Okay. So here I am. Hopped up on Dr. Pepper and a lack of sleep. Trying to decide how to write this thing.
It's my third attempt.
So far.
Somewhere, there exists an A4-sized passport photo of me, taken in a booth at Weston Super-Mare. For three pounds, you could have photo-caricatures done, or sketch-style photos taken.
I spent three pounds on a big passport photo, which seemed designed solely to accentuate my upturned nose and double chin.
This is how much I love comics.
Maybe I should try a fourth draft...
"DOCTOR STRANGE," LOVE
(Or "HOW I STOPPED WORRYING AND LEARNED TO LOVE
BLASTAAR, THE LIVING BOMB-BURST.")
By Matthew Craig
It's funny. Like couch potatoes the world over, I have an opinion on just about anything.
Free Speech? Everybody has a right to it, especially if it's something you don't want to hear.
Death Penalty? You have the power to stop it, and you don't? That makes you an accomplice to homicide. The state does not have the right to kill its citizens. Stick 'em in jail. Leave 'em there. Have 'em make hubcaps.
The Future of Fossil Fuels? Give us ethanol engines. I don't mind moving at a crawl if it means we aren't gonna choke ourselves to death.
Swinging? Don't get me started.
That's all very well and good for subjects I have nothing to do with. But when it comes to things I know and love, I can go all tongue- (er, finger-) tied.
This essay is supposed to get people down to their local library, bookstore, newsagent or speciality retailer with their credit/library card in hand, in order to obtain comics!
But I can't for the life of me think why.
Why do I like comics?
Well. They're fun. They're a good hobby.
But then, so's Needlecraft or Bootscootin'. And at least Linedancing keeps you fit.
Certainly, they've given me a lot of fun over the years. I've kept as many of the comics that I've bought that I can. So, I enjoy reading them over and over again. It doesn't matter that I know how the stories end, because I can always glean some new insight from re-reading them, either separately or en masse.
Comics are a good way to escape stuff. They're great at transporting you into other times, or places. Often, they're a lot better at doing this than text-based books, film, TV or radio.
Comics have also been a crutch for me during some shitty times in my life: when I was so paranoid about the food I was eating, I ate nothing but crackers and single-serving jam or beans and sausages for six months; when I had lost interest in my studies (not for the first time) and couldn't face my text books; when my heart was broken by (the woman I thought was) My One, True Love; and so on.
That's not to say that there weren't other things to help me through those, if not dark, then a bit murky, times. I had my pals, and my folks. But sometimes you NEED to retreat into your own head for a bit, if only to let your subconscious work things out for you.
And a Justice League comic is a hell of a lot easier to put down than a bottle of pills.
I'd be a liar if I said that my reliance on comics to get me through hard times is an entirely foolproof method. There were times when, yes, comics were a method of procrastinating from the work at hand. It's not so bad now that my head is a bit more together, but when I was nineteen and not so well-wired, comics were a great way of ignoring the need to read my textbooks or, well, stop being so obsessed.
My bedroom at Manchester was plastered with pictures of things. I had a selection of Obligatory Women: Sandra Bullock (in my top Ten Sexiest Women Ever list) and Eva Herzigova (felt faintly dirty buying that poster). I had all the Pulp Fiction Posters. I had a selection of attractive women that I had cut out of magazines and newspapers (my "Babe wall," if you can stomach it). And I had a selection of odd pictures and whatnot.
Sandra Bullock, on the set of "28 Days."
Publicity still taken from the Internet Movie DataBase
That, and my Comics Wall.
I had a huge empty wall to fill. So, instead of spending �15 on, say, three or four film posters, I decided to photocopy my comics trade catalogues, which had extensive black and white artwork in them, colour them in with pencil crayons and biro, and stick them up. At final count, some time in 1996, I had thirty-odd pictures on my wall. All lavishly hand-coloured. Each one taking about a night.
That's a lot of wasted evenings when I could have been learning the Krebs Cycle (is it 18 net molecules of ATP out per molecule of glucose in, or is it 28? Arg!), or exploring the bounds of nookie with lovely women (so many missed opportunities!).
Well, maybe not that last one. I couldn't even get the girl of my dreams to smile at me, remember.
But if it hadn't have been comics, it would have been something else. I used to rent lots of books from the library, as well as lots of old radio comedy tapes. They were just as big a distraction. Used to be that I couldn't go to sleep without putting on a Fawlty Towers tape, much to the silent consternation of my roommate, I'm sure (sorry, Simon!). I can't even watch Fawlty Towers anymore, I'm so sick of it.
I was in such desperate need of something, anything to take my mind off the stuff whirling round in my head that almost anything would have done. Comics were probably the best distraction I could have hoped for. Hell, I've got a great collection to show for all that angst. And I can read them today, secure in the knowledge that those demons are gone.
But, I digress.
Comics may have saved my life (kinda), but we're still nowhere near coming up with a good reason for YOU to go out and pick some up for yourself. And it's ten past four in the morning.
The only thing that really comes to mind is, well, why the hell aren't you reading comics? I mean, you watch TV, right? You surf the net, right (well, duh!)? You read books, don't you? So why not comics?
After all, comics have been influencing other media for a while now. Superheroes, especially.
Those nifty-keen action sequences everybody enjoyed so much in The Matrix were designed by Steve Skroce, former artist on Amazing Spider-Man; The Matrix, of course, is almost certainly The Best Comic-Book Movie Ever Made. Alongside Unbreakable, of course. Unbreakable is what you might call Your Classic Superhero Origin Story, in that it's steeped in tragedy, establishes who the hero is and who the villain is, and showcases the benefits and pitfalls of the protagonist's abilities.
(And that little thing starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst next year should be pretty good too. I just wish I could remember what it's going to be called...)
The BBC TV series My Hero, was less classically comic-booky, but certainly took its inspiration from a lot of modern comics, where the hero and his Gal Pal (hate that phrase) are free from the constraints of fifties morality, and can (yay) Get It On.
Although, anybody whos watched Mork and Mindy will have seen the true inspiration for the show...
TV shows like Xena and Hercules, from the director of Darkman (and Spider-Man), or Buffy the Vampire Slayer are influenced by many years of accumulated comicdom. Often, they are very open about their influences, without drifting into crappy parody (although the sight of Hercules' sidekick as Widow Twanky nearly made me cry).
And that's just superhero comics. Of course, superhero comics are kind of well-suited to cross-pollination with movies. As technology becomes more advanced, it becomes easier to pull the surface detail of superheroes over to the movies. The Matrix is only one example of this. And Unbreakable showed us that the heart and soul, the real depth of superhero adventure stories could be translated to the big screen without flashy special effects, or even a huge budget. Ordinary People Becoming Extraordinary Under the Right Conditions. And Doing the Right Thing About It. That's superheroes. Unbreakable showed us this with style.
You're defeating your own point, I hear you cry. If movies and TV are giving us the same quality and range of stories, but with moving pictures and with (mostly) real people, then why bother reading comics at all?
Well, I can answer that with two points.
One: Didn't you see Batman and Robin, by Joel Schumacher? If not, then lucky you.
Two: Who said that movies and TV were giving you the same quality of stories?
Batman and Robin is by far the worst comic-book movie of all time.
OF ALL TIME.
Think about that. Sixty-plus years of superheroes, and all the associated movie and TV spin-offs, like the PillowCaseHead Batman Saturday Morning Serial of the early forties, Barbarella, Greatest American Hero, Automan, Manimal, and God help us, Dolph Lundgren as the Nudey Punisher, and Schumacher beats them all with Bat-Nips, ham acting, and Ice-Skate Bat-Booties. Not to mention the ideas stolen from other superheroes. Yes. "STOLEN." And the less said about Uma Bloody Thurman, the better.
I think I need a lie down.
The point I'm trying to make, clumsily and all, is that film-makers have some very odd ideas about what's best to use from the superhero genre.
And, despite the apparent evidence to the contrary, there's more to comics than superheroes.
The dominance of superhero comics in the art form-business that is modern comics is due in no small part to certain historical factors that other people have covered in much greater depth than I could. Suffice to say that superheroes have been the prevailing force in comics for a great many years.
But this is changing.
And THIS is REASON NUMBER ONE why you should read comics.
Well, okay. It's Reason Number Two:
Any Genre Of Fiction You Might Wish To Enjoy, You Can Find In A Comic Book.
Really. Romance, Slice of Life, Science Fiction, Crime Fiction, Horror, Weird Shit, Erotic Fiction. All between the covers of a comic book.
And yes, they're all between the covers of a regular book, too. And between the ad breaks on your television set. But that's not the point. The point is, Reason Number Three:
Comics Aren't Like Regular Books OR Like Television And Film; They're Something Else, Entirely.
Comics are a collaborative medium, somewhere between the novel and the TV in scope. Not counting printers and distributors (including shops), there can be up to a dozen people working on an individual comic book, from interns doing the photocopying and mailing of scripts and artwork, to the editor in charge of making it all tick.
All so the two most important collaborations can go as smoothly as possible:
That which exists between writer and artist/s (frequently the same person), and that which exists between the creators and the reader.
The beauty of comics, the real, true beauty of comics, is in its ability to bring the reader in. Not in some sinister way, but as an active participant in the creative process.
It's a little hard to explain, without writing a whole book on the subject (fortunately, someone has: Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics is a new reader's bible, as well as an old hand's scripture).
Film and Television are Passive Media. Everything is laid out for you, right there on the screen. By and large, it's a combination of the screenwriter's story and the director's vision, or as close as they can get to it, that reaches your screen. And that's all. You get out of the film that which you are given.
Comics, on the other hand, are a bit closer to radio in being more active, more involving than other visual media. By taking motion and sound out of the equation, and instead replacing them with a semblance of both, comics invite you to help create the story every time you turn the page. Which makes comics a deeply personal experience: every reader is different, and they bring different insights, different expectations and a different viewpoint on life. It stands to reason that they might not "hear" the same thing on the printed page, or "read" the motion (and emotion) of characters on the printed page, as other people. This is what makes comics art.
Douglas Adams once said that the pictures were better on radio.
Well, you know what? The movie is better on paper.
And that's why I love comics. And I always will.
Buddy Baker (Animal Man) learns the truth about his existence in this startling page from the comic of the same name by Grant Morrison (who Baker later journeys to Glasgow to meet) and artist ChasTruog. (C) DC Comics.
I'm not going to tell you what to read. Not today, anyway.
But, just in case I've done enough with this piece to get you even the tiniest bit interested in learning more, then I suggest you do the following:
Find a comic shop. Or a library. Or a really good bookshop, one that sells graphic novels. Comic shops are the best, because the staff will have a better chance of knowing what they're talking about, and can recommend titles to suit the needs of the customer.
Amazon.co.uk is very good, too, and reasonably priced.
Take this list with you. These are some names. Just some names. Writers, Artists, Titles. These run the gamut of my ever-expanding experience. Twenty-three years reading comics, and I'm learning more every day.
These are some of the creators and comics that have touched me deeply enough that, despite the long wait, I promised I would find a way to share with somebody, at some point.
Try it for yourself.
You have nothing to lose, and a whole universe to gain...
THE LIST
(Titles in italics are highly recommended. Bold italics equals the cream of the crop. It's no coincidence that Alan Moore's comics are all in italics. This man is...well, he's the best of the best of the best)
Brian Azzarello
Hellblazer: Hard Time (with Richard Corben)
100 Bullets
Brian Michael Bendis
Ultimate Spider-Man
DareDevil
Powers
Torso
Raymond Briggs
Ethel and Ernest
When the Wind Blows
Will Eisner
A Contract with God
Ultimate Spider-Man, by Bendis and Bagley.
A fun, fresh look at a classic character.
Beautiful art and snappy dialogue.
Drama and Comedy in abundance.
Highly recommended.
(C) Marvel Comics. Ssh!
Dropsie Avenue
The Spirit
Last Day in Vietnam
Warren Ellis
Transmetropolitan
Planetary
The Authority
Transmetropolitan, by Ellis and Robertson.
Set in a future which is equal parts utopia and dystopia, Transmet stars Spider Jerusalem, an Outlaw Journalist living in The City.
Writing about the horror and beauty of modern society, Jerusalem is part urban hero (and the equivalent of political syphilis), and part psychotic loon (and dangerous to know).
Here, Spider is pictured with his trusty Bowel Disruptor. Could it be set to "Prolapse?"
Stormwatch
Garth Ennis
Preacher (with Steve Dillon)
Hitman (with John McCrea)
Hellblazer
True Faith
Neil Gaiman
Sandman
Paul Jenkins
Spider-Man
The Inhumans
Jack Kirby
The New Gods
Fantastic Four
Mark Millar
Ultimate X-Men (ideal for fans of the movie)
The Authority
Frank Miller
Batman
DareDevil
Preacher, by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.
Primarily a story about friendship, Preacher is also very much a classic Western, in that it's about doing the Right Thing By You and Yours.
Jesse Custer is a reluctant preacher in the ass-end of Texas when the offspring of a demon and an angel bonds with his soul, killing his congregation, and leaving him with the power to make people do whatever he wants, from spontaneously combusting to snacking on a Colt .45 pistol.
Reunited with his long-lost love (Tulip O'Hare, a hard-luck hitgirl), Jesse travels across America, encountering a collection of mostly odd, but also horrific characters, from his ancient (and thoroughly evil) grandmother to the Last Descendant of The Messiah (Humperdido!). Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy (a Vampire more Tralee than Transilvania) undertake a very literal serach for God whilst evading the clutches of a powerful Christian conspiracy seeking to manipulate Jesse for their own ends.
Preacher has a lot to say on the subjects of God, America and Friendship, but it can all be summed up in the motto of the series:
"You gotta be a good guy. Because there's way too many of the bad."
Sin City
Martha Washington
Alan Moore
V for Vendetta
Watchmen
Swamp Thing
Promethea
Top Ten
From Hell
Grant Morrison
The Invisibles
JLA
Animal Man
Katsuhiro Otomo
Akira
Domu
Christopher Priest
(not the British Sci-FiAuthor)
Black Panther
Quantum and Woody
Greg Rucka
Whiteout
Batman: Detective Comics
Art Spiegelman
Maus
Black Panther, by Priest, Velluto and Almond.
A sharp political thriller set against the backdrop of a fictional African nation named Wakanda.
Struggling with it's advanced technologies on one side, and strong tribal beliefs on the other, at the centre of the story is T'Challa, the Panther-King of Wakanda.
Like all true kings, T'Challa is both master and servant to all tribes.
Priest's magnum opus, Panther is by far the strongest of Marvel's more mature titles, and is recommended for fans of John Grisham and The West Wing. (C) Marvel Comics.
Misc. Titles
Batman: Black and White (an essential anthology of short stories starring Batman)
Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross(the story of one photographer's life in the shadow of superheroes, and the symbiotic relationship he develops with them)
Strangehaven by Gary Spencer Millidge (a man arrives in an unusual village full of secrets, and finds he can't quite get out; a cross between The Prisoner and Twin Peaks)
Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore (the story of two high-school friends reunited by a common need to deal with the world around them, and the terrible, terrible trouble one friend finds herself in)
Gemma Bovery by Posy Symonds (the story of a beautiful young woman and the tragic way her life ends (the dark twin to A Year In Provence)
Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics, by Scott McCloud (two seminal texts on the form and language of comic art, done in the style of a comic book)
Starman, by James Robinson (the story of the relationship between a junk dealer and his scientist father, who share a superhero identity, but little else. Poignant storytelling from a master scribe)
Starman, by James Robinson et al.
Steptoe & Son meet David Bowie?
Misc. Names to Watch
Sergio Aragones (Groo)
Daniel Clowes (Ghost World)
Paul Grist (Kane)
Los Bros. Hernandez (Love and Rockets)
Andi Watson (Slow News Day)
Kane, by Paul Grist.
A gripping police drama on a par with NYPD Blue, Kane tells the story of a cop and his precint dealing with the death of his partner - at his own hands.
Grist's beautiful artwork is versatile and efficient: not a single line is wasted.
A master storyteller, and a hidden talent, Grist is one of comics' finest storytellers..
What? You want more? I've told you where to look.
Let me get back to my own collection, why don't yeh?
And let me know how you get on.
Now I've finally gotten this off my chest, maybe I can get back to shaking my fist at the world, and bringing it to the keyboard every couple of days...
Matthew Craig, and I used to go to school with her, August 14th 2001, 7:03 am. (2,800-odd words: sheesh!)
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