The first thing I want to say about this topic is that how a stupid tag of "nerd" is associated with anyone that likes Graphic Novels and Comics. This is very wrong.
Graphic Novels and Comics can actually have really great stories, amazing art, can stir the imagination and the creative side of a person with the originality in them. They can be inspiring not just for writers and artists, but for people too. Maybe if a person who lived their whole life through comic books, dressed up as superheroes everyday and then went on to believe that they were actual superheroes could maybe as well as being super-delusional, be classed as a geek as this would be very peculiar behaviour. However, I don't actually personally know anybody like this anyway. I bet anyone who reads this doesn't either.
They are written for people of all ages, some are written for just adults. It's not just all about the Marvel Superheroes like Spider-Man, The X-Men, Captain America and The Fantastic Four or the DC Superheroes like Batman, Superman, WonderWoman and Green Lantern-even though some stories I hae read from these titles are amazing-there are hundereds of independent comics that are just great stories in themselves.
These stories aren't just about Superheroes/Villians flying about blowing things up. The stories can be just like any other-connecting with human emotions like grief and experiencing loss. The battle between good and evil which goes on in everyday life. Apparantly, recently one of The Fantastic Four members got killed. The Human Torch Johnny Storm gets killed. It actually made the national news as did Peter Parker getting killed as Spider-Man in the Ultimate Universe. (The Ultimate Universe is a alternative to the normal Marvel Universe where Peter Parker as Spider-Man is still alive and swinging but in the Ultimate Universe gets killed by The Green Goblin and then someone else becomes Spider-Man. Some guy called Miles Morales who is half-black and half-latino! Apparantly the writers/editors wanted to be "more 21st centuary" and wanted to be culturally diversed and about how our society today is muticultural. I think it's really fucked up and that they could've made someone totally new who is half-black and half latino but know full well that they would have trouble selling whoever that would've been). Can you imagine the readers who follow them every week and have been for years and in some cases even decades feel?
I wanted to buy a book the other day and had no idea what to get and then I realised why not look for a graphic novel as I haven't been to a comic book shop for nearly 2 years now. I used to go once a month and am probably going to start doing that so again.
I bought a couple of my favourite ever graphic novel to a couple of people once who've never read one in their lives and their comments were "Oh man that was amazing" and "I nearly cried halfway through that-brilliant".
So I'm not encouraging people in telling them "Go to the comic book shop now!" I'm telling people to not be shallow and categorize/sterotype anyone that does enjoy reading Graphic Novels/Comics. You don't want to be as narrow minded as half the ridiculous people that I slate on this blog.
