One of my favorite hobbies is loaning my comic books (excuse me, “graphic novels”) to my friends and having them be surprised that they actually enjoy them. Nearly every comic I have has been read by at least one other person, and most of my close friends are now converts to the medium, newly appreciating the “sequential art” they once wrote off as just for nerds or little kids.
Scott Pilgrim is usually the first thing I show people, because it is awesome.
I only have two X-Men comics, but they are big hard-bound collections. They are also the only comics I think my dad told me I was lame for buying. Which really says a lot about the awesomeness of my parents, because I’ve bought a lot of comics. I do still like those X-Men ones, though.
Anyway, I thought I should share the love through the Internet as well, so here are some short bits of comics that I’ve found interesting lately.
+World End Solution 2003 – I had a similar idea for a story back in high school . . . I guess when you grow up being told that the end of the world may come before you graduate, these are the sort of ideas you get. But this actually gets kind of funny toward the end, and you can basically of forgive it for ending on a cliffhanger, since it’s hard to imagine an ending that could top it. It’s by the Scott Pilgrim guy.
+How We Got Engaged – So this one is cute. Blah blah blah. If you like cute, check it out. If you don’t, there are other not-cute things in the world for you to enjoy. It’s also rather unique in that the comic doesn’t just tell the story, it is part of the story itself.
+Local – this is a comic book series and not actually a webcomic (although there’s a preview and an interview here), but the gimmick is that each issue will feature a stand-alone story set in a specific city. The first issue takes place in Portland, which was THE big city when I was growing up in Oregon, and the second is in Minneapolis, where I’ve visited a few times with Erin (she went to school there) and have found captivating.
+Me and Edith Head – You can only read part of this online, but it’s a great example of clear, concise storytelling. In just a few, very small pages, we’re introduced to not just the main character, but the entire world she inhabits, a good portion of the plot, and some historical facts as well, and none of it seems forced or rushed. It’s the sort of thing I’m trying to do with the stories I’m writing now, except with ninjas and gladiators instead of high school theatre.
+Scary Go Round -- This is a daily (?) webcomic that I just discovered and it's rather entertaining if you can keep up with the plotline. It's not that scary, actually.
So comics are rad. The end.
