 |
What
is Global Comics Network? |
|
What
is Global Comics Network? |
Dan Jurgens has done amazing things with Marvel's Thor
Rumiko Takahashi's Inu-Yasha, a big hit in Japan, is available in English from Viz.
Herge's Tintin is one of the few European comics that's even moderately well known in the U.S. |
Comics,
particularly in Western culture, is a much-maligned medium. It's often
put down as a medium for kids, something that adults shouldn't bother
with. Adult comics readers are ashamed to reveal their comics interest
to others, for fear of being told, "Grow up!"
This Web site is dedicated to the premise that, while comics, just like movies or TV, are often used to present stories for kids, the medium is no more limited to that audience than movies or TV are. While adults in the U.S. may not be interested in reading a Mickey Mouse comic book, many of them love to read newspaper comics like Doonesbury, Dilbert, or Calvin and Hobbes. While Calvin certainly has a level to it that interests kids, all of these strips are aimed primarily at adults, and are never accused of being for kids. Yet somehow, the comics medium (especially U.S.-style "pamphlet" comic books) are still seen as kid stuff. (And that's not the only reason that the U.S. comics industry needs to find a new format; pamphlet comic books cost about five times what they did 20 years ago, and are in danger of pricing themselves into oblivion.) Superhero comics can be argued to be childish, but I would say they are much less so than even twenty years ago. Even leaving those aside, what about the work of Alan Moore? The Brothers Hernandez? R. Crumb? Alex Robinson? All of these creators have used comics to tell stories that would probably garner large audiences if they were on TV or in movies, or perhaps even in prose form. Sadly, the fact that they choose to tell their stories through a mixture of words and drawings keeps their audiences much smaller than they should be. Here in Japan, comics are more widely read by adults, and cover a much broader range of material than mainstream U.S. comics, and perhaps even more than independent and underground comics in the States. European comics have a reputation for achieving literary aspirations. And comics in other parts of the world? Well, I'm curious. That's the idea of this Web site: to look at as many different comics as possible, and to extol the virtues of the comics medium. Unlike movies or TV, comics can handle any subject, from space adventure to a down-to-earth romance, on the same low budget. Unlike a novel or short story, a comic can utilize pictures to interact with the words in a unique way. There are cases where comics are simply the best way of telling a story. Comics subject matter and conventions vary between cultures, just as in other artistic endeavors. Many of these get insufficient attention in the West. It's time to bring these varied approaches together to learn from each other, and to make it clear to everyone that comics are not just for kids! This site also hopes to provide a showcase for new talent. If you're a cartoonist, or a drawing/writing team, we'd like to provide a place on the Internet to get your work seen. If you're a writer and would like to contribute any comics reviews or examinations of the comics medium, we'd love to hear from you. It's all strictly in the "labor of love" category right now--no one's making any money off this, least of all me!--but we do hope to hear from you. Tim Young |
| This site
created by |
