The GraphiContent Book Club Begins

As announced in our initial mission statement, we here at GraphiContent think it's important to promote the idea of people reading comics and discussing their content beyond the superficial . We want to analyze works here, explore their plots and characters in search of hidden nuances, get to the heart of what they're really all about thematically and symbolically.

That's why we decided we would use this forum not just to showcase our own analyses, but also to create a book club. We want to open the discussion up to let in anyone who wants to join us, so that the analysis we do here is not limited just to its few members but instead is something everyone can participate in. We want to try to get as many people as possible all reading the same book and getting together to talk about what it means.

Therefore, every month from here on out, Pete and I are going to choose a book. It will always be something neither of us has read before. It usually will be something that is relatively new, but we might also look at some older works down the road as well. And we will try to make it something you can pick up for cheap, so that your comic budget is stretched any thinner than it needs to be. We will also make our announcements about which book we've chosen in the middle of the month prior, so that you all have time to seek it out.

We will set some simple reading deadlines for the book, so that everyone will be on the same page when discussion begins. That way, no one will accidentally reveal plot points that we haven't read yet, spoiling the experience for all of us. Usually these deadlines will be to read the first half of the book by the middle of the month, and to have finished the book by the end of the month.

And then discussion will begin. Either Pete or I will start a topic for the discussion at each deadline, briefly laying down some of our thoughts of the book at that point. Conversation will then spill over into the comment section, which we invite everyone to post in.

It's that simple. Read a book, come here, tell us what you thought.
So with the rules established, let's begin, shall we?

The first GraphiContent Book Club selection is the Hellblazer collection Rare Cuts.
You should read the first three stories in the collection by Mar. 15, and then you should complete the book by Mar. 31.