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I’m trying. I really am.

Adding more underground and indie cartoons/comics, or “comix” to my reading list, I’m saving you all by subjecting myself to them first so you don’t have to read them if they’re bad — sort of like the guy in medieval times that tasted the king’s food for poison ...

Understanding Comics (HarperPerennial)

Scott McCloud’s thesis is the undisputed must-read authority on comics and how they work. This might be because McCloud thoroughly details the history of the medium, how to read it and what it means, or it may be because no one else has ever tried to do this before. Well, of course comics legend Will Eisner wrote Comics & Sequential Art, a book McCloud borrows from, but Eisner doesn’t have enough pretty pictures. Understanding Comics is an essay, but in comic book form, once again proving that comics don’t have to be fun. Some of McCloud’s ideas are neat and very intuitive, but a lot of the time his observations are things anyone could explain but we know already, so there’s no genius in pointing it out — like comic book characters not being real, they’re just ink and paper. I think the book could help new readers get some of the technical aspects to the medium, but most of the information is not that useful for your typical capes and cowls crowd.

Micrographica (Top Shelf)

Poop. This book is about poop. Well, poop and rodents. I know I wanted to hate this book. I tried really, really hard. It’s very unconventional, sold in a book roughly the size of a single panel. An indicator of comix is the drawing style. What many casual observers might classify as “bad” drawing, I’ve since grown to see as “different” or “unique.” After the anime and hyper-realistic characters in mainstream books, it is pleasant to see roughly simple characters in minimalist environments. However, this book is not for everybody. I don’t even think the majority of indie hipsters and theater majors on campus would like it, but I think it’s cute, so back off. It’s an investment at $10, but then again, so is that $100 Rock Band smoke machine you’ve been saving up for.

Further Reading

If you like this genre, or may want to look at other comix like those mentioned above, I recommend looking online at www.topshelfcomix.com or www.fantagraphics.com, two of the biggest publishers of comix. Other popular titles in this category are Maus, Persepolis, American Splendor and the works of Will Eisner and R. Crumb. While there are certainly great titles in this field, be wary of books that try to pass off their obviously poor writing or art by putting themselves under the comix blanket. If it sucks, it sucks and you are always the best judge of that.