I confess that I read…
…graphic novels comics.
There, I’ve confessed.
I’m in my 30s and I still read books with lots of squares filled with brightly-coloured people flying around and sending things/bad guys flying about.
As a child, I used to devour Amar Chitra Katha comics which brought Hindu myths and legends to a generation of young readers. The language was archaic (with its “Lo!” and “Alas!”) but it was fun seeing gods and demons duke it out! Those comics also gave me a sense of my culture as well.
As I got older, I lost touch with the world of comics, apart from the odd Bizarro or Dilbert strip I read from time to time. I guess “more important” things had to be done, and I was “too old” for comics.
Then I discovered graphic novels — the upmarket versions of comic books. Persephone and Maus. Award-winning books that received acclaim from reviewers of “proper fiction”. They told stories in ways that fully-text narratives couldn’t. They immersed you in their world melding text and image together. And it was ok to be seen reading books like these - this was literature.
With the success of the MCU, it was ok to read silly comics again! That’s when I was bitten by the bug and ended up collecting hardcovers.
I know there are those who may think that comics are only for kids. As for me, I like to think of comics as a way for me to remain in touch with my inner child. We could all stand to connect with the curious and playful side of ourselves.
Who knows what’s on the other side of play?