I must admit that before this class I never really read any comic books. I became familiar with general superheroes through movies and the Universal Studios theme park. The Dark Knight and The Fantastic Four movies are some of my favorites. This class sounded interesting because I had watched Buffy in the past, but I did not realize that I would experience so much enjoyment by reading comic books. Comic books are so much more than entertainment though. Almost everything has some sort of political or racial meaning. Looking through all of the advertisements really tells a deeper story about the time period in which the comics were written and maybe even a reason as to why the comics were written.
Also before this class, I never realized how many comic books featured superheroines. I only really knew about Wonder Woman, but there are so many more that we have read about in class and even more that we have not read about. This class is really letting me see that comic books are definitely not just for guys. If more people took a class like this or just researched more about comics then I feel like these comic books would become even more popular, with both males and females buying and reading them. I can't wait to read more!
I feel the same why! Going in to this class, I was a fan of super hero movies, but never really looked into there comic book origins. It's interesting to start reading comic books because they are so different than actual books. You can get so much more from the drawings almost than the words (a picture is worth a thousand words). I'm interested to see how the rest of the comics are!
ReplyDeleteI agree also. I never read comic books. I actually didn't even like superhero movies. It's really interesting to actually dig deep into the meaning of something that seems so simple, like a comic book, and find out that it really goes so deep. I'm interested to see what other hidden meanings we find in the stories we read.
ReplyDeleteIt's true, I love seeing how surprisingly deep these comic books can get. There is of course the first Wonder Woman from the 40s, which is more of a piece of war propaganda than just a comic book, which I never would have known before reading it for class. In fact, without having taken this class, I probably would never have read it. I have read a couple of graphic novels in the past, like V for Vendetta and Watchmen, but I never realized that even the classic superhero comics would be really interesting. I'm especially enjoying Wonder Woman: The Circle - I don't know how far you've gotten in it yet, but I have definitely gotten to climactic points where I really got into the story. I never imagined I would get as enthralled in a comic book as I can get in books.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this post as well as all of your comments! The comics we have been reading thus far have given me such an exciting and new outlook on so many different things! I also love the insight each comic gives us into the specific time periods! Additionally, I've been absolutely loving all of the parallels to other comics and stories that we've talked about in class. I also completely agree with you about the deeper meanings. It is so interesting to think about what the writer actually meant by some of the content, and what we are interpreting it to mean.
ReplyDeleteI can't agree with you more on this topic. Honestly, I had the most far-fetched preconceived notion about comic books prior to this class. I just assumed that the general idea for comics was to illustrate a fantasy alter-universe where all-powerful physically and morally flawless superheroes enforced truth, honor, and justice throughout the land. It was a relieving realization that comic books are pretty down-to-earth, purposeful, and insightful to history itself. Initially, I was repelled by the racist depictions of non-white/non-American characters (i.e. the natives from Sheena Queen of the Jungle), but then I acknowledged the fact that these portrayals only mirror the convictions of American people of such an era. In other words, I seriously underestimated the complexity of comics.
ReplyDeleteSince everyone seems to agree, I guess I'll do the same. I did read one comic novel before and I liked it very much because it had ties to reality and real political events: Watchmen. Other than Watchmen I don't remember reading any other comic novel since in my culture it is not so common, but I am open. I want to see what people have created and what they were influenced by when they were creating comic novels. I'm interested in the real social and political events that triggered writers to write how and what they did because I think real events could explain many of the comics we are going to read in this class.
ReplyDeleteI admit that I was stepping out of my comfort zone by signing up for this course, but like all of you, I'm also enjoying the comics we're reading and discussions we're having. My knowledge of superheroes and superheroines is limited to what I learn from the occasional superhero movie that I watch, so reading about the origins and development of all of these characters is quite an experience. I also had no idea that the comics would be that obviously influenced by events happening in the real world at the time of writing, but the 1940s Wonder Woman certainly opened my eyes.
ReplyDeleteI, like you, had never read a comic my whole life! I feel like I missed out on so much! I really enjoy reading these comics I feel like there are secret worlds that I can be a part of by reading them. I know that sounds kinda funny but that's how I feel. Every time I open a comic I'm transported to their world I can be an Amazonian, part of the x-men team, and even a spectator in the crowds.
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