The Importance of Comics Part VII: Spin-Off Pop Culture Products
- Luke Evans
- Jan 11, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 1, 2021
Comics have obviously become somewhat greater than their starting point. The characters from many comics have been spun off into all sorts of merchandise, products, and creative endeavors including things such as film and TV shows, cartoons series, and movies, toy lines, books for all ages and reading levels, art books, instructional books. All of these influences are amazing in their own right and contribute to society further than the comics themselves.
- Pic: From Reddit.com © remains with the original creators.
Well… haven’t we covered some ground! This one won’t be too long and will address something I thought of in the section on Creative Arts and the Imagination.
Since the year 2000, there have been so many comic-based properties drenching all the areas of media and multimedia that I have heard people say that at some point it goes from being “pop culture” to just… culture. It’s just a part of who we are now. Like the ancient mythologies on which hero stories are based, comic book characters continue to tell our stories as a people. Sometimes, the stories are straight-up lifted from mythology and thrown into these new interpretations. Thor and Hercules have their place in comic stories set today, but their traditional tales are also told in comic form. Sometimes the modern creators just lift stuff from the mythology and use it for their own devices. The original Flash wore an outfit directly lifted from the messenger of the gods, Mercury (or Hermes, as he is also known). These stories of heroes, monsters, gods and humanity have been with us since people first started telling stories and they still have their place today.
-Pic: Wikipedia.org and ANZNewOnNetflix.info
Classic novels are adapted to comic form. This can make them more accessible to new readers. They can move on to an adapted or simplified novelisation of the original from there… and then maybe, eventually, onto the original itself. I know that’s how I got into the Three Musketeers story – from a Classics Illustrated version, then the simplified text. Then the movies, haha. I haven’t read the original, I confess! BUT I did read the Count of Monte Cristo because they share the same author – and that’s a HUGE book – so stop judging me!!
-Pics: FromComixology.com, Abebooks.com, and Goodreads.com
- I read a copy like the first one, I have a copy of the simplified version in the middle... and I never read the original on the right! But - I know that story!
These days, as well as the old Classics Illustrated that you can still get, there are also Manga Classics versions and simplified Graphic Novels done in a modern style, as below. There are pretty good.
-Pics: DearReaders.com and BookDepository.com
In recent years, comic book characters have been used to promote reading for young readers too. There are now a range of “readers” or “chapter books” aimed at children of different reading levels, advancing in difficulty as they become more proficient. We have used these at home with our children.
And then the characters jump across to novels, again set for different reading levels, from young readers to adults. One of my favourite novels is the novelisation of Batman: No Man’s Land by Greg Rucka, who also wrote much of the original comic. It’s a good book – and it can go into aspects of story-telling that the comics couldn’t cover as well.
- Pic: WorldofBooks.com
Finally, the creators have also put out art books and instructional books on drawing and writing comics. If there is an aspect of the industry that interests you, it’ll be addressed somewhere. Seek and ye shall find!
-Pics: The first three from Amazon.com, and the last from Goodreads.com
Toys can range from simple playthings to pieces with a set educational value. Sometimes, just putting the character on it sells it and makes it interesting, but you can also teach with it – like learning clocks, play computers, play phones etc. The comic book character gets the kid through the door, hooks them in and them the toy or educational aid does actual its job! And sometimes, they’re just cool toys.
- Pic: DollarStoreToyBox.com - Not that kids need a toy phone to
learn this these days. My baby taught me how to use my first touchscreen!
- Pic: WorthPoint.com
Film, TV shows and cartoon series and films kind of speak for themselves. God, there’s been a lot of them, so much so that many people have “superhero fatigue” or "superhero whiplash"...and they’ve had enough...
- Pic: From PCMag.com © remains with the original creators.
I get that, but it’s not me. For me, it’s an age of wonders. All these things that I’ve loved as a kid coming to life on the screen in front of me, telling old stories and new stories in wonderful (and sometimes not so wonderful) ways. I am grateful to be alive when it has happened. For many years, fans only had the comics and the most basic supporting materials. And like all forms of art, these shows can influence people, and can talk about real-world issues masked with a superhero story. The X-Men can talk about persecution and inclusion. Superman, Batman and the Avengers can talk about the impacts of metahumans if they were in the real world – how would we react to people so different? How would we change the rules? How would we handle that, when we don’t even accept people who are different to us now? You spin off from there into discussions of social justice and morality. I have covered some of these in the sections on Creativity and the Imagination and Morality, Social Justice and Real-World Social Issues. It’s the same here from the perspective of the visual media – if the story is told well, it can influence people, it can get them to think. It can get them to feel.
Wrapping Up This Whole Series Quickly:
At the end of the day, when we ask the question: “What is the importance of comics?”, I guess I’d answer “What do you need them to do?” There’s probably a comic out there for every need now. I would hope that as a society we can come to value their place among our creative and collaborative arts and – even if you don’t like them – that you can see the value of them for others. For me, they have been an invaluable part of my education, my teaching, my writing, my enjoyment, and in making me the person I am today. If you haven’t had a peek inside a comic, have a look. You might be pleasantly surprised. If you have someone who hasn’t gotten into reading, find a comic or a comic-based reader designed to help. They really can work magic in the lives and abilities of the reader when used to help.
At the end of the day, to me, it comes back to educating, experiencing wonderful and thought-provoking stories, and encouraging a wide range of creative expression. I hope you agree.
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Thank you for taking this journey with me.
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Previous posts in this series:
NOTE: The pictures and videos used here have been sourced from different internet sites, always linked to under the picture. In the case of comic panels, the original issue numbers and creators are listed, as well as the company that owns them. All rights remain with the original creators and have been used here for entertainment and educational purposes only.
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