A picture is worth a thousand words?

I am a comic convert. They are a stereotype of geeks (and I don't like the negative implications of that word either, though I like the actual word - why not say geek and imagine a cool knowledgable cultured person?) and in the past i've thought they're nice for a quick read but not worth searching out.

Growing up I loved collecting Meg Cabot's books and my copy of Avalon High was well-loved. So when a sequel was announced, I duly bought it as soon as it came out.

Yet after reading the book in about half an hour, I felt disappointed and let down. The story didn't seemed to progress much, especially compared to the first book, and as a 16 year old whose only income was pocket money, £8 seemed a lot of money.

(Note: I have searched on the internet and it turns out there are two further 'manga' books that I missed after becoming disillusioned with the first.)

I spent my childhood devouring thick fantasies such as The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, with the occassional glance at comics such as Peanuts, so maybe the attraction of this particular genre passed me by...

I have recently begun to read 'Vampire Knight' and I have now bought Volumes 1 to 5 and to my mind it is worth the money. It's a different slant to the now overhyped 'Twilight Vampire' and the characters are beautifully drawn. It's also interesting to read into the emotions and how the picture is set up to get the story.

I do read manga faster, but it's a nice experience to slow down and really look at the story. I'm looking forward to the upcoming Doctor Who/Star Trek Crossover Comic due out in October. Though a novel containing my two favourite series would be even better...