Questions for comic book readers

[Prison Mike]

I am writing a research paper on the subculture of comic book readers. If you guys could answer this two part question, I would appreciate it.

1. What got you into comic books? What is family or a friend who introduced you into comics? Did you just stumble into a comic book shop and start reading them? Or maybe you saw a comic book movie and decided to check it out from there?

2. Why do like comic books? What is it about comics that keeps you reading? You could also state which comic books you are currently reading, if you like.

Answering these questions will help me a lot for my research paper. Thanks again!

 

[Kable24]

1. It was a friend who got me really into comics. We both played with GI Joe toys as kids and he had a subscription to GI Joe, so I would read his. I then started collecting them myself. it was the only comic I read until the 8th grade when a friend said I should give the Punisher a try. I then moved into the X-Men and started getting into pretty much most of the Marvel Universe.

2. When I was younger it was all about the art. I didn't really care to much about the story. I was loving guys like Lee, McFarlane, The Kuberts and so on. As I get older it's a mix of both. bad art can take me out of a good story and vice verse. I am currently reading The Punisher (MAX), Punisher, Captain America, Walking Dead, Hulk, Ultimate Spider-Man, Dark Avengers and other misc. titles here and there.

 

[Prison Mike]

thanks for your answers Kable!

 

[Cobblepot]

1. My grandfather used to have old Tarzan and a few Spidey books (he worked at a recycling plant). I read them all.
Then they used to sell 4 comics in one bag, my mom used to buy these for me. Propably after I asked her once. I guess I was about 9 or 10 years old. Then I saw an ad from a Batman comic (The Untold Legend), I jus had to buy a Batman comic. After that I was hooked for life...

2.Like Kable it was all about the art. ( I can't believe that at first I didn't even like Tim Sale! Now I love his work...) Then I got intrested in stories more and more. I like the escape these books offer from the real world and they're just fun to read. I get bored real soon when reading a book, even about a subject I enjoy.

I currently only read Batman related comics and pick up some Darwyn Cooke books on the side.

 

[POWdER-man]

1. I suppose my first introduction to "comics" was Archie comics and that was in Kindergarten. It was what helped me learn to read. It was probably not until Junior high when I started buying actual comics, and they were Spidey comics. He was always my favorite character from the old 60's cartoon.

2. THEN I LOVED spidey, he was my favorite super-hero, still is....well the older version. This bastardized version now can go to hell for all I care. I think I stopped paying any interest to him prior to the clones. NOW I mainly just pick up series that peak my interest. I get the main crossovers and all the tie-ins when they come up, and right now Dark Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy. Of course good art and a good story is what I like, but I have dropped many series once I got tired of it.

 

[Jack O Lantern]

1] I was watching the 1990's animated Spider-Man series and saw a comic with his face on it. Got issue 7 of Astonishing Spider-Man [British reprint] then a few months later issue 10, then after a friend started reading I collected proper from issue 18.

2] Because I enjoy character driven stories, rather than stuff happens and people are involved like you get in most movies and TV shows. And the sci-fi/ fantasy genre is great for that. These massive, out of this world events can happen but the best stories there usually a metaphoar for the characters involved.
Like Civil War, on the face it, a bunch of superheros beating the crap into each other but it's about the relationship between American Ideals [Captain America] and Caaptialism [Iron Man], all the while the ordinary guy is caught in the middle [Spider-Man].

 

[Prison Mike]

this all great info guys. thanks for your help.

 

[moraldeficiency]

1. Broke my leg when I was six and my aunt got me a bunch to keep me sane.

2. Same reason I like westerns I guess. Good and evil distilled into their essences and battling it out. Good having to overcome greater obsticles to beat the more powerful opponent. Comics also allow you to enter the fantastical into the mix where almost anything can happen, giving them mythic storytelling potential most books lack. Add in the emotional resonance that a good artist can bring and comics can be an extremely effective and easily managable entertainment medium.

 

[The Guard]

1. I got into comics because I got into Batman, Superman, the other DC heroes and the X-Men via the various cartoons, TV shows and movies at a young age, and after a while, reruns of the shows just weren't enough.

2. I love them not only for the ideals displayed, but because I consider them modern mythology, with a depth and an exploration of the human condition that the best ancient myths never had.

 

[TheFuture]

1. What got you into comic books?

I was a 90's kid so I was definitely influenced by all the animated series that were on at the time such as Spider-Man and Batman.

2. Why do like comic books?

There is just something about superheroes that I find inspiring and it is hard to resist. No matter how messed up the world seems to be at times, comics always put a smile back on my face. Combine the story with the imagery and you have a sort of escapism that is right up there with going to the movies.

 

[Prison Mike]

so escapism and artwork seem to be recurring reasons for liking comic books. I will definitely touch on that in the paper.

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

What got you into comic books? I grew up watching cartoons and playing with toys, so seeing the characters I loved in comic book form got me interested.

2. Why do like comic books? Because comic books can create stories that movies and tv can't do or they continue a story from movies or tv, such as The Evil Dead.

 

[squeekness]

I am writing a research paper on the subculture of comic book readers. If you guys could answer this two part question, I would appreciate it.

1. What got you into comic books? What is family or a friend who introduced you into comics? Did you just stumble into a comic book shop and start reading them? Or maybe you saw a comic book movie and decided to check it out from there?

2. Why do like comic books? What is it about comics that keeps you reading? You could also state which comic books you are currently reading, if you like.

Answering these questions will help me a lot for my research paper. Thanks again!

1. My sister was always reading them and so I started. She was reading X-men and I warmed up to Wolverine instantly. I didn't have much money so I only had a just a few books for a long time. After the first X-men movie came out, I started buying them up again and I've been hooked ever since.

2. I appreciate good art and the comic book art these days is just amazing. I don't think I would enjoy the stories as much if they were all prose books. I like the visual treat I get every time I open them. Now I have afew characters I really follow and will buy pretty much anything with them in it -- Gambit, Wovlerine, Wiccan....

 

[Bnightwing]

1. What got you into comic books? BTAS ,and the new Spider-Man movie, it just sparked me to read em. There is no real reason why I just enjoyed em

2. Why do like comic books? Because they give me a reality to go to and laugh at cheesy lines and to look how they change over time, currently I am reading some old school Detective Comics, and I want R.I.P. I am also wanting to get into Moon Knight. I also think that comics is the only thing that I can be cocky about. If there is anything more I will post it for you. I need to read some Marvel cause most of what I know is DC, and I want to try ready some indy stuff like Dark Horse and such just no clue where to start.

 

[Bnightwing]

I would like to say that also the artwork induced me and that with a movie, or show people have to censor things for the common public, but in comics they can foreshadow, have a longer run for a certain comic than a show. And the characters have a MUCH wider history than in the movies.

I am trying to explain it but I hope I get what I am saying.

 

[Metamorpho1977]

1. I was reading comics almost as long as I could read. They helped me learn to read. I didn't really start collecting though until 1985. I was walking by a magazine rack and saw an image that to my 8 year old mind chilled me to the core. The Death of Supergirl in Crisis issue 7. I read that and from then on, I had to have every comic I could get my hands on. My best friend collected too and we would read together. We were born almost the same time and grew up together from infancy. He was like my brother. He died in 2001 thanks to a drunk driver who ran into him. I collect now to remember him in a way.

2. Why do I like comics? I love the stories. The art is ok, but without the story to give meaning to the drawings that's all they are is drawings. I love the big team ups. I like a bunch of superheroes on a page. I love the action.

 

[mrvlknight21]

1. I cant remember what got me into comics initially, I know that I started reading them when I was about 9 years old. I CLEARLY remember getting into them so much that I asked my parents to take me to the comic store every month and spent all my allowance there and specifically remember making sure that I got every issue of Secret Wars in 1985...I was 10 years old.


2. Comics are a great escape and many have great storylines with plot twists, character development and of course, little miracles. I see these super heroes going about their daily lives and accomplishing so much and it was dare I say, inspiring. Every hero and every villain had a reason for being one and I related to some based on my life and some I didnt. Essentially, seeing these heroes led me to desire a career in law enforcement, so I could at least attempt to do some of these great feats that these heroes accomplished in every issue and help people as a result.

 

[Spidey-Bat]

1. I watched Batman, Superman, X-Men, and Spider-Man cartoons when I was young. When I got older, I learned about the stories in the comics they were based on and began reading some of those.

2. Artwork is definitely one of the reasons. As some have said, a book with crappy art can be unappealing. The story is just as important as it can really suck you in and make you not want to put it down. As The Guard said, they are modern mythology which makes you see them in a different light.

 

[Majic Walrus]

1. I first got into comics from my Dad. He was a big fan of Swamp Thing and Rom and a lot of the Strange Tales type books. When I started reading I was watching Spiderman and The X-Men on TV so that's where I started. I also quickly started reading young person type stories from DC... Robin, Teen Titans, Superboy stuff like that.

2. Comics are the perfect medium. They can show us a vivid visual representation with or without words to progress the story. It connects me with my childhood and even today tells a moral story. Gives me heroes to adore and villians to hate and shows a dramatic fantastic reprentation of myself in many ways. They incorporate so many different story telling techniques to bring something wonderful to your face and they are above everything else fun as hell.

Currently I'm reading monthly Batman & Robin, Batman, Detective Comics, The Flash: Rebirth, Green Lantern (can't wait for Blackest Night tie-ins!), Secret Six (best book on the market), Deadpool, No Hero and The Authority.

I pick up trades of The Walking Dead and anything with Garth Ennis name on it (Check out 'Just a Pilgrim') and I'm just now getting into Y: The Last Man which is possibily the best book I've ever read.

My favorites include Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Y: The Last Man, Preacher, The Walking Dead (which I'm loosing interest in...), Kingdom Come, and that's without including any of my Batbooks!

 

[BobJM]

1. What got you into comic books?

I saw X-Men opening weekend with my older brother and all of his friends and even our dads went to go see it. They were all talking about the comics and the old cartoons and I became fascinated with all of it. I loved the movie and the very next day I begged my dad to take me to the local comic book shop. I bought Jim Lee and Chris Claremont's first X-Men issue and have been an avid fan since then.

2. Why do like comic books?

The characters, the stories, and the history. Honestly, most of these characters have been around for decades. Yet, people are still captivated by them. It's so mind-blowing that a couple of pictures and text bubbles can grab the attention of millions and continue to grow despite the test of time. Sure, comics have their slumps with the change or writers or artists, but the thing that gives me goosebumps is how much the fans care. And then you realize that these stories about heroes in capes and damsels in distress dive straight into the heart of society's biggest questions and controversies. Discrimination, religion, politics, pop culture...all with the occasional explosion and awesome fight.

 

[Doctor Jones]

1. Everything fell into place when I was 5. I was introduced to Spider-Man and Batman through STAS and BTAS. That's how I got introduced to those characters. I was a fanatic, I collected a crapload of action figures and had Spider-Man pajamas and a Halloween costume. Then as I got older, I did know about the comics, but I didn't think I was ready for them. I knew that comic weren't for children anymore. BUt I was dying to read them. The films of the heroes, the cartoons, just made me want to go out and read where they came from originally. I buy mostly Batman and Spider-Man now.

2. Superheroes aren't kiddy stories or gimmicks like people say they are. They seem to be like Gods, but the right ones can be relatable. I find the character of Peter Parker relatable because we share all the same traits pretty much. And he's my age. I'm as closer to him as ever. Peter represents all of us. We all can idenitfy with him in some way. I just happen to identify with him alot. With Batman he's the only comic book hero you could actually become. He uses his intellect, skills, and knowledge to solve his problems, not his muscle And he's a detective. He's a tortured soul under a mask. He has everything but has nothing. And the symbol that he shows represents his own childhood trauma. And the fact that he doesn't kill and his whole psyche in general is fascinating.

Comic books are as relevant as any work of classic literature. Just shown through a different art form. Just because there's a drawing, doesn't mean it's for kids.

 

[Victarion]

For me it really began after I saw Hellboy. I enjoyed the fantasy-horror-action feel of the movie and HB's sarcasm. So I picked up a GN of Hellboy. I would have likely read exclusively HB. However, reading various posts on these forums got me interested in some of the stories, and their convoluted-ness. I thought there was no way on earth there could be such convoluted story telling out there. I was proven wrong.

Don't take that as a flame though; its fun to follow a long-running story along all its twist and turns and is a nice break between reading more somber novels.

 

[bullets]

the characters were introduced into my consciousness from cartoons

i like reading for various reasons . good story telling , amazing artwork , action , and consistency. lately i haven't agreed with the direction of spider-man and other titles followed suit . i usually keep up with x-men.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Best thread to come out of the Community in like 3 years

 

[AndThePickles]

1. My boyfriend got me into reading them. Honestly, until I started dating him, I didn't know that comic books were still published I saw him reading them all the time, and became interested.

2. I like comic books because there are so many different kinds of powers and characters involved. Something for everyone! I read a large variety of books, but mainly from Marvel.