Movies, TV shows, toys, and major licensing and still there is a stigma when it comes to comic books.
The Wonder Woman film has made over $400 million dollars. Received critical acclaim. And yet if I’m sitting somewhere in public with a Wonder Woman comic, I still get these odd looks from people. Like I’m doing something wrong. Or I’m reading a kids book. Seriously what the hell?
All my life there has been this stigma with the actual source material where all these movies, TV shows, and merchandise came from. Like I’m an immature idiot for reading comics. These are now multimillion dollar licensing properties, but yet no respect for the source.
There is still this ideology that comic books are just a bunch of people with superpowers that dress up in spandex and fight bad guys. If after all these years that is your impression of comic books, then you are wrong and uninformed.
Comic stories have gotten more complex and relevant as years have gone by. They were never intended for children in the first place, but yet that’s how a lot of people still see them.
You go to a comic store like Midtown Comics in New York on a Wednesday when the new comics come out for the week, you’ll see all types of people. Yes, you’ll see the stereotypical comic geek, but you also see businessmen in Armani suits picking up their weekly books. And it’s not just men either. Female readership has grown by leaps and bounds as well.
I consider myself somewhat of an amateur comic historian. A lot of my friends will come to me for recommendations on what to read. I’m at the point that if you give me an interest, I can lead you to a comic you might like.
It’s entertaining that I know so many people that watch the Walking Dead, but have no clue it’s based on a comic book. What’s even more frustraiting, is the lack of interest they have with actually reading the comic book. Let’s get serious too. Does a book with zombies and people killing each other really seem like a kid’s book?
Yes, there are still superhero comics, but there are also sword and sorcery, historical accounts, thrillers, horror, love stories, romantic comedies. The list goes on and on. And the superhero books aren’t one-dimensional at all either. They are now complex and relatable stories. And not all of them have the godlike bodies. Take a look at the book Faith published by Valiant. She’s a plus-size girl, who’s a fangirl, that has super powers and fights crime. She thinks she should act like the comic book but realizes life isn’t a comic book.
That’s just one example and there are so much more out there if you look. Or ask somebody.
So if you see me reading a comic, don’t assume I’m uneducated, as I’m actually very well read.
Go ahead a challenge me. Give a topic and I’ll point you in the direction of a good comic. So let’s end this stereotype once and for all.