Kaitlyn Dunnett/Kathy Lynn Emerson here. The other day, while going through the movies we own, either on DVD or through streaming, it dawned on me that many of my favorites, and a fair percentage of the total, are based on comic books (or graphic novels, if you prefer).
I can’t say I was surprised. I was reading the “funny pages” in the Sunday newspaper early on. As I recall, my favorites were “Prince Valiant,” “Terry and the Pirates,” “Brenda Starr,” and “Winnie Winkle.” I was also quite young when my father and I got into the habit of after-supper walks to Watson’s, a small diner nearby where he could get a cup of coffee and I could browse the rack of comic books. I’d pick one to buy and read it at the counter until it was time to walk home again. Without fail, George Watson would say, “you already read that one. Why don’t you put it back and take a different one.” I’d always thank him but refuse. I was a bit of a book-hoarder even then, and we had a cabinet in our partially finished basement that had lots of drawers just the right size for sorting and storing.
What comic books did I keep? Remember that I was both young and female. Scrooge McDuck and comic book versions of Disney animated movies were early favorites. I still have my copies of Peter Pan and Sleeping Beauty. A bit later I was heavily into Katy Keene, but I also eagerly read the adventures of The Phantom and Superman. I’m pretty sure I also read Wonder Woman comics, but I can’t swear to it. At the same time, on TV, was was a big fan of Mighty Mouse Playhouse on CBS (1955+) and even formed a Mighty Mouse Fan Club with two friends. And, of course, I read some of the “Classics” in comic book format, although I can’t say I was any more enamored of those versions than of the actual long, boring original versions so loved by English teachers.
Anyway, getting back to movies, it should come as no surprise to anyone, myself included, that I own and rewatch a fair number of entries from the Marvel and D.C. universes. As an aside, have to admit it took Jason Mamoa to make me an Aquaman fan, and I never really got into Batman.
I also own the 1989 film version of Brenda Starr (there others released in 1945,1976, and 1979, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of them) and I recently watched a rather fascinating version of Prince Valiant from 1997 (an earlier movie was made in 1954). It starred the actor who played Vampire Bill in True Blood as Prince Valiant and Katherine Heigl as his love interest.
What other movies in my collection were originally comics? Argylle is the most recent addition—I found it hilarious, by the way, although many people apparently didn’t “get” it. Then there is RED with Bruce Willis, Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, the whole X-Men series (Marvel, but separate until recently from the Avengers, Iron Man, Black Panther, etc. world), and the Men in Black movies.
So, why do I seem to have a weakness for the genre? I think it’s partly because I prefer escapism to too much reality in my entertainment, but quite possibly it is also because both the comics and the movies are far removed from the sort of thing I write. I read a lot of Regency-era historical romance for the same reason, but that’s a topic for another blog.
What about you, readers? Are you a fan of a genre others might not expect you to read and/or watch?
Kathy Lynn Emerson/Kaitlyn Dunnett has had sixty-four books traditionally published and has self published others. She won the Agatha Award and was an Anthony and Macavity finalist for best mystery nonfiction of 2008 for How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries and was an Agatha Award finalist in 2015 in the best mystery short story category. In 2023 she won the Lea Wait Award for “excellence and achievement” from the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance. She was the Malice Domestic Guest of Honor in 2014. She is currently working on creating new omnibus e-book editions of her backlist titles. Her website is www.KathyLynnEmerson.com.
What great memories this brings back, However Wonder Woman was my fave. I wanted those gold bracelets with a passion!
I wanted the lasso myself. Think how handy that would be today!
I was a big fan of Brenda Starr. She was a reporter (like I wanted to be) and we shared a first name. I loved her fabulous red hair and thought her handsome beau Basil was mysterious and therefore fascinating. In my twenties I worked for a newspaper in York County called the Star (one r, but still). My co-workers razzed me by calling me Brenda Star, of course.
Basil with the eye patch and the orchids! No wonder I ended up writing romance novels for a while.
What fun. My secret addiction is Hallmark Channel movies, especially around Christmas.
I’m so glad to find someone else who loved Prince Valiant. Brenda Starr was a favorite of mine, too. I wasn’t allowed comic books (funny pages were fine) as a kid – had to read them at friends’ houses – but if I was ill, my dad would buy me a Henry comic – don’t know why that was all right. And there was a funny page comic about a little girl who time traveled. I cannot remember much about it, but I read it faithfully.
I was lucky in that my folks thought reading of any kind was a good thing. I started reading regular books early, too.
I’m a big fan of YA, particularly sports-themed romance, dystopian, and dark fantasy. I wish I’d been smart enough to keep all the comics I bought as a kid in decent shape. I could buy that fancy cottage on the ocean in Washington County.
I’m not sure mine would be. I read them so many times they were ragged before I was done. The whole collection went to younger cousins when my folks moved in 1965.