Honest question: do you consider comics "real" literature…
0 reactions
Honest question: do you consider comics "real" literature?
Why? Why not?
By comics I mean any form of storytelling using sequential art, so western comics, manga, and graphic novels.
This is a question that has come up countless times in the past year every time when I ask people if they read comics, and most answers are often some version of "I don't like superheroes" or "I stopped reading comics when I was 7", both of which are, in my opinion, a gross misrepresentation and misunderstanding of what the medium actually is.
The success and dominion from Marvel and DC over the industry seems to have created a problem with branding and how the medium promotes itself, and the rise of the superhero movie genre has exacerbated even more this global perception that comics are limited to a single genre.
Meanwhile, we have writers like *Jeff Lemire* and *Ed Brubaker*, who are known for their mature brand of storytelling. We have *Rick Remender,* who is a master of sci-fi and fantasy often tackling adult themes. *Zoe Thorogood*'s work is both bold and nuanced at the same time and tends to delve into complex and unique explorations of mental health. **Maus** from *Art Spiegelman* even won a Pulitzer.
These are just some examples among many independent authors who have created some of the most unique stories of the past 20 years, and who the majority of the general public knows nothing about. Even popular authors like *Neil Gaiman* and *Stephen King* have written comics, and I suspect few people know they even exist.
I find this prejudice towards comics also dangerous of future generations.
I talked with teenagers who claimed to like comics but wish they could read more, because their school's library doesn't allow them to borrow more than one comic at a time and they are forced to borrow a "real book" in-between comics. Imagine a school policing what someone reads to the point they drive the youth AWAY from reading as a hobby.
Besides, there are genuine reasons for people to prefer comics over what we might call "traditional literature". Almost everyone with dyslexia or ADHD will struggle reading a full novel, and many will stop reading entirely when forced to read "real books". Comics, however, give these people an avenue to enjoy literature without feeling immediately overwhelmed and misunderstood. With ADHD, where the way to get people to do something is to create a habit, this is even more important. From personal experience, I stopped reading entirely for over a decade as an adult. Comics got me back into reading and because it's a habit again, I am capable of reading both long form prose or comics.
So yes, in my opinion, I believe comics are a real form of literature, and there are plenty of works out there that prove it - most of the general public just doesn't know about it.
But would love to hear everyone's thoughts about it...
#entertainment
source
Why? Why not?
By comics I mean any form of storytelling using sequential art, so western comics, manga, and graphic novels.
This is a question that has come up countless times in the past year every time when I ask people if they read comics, and most answers are often some version of "I don't like superheroes" or "I stopped reading comics when I was 7", both of which are, in my opinion, a gross misrepresentation and misunderstanding of what the medium actually is.
The success and dominion from Marvel and DC over the industry seems to have created a problem with branding and how the medium promotes itself, and the rise of the superhero movie genre has exacerbated even more this global perception that comics are limited to a single genre.
Meanwhile, we have writers like *Jeff Lemire* and *Ed Brubaker*, who are known for their mature brand of storytelling. We have *Rick Remender,* who is a master of sci-fi and fantasy often tackling adult themes. *Zoe Thorogood*'s work is both bold and nuanced at the same time and tends to delve into complex and unique explorations of mental health. **Maus** from *Art Spiegelman* even won a Pulitzer.
These are just some examples among many independent authors who have created some of the most unique stories of the past 20 years, and who the majority of the general public knows nothing about. Even popular authors like *Neil Gaiman* and *Stephen King* have written comics, and I suspect few people know they even exist.
I find this prejudice towards comics also dangerous of future generations.
I talked with teenagers who claimed to like comics but wish they could read more, because their school's library doesn't allow them to borrow more than one comic at a time and they are forced to borrow a "real book" in-between comics. Imagine a school policing what someone reads to the point they drive the youth AWAY from reading as a hobby.
Besides, there are genuine reasons for people to prefer comics over what we might call "traditional literature". Almost everyone with dyslexia or ADHD will struggle reading a full novel, and many will stop reading entirely when forced to read "real books". Comics, however, give these people an avenue to enjoy literature without feeling immediately overwhelmed and misunderstood. With ADHD, where the way to get people to do something is to create a habit, this is even more important. From personal experience, I stopped reading entirely for over a decade as an adult. Comics got me back into reading and because it's a habit again, I am capable of reading both long form prose or comics.
So yes, in my opinion, I believe comics are a real form of literature, and there are plenty of works out there that prove it - most of the general public just doesn't know about it.
But would love to hear everyone's thoughts about it...
#entertainment
source
| 2,000 mlx | |
| 5 | |
| 0 |