What do Normies know about Comics?
Apr. 13th, 2011 10:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bluejeans07This is mostly for my reference and musing but I thought this would be an interesting read for anyone: http://joemulveyart.com/
Artist Joe Mulvey is interviewing the normal, non-comic book reading people in his sphere about what they know about comics, then giving them a few books and then interviewing them again to see how their first opinion changed. He's clearly a biased interviewer and he doesn't pull any punches, often times calling the interviewees 'comics racists', but he does succeed in showing the members of the 'general audience' what is out there in the world of comic books.
There were times I felt that maybe he might have been more successful (especially with the woman who doesn't watch TV aside from American Idol) if he didn't give as many superhero books to the interviewee and limited it to one really good one (like All Star Superman or Batgirl: Year One) and a bunch of non-superhero books. Also, maybe giving Danger Girl to a woman who doesn't know too much about comics wasn't the best idea since the women in the book is drawn in a rather male fanservice sort of way. I also wondered if including manga would be a good idea as well, there are stories in manga that are definitely more appealing to normal women since so many stories in manga are written with those women in mind, but perhaps there's too much of a chance that someone might think, "Oh yeah comics are different from what I thought but that's because it's from Japan."
Anyway, interesting interviews. I loved reading the 'nirvana moment' in the second interview with the whole, "Oh my god, this stuff is actually REALLY good!" Because comics are good and the medium doesn't get the respect that it deserves in the sphere of entertainment. Sure, there are many ridiculous things in the world of comics, but there are ridiculous things in every entertainment medium (Twilight, American Idol, every sports game ever) and it's a matter of weeding through the trash to get to the treasure like everything else.
Just for fun, here's the comics list I would give to a 'normal person'. Since Joe Mulvey chose six for his interviewees, I'll choose six as well and keep it to only American comics:
Batgirl: Year One by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, with art by Alvaro Lopez and Marcos Martin
Runaways Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughn and Adrian Alphona
Amulet: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi
Death: The High Cost of Living by Neil Gaiman, Chris Bachalo, and Mark Buckingham
Smile by Raina Telgemeier
Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham, Charles Vess, Brian Bolland, John Bolton, Michael Wm. Kaluta, James Jean, Tara McPherson, Derek Kirk Kim, Esao Andrews, Mark Buckingham, Mark Wheatley, and Jill Thompson
Artist Joe Mulvey is interviewing the normal, non-comic book reading people in his sphere about what they know about comics, then giving them a few books and then interviewing them again to see how their first opinion changed. He's clearly a biased interviewer and he doesn't pull any punches, often times calling the interviewees 'comics racists', but he does succeed in showing the members of the 'general audience' what is out there in the world of comic books.
There were times I felt that maybe he might have been more successful (especially with the woman who doesn't watch TV aside from American Idol) if he didn't give as many superhero books to the interviewee and limited it to one really good one (like All Star Superman or Batgirl: Year One) and a bunch of non-superhero books. Also, maybe giving Danger Girl to a woman who doesn't know too much about comics wasn't the best idea since the women in the book is drawn in a rather male fanservice sort of way. I also wondered if including manga would be a good idea as well, there are stories in manga that are definitely more appealing to normal women since so many stories in manga are written with those women in mind, but perhaps there's too much of a chance that someone might think, "Oh yeah comics are different from what I thought but that's because it's from Japan."
Anyway, interesting interviews. I loved reading the 'nirvana moment' in the second interview with the whole, "Oh my god, this stuff is actually REALLY good!" Because comics are good and the medium doesn't get the respect that it deserves in the sphere of entertainment. Sure, there are many ridiculous things in the world of comics, but there are ridiculous things in every entertainment medium (Twilight, American Idol, every sports game ever) and it's a matter of weeding through the trash to get to the treasure like everything else.
Just for fun, here's the comics list I would give to a 'normal person'. Since Joe Mulvey chose six for his interviewees, I'll choose six as well and keep it to only American comics:
Batgirl: Year One by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, with art by Alvaro Lopez and Marcos Martin
Runaways Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughn and Adrian Alphona
Amulet: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi
Death: The High Cost of Living by Neil Gaiman, Chris Bachalo, and Mark Buckingham
Smile by Raina Telgemeier
Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham, Charles Vess, Brian Bolland, John Bolton, Michael Wm. Kaluta, James Jean, Tara McPherson, Derek Kirk Kim, Esao Andrews, Mark Buckingham, Mark Wheatley, and Jill Thompson
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-04-13 07:05 pm (UTC)The Amazing Screw-On Head was the first comic I ever appreciated on more than a detached intellectual 'yeah that's good I guess' level. It was my Damoscene comic! I would definitely give that one to any comics skeptic.
Best. EVER.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-13 07:23 pm (UTC)And I'll take The Amazing Screw-On Head as well, haven't read that one yet.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-13 07:30 pm (UTC)AARGH PROOFREADING PLEASE
But beyond that, I don't think he was picking his list of Comics To Make You Love Comics, he was sort of feeling out the person and then prescribing them comic that he thought they would like. Which is a good strategy.
I'm glad at least one of the interviews got onto the topic of the art style â that's what put me off comics forever, and still puts me off most of them, even ones that people insist are really good if I just read them and try to ignore the pictures. (Ignore the pictures?)
YOU HAVEN'Tââ Okay, Jean, what you need to do right now is: go to Amazon (or whatever your preferred online book dealer is), order The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects, then when it arrives in the mail, read it immediately. There is so much goodness in there it's astonishing the cover manages to stay shut.
Or, I dunno, you could go to a book store or something, but that involves leaving the house. ;)