Comic books and manga...

[Smoke117]

Am I the only that doesn't get it? I remember as a sprout I tried to get into xmen yada yada when I was 10 years old...and I just didn't get it. I liked actually reading novels, so maybe that's why? Is this why manga and comics are so popular now...the general population is just too ****ing lazy to invest in a novel? I know multiple friends and family members who think a 1000 novel is just aburd...and I'm just baffled...is this how far our culture has deteriorated that actually investing time in a novel is absurd? Ugh...in 20 years will you just all be reading ****ing emojis?

[JohnnySic]

As a kid I liked funny comics. And I can enjoy a graphic novel that has a good story. But superhero stuff? Nah.

[BoogieWoogieMan]

Am I the only that doesn't get it? I remember as a sprout I tried to get into xmen yada yada when I was 10 years old...and I just didn't get it. I liked actually reading novels, so maybe that's why? Is this why manga and comics are so popular now...the general population is just too ****ing lazy to invest in a novel? I know multiple friends and family members who think a 1000 novel is just aburd...and I'm just baffled...is this how far our culture has deteriorated that actually investing time in a novel is absurd? Ugh...in 20 years will you just all be reading ****ing emojis?


http://www.somegif.com/gifs/1390831732496000715.GIF

[SugarHill]

they're popular now? or are their film adaptations popular? I can't imagine reading comics being at its height. either way, the reason graphic novels are popular is simple. The visuals. People like watching them just how they like watching films.

[iamgine]

What is a book?

[magic chiongson]

Am I the only that doesn't get it?

yep. i like reading good comic books, manga, novels. heck i even read non-fiction if it looks fun.

[KyrieTheFuture]

Comics aren't as popular today as they used to be, the movies certainly are crazy popular but I would bet at least 80% of people who watch Marvel movies have never bought a comic.

[Nick Young]

You aren't the only one. Comics and manga aren't for everyone. Nothing wrong with having personal taste, breh.:cheers:


Comics are popular as a storytelling medium because the stylized characters encourage the readers to self insert themselves in to a story. This leads to people forming a hard core connection with the characters, which is why you see so many dressing up as their favorite characters at comic cons. Also, because the images don't move, the reader is forced to imagine themselves what happens panel to panel which means more personal investment than watching a film for example.

Also the stories go on for years and years so readers have plenty of time to grow emotionally attached to the characters. With X-men, it is shit these days, but most of the readers are people who grew up with these characters and have been following their story for 10+ years.

For example, I know WWE wrestling is shit these days, but I still watch WWE because the emotional investment I've already put in to it based on when I watched it as a kid with Rock and Steve Austin and it was the coolest thing ever.

I think that's the reason for the popularity behind comics.


Also, there is nothing about a prose novel that makes it inherently better than a graphic novel. Maus for example is a comic that won the Pulitzer prize for literature. There are plenty of great comics that are also great works of literature, for example stuff by Will Eisner and Neil Gaiman. Novels and comics both have their strengths and weaknesses.



Also, comics are not a new thing. The very first art we as humans ever made story telling cave paintings, were basically comics. Look at Ancient Egyptian carvings, aztec and mayan carvings, medieval tapestries for more examples of comics through history.

[FatComputerNerd]

Grew up reading comics a a kid (mid-late 80's mainly).

Never got into manga (don't think it even existed back then?), and once I was a teenager I sort of lost interest in comics in general, including cartoons.

It was maybe 7 or so some odd years ago that I somehow got back into them.

Watched all the cartoon series' from the 90's which I didn't watch as a kid...I was already at the age where I'd lost interest I guess, and even got into downloading and reading some newer comics w/ the CBR program (dunno if that's still used or not).

Most teenagers and young adults aren't gonna be that into the stuff...too busy having fun, but it's neat as an adult to look back through your old comics you collected as a kid, and some of those old cartoon series' were actually really quite good. Watching them as an adult gives you a different perspective I think.