Comic Books. Not my all time favorite form of amusement, but I certainly can't knock them; especially after the semester is over and I can barely read. When you've seen a quarter of a century pass by though, it's hard to find something that will satisfy your maturing tastes. I mean it's not like it was in Junior High when all you wanted were cool super powers, trite dialog, spandex, and lots of flash. A brain that's been wrestling for the past two years with post-colonialism and French structuralism 24/7 has a hard time slowing down to the level of "pow," "wham," "zot," even when it's fried and trying desperately to detox. Fortunately, it seems that as the comic readers of yesteryear have grown up, so has the target audience. So what have I been reading?
Hmm... good question.
Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One" and "The Dark Night Returns." Dark, brooding, and gothic, Miller reaches into the heart of what makes Batman compelling and recreates him as a character of mythic power locked in the steps of Aechylian chatharsis between the human desire for justice and the rule of law. Also an interesting, if grosely orientalist and unhistorical, read is "300," based on the battle of Thermopyle between the Spartans and the Persians.
Mike Mignola's "Hellboy." Mignola combines an encyclopedic knowledge of folklore and myth with all the fun grit of a Film Noir. Where else can you get such snappy lines as "Ok, bub. I was going to spare you, seeing as you're kindof a major mythological figure and all, but now you've made me angry!" Not to mention it's got everyones favorite villians: Nazis, vampires, wolfmen, changelings, and Gregory Rasputin.
Marvel's "House of M." Ok, so this brings us back to the world of yellow spandex *shudder*. But hey, it's all your favorite marvel super heroes, X-Men, Spiderman, Hulk, and Fantastic 4, sucked into an innovative and compelling plot!
Neil Gaimann's "Sandman." Interesting, gothic, totally unparalleled, and very, very dark. I'm not sure what my overall feeling is on this one, but it's definately read at your own risk. On the otherhand, every page of it is startlingly profound. It has some of the best exposition of Shakespeare's works that I've ever found and actually has G. K. Chesterton as a character. Like I said though, the content leaves the jury out on this one. A definate masterpiece, but read at your own risk.
Doug Tenapel's "Creature Tech," "Tommysaurus Rex," and "Earthboy Jacobus." No super heroes here. Tenapel can't really be explained, he can only be experienced. Weird, wacky, hilariously funny, often profound, deeply religious. If your looking for a rollercoaster ride that's completely different, Tenapel's your man.
So there you go. Balance it out with a little of Genndy Tartakovsky's "Samurai Jack" and you've got my recent sources of post-semester entertainment!
Comments
Gaiman loves to play on mythological elements in it, too, so I'm sure if you keep reading it, you'll find some stuff right up your alley, Jim.
"Hellboy" was also good... or at least the first two volumes. Seriously, if you want good villains, it's always safe to use Rasputin and Nazis. Unless you're in Germany or Russia. Then, maybe not so safe. But in America, they're great!
I read good things about "House of M" in Wizard magazing a few months ago, but I don't fully trust any company that gets paid to make things sound good. They did, however, have the best picture of Wolverine with a baby... but I digress.