DEBORAH CROMBIE: On a stroll around the town square with my daughter last week (oh, the liberation!) I discovered that a comic shop has sprouted up in the year-plus that I have missed doing such things. And a vinyl shop next door! (But vinyl is a whole other post.)
I didn’t go in, but I will, because I can’t wait to see what’s new (or old) in the comic world. I was a moderate comic reader as a kid, and more Marvel than DC, which were always a little dark for me. My husband LOVED comics, and has never forgiven his mum for disposing of his huge collection during a move. (Maybe I shouldn’t forgive her either—those comics might be worth a fortune now…) But I grew up and didn’t think much about comics except on the release of the latest Marvel or DC blockbuster.
But I have recently discovered the joys of the graphic novel. I’m a huge fan of the English urban fantasy writer Ben Aaronovitch, who has published a series of graphic novels that are interwoven with his RIVERS OF LONDON novels, short stories, and novellas. I had tried a couple of the graphic novels in paperback and found them a little unwieldy. Then one day, ZOWIE! it occurred to me that I could read them on my tablet! Duh. Welcome to the digital world.
The color art is fabulous! You can make the panels bigger! They are so much fun! Before you could say BOOM I’d bought all eight of them! Now I have favorites among the illustrators, and I’m wondering what other treasures I’ve been missing.
Reds, did you read comics as a kid? What were your faves? What about current graphic novels—any recommendations there? And are there comic shops in your neighborhood?
LUCY BURDETTE: Archie, Betty and Veronica, those comics were my favorites--maybe a little Wonder Woman on the side. I would like to go back now and read them to see what I loved about them and how they’ve aged.
The only graphic novel I believe I’ve read is GOOD TALK by Mira Jacob. She writes about raising a mixed race son--it’s a stunning book (I have the hardcover) and I highly recommend it to everyone.
HALLIE EPHRON: I reviewed a British graphic mystery novel when I was reviewing for the Boston Globe - “Britten and Brülightly” by Hannah Berry. I really liked it. And my grandkids are deep into the BONE series of graphic novels for kids.
In my house growing up, we could pretty much read anything we wanted EXCEPT my parents refused to spring for comic books. I lusted after Archie and Little Lulu and those romance comic books. Superhero comics, not so much.
JENN McKINLAY: HUGE comic book fan as a kid and an adult. The Hub and the Hooligans, are, too. Mostly, I was a Spider-Man/X-Men girl but I really loved all the comics, which my brother and I devoured all summer long on our family vacations, which always seemed to include a lot of driving.
Red reader Jay and I have discussed our favorite day, which is FCBD (Free Comic Book Day), which is usually the first weekend in May but has been bumped to August 14th this year because of pandemic concerns. More info: https://www.freecomicbookday.com
RHYS BOWEN: Oh dear--not a fan of comics. It seems like too much effort to read and follow along, plus it takes away what I love most about reading--the rich turn of phrase and description that lets me savor the use of language. I do occasionally enjoy the Sunday funnies--I always loved Peanuts.
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Rhys, maybe it was more of an American thing? Comics of one sort or another seem like a childhood staple of every American generation before the Millennials. They were easy to pick up because they were everywhere - same distribution as those spinning racks of paperbacks, I bet - and the cost was around a buck, buck-twenty-five in inflation-adjusted terms.
Then in the 90s prices shot up to four dollars (again, adjusted) and have stayed there (or gone higher!) since. So Ross and I read them frequently (I was a big Spiderman fan, while he was into the Fantastic Four and the X-Men) but our kids know the characters strictly from movies.
One of the great joys of going to my grandmother's? She picked up comics whenever she spotted them at estate or tag sales. (Collectable? We would have goggled at the thought.) She had a HUGE pile in a box, enough to keep a kid happily quiet for an entire afternoon while the grownups visited.
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I devoured comics. Devoured. They were ten cents, and I used all my allowance. Justice League of America, Legion of Superheroes, Jonn Jonzz Manhunter from Mars. All the Supers: Man, Boy, Girl. Thinking about it now, they were mysteries. A bad guy, a bad thing, someone trying to stop them and get justice.
Archie, yes, but I was a Veronica girl, and was embarrassed by that because you weren't supposed to like her. And I never understood the allure of Archie himself.
Superheroes were more interesting--the characters and the stories.
I never read the war comics, or the romance comics. Which again, is revealing.
But MAD Magazine? I was totally addicted, especially to the musical parodies, and that's a whole nother blog.
Graphic novels don't appeal to me, but ...maybe it's a time thing.
DEBS: So interesting. I never "got" the Archie comics--much preferred superheroes. Readers, any comic fans out there? And who's discovered the joys of graphic novels?
