I work in TTRPGS and feel very similarly about the artform I work in - there's a few greats but by and large a lot of the output does nothing for me. Of course, this has the wrinkle that, for me, the "real" part of the medium is the thing that happens at the table, not in the book. Nonetheless, this is something I think about a lot and ties into some of the advice I've given to others in the field. You have to cultivate ideas widely - if you only read within your field, you can only ever be working with second-order ideas. The other side, of course, is not liking things is a part of Taste - and I think you could argue that artistic endeavours are largely an exercise in demonstrating your taste.
Yeah, it's probably true of all things really, that there are only a small percentage that are actually 'great'. I guess the smallness of a medium means that the hit rate feels lower, even thought the percentage is probably the same. I definitely agree that I should push through and read more graphic novels that I am not immediately attracted too.
Hi Owen, this resonates so much for me too; there are a handful of graphic fiction titles I absolutely love, but I'm immediately turned off by so much stuff (the art style is a fairly instant dealbreaker for me). I have a shortlist of things I will always recommend as starting points to neophytes, I'll be interested to see if there's any crossover with your list :)
Thanks, Joe! Very reassuring to hear that, I thought I was letting the side down. Definitely with you on the art, I'm sure I've missed some absolute classics becasue I've been put off by the visuals. Will see what delve into next... Love your work by the way!
Your first sentence grabbed me because I could’ve written it. I’ve just published my first graphic novel (shameless promo it’s called Polar Vortex) and I don’t read many either. But your reasoning is spot on. Graphic Scenes is a great idea!
Thank you for this, I really enjoyed it. Tintin is often just so wonderful - so many different elements done brilliantly. I also think that I can often find something I love in many comics, but that it’s rarer to feel all the different strands are being done well. But when they are, it’s the most magical medium!
Thank you, Tor! Yeah, I totally agree. So many more elements that it becomes statistically more unlikely for them all to come together and work for one person's specific sensibility. But when it does...
Oh damn that is a good scene. I haven’t read any Tintin in years. Last time I tried to get back into it, I made the mistake of going for The Castafiore Emerald, which is just … it’s not great.
Perusing all the covers, it’s startling how many have the title character with his back to the reader. I bet there were many, many editorial meetings about that.
Yeah, it's interesting that. It tallies with the concept of the character of Tintin being something of a blank canvass for the reader to project themselves onto. So they're seeing what he's seeing. I find myself using it quite a lot.
I’m fascinated by the use of it throughout different mediums – theres a definite lineage from The Wanderer Above The Sea Of Clouds to Tomb Raider to the bizarre number of Benedict Cumberbatch posters where his back is turned.
Fantastic to hear your thoughts on this, especially from your perspective as an artist. Wonderful.
Also, I read this Tintin at a young age and remember it fondly along with the moon landing one. I really need to try and get my hands on them. Happy times.
Thank you! Yeah, it's how I started out, getting them from the library and poring over them even before I could read properly. Didn't know they would go on to influence me so much.
I work in TTRPGS and feel very similarly about the artform I work in - there's a few greats but by and large a lot of the output does nothing for me. Of course, this has the wrinkle that, for me, the "real" part of the medium is the thing that happens at the table, not in the book. Nonetheless, this is something I think about a lot and ties into some of the advice I've given to others in the field. You have to cultivate ideas widely - if you only read within your field, you can only ever be working with second-order ideas. The other side, of course, is not liking things is a part of Taste - and I think you could argue that artistic endeavours are largely an exercise in demonstrating your taste.
Yeah, it's probably true of all things really, that there are only a small percentage that are actually 'great'. I guess the smallness of a medium means that the hit rate feels lower, even thought the percentage is probably the same. I definitely agree that I should push through and read more graphic novels that I am not immediately attracted too.
Hi Owen, this resonates so much for me too; there are a handful of graphic fiction titles I absolutely love, but I'm immediately turned off by so much stuff (the art style is a fairly instant dealbreaker for me). I have a shortlist of things I will always recommend as starting points to neophytes, I'll be interested to see if there's any crossover with your list :)
Thanks, Joe! Very reassuring to hear that, I thought I was letting the side down. Definitely with you on the art, I'm sure I've missed some absolute classics becasue I've been put off by the visuals. Will see what delve into next... Love your work by the way!
Your first sentence grabbed me because I could’ve written it. I’ve just published my first graphic novel (shameless promo it’s called Polar Vortex) and I don’t read many either. But your reasoning is spot on. Graphic Scenes is a great idea!
Thank you, Denise! Nice to hear you share my thoughts. Will keep an eye out for your book too!
Thank you for this, I really enjoyed it. Tintin is often just so wonderful - so many different elements done brilliantly. I also think that I can often find something I love in many comics, but that it’s rarer to feel all the different strands are being done well. But when they are, it’s the most magical medium!
Thank you, Tor! Yeah, I totally agree. So many more elements that it becomes statistically more unlikely for them all to come together and work for one person's specific sensibility. But when it does...
Oh damn that is a good scene. I haven’t read any Tintin in years. Last time I tried to get back into it, I made the mistake of going for The Castafiore Emerald, which is just … it’s not great.
Cheers, Daniel! Always worth a revisit, there's so much in there. Tintin in Tibet is probably still my favourite, so that's a great place to start.
Perusing all the covers, it’s startling how many have the title character with his back to the reader. I bet there were many, many editorial meetings about that.
Yeah, it's interesting that. It tallies with the concept of the character of Tintin being something of a blank canvass for the reader to project themselves onto. So they're seeing what he's seeing. I find myself using it quite a lot.
I’m fascinated by the use of it throughout different mediums – theres a definite lineage from The Wanderer Above The Sea Of Clouds to Tomb Raider to the bizarre number of Benedict Cumberbatch posters where his back is turned.
Fantastic to hear your thoughts on this, especially from your perspective as an artist. Wonderful.
Also, I read this Tintin at a young age and remember it fondly along with the moon landing one. I really need to try and get my hands on them. Happy times.
Thank you! Yeah, it's how I started out, getting them from the library and poring over them even before I could read properly. Didn't know they would go on to influence me so much.
Beautiful analysis. I'm really looking forward to reading more of these.
Thank you, Andrew! Really looking forward to delving into some other scene soon....