What Comics/Novels/Creative Media Have Left A Deep Impression or Made a Difference in Your Life?

[raaky]

Patricia C. Wrede's "Enchanted Forest" books made me really like dragons. They were some of the first books I read where some of the dragons are good, and I really enjoyed that.

[spadesart]

Not to be basic but the Hunger Games really did leave an impression. I bought the audiobook versions and listened to them only recently so I got to experience them outside the 'hype' environment from a few years ago and I definitely think that improved the experience tenfold. I wouldn't say I now have a deep connection to them, but it was definitely an intense read that had me hooked every second. I think the fact that the books are written in present-tense helped that fact a lot.

[Puck]

Asterix, Lucky Luke, TinTin
I still have Asterix Comics on my desk all the time.
I just studied one when I was drawing trees

[scribesunlimited]

ANYTHING by Stephen King or Dean Koontz. In the early 1980s up until the mid-1990s, these two ruled the horror-fantasy realms. Fantastic story-makers. I'll also throw in Clive Barker as well. So GLAD they're finally doing "Books of Blood" for TV. It's about &$%^#! time!

Also, for art, Howard for Conan, and the late great Michael Turner for Fathom:

It was "Fathom" that got me interested in an "undersea" comic idea, which resulted in "The Depths".

[Phantomlight]

Is it cheating to say that comic creators and novelists have also helped keep me sane and grounded?

If this is cheating, then I am cheating as well because it's the same for me. Reading comics or novels has proven to keep me sane and mentally healthy because it's time I spend enjoying and thinking of wonderful things I read rather than dark, depressing thoughts. And reading comics gives me one more thing to look forward to. It's like having your coffee in the morning, it's something that can start you day off right or if your day went bad, then it's something to cheer you up.

[Phantomlight]

I agree that stories in general (whether comics/webcomics/novels) really do have a way of helping get us through the tough times. I'm glad that the webcomics you shared are helping you through your recovery, and I'll be rooting for you and your healing! Thanks for creating this thread - it's been really interesting to see what's made a difference in others' journeys!

Thank you so much for your get well wishes and I've always wanted to create a thread on here but each topic I thought of wasn't the one, true question or topic I wanted to discuss. I see people all the time saying wonderful things about a creators works like that they love it, but often times I don't get to hear the stories people most likely have about how much that work has meant or means to them, what it did for them, how it changed them or helped them. Because, like the saying goes, that sometimes "It takes a village to raise a child." I've considered creative people who make whatever kind of media and share it with the world help to raise a lot of people and also heal them too! I wanted to hear other people's experiences. I suppose this thread could be considered a love letter or a thank you letter to all the creators out there that have touched our lives. Thank you for sharing!

[Phantomlight]

@raaky That's so awesome ^^ I love dragons as well, not sure when my love started, probably was ignited by pokemon and digimon but it was really solidified when I got this art book called "Dracopedia: A Guide to Drawing the Dragons of the World" by William O Conner. I love his series of books, I'd highly recommend them ^^

@spadesart That's not basic. That's a unique experience, how the Hunger Games affected you is much different than it affected someone else, I guarantee it xD and not everyone will probably say they have listened to the audiobooks. I only know those who have watched the shows xD Having someone read books to you and especially in a tone or perhaps even a characterized voice is so awesome and just enhances the experiences or adds another layer to a series. Like, when I read to my sibling, I make characters voices so it adds a bit of fun while also creating a layer of characterization.

@Puck Nice! I have a few favorites that are always nearby for me too. It's nice to have them for reference too!

@scribesunlimited Ah, Stephen King, one of his books really creeped me out, "Nightmares and Dreamscapes." I was so unsettled by one of the stories in particular that I read in there, it was fantastic xD I like being scared or unsettled by a book, it means that the author is doing their job well! Now that you reminded me, I'll probably be reading that book on Halloween to my sibling. And I do see the inspiration you got from Fathom! That's awesome :3

[UrMom]

That is actually a really tough question. I became disillusioned to fiction at an early age so I've never been necessarily impacted very deeply by anything I've read or watched outside of expanding my horizon on what is possible in a story or art.

The closest comic I can think of that left enough of an impression to make me think about it from time to time is Rescue Me. A short-ish story about the mental affects of being in an abusive relationship, and seeking help. It's a really simple story, feeling a little fantastical in how easily the MC changes her perspective, but I still find it's existence to be really important. Especially since comics tackling trauma and mental health in an earnest, practical way are so rare.

Rescue Me | Tapas

[gmaximin]

I taught me daughter to read on these...! Still very up to date...

As for me, I started reading comics on Gaston Lagaffe and Gelluck’s Le Chat that my parents bought (even though I understood most of the jokes only years after).
I discovered American comics with X-Men right before the AoA period, I was amazed by the energy, even though nothing made sense to me at the time. I especially liked Generation Next dark atmosphere with Bachalo’s drawing, really fascinating.
Then Miller’s Sin City. So direct, simple in appearance yet so complex... I started drawing trying to copy his style... and I was reading some James Elroy at the time so it all fitted.
Last stroke was McKean’s Cages. A coherent concept, themes that I strongly relate to (potential, freedom, communication, forms...). And yet it’s self indulgent, with mix media, and it’s really gorgeous in its imperfections, I have a massive hardcover that follow me everywhere.
Finally, I’ve discovered webcomics with Questionable Content and PBF. I was moving a lot at the time, so it was really... practical.
So to sum up, Miller inspired me to draw, McKean to try saying something that matter with it, and JJaques to post it online...

[shfra13]

Ahh I know Seven Days! Takarai Rihito was phenomenal, really. Seven Days was also one of my most impactful BL's.

[jcmraz]

Nothing from here. Solanin and Scott Pilgrim are pretty high up there on comics that affected me though

[shfra13]

I usually joked about several mangas and novels as "shaping me as a person I am today" lol but here we are.

There are several stories that left a deep impression, though not as much making any difference in my life.

For novels, the two that remained deep within my heart are Holy Mother by Akiyoshi Rikako (that novel was INSANE! the best one I've ever read from Akiyoshi Rikako) and an Indonesian novel titled "kastil es dan air mancur yang berdansa" (the Castle and the Dancing Fountain) by an author named Prisca Primasari (this author was the reason I wished to write poetically. Which I can't). Another one that has been in my heart for quite a while, though couldn't compete with the other two titles, is the Mortal Instrument series. I think it was the first time I actually collected a series of novel and actually reading all of them. I just loved it so much.

As for comics, non-BL ones that remained in me would be... Pandora Hearts. I started reading Pandora Hearts when I was in elementary, and I kept reading until it's completed. It is one of the small amount of manga I kept reading until the end. The BL ones would be "Kabe no Naka no Tenshi" by Bikke, "Yozora no Sumikko de" by Hayakawa Nojikko, and "Hana no Mizo Shiru" by Takarai Rihito. Those three titles are the ones that I will always recommend to people who want to try BL.

[Phantomlight]

@gmaximin It's a wonderful thing to have inspirations like that to give you those little pushes you need to reach your goals, sometimes ones you hadn't even thought of before. I think all my childhood books I had inspired me to draw. I wanted to make my own kids books so I made my own little stories and drew them (they were the first of the few series of 'books' I ever finished xD). When I started noticing I could draw relatively ok when I drew some of my favorite TV characters, I began to draw more and more. So we had a similar beginning at least in terms of coping drawings to begin our journey as I would think many of us have done.

@shfra13 Gosh, Seven Days, it's still one of my favorites. At that point, I was like "I want to make stories and comics like this. I want to make BL." I have the original physical copies of volume 1 and 2 (both of which were slightly damaged by my pet rabbit that passed away xD) and just recently bought the one they're selling in one big volume that includes volumes 1 and 2 just because I love it so much and don't mind having a copy.

@jcmraz Ah, no worries, doesn't have to be from here. I should edit my original post's title. It can be Comics, Books, or Webcomics or other creative media that has left a deep impression or made a difference in your life. I chose the ones here because they've recently been so helpful in my tough times and my healing ^^

@shfra13 I'll have to check those out if I can, they sound interesting, I think I'm going to make a list of everyone's creative media they mentioned and check everyone's out actually xD I think in terms of shaping me as a person and inspiring me with my own works, I'd have to say it'd be all the books I read in school. Although we HAD to read them, I was able to read such a broad scope of books that I probably wouldn't have picked up and was able to learn and pick out what formats and writing style and voices were more to my liking for my own works. I think in particular, "Animal Farm" had an impact on me and my current comic without realizing. Using animal characters to tell a bit more mature story and using the animals as symbolism probably inspired me. That's one book that the story has stuck with me. Sometimes the books in school were difficult for me to understand or digest, but that one I was able to follow along and make connections to broader topics and have interesting discussions.

And I have read a lot of BL manga in my days but I'm terrible at names. I have probably read the ones you mentioned but do not know them by name besides "Hana no Mizo Shiru" which I had read in my slow, boring, and dreary days when I had broken my ankle. I love that one too. Takarai Rihito is my favorite BL manga author, hands down.

[kitschensyngk]

I grew up reading newspaper comics. I read a lot of them--FoxTrot, Garfield and The Far Side were a few--but Charles Schulz's Peanuts and Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes were my two favorites.

Peanuts books were among the first books I remember reading as a kid. I loved the characters, and I loved to watch the TV specials; as an adult I came to appreciate it for its social commentary and psychological aspects. Calvin and Hobbes quickly won me over with its imaginative visuals, and later I read up on its creator's ongoing fight to maintain creative control and keep the syndicate from commercializing it.

I stopped reading them around the time I entered college, apart from a few like Pearls Before Swine and The Boondocks. Nowadays most of them are tired legacy strips that recycle the same gags over and over. Plus around that time I discovered Internet comics and manga.

Kiyohiko Azuma was a big influence on Nachos Con Carne (and Words., now that I think about it). His series Azumanga Daioh and Yotsuba&! are a lot of fun to read--they're both cute without overdoing it, and they can take any seemingly boring thing and find something to laugh about it.

Sluggy Freelance was my gateway into webcomics in my senior year of high school, and I read many others throughout college. One of them was called Alice!, a comic in the same vein as Calvin and Hobbes in that it was about an adolescent girl with an overactive imagination, which was a lot of fun to read. Megatokyo was also a major influence and became a how-to guide to get NCC started--staging characters, arranging panels to create a natural flow, not having to end every page with a punchline as long as it keeps the story moving. The only thing I'm trying not to emulate from it is having 100-page chapters.

[spadesart]

Having someone read books to you and especially in a tone or perhaps even a characterized voice is so awesome and just enhances the experiences or adds another layer to a series.

The hunger games narration is especially good, absolutely one of the best I've listened to of the twenty or so audiobooks I've read in the past year. Wish I could say the same about the prequel audiobook, they got a different narrator and that one was pretty bad in comparison :^( .

[Phantomlight]

Oh no! I am the same when they change narrators or voice actors for shows. For example, if a MC's voice changes from one season to another, I feel weird about it But things like that happen and sometimes I just have to grin and bear it xD It's not a book narrator but I love David Attenbough's voice for nature documentaries. It lulls me to sleep sometimes But if I check out other nature documentaries and notice the narrator is not him, I find that I don't enjoy it as much xD Not that any other narrators aren't good but it's just I'm used to and think that David Attenbough's voice fits a bit better. So, I feel that.

[Stargazer31]

Good Omens. The only love story I care about, and it made me question the whole heaven= good/hell=evil thing.
Harry potter. Basically my childhood!

[shfra13]

I think I'm going to make a list of everyone's creative media they mentioned and check everyone's out actually xD

That's definitely gonna take you a while! Everyone seems to be mentioning quite a lot of interesting inspirations lol.

I think that's good, even though you're forced to read certain books, you're able to find something interesting enough to inspire your work.

"Animal Farm" had an impact on me and my current comic without realizing.

I definitely can see that xD your creations seem to use quite a lot of animal characters!

Ahh, yeah. Takarai Rihito is definitely one of the all-time best BL mangaka. All of Takarai Rihito's works are interesting and soft, it really warms my heart. And well, you might have or might not have read the other two I mentioned. They didn't seem to be necessarily popular somehow, especially Bikke. I feel like no one ever heard of Bikke. But, Bikke writes a really lovely story and draws really lovely art. Hayakawa Nojikko, in my opinion, draws in a unique composition. Every page looks really artistic and beautiful.

[sevenstarsofeightIam]

This is going way back but there was a novel by Robert Silverberg that really impressed me. The title was "Night Wings." Not only was the creativity of the novel impressive but the theme and conclusion have lingered with me through the years as a standard to work toward. The theme was a redemption of a type so personal that it had to include others, even the enemy. Back in the day, I was into robots who thought they were human and time travel but this one stuck with me through the years.

[domisotto]

I was always an avid reader, but video games was what helped me to become a creative person, find audience for the first time and assert that what I want in creative work is not WRONG or pointless or of no value because I am different from the majority of media consumers with weird tastes.

Jade Empire, Mass Effect and Baldur’s Gate in particular stand out for me as seminal works that helped me.

In terms of books, Idiot by Dostoyevsky, Theatre & Razor’s Edge by Maugham and Death of a Hero by Adlington were the right books I’ve read at the right time.

joe Abercrombie’s Best Served Cold shaped up my idea on how I want to write after Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire blew my mind away.

From the anime, Yuri on Ice is the anime that impressed me with its art, character work, the delivery of the love story and maintaining tension throughout