No, I’m not making a statement you haven’t already realized about me. Comics Are Great! is a new website and podcast by BW Fave Jerzy Drozd. While he works with others on Art & Story (instead of the brief Thunder Punch Daily on the paid side, Art & Story Supreme), and the Saturday Supercast (which he needs to do more of), this is his chance to go all out and do his own show his own way.
In his inaugural podcast, Jerzy brings in the man who inadvertently gave the site its name, famed writer Dan Mishkin. Jerzy and Dan discuss visual writing as it pertains to comics. Since embedding a podcast is probably not a good idea for various reasons, click on the logo below (and past the jump, for those of you on the homepage) and give the show a listen.
{click to listen to the podcast}
I can’t a lot to the episode, but allow me to address a general thought. By the title, and knowing much of Jerzy’s thoughts, I’m assuming that this is part of his desire to, as he puts it, “evangelize comics”. Jerzy loves comics as a storytelling medium, which may be why he chose it. I also love comics, as it tend to be the most discussed subject here at the Spotlight.
However, I choose comics because it’s the best way for me to tell my stories. I love storytelling as a whole, regardless of format. Comics, TV, movies, music, books, video games, puppet shows, plays, a bunch of kids playing with their action figures–all ways of telling a story. I love storytelling. And when it comes to storytelling, I think comics get a bad rap.
One of the things he and I see eye to eye is that proving comics as a storytelling medium for everybody isn’t about pigeonholing comics as an “adult” medium. (We’re not talking porno comics..necessarily.) Everybody has a story to tell and sometimes that’s a darker story, which on its own is fine. I occasionally find some I enjoy. I prefer a more light-hearted story, and even the darker concepts I have in my head will still have those light moments that just exist in life.
The best way to promote comics as storyteller is to simply enjoy them and see if others are open-minded when they ask “why are you reading comics” or “why are you reading THAT comic?”, which I’m sure someone may ask me (had been able to take part in this week’s “International Read Comics In Public Day“) when they take note of my current favorite comic.
Which is a comic one would consider more suited to teenage girls than a man in his 30’s. On the other hand, who cares? It’s a great story that I really enjoy. Some people still watch Sesame Street because they like the parodies and other skits. So what? Good stories are where you find them, and I applaud anyone who approaches a medium from a storytelling perspective (like previous Showcase entry Extra Credits, which does this for video games, including the latest, a review of the game God of War from a story perspective rather than the usual playing perspective), which is why I support Art & Story as well as this new venture.
In the podcast, Jerzy called this an experiment. Well, I hope it’s a successful one, because as a fan of his work on both the podcasting and comic-making sides, I would love to hear more episodes in the future. Anything that promotes good storytelling, regardless of format, makes me happy.
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