5 Struggles of Being a Graphic Novel Fan
I am a graphic novel fan. I'm sure that comes as no surprise if you've ever taken even a peek at my Goodreads because I like to up my Yearly Reading Challenge by taking 25 minutes to rip through the odd comic book. I'm not sure if it's cheating or not because it's so short and easy...but that's beside the point! If you are also a fan of the graphic novel, I'm sure you understand both the joys and the struggles of taking your stories in pictural format. On this blog, we like to focus on NEGATIVES so we're going to talk about the struggles.*
*honestly, it's more just cause complaining is fun
Seriously people, I don't have $30 to drop on every single volume of a ten-part series. Especially when the reading time I actually get off said volume is like, fifteen minutes? I mean yes, it's a great fifteen minutes, and yes, I could probably try to read slower so it lasts longerhaha jk but still. I don't even have $30 to drop on a book that will actually take a decent chunk of time to read. I'm a writer, I'm poor! Why do you think half my books have stickers from the used bookstore on them? Give a girl a break!
This one kind of goes hand-in-hand with the reason above: you don't get very much bang for your buck when it comes to graphic novels. They are so freaking tiny 99% of the time. Like, I've held newspapers thicker than this, let's get it together guys! Even though such a short read makes me feel super accomplished it is a hollow victory because there's basically nothing there. I need MOAARR book.
I hate when I really want to read a comic series but the art is just blargh and it kills the desire on the spot like the time my sister took a sharp stake and speared a gopher through the nose and...okay, maybe this is a bit graphic for a blog post...*ahem* I also hate the alternative, when a book has the coolest art on the planet but the lamest story in the galaxy and you have to walk away from the bookshelf shaking your head. Why writers/artists? Why can't the good people work together and the bad people work together, don't team up and drag others down!
I looooovvvveeee comics and if I had the money and the time of an undead vampire I'd read them all but even then I probably wouldn't because where in the heck do you start when you're trying to get into Spiderman and there's approximately 1045202343924328478324892734 different series/versions of said character, nevermind how many actual comics there are! I need someone to find me a really thoroughly comprehensive guide so that maybe I can make a slight dent in these massive collections.
This is totally a legitimate reason. It's always good to question one's marital choices or to make sinister plans to become a trophy husband/wife in order to suck the life blood of your rich spouse's bank account to fill your dream library's graphic novel section. This is totally normal and you should probably be rethinking your life if you haven't yet committed to such a relationship.
And there you have it, my 5 struggles of being a graphic novel fan. Can you relate to any of these? What are some of your favorite graphic novels? Did you have the good fortune to marry into money? Let me know below!
*honestly, it's more just cause complaining is fun
1. WHY SO EXPENSIVEEEE????
Seriously people, I don't have $30 to drop on every single volume of a ten-part series. Especially when the reading time I actually get off said volume is like, fifteen minutes? I mean yes, it's a great fifteen minutes, and yes, I could probably try to read slower so it lasts longer
2. WHY SO SKINNYYYYY????
This one kind of goes hand-in-hand with the reason above: you don't get very much bang for your buck when it comes to graphic novels. They are so freaking tiny 99% of the time. Like, I've held newspapers thicker than this, let's get it together guys! Even though such a short read makes me feel super accomplished it is a hollow victory because there's basically nothing there. I need MOAARR book.
3. WHY RUIN GOOD STORY w/ BAD ART AND VICE VERSA?
I hate when I really want to read a comic series but the art is just blargh and it kills the desire on the spot like the time my sister took a sharp stake and speared a gopher through the nose and...okay, maybe this is a bit graphic for a blog post...*ahem* I also hate the alternative, when a book has the coolest art on the planet but the lamest story in the galaxy and you have to walk away from the bookshelf shaking your head. Why writers/artists? Why can't the good people work together and the bad people work together, don't team up and drag others down!
4. WHY SO HARD TO SORT OUT?????
I looooovvvveeee comics and if I had the money and the time of an undead vampire I'd read them all but even then I probably wouldn't because where in the heck do you start when you're trying to get into Spiderman and there's approximately 1045202343924328478324892734 different series/versions of said character, nevermind how many actual comics there are! I need someone to find me a really thoroughly comprehensive guide so that maybe I can make a slight dent in these massive collections.
5. WHY DIDN'T I MARRY FOR MONEY SO I COULD FILL MY LIBRARY WITH EXPENSIVE GRAPHIC NOVELS???
This is totally a legitimate reason. It's always good to question one's marital choices or to make sinister plans to become a trophy husband/wife in order to suck the life blood of your rich spouse's bank account to fill your dream library's graphic novel section. This is totally normal and you should probably be rethinking your life if you haven't yet committed to such a relationship.
And there you have it, my 5 struggles of being a graphic novel fan. Can you relate to any of these? What are some of your favorite graphic novels? Did you have the good fortune to marry into money? Let me know below!
I have to say, I don't read that many graphic novels, but I wish I did! The few I have read are amazing. :) Great post; it made me smile!
ReplyDeleteDo not let the negatives I have just mentioned keep you away, there are some really fabulous graphic novels out there and they should be fully appreciated.
DeleteThanks so much! :DD
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete(links didn't work... >.<)
DeleteNUMBER 4 THOUGH It's quite frankly the reason I didn't get into comics until my late teens?? What with reboots and alternative universes and "oh, he's dead now - here's a replacement - oh wait hE'S BACK", I still struggle! And with Batman, the story arc keeps crossing over into other comics like Teen Titans or Batwing or anything... so here I am reading the next Batman issue going "ummmm Nightwing has become a literal monster since last issue? ...when?!"
And as for cost... I am a horrible comic book fan and use -this website- (or its alternative -here-. I'm, ah, moderately sure it isn't exactly legal??? BUT I'M NOT OLD ENOUGH TO MARRY FOR MONEY so what's a girl to do??
- Jem Jones
UGH. I know right!?!?! For the longest time I was like, to heck with the comics, just give me the movies cause at least they are all in sync. And then reboots happened and now even that sacred ground is lost. What I do is find really specific series and smaller characters so that it's a tad easier. And I've kinda given up on trying to sort out the universes of such characters as Spiderman and Batman. It's just too much.
DeleteTHANK YOU for the illegal websites. XD I will have to utilize them in the future.
(I didn't marry for money either but my secret plan is for us to both get rich by our late twenties so we can have all the graphic novels.)
SHH not so loud! *coughs* *checks for people who might be listening* ...but you're welcome! xD
Delete(ooh good plan x)
I've only read a few graphic novels... but I can still relate to a couple of these. :P And I've been wanting to get into some more! What do you recommend?
ReplyDeleteOooh, so many recommendations! As stated in #4, some characters have so many different versions/universes/storylines/etc that it can be a real pain to sort them out. I generally read really specific series, newer series, or smaller characters that have less to work with. If you like Batman "The Killing Joke" is really really good and you don't need to read a whole series to appreciate it, it's kind of a standalone. Also Batman: Death of the Family is quite good, it's a piece of a series but you can read it apart. I like Harley Quinn comics because she's got a relatively new comic line so there aren't too many. Or Black Widow because she also has less to work with. And the Star Wars Darth Vader series is pretty good as well. :DD
Delete