Friday, January 21, 2005

A Rebuttal to My Wife

Isn't it the sign of a great relationship when you communicate with your wife by blog?

Anyway, she has been "seen" on this blog suggesting that my interest in comics might be a bit, shall we say, immature. Here, then, is my rebuttal -- in finer words than I could craft, those of the late Will Eisner:
The format of the comic book presents a montage of both word and image, and the reader is thus required to exercise both visual and verbal interpretive skills. The regimens of art (e.g. perspective, symmetry, brush stroke) and the regimens of literature (e.g. grammar, plot and syntax) become superimposed upon each other. The reading of the comic book is an act of both aesthetic perception and intellectual pursuit.
And if you are interested in a fine eulogy of Will Eisner and his influence on comics, graphic novels, and other types of sequential art, check out Neil Kleid at Ninth Art.

2 comments:

Politically Homeless said...

My brother is 38 years old and has been a comic book collector since he was 10 years old. He has a collection so massive that he is adding a special room for them in the new house he is building.

There are certainly worse things you could be spending your time on.

Anonymous said...

First of all, I am guessing that Brian's brother is either single or has a very understanding wife. Second, I never said it was a waste of time, only that you don't need to justify your interest in comics by making them sound more intellectual than they are. It is fine to enjoy (and even collect) comics just because you like them, why does there have to be another reason?