If you asked me, I wouldn't probably say I was a hardcore fan of comic strips or comic books...but I was. No, I wasn't ashamed of my hobby, I just had the wrong assumption that only the people who read those big famous names like "Superman", "Spiderman" or "X-Men (the ones I saw as animated cartoons every weekend on the clock!) were worthy of being called "comic book fans". Only now I hear how ridiculous this sounds.
Although I did not read the mainstream superheroes or indie obscure comic books, I started by devouring one series:"Turma de Mônica" by Brazilian cartoonist Maurício de Sousa. I loved those simple stories about a small group of kids: Mônica with her anger management issues, Cebolinha always trying to take her iconic blue bunny away and failing miserably, Cascão with his fear from water, Magali eating a watermelon with two bites and all the pastries she could, and of course the other characters that came in comics from the same author. Penadinho, a nice ghost not too different from Casper, Bidu the intelligent and slightly sarcastic dog or Chico Bento from the inner state area who was written with the distinct Caipira accent - which means "bush cutter" accent.
"Mônica" reading "Turma da Mônica" - It's inception!
Yes, you get it: I was deep in Brazilian kids' lingo, knowing what their words meant back in Portuguese from Portugal - it might seem all the same to you, but believe me, there's quite a difference. Think American vs British English.
I then started reading the strips launched online, so I guess one might say that was the first time I dwelled the webcomics world as well.
I also read (even though I wasn't mad about them) the Disney Adventures: pure Portuguese, pure classical Disney characters from Mickey to Donald Duck, and, of course, Scrooge McDuck and the quests of his three grandnephews Huey, Dewey and Louie.
"Scrooge McDuck" and his famous pile of money.
After a while I upgraded and started reading "Garfield" by Jim Davis. After tons of books about the conundrums of the fatty cat and lasagna in landscape format, square format, A6 format...the stories all started to sound pretty much the same.
So it was time to read about the universal questioning "Mafalda" written and drawn by the Argentinean cartoonist Quino. The comic strips count with the scathing tone of a precocious 6-year-old girl talking to her parents and her friends about Global problems and, why not, the big issue of having to eat soup.
The dilemmas of "Mafalda".
It was only when I got to college and made new friends that I truly saw another side of the comic book universe. V for Vendetta, Cat Woman, Neil Gaiman's Sandman: a world of adaptations and expansions of TV and film sagas as well as original stories, in such a more dynamic way than a novel. I discovered the shops and little bit of the collector's culture. You know? The one where each issue is carefully stored in a specially-for-this-purpose-only plastic folder? No sweaty fingers allowed in the vicinity.
And when I got into the Outland Entertainment team THEN it all expanded multiple times. The work our artists had already done, the works (some still under wraps I'm afraid) we were going to be a part of and be involved in their development. The webcomics, the awesome gripping, eccentric, fantastic characters. And, when attending a book fair I'd be more open to hear talking about comics and you know what? I love them! It's an amazingly dynamic and expressive format for narratives.
"
Nightfell" by Nicolás Giacondino and Jeremy Tolbert.
So please, do join me in this new path of discovery. I'll be pouring my "Newbie" views on the comic book Universe right here every fortnight.
How about you? What was the first comic strip/book you read? Is it still your favorite?
Let us know in the comments below or via our social media channels (Twitter or Facebook).
S.G.
"Mônica" reading "Turma da Mônica" - It's inception!
"Scrooge McDuck" and his famous pile of money.
The dilemmas of "Mafalda".
It was only when I got to college and made new friends that I truly saw another side of the comic book universe. V for Vendetta, Cat Woman, Neil Gaiman's Sandman: a world of adaptations and expansions of TV and film sagas as well as original stories, in such a more dynamic way than a novel. I discovered the shops and little bit of the collector's culture. You know? The one where each issue is carefully stored in a specially-for-this-purpose-only plastic folder? No sweaty fingers allowed in the vicinity.
And when I got into the Outland Entertainment team THEN it all expanded multiple times. The work our artists had already done, the works (some still under wraps I'm afraid) we were going to be a part of and be involved in their development. The webcomics, the awesome gripping, eccentric, fantastic characters. And, when attending a book fair I'd be more open to hear talking about comics and you know what? I love them! It's an amazingly dynamic and expressive format for narratives.
"Nightfell" by Nicolás Giacondino and Jeremy Tolbert.
"Aegisteel" by Mat Nastos and Jeremy Mohler.