Zach Intro

Hello all, I am Zach Strickland. This course is actually my introduction to graphic novels. However I do have a strong fantasy background as a movie watcher and as a video gamer. I am enjoying the class so far, even though I feel like sometimes I miss the fine points or the deeper meanings within the material.
I don't believe that you have to fully understand something to enjoy it. I'm told that Batman: Return of the Dark Night is very symbolic and that it also has strong political commentary and so forth. However I prefer to simply read it as a Superhero story.
I do recognize some of the deeper and more subtle points, the ambivalence of Batman's character for example. I understand that he is presented as a good character with a dark side. Yet rather than dissect the novel and try to find the deeper meaning I like to assume Batman is the definite good guy and that he beats up the bad guys. That is to say I read it more for the action and the beat em up sequences than the philosophy behind it and the symbolism.
The two scenes that stick out to me the most are the showdown with the Mutant leader, and then the battle with Superman. That to me is where the action is at. I do also like that Batman is presented with a bit of edge and I enjoy some of the dark humor in the story.

I think that Watchmen will have even more dark humor because I have seen the movie, so Im excited to read that one, and maybe I will get better catching some of its finer points.