Why We Read Comic Books

Reading comic books is one of the finer arts. Few will mistake Stephen King for Frank Miller, but both of those writers have a certain power to their prose. The prose can be astounding. Those who find the rich history of comic books are forever hooked on them. Comic books are an art that attracts many. We often read comics for the escape that sometimes only a comic can provide; we find a love in the combination of words and images; and, lastly, we discover that some of the more imaginative writers in any form create comic books.

The escape comics bring can be done by movies and novels in a sense. The difference is we are both reading and analyzing the image. Like the novelist who cannot get away from his desk, the comic book reader often cannot pull away from the comic shop. The discovery of a new title may bring us in. We are huge Stephen King fans, and read that is magnum opus fantasy series, "The Dark Tower," was made into a comic book by Marvel-and written by Peter David. Or we like science fiction films and Television. We know Joss Whedon created "Serenity" and J. Michael Strazcynski created "Babylon 5." The problem is that many creative minds do this-they explore the possibilities of the comic book. Why do writers like Whedon and Straczynski do this? They were, like us comic junkies, big fans of the medium. When we read a comic book we can shut out the world. When we read of science fiction or horror heroes involved in making comics, it only proves to us that comic books deserve respect.

The basic comic book works because of the panel. On the panel words and images are constructed in a fashion that furthers the story. The comic panel sounds simple, but it can be the most complicated part of the story. There can be a dozen small panels on one page or a splash page which consumes two pages and looks like a painting. Beyond the panel of the comic book, the pictures keep us locked in.

Not all artists are incredible, but consider the major series like "Batman" and "X-Men." Here, top artists work on making the heroes because it is their passion-and it is evident in the breakdown of the page.

The imagination develops when reading comic books. Said images work like a story book, but have more action elements. Where Garfield would be sitting on the couch for five panels, each panel in a super hero comic book has distinct action. The movement of the heroes is done without notice, and that is key. We want to be lost in our own imaginations. We have to continue reading because a door has opened in our mind that can only be closed by finishing the tale. Frank Miller and Alan Moore are two of the more imaginative storytellers in the world. The next time we read a poor comic, we should consider reading one of their works.

Comic books open the escape hatch that our mind has been trying to find; the passion creators have for the words and images makes us keep reading; and the door to the imagination is always open when reading a comic book.