I’m definitely late to the game of comic books. My parents weren’t big fans of me spending a lot of time indoors, and for a lot of years they forced me to go outside, which was a plus, looking back. I wouldn’t have discovered skateboarding if I hadn’t been pushed out of the door so many times by my parents.
However, there were some cool things that came out of my days outside, that had nothing to do with exercise.
One time, at around 10 years old my friends were dumpster diving in the alley and we came across to distinct boxes of print material. One box had a stack of Penthouse magazine that spanned at least twenty years. Maybe some housewife found them and threw them out, or maybe some guy had met his love and had to get rid of his collection to stay with whatever girl had whipped him into shape. Whatever the case was, the first box we opened was a pornographic dreamland for the teenagers in our group. They flocked to it. The younger kids, like me, were left with box number two. We expected another stack of pornography, but instead we discovered something not so hardcore.
The second box contained graphic novels, and about three decades worth of Mad Magazine, Cracked and National Lampoon comic books. We were all amazed, as we weren’t really into comic books and these little, funny; satirical drawings really were funny to us. I managed to wrestle a few things from there, and my love with comic book drawing, writing, and humor began.
Looking back on it now, I am still amazed with comic book dealings, and see a more sub genre of epic stories being told outside of the spandex clad universe that a lot of people seem to think about when considering comic books as a genre source for fiction.
With this introduction, I wanted to share with you guys the books that I’m reading, enjoying, and recommend for new and old readers alike.
Daredevil – A blind superhero? Yeah, I know it sounds a bit like the bi-clops episode on the Simpsons. The one where Bart and Milhouse take over the comic book store while Comic Book Guy was recovering from a heart attack. Daredevil was much more, including what some may call a “pimp”, as women flocked to him. He was the first major superhero that I really became fascinated by on a literary level. It had a lot to do with his religious incline, and duality bending story lines. He was also a lawyer, which was a real job for a hero, but it only helped his late night crime escapades. I really started enjoying Daredevil when the artwork began to resemble fine art and more darker moods. Kevin Smith joining the writing crew didn’t hurt either, and while Smith is famous for dick and fart jokes, he really brought a serious weight to the characters development, even after fifty years as a character. Daredevil has definitely spawned some campy story lines, and horrible villains at times, but he is a broader character than some lighter spandex wearing comic book hero’s of yesteryear. The flaw of being blind was also a major thing for me, as I hated that Superman was invincible in many ways, and even when he died, he never really died. If Daredevil dies, I’m sure he’ll stay dead….so I hope. If you don’t like the red suit daredevil, enjoy the yellow suit…
Hellblazer – John Constantine, the subject of the comic book, is the darkest hero that I like to read. It’s a cliché to call him dark, considering he’s dealing with forces that are supernatural by nature, and although there is a dark side, there’s also a vivid light side to the comic book. Creating a lot of enemies meanwhile thwarting the inevitable. While most super hero comics delineate good and evil within clear lines. However, in Hellblazer you don’t really feel that you’re in a universe of good and bad, or black and white, but the backdrop has a lot of religious tones at times. If you’re of a catholic background, then you’ll recognize a lot of familiar ideas, but the comics are not a tool for outreach and do not serve as a perpetual motion of ideology or religious intentions. The over tone is dark, the characters are believable and yet, unbelievable, but the spandex factor is at an all time low. The book started really slow, but has since picked up with an astounding array of covers, filtering the macabre through my senses has never been more enjoyable. Hellblazer leaves a path of destruction upon its readers, the likes other comics and graphic novels don’t really allow.
Batman – The ultimate vigilante, Batman fights crime in Gotham City. At first, I didn’t like the bat. His campy past haunts him every turn, but Frank Miller gave Batman some balls in the 80’s and those have only been proven to be the size of grapefruits. (Apologies to Vince McMahon, as he claims he has grapefruits) If you don’t like the fact that the good guy always wins, then you’re going to love some of the story arcs along the Batman universe.
Robin gets killed, Batgirl gets paralyzed, Batman grows old and all sorts of incredible things occur. Forget the campy Adam West television show, and embrace a new world of Batman lore. The latest and greatest Batman stories not only feature corruption in the mythical world of Gotham city, they feature enough tragic figures to make your psychology class seem like kindergarten social studies.
When Batman is flawed as a hero, he’s dealing with the demons of being really rich, and lacking the social weight of a real relationship…while many have tried, few have conquered Bruce Wayne’s heart…and while that’s not a nerd’s dream of a comic character, there is a great abundance of storytelling and artwork across the Batman universe to leave any naysayer, with a mouth full of fallen teeth.
American Splendor….if you’re not a fan of spandex, super hero’s, or anything supernatural…then you will love Harvey Pekar and his regular life. Trust me…you’ll never view comics the same way again.
