Sunday, September 28, 2014

Comic Books Are Not Just Full Of Superheroes

Coming into this class, I was by no means a comic book reader. My experience with comics started and ended with Marvel and Batman movies, of which I am a huge fan of and know quite a bit about. But, in saying that, my views and ideas of comic books were very limited. I had surrounded myself in this bubble of media inspired by comic books, but never had a real grasp on the art of comic books themselves. When I thought comic books I thought super heroes. That’s it. Just super heroes.
Was I ever in for an awakening.
My naiveté to the genre had led me to this closed belief about it, and you can imagine my disappointment when the only superhero comic on the syllabus was Hawkeye. Then I went to class and I discovered that there was this whole different world within comics that I never knew existed. Comics are like novels and movies and every other medium that one can think of in that they come in every shape and form. They are not just people prancing around in tights saving the day.
When I went in to Paper Heroes to buy my first ever comic book, I wasn’t sure what I was looking for. I walked in and the cashier asked what I was looking for and I said a comic book…but not a superhero comic book, I added as an afterthought. Sure, I was drawn to the ones with Batman and Iron Man on the covers, that was natural for the inner fan in me, but I told myself no. The point of this assignment was to discover new comic books and I wasn’t discovering anything in something I already knew. The cashier asked if I wanted mystery, sci-fi, or horror, and started pointing out a bunch of comic books. A lot stood out to me. This is a typical problem of mine, one I knew I would experience walking in. I always tend to like a lot of what there is to offer, but, indecisive as I am, I can never choose which one I want. I told him to just surprise me.
That’s how I ended up with The Wicked and the Divine.
The cover definitely stood out to me. It was colourful, the character was automatically intriguing, and the title alone drew me in. I was sold. So, I bought the first two floppies so I would know the whole story. When I got home I immediately started reading the comics and found myself immersed in the world of the comic I was reading. I flew through the first and did the same to the second. I found myself liking a comic that wasn’t centered around caped crusaders and men in iron suits.
This class has widened my view of comic books and sparked a new interest in me for the art. I haven’t had the chance to return to Paper Heroes yet to get the third issue of The Wicked and the Divine, but when I do, I might just surprise myself and pick up a different comic book too. As an avid reader, this experience has helped me discover a whole new realm of stories just waiting to be told and discovered. I look forward to my future experience with comic books, and although I will always love my superheroes, I’m starting to love the other parts of comic books as well.

-Amber Shearer

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