Monday, October 31, 2011

Be genre and be proud!

An article in the Observer of 10 graphic novels that "transcend the comic medium."

It's a Good Life if You Don't Weaken.
Shortcomings.
Ethel and Ernest.
Persepolis.
Fun Home.
From Hell.
Black Hole.
Blankets.
Alice in Sunderland.
The Castlefiore Emerald (Tintin).

See I have a problem with the word "transcend." As if comics need to be "transcended."

They do the same kind of rescuing with science fiction books, and, well, just about any other genre. It's a bit condescending.

(I'm carrying G.N. 4-10. I think I've got at least two of the first three).

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Went to see The Three Musketeers, which was about as bad as we expected. But I'll sit through a lot for a few moments of steam punk, I guess.

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And then there is a review of Colson Whitehead's 'Zone One' in the N.Y.T. Book Review that starts: "A literary novelist writing a genre novel is like an intellectual dating a porn star. "

Well, yuck.

Suddenly, I don't want to read this book.

The same with the Night Circus review.

In both cases, it sounds that that unholy "serious" genre novel. The best example I can come up with is, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel, which seemed to be almost apologizing for being a fantasy novel. I know other people enjoyed this book, but I found it underwhelming.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What, no Maus?

Anonymous said...

Bend men sit in smoke filled rooms speaking of McAngelo - bselliot

Anonymous said...

Yes transcendent comics ...

Maybe even abstract or fantasy comics?

Yes it often feels that todays movies of course all come from marvel franchises, yet most this art imitates life, a life that most want but can never have,...

Well US man loves death, sex, mutilation, ... you would think content would transcend the basic entertainment priority of the least common denominator. Likely to happen? Fuck no.

Einstein, Tolstoy, and Twain all said so long as slaughterhouses exist so will war, I might add that comic content also will not transcend so long as slaughterhouses exist.