Export thread

So I went over to my sister's house yesterday and borrowed The Watchmen. I can't read it for shit! My mind is so used to reading actual books, that I don't have the patience to jump from bubble to bubble. I can read things like Calvin and Hobbes just fine, but when it comes to graphic novels, I'm stuck.

I'd love to read through The Watchmen, but seriously it's as tedious as trying to read a book in another language. The main problem I have is the speed that I'm accustomed to reading. I speed read - nothing crazy like flipping a page a second, but I'll chug through a 300 page novel in like 2-3 days. I hate having to slow down to catch all the dialog in comics. Is there any technique anyone knows of to help you speed read through comics?

I suspect that rather than learning a technique to read them quickly, you'll probably be better off learning a technique to slow down and examine each image that goes with the dialogue, rather than merely glancing at the image as you go from bubble to bubble. There's little point to reading a graphic novel if you aren't going to spend time on the pictures. In fact, I'd almost go so far as to say that one should be spending the majority of the time on the pictures and only a little time on the text.

Still, it's a jarring move from books to graphic novels, further The Watchmen is one of the more difficult graphic novels to get through for someone not used to them. I've heard many people indicate that they really had to read it through a few times to catch everything.

What Stienman said. A good graphic novel is going to have a lot of its story in the imagery otherwise it would be better off as just a novel. Watchman is very dense in its imagery, and the artwork is just important to take in as the dialogue.

Save your speed reading for the articles at the end of each issue. You'll still move through the issues quickly, because there's less to read in a graphic novel than a traditional novel.

And if you get the hang of it, and find you can enjoy the medium, then I recommend Preacher and Sandman next. Those, combined with Watchmen, are my favorite comics of all time.

There's no "the" in the title of Watchmen, I guess you read that cover page too fast to realize

Why are you trying to read a canadian rock band?

And i've always wondered, do ppl that read books that fast actually remember them after a few weeks (i know someone who doesn't remember much and i never got the point of doing it).

And like everyone said, you need to look at the pictures more.

First off, jumping right into Watchmen would be like jumping into Citizen Kane if you're interested in movies. Work your way up, man.

I'd honestly say read some lighter stuff to get accustomed. One of my personal favourite things to recommend to people wanting to start reading is Flash: The Return of Barry Allen. It was a story told around the early 90s (ish), not to be confused with Flash: Rebirth, which properly brought back Barry Allen and...ugh, anyway, yeah. It's fun, light read that I've always enjoyed reading.

Or, you could start where I started collecting comics seriously: The Death of Superman trade. If you like it enough, you can follow it up with The Funeral, then The Return trades.

Decide what genre interested you.

Superheroes? Which ones? Batman? Go read Year One. Spiderman? Ultimate Spiderman trades. Something better than 99% of superhero comics? Invincible.
No superheroes? Alright... Crime? 100 Bullets or Criminal.
Horror? The Walking Dead, Hellboy.

Don't forget, a HUGE part of comics is the art, so if the art of a series isn't grabbing you then you probably need to move on. Find a book that has art that really gets your attention and makes you want pay attention to it.

Charlie Don't Surf said:

There's no "the" in the title of Watchmen, I guess you read that cover page too fast to realize

Click to expand...

Charlie, go fuck yourself. (oh wait, you already do)

Mathias said:

Charlie, go fuck yourself. (oh wait, you already do)

Click to expand...

(I thought it was funny. )

Espy said:

Decide what genre interested you.

Superheroes? Which ones? Batman? Go read Year One. Spiderman? Ultimate Spiderman trades. Something better than 99% of superhero comics? Invincible.
No superheroes? Alright... Crime? 100 Bullets or Criminal.
Horror? The Walking Dead, Hellboy.

Don't forget, a HUGE part of comics is the art, so if the art of a series isn't grabbing you then you probably need to move on. Find a book that has art that really gets your attention and makes you want pay attention to it.

Click to expand...

I think I'm going to ask for the Walking Dead collection hardback for father's day. That and Watchman are really the only graphic novels that interest me.
Added at: 12:31

Dave said:

(I thought it was funny. )

Click to expand...

I just didn't like him coming across that I was being smug about reading graphic novels. I really want to read Watchmen. I've seen the movie. But I wish I could read it at the pace I'm accustomed to for novels.

Also read Maus.

Mathias said:

I think I'm going to ask for the Walking Dead collection hardback for father's day. That and Watchman are really the only graphic novels that interest me.

Click to expand...

Awesome, yeah, just take your time with it. Enjoy each panel for what it is. The text and the pictures together form the art of the thing.

It should take the same 2-3 days to read through Watchmen that it would take you for a generic novel.

So you should be able to read it at the same pace. It means staying on each individual page for a few seconds as you would for a regular novel - not just for the amount of time it takes to read the word bubbles alone.

In some ways it's harder to "speed read" imagery, though it seems like it should be easier. Further, Watchmen is hard to parse visually - there's not just a lot going on, but it's somewhat disjoint and frenetic.

I just don't know how to give advice on how to read. Just look at it until you parse all the information. The more you do it with comics, the easier it will be. I take longer to read comics in general since I look at the art longer (especially if I particularly like the style). You'll get faster with practice, just like normal books/text.

Espy said:

Don't forget, a HUGE part of comics is the art, so if the art of a series isn't grabbing you then you probably need to move on. Find a book that has art that really gets your attention and makes you want pay attention to it.

Click to expand...

100% this.

Dave said:

Also read Maus.

Click to expand...

Seconded.

Personally I would also recommend League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, if you're interested in re-interpretations of Victorian stories. And no, the original comic is nothing unlike that film by the same name THAT WAS NEVER MADE.

The problem, however, is that if you think Watchmen is dense with imagery, League has about one Victorian novel easter egg per panel (it gets better/worse in the supplemental New Traveller's Almanac which has about one every sentence ).

North_Ranger said:

And no, the original comic is nothing unlike that film by the same name THAT WAS NEVER MADE.

Click to expand...

I have no idea what you're talking about.

SpecialKO said:

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Click to expand...

Maybe he's referring to this?

Ok, that's actually awesome.

Mathias, Walking Dead's great. Though if you want more bang for your buck in one go? There's a Walking Dead Compendium. It's softcover and collects the first 50 or so issues in the series. Takes up a lot less room than the hardcovers.

Find a child and read the graphic novel to them as you would a toddler's book, out loud and point out what is happening in the pictures. That should be enough for your brain to handle the slow pace of pictures.

Try Bone. Quick read, black and white images, simple yet detailed art that's quick to process. Plus, fun-as-hell book.

North_Ranger said:

Seconded.

Personally I would also recommend League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, if you're interested in re-interpretations of Victorian stories. And no, the original comic is nothing unlike that film by the same name THAT WAS NEVER MADE.

The problem, however, is that if you think Watchmen is dense with imagery, League has about one Victorian novel easter egg per panel (it gets better/worse in the supplemental New Traveller's Almanac which has about one every sentence ).

Click to expand...

Nope. I hate stories in Victorian settings and get an urge to punch anyone who dresses in Steampunk. Sowwey.

Except Pride and Prejudice with Zombies. Now that was pretty cool...

Waaaaait a minute. We're batting about this the totally wrong way. Mathias is a man of SCIENCE. We need to give him SCIENCE.

Atomic fucking Robo.

He has a supervillain named Doctor Dinosaur (an evil genius veloceraptor) and has an ongoing feud with Stephen Hawkin.

Well, I gotta admit, I was reading without giving the art a second thought - just going from bubble to bubble. I'll give it a shot later tonight.

Do you like weird things? Chew is weird. It's also very good.

My recommendation: Start with Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics."

It's a nonfiction comic book that explores comics as a medium. It breaks down the medium in a way that's fascinating and accessible to everyone. It goes over the history of the medium (starting from hieroglyphics), then talks about techniques that comics use to tell stories (in particular, things that can't be done in film, novels, etc), and then in the end builds up to a lot of awesome points about art in general, using the techniques he just broke down for you.

I read it without having any particular interest in comics (it was assigned for a class). By the time I got to the end, I was really excited about them and was able to appreciate them better. I understood why I'd want to read a comic book rather than other various kinds of entertainment.

To the OP here, dude, my dad said the exact same thing after I took him to see the movie and then had lent him my copy of it. He couldn't deal with it in almost the exact same way as you.

Charlie Don't Surf said:

I just don't know how to give advice.

Click to expand...

That's where you should have left it.

Well it definitely is a better experience when you stop and "smell" the pictures, so to speak. I still don't like how I have to slow up my reading, but I can chug through.

Jiarn said:

That's where you should have left it.

Click to expand...

And you call him a troll.

I do, I call him out on his shit. He purposely enters threads to troll. There is a difference.

Jiarn said:

I do, I call him out on his shit. He purposely enters threads to troll. There is a difference.

Click to expand...

Charlie Don't Surf said:

Just look at it until you parse all the information. The more you do it with comics, the easier it will be. I take longer to read comics in general since I look at the art longer (especially if I particularly like the style). You'll get faster with practice, just like normal books/text.

Click to expand...

Selection bias. Just sayin'.

He follows young Charles around the same way that Chippy followed that guy around... y'all know the one.

drifter said:

Selection bias. Just sayin'.

Click to expand...

Was that his first post? Nope.

Except Chippy's responses were funnier.

Cajungal said:

He follows young Charles around the same way that Chippy followed that guy around... y'all know the one.

Click to expand...

Which I have no problem continuing till he gets it through his head that he's being a waste of space. If someone like Mathias can come down off his persona and show us the real person he is, anyone can. Sad thing is, I think this really is the way Charlie sees life. I'm just trying, in vain, to see if it's an act. Noone can be that pretentious, egotistical and self-righteous and mean it. There's just no way.

'Kay.

For fuck sakes Jiarn.

Charlie is opinionated but atleast he can be funny.

You come off as just being fucking hateful.

Well anyway...

I've been reading comic books all my life, but I can see how it would be hard to get into the swing of it. I tried reading a page of one earlier and seeing how I manage, because you're right, it's way different from a book. It turns out I scan the pictures first and then go back and read. Dunno if that helps. It is hard to tell someone "how" to read them when it comes second nature. I hope you find something that you enjoy.

Mike and Jerry of Penny Arcade once discussed on a podcast how as an artist and a writer, respectively, they both read Watchmen completely differently. Jerry focussed on the writing and soaked it all in, even the all-text pages between capters, but failed to pick up nuances in the drawings during his first couple readthroughs. Mike on the other hand admitted to skipping entire panels of text.

It's something that works differently for everyone and I'll say that my experience with Watchmen was similar to Jerry's. It's not a novice read by any means, and you might have to accept that it'll take multiple reads to digest completely.

Reading a comic book is a skill. I think Watchmen may be a bit hard to cut ones teeth on.

I'm thinking back on my first comic book...I think it was Superboy? When they got stuck in the DC equivalent of the Savage Lands and Superboy thought he was Tarzan. Very simple story telling.

I think I'm going to recommend Nextwave as good comic reading for a first timer. Clear visual, witty dialogue and a relatively short, self contained story with the most basic references to other character in Marvel continuity.

Another online comic book I'll recommend is Freak Angels. Written by the same guy that did Nextwave. Beautiful art work. Witty dialogue and a compelling story. A traditional comic done online so you don't have to shell out cash on it.

How bout a little Betty and Veronica double digest? Pointy 50s boobs and moldy old jokes FTW!

Cajungal said:

How bout a little Betty and Veronica double digest? Pointy 50s boobs and moldy old jokes FTW!

Click to expand...

Picked up my copy yesterday.

What? It's still better than the writing in Watchmen.

I'd really like to get into comics, but I am one of those people that gets positively overwhelmed by how much backstory I (think) I need. That and im not sure how I'd get them in China but that's besides the point. I'd love to read Flash and Batman and there have been some suggestions in this thread about that so maybe at some point I can try.

I also had a dream once that I joined the Green Lantern Corps so there's that.

I'll actually second the McCloud book. As someone who's never read a ton of comics, I found it fascinating.

Definitely slow down and check out the art in Watchmen. Even though it looks like standard comic book fair of the 70's the symbolism is really dense in that work.

After you read the book go back and...

Cajungal said:

Pointy 50s boobs and moldy old jokes FTW!

Click to expand...

Sounds...like my prom night?

Regarding Watchmen in general. So much of the book is about the paradigm of comic book heroes, I really wouldn't recommend it to someone who is new to the genre.

Reading comic book takes some skill just like reading subtitle on TV/Movies. You don't want to start watching subtitle when dialogue are fast pace or live subtitle (like sports). I am so use to it, I need subtitles now since my hearing is not as good as it use to be. Plus you be surprise on what you miss when people are whispering.

I would suggest reading some "easier" stuff like Archie or something not as heavily graphic and easier to read. Watchmen is a pretty "heavy duty" comic. I wouldn't pick that to be the first comic (even it is a great comic to read)

LittleSin said:

Another online comic book I'll recommend is Freak Angels.

Click to expand...

Well thanks a lot. There went my morning.

It is an interesting story, and I'm glad it's coming to a close soon, because I really shouldn't add another comic to my weekly list.

But yeah, there went 3 hours...

Bowielee said:

Regarding Watchmen in general. So much of the book is about the paradigm of comic book heroes, I really wouldn't recommend it to someone who is new to the genre.

Click to expand...

This is true, there is a bit of subtext about the genre that will be missed, but I don't think it's unreadable. The story is solid enough that I think it's alright.

stienman said:

Well thanks a lot. There went my morning.

It is an interesting story, and I'm glad it's coming to a close soon, because I really shouldn't add another comic to my weekly list.

But yeah, there went 3 hours...

Click to expand...

I'm so sorry!

I honestly forgot that it has been going on for a while now. I think they are on Volume 5 (I own all the Trades). It didn't occur to me that it would be a time sink!

Jiarn said:

Which I have no problem continuing till he gets it through his head that he's being a waste of space. If someone like Mathias can come down off his persona and show us the real person he is, anyone can. Sad thing is, I think this really is the way Charlie sees life. I'm just trying, in vain, to see if it's an act. Noone can be that pretentious, egotistical and self-righteous and mean it. There's just no way.

Click to expand...

Said the guy who would have found an image funnier if it didn't have a Mac symbol in it...

Drop it @lien. Move on, we have bigger and better things to discuss here. Like comics. And the reading of said comics.

Pretty sure the question was answered by the first two posts...

I like the pictures

Espy said:

Drop it @lien. Move on, we have bigger and better things to discuss here. Like comics. And the reading of said comics.

Click to expand...

Exactly. This is EXACTLY what the Angry Dome is for...wait, we don't have one yet, do we?

How is it that comics brings out the angry nerd in everybody? There's gotta be some non-Werthem study out there on this.

STOP BEING SO ANGRY ZAPPIT!!!!!!!!!!!111

MURDER

MURDER

REDRUM!


What... I'm lesdyxic

The Sandman is what got me into graphic novels when I was a teen. Granted... I was a teen. So maybe it's just better in my distant memory than it actually is.

GasBandit said:

The Sandman is what got me into graphic novels when I was a teen. Granted... I was a teen. So maybe it's just better in my distant memory than it actually is.

Click to expand...

I just read all of it for the first time a few months back. I assure you, it's just as good as you remember. I'd also recommend House of Mystery (which features Cain from Sandman very often) if you liked Sandman, as it has that same style. Best of all, it's an ongoing anthology series so you don't really need to read previous issues to get what is going on.

I read it every year. The Sandman is amazing.

This thread has the worst advice ever. If you want to learn how to properly read a comic book you need a degree in comic books:
http://gammasquad.uproxx.com/2011/06/nerds-rejoice-university-offering-degree-in-comic-books
Sure four years will set you back $60k but you'll be a god at your local comic book shop.

Sandman is amazing, and by the end was one of the best things I ever read. That said, in the beginning, there were some...rough spots. It takes a bit of muscling through.

Steve said:

This thread has the worst advice ever. If you want to learn how to properly read a comic book you need a degree in comic books:
http://gammasquad.uproxx.com/2011/06/nerds-rejoice-university-offering-degree-in-comic-books
Sure four years will set you back $60k but you'll be a god at your local comic book shop.

Click to expand...

Hell just read wikipedia and hope half of what you read is true.

Why bother with all that? Read the plot summary on Wikipedia and be done with it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen