discussing them I want it even more. I've never found any to really interest me though and I'll tell you why I think that is.

I love to read. Growing up, I was reading at least 5-7 books a week and only slowed down the past 5 years or so because I started playing on the internet a lot more.
I still read at least a book a week. I tell you this because it is part of the problem I have with comic books: Not enough words!

I feel like while reading a comic book, my eyes don't flow along the words well because they are broken up by panels and I have to pay attention to artwork. That in turn disturbs the flow of my imagination and makes everything feel kind of stuttered. It just doesn't feel smooth and enjoyable at all. The artwork often seems too busy and detailed so I have to often stop and look closer which only makes it worse. I suppose I'm saying comics just feel cluttered to me.

That said, I still like the stories I hear about from people who love comics and I would like to find a few that appeal to me.

So if anyone has any suggestions of ones that maybe have simpler artwork, less panels per page, more words, or maybe a few that are so damn great I won't care about that stuff please post suggestions here.
(You can leave out The Dark Tower comics because of course I looked at those - I only read 2 so far I think but I'll get around to the rest)

To give you an idea of the types of stories I like, some of my favorite fiction books are:

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card
Treason by Orson Scott Card
(Anything by Stephen King and Orson Scott Card, really)
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
We the Living by Ayn Rand
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Swan Song by Robert McCammon


Any suggestions would be welcome. I can't promise I'll go out and buy them immediately but I promise to go look!

Thanks guys.

[kahunablair]

You sound like a Vertigo fan in the making.
Vertigo is an imprint of DC, and they general subjects are different from the stereotypical SuperHeroes.

My suggestions:
Y the Last Man- The story of what would happen if all men on the face of the Earth die, and only one man remains.

Fables- Our Fairy Tales are real. They have all been kicked out of their fairy tale lands, and hide out in a section of NY. This is the story of how they all have adapted to trying to act like they're normal people.

[iccanui]

Whats dark tower about from a readers perspective? Ive heard about it a lot recently and have it sitting on a computer in firefox for later research. seems like a good time to inquire.


Im really getting into audio books and i might que it up in audible or something after the books im already on.

[serenity]

Originally Posted by kahunablair

You sound like a Vertigo fan in the making.
Vertigo is an imprint of DC, and they general subjects are different from the stereotypical SuperHeroes.

My suggestions:
Y the Last Man- The story of what would happen if all men on the face of the Earth die, and only one man remains.

Ohhh sounds interesting!

Fables- Our Fairy Tales are real. They have all been kicked out of their fairy tale lands, and hide out in a section of NY. This is the story of how they all have adapted to trying to act like they're normal people.

Sounds totally cute.

Thanks, I'll check them both out!

Whats dark tower about from a readers perspective? Ive heard about it a lot recently and have it sitting on a computer in firefox for later research. seems like a good time to inquire.

Icky! :P

So to keep it short and sweet; The Dark Tower is about a man who is the last of his kind in a different world than ours. (Well actually, it's possible it is our world in a way. Who knows!?) A Gunslinger named Roland. More than just shooters, these people were diplomats, peace keepers and defenders all in one. His world has moved on, he is the last Gunslinger and now there is a danger threatening his world's very existence (and in turn, our own as well). Without giving too much away, I'll just say that he meets a few people from our world (and not by chance. This is "fate" or "Ka" as Roland would say) who are destined to help him save life as we know it.

It's basically a western/scifi/horror/plain old amazing fiction series of books.

Everything Stephen has written comes down to this. If you've read all his books, you start to notice little things (some not so little) all connecting to the world of the Dark Tower.
IMO it is his Masterwork and just plain beautiful.

I admit the first book, called "The Gunslinger" isn't the easiest to get through. It's not that it's bad (not at ALL!) but he started writing it right when he started college I think, and then took 12 years to finish it. So it's a little disjointed. He rewrote it and it's much better now but still doesn't hook you nearly as well as the rest.

[keyser-soze]

Seeing as how you are already a Dark Tower fan, you might want to check out the recent adaptation that Peter David and Jae Lee did for Marvel. It's fantastic and a fairly dense read.

They've already talked about this on TRS but you should really read Watchmen. Its my favorite comic ever which is a bit cliche but its really that good. Also a dense read with several prose passages.

[patio]

Originally Posted by Serenity

I feel like while reading a comic book, my eyes don't flow along the words well because they are broken up by panels and I have to pay attention to artwork.

Welllllllllll.... That's kind of the point of comics. It's a visual medium. A Frank Miller quote from the Daredvil DVD that has stuck with me is where he says that the comic creators' goal is to slow the reader down, to make the reader stop and pay attention.

It's definitily different than a book, where you get caught up in the flow of the words and, as you allude to, your imagination takes over.

But in comics, the visuals are there. Or really, visual clues. Moments in time that, in the best of hands, serve to add depth. meaning, humor, and richness to the story. It's not just stories for kids that never grew out of picture books. Reading well-constructed comics can actually be just as intellectually stimulating as a good book.

That said, you're going to need to find something that is visually interesting to you if you're going to take the time to absorb a good comic story. So browse your comics store for something that piques your interest.

But here are a few recomendations of books that have a strong visual style:

Frank Miller's Ronin, a sci-fi samurai tale (or the inspiration for this story, Lone Wolf & Cub)

Darwyn Cooke's New Frontier (or the more recent series The Spirit)

Alex Ross' Kingdom Come

[brettville]

I'm going to go with Patio on this one. I read A LOT of both comics and books and they're two completely different experiences. It's not unlike comparing books to movies; they're just different mediums with which to tell a story.

And as such if you don't enjoy the art aspect of a comic book then you're wasting it's potential. You're on the right track by getting a fair sized list of great comic stories together but you shouldn't take our word for it (reading rainbow...anyone?). Take that list to the comic shop and look through the books and find one with art that appeals to you. That said, here's a couple of my favorite solid comics.

"Ex Machina" is brilliant especially the early stuff. Grab a trade. It's about a mediocre hero in a world without super powers who decided he can do more good by being the mayor of New York. This blurb can't do it justice.

"Y: the Last Man" and "Fables" have already been mentioned. Both great.

"Powers" is awesome and a completely different artistic style that the others here.

"Pride of Baghdad" which is actually by the same dude that wrote "Ex Machina" and "Y: The Last Man." Brian K. Vaughn is definitely a cut above and almost always worth checking out. Plus, he's the only guy that can give Brian Michael Bendis (also consistently top notch) a run for his money in the hardest working dude in comics department.

This is feeling wordy. Just go read. Comics are just an awesome medium to convey stories and who here doesn't love stories?

[brettville]

I'm going to go with Patio on this one. I read A LOT of both comics and books and they're two completely different experiences. It's not unlike comparing books to movies; they're just different mediums with which to tell a story.

And as such if you don't enjoy the art aspect of a comic book then you're wasting it's potential. You're on the right track by getting a fair sized list of great comic stories together but you shouldn't take our word for it (reading rainbow...anyone?). Take that list to the comic shop and look through the books and find one with art that appeals to you. That said, here's a couple of my favorite solid comics.

"Ex Machina" is brilliant especially the early stuff. Grab a trade. It's about a mediocre hero in a world without super powers who decided he can do more good by being the mayor of New York. This blurb can't do it justice.

"Y: the Last Man" and "Fables" have already been mentioned. Both great.

"Powers" is awesome and a completely different artistic style that the others here.

"Pride of Baghdad" which is actually by the same dude that wrote "Ex Machina" and "Y: The Last Man." Brian K. Vaughn is definitely a cut above and almost always worth checking out. Plus, he's the only guy that can give Brian Michael Bendis (also consistently top notch) a run for his money in the hardest working dude in comics department.

This is feeling wordy. Just go read. Comics are just an awesome medium to convey stories and who here doesn't love stories?

[serenity]

Thanks for the suggestions so far guys, I really appreciate it and now I have to head over to the comic book store soon and check some of these out!

[high-priest-imhotep]

I like Enders Game