3. Are Graphic Novels Making Me Emotionally Subnormal?
The popular stereotype of comic book fans is the ultra-nerd who lets their love of their fictional hero go a little too far. We've seen the ultra-nerd lampooned in many forms of entertainment: the characters of Big Bang Theory, Steve Carrell from 40 Year Old Virgin and, perhaps the epitome of the ultra-nerd, Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. These are undoubtedly the people Moore believes are emotionally subnormal, but what about the people who read comics or graphic novels simply for enjoyment or find some legitimate value in the stories? In fact, what about the graphic novels which have nothing to do with superheroes? Alan Moore seems to have entirely neglected the many writers who tell stories in the graphic novel format who don't focus on superheroes at all. Maus, written and drawn by Art Spiegelman, tells the story of Spiegelman's father during the Holocaust and their troubled relationship. Next to Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, Maus helped bring the term graphic novel to prominence. While Watchmen enjoys being a New York Times bestseller, Maus holds the distinction of being the first graphic novel to win the Pulitzer Prize. Let's not forget Neil Gaiman's graphic novel series The Sandman, a critically applauded series which dealt with the nature of dreams, destiny, death and the power of stories. It won multiple awards and was also a New York Times bestseller. These are only a fraction of graphic novels which have little to no relation to superheroes which have caused emotional reactions from other readers and I that are not subnormal. Does this make them illegitimate simply because they are part of a specific genre he holds a low opinion for?