When I first started writing in this blog, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to get out of it, but I think I got more than I thought I would. I have gotten some more experience in researching a topic and delivering it to readers (though I really didn't really have any). I got to figure out how to deliver that information in an interesting way and practice making interesting titles (well more at the beginning of my blog, really) to engage perspective readers and make them actually want to read what I have to say.
Originally when I picked comic books for my topic, I didn't think that I would have so many options to write about, because like I have mentioned many times, I am not a comic book reader. Even though I knew that movies like Batman and Spider Man were based off comic books, I never really cared too much until I actually got to read and learn about the original comics.
In the end, I got to expand my knowledge on a different type of writing and art form that I never cared about before, which ultimately makes me feel like I have accomplished something; the comic book industry is so much more interesting than I could have ever expected. Now, instead of only thinking of Editing & Publishing as book based, I know that I will have the opportunity to dable in so many different types of art forms - including comic books.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
How Comics Helped Me Learn About Editing & Publishing
Some of the things that I have learned about Editing & Publishing through investigating comics:
- That if I were to work for some type of publishing agency and a manuscript falls across my desk that is basically like so many of the other things that have been popular recently, that it is okay to give it a look, because let's be honest... some of the most successful books are ones that have "jumped on the bandwagon." Comic books have shown me that superheros last forever, even when everyone else is coming up with them, they will always be popular - as long as it's a great story. Superheroes can't all be the same, but as long as it's something new and exciting, you wouldn't want to let something like that get passed you in the publishing industry.
- I also learned that all genres have a particular audience and common aspects and details that makes a genre its own. When publishing, its important to know the fan base whatever you are looking at so that you know who the contents of that manuscript will reach, as well as the details of that manuscript so you know exactly which genre it will fall under.
- One other thing that I learned is how important it is to look into the future when you are working in the editing and publishing industry. As publishers and editors, we are discovering and perfecting our own types of art, and it is important to think about the possible places the art you are working on might go - the big screen? a television show? a comic book? or maybe even a graphic novel.
- The last thing I learned is that Editing & Publishing is needed in not only books, but every type of entertainment. Someone's gotta make sure that the scripts for comic books are spelled and worded correctly.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Some Of My Own Questions About Comics
Maybe some of you out there will be able to answer some of the questions that I have about comics.
- Which comic book film adaption is considered the best one of all time (thus far)?
- What was the first graphic novel to be published?
- What are some of the major differences between graphic novels and comic books?
- Is comic book art just as magnificent as the art for graphic novels?
- Are different groups of people more interested in graphic novels than comic books?
- Could comic books survive without a script and only artwork?
- Will comic book film adaptions outlive comics? Or maybe even lead comics towards extinction?
- Do you read comics before seeing the film adaptions? Or do the film adaptions aim you towards buying and reading the comics or graphic novels?
- Do film adaptions make reading comics and graphic novels seem more appealing to people who usually don't read that sort of genre?
- Which one is better? Comics or graphic novels?
Anyone? Anyone at all...?
Monday, December 3, 2012
The Continuing Rise Of Comic Book Films
I actually had to laugh a little to myself while reading through some articles to investigate why comic book films have risen to such great heights. In an article by Stylus in 2003, they write, "expect to see comic book adaptions featured as major studio releases at least through the summer of 2004, and possibly beyond."
If you're getting a little ahead of me here, I'm sure you've figured out why I am sitting here giggling. First of all, it is now 2012, almost 2013 really, and one thing that has completely taken over hollywood are these comic book adaptions, so the fact that they say "possibly beyond," was probably the biggest understatement of their entire existence.
Now back to the question: Why are comic book movie adaptions so freakin' popular? I think one particular reason could be because of the extreme popularity these comics had before they were movies, and once the traditional comic book nerds found out that their favorite genre was going to be turned into a numerous amount of movies, they freaked. THE GRAPHICS. THE SPECIAL EFFECTS. It would be like the comic book was coming alive on a huge screen, and boy were they right. The action scenes that these kids pictured in their heads for all of their lives would soon be seen in front of their eyes - the exact way I felt after reading all of the Harry Potter books and being able to see this world that I pictured so vividly come alive in my head.
As I talked about in a previous blog, the amount of success comic books had in the world only demonstrates the same success that the film adaptions would have in the future. Once one movie came out, the viewers wanted more, had to have more - the success of movies like Batman and Spider Man pretty much justify how the popularity of these movies would continue over time. Since the release of Superman in 1978, there have been a numerous amount of Batman movies, a Spider Man trilogy, the start of a new Spider Man saga, The Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, Daredevil, Elektra, Green Lantern, Ghost Rider, Hell Boy, Justice League, Kick-Ass, The Mask, a Men In Black trilogy, Scott Pilgram Vs. The World, Watchmen, Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles, V For Vendetta, X Men, and so many others. Some of these I didn't even know were based off comics.
Not only do comic book fans get to see their vivid imaginations on screen, Hollywood picks some really awesome actors to portray these characters, which probably adds to their extreme popularity in the magical world of film-making.
Hutlock, Todd, and Jay Millikan. "Triumph of the Fanboy: The Rise of the Comic Book Film in Hollywood - Article - Stylus Magazine." Stylus. Stylus, 10 Nov. 2003. Web. 3 Dec. 2012.
If you're getting a little ahead of me here, I'm sure you've figured out why I am sitting here giggling. First of all, it is now 2012, almost 2013 really, and one thing that has completely taken over hollywood are these comic book adaptions, so the fact that they say "possibly beyond," was probably the biggest understatement of their entire existence.
Now back to the question: Why are comic book movie adaptions so freakin' popular? I think one particular reason could be because of the extreme popularity these comics had before they were movies, and once the traditional comic book nerds found out that their favorite genre was going to be turned into a numerous amount of movies, they freaked. THE GRAPHICS. THE SPECIAL EFFECTS. It would be like the comic book was coming alive on a huge screen, and boy were they right. The action scenes that these kids pictured in their heads for all of their lives would soon be seen in front of their eyes - the exact way I felt after reading all of the Harry Potter books and being able to see this world that I pictured so vividly come alive in my head.
As I talked about in a previous blog, the amount of success comic books had in the world only demonstrates the same success that the film adaptions would have in the future. Once one movie came out, the viewers wanted more, had to have more - the success of movies like Batman and Spider Man pretty much justify how the popularity of these movies would continue over time. Since the release of Superman in 1978, there have been a numerous amount of Batman movies, a Spider Man trilogy, the start of a new Spider Man saga, The Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, Daredevil, Elektra, Green Lantern, Ghost Rider, Hell Boy, Justice League, Kick-Ass, The Mask, a Men In Black trilogy, Scott Pilgram Vs. The World, Watchmen, Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles, V For Vendetta, X Men, and so many others. Some of these I didn't even know were based off comics.
Not only do comic book fans get to see their vivid imaginations on screen, Hollywood picks some really awesome actors to portray these characters, which probably adds to their extreme popularity in the magical world of film-making.
Hutlock, Todd, and Jay Millikan. "Triumph of the Fanboy: The Rise of the Comic Book Film in Hollywood - Article - Stylus Magazine." Stylus. Stylus, 10 Nov. 2003. Web. 3 Dec. 2012.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
What Makes Comics More Compelling? The Art Or The Content?
For the question stated in the title of this post, what makes comics more compelling? the art or the content, I have done a bit of research to figure this out. Going along with this Batman theme that I have started, I am going to use a review of the comic, Batman #14, because it gave me exactly what I was looking for.
This particular issue has the villain The Joker, who is very well known to those of us who have seen The Dark Knight Returns (with Heath Ledger portraying this famous character) or 1989's Batman (where he is played by Jack Nicholson).
It is mentioned in this review that though Joker's script is part of what makes him so terrifying, what really makes him so compelling is the artwork of him. Here is this particular section of Dean Stell's review:
Here is some of the artwork from this issue of Batman, so you can understand where we're coming from with this:
This particular issue has the villain The Joker, who is very well known to those of us who have seen The Dark Knight Returns (with Heath Ledger portraying this famous character) or 1989's Batman (where he is played by Jack Nicholson).
It is mentioned in this review that though Joker's script is part of what makes him so terrifying, what really makes him so compelling is the artwork of him. Here is this particular section of Dean Stell's review:
"You're simply not going to find better art in a comic than this. Part of the scariness of Joker comes from the words in the script, but most of it is coming from how the Capullo/Glapion/Plascencia team is drawing him. My god... This is someone who would make you soil your pants if you really saw him. He's so creepy and imbalanced. You don't want any part of this guy. But this art team rules the quiet moments too. There are a lot of 'talking heads' scenes in the comic and those types of scenes rise and fall on the acting of the characters. We even get a classic Capullo splash page where he made Glapion and Plascencia ink/color tons of little drops of blood. I always wonder if Capullo warns his collaborators that such a page is coming? Do they ever play tricks like sending complex pages to the next guy in the art chain at inconvenient times? Like anniversaries? Holidays?"With this, I would definitely have to say that what makes a comic the most compelling, is the artwork. Sure, the storylines are important too, but since comics don't go into much detail with the script, you have to rely on the artwork to really wrap you in the story. Plus, if there was no artwork or a minimal amount, that wouldn't be a very great comic - tons of details and written images are meant for novels or poetry, which definitely makes sense after reading this review.
Here is some of the artwork from this issue of Batman, so you can understand where we're coming from with this:
Batman #14
Stell, Dean. "Batman #14 - Review." Weekly Comic Book Review. Weekly Comic Book Review, 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Which Batman Do You Like Better: Michael Keaton Or Christian Bale?
So I have been asked the question: What is it about Batman, Superman, and Spider Man that make them so interpretive? And I can think of some of my own thoughts and possible answers to this question. Though I am someone who really isn't that in to superheros or comic books, I am an avid movie goer - I can't think of a better place to go than the movies. I have seen every installation of The Dark Knight Saga (mostly because Christian Bale is super attractive and plays a pretty rad Batman), I watched Smallville (a TV series about the life of Clark Kent), and I have seen all of the Spider Man movies (including the most recent and AWESOME movie: The Amazing Spider Man).
When if comes to the Batman movies, I think that they only get better over time because of the special effects and cinematography, not to mention there are so many different villains from from the original comics that they can be placed in a butt load of different movies, which brings me to my own answer: Considering the large amounts of Batman comics there are, they have enough characters, plots, and material in general to make as many films as they have, and each movie is always new and extremely exciting.
When Michael Keaton (no one can argue that Michael Keaton may have been the best Batman of all time) played Batman 1989 and again in 1992 in Batman Returns, this was the best thing to ever happen to Batman! It was new and exciting, and it makes sense that within the next 20 years it would have to be remade, like all originals from this time period. How could a director just let Batman and Batman Returns sit in a vault for the rest of forever, when there are so many new concepts, special effects, and cinematography being created that will only make this superhero even more awesome. I know I only used Batman as an example, but these things are why I believe these superheros can be interpreted in so many ways. With time comes movie evolution, and since these movies have always been such a big hit, they will only keep adding new installments. I mean, that ending of The Dark Knight Rises??? HOW CAN YOU NOT MAKE ANOTHER INSTALLMENT? I am so excited for it, if you can't tell by my obnoxious caps.
While researching for an official answer, I found an article talking about future installments for the Batman franchise. Christopher Nolan, the writer and director of The Dark Knight Saga, states:
Oh, and a final thought: While researching, I noticed Superman hasn't had a movie in literally forever, but keep calm my readers, in June 2013 Man Of Steel will be premiering in a theater near you! Who is playing Clark Kent you ask? Henry Cavill, probably someone you are not too familiar with, but he acted in Tristan + Isolde, Red Riding Hood, and Immortal. With Clark Kent always comes Lois Lane, who is going to be played by Amy Adams, who also starred in Julie & Julia, The Fighter, and Leap Year. Other actors who are going to be in this flick that you would know of include: Russel Crowe, Michael Shannon (from the best show ever, Boardwalk Empire), Diane Lane, and Kevin Costner - there's no doubt this movie is going to be awesome.
When if comes to the Batman movies, I think that they only get better over time because of the special effects and cinematography, not to mention there are so many different villains from from the original comics that they can be placed in a butt load of different movies, which brings me to my own answer: Considering the large amounts of Batman comics there are, they have enough characters, plots, and material in general to make as many films as they have, and each movie is always new and extremely exciting.
When Michael Keaton (no one can argue that Michael Keaton may have been the best Batman of all time) played Batman 1989 and again in 1992 in Batman Returns, this was the best thing to ever happen to Batman! It was new and exciting, and it makes sense that within the next 20 years it would have to be remade, like all originals from this time period. How could a director just let Batman and Batman Returns sit in a vault for the rest of forever, when there are so many new concepts, special effects, and cinematography being created that will only make this superhero even more awesome. I know I only used Batman as an example, but these things are why I believe these superheros can be interpreted in so many ways. With time comes movie evolution, and since these movies have always been such a big hit, they will only keep adding new installments. I mean, that ending of The Dark Knight Rises??? HOW CAN YOU NOT MAKE ANOTHER INSTALLMENT? I am so excited for it, if you can't tell by my obnoxious caps.
While researching for an official answer, I found an article talking about future installments for the Batman franchise. Christopher Nolan, the writer and director of The Dark Knight Saga, states:
"[The Dark Knight Rises] is the end of our take on the character. ... Batman will outlive us all, and our interpretation was ours. ... Warners will have to decide in the future what they’re going to do with him.”Basically. all writers and directors have their own takes on these superheros, and they will interpret them the way they wish to. With the infinitive amount of material that they have, these interpretations will live on forever.
Oh, and a final thought: While researching, I noticed Superman hasn't had a movie in literally forever, but keep calm my readers, in June 2013 Man Of Steel will be premiering in a theater near you! Who is playing Clark Kent you ask? Henry Cavill, probably someone you are not too familiar with, but he acted in Tristan + Isolde, Red Riding Hood, and Immortal. With Clark Kent always comes Lois Lane, who is going to be played by Amy Adams, who also starred in Julie & Julia, The Fighter, and Leap Year. Other actors who are going to be in this flick that you would know of include: Russel Crowe, Michael Shannon (from the best show ever, Boardwalk Empire), Diane Lane, and Kevin Costner - there's no doubt this movie is going to be awesome.
Man Of Steel (2013) Trailer I seriously got goosebumps watching this.
Directed by Zack Snyder (who also directed Watchmen)
Produced by Christopher Nolan (director of The Dark Knight Saga)
Jefferey, Peterson. "What Does the Future Hold for Batman, the 'Dark Knight' Saga and the Justice League?" Salt Lake City and Utah Breaking News, Sports, Entertainment and News Headlines. Deseret News, 1 Aug. 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Some Popular Graphic Novels
Another sort of new, yet increasingly popular type of comic is the graphic novel, which is something I assume most of you have heard of before. Now, since I myself am not too familiar with graphic novels, the only one that I can really think of off the top of my head is Watchmen, I had to look at a website called Graphic Novel Reporter in order to find some popular ones to talk about.
So the basic idea of a graphic novel is that it has all of the panels and everything that a comic has, but instead of only being a couple of pages, it is a whole novel and story in one book. Usually, there is more of a storyline within a graphic novel, and many times movie versions of comics are turned into graphic novels later.
Just by looking at the homepage of this website, it is apparent that there are millions of types of graphic novels, which kind of intrigues me. The writers for this site talk about what's hot this fall, some of the top graphic novels today, where you can find comic book shops in your area if you have no idea where they are, and what events and conventions are happening in the comic book world. Just by looking at the slides that are at the top of the home page, I can tell that there are some really awesome graphic novels out there because the images that they use from the novel look really awesome - many of these things I would have never pictured as graphic novels, which is why I find them pretty awesome.
If you have no idea what intitels something to be considered a graphic novel or you are just looking for something new, I would definitely check out this website because the writers give you a pretty awesome in-depth analysis on their opinions of many graphic novels.
Here are some popular ones from over the past few years:
So the basic idea of a graphic novel is that it has all of the panels and everything that a comic has, but instead of only being a couple of pages, it is a whole novel and story in one book. Usually, there is more of a storyline within a graphic novel, and many times movie versions of comics are turned into graphic novels later.
Just by looking at the homepage of this website, it is apparent that there are millions of types of graphic novels, which kind of intrigues me. The writers for this site talk about what's hot this fall, some of the top graphic novels today, where you can find comic book shops in your area if you have no idea where they are, and what events and conventions are happening in the comic book world. Just by looking at the slides that are at the top of the home page, I can tell that there are some really awesome graphic novels out there because the images that they use from the novel look really awesome - many of these things I would have never pictured as graphic novels, which is why I find them pretty awesome.
If you have no idea what intitels something to be considered a graphic novel or you are just looking for something new, I would definitely check out this website because the writers give you a pretty awesome in-depth analysis on their opinions of many graphic novels.
Here are some popular ones from over the past few years:
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