Comics: acceptable literature yet or not?

As someone who's been an avid reader of comics* (or comic books for the US-influenced) for decades, I wondered the other day if the relatively recent spate of comic-based movies (relaunch of Batman, X-Men, Iron Man, Watchmen etc, not to mention 300) has lifted any of the "Oh that's not real literature, it's just a comic" attitude from either the general public and/ or critics.
While the movies have received (generally) critical acclaim the source material still seems to be denigrated to a great extent.
Any thoughts?


* As if you hadn't guessed from my avatar.

 

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Comics use to be a way in which I began to read allot when I was very young. I learned from them the enjoyment of reading as a child but they have become so EXPENSIVE today that most kids cannot afford them and they are being bought by mainly adults. That is leading to wards a trend that the comics today are being written and drawn for adults more and more and less for kids any longer. I do hope this trend will stop soon and let the comics be made for who they were originally meant to be for...our children! Keep the prices down as well would be a good idea. Today the computer has all but taken control over the children in many ways, Play Station, X-Box etc. .

 

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I'd agree there's a lot of truth to the shift toward a more adult market (for example the Wildcats 3.0 series and Sleeper among others carry an adult language/ images warning), and I hadn't really noticed the price increase as such, it does seem to be no more or less than expected with the overall increase in costs - i.e. they don't strike me as relatively any pricier than they did 40 years ago.
My parents were told by my junior school teacher that I read "too many" comics, yet I was ahead the rest of the class in most subjects, so what was the "problem"? They weren't literature...

Regardless, are they still something that's "not talked about in polite company"?
Are they gaining any acceptability at all?

 

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Comics are great but its not 'literature'. It holds it own place in the world of reading material but its still not literature, I never knew them to be unspeakable in polite society, I just know there are not too many people who really read them as adults.

 

They are not because they are not classified as true "literature" per say. Just that more adults are buying them for "investment " reasons more so today I would think. As for prices, they aren't worth the $4.00 US or more for children to buy to read only a few pages of more adult stuff than what comics were intended for to start with. I bought them for .10 cents! How many kids can afford to spend $4.00 on a comic that you know? You can buy games for that much for your PC to play with, which would be better for them.

 

Lucysnow:
Presumably you're not saying so simply because they include graphics, so how are they not?
Something as powerful as, say, V for Vendetta, (the original comic, not the watered-down Hollywoodised bastardisation) doesn't qualify?
Watchmen? Maus? Marshall Law?

CosmicTraveler:
$4.00?!? Good grief, over here (AFAIK, it's a while since I bought a comic) they're cheaper than a cup of coffee.

 

Why do they have to be classified as literature to be acceptable or accepted? There isn't one Harlequin novel that is accepted as literature but that doesn't mean they are not acceptable reading material.

You can spend a lot of money on a R. Crumb comic but its still not literature. The fact that they have become too expensive is besides the point. They are probably expensive because kids don't bother to read them for entertainment anymore. Why should they when they can watch them all on the cartoon channel?

 

I have only seen Vendetta as the film so I cannot really judge the work as it could be completely different as a comic but the reason why comics haven't transcended itself, with the exception of perhaps Maus which would still reinforce the rule, is because comics do not speak too deeply on the human experience in all its variety. And the language is too truncated, its basically dialogue with none or very little prose, its all action without reflection which most literary works would have. They are also do not hinge on universal themes which many literary works do. Having said that it doesn't mean that it cannot happen but then the whole genre would have to alter itself.

 

Here's a site I just looked up, notice the price range for them.

http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?id=GO-204309324&number=DH14663

 

I'm a huge comic geek and I'm excited about the Dark Tower comics and of course Metalocalypse comics (which everyone should buy!!!).

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I was also a Spawn and Tales from the Crypt fan.

I think there's a real art to them, although they are arguably less for children, as someone else pointed out. I think they're less literature and more visual art, though.

 

it doesnt matter what anyone reads has long as they are reading, my kids read everything and i have no problem with it, they even read the side of cereal boxes!

 

Is that why you named them ...Snap , Crackel and POP?

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Oh, R. Crumb. <3 Did you watch Crumb? I looooove Aline and her work so much.

 

Yeah I'm a crumb fan but Matt that lil shit took off with all my Crumb comics and books that I had received as a gift and he has yet to return them.

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Fat drunken git.

 

Matts are ALL evil. All of them.

Have you read any of his daughter's stuff? I don't know enough French to be useful and her stuff all seems to be in French, but she's as creepy as her daddy!

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nope

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good idea though

 

No I haven't. Do you have a title? Crumb moved to France over a decade ago so she is bound to write in French.

 

I'll do you one better, Lucy: http://rcrumb.com/artgallery.html

There are some samples of her work there. My own comics are packed away somewhere. Can't think of a title.

 

my older son likes reading Manga (god knows why i think its rubbish) but i dont stop him becasue at least he is reading, my daughter likes to read comics aswell and thats fine by me

 

I love Cell L'amour did you check that one out? Its like some contagion in their family or something, I mean the work resembles R Crumb so much. Sophie is good but she needs to distinguish herself from a la derivative R Crumb