I am in a third corner. I liked "Fray." However, most comics bore me, although I have liked some of the movies based on them (such as the original "Batman", the original "Superman" and both "Spider-Man" films).

I don't know what the barrier is, but for example, comics art never elicits an emotion from me the way words can do. Traditional art, yes. The work of illustrators like Wyeth and Rackham and even Rockwell? Yes. But comics art...doesn't. It leaves me completely unmoved.

What all have you tried?

There are so many different styles now, some Pow! ZAP! BANG!!!, others (Michael Lark, and the best of Zircher's pencils) that evoke a sort of gritty, noir feel, where you can almost taste the sweat and dirt of the job.

What all have you tried?

Well, because there's been so much buzz, I went to the bookstore and just picked up a handful, went and sat down and tried to get into one after the other. The pow-zap-zang ones actually repel me. Oh please.

The dark, gritty, noir ones I thought might have a chance, but they just seem all surface and no depth. Overdone. (Batman. Forgive me. And Sandman.)

See, I know I'm not reading them "right." I know I must be missing something, because people whose spicy brains I respect really love this genre, so there has to be something more there than I'm seeing.

I'ma look up McCloud and see if he can give me the key, or whatever to turn my brain that quarter-turn.

(BF's uncle is a famous comics guy who runs a school for illustrators in NJ, plus we just know and hang with a bunch of comics folk)

Huh. That's pretty cool. (Pretty sure I know who the uncle is.)

I'ma look up McCloud and see if he can give me the key, or whatever to turn my brain that quarter-turn.

He might.

As a warning, he does the book in comic format, but it works really well if you can make it the whole way through: scanning it won't help.

It's odd that you're so focused on the art, Beverly, because I love comics and for me, art is one of the last things I care about. It is the text that draws me in: the dialogue, story, characterization, ideas. I do like the art, mind you (have you seen any David Mack? Christ), but I know I'm not catching all the nuances. Plei and ita talk about inkers and pencilers and colorists, but I can hardly tell the difference from one issue to the next if you change them on me (though there was this one time I thought the art in Fables was weird and I checked and sure enough, the artist was different). And I read titles of all different styles. My point is don't let the art hold you back. And if you're going to give it a try, join us in the comics thread and we'll help you out.

My oldest sister bought into buying comic books when we were in High School. This was back in the early '70's. Along with all the regular books, Marvel and later DC started putting out books that were called graphic novels rather than comics. Marvel had an excellent bunch of supernatural ones based on famous horror figures like Dracula, the Werewolf, even Frankenstien's monster. DC started Swamp Thing and Marvel countered with Man Thing. IIRC Howard the Duck spun off from Man Thing.

I got pretty caught up in them myself. Later she subscribed to Cerebrus and Elfquest, which I quite liked.

IIRC Howard the Duck spun off from Man Thing.

Yup. Actually, I ran across some of the books you're talking about when I was rummaging through my attic yesterday. Savage Sword of Conan, some Howard the Ducks, some of the others. All were black & white, large format books. They don't seem to be marked "graphic novels," but I remember the term being used when they were marketing them. Not that Stan Lee would hyperbolize or anything.

You know,other than The Last Unicorn when I was 5, I can't think of any movie that's truly scared me. I just don't think my brain is built for horror movie appreciation.

Seeing SUSPIRIA at 13 pretty much covered me on anything else, horror-wise. Disturbed happens - Selected bits of Cronenberg, IRREVERSIBLE, and TROUBLE EVERY DAY all have squicked me out at various points, but for out-and-out terrifed, nothing has equalled that first Argento experience. Once bitten; forever jaded. Only movie that ever put me under the seat at the movie theater.

The original film of THE HAUNTING did spook the crap out of me when I saw it at 10, though.

Not that Stan Lee would hyperbolize or anything.

Stan Lee on The Simpsons is one of the funniest things EVAH.