What are you reading?

Stavrogyn

White Lodge
Apr 12, 2022
675
547
Have you seen the documentary Crumb? If not, I'd put it on your short list.
Oh, yes, I have, and I was completely blown away by it! Easily my favorite Zwigoff film and a candidate for my all-time favorites list. A masterpiece.

(It's been a while since I've seen it, so I was just planning to rewatch it one of these days.)

I was shocked to learn that Robert's brothers, Charles and Maxon, were so eccentric and troubled that Robert almost seemed like a regular guy compared with them... A truly fascinating family.
 

Jordan Cole

White Lodge
Sep 22, 2022
725
1,132
Crumb is a great documentary. I do find it funny and sadly typical that comic talk always leads to movie/tv talk instead! READ THE COMICS, PEOPLE! :D
 

Stavrogyn

White Lodge
Apr 12, 2022
675
547
I do find it funny and sadly typical that comic talk always leads to movie/tv talk instead! READ THE COMICS, PEOPLE! :D
Haha, you're absolutely right, that has to change, I have to read more comics.

But, as for Robert Crumb, I did read this back in high school:

Kafka za početnike.jpg

Therefore, basically an expert :cool:
 

Jordan Cole

White Lodge
Sep 22, 2022
725
1,132
An adaptation! Of a previous work not by the artist! Argh!

Read people's original comics and not adaptations of non-comics work...PEOPLE!
 

Cappy

White Lodge
Aug 4, 2022
545
539
I probably learned more about drawing from studying R. Crumb’s work than anything else out there.

I have a few of his collected works/anthology books and they are some of my most valued graphic novels. Crumb isn’t always the most compelling storyteller, but his visual flair more than makes up for it in my book.
 

Jordan Cole

White Lodge
Sep 22, 2022
725
1,132
He's an actual for real genius, but I also don't even know where to start with collecting his stuff. I have a few random little books here and there but the completist in me wishes I had VOLUMES 1 --- ???
 

Stavrogyn

White Lodge
Apr 12, 2022
675
547
Read people's original comics and not adaptations of non-comics work...PEOPLE!
Haha, I knew my post would trigger you ;) ... But don't worry, I get your point, and I agree, of course.

Just look at it this way: when I was younger, I wasn't interested in comic books at all, but I was very much into Kafka, so it was because of him that I learned of Robert Crumb and then later watched both Crumb and American Splendor, which I think is much better than being completely clueless about him and his work...

I've been reading very little last year and a half because I'm trying to finish my second novel and to me, switching between writing and reading continuously just doesn't work well... I can't focus on one without sacrificing the other. But now I'm thinking that comic books might just be the thing I need? Maybe that would work?

I'm leaning toward reading American Splendor the most.
 
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Jordan Cole

White Lodge
Sep 22, 2022
725
1,132
Haha, I knew my post would trigger you ;) ... But don't worry, I get your point, and I agree, of course.

Just look at it this way: when I was younger, I wasn't interested in comic books at all, but I was very much into Kafka, so it was because of him that I learned of Robert Crumb and then later watched both Crumb and American Splendor, which I think is much better than being completely clueless about him and his work...

I've been reading very little last year and a half because I'm trying to finish my second novel and to me, switching between writing and reading continuously just doesn't work well... I can't focus on one without sacrificing the other. But now I'm thinking that comic books might just be the thing I need? Maybe that would work?

I'm leaning toward reading American Splendor the most.

Yeah, I real normal books too, but comics for me is great because...I don't know, I don't have a diagnosis or anything but sometimes I have trouble concentrating, and if a book isn't like REALLY GREAT I really start to just zone out and skim stuff and then I have to backtrack several pages...but comics are great for me in this sense. I also have a job with tons of downtime (being a background extra) and it can be really hard to concentrate on reading there (though I HAVE read tons of books there) and comics are perfect for being in an environment where everyone around you is chatting and you can't really tune everything out.

There's also something about how quick some of the reads are. Like yesterday I read two Adrian Tomine books. He's not a favorite of mine (he's kind of like a less ambitious, less funny, less interesting Daniel Clowes) but taking the two books out from the library and just knocking them out in an afternoon is just really fun for me.

But then there's DENSE, rewarding books like Alan Moore's From Hell....not a "quick easy" read. Moore and a few other favorites really takes full concentration (especially his prose novels which I only made it 2 pages into before giving up...!) Especially if you incorporate Moore's dense footnotes in the back of From Hell (WHICH YOU SHOULD, chapter by chapter, for an optimized, fun and haunting reading experience.) If there was one book I had to recommend to anybody it would be From Hell.

But quick, fun, but no-less-deep reads would be Daniel Clowes books like Ghost World or David Boring (my fav)...Junji Ito horror stuff is so fun and creative and messed up (he puts out TOO MANY BOOKS though)...Batman to me is like my ultimate comfort food, I can just read 10,000 pages of Batman like I'm eating popcorn or something...and lots of great stuff out there from some good writers. But even crappy Batman I'll kind of enjoy on some level, like those James Wan-y haunted house horror movies that I don't even like much but can just watch a million of. Maybe that's not a great endorsement.
 

secretlettermkr

Waiting Room
Apr 12, 2022
316
438
To all Lynch fans out there looking for comics to read, I have to recomend a few that I really Love.
By Charles Burns : BLACK HOLE and the LAST LOOK Trilogy
By Daniel Clowes: DAVID BORING and PATIENCE
 

Cappy

White Lodge
Aug 4, 2022
545
539
He's an actual for real genius, but I also don't even know where to start with collecting his stuff. I have a few random little books here and there but the completist in me wishes I had VOLUMES 1 --- ???
I’d personally just start with volume 10, or whenever you get into his 70s era work. That’s when it gets really wild and detailed.
 

AXX°N N.

Waiting Room
Apr 14, 2022
270
619
Love the Clowes love itt, reading through Eightball in my worst moments was a precious high school memory for me, and he hasn't disappointed over the years.
 

secretlettermkr

Waiting Room
Apr 12, 2022
316
438
And I already pre-ordered Daniel Clowes new book..
Monica-3DCover_2000x.jpg
 

Cappy

White Lodge
Aug 4, 2022
545
539
The lad two comic series I read:

- the original “Infinity Inc.” from the 80s, featuring the children of the Justice Society, all grown up and fighting crime on their own. I’ve always been curious about this series. It’s written by Roy Thomas, who can make Chris Claremont look terse, but like Thomas’ other major DC series All Star Squadron, his fanboy passion for Golden Age characters and concepts really gives Infinity Inc. an unabashed sense of fun. And a young Todd McFarlane takes over pencilling duties around #14 or so; it’s interesting seeing him utilize a more understated style pre-Spider Man and Spawn. Even as a rookie though, he was interested in weird and unconventional panel layouts. I think I stopped around #30 or so, some of the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover stuff was kind of jarring without reading Crisis simultaneously.

- Warren Ellis’ “The Wild Storm” maxi series from a years back. It’s effectively a reboot/revamp of most of the well known characters from the Wildstorm Universe, streamlining them all into a cohesive and shared narrative. It’s fun and engaging in the way most of Ellis’ work is, although it didn’t really leave much of an impression on me.
 

secretlettermkr

Waiting Room
Apr 12, 2022
316
438
I read INFINITY INC like about 30 years ago. I loved it and remeber ir dearly.
The Wildstorm I am reading it and is very good, but not as godd as PLANETARY (masterpiece) or the unfinished INJECTION wich was AMAZING

I am also reading :
PROVIDENCE by ALAN MOORE & Jacen Burrows, inspired on all the Lovercarft mythos. Im realy enjoying it,
SEX CRIMINALS, written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Chip Zdarsky. Almost finishing this one, is fantastic.
And last but not least, a Graphic Novel called ULTRASOUND by Conor Stechschulte, and its blowing my mind
 

Jordan Cole

White Lodge
Sep 22, 2022
725
1,132
Wow, I am also reading Infinity Inc! I'm doing it very slow though. Up to issue 10 or so. I am NOT a Roy Thomas fan and the way he has 500 characters all speaking novel-length speech bubbles in every panel just drives me crazy, it takes me forever to get through one issue.

I am mainly reading it to finally get some context into Fury from Sandman and all that stuff.

Love Warren Ellis and plan on reading The Wildstorm soon, though I honestly forget so much Wildstorm stuff I read years ago.

Providence is INCREDIBLE. Incredible. I HIGHLY recommend the annotations online for every issue.

 
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