I hope this doesn't make me a racist, but I just can't tell mutants apart. Doesn't matter if one has holes in its face and another is a blue giant and another has pointed ears and a snub nose—they all look the same to me. And as I move from frame to frame in the graphic novel I'm trying to wade through, I can't remember whether it was the Comedian who died or Rorschach or who. So I have to keep backing up through the pages to the beginning.
"Watchmen" was on a best-100-books-ever-written list, so I thought I should read it, but I seem to have lost some kid instinct for this stuff—if I ever had it. Deepest I ever got into comics was a couple of forbidden Archies. It's really hard to figure out who's talking, and who's thinking, and what frame comes after what frame. Plus, the plot is gruesome! The whole exercise is a little more strenuous than I expected. However, I'm convinced there's some value in mastering this strange genre, though I'm not sure what.
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Let me suggest -- Watchmen, while an incredible and groundbreaking graphic novel, is just about the worst possible place for anyone to start reading graphic novels. It's VERY complex, both visually and plot-wise, and seeped with a lot of superhero "history" that's hard for a casual reader to penetrate, much less follow. I would urge you to put it down for now, and maybe pick up Maus by Art Spiegelman, Persepolis, or Ghost World. Any of those are a much better place for you to get used to the visual style, plus are all amazing on their own!
Zoe, Thank you for your expert advice! I knew there had to be a reason it was so hard. I've already read Maus, and I've seen the movies for the two others you suggest. Is there another one you think would be a good (fresh) starting place? Oh, and I'm delighted that you are a reader. Thanks! M
Hmmmm! I'll look around to see if I can think of anything else, but two others came to mind immediately: The Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughn, which is short but gorgeous, and (at least) the first book of the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. Gaiman is probably even more well-known than Alan Moore right now, and Sandman isn't a light read either, but it's one of the first things that got me into graphic novels, and it's pretty compelling.
Thanks, Zoe! I just ordered Pride of Baghdad on Amazon, along with a yoga book your mother mentioned in her blog today. Really, you guys ought to get a cut ...
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