Found Long Story; Short Pier today, and what a nice find, in particular this post which tackles the issue of 'Why you don't read comics'. That particular post includes a long essay that was published first five years ago, but which is a really fascinating read nonetheless, if you're into comics.
I love comics. Quite often when I say that, people look at me all askew as if to say 'But I thought you were intelligent?', and then I'm forced to come back with the response 'No, don't think of them as comics, think of them as literature with pictures' at which point whomever it is that I'm talking to will look at me with that 'Oh… Right…' look and I will realise that I've just slipped several miles in their estimations and will be forced to bring up the subject of the search for the Higgs Boson in order to prove that I do have two brain cells to rub together after all.
Unfortunately I've never had the resources to pursue my love of comics as much as I would have liked (an old tale, but true), but personally I don't think you can beat Sandman or Hellblazer in terms of just amazing story telling and fantastic artwork. There are issues of Hellblazer that I find it hard to read, because I just get too emotional. I suppose it's no coincidence that I have also had slight crushes on both Morpheus and Johnny Constantine (the two lead characters from Sandman and Hellblazer), but I believe that just goes to prove how beautifully characterised they are, how real, how fully fleshed out.
It's been a while, though, since I've had the money to go and buy comics. I never was good at the whole monthly thing – I have a crap memory for things like that – so have always tended to go, after the fact, for the graphic novel collections instead. Besides, their just nicer things to hold in your hands. However, that is going to change just as soon as Neil Gaiman's 1602 comes out. For once, I'll put the effort in to actually locate each issue as it comes out, or I'll take a sub out. Either way, I'm looking forward (hopefully in August) to getting my mitts on the first brand spanking new comic I'll have bought in years.
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