Comic books are like ballet.

No, wait! I can explain!

I could go to see an opera or a ballet. I might enjoy it. Unless the performers fell over or were dramatically out of tune, I’m not completely sure that I would understand it or be able to assess it¹. What distinguishes a good ballet from a bad one?

So. A Better World [affiliate link]. I’d heard good things about it. The conceit: in a world where the police also serve as judge, jury and executioner, someone figures out that by diverting funds from security to education they can almost entirely eliminate crime. It’s a clever idea and one that fits perfectly into the Dredd universe.

The artwork is amazing. The chapters are illustrated by different artists. They each have their own style, distinct but still part of a cohesive whole.

But while I’m reading it, I can’t shake the feeling that I might be enjoying it more if it was a novel. The story is good, but there could be more nuance in a different medium.

Maybe I just don’t know how to read a comic book any more? I had a similar experience reading Civil War.

Like the ballet, maybe the best conclusion is that I’m not the right person to judge. I appreciated it, I absolutely don’t regret buying it. Sometimes you have to try new things. But I think I will retreat to books with words in them.