Saturday, February 17, 2007

More on Heroes; Comics; Promethea

(Response to a comment on NY Times Article Puts Me in Unusual Position of Defending TV)

I sympathize Jemiah... unfortunately I don't read comics very much these days because they are really expensive. I do pick up the occasional series in Graphic Novel form (Promethea; Fables; and 100 Bullets).

For anyone that is still under the illusion that all comics are simple art/narrative forms (just like any genre/art-form you have to sift the chaff to get the choice grains, or as Theodore Sturgeon put it in regards to Science Fiction 90% of it is crap, but it s that 10% that will transform the way that you see the world that makes it all worthwhile) consult this great intro (or for anyone that is interested and would like to learn more about them):

Graphic Novels: Everything You Need To Know

Ultimately my point about my weekly viewing of Heroes is that I really don't expect anything profound and watch it on a pure enjoyment level. We deserve sweets from time-to-time and don't need to be harangued for eating them, of course if that is all your diet consists of, then that is a problem. On the other hand, when I got Alan Moore's graphic novel series Promethea I knew that it incorporated his knowledge/interest in esoteric/mystical arts and I expected to be challenged, inspired and awed... which the series did...

Salon: Promethea/Moore

This series is also a good example of the importance of the visual narrative in excellent comics. Moore's story would fall apart without the visual daring of Williamson and the other artists... Williamson's art provides just as much narrative structure (no doubt infused by Moore's written instructions) as the written text does. If you do not take the time to read and re-read the imagery in this comic, then you are missing a lot of the story...

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