Comic Books as a Storytelling Medium- Blog 3

One day when I was around 7 years-old, I came upon my Dad’s prized possessions. His comic book collection that he had been building since he was a kid himself. There were boxes and boxes of comic books in pristine condition. All of these books had protective coverings and I remember thinking to myself “What the heck is this?” Why were these books filled with superheroes so important to my Dad who now seemed so serious? Did my Dad once have a childhood too? It's always weird when you learn things about your Dad. To this day I feel like even though I have lived with my Dad for 21 years I barely know anything about him. That’s a whole other story, though.

For the longest time, I had no idea that all those superhero movies were based off of comic books. This may sound naive, but I was never a superhero girl and was always more a Disney one. Once I found these comic books, I thought “Wow! Comic books based on superhero movies!” 

Due to the fact that so many Hollywood films are based off of comic books, I view them as very legitimate works of fiction. Although they are not your typical piece of literature, they incorporate art and media in unique mediums that tell a story. This story can then be expanded on and turned into a Hollywood film.

As a visual thinker, comic books can be an impactful way for me to grasp a story. To me, they are the opposite of podcasts or radio shows, and engage you just enough to convey a storyline, but not too much to the point where it takes you multiple hours to digest, like a novel. 

Some popular comic books that have turned into Hollywood films and have had major success in this day and age include Men in Black, The Mask, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman. All of these movies are classics, and started out through a comic book.

Not only are comic books legitimate works of fiction, but they have changed the way stories are told through the media. If you think about it, comic books are image-based with small captions. Image-based media and small captions is almost all the social media we consume today including Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. Telling stories began with comic books and were then expanded; however, the basis of the comic book medium remains all around us.