Books, Comics & Magazines

104inc.com asked:


Comic-Con International opens its doors on July 23, 2008 for 5 days of comic books, movies, and television overload. This is biggest meeting of the comic book community in the United States every year.

Comic-Con started as a small meeting of local comics fans in San Diego in 1970. In 2007, over 125,000 comics fans were in attendance over the 5 days. This year crowds are expected to be even larger. Tickets have sold-out for Friday and Saturday with very few tickets left for Thursday and Sunday.

The original focus of Comic-Con was the comics community of collectors, artist, and dealers. Now the focus has widened too many aspects of pop culture. Television shows will show premiere episodes of new shows or existing shows will use Comic-Con to create word of mouth advertising between friends by having current stars show up at Comic-Con and be on panels. Movies will also show trailers for upcoming releases or even set up displays on the convention floor. For example, in 2007 Robert Downey and the cast for Iron Man were at the convention promoting the Iron Man movie.

Comic-Con has become a place to create a “buzz” for many aspects of pop culture. 104inc.com is another place that is creating a “buzz”. Want to find out more about your local comics shop? Go to 104comics.com. Or, if you want to find out more about entertainment then 104entertainment.com is for you.  So don’t miss out and join the buzz today for free and have fun.



Jamel

Nicholas Hanna asked:


Comic book fans have been preaching it for years: comics are not just for kids. This should be old hat by now. So rather than trying to entice non-comic readers to read comics, let’s first explore the medium of comics and what makes it unique.

 

When you read a book, you are creating images in your mind based on the words. That’s why a good writer can convey a complex image easily and understandably. The beauty of books is that ten people reading the same book may come up with ten different images based on how their minds shaped the words.

 

Movies tend to be just the opposite. The pictures and dialogue are given to us with very little left to the imagination. Movies are straightforward and to the point. Those same ten people from the book example certainly saw the same images of a film.

 

Comic books are a unique combination of the two. Forget about content for a second. Comics can do what no other medium can; the combination of words and art in a sequential format tell a story and evoke feelings that other formats, in their attempt to conjure the same feelings, would have failed miserably. That isn’t to say comic characters can’t be in good movies. They can. However, the emotion and feeling from reading Grant Morrison’s Arkham Asylum could not be duplicated on the big screen. Same goes for Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and Kurt Busiek’s Marvels. For further information on this unique medium, I highly suggest Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics.

 

Now, with that out of the way, here are five creators who have written several series and/or graphic novels that non-comics readers would enjoy and find thought provoking:

 

Alan Moore. Yes, Watchmen is on everyone’s list and yes, it should be. A fantastic use of the medium and an entertaining story as well. But Moore has such a rich bibliography that I **** to confine it to just the one classic. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and From Hell are also classics, and certainly not for children. His entire line of ABC Comics is worth a read. Even finding his individual stories (there are several compilations on the market) is worth it.

 

Grant Morrison. My personal favorite, he tends to be a little “out there” for some. But I find his stories to be contextually rich with symbolism and sequences that stay with me for days. I highly recommend The Invisibles, We 3, Seven Soldiers mini-series, and his run on Doom Patrol, Animal Man and Justice League. Graphic novels include Sebastian O, The Mystery Play and Arkham Asylum.

 

Neil Gaiman. Noted mostly for his outstanding Sandman run, which I highly recommend, Gaiman also wrote the underrated graphic novel Murder Mysteries.

 

Greg Rucka. I include Rucka on this list for his outstanding characterization in the Queen & Country series and the wonderful mystery, Whiteout. Both series have several moments where you realize that the comic medium was the only way to get these stories to work best.

 

Bill Willingham. A somewhat controversial pick for this list, however I wanted to include him due to his unbelievable work on Fables. It’s one of those concepts that have writers everywhere smacking their heads saying “why didn’t I think of that.” Entertaining and engrossing, this series will have you reading fairy tales to your children in a whole different light.

 

So there are several titles worth checking out (most available from local libraries), most of them worth reading over and over again. Remember, comics may have initially been directed at a young audience, but those days are over. Open your mind and enjoy the unique feeling that comics offer and you’ll be richer for the experience.



Scott