FFF Results Post #422—Comics’ Special Things

On Friday, CR readers were asked to "Name Five Things You Love About Comics That Aren't A Character, A Specific Work Or A Cartoonist." This is how they responded.

*****



Tim O'Neil

1. Superman's triangle numbering from the 90s
2. Quarter boxes
3. Video game ads from the early 80s
4. Marvel's Hunk of the Month (pictured)
5. Sam Henderson's goofy drawing of Tom Spurgeon on the masthead of THE COMICS REPORTER, long may it reign.

*****



Mike Baehr

1. 3-D! (pictured)
2. Hand lettering
3. Sound effects
4. The thrill of discovery digging through dusty back issue bins
5. Keeping my collection organized

*****



Jones

1. The sheer improbability of making great art in tiny daily installments over years or even decades (pictured)
2. The dream (literally, dream-that-you-have-while-you're-sleeping) that every single comics reader used to have, at least once in their lives, of finding a new comic shop with all the comics they'd never been able to find in the real world
3. The changes in publication models over the last decade that have made that dream increasingly irrelevant
4. The idea that, on top of what we've already got in print in English, and what we know is still to come, there's still so many great comics we don't know about yet
5. My three year-old daughter always asking me to read comics with her (her favourites are Herge, Barks and McCay -- good taste)

*****



Marty Yohn

1. Oversize treasury/absolute editions with oversize artwork
2. Special effect sounds drawn as part of the artwork (pictured)
3. Painted covers
4. Small inset panels showing motion or time lapse
5. Catchy letter page titles (back when comics had letter pages)

*****



Tom Spurgeon

1. Covers With Little Heads Of Guest Stars In Circles Or Squares Down The Side
2. Superheroes Enjoying Recreational Activities Like Poker Or Softball
3. The Ubiquity Of Ninjas
4. Movie Adaptations (pictured)
5. Hero Fights Other Hero; They Team Up To Fight A Villain

*****



Sean Kleefeld

1. Covers featuring a solid background color that merges the primary figure(s) and the line art has been removed (pictured)
2. Sound effects consisting of three or more syllables (Brakaakkthwooommm!)
3. Background details that are only included for the artist's own amusement
4. Meta-textual discussions among the creative and/or editorial teams
5. Sound effects for silent actions (~stare~)

*****



Philippe Leblanc

1. All the different paper stocks
2. The spine of larger comic books, tradepaperbacks and collected edition
3. Supervilain team-up (we must band together to be more evil) (pictured)
4. Anthropomorphic characters
5. Fold out splash pages

*****



Tom Cherry

1. Back up stories
2. Kid gangs (pictured)
3. Letter columns
4. Celebrities and other famous people that guest star in superhero comics
5. Fight clouds

*****



Michael Buntag

1. That so many characters can get away wearing clashing spandex costumes when portrayed on the page
2. Universe-crossing team-ups (pictured)
3. Genre mash-ups
4. Educational comics capable of tackling complex subject matter
5. Even with the rapid proliferation of digital colouring, creators can still produce astonishing black and white art

*****



Tom Bondurant

1. Sound effects
2. Anniversary issues
3. Time manipulation
4. Impossibly plausible costumes and/or gadgets (pictured)
5. Intercompany crossovers

*****



Michael Dooley

1. Experimental layouts, typography, collage, etc. that enhance and enrich the narrative.
2. Literature adaptations that add new perspectives.
3. Illustrations that purposefully reference other art forms.
4. Comics parodies that offer basic insights into their subjects.
5. Processes that take advantage of the medium’s physicality. (pictured)

*****



Danny Ceballos

1. saddle-stitching
2. those old-timey ads for GRIT (pictured)
3. dynamic action poses
4. splash pages
5. pin-ups

*****



Oliver Ristau

1. A content accessibilty to some extent, even if the comic is in a language you don't understand.
2. The rotten smell of acidic paper preserved by mylar sleeves.
3. T. M. Maple. (Not a character, not a cartoonist, not a specific work.) (pictured)
4. The enduring popularity of ducks, no matter if they are named Donald, Howard or Destroyer.
5. Former sidekicks or minor characters, that become the star of their own series (Captain Easy, Popeye, Winter Soldier).

*****



Michael F. Russo

1. New Comic Book Day on Wednesday is like a weekly holiday.
2. Nothing ever really ends. Your favorite character can return in completely different circumstances with an entirely new creative team and be even better than before. Also, your favorite creator can return with a new idea and be better than before.
3. Comics can be really smart and they can be really dumb and they are really good at both.
4. Comics printed when I was a kid have aged (sometimes better than I have) so that the paper is browner and the colors seem richer. (pictured)
5. People who love comics, even people who hate the comics you love and love the comics you hate, are members in a (less and less secret) society that spans generations and continents. Maybe worlds.

*****



Douglas Wolk

1. Villains Cutting Off Conversation by Declaring "Silence!"
2. Advertorial/Promotional Comic Books Starring Mainstream Characters (pictured)
3. Romance Comics Involving Early-'70s Feminism
4. Numbered Parallel Earths
5. Convention Sketchbooks

*****
*****
 
posted 4:00 pm PST | Permalink
 

---

 
Daily Blog Archives
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
 
Full Archives