Comics pack literary punch
Enthusiasts reflect on comics' place in literature; professor makes it academic
Rachel Moir
Issue date: 10/11/07 Section: Focus
Comparisons between comics and great literature generally don't spring from the lips of those not inducted into the congregation of fans who devour graphic novels. But many find great merit in what the public generally deems "funny books."
"Have you ever seen a movie based on a book, and the movie falls short for you?" asks Jerzy Drozd, a comics artist from Southeastern Michigan.
It's a disappointment that doesn't always spring from a bad casting choice or scene cutting: There's something deeper involved, Drozd said.
"One thing you lose is the cadence of word choice," Drozd said. "There's a book by C.S. Lewis that I absolutely adore called Perelandra where he spends a chapter talking about water without using the word 'water.' Now, a movie can show water in a mesmerizing way, but it's not the same. It's the same thing with comics. They can do things that prose can't, so they are very different. It's another communicative art form."
Associate Professor of Philosophy Donald Turner teaches an honors seminar focusing on philosophy and literature in comics. He said he believes that the widespread idea that comics aren't real art or literature is missing the bigger picture.
"Certainly much of what you find in the comics world would not be considered great literature or art," Turner said. "On the other hand, most of what you find in the fiction world wouldn't be considered great literature, nor would most drawings be considered great art. I think there has been some very important art done for comics."
That art has been set back due to widespread perceptions of how the medium should be used, Drozd said.
"You have to understand, in the '50s, comics were almost destroyed by a book called
Seduction of the Innocent by Fredric Wertham," Drozd said. "It almost destroyed comics because it engendered this idea in the American public's mind that comics are just for kids and that they shouldn't be any deeper than that. Imagine if that happened with film, if there was never a movie made for adults. That's a huge thing we missed out on for 30 years."
"Have you ever seen a movie based on a book, and the movie falls short for you?" asks Jerzy Drozd, a comics artist from Southeastern Michigan.
It's a disappointment that doesn't always spring from a bad casting choice or scene cutting: There's something deeper involved, Drozd said.
"One thing you lose is the cadence of word choice," Drozd said. "There's a book by C.S. Lewis that I absolutely adore called Perelandra where he spends a chapter talking about water without using the word 'water.' Now, a movie can show water in a mesmerizing way, but it's not the same. It's the same thing with comics. They can do things that prose can't, so they are very different. It's another communicative art form."
Associate Professor of Philosophy Donald Turner teaches an honors seminar focusing on philosophy and literature in comics. He said he believes that the widespread idea that comics aren't real art or literature is missing the bigger picture.
"Certainly much of what you find in the comics world would not be considered great literature or art," Turner said. "On the other hand, most of what you find in the fiction world wouldn't be considered great literature, nor would most drawings be considered great art. I think there has been some very important art done for comics."
That art has been set back due to widespread perceptions of how the medium should be used, Drozd said.
"You have to understand, in the '50s, comics were almost destroyed by a book called
Seduction of the Innocent by Fredric Wertham," Drozd said. "It almost destroyed comics because it engendered this idea in the American public's mind that comics are just for kids and that they shouldn't be any deeper than that. Imagine if that happened with film, if there was never a movie made for adults. That's a huge thing we missed out on for 30 years."
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