Comic Books and Graphic Novels

[shadowkat]

So for some reason or other last night -- I suddenly got nostalgic about the X-men. And decided to see if there were any comics I could grab electronically to read on my ipad. This lead me down a rabbit hole of sorts...the series has become insanely twisted. Everyone has done horrific things. (Also how many times have they killed off Professor Xavier now?) Poor Cyclops. Apparently he gets infected by the Phoenix Force and kills Professor Xavier. Which results in a rift between him and Emma Frost. Their romantic relationship apparently has ended. Not that I cared that much about it, one way or the other.

The character also becomes a bit of an anti-hero and joins up with Magneto. So that Beast, decides to go back in time and bring the teenage versions of the original X-men forward - hopefully to make their adult versions see the light? This does not quite work out as planned. Instead, according to the plot summaries, which feel a bit like reading the plot summary of daytime soap opera, Jean breaks up with Cyclops once she finds out what happens to their adult selves, Cyclops takes off with his father Corsaire into space (because honestly why would he bother sticking around for this dark and depressing future?), and Jean, upset over it, attempts to proposition the older version of Cyclops, who refuses her advances. (Because seriously? Been there done that one too many times.)

The problem with long-running serials is the writers either repeat themselves, take the story to a really dark place, write themselves into corners, throw characters off cliffs just to see if they can redeem them or bring them back again ad naseum. Also characters have a funky way of dying then being resurrected repeatedly. To the point that it is hard to get overly upset when they kick the bucket.
As for relationships? They don't last. They get together. They break apart. They get together. They cheat on each other. They break apart. They are together again. Anyone who watches or reads a serial figures out at a certain point not to ship any of the characters relationships, in self-defense.

So, I bought Funhome by Alison Beidel on kindle, which is not a superhero comic and has zip to do with the X-men. Nor is it a serial. So no rabbit hole. Also cheap - $5.99. X-men volumes are between $10.99-30.00.

And I'm debating buying House of M ($10.99)- which apparently changed everything in the Marvel verse. [ETA: I bought it - it was only $6.99.]Also debating buying Second Coming and Messiah Complex...along with Uncanny Revolotion...and All New X-men one...except for one problem, the damn story goes on forever. I don't enough money or time to invest in this. And I'm not sure I want to dive into the comic serial rabbit hole again. You can spend a mint following these stories and be deeply unsatisfied at the end of it. However, Cyclops was my favorite character - and I'm intrigued by the idea of a dark edgy Cyclops. (Yes, I know, you probably thought it was Wolverine or Kitty Pride aka Shadowcat. But no. Close second was Magneto. Really found Magneto to be interesting. On the female end of the spectrum, I liked Jean Grey, Rogue, Mystigue, and Storm (not in the movies - she was horribly written in the movies)) Used to have lengthy discussions about this with friends in college - we'd debate which character was the most interesting. (I was the minority, no one liked Cyclops. Sigh.)

Also debating reading the Buffy comics (post S8, already read that and got rid of them). Except that is another rabbit hole that I'm not sure I want to throw money down. It goes on and on and on...I'm wondering if I can just skip over S9, and start with S10? Flist seems to like season 10, they really didn't like Season 9.

I looked for Brian K. Vaughn's Saga series on Kindle, but alas, not available.

Any suggestions?

Comments

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

The Unwritten by Mike Carrey. Brilliant series, just finished.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the rec, will check it out.

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

I hesitate to recommend this because you'll either love it or be absolutely disgusted that I brought it to your attention, but Empowered by Adam Warren. The big issue is that it started off developing out of some soft-BDSM-porn illustrations that Warren did when he was desperate for money, but then started getting genuinely interested in the characters. But although the bondage is still there all the way through, it ends up being a really good superhero story that parodies the cliches without mocking the genre as a whole, and to my mind beats a lot of allegedly feminist work when it comes to showing a female character genuinely growing and becoming more powerful and confident as the story goes on, and not being constantly smashed down with misfortune just for cheap angst in a way that detracts from the message.

(I actually wonder at times if Warren is deliberately trying to lure the Warren Mears audience in with the BDSM, and then redirect their sexual and emotional responses towards having healthier relationships with women.)

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I've just scan-read Grant Morrison's arc on the New X-men, which has some suggestions of BDSM, but reigns way back. (The only superhero comics that I've liked were : The Uncanny X-men series (because it sort of subverts the whole concept, you have heroes that everyone sees as antiheroes that they want to exterminate - notably the series from 1980-on, prior to that it was pretty much run of the mill superheroes), The Watchmen (also subverts the concept, and is very noir), Dark Knight Returns/Batman Year One (also subversion of the superhero concept - poses more as vigilante), The Killing Joke (similar)...

I never really liked the straight forward superhero books. But I'm also picky about art, and a lot of the underground cult books - are black and white and I don't like the art.
It's the struggle I'm having with Funhome and Persepolis, and was the problem I had with the Buffy comics, the art just didn't work for me. It's a subjective thing, obviously.
Neil Gaiman's books have great art. May get some of those for the e-reader.

Have to say that I'm loving the e-book version of comics. Reading them electronically is so much easier. (Although, I got to be careful, it's harder to keep track of how much money you are spending. Just click and buy -- not safe!!)

Anywho, thanks for the rec, will check it out.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Ordered a sample.

I hesitate to recommend this because you'll either love it or be absolutely disgusted that I brought it to your attention, but Empowered by Adam Warren.

No worries. You know the insane things I've read and watched. Very little disgusts or shocks me in art. I read American Psycho. (Although I have realized that my tolerance for torture porn is no longer existent. And I can't do gory. Also, no serial killers. And I've grown weary of rape as a plot twist, just no. Outlander was the last straw on that camel's back. (The romance genre is weirdly obsessed with it.) Which may explain why the appeal of the series Hannibal was lost on me and I gave up on the Walking Dead finally. Also why I'm hesitant to try the tv show, Deadwood.)

Other than that I'm fine.

[ponygirl2000.livejournal.com]

Runaways also by Brian K Vaughan is excellent.