When did the comic-book universe become so banal?

From Chris Ware’s studied melancholia to Scott McCloud’s serviceable strips, graphic novelists need to go back to the sketchpad and become artists again

The other day in a bookshop I was looking at shelves and shelves of grownup comics – graphic novels if you will. I had a phase of enjoying comics – especially the wild, wild works of Alan Moore – but somehow the enthusiasm has waned. Looking at the latest acclaimed graphic novel, The Sculptor by Scott McCloud, I suddenly realised why they seem less worth an adult’s time.

The vast majority of graphic novels today are drawn with studied banality. There is a lack of ambition and verve to their visual artistry. Comic-book authors have settled into a slick style of drawing that stays within dull limits. Where are the real artists in graphic fiction?

Continue reading...