On the Guardian Unlimited books blog, Dogmatika editor Susan Tomaselli wonders if, in the press of serious graphic novels dealing with serious issues, creators and publishers are forgetting humor:
Personally, I don’t have a problem with the fact that comic books have grown up. I do wonder, though, if perhaps comic books are now being taken a little too seriously. I’m not asking for a complete dumbing down of what is traditionally regarded as, let’s face it, a dumb form, but — blistering barnacles! — even Hergé’s Tintin strips have been given an intellectual makeover: Tom McCarthy recently read them through some very literary goggles, elevating the old-fashioned boys’ own adventures to complex action-packed Barthesian ‘proairetic codes’ that, McCarthy claims, reveal the very essence of literature itself. Let’s see how Spielberg handles that.
The comments section is shaping up as a good read, too.
May 21st, 2007 at 1:19 pm
There is, I think, a danger that comes with the critical recognition of graphic novels. I was thinking about this just last night after reading some of the retrospective critiques of Grant Morrison’s early work over at Seqart.com. The reviews are interesting but the tone and approach seems awful dry compared to the material. I think a academic-style approach can suck the life out of the material at the same time that it brings it to a prominence it deserves. Some books can present a very dour take on their subject matter; look at Chris Ware. His design work is amazing and the black humour is certainly funny but the impression left as an aftertaste once you put down the book is hella bleak.
May 21st, 2007 at 1:54 pm
I didn’t know comic books have to be humorous, or even HAVE to have humor, that’s new to me.
isn’t humor just a genre?