Examine the negative association between comic book readers and adults. Is it still seen as childish? Have comic books been viewed any differently in the past decade? How can this social stigma change, and does it even need to change?
This is an interesting topic. I took a class on comic books, and funnily enough, there were books written about why comic books are not only unsuitable for children, but undermining society because the content is too lurid--basically claims similar to contemporary arguments against video games. It's intriguing to see how the stigma has shifted, and comics are still a misunderstood medium. A book to research for whoever takes this is Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent, which argues that comic books cause young people to cause more crimes. Such claims within range from saying female nudity is only there to obscure gay relationships (a homophobic argument) to stating Superman is a fascist (highly questionable). – Emily Deibler8 years ago
I bumped into someone who said he doesn't read comic books, he reads graphic novels. And he doesn't watch cartoons, he watches Anime. I thought this was an effort to avoid being classified as being interested in childish things. – DrTestani8 years ago
Agreed. Graphic novels are hugs and a good example is Maus by Art Speigelman. – Munjeera8 years ago
I think more and more of mainstream society is losing the image of comic-book reading as a childish thing, no doubt due to the humongous pull of comic- book movies. I think we've made huge progress in the last ten years. – J.P. Shiel8 years ago
In defense of the adult reader, I'd discuss the fact that lots of comic books are not even written for children and delve into deeper, darker content matter that might not be addressed in any other format. Someone else mentioned this book above, but The Washington Post said that Art Spiegelman's "Maus" was "impossible to achieve in any medium but comics." They are a storytelling tool like any other. Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky's "Sex Criminals" for instance, is a lighter, and yet equally adult comic not for the eyes of children. – RjWignall8 years ago
I think perhaps the writer of this topic should discuss the imaginary boundary between comics and graphic novels many people try creating to distance themselves from the "childish" content of comics, as DrTestani mentions above. It might serve as a good foundation for one's arguments/explanations.
The writer could even discuss the emergence of underground comix around the 1960s/70s - comics exclusively targeting and specifically created with an adult, mature audience in mind. It certainly distorts the idea that comics are made only for a younger audience.
The discussion of the changing tone in superhero comics might also be useful. One can see this in The Dark Knight and Watchmen, which deliberately subvert a lot of the expected content of superheroes in comics - in order to attract an older, mature audience. – karebear78 years ago
Back-story on the Black Panther that we did not get in Civil War and that we did not see from the Black Panther himself. How he became Black Panther is more depth – because the movie did not go into much of that aspect because of the movie coming out in a few years. This could be the evolution of Black Panther and how he got to be where and who he is, if it differs between what was stated in Civil War.
I would read that. However, there is a movie coming, so whoever wants to pick this topic should consider that. At the very least, address it. – ismael6768 years ago
I do think the choice to leave a lot of his backstory from Civil War was so they have things to show in his standalone film. It would really just be a re-hash of his old comics – darcvader8 years ago
The Black Panther comic series was canceled for quite a while after the rise of Malcom X and the Black Panthers, due to worries that people may associate the two. Should look into that more, and talk about that. If looking up racially problematic characters, anyone interested should also look up Marvel's Captain Nazi, or the fact that Superman fought Hitler in the comics. – Truthsayer878 years ago
Whoever takes this should look at it more thematically, rather than just doing a straight history (which can easily be found on Comic Vine, Wikipedia, etc.). Rather than who he is, I'd encourage the author to look at what he stands for and represents in society. What are enduring aspects of his characterization (not just character), as he is passed from writer to writer? What do his continued associates (Storm, etc.) suggest about him? – m-cubed8 years ago
It is no secret that Marvel and DC are the top comic book publishers in the industry. But in recent years, many famous writers and artists like Jonathan Hickman and Rick Remender have left the publishers and have started to create comics for Image Comics or other independent publishers. The results are critically acclaimed comic book series that have become very popular among the comic book community. It would be nice to explore the reasons why comic book writers and artists are leaving Marvel or DC to create their own comics with independent publishers like Image Comics. An examination could even be done into what Image Comics and other independent publishers offer writers and artists that Marvel or DC does not.
This topic mentions Image a lot, but what about webcomics? It seems that writers and artists who publish online would have a lot more control over their creation. However, in many cases, it seems unlikely that webcomics would be as profitable as physical ones. – sk8knight8 years ago
In comics, mentor figures are critical to the development of super heroes. Batman is by far one of the most famous characters in comics and his origins involves the death of his parents. Despite being considered the "Dark Knight" and usually being considered a isolated character, the Batman mythos involves a large amount of mentoring and parenting within its long history. In many comics such as Scott Snyders new 52 Batman and Batman Earth One, Alfred moves beyond a servant figure to acts as a supportive and mentoring parental figure for Bruce Wayne as he struggles with his role as Batman. This relationship remains a critical and long lasting relationship for Batman. Additionally, throughout his history, Batman has mentored a variety of side kicks including the robins (Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Damian Wayne, and Carrie Kelly), Batgirls, and others, acting as a mentor figure, and sometimes a parental figure (in the case of Damian, Bruce is his father). I think this is a rich area for analysis and that it would valuable to examine the parental and mentor relationships within Batman comics, there success and failures, as well as how they impact our hero.
This seems like it would be a good topic. I would explore each Robin's backstory and how Batman was able to be a mentor to them aside from making them his sidekicks. – BMartin438 years ago
Discuss the career and works of Simpsons-animator, children's author, and web-comic artist, Liz Climo ((link) . What factors may have led to her success? What is it about her simple, one to two panel comics that makes them so cute and heartwarming? Are there aesthetic standards within the often-neglected form of one/few-panel comics by which her work may be critically evaluated? Where is her place within the long tradition of this form, among artists such as Hank Ketcham, Bil Keane, Gary Larson, Dan Piraro, and countless others? In what ways has her online presence contributed to her work and distribution, as well as the contemporary cultural understanding that comics in the 21st century can exist in spaces beyond the "funny papers"?
As a comic book character, few have garnered the notoriety that Superman has. This topic calls for an investigation into the character's history and an investigation into the symbols the character has come to represent over the years. Questions for investigation may include: How has Superman changed over the decades, and why did these changes occur? What type of ideology does Superman best represent?
This has been done. Exhaustively. – T. Palomino2 years ago
In comic books, character traditionally stay young forever. However, in the past 30 or so years, several important and critically acclaimed stories have focused on aging super hero characters. Stories like the Dark Knight Returns (Batman) and Old Man Logan (Wolverine) have aged their respective characters well into middle age. These stories are considered some of the best for their respective characters (DKR is a landmark title) but how are these characters different than their younger counterparts. What is the impact of aging super heroes, who are traditionally portrayed as eternally young. How does the reader's perception of these characters change when they grow old or advance in age?
Interesting topic. It could be interesting to also discuss why Spiderman hasn't aged much in his comics, since many have already made fascinating commentary on that (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1dO462ufLc; worth watching the whole thing, but relevant content begins at 4:22). – ProtoCanon8 years ago
Another interesting affect this has on characters is the sliding time line of their back stories. Sometimes the writers can retcon this sort of stuff with little fuss, i.e. punisher fighting in Vietnam is changed to Iraq. But for a character like Magneto, whose origin story and, by extension, entire world view stem from his experience of the Holocaust, it's very hard to explain why he's not dead at this point. I don't know if you want to touch on this also, but related to this issue is the fact that characters who never age never die(and if they do, comic book death is cheap). So we have golden age, silver age, bonze age, and modern age heroes all occupying the same stage, all very nearly the same age. This presents especially interesting problems for legacy characters with large families. Take the bat family, that has something like four robins, three batgirls, and a bat-woman in it right now. And I think all four people who've held the flash mantel are alive now too. Not to mention the 6(?) green lanterns currently inhabiting sector 2814. Crises only keep these characters dead for so long. – ealohr8 years ago
Also worth noting is how lack of aging can be tied to lack of development in characters, so writers often reuse the same story tropes instead of letting the characters progress (i.e. the reversal of Peter and MJ's marriage leaving Peter as a single guy again, or bringing Aunt May back to life). – jnardone8 years ago
What was similar and what was different between the Suicide Squad comic and the film? What elements, including characters, from the comic could have made the movie better? What elements from the comic, including characters, would have made the movie worse?
This topic could also include the Suicide Squad animated movie. I haven't watched the new movie or read the comics but my love for the animation is what makes me hesitant, since it was so well done. What elements were in both, what was left out? They're both just movies so it's perhaps easier to go into what could and should have been cut to fit an appropriate feature length. – Slaidey8 years ago
The shared the adventurous, defeat a villain and their army aspect, but what the film lacked was a central point. There was no room for character development with such a huge cast and many characters to follow. The film itself should have lastes at least 2.5 hours if not 3 hours. Really hoping the extended edition fixes this problem. – carlospena8 years ago
The comic was way better. They tried to put ever comic into the movie in under 2 hours. – mikka13218 years ago
