Writing stories... the Vertigo way

[TheLazy]

It’s a simple idea. What stories have you read, what are you interested in, what do you think makes vertigo stories different (dare I say better) to the normal cape and tights comics?

I remembered the other day, whilst reading another thread on these forums, how much I was shocked and astounded the first time I read The Sandman. How I started looking for different things when reading comics, how I started expecting different things when reading comics, how I searched for better things until I had found what I wanted. From someone growing up on the 90’s X-comics, reading Vertigo was a big shock, in both a good and a bad way. Good because I was unknowingly taking the steps from geek to enthusiast, expanding my knowledge along the way. I would never have thought about reading an actual book in the 90’s, not even school could get me to contribute more than a passing glance on any serious form literature. Yet here I was with what I consider to be Shakespeare in my hands, immersing myself in this dream world, filled not with double page spreads, but with dual function characters. Characters that not only drove the story, but let the story drive them. Never did I see a character introduced to act as a plot device, no… they undertook actions that affected the world they occupied, but they dealt with the consequences, both good and bad.

‘Good and bad’ did I say?

Well not so bad, as different, and if I am to believe what a popular logos, then change is bad. You see I was loosing my innocent preconceptions about comics, and gaining a serious, overbearing shadow, the shadow of reality in a world fiction. Was it the real world seeping into the Vertigo one, or was it knowledge that I had now grown into a teen searching for familiar conventions, told in unfamiliar ways, seeping into a ‘real’ world full of fallacy. I would no longer go to sleep thinking about the notion that I may well be falling into Morpheus’s realm, but wondering if it was in this realm that Gaiman (& Co.) thought up this little narrative. My innocence was gone, but was that good or bad? I’ve yet to decide.

Back to the books I went searching for another tale, something that would challenge my expectations; something that was going to be the anonym of condescending. Not to say that I felt patronized by the slew of variant covers and must read crossovers… then. Looking back now though, it was pretty degrading of a company to expect a loyal fan base to spend money that they may not have to follow any given story to its end, across a copious amount of titles. Vertigo was something fresh to me, keeping in mind I was late at discovering their gems, acquiring most in graphic novel format. Once I had gone through The Sandman, I moved to Transmetropolitan, then Fables, then on and on, being rewarded by finding new surprises that I didn’t think possible in this medium, and re-fuelling my search for new ones.

These are my personal experiences with this imprint, and I can attest a lot of my current character to these books. I’m very literate, open minded, passive because of these funny books. I just happened to wonder what other people’s joys and disdains are during the time reading Vertigo books. What stories made you stop and think via actually putting the book down to think? What do you think are/were the high points of the imprint? Which series/story/creator has defined the line?

It’s interesting that now I actually read more indie titles than mainstream, whilst still having an interest as to what happens in the MU or the DCU, yet having no desire to pick up their respective books (in most cases). The times I do read so-called mainstream titles are usually only because of the creators involved, or interest in the premise behind it. And even after that initial investment, I am fickle enough to drop a book just as quickly. I have almost all of The X-men, Uncanny, and Wolverine runs through the 90’s, and dreaded the thought of missing an issue. Yet since I dropped most monthlies a few years ago, I have had no desire to pick up a title simply to have the entire run. There is no exception for Vertigo either. I remember picking up The Losers and dropping it just as quickly, simply because it did nothing for me. So does this make me any less of a fan, or does this give me more merit than those who devotedly follow their favourite titles through hell and limbo? Is heaven really only there for those who seek it, as opposed to those who accept what they are given?

I guess I just had one of those epiphany moments. Any constructive criticism is welcome:)

[DWEarhart]

Vertigo is the label that knows its audience is not stupid. They give the readers merit, and in doing such, they challenge everyone to stick with them month by month, and if missed, while it's still lacking some titles it is one of the better tpb outlest, but you can get a tpb out of them. The quality is good enough to where an individual will wind with two or three a month, so they still have some steady reading ahead.

Many thought it was going to die when we saw the lasts of Sandman, Transmetropolitan, Preacher and such, but it has persevered throughout the years, and still kicking ass. DMZ, Y: The Last Man - - Mike Carey's going to be causing a rucous with Crossing Midnight, Jock's still around; Vertigo is safe.

[diablo7]

i loved the stuff that vertigo first put out (doom patrol, shade, enigma, faces, the extremists, etc..) ..i thought that it lost it's way after most of the regular series ended and they were only really putting out preacher and hellblazer...but now i think they're back with 100 bullets, dmz, loveless, and some of the other titles...what i loved about early vertigo was the sense that anything could happen in those books and you never knew if the maincharacters would make it out in one piece...i didn't get that with the super hero books...you knew batman would be the same and wolverine would never die...that's why i'm getting back issues and trades of the early stuff that i like...