Comics have a certain stigma in our culture. People tend to associate them with nerdy people who are out of touch with the current trends. Although in recent years, this stereotype is beginning to dissolve thanks to the wildly popular Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU. People are pouring into movie theaters to watch superheroes on the silver screen like never before. While movies are a wonderful way to enjoy many iconic superheroes like Iron Man, why stop there? Why not go right into the very comics that preceded these films?
When I was a kid, my dad loved comics. He got me and my little brother enthralled in these fictional worlds, and we would go to comic bookstores or watch the old 1970s Superman movies. I have always loved reading, so I naturally saw comics as another way for me to explore my love of books.
My first comic book love were the Teen Titans group of superheroes. These DC Comic super teens became the gateway drug driving me to love comics. Nowadays, I love reading about Captain Marvel and Spiderman or watching one of the many new movies from the MCU.
Growing up and enjoying any comic book I could get my hands on, it became apparent that others did not view comics the same way as I did. I thought of them as just another kind of book to love, while others thought of them as sort of the ugly duckling to the fiction world. To some, comics are reserved for only the nerdiest, most socially unacceptable people. Those people couldn’t be more wrong. Comics really are just another fictional medium that provides people with entertainment same as books, movies or music.
Comics aren’t just filled with superheroes either; they can detail any story, from mysteries to teen dramas to historical accounts. Some popular books, like the Percy Jackson series, even have graphic novels or comics made out of the story lines.
Ever since the beginning of high school, I’ve had a hard time fitting reading into my schedule. That being said, it was always much easier to flip through a comic book or two than it was to invest my time into a whole book, and in college, I find this holds true. Comics satisfy the craving for the fictional while also being more aptly suited for the fast-paced day to day life of our times.
Comics truly are just another way to enjoy reading, with the added element of art to paint the scene of these often supernatural stories. Graphic novels are a form of comics that use the medium to tell stories as long as your typical novel. Whether you think a traditional comic book or a longer graphic novel would suit your tastes more, I encourage you to explore the realm of comics.
If you’re a comic book skeptic, I encourage you to give them a shot. Comics aren’t for everyone, but I think that simply not enough people are giving them the fair chance they deserve. Artists and writers put just as much thought into comics as any other piece of narrative work, making them just as deserving of your attention as any other artistic medium.