Comics and Graphic Novels

For comics week I read some of Sex Criminals and Alex + Ada, but I'd love to talk about the latter of the two for this post.

The plot for Alex + Ada was an interesting one, and one that is very current in today's technology-driven society. To hell with all things being wireless, it seems as though we're nearing the cusp of creating artificial intelligence. (Heck, even Stephen Hawking is concerned.) Self-driven cars will be sold to the public in the next 5 years, and that's only the start. Is sentience actually possible, and if so, how soon will it happen?

What I love about comics how cheap they are to make. Sure, going full out with colorists and line artists produces spectacular quality work, but that's not necessary to create a story that truly resonates with people. While initially taken aback by the simplistic style of Alex + Ada, I actually embraced it after a few volumes, and now believe that it actually accentuates the story. The world being described in this story is sterile and mechanical, without any imperfections, and the drawings scream sterile and mechanical. They people are drawn so simply that they almost look like robots, which helps drive the main theme home.

A friend of mine who draws comics has (somewhat) recently done an interview about her work. She started drawing comics after her teenage daughter dragged her to a weekly comic artists group. Initially a chaperone, she was welcomed into the group and has since flourished in the community even after her daughter moved on to other mediums.

Her comics, which are clearly very simply drawn, still manage to engage the audience and really showcase how little importance drawing technique carries in the overall comic-reading experience. If your story is compelling and well thought out, you can make anything. The drawing style of Ada + Alex is a great example of this as well. Many of the panels are recycled at least partially if not fully, and the figures almost look rotoscoped. The backgrounds are extremely simplified. And yet, I was fully enthralled in the story.

The proof that compelling comics can be created with such a small budget is the appeal to the medium. The enormous budgets in film and television seriously water down the diversity of content that we consume. It's understandable; when so much is at stake, I would play a safe card as well. Not only that, but mediums that have such a large budget need to court to a large enough audience to turn a profit, which isn't as much (relatively) the case as with comics. Anyone can draw comics for next to nothing and share their story, and it doesn't have to be high concept and appeal to at least 50% of the American population, and that's its appeal. The possibilities are endless.