Welcome to the first of many regular installments of "Comicbooks are good for you", a 212.net exclusive about the wide and wonderful world of comicbooks. Why are you here you ask? Good question. To tell you, I have to talk about me, which I don't mind doing at all.

About Me

Like the byline says, my name's Christopher, but most everyone calls me Chris. I've been reading, writing, and drawing comicbooks since I got my first one, Transformers #3, when I was 8 years old. I'm 20 now, and I work at a comic store in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, which is just outside of Toronto. I've also been a participant in various Internet newsgroups for about 6 or 7 years. First on FIDO-NET, then on Usenet's rec.arts.comics.misc where I now make my virtual "home". There I write a weekly-ish column called "Discussing the Industry", where I sound off about various things that I'm thinking about, excited about, or that are bugging me.

While I was writing DTI, I noticed one thread popping up over and over again. I asked people that read comicbooks to share their joy of the medium with others. I do this every day at work, where I take pride in getting people to read cool books, or matching up non-comics readers with stuff they might otherwise enjoy. It's the best part of my job, but it doesn't always seem like enough, y'know?

So, I decided to take the opportunity in front of me, and use 212.net to get you people who don't normally pick up a comicbook to give it a shot. I'm also hoping that current comics readers will use this as a resource to find out about excellent comic books they may not be aware of, how to get friends/family into the hobby, and even how to make their own comics. In the coming weeks you'll see an article on how to buy comics as Christmas gifts, how to explain your comic-reading hobby to a loved one (coming out of the closet, as it were), as well as a page of links containing all of the web-sites I mention in each column. This time around, you're going to find out why you should be reading comics in the first place.

Comics are good for you!

You live a pretty full, rewarding life. You balance out your hobbies with your job, and you're feeling pretty well-rounded and content. So why should you read comics? Because if you've gotta read anyway, why not read something you'll enjoy?

It's true. Today's bestseller novels, works by Danielle Steele, Stephen King, Tom Clancy, or even Kitty Kelley all have contemporary comic book equivalents. Want a gripping romance? There's a great book out there called Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore you'll probably enjoy. Convinced that not only the truth is out there, but that it's staring at you? "The Invisibles" by Grant Morisson is a paranoiac super-spy spectacular, with aliens, drugs, religion, and chic looking leather thigh-high boots. Or perhaps a work of power and morality? An honest look at today's America as seen through the eyes of someone who's been there since the beginning? "Uncle Sam" by Alex Ross & Keith Darnel might be for you. Anything you like to read in regular novels, fictitious or not, is also available to you in comicbooks, along with so much more.

What are comicbooks though?

This may seem a little silly to some of you, but there are a bunch of people out there who have no idea what comicbooks even are. It's true. Here's a brief Glossary:

Comicbook: Sort of like a printed version of a subtitled movie. Images in frames (panels) that tell a story are printed on a page. Words are printed over top of the images, in order to narrate the actions that are happening in the images. Peanuts, Doonesbury, and Garfield are comic "strips". Imagine these spread out over an entire book, telling one long story.

Trade Paperbacks: Collections of comicbooks that are more like novels than pamphlets really. Typical comic books are between 20 and 28 pages. Trade Paperbacks (tpb) collect several issues of a comicbook, usually an entire storyline, into one square-bound book. These are much nicer, at between 100 and 200 pages of comics, and usually contain a complete story. It's the difference between buying a Video Tape of one episode of the X-Files, and buying a Video Tape with all three episodes of the season-finale on one tape so you get the whole story.

But Comics are so... Juvenile!

Not true. Well, mostly not true anyway. Well...

Okay, here's the deal. Comicbooks are like any medium. I'll compare it to film, for example. Once a Hollywood Studio gets big enough, it begins to get content with itself, and it starts releasing crap films. The glimmer and flash of special effects outweigh the need for a decent story, and big name stars are more important than a plot. Which isn't to say that every once in a while Warner Brothers, or 20th Century Fox, or whomever doesn't produce something truly inspirational, that is both critically successful and popular all over, but it happens once in a blue moon. Meanwhile, smaller studios don't have the budget for flashy fancy everything, so they've gotta make damn sure that they've got a solid story, excellent actors (instead of name actors), and that their movies are spectacular from start to finish.

This is what the comicbooks industry is like.

Most of the Marvel (the guys who make Spider-man and the X-Men) and DC (home of Superman and Batman) mainstream is uninspired, re-trod superhero work that was much better the first time it came out, in the 60's (or the 40's). This doesn't preclude them both from releasing excellent work at all. But generally, you're going to find the same sort of superhero comics at these two companies that you found 20 years ago. I don't mean to knock the superhero genre though. I read and enjoy it, just like I enjoyed Starship Troopers... But it is pretty juvenile, for the most part.

But it's not all like that! Just as independent films are often striking, unique, and wonderful, so too is the independent comicbook scene! Topics like the Russian occupation of Hungary following the second world war, nostalgia about the 80's and becoming an adult in the nineties, or the effects childhood trauma can have on the father of a family later in his life are anything but juvenile (caveat: just as there are bad, bad artschool-drop out films out there, so too are there bad, bad independent comics...). There are hard-hitting, wonderful stories out there waiting for you (yes, you!) to crack the binding on. So what are you waiting for?

Where do I find these wonderful comics? All I see at the corner store is Spider-man and Superman...

This can be a little big trickier. Going back to our film metaphor, independent films also get the worst distribution. You can go and see Starship Troopers anywhere you want, but trying to see Ice Storm (great movie with Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver) was next to impossible. Likewise, independent comics don't get "news stand" distribution, so you might have a harder time finding them. Check out our COMICS 411 and RECCOMMENDATIONS sections for a complete listing on different ways to get your hands on comic books, trade paperbacks, and graphic novels.

But, I still don't think I want to read comicbooks...

Sigh. I hate to say this, but comicbooks aren't for everyone. There are some people out there who don't like to read, or can't get over their pre-conceived notions of comics, or for some reason just can't make heads or tales of HOW to read them. Just like sky-diving and full-contact rugby aren't for everyone, neither are comics.

But think of what you're missing! Comics, at their best inspire and move people. They're intense, fantastic, gripping stories that will leave a lasting impression on you. They, like the best of any artistic medium are a testament to the creativity, ingenuity, and inherent talent of the human race. But most of all, they're damn good stories mixed with darned good artwork to produce some of the best literature of the 20th century.

Wow, thanks Chris!

No problem. I hope you're thinking a little differently about comicbooks now. Like I said next time through we're going to be talking about what to buy, and how to give it away. Until then though, I want to give you a few titles to check out before we come back.

Books about comics:

Understanding Comics - by Scott McCloud : This is a book that explains where comicbooks came from, what they are, where they're going, and how to interpret and understand the hidden art behind every panel. A fascinating book, and probably the top book ever produced about comics.

The Comicbook Heroes - Gerard Jones & Will Jacobs : Reading like the best trashy Hollywood tabloid, this very large, very nice book gives you the history of modern comicbooks, as well as what went on behind the scenes. You'll learn a lot of comicbook history, but you won't realize it as you'll be too engrossed with all the bickering, infighting, and "inbreeding" the comics field produces.

Great Comicbooks:

Strangers in Paradise - Terry Moore : A touching, gripping love story set against the perils of modern life. Funny and irreverent one minute, touching and surreal the next. A favorite of female comics readers, as well as males. There are four volumes of Strangers in Paradise, and the first, simply entitled "Strangers in Paradise" is still my favorite.

The Sandman- Neil Gaiman, Various : Author Neil Gaiman tells the story of the prince of stories, Morpheus, the lord of Dreaming. Morpheus is a guide through the lives of ordinary people, ancient gods, household pets, and demons. Learning their stories, we begin to understand who Morpheus is and why he can never be happy. The Sandman was a monthly series published by DC/Vertigo, that spanned 75 issues and one special issue, and the entire run is available over 11 trade paperbacks. The first is called "Preludes and Nocturnes", and the second is "the Doll's House". New Readers may want to pick up "Fables and Reflections" which is a collection of short stories featuring characters from the Sandman.

Cerebus - Dave Sim and Gerhard : "Cerebus is the War and Peace of Comics". What started out as a parody of the deluge of "Conan the Barbarian" type stories in the late 70's has become the most intelligent critical analysis of government, male/female relationships, the class system, wealth, religion, philosophy, and literature the comic field has to offer. All told through the vehicle of a talking, 3 foot tall aardvark named Cerebus. The first trade paperback collecting the first 25 issues of the story, "Cerebus" is more farcical than not, and introduces Cerebus. However, it is the two-volume "High Society" that is the masterpiece of the series. Nearly 50 issues and 1000 pages that tell the story of Cerebus as he is elected to Pope, then to Prime Minister, then to God, and returned to earth as just a mercenary once again. Gripping.

Watchmen - Alan Moore and Brian Bolland : Perhaps the ultimate superhero story. Realistic and gripping, it follows the exploits of a group of superheroes that disband after World War II, and change with the changing America. Set against the escalation of the Cold War during the mid-eighties, Watchmen is a critical examination of the superhero genre that will change forever the way you view your heroes. The Watchmen, a group of Superheroes watching over America asks the question "Who watches the Watchmen?". Available in one big, thick tpb that will take you a few days to read.

Well then, I'll rush out and get them!

I certainly hope you will pick at least one or two of the books I've suggested.

Anyhow, I'd like to thank you for reading this week, and hope to see you back here next time. Speaking of which, my next column will debut with the December issue of 212.net, which should be in around 2 or 3 weeks, and I should have a full list of links to interesting comicbook sites assembled and installed by next week.

Thanks again, and remember; Comics are good for you.