So in the past five years or so (you can argue it's been more or less, but I'm taking the middle road), comics have made a major comeback. Maus and Persepolis (both of which I will review at some point) caught on and won high literary prizes, bridging the barrier between highbrow literature and lowbrow men in tights comic books. And now, those of us that consider ourselves to have a finger on the pulse of the book world, find ourselves having to commit to a whole new genre. As we are being overloaded with all the fiction, non-fiction, art, photography, and cook books that come out every year, we have to add another section to that list...graphic novel.
Remember when they used to be comic books and we could just write them off as kids stuff? Well, that's unfortunately not the case any more. One of the questions I get asked most is, 'where do I begin?' with these graphic novels I now have to catch up on.
My recommendation is to start with Watchmen by Alan Moore. Fox and Warner Bros. just came to an agreement over rights to this movie and it will be coming out on the 9th of March as scheduled, but really, as Zach Snyder (the director) has said, you just have to read it.
Put out in 1986 (the same year as The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller), Watchmen follows a group of fallen superheroes once known as the Minutemen. They are morally corrupt, living in a world that hates them, but one they just might be the last hope for, and are trying to figure out a murder of the utmost importance.
This book examines the danger of ultra-powerful government and the price the people pay for decades of secrets and lies. It examines the nature of fame and vigilante justice. Examines the nature of humans to eat each other alive.
Watchmen is a masterpiece of literary fiction...not to mention the drawings are pretty awesome. So what are you waiting for?
Happy Reading,
Julia
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