What is it about the lens of fantasy that makes reality so much more palatable? Talking to someone about racism is bound to lead to reinforced misconceptions about the boundaries of perception and reaction to what we feel is different, or a black eye. But throw in a wizard and some orcs and suddenly people can read and talk about ideas without a lynch mob forming. There’s something in the ability of fiction to remove us from ourselves. The further away a concept is from our own reality the easier we can deal with it. And though knee jerk reactions are great for reality TV and cable “news”, they make for horrible thoughtful conversation.
I spent a few years only reading comics. I’m not sure if it was because they were easy to find in newspaper strewn streets or if they had some special draw. I suppose I mean because there were newspapers in the street and I was too drunk and angry to read the articles. Even the poorest drawn and weakest wit of comics holds some allure. So far from our own reality perhaps they hold the key to true human insight. … …
Nope, just easy to read and I don’t have to remember more than a couple panels at a time. Squiggles with some loose ties to conversation. Comics are their own form of poorly managed language, changing with the years and soaked in rainwater. It’s raining.
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