Did you ever read comic books?

Well Tubass, your assessment of the state of comics is pretty accurate unfortunately. I started reading them in the late 50's and loved them so much that I eventually tried to get into the industry in the late 80's. However by that time my drawing style(inspired by the artists who first inspired me) was considered old fashioned. I did some work on Felix the Cat and also spent nearly 10 years working on PS Magazine (a US Army Publication which used cartoons to pass on information on the preventive maintenance of the soldiers equipment). Due to the plethora of other types of entertainment availabe today comics have gotten more "adult" if you will in an attempt to compete for the entertainment dollar. Also the industry has tried (too hard IMO) to escape the definition as Kids stuff. This has led to your situation where you want to share a childhood joy with your son but there isn't any appropriate material. Catch 22, right. I'm guessing you don't have your childhood collection anymore to share with him so let me suggest a couple possibilities. You might be able to find some reprint collections of comics from your favorite era in a local comic shop (If one is in your area). Another thing he (and you!) might enjoy are the reprint collections of the Prince Valiant comic strip published by Fantagraphics Books. These are wonderful stories full of great drawing, action adventure in the classic vein, emphasizing the courage loyalty and honor of the Knights of the Round Table. Also availabe are reprints of the classic EC comics of the 50's (The ones that turned all those kids into juvenile delinquents)My recomendation of these are the war comics -Two fisted Tales-Frontline Combat-Aces High- These stories are considered high points in comics history which are well researched-drawn by industry greats and in no way glorify the violence inherent in war. Concentrating on human stories of valor and the hard choices men are faced with in war. On the humor side, nothing beats the Scrooge McDuck stories written and drawn by Carl Barks for Disney. These are great adventure stories besides being great characters. Gladstone Publishing(if I remember correctly) puts out both the Duck stories and EC reprints (I almost forgot the Sci-Fi books EC did-also classix-). A search on the web will probably straighten out who's actually publishing what reprints now. Any way that's my 2 cents. I hope this ramble is of some help to you. I still like reading comics at 51 and would hate to see a wonderful art form fail by forgetting that people who read comics as kids are the ones who will later want to read the so called "mature" books when they get older( and there are some wonderful creators doing very sophisticated books for adults-not just boobs & babes-though theres plenty of that too). So good luck in your quest (you're already lucky to have a smart kid who likes to read).

 

What's this past tense "did" stuff?

 

Johnny The Homicidal Maniac...good comic

-Jon

 

Bah.
BAH I say.

 

I recently got back into comics and admittedly read titles that most would consider "adult" even though I think that is a misued term.

Mostly I think it instantly brings to mind a gratuitously sexual and violent tone that really, was always present in comics dating back to the golden age when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby labored under the spectre of the comic book codes.

If you look back or read back those old stories there are some very "adult" issues and themes being dealt with. However like good writers or at the very least, writers able to work within very constricting boundaries... these things were presented in a different way with a simpler (and of course legendary) drawing and writing style so that the reader's mind was left to fill in the blanks.

As a kid I never had any illusions about the villian's intentions towards the world. Just because the phrase "I am going to kill you!" is replaced with something like "I seek to destroy you." doesn't change the intention.

That said, I completely understand why a book like Grendel is not appropriate for consumption by young readers due to the graphic and frank portrayal of the subject matter and would not for an instant suggest that young kids be handed it with reckless abandon. But let's not lump the current generation of comics into some garbage heap of literature (yes, that's what it is even with the pictures) that has outgrown it's readers.

A quick look through the racks will net a wide variety of books geared towards a much larger variety of readers than ever before. As well, the ability for independant publishers to make their work available only adds to the wonderful diversity of content out there.

Now, it is possible to take a dozen people with the broadest interests possible into a good comic store and find someone that each will enjoy. It really is a good time to be reading comic books!!!

tuBass: I do understand and respect where you are coming from and applaud your efforts to aid your kid(s) as they take an interest in comics but please, don't confuse the fact that is a medium for all and not as you seem to insinuate some kind of "kid's medium".

If I misread what you meant and was off-base in the above paragraph please accept my apologies since text is of course hard to grok completely.

 

Preacher, Transmetropolitan, the Authority, Ennis/Dillion's Punisher, The Invisibles, Sandman, Watchmen, Hellboy (to a lesser extent), ect.

All great stuff that kids might not want to read.

Now of course, they will...

 

How about biclops?

 

What? you don't like Nny and Friends?

-Jon

 

Please, don't get me started. It'd be painful. Suffice to say, no, no I'm not a fan.

 

...erm....ok?

 

When I was like 5 or 6 I used to read Sonic the Hedgehog and other assorted readings (Knuckles, Tails) but the was only 10 years ago.

I found my collection a couple days ago and flipped through them. At the begining it was kinda wholesome and cartoonie but towards the end of my stack they were violent and the drawings were all really darker.

It was kinda sad.

 

JTHM is okay...I used to really like it, when I was like 16, but then I guess I grew out of it, I mean, some of the stuff is pretty damn funny, but for the most part it's just all just the same type of "I know everything, and you don't...augh the angst!" humor....and that annoys me.


I do like squee though, way toned down,basically hte same thing, a lot funnier.

 

The best parts of Johnny is the details. It's not about the sheer violence of the character, but in everything he brings and the nuiances of his personality. Plus the little interludes are great.

 

I used to read the Belgian comics lot, Tintin by Herge, Franquin's comics etc.
Never really liked those superhero comics.

Gaston is probably my favorite.

 

I went through a comic book collection phase when I was like 10 that lasted for about a month or two. I got some X-men, spawn and spiderman comics in that time. But, I lost interest cuz the Power rangers came out, THE POWER RANGERS!