Fantasy
This week: Comic Adaptations Edited by: Robert Waltz More Newsletters By This Editor
1. About this Newsletter 2. A Word from our Sponsor 3. Letter from the Editor 4. Editor's Picks 5. A Word from Writing.Com 6. Ask & Answer 7. Removal instructions
I'm passionate about fantasy movies. I'm passionate about comic book movies. I'm passionate about superheroes. And movies about vengeance. And all of that - the stuff that I grew up reading.
-Josh Keaton
One of the things when you're drawing a comic book is that you're spending four or five times as long to draw it as the writer takes to write it. In my career I've had to spend a week drawing something that a writer has thrown out in an hour. And there's nothing worse than having to work on something that no previous thought has gone into.
-Dave Gibbons
Words and pictures are yin and yang. Married, they produce a progeny more interesting than either parent.
-Dr. Seuss |
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Historians call the period from 1938 to about 1950 the "Golden Age of Comics."
Well, perhaps there were other things going on in that era. But I'm talking about the history of literature, here, not silly little wars or economic catastrophes.
That time saw the birth and growing popularity of the now-ubiquitous superhero comic, during a period when, apparently, the idea that good can triumph over evil was taken seriously.
Of course, superhero comics weren't the only innovations to take off in that era. Television did, as well, and it's easy to draw a parallel between them, both consisting of words and images together, and available in the comfort of your own home.
As writers, most of us are used to working alone. Sure, we can have editors and beta readers and reviewers and other minions to help, but it's all on us.
Not so with the visual arts - obviously. The contribution of the artist, or director, or camera operator, or whatever, is just as important as the writing - some would say more important, but those shows tend to suck.
In a way, it's an extension of the advice given to writers all the time: "Show, don't tell." Only instead of showing with descriptive words, you literally show, with art, or set design, or whatever.
Over the intervening years, there have been many attempts to translate comics to TV and movie forms. Some (Superman: The Movie) have worked out better than others (Swamp Thing). Part of the mixed results were because SFX technology just couldn't keep up with the nearly unlimited potential of the artist's drawn page.
But recently, with Marvel's Avengers and related films and TV shows, and with... well, their competitors had to have done something good -- oh, yeah, Batman and the TV shows Arrow and Flash, and also Constantine -- with all that, I think we've finally gotten to the point where some of the fantastical elements that made comics so popular can be portrayed in other visual media.
And, while there will always be lemons (*cough*Fantastic Four*cough*), I think we're living in a new Golden Age of superhero comics. |
Some fantasy writings from around here:
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Last time, in "Fantasy Newsletter (January 14, 2015)" , I discussed how different people might view history differently.
L. Stephen O'Neill : Your letter brings to mind american jurisprudence wherein a defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty. This is a fairly straight forward position, and yet, at the outset, the defendant has already either done the thing or not, regardless of any consideration. Indeed I believe it is important to remember (and many forget) that this consideration has no basis in fact as the trial will give evidence. Then too, being judged guilty or innocent does not change the facts of your true guilt or innocence. Witness how many many detainees insist on their innocence. Hasn't reality been changed by the gavel, aren't they found guilty? As you can see, truth lies no where inbetween the two fiction, but somewhere else there is truth.
LSO
While none of us can ever know the whole truth of something, in the stories you write, you can pretend to.
brom21 : I truly got something from this newsletter addition about the setting or world. It was the little tid-bit at the end of the article about history and that was telling history from different POV. I’m writing a chapter for a book and it will really help me with just that small piece of information. Thanks!
Glad to help!
Mina~ : nice newsletter.
Thanks for reading!
Elfin Dragon-finally published : ack! I know I'm a week late on commenting regarding the Poweder-Blue-Bunny creationism vs. Dragon theory Anyway, I wanted to say I loved how you brought it all together and that it's indeed true history has most often been written by the victors. Little known facts have been lost in history because of such things. The fact Fidel Castro played Minor League Baseball and if he'd been chosen for Pro may never have been Dictator of Cuba. The fact Hitler's sister hid him from the German Police when he was wanted for crimes against the German State, it may very well be he may never become a persuasive person in Germany. And the fact the Vietnam & Korean Wars were not actually wars at all but Police actions; they were never declared wars by our Congress nor the President. History & it's people are fallible and are often changed to suite those in power or just to change the ideas of the people themselves.
And then there are conspiracy theories, which is people making up history as they go.
And that's it for me for now - see you next time! Until then,
DREAM ON!!! |
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