Decades ago, comic books were being banned all over the country for their controversial content and new age tomfoolery. But today, they are seen as nerd-related memorabilia from a bygone era. The truth is that you should be reading comics, and yet very few of you are.
Did you like The Avengers? Did you like any Batman, Superman, X-Men, Watchmen, Kick Ass, Ninja Turtles movies? Most people know that those stories are born from comic books, and there is usually a slight bump in related comics' sales in conjunction with the films. But that bump fades quickly after the fanfare dies down.
The success of that spin off media reveals a truth behind comics; the stories in comics are enjoyable. The medium, however, holds them back. Why?
Every week, a new batch of comic books hits stores around the world. And in each of those issues, fans expect things to happen. That's the main allure for most avid comic book fans, that things happen so often and so quickly. But for newbies who come into the store to see what the movie characters are up to, they are slapped in the face by decades upon decades of continuity. The Tony Stark in the comics is not the Tony Stark in the movies. In the comics, he's much older, has gone through a whole lot more, and is currently in space interacting with aliens and characters that casual movie goers would have no chance of recognizing. So they walk away and wait for the next Iron Man movie.
But that same inaccessibility is what makes comics great. Comics are always changing and the characters are never safe. No one really thought Iron Man was going to die in The Avengers and the characters are relatively safe. But in comics, things can change abruptly. And it still makes the news. The Huffington Post, along with many other sites, covered Batman's sidekick's death earlier this year. And this week, USA Today spoiled the return of a character in an upcoming issue of Daredevil. It's encouraging that comics still make mainstream news so regularly.
And the problem with jumping into comics has never been less of an issue. DC recently rebooted their entire universe, so you're only catching up on about 20 issues for most titles. You could figure out what's going on by spending five minutes on wikipedia. And both big publishers have websites dedicated to filling in newcomers on backstory. The authors know what they're doing too, they purposefully streamline and explain the characters' histories for any new readers.
So what do you stand to gain by reading comics? If you've ever watched a television show and just wished something would happen, then you will recognize that modern American dramas suffer from plot lethargy. But comics are immune. Their plots are ever changing and freed from the constraints of production which slow tv and movie series. If you like a story that moves, go buy some comics. Plus, the art is really cool to look at.
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