Why comics?
If you read comic books on a regular or semi-regular basis, what is it about the medium that makes it special? Why do you find time and set aside money for it when there are a lot more cheaper forms of entertainment out there? What makes comics interesting to you, personally? What do comics give you that other forms of entertainment can't?
If we can get enough answers (maybe a hundred... har har!) , maybe we can come up with comics' USP, or unique selling proposition. It can be comics' "tagline," so to speak, a statement that can encapsulize the experience and/or benefit unique to the medium. (Let's not tackle genre, writing and artstyle for the meantime; let's focus on the medium per se.)
Anyone?
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I found myself drawn to comics primarily because of the art, and I got into reading the weekly komiks anthologies because there was hardly much to do in my day.
I'm not too patient when it comes to reading very long stories--novels aren't up there among my reading preferences. Not yet, at least. So comics (as well as short stories) give me my story fix without taking up a lot of time.
But what I really like about comics is how it leaves little and a lot to the imagination, all at once. I can't explain it; it's only when I read an installment of Gary Larsen's The Far Side that I'm reminded how powerful the medium can be.
If we can get enough answers (maybe a hundred... har har!) , maybe we can come up with comics' USP, or unique selling proposition. It can be comics' "tagline," so to speak, a statement that can encapsulize the experience and/or benefit unique to the medium. (Let's not tackle genre, writing and artstyle for the meantime; let's focus on the medium per se.)
Anyone?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I found myself drawn to comics primarily because of the art, and I got into reading the weekly komiks anthologies because there was hardly much to do in my day.
I'm not too patient when it comes to reading very long stories--novels aren't up there among my reading preferences. Not yet, at least. So comics (as well as short stories) give me my story fix without taking up a lot of time.
But what I really like about comics is how it leaves little and a lot to the imagination, all at once. I can't explain it; it's only when I read an installment of Gary Larsen's The Far Side that I'm reminded how powerful the medium can be.
Comments
For humor, I like Gary Larson creations and Dilbert comics.
I guess I'm echoing Jac's sentiments. :)
2) It serves as cost-effective springboard to launch a title/story, and a relatively safer testbed to segue into something with inherently more risk... like a theatrical production, movie, or animated feature.
Those are true however also for illustrated children's books and webcomics.
3) Print comics cost more to bootleg than other media. It's bootleg-unfriendly.
4) Comics are easy to re-use, dispose, and recycle - anywhere.
5) Comics can hide as much as sex & violence in them without worrying about MTRCB censorship or other prying eyes. Or it can smuggle Christianity to where it's needed the most.
6) You can have street kids & vendors sell them right off the street, or you can carry it in luggage without getting nabbed by the Optical media board.
7) Comics can serve as a marketing tool attached to a location without requiring an electrician.
8) Comics can carry below-the-line freebie stubs and discount coupons without making itself look tacky.
9) Comics makes general education fun & easily archival. And can be very effective in teaching the arts in particular as comics are a cheap & handy visual reference for the growing artist.
10) Comics can be enjoyed & their stories sufficiently digested even under deafening noise or complete silence... or if you're deaf.
11) Comics can be enjoyed in poor or underdeveloped locales, even those that have no electricity.
12) Comics can entertain & educate and get better distribution than any other visual media in places where isolation/extreme privacy is necessary... like prisons, comfort rooms, hospital wards, and motels.
Boy that was fun.
Movies and TV force you to watch at their set pace. Books and prose force you to go in one direction and you can't really scan quickly through it and understand a story. A lot more processing is required for even simple comprehension.