Learning to like an artistic style

Post by **Greg Stephens** » Fri Dec 14, 2001 5:16 pm

Augie De Blieck's review of Frank Miller's latest work ("The Dark Knight Strikes Again", for those who need to be told) contains this quote:

I don?t know that Scott McCloud ever discussed this in one his books, but I have a theory on reading comics. You can learn to like an artistic style. It?s not necessarily instinctive. The more comics you read and the longer you read them, the more disparate styles you?re going to see.

Which not only invokes S.M. but seems to be true to me. Not only true, but basic enough to be a truism.

I don't know. I thought there was a topic in this quote, but the more I look at it, the less worthy it is.

Tim Mallos · Post by **Tim Mallos** » Sat Dec 15, 2001 8:46 pm

Comics is such a complex medium. It's entirely possible that I immediately dislike a DRAWING style when I just look at a comic. But, it is in the READING of a comic that we decide if we like it as a comic. The strength of the story, writing style, characterizations in the text combined with the mood and action shown by the art must be taken as a whole. I know I like a number of comics where I do not care for the style of the art on it's own.

Another 2 cents.

Tim

jturner · Post by **jturner** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 4:30 am

It's entirely possible that I immediately dislike a DRAWING style when I just look at a comic. But, it is in the READING of a comic that we decide if we like it as a comic. The strength of the story, writing style, characterizations in the text combined with the mood and action shown by the art must be taken as a whole

I had exactly this experience with the comic Box Office Poison. People recommended it to me, said I'd like it. It sounded like something I'd like! But I would pick an issue up, look at the art and balk. It just didn't grab me. It sort of uantigrabbed me.

Somewhere down the line a friend gave me the collected book and I read it and indeed enjoyed it a great deal. After the first few chapters, I had gotten used to the art and was engrossed in the story and writing. If I look back it, I can't quite put my finger on what it was in the art that kept me away. I now can't help but focus on the things I like in the drawings.

In related news, I looked at the new Dark Knight and the art didn't grab me, and the colouring actively turned me off I'm afraid. I liked the palette, but not the techniques.

Jason Turner

gazorenzoku · Post by **gazorenzoku** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 9:12 am

I personally didn't like the art in Elfquest when I first saw it, though I have no idea now why. The story really grabbed me, though, and now I really love the art. Strange...

On the other hand, I am full of stale and bloated crankyness for this new brand of watercolor painting comic book stuff. Just picking up one of these "painting comics" is enough to make me feel like I have been riding in an over heated car with a big jacket on. I get all motion sick. It just isn't right, somehow, even though the art is supposed to be "great". I would rather look at an R. Crumb comic, myself. Or one of my own for that matter...

I do love paintings in the gallery, though. I wonder why I make the distinction?

vince

neverthinkofme · Post by **neverthinkofme** » Tue Jan 01, 2002 1:41 am

It seems like the ability to "learn to like an artistic style" is akin to having a song grow on you or not really getting into a novel until you're half way through it. I'm sure it's true of all media - books, film, music, sculpture, and, yes, comics. The more complex or "deep" any of the above are, the more likely it is that something will need to take time for you to appreciate.

The first time I saw Demian 5's "When I Am King" I didn't even get through the first chapter it seemed so boring and simple. Then I came back a few months later and read every single panel. When I first saw Eric Millikin and Casey Sorrow's "FetusX" it just didn't do anything for me at all. Again, a few months later I found myself staying up allnight reading every single comic.

The same is true for print comic. I remeber the first Sandman I picked up seemed pretty cool (it was somewhere in the "fables & reflections" era i think) but it wasn't until Brief Lives that I started reading them every issue ...

Did I learn to like their artistic styles? Was it even their artistic styles that were keeping me away in the first place? Or did they just catch me on a bad day initially?