Power Kite Forum

Graphic Novels

shaggs2riches - 27-8-2011 at 07:55 PM

Just recently we watched the fist season of AMC's The Walking Dead. I heard from a co-worker that it was originally a monthly issue comic. Off to the store I went and bought the first twelve volumes in one hardcover novel. Reading it brought me back to when I was ten years old reading marvel comics. My wife is a huge fan of literature, as such she's always after me to read more. I think I may have to start a book shelf of my own. Anyone out there a fan of these????

Kamikuza - 27-8-2011 at 08:04 PM

Graphic novels? Yes. Comics, not so much ;) there is a difference in my mind :lol:

Check out "The Dark Knight Returns" by Frank Miller ... you'll see what they tried to do in the movies. Then, "Sin City" & "300" which are very faithful to the novels but nowhere near as affecting. "Zenith" is another good one - British SF is always different ...

cheezycheese - 27-8-2011 at 09:01 PM

Akira was one of the last ones that I read back inthe '80's. At first I thought the phrase was a gimmick to charge $10 for a comic, but they were worth it for the artwork alone.
Akira was also turned into a feature length anime which was hand drawn, really amazing on the big screen.

indigo_wolf - 27-8-2011 at 09:42 PM

Akira was amazing on the big screen.

With regards to comics/graphics novels... sadly there is an entire generation of artists whose like we won't see again. Some have either passed on or moved onto different franchises. Steve Ditko, Jim Steranko, Dave #@%$#!rum, Gene Colan and countless others. Some of the series were picked up by artists that quite honestly sucked compared to their predecessors.

That and it's something that can get very expensive very fast, comic books that used to cost 10/12/15/25 cents can now run $3.99.

I did get to meet Stan Lee, Bob Kane, and a couple of the other "old guard" creators and they were always very gracious to their fans. Have some fond memories of going to comic conventions with my friends in NYC when I was young.

ATB,
Sam

Kamikuza - 28-8-2011 at 06:25 AM

LOL $10! I think DKR was closer to $50 ... I always bought based on the artist primarily and the story writer secondly.
Big fan of Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Simon Bisley (when he can be bothered), Steve Yeowell ...

shaggs2riches - 28-8-2011 at 09:12 AM

Its crazy how looking through the titles how many I recognize from television or movies. I got into reading manga a couple years ago. In the airport I picked up a couple volumes of Full Metal Alchemist and read them on the flight. Later my wife read them, and was hooked...she's read thousands of them now, mostly online but there's an ever growing shelf in our bedroom. I read volume one of Trinity Blood just last week.

indigo_wolf - 28-8-2011 at 09:33 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by shaggs2riches
Its crazy how looking through the titles how many I recognize from television or movies.


There was a "tipping point" with SFX. At one point in time, trying to convey what happening within comic book storylines looked hopelessly hokey. Once things went digital, they started using motion capture suits, and a myriad of other techniques, it all became much more feasible.

What's really interesting is the long list of non-apparent effects that you don't realize are happening until you look at the behind the scenes footage.

ATB,
Sam

Cerebite - 28-8-2011 at 07:21 PM

Some other great books that have not been mentioned:
Maus
From Hell
Watchmen
Sandman [~15 volumes] -IIRC this was the first "comic" to win a Nebula or a Hugo, and they changed the rules because of it :yes: :singing:
anything else that Neil Gaiman did.
Cerebus [~30 volumes] -The longest sequential storyline by a single author.
Strangers In Paradise
Other Frank Miller: Give Me Liberty, all 4 Sin City series, the Batman Dark Knight material, Electra [he created the character while working on Dare Devil].
Bone
If I went into the Stacks or the Graphic Novel bookshelf I am sure that I could come up with others.