Graphic Novels & Comics: The Art of Appeal

I love Graphic Novels/Comics. For me, they were the bridge between films and books since young me never really took to reading. I'd always had that attitude of "Should I stare at a wall of text? Or just wait a few years and see the story condensed and in a bigger, brighter way?" Obviously, that's not the mindset I have now, as the amount of detail and care contained in great stories can set your mind's imagination free, even if it was a bit of a journey to get here. That transition was mostly made possible by comics giving me the visual WOW my eyes needed at the time, alongside some truly incredible narratives.

Here's the thing though, as much as I adore Comics, they face a harder fight to draw me in, because it's not only the story that needs to grab me, but the art style as well. Unfortunately, I've got to throw my hands up and admit there's a good portion of stories out there I haven't been able to dive into because the art style just didn't appeal to me. Now art is subjective, and some art styles I think look fantastic, but they might not be someone else's cup of tea, but hey, I'm not them, I'm just my overly picky self.

On the flip side, I've enjoyed a great many Graphic Novels/Comics much more than I would if they were purely a wall of text because the art that delivers those stories is just so goddamn beautiful. One such example of this would be Donny Cates Venom run alongside illustrator Ryan Stegman. Not only was the story well-paced and intriguing, but the art just elevated it all, the character moments, as well as giving the action a real Punch. Because of that, the whole novel gripped me even more, because I wasn't just invested in the story, but I was excited to see the artwork waiting for me on the very next page. It becomes an act of not one taking from the other, but feeding off each other, and making the whole reading experience that much greater.

Unfortunately, that artistic personal taste is a double-edged sword, as there's a great deal of Graphic Novels/Comics out there that have the adverse effect because I just don't vibe with the art. For example, Matt Fraction's Hawkeye runs alongside Illustrator David Aja. now I admit the cover art did look great, and I'd heard really good things, but upon opening the pages and seeing the art style I knew it would be a challenge. To be fair I did try to stick with it, but I'm a fickle soul and just couldn't get over the art to continue the story. The thing that irritates me the most is I KNOW there's a good story in there, and one I'd enjoy, heck just look at the panel shot below for some of the dialogue. In the end, the art style was fighting against the narrative, and I had to submit to defeat and miss out.

The thing is, I'm aware of how silly it is, and I'm aware the only person losing out in this scenario is... Me. I just know the way I work, and I know what things pull me into a story, and what things push me away. Basically what I'm saying is trying to get me to read a Graphic Novel/Comic with an art style I ain't vibing with is like trying to feed a toddler Broccoli, I know it'll be good for me, but like hell am I going to eat.

Is this odd art appeal the same for others? Or is it just an odd quirk I suffer from alone? Let me know if you have any problems when reading/selecting your Graphic Novels/Comics.