Yesterday , the L.A. Times Book Awards honored comics for the first time , and David Mazzucchelli ’s geometric erotic love chronicle Asterios Polyp won the prize . We spoke to Geoff Boucher of Hero Complex about bringing comic into the decisive fold .
Mazzucchelli , who worked with Frank Miller on Daredevil and Batman : Year One , get home the Los Angeles Times Graphic Novel Prize for Asterios Polyp , a symbolism - engulf tale of an architect and his alienated married woman . We talked with Geoff Boucher of the L.A. Times ’ Hero Complex incision about the conclusion to honor all things comic .
This is the first year the L.A. Times Book Awardschose to honor graphic novel . What was the drift behind this decisiveness ?
The Festival of Books has had for a number of years a section consecrate to comics , but it ’s part of the ongoing tilt to recognize the dandy stuff that ’s being produced in the comics world . It ’s a tad bit overdue , but the pick this year [ i.e. , Bryan Lee O’Malley ’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe , prize winner Asterios Polyp , etc . ] are great .
Most of the selections this year had an “ indie ” slant . The fashion I see it , you have two decisive watershed in the comic medium . The first watershed is between comics and other media , and the second is with the comic medium itself , between cape and non - capes titles . Both comics and cape tend to be at bottom of the totem pole when it comes to mainstream critical praise . What ’s your take on this ?
As far as comics and civilization – as a medium , comic strip may not get as much as regard as their cerebral dimension . The intellectual property of comics is definitely fly pretty high flop now , if you see at things like Iron Man and Scott Pilgrim . As far as creator , I ’d say they ’re just happy to see creation know on an echo throughout pop civilisation .
Within comic strip itself , I mean its just like in photographic film – you do n’t see the blockbusters bring home the bacon the Oscars – just look at this year ’s Academy Awards . But I ’d say if you look at poppycock like Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns ’ superhero work , here are superhero funnies that are not miss for consultation or acclaim .
Warren Ellis once said,“The notion that [ superheroes ] overshadow an entire genre is idiotic . It ’s like every bookshop in the satellite having ninety percent of its shelves fill up by nanny novels . ”Are superheroes to blame for the misconception that comic books are broken art ?
You ca n’t separate superheroes from the existence of this sensitive , Are superheroes or comics to find fault , I do n’t know – it ’s a chicken or egg thing . I ’d say Adam West , with all his “ pow - bam - zap ” Batman telly show from the 1960s , did more than almost anything else to keep comics in the juvenilia section of the popular idea . But hey ! depressed artwork ’s pretty cool . You have craze novel and film noir , but there ’s a populist prayer that many people still see as disposable . And hey , I ’m a big Adam West fan !
Hero Complexis the comics - centrical section of the L.A. Times – 20 twelvemonth ago , that would be unthinkable . What ’s it wish to be the “ superhero guy cable ” on staff ?
I ’ve been at the L.A. Times 20 geezerhood . I cover gangs and street offense earlier , but what ’s changed is the net . There ’s no page quad limitation on the internet . And what amazes me is n’t that Hero Complex exist , but rather how much of it end up in the photographic print variation . That really speaks to how far comic have get . Once Comic - Con reach a critical mass and you saw Oscar winners live to the south on I-5 , the success of that eventually lead to Hero Complex .
you’re able to find Geoff atHero Complex . Asterios Polyp artwork by David Mazzucchelli ..
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