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My mother-in-law threw down the gauntlet...
AnakinOU
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
My wife really enjoyed the Buffy TV show, so I figured she'd get a kick out of Season 8. And she did. Awesome. Bonus point for me, major nerd points for her. 
Then she passed the first two comics on to her mom, who also religiously watched the TV series. And...she wasn't impressed. I don't know how much she read, but she didn't really get much out of what she did read. I asked her what she thought so far, and her reply was, "Eh. It didn't interest me at all. Comics just can't tell much of a story...there's not much there."
WHOA.
She doesn't realize it, but it's ON. Like Donkey Kong.
So, guys, you gotta help me out. I'm not a huge comic geek, but I definitely enjoy and appreciate the art form. My mother-in-law, apparently, does not. Recently, I've read (and enjoyed) Watchmen, the Star Wars Tales series (just for fun), Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, the first two TPBs of The Walking Dead, the first TPB of Y: The Last Man, and Ghost in the Shell. Now...what do I need to present to my mother-in-law, to show her that comics CAN have great writing, tell a great story, etc.?
Her tastes in things tend to be kinda what you'd expect from a grandmother...but slightly skewed. For example, she enjoys not only Mystery on PBS but also sci-fi TV shows like Firefly, BSG, Stargate (and the Tudors on Showtime has caught her attention, too). Books I've seen around her house include stories about Pompeii erupting, people survivng the plague in the Dark Ages, the DaVinci Code, history of the English language, fantasy novels, and some series about a family that travels back in time to the colonial era.
Of the comics I have around the house, I'm not sure there's anything there that would really grab her, fit her interests, and show her how good comics can be. MAYBE Y:The Last Man, but I need to read more than the first TPB to make that call. Watchmen...maybe. But that's about it. I know she wouldn't read The Walking Dead just because of the theme/violence/gore. Anyone have any suggestions?
Then she passed the first two comics on to her mom, who also religiously watched the TV series. And...she wasn't impressed. I don't know how much she read, but she didn't really get much out of what she did read. I asked her what she thought so far, and her reply was, "Eh. It didn't interest me at all. Comics just can't tell much of a story...there's not much there."
WHOA.
She doesn't realize it, but it's ON. Like Donkey Kong.
So, guys, you gotta help me out. I'm not a huge comic geek, but I definitely enjoy and appreciate the art form. My mother-in-law, apparently, does not. Recently, I've read (and enjoyed) Watchmen, the Star Wars Tales series (just for fun), Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, the first two TPBs of The Walking Dead, the first TPB of Y: The Last Man, and Ghost in the Shell. Now...what do I need to present to my mother-in-law, to show her that comics CAN have great writing, tell a great story, etc.?
Her tastes in things tend to be kinda what you'd expect from a grandmother...but slightly skewed. For example, she enjoys not only Mystery on PBS but also sci-fi TV shows like Firefly, BSG, Stargate (and the Tudors on Showtime has caught her attention, too). Books I've seen around her house include stories about Pompeii erupting, people survivng the plague in the Dark Ages, the DaVinci Code, history of the English language, fantasy novels, and some series about a family that travels back in time to the colonial era.
Of the comics I have around the house, I'm not sure there's anything there that would really grab her, fit her interests, and show her how good comics can be. MAYBE Y:The Last Man, but I need to read more than the first TPB to make that call. Watchmen...maybe. But that's about it. I know she wouldn't read The Walking Dead just because of the theme/violence/gore. Anyone have any suggestions?
AnakinOU on
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Posts
Kill Your Boyfriend?
Pride of Baghdad?
Fables?
Anally.
All-Star Superman
Play the easy card
Fables
How about Spider-Man: Blue?
And I didn't mean to imply that Buffy fans would like comics, not at all. I only thought she might enjoy the comics because she enjoyed the TV series..simply because they were familiar characters, a continuation of a storyline she was familiar with, etc. I don't expect her to become a comic geek...I'd just like to show her that graphic storytelling *can* be just as rich, deep, enjoyable, etc. as any other form of art/literature. My discussion of her tastes and other interests was largely to give y'all something to work with when making suggestions and recommendations.
and yourself Absolute New Frontier
and me another copy of Absolute New Frontier
Perhaps something in a Marmaduke?
Or maybe realize that the comic format is not for everyone and that some people might not like anything written in it. I mean, the Buffy comic is pretty much exactly like the show, so if she liked that, and doesn't like the comic, then chances are nothing you provide is going to help.
Joke answer: The Pro.
I expect she'd get confused by Quitely's paneling
That's my point... I don't know what kind of book you are looking for that will overcome an entire dismissal of the medium, but I doubt one exists.
You might be better off showing her a movie based on a comic book and, if she likes it, mentioning the graphic novel from which it was created, then encouraging her to try the original.
Off the top of my head you could try V For Vendetta or perhaps Road to Perdition... the second has bonus points for having Tom Hanks, whom old people seem to enjoy.
The Best American Comics of 2006 has been out for a while now, and is carried in most Borders bookstores. I'm about halfway through it, and it's fucking rad as hell. That might be something you want to pick up too.
Calvin and Hobbes might be another good choice.
Anyone here who has not read this book needs to go buy it immediately.
Old ladies love cute animals though. Plus, if she finishes it all she'll probably start to cry, and that's always good.
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http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Maus-Art-Spiegelman/dp/0141014083/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-5954907-1552633?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176134914&sr=8-1
And everyone loves the Holocaust. It's win/win.
Fantasy people like Bone, but the cartoonish protagonist would probably be hard to get past.
Fables might be better suited for her, since it's mature without being sleezy or gory, but skip the first story arc because it's underwhelming.
And if she likes Firefly partially because of the cowboys, the current Jonah Hex might be good. It's not too gory.
If she wants to have her notions of the spandex and cape types rocked, I can't recommend Kingdom Come enough. The art and story in that book has made a lot of my friends (and their families) comic readers.
Fixed.
Also, Seaguy.
I find that Astro City seems to work wonders. People expect Superhero = Cliche but I find the perspective shift in the Astro City books gives those cliches a shake up.
There's also Absolute Sandman. It has the first 4 trades, recolored. I own it and love it, but it is a lot of money.
The woman who religiously watches Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Battlestar Galactica is going to turn a book down because it's called Swamp Thing?
Edit* this is because it completely breaks down the archetype comic characters that she would most likely be familiar with and also deals heavily with the cold war which she can relate to as she lived through it and all.
It's not like either of those had to compete with the notion that the entire medium of television is flawed.
Oh wait, DISproving her?
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I refuse to let this story go unnoticed. It will completely sell her on the power of the medium.
Buy her The Tale of One Bad Rat and while you're at it, buy yourself a copy, too.
Well it's his mother-in-law so you never know.
Or why not show her the news about Captain America's death?
Seems to me if a media is unable to put forth a worthwhile story or character, we wouldn't be mourning Caps death as if he were an actual person?
Downside is it's not a complete story at this point, but the arcs are pretty encapsulated. And if then if she wants more as it comes out it serves as proof of success.
Slow news day.
Ex Machina's a great suggestion, though.