Something changed in the world of comics in the late eighties and early nineties, and it was not for the better (surprise, surprise). This was the explosion of first person narration.
Up until this point, superhero comics had mostly simple narration. If the characters were searching for someone on the docks at night, there would be a caption reading, "Later, on the docks..." and that would be it. But from this period onward, everyone had to share their point of view, such as it was.
It's not that this can never work. Frank Miller and Alan Moore had experimented with this format, and their successes were what fueled this change. But if you're depicting a guy, say, who can fire energy blasts from his hand, having him say in his mind, "I massage my knuckles, I do some deep breathing exercises," really doesn't add mcuh.
1 comment:
I don't think I've read a real comic since 'Howard the Duck - Trapped in a world he never made' - but I do have some experience of graphic novels (mostly on account of our mutual friend). maus, Persepolis, V. For Vendetta and Sin City were all good if for different reasons.
I'm not sure if Manga are considered graphic novels by Western standards but the ones that have become favorites like Buddha by Osamu Tezuka and Black Jack by the same author/artist are amazing enough that I'm glad we have both of them. Then there are other favorites like Death Note and Ghost in the Shell.
The problem they all have in common is that they're expensive - well worth the money but it doesn't make them accessible to many people, especially not children (except for ...ahem, a precious few).
I agree with you the only thing that graphic novels and old fashioned comic books have in common is they're both image oriented. That Batman or Spiderman or Superman or whomever might be employing internal observations along with the Biff, Bang, Boom does seem redundant.
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