scottieking Posted February 5, 2003 Report Share Posted February 5, 2003 This is inspired by seeing Groove Fetish mention Will Eisner in the QoTD today. As some of you know, I've been laid low recently. However, it's given me tons of reading time and for me that doesn't just mean books that means graphic novels graciously let to me by a good friend. Now depending on how picky we want to get here this could mean a variety of things but I want to know a) last good one read , b)all time favorites and c)getting anything monthly? a) this week Adrian Tomine's Summer Blonde, Will Eisner's Invisible People, Alan Moore's Top Ten, Channel Zero by Brian Wood and (if you can believe this) for the first time Jeff Smith's Bone. All top notch. anything Bendis, early Sin City (Miller), Gaiman, Transmet, Black Hole (Burns), Watchmen, Cerebus, Preacher, anything Tomine c) 100 Bullets, Powers, Alias, Stray Bullets, Y The Last Man Anyone here know what I'm taking about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hux Posted February 5, 2003 Report Share Posted February 5, 2003 .....you mean, like, Penthouse Letters and stuff...?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted February 5, 2003 Report Share Posted February 5, 2003 It's been a while since I've read comics or graphic novels. I still have my collection stashed away somewhere, but I never even dust it anymore. I've always heard that Watchmen was the shit, but I never got around to reading it. The best graphic novel ever was The Return of the Dark Knight by Frank Miller. That book was great on so many levels. I think I heard something about a sequel just recently? I also own the original Crow graphic novel, the one the movie was (loosely) based on. Cerebus was cool, but I got into it way too late. The back issues cost too much, so I never pursued a collection. Sin City, another Frank Miller epic, never made my "must-buy" list. I seem to remember Star Wars: Dark Empire bring pretty cool too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcane Posted February 6, 2003 Report Share Posted February 6, 2003 GNs are cool, but mine are also collecting dust. The Spirit is great. Ever read Maus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groove Fetish Posted February 6, 2003 Report Share Posted February 6, 2003 ever heard of Joe Sacco and Safe Area Gorazade- epic consideration of the Yugoslavian conflict in graphic novel form. He also did one on Palestine. Inspired by Maus. There are some incredible reality based comics and people like Andi watson and Howard Cruse, Andrew Vachss...I love ALan Moore and Neil Gaimen as well as Bryan Talbot and Grant Morrison.... ohhh wow- there is so much out there... anything illustrated by P Craig Russell and Mike Mignola....I love Illustrator writers like Mike Mignola and Bryan Talbot they are amazing story tellers. Boy I could go on and on... currently I am trying to apply to do a PhD and comics and the central theme of my research. They are an exceptially underrated art form and communication form. they can have power even without any words- checkout Eric Drooker's Flood or Blood Song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groove Fetish Posted February 6, 2003 Report Share Posted February 6, 2003 And the spirit is great- Will Eisner is the King of graphic novels....I even have a Spirit action figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groove Fetish Posted February 6, 2003 Report Share Posted February 6, 2003 Scottieking said "Will Eisner! That's awesome. I just finished Invisible People. He is the master. Fetish, maybe you and I should start a separate comic thread." Funny thing is when I said that I decided I wanted to start a thread as a question of the day asking much the same thing you did... weird ehhh? more comic talk---what I really want to know is tell me things you learned from comics before you learned it anywhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted February 6, 2003 Report Share Posted February 6, 2003 I learned how to draw from comics. Can't say I remember learning any educational tidbits though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Not Bob Posted February 6, 2003 Report Share Posted February 6, 2003 I don't care if it's The Spirit, Maus, Watchmen, Superman or Archie and Jughead ... it's not a graphic novel, it's a freakin' comic book. A graphic novel is a specific format of long form story with a card rather than paper cover (see Killing Joke or, IMSMR, Brought To Light) but even then ... it's still a comic book. I was reading my Authority TPB earlier, man that rocks. I have to get the rest of the Transmetropolitan run, I was a big Preacher fan back in the day ... still love JSA, still love Avengers, etc. And I am probably the only one who remembers the all too brief run of the Heckler, one of the drop dead funniest comics I've ever read. Rob Not Bob "Yoo hooo ..... Mister Imbiciiiiiiile!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted February 6, 2003 Report Share Posted February 6, 2003 Wasn't the Heckler written and drawn by Keith Giffen (sp?)? If so, I don't blame you for thinking it was the shit. That guy's run on Lobo, and then Trencher, killed me. Those books make a short list of comics I would still read today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottieking Posted February 6, 2003 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2003 Wow, Giffen fans. Cool. Don't forget Ambush Bug. An old classic for sure. When I started the thread, I did sort of make the disclaimer if we wanted to get picky. To be honest, I was just trying to net a few flies here. True, many people will try to include TPB's in as graphic novels, when they are not. But I hardly think that paper stock is a qualifier. IMO, a graphic novel is any body of work which, when collected, stands to tell a story in a "graphic way". I would argue that the Killing Joke is just a Prestige Format comic, but then I would also risk sounding like Comic Book Guy from the Simpson's, which is something I try to avoid in these conversations. Your question is a great one, Fetish. I'm not sure what kind of learning we are talking about here. In one sense, you mentioned Palestine which is still one of the best looks into the behind the scenes of the life of Paletstinians I've seen. In that sense, I've learned some stuff. I've used comics in my classroom before, mostly for Gr. 12 English. I have a comic version of Macbeth. It really helps to break the barriers down on some really difficult text. I learned to quit bitching about my own life after reading about some of these guys (poor Chester Brown, Dave Sim, even Crumb). I suppose I wouldn't half the appreciation for visual arts I have without them. I think the biggest thing for me perhaps is that comics, from my run of Amazing Spiderman, right up to craziest Bill Sienkiewich (sp?) has opened up what Coleridge called "my suspension of disbelief" giving me the ability to believe in almost anything visually like an Authority romp, and allowing me to enjoy a simple life tale like you would find in an Andi Watson story. Hope that does it. By the by, my friend owns a comic store here in London and last night, I was checking out the new release pile. There's a new Sacco hardcover out, with some new and some reprints. Fetish: tell me more about this Phd. If not here, then email me. I'm interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groove Fetish Posted February 6, 2003 Report Share Posted February 6, 2003 Ambush bug....I gotta meet you Scottieking! Or should I say Scottie Spears....(that was you in that clip right?) ...PS...I will email you more regarding the PhD private though....later... gotta go talk to someone about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcane Posted February 7, 2003 Report Share Posted February 7, 2003 Oh, MAN!!! Ambush Bug!! He's da BOMB!! I like old Giffen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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