I recommend comics: intro

I drew the above back in June, about a month after one of the year's bigger comics-feminist outrages (you know, that whole Mary Jane statue thing). I'd posted a small rant in my livejournal, only very tangentially related to that mess, and this had led to two things. One was a greater interest in the comics blogosphere; the other was a greater awareness of the lack of comic readership among my friends.

It's not that I didn't know that many of my friends, who are predominantly women, did not grow up reading comics. This particular journal post, however, spawned some discussion about the fact, and I talked more about it with people in the weeks to come (and in the deviantart comments on my comic strip, as well). What I kept hearing was that my friends and others knew that there were comics out there worth reading--they'd certainly heard as much from me, often enough, and the medium's been receiving great press lately--but they didn't know how to find them. They were uncomfortable with comic shops (many had at one time or another had an unpleasant experience in one), and perhaps daunted with the task of finding their way around a whole new art form.

When it comes to my close friends, the ones I see in person, I often try to get them started by lending out titles specifically tailored to what they might enjoy. My treasured collection of graphic novels and trade paperbacks has become a miniature library, constantly in circulation. It occurred to me that I might write up a list of comics I've enjoyed, and post them up on the internet (where else?), for people too far away to take advantage of that resource. Other people aside from my own friends might benefit from such a thing.

This list is really only defined by my own personal tastes, which are eclectic. I read something close to "a little of everything" (though there's currently only one manga title on my list). There are certainly some gaping, obvious holes; important and oft-recommended books that I haven't gotten around to reading yet (once you get started, there really are so many great titles out there . . . which is good, because I'd hardly want to run out).

The list is not aimed just at women, or people who don't like superheroes (there are certainly going to be some superhero titles listed here, though just my very favorites), or people who've never picked up a comic before. These are simply comics that I've read and enjoyed (and mostly that I own, because that way I could refresh myself on them easily while writing them up). The write-ups attached are too wholly positive and not detailed enough to pass for reviews; they're just there to give you a little idea of what the books are about, and why I personally like them.

Anyway, I hope some of you find this helpful, and have new and enjoyable reading experiences as a result. Have I talked enough yet? Here goes, then.