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Learn about Superhero Comic Books... |
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Growler
on Superhero Comic Books >
INDEX
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Superheroes? Absolutely!... |
Just Imagine... >
I
don't pretend to know everything about superhero publishing, but what
I do know I will share with you in this column.
Celebrating
the superhero fiction found in comic books and graphic novels, old and
new, highlighting favourite characters, creators and showing you the beauty
of the form!
So here goes.
Rawle
Austin presents...
Action
and adventure!
Ok.
So when you hear the words ‘superhero comic books’ what’s
the first thing that comes into your head?
Honestly.
Simplistic stories? Muscle bound super athletes battling each other?
Out of proportion females, wearing next to nothing? Skin-tight (spandex)
costumes?
If you answered yes to one or more of the above questions you would
not be alone.
For a long time since the beginning of the comic book industry,
this was the norm, the reasons being are as follows.
The
muscle bound characters often found in comic books were originally
designed in the 1940's to appeal to the power fantasies of early
to late teenagers.
Click
here to check out She-Hulk: Single Green Female v. 1 (Marvel Comics)
by Dan Slott and Juan Bobillo
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This
was the ultimate form of escapism, imaginations would run wild and the
thought of having superhuman powers would be a desire craved by many.
The
unrealistically shaped, out of proportion females (i.e. large chests,
behinds and tiny waists) were again designed to appeal mainly to late,
teenaged males.
As a result this alienated many potential female readers as there was
little or no story contained.
There
are still a few comic books which feature these images but, on the
whole, most are toned down in favour of stronger characterization
and story.
The
spandex costumes came about as a shortcut to drawing, normal, everyday
clothes on figures.
All
you had to do was outline a body, draw a design or two and a costume
was born, hence the familiar Superman and Batman "outside underpants”
look.
This
enabled early artists to draw more pages in a short time and is
a popular time saving device.
It
also helped quick reader recognition of characters which is essential
in the medium.
Click
here to check out Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (DC Comics) by
Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness |
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 While
this works well for comic books the spandex look simply does not work
on the big screen and TV so costume changes often occur.
Compare
the looks of the comic book versions of Batman and the X-Men to their
film counterparts.
There
is a vast difference.
The
simplistic stories were simply a product of their time and that
was what the audience wanted.
Times have changed and so has the audience for comic books. A
more diverse, media savvy, demanding, sometimes cynical, global
audience is the reality and catering for this is the challenge to
all comic book creators past, present and future.
There
have been creators that have consistently produced great stories
and I would like to recommend a few of them to you now.
Writer
Neil Gaiman is a legend in the industry.
He
recently created the Marvel Comics' title 1602 which placed the
Marvel characters in the 17th Century. He
will be re-imagining Marvel's Eternals, with artist John Romita
Jr, for a complete update.
Click
here to check out The Eternals TPB (Marvel Comics) by Neil Gaiman
and John Romita Jr |
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 He
also created and wrote the Sandman series for DC Comics over many years.
Under
DC's Vertigo imprint Sandman was about Morpheus the God of Dreams and
these are now collected in a series of trade paperbacks (trades).
This
is a historical fantasy series which was and still is immensely popular
and is an example of great storytelling in comic book form.
Alan
Moore is widely accepted as one of the best comic book writers of
all time.
Coming
to prominence in 1982 working for Marvel UK, writing Captain Britain
drawn by Alan Davis, he showed the mastery which would soon trademark
his work.
In
1986 he penned a widely recognised masterpiece called Watchmen.
This
is a classic murder mystery amongst superheroes and shows the comic
book format at it’s best.
It
is also available in trade format.
Moore
gained a whole new legion of fans with his America's Best Comics
(ABC) line published by Wildstorm Productions through DC Comics.
Click
here to check out Top Ten - Book 1 (ABC Comics) by Alan Moore and
Gene Ha |
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The
line included the titles, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (which was
later adapted into a major movie) Top Ten, Tom Strong and Promethea.
These
are all excellent examples of comic book storytelling with beautiful artwork
and are a satisfying read.
A
favourite writer of mine, and also a legend, is American writer Christopher
Priest whose character work is among the best in the business.
Breathing
life into any character he writes with an eye for great dialogue
and storytelling.
He
was the first black writer of superhero comic books, and was an
editor for Marvel Comics, truly a pioneer.
His most recent success was re-inventing the Marvel Comics character
Black Panther who happened to be the King of the fictional African
country of Wakanda.
This
was one the most technologically advanced nations on the planet
in the Marvel Comics universe.
Priest’s
stories are full of political intrigue, action and subtle comedy
moments and are also collected in trades.
He
has also written the titles The Crew and Captain America and the
Falcon.
Click
here to check out StormWatch: Force of Nature (Wildstorm Comics)
by Warren Ellis and Tom Raney
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Warren
Ellis, is an excellent, distinct British writer with a strong, powerful
style.
Famous
for his big ideas and concepts I have to recommend his runs on Stormwatch
by Image comics.
This
title evolved into The Authority both of which are reprinted and collected
into trade formats.
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creme de la creme however has be his creation of Planetary, which
is a loosely veiled interpretation of all comic book and adventure
genres with layers of plot and characterization.
Focusing on, for want of a better description, a trio of super powered
archaeologists. This
is a must read and is, again, collected into trades.
I’d
finally like to mention the late Will Eisner.
I
first learnt about this man’s work a few years ago after many
years of reading a steady diet of Marvel and DC comics.
A
writer and an artist, Will Eisner was the man who re-created the
comic book format and broke many of the accepted industry rules
in the mid to late 1940’s.
Click
here to check out Planetary: Fourth Man v. 2 (Wildstorm Comics)
by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday
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His
ground breaking and innovative page layouts and techniques inspired many
of today’s creators and his book Comics and Sequential Art is a
great insight to the making of a comic book.
His
comic book series The Spirit, which started life as a newspaper strip,
is collected in numerous trades.
There
are many more great creators and comic book stories to discover and I
will journey with you and take you to some great destinations.
No
visa or passport required!
Until
the next time!
Growler
out.
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Superheroes? Absolutely!... |
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