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.
2 comments:
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.
Howard the Duck would have been a standout at any time. Steve Gerber was one of the smartest writers ever to work in comics, if he was also something of a troubled (and troublesome) genius. Gene Colan is about my favorite all-time comics artist as well.
The graphic novels you list are, as you say, good for different reasons. It's difficult to even compare them to each other, much less more mainstream titles. Ghost World started as a graphic novel too.
It's interesting to note that the West had essentially no awareness of manga until the 1980s. The martial arts movie craze of the previous decade might have built an appetite for all things Asian, although they were mostly Hong Kong, not Japanese. It does seem to be an expensive art form to follow. There are titles that are worth it, however.
My thing is that it's a visual medium. The point is to get the story across through action, atmosphere, and dialogue. There are circumstances where it might be necessary or just fun to show what someone is thinking directly. But those circumstances are not "everything at all times."
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