Welcome to the group! I find that graphic novels are a genre that is finally getting the literary respect due them. In my mind, graphic novels bridge the gap between film and literature. I personally enjoy all sorts, from adventure to drama and back again. The various X-men series still hold a soft place in my heart, and I was also a reader of Elfquest and some manga like Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. My favorite stories involve animals of some kind, and I love graphic novels that have strong environmental messages. My favorite graphic novels by far are the Age of Reptiles duo by Ricardo Delgado. Ironically those two novels have no words and are told completely in Delgado's AMAZING full-color artwork. If you like dinosaurs you should check out his work.
I recently re-read the two Blacksad novellas, and enjoyed them even more than my first reading. The artist, Jaunjo Guarnido, is incredible—a true master of facial expressions, fine detail and postural nuance. Blacksad is about a cynical detective in a very 1920's setting: think of classic Bogart films with a twist. One of the twists is that the world is inhabited solely by anthropomorphic people (see group icon—that's Blacksad), which while it doesn't relate directly to the stories, adds another element to the facial expressions available to the artist..
In "real life" I am always looking for new things to read. While I consider myself an artist I usually spend more time writing than drawing and feel it shows in my work. My less than perfect artistic skills notwithstanding, I can't help but appreciate the combination of the two art forms. When it is done well I am drawn into the worlds more completely than I am with either books or film.
Lurath started this discussion 4 years ago. ( | permalink )
