Spring Break
The Daily OrangeComic books becoming geek chic with movie adaptations
By Nathan Mattise
Posted: 4/15/08, 12:19 AM EST Section: Feature
"For something to be cool it has to be not just edgy, it has to be enigmatic," Hajdu said. "It has to be a puzzle to the masses because it has to exclude the masses, if it doesn't it can't be cool. Membership in the club of cool has to be restricted by definition: the smaller the audience, the cooler comics can be."
Hajdu is right. It seems almost nothing will ever reach the "Comics of the 1950s" level of simultaneous hipness and prominence today or in the future. At the same time, I don't find myself dismissing comics as lame like I used to. Despite the idea that mainstream popularity varies indirectly with coolness (i.e. what's cool in popular culture typically isn't in mass culture), I think there's a new appeal in comics now.
Today's comic book industry is similar to how things work in the fashion industry - it's always cool to be one of the few people ahead of the curve. The Spider-Man trilogy may not be cool, but reading the series that inspired it still is.
Among this summer's biggest blockbusters you'll inevitably find the film renditions of "Batman," "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk." OK, but to be hip, head down to the local library or hobby shop to do your prerequisite reading. Watching Seth Cohen on SOAPnet doesn't increase your street cred (trust me), but if you can follow his references to "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" you're on to something. The same principle can be applied to comics related to NBC's "Heroes" or the ones drawn by Maynard from Tool. Today's comic books can be cool because they're a little known spin-off or inspiration for something that later becomes a massive hit.
So I'm not sure how my comic books will look next to the Power Ranger action figures still in my closet at home, but unlike my youth no one will be calling me a nerd when I own my first graphic novel soon. It may not as cool as it would've in the 1950s, but Woody Guthrie was cool then. I think I can live.
Nathan Mattise is a pop-culture columnist for The Daily Orange. His columns run on Tuesdays. He really does have the Power Ranger figures still and can name the original rangers by the order in which they morphed. He can be reached at nzmattis@syr.edu.
Hajdu is right. It seems almost nothing will ever reach the "Comics of the 1950s" level of simultaneous hipness and prominence today or in the future. At the same time, I don't find myself dismissing comics as lame like I used to. Despite the idea that mainstream popularity varies indirectly with coolness (i.e. what's cool in popular culture typically isn't in mass culture), I think there's a new appeal in comics now.
Today's comic book industry is similar to how things work in the fashion industry - it's always cool to be one of the few people ahead of the curve. The Spider-Man trilogy may not be cool, but reading the series that inspired it still is.
Among this summer's biggest blockbusters you'll inevitably find the film renditions of "Batman," "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk." OK, but to be hip, head down to the local library or hobby shop to do your prerequisite reading. Watching Seth Cohen on SOAPnet doesn't increase your street cred (trust me), but if you can follow his references to "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" you're on to something. The same principle can be applied to comics related to NBC's "Heroes" or the ones drawn by Maynard from Tool. Today's comic books can be cool because they're a little known spin-off or inspiration for something that later becomes a massive hit.
So I'm not sure how my comic books will look next to the Power Ranger action figures still in my closet at home, but unlike my youth no one will be calling me a nerd when I own my first graphic novel soon. It may not as cool as it would've in the 1950s, but Woody Guthrie was cool then. I think I can live.
Nathan Mattise is a pop-culture columnist for The Daily Orange. His columns run on Tuesdays. He really does have the Power Ranger figures still and can name the original rangers by the order in which they morphed. He can be reached at nzmattis@syr.edu.
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