Black and white and dread all over?

When the latest 12 rounds of Friday Night Fights ended about a week ago, ringmaster Bahlactus laid down the ground rules for the next bout by declaring all entries had to be in black and white. This, of course, made me think of Joe.

Joe is a friend of mine who I used to work with at a comic shop here in town. He's a great guy and has some of the best stories I've ever heard, not to mention a mean Schwarzenegger-as-Conan imitation. He's also a big comics fan, and like a lot of us he's got his quirks. His love of Batman is enormous, and his full-on obsession with sidekicks is even bigger. The guy loved him some Spoiler, and he was pissed when DC killed her off.

But the thing that threw me off was his refusal to read anything in black and white.

I'd seen this attitude before, of course. But it surprises me every single time. I don't get it. What is it about black and white comics that makes people — who will otherwise read just about any crap they come across — suddenly and violently allergic?

My theory is a combination of fanboyism and indieism (it's my theory, I can make up words if I want). See, I think a good portion (if not nearly all) of the comic reading population starts out with superhero comics. I know I did. And I'd guess that a chunk of those folks never stray too far from that genre.

(Quick aside: Can we all agree that comics are a medium and there are different genres within that medium? Thanks, that's been bugging me.)

Historically, these comics are in bright and energetic full color, which makes sense considering the stories tend to be cranked up to 11. It fits. So-called indie comics, on the other hand, are often printed in black and white. A lot of that has to do with smaller publishers and printing costs (as a very rough example, consider how much it costs to make a regular black and white copy versus a full-color copy at Kinko's), and sometimes the type of stories many indie comics are telling are better suited to black and white. It helps set the tone for the story.

Here's the crux of the problem, I think: Indie comics have a reputation. Even people who know better tend to think of words like "navel-gazing," "autobiography" and "whining emo-ass" when they hear the phrase "indie comic." They also think "no color." Right or wrong, a lot of people equate black and white with these preconceived notions and reach a simple conclusion: Black and white equals boring.

Which is a shame, because while there are some painfully self-referential black and white books out there (just like there are corny, immature and exploitative superhero books giving the good stuff a bad name), there's some excellent reading these people are missing out on. Just off the top of my head there's the Scott Pilgrim series, the Queen and Country series, Wasteland, The Damned, Pantheon High, Local, Emo Boy, Rex Libris, Phonogram, Action Philosophers and The Nearly Infamous Zango. And those books run from thriller to action to comedy to science fiction and everywhere in-between. Only one could be considered navel-gazey, but you've got to have a balanced diet, right? (Also, it's excellent.)

Don't get me started on the manga-hate out there.

Ultimately, it's a matter of preconceived notions that keep people from reading a black and white comic (and vice versa — it wouldn't kill the hard-core indie contingent to read Superman once in a while). Some comic book readers might think a black and white comic would be boring, but someone's buying all those Essentials and Showcases, right?

Which brings me back to Joe. At some point he got hooked on the Gunslinger Girl anime and tore through all the DVDs he could get his hands on. So one day we're at the counter and I overheard him talking to someone about the series.

"It's really, really good," he said. "But y'know, I read the first book and there was a lot of detail in there that was cut from the anime. There was a lot more about the characters' backgrounds. Really interesting."

My ears pricked up like a dog hearing a can opener: Was Joe saying he read the manga version of the series? The black and white manga version of the series?!

Joe gave me a look that made me think he was going to pat my head like an indulgent uncle.

"Yeah I read the book," he said. "It's good."

I'm curious to know what you think: Do you read black and white comics, or do you have a strict color-only policy? Do you only read black and white? Or are the racks your comics smorgasbord, where you pick up a little bit of everything? There's a new poll you can answer on the right, and I'd love to hear your opinions in the comments.

The Pull List (12-19-07): Don't forget your Umbrella

This Wednesday's list looks as if it will start out small but could end up growing like Santa's bowl-full-of-jelly once I'm actually at the shop. It may not be as flashy as the Perfect Storm of November '07, but it's a solid week for comics. Satire, action and philosophy are all out for the picking, so if there's someone you know who's been wondering why you're still into this "kids' stuff," this would be a good time to take something from the rack, roll it up real tight and smack 'em in the melon with it. Then when you're done, let them read some of the smarter and more imaginative titles on the market right now.

Got your thinking caps on? Then on to the list!

Umbrella Academy #4: A lot has been made about Umbrella writer Gerard Way being the lead singer for My Chemical Romance, a band I've got to admit I'd heard of but didn't know much about. And you know what? It doesn't matter. Whether Way's band is your cup of tea or not, he's a hell of a comic book writer and Umbrella Academy is easily one of my favorite current titles. A rich, dark history of the dysfunctional "family" gathered together for study is caught in glimpses, while those same characters slug it out in action-packed battles with homicidal magicians and Zombie-Robot Gustav Eiffel. As if that wasn't enough, it's all illustrated by Gabriel Ba, one of the best comic book artists working today and who brings a genuine sense of moody tension and heartbreak to the book. Pick up Umbrella Academy — it's easily one of the best superhero team books out there, if not one of the best comic books, period. There's a preview of the first issue available, as well as previews for #2 and #3, so give it a look.


The rest...

Army @ Love #10

Immortal Iron Fist #11

Special Forces #2


Maybe ...

Conan #47: OK, so is this coming out or what? Dark Horse says it is, but every shipping list has a Frost Giant's Daughter one-shot scheduled for release. If it's the one-shot, consider it a good way to sample the series without having to commit to a whole story arc; if it's the regular title, I'll probably be picking it up (though this title has been edging toward the "wait-for-trade" list).

Incredible Hulk #112: Marvel's lunkheaded version of Hercules taking over for the Hulk? Pretty tempting, especially after reading the preview.

Long Count #1: An interesting mash-up of the cyberpunk and Latino magical-realism genres, with what looks like a strong female protagonist and art that blends gritty, photo-realistic backgrounds with character designs that make me think of Heavy Metal — yeah, I think I've pretty much talked myself into this one. Read the preview and see what you think.


Recommended ...

Action Philosopher's Giant-Size Thing Vol. 3: True story — I once started dozing in a philosophy class and did that falling-asleep-sudden-jerk thing and shot all my books right down the aisle; I have the exact opposite reaction when I read Action Philosophers, so give this smart and funny comic a try.

The Pull List: 9-12-07

There are a lot of interesting titles out this week, so let's get to it!

Cthulhu Tales: Tainted (one-shot): I should say right up front that Kevin Church, one of the contributing writers featured in Cthulhu Tales: Tainted (as well as this week's Cover Girl), is one of my favorite comics bloggers. Because of that, it's not a surprise that I tend to enjoy his scripts as well, which is one of the reasons I'm looking forward to this third installment in the Mythos-based anthology series from Boom Studios. While the second volume (Cthulhu Tales: The Rising) wasn't as strong as the first, it was still a solid offering with a couple of stand-outs, one of which was Church's "The Art of Noises." Church is back for Tainted, along with a bunch of writers I believe are new to the anthology, so I'm looking forward to another well-written, moodily drawn creepfest that gives the Great Old Ones some much deserved love. Pick this up and support Church's booze and Pet Shop Boys habit and get some quality horror stories as a bonus.


The rest ...

Booster Gold #2

BPRD: Killing Ground #2

Daredevil #100

Green Lantern #23

Justice Society of America #9


Maybe ...

Drafted #1: Aliens draft all of mankind into a battle against other aliens or they'll destroy Earth? Someone's been reading my wish-book.

Parade (With Fireworks): Once again, Image surprises me with what looks like a well-done, non-spandex title. I'm a sucker for post-World War I era settings and the art looks great, so this is almost a sure thing.

Poison Candy: It's a manga, but if you thought this was an emo-heavy romance story, you'd better think again since this is more along the lines of a worldwide pandemic giving teens telekinetic powers and then killing them sort of thing.

Thor #3: This is real close to getting cut off completely. First, there's so much decompression I'm getting the bends. Then I read the preview pages that featured full-on Katrina exploitation and another scenery-chewing portrayal of Iron Man, and it managed to suck my interest almost completely dry. I really didn't mean for that last part to sound as dirty as it did.


Recommended ...

Action Philosophers #9: The Lightning Round: If you've been curious what all the fuss has been about, this is your last chance to pick up an issue of Action Philosophers before it closes up shop. OK, there'll still be the trades (which you should also be grabbing), but if you want to satisfy your craving for knowledge and smart-assery in a floppy format, you'd better do it now.

Groo 25th Anniversary Special: I'm not even going to explain why. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO explain why.