A new chapter (heh, heh)

I've started reading something new. New for me, anyway.

When I was a child I read a lot of comics. My cousins all read comics, and as they were some years older than my brother, sister and I, we inherited their comics when they were done. There wasn't a 'collector's' market for them the way there is now. We read them until they were falling apart. All the usuals, the DC line, the Marvel comics, the Archies, even the 'Classics Illustrated', which gave me my first taste of real literature and kindled my continuing love for the same. Of course, given the fact that I wasn't allowed to do most of the things children my age were allowed to do meant that I lived in the world of comics more deeply than my siblings. Comics weren't for adults, and I moved on. I started reading very early, so I probably moved away from comics earlier than most of my peers.

Now there's something different (to me, anyway). A thing called the graphic novel. Wikipedia explains it better than I can, and the controversy surrounding the term. I've found myself strangely attracted to them.

I've been having a bit of trouble reading lately. I'm having difficulty concentrating for one thing, but I'm also having trouble seeing. My vision, with progressive lenses, makes reading much more of a chore than it used to be. As a result I'm not devouring books the way I used to. Graphic novels allow me much more freedom in reading.

Most of these are split into categories. There are graphic novels for children, for everyone and for no one but adults, definitely! The violence in some of them is incredibly graphic, though they don't have to be violent. A couple of my favourites to this point have no violence at all. As well, it's wonderful to be able to appreciate the art form itself. Some of these people are incredibly talented artists and writers.

Anyway, I'm enjoying what I've found quite a bit. I do wonder if I've moved to them because they can be (but aren't necessarily) simpler, or because I'm replacing the friends I should have (but don't) with them. And I'm wondering if I care. It's all full of wondering...

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