Could someone please explain to me what a noir comic is? I've been wondering.

Noir = hardboiled crime drama.

Wikipedia stuff:
Noir Fiction [en.wikipedia.org]
Film Noir [en.wikipedia.org]

why can't it just be called crime then?

A lot of stories contain crime. "Noir" is a way of presenting it. It suggests a specific mood and and type of storytelling. -- Or it was just the DD admins' choice. "Noir" is a way cooler word than "crime." (And "horror" is a cooler word than "scary." )

I see your point.

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This was actually quite helpful. I never knew was "noir" was either.

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Now if only I knew what an "indy" comic was.

Priest_Revan
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This was actually quite helpful. I never knew was "noir" was either.

...

Now if only I knew what an "indy" comic was.

independant? pfft... I dunno :\

Priest_Revan
...

This was actually quite helpful. I never knew was "noir" was either.

...

Now if only I knew what an "indy" comic was.

Indy or Indie (more correct) is short for Independent comic which is usually characterized with alternative comic. Basically, it's a comic created independently by one person (or a small group of people) with no outside help or funding by a larger company and is either self-published or published by a "small press" publisher like Slave Labor or Fantagraphics.

There's specific numbers that determine what is considered small press, but most people consider indie comics to be anything made by a small group of people on their own funds.

Good examples are Bone, Cerebus, anything by Robert Crumb, Johnen Vasquez, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Maus, The Crow, Drawn and Quarterly, Milk and Cheese, Persepolis, and Tank Girl.

Technically speaking, all of you guys are indie comic creators since you're funding your comics from your own pocket, but most (i.e. 99% of the comic world) only consider a comic to be indie if it's in print, not on the web.

HOWEVER, nowadays, Indie usually refers to a style more than anything else. Generally, anything that isn't mainstream (I.E. generic superheroes and shonen/shojo manga) and uses experimental ideas or art styles is considered "indie" or "alternative."

Hoped that helped.

angry_black_guy

Priest_Revan
...

This was actually quite helpful. I never knew was "noir" was either.

...

Now if only I knew what an "indy" comic was.

Indy or Indie (more correct) is short for Independent comic which is usually characterized with alternative comic. Basically, it's a comic created independently by one person (or a small group of people) with no outside help or funding by a larger company and is either self-published or published by a "small press" publisher like Slave Labor or Fantagraphics.

There's specific numbers that determine what is considered small press, but most people consider indie comics to be anything made by a small group of people on their own funds.

Good examples are Bone, Cerebus, anything by Robert Crumb, Johnen Vasquez, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Maus, The Crow, Drawn and Quarterly, Milk and Cheese, Persepolis, and Tank Girl.

Technically speaking, all of you guys are indie comic creators since you're funding your comics from your own pocket, but most (i.e. 99% of the comic world) only consider a comic to be indie if it's in print, not on the web.

HOWEVER, nowadays, Indie usually refers to a style more than anything else. Generally, anything that isn't mainstream (I.E. generic superheroes and shonen/shojo manga) and uses experimental ideas or art styles is considered "indie" or "alternative."

Hoped that helped.

That wasn't exactly what I originally thought of as an "indie" comic as... but it works.

Thanks.

Just curious, what did you originally think an indie comic was?

angry_black_guy
Just curious, what did you originally think an indie comic was?

Something that was a little off the wall/crazy/weird.

Priest_Revan

angry_black_guy
Just curious, what did you originally think an indie comic was?

Something that was a little off the wall/crazy/weird.

Well, most of them are.

Priest_Revan

angry_black_guy
Just curious, what did you originally think an indie comic was?

Something that was a little off the wall/crazy/weird.

Well, they often are. It's not necessarily what defines an indy comic (the previous definition is as good as any you're likely to find) but, if an artist/writer wants to make generic super hero fare, they'll most likely be focusing their efforts on pitching to DC or Marvel.

Creators who are producing stuff which they know DC/Marvel won't be interested in (which may well be "off the wall/crazy/weird" ) will have to fund their own efforts and turn to smaller publishers or self-publishing.

But indy work doesn't have to be "weird". There are also creators who are producing work which could conceivably be acceptable to DC/Marvel but who choose to go the indy route in order to retain control and ownership of their own work.

It's a broad church.

As terminal says, I leave for five minutes...

Puff_Of_Smoke
As terminal says, I leave for five minutes...

Lol.

Well, this thread is a good thing. I mean, for some of us who don't understand a bunch of different types of comics, this is a good place to ask (before Terminal locks it...)

Shameless Plug

The MWWT story I'll be publishing after the MWWT story I'll be publishing after Spaceman #1 (that wasn't a typo) is done in a noir artistic style.

Sample page:

also a recent example of Noir or as some have dubbed it "Neo-Noir" the movie "Brick".
Excellent movie and I recommend it.

Ever see Sin City or better yet, read the comics? Thats noir. It can involve voice over thoughts describing things in an over the top manner, usually black and white, crime is involved, and a lot of other stuff wikipedia describes better than me.

I'd recommend something like Sunset Boulevard. It doesn't involved a detective but its still clearly a noir story. Great stuff that noir genre.


This drunk duck comic explores noir themes with a comedic twist. To some extent penis explores noir stuff, but its usually done with more humor than necessary. My new project, the stream will be exploring noir stuff pretty extensively.

marine
Ever see Sin City or better yet, read the comics?

Actually, I've never even heard of that.

Frank Miller is brilliant at it. Sin City is great.

...I'll never look at Willis the same.

I'll never look at him the same way either. Willis shoots a bullet through a guy's junk, man! Let's not forget what he does after that either. If you ever see him, just watch your stuff. That's all I'm sayin.

Well, I'll never look at him the same after watching Hudson Hawk...but that has nothing to do with noir does it.

TheMidge28
Well, I'll never look at him the same after watching Hudson Hawk...but that has nothing to do with noir does it.

Actually it does. Its an over the top mystery/thriller that happens to be played as a comedy. It involves conspiracy theories about da vinchi and alchemists stuff.

His film Blind Date, it has absolutely NOTHING to do with noir. But no ones seen that other early comedy from Bruce Willis.

marine

TheMidge28
Well, I'll never look at him the same after watching Hudson Hawk...but that has nothing to do with noir does it.

Actually it does. Its an over the top mystery/thriller that happens to be played as a comedy. It involves conspiracy theories about da vinchi and alchemists stuff.

His film Blind Date, it has absolutely NOTHING to do with noir. But no ones seen that other early comedy from Bruce Willis.

yes...and yes it has nothing to do with noir.

on Hudson Hawk being a film noir...um...I think you may be stretching the definition there to fit.

This [en.wikipedia.org] should clear everything up. I never really saw Batman as Noir but you know what he's a detective with a very dark past and somewhat "flexible" morales. So after reading that I can totally see it.

However better examples of Noir are

Sin City [en.wikipedia.org]

LA Confidential [en.wikipedia.org]

Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels [en.wikipedia.org]

And my personal favorite

The Number 23 [en.wikipedia.org]

Believe it or not many well known comics and anime's can easily be linked to Noir.

Some examples are

The Punisher
Daredevil
Batman
Ghost in the Shell (anime)
Noir (The anime)
Gantz (anime)
and Monster (anime)


Hopefully that clears some things up. ^_^

TheMidge28

marine

TheMidge28
Well, I'll never look at him the same after watching Hudson Hawk...but that has nothing to do with noir does it.

Actually it does. Its an over the top mystery/thriller that happens to be played as a comedy. It involves conspiracy theories about da vinchi and alchemists stuff.

His film Blind Date, it has absolutely NOTHING to do with noir. But no ones seen that other early comedy from Bruce Willis.

yes...and yes it has nothing to do with noir.

on Hudson Hawk being a film noir...um...I think you may be stretching the definition there to fit.

It has elements of mystery/thriller. He's captured/poisoned at one point. Theres a love interest for him. Some action. Bruce Willis's character never grows beyond who he was at the begging of the movie. Its just played as a comedy.

If you want real noir, go read Mike Hammer.

As a 'pulp noir' writer/artist, my research into it pulled out a few essential ingredients for the genre:

~ Dark, gritty subject matter and (for comics) a dark, dirty atmosphere.

~ Monologuing. A lot of it. Character need to talk about many things in detail, stating the obvious in almost cheesy levels of poetic diatribe. It ain't noir if there's a lot of silence.

~ Tragic undertones. Noir isn't a happy genre. One of the most classic noir stories is about a man who checks out of jail, puts his life together again and meets a great gal, only to wake up and find it was all a dream, he's still rotting in jail for robbery. There's a big air of weary futility in crime noir especially - there's justice, and then there's the way the world works. A crime noir protagonist is always aware of how much the world sucks.

~ Dames. Hard-ass men. The old and world-weary. The ugly guys. The sweet gal with terrible taste in ex-boyfriends.

Pulp noir is a little more kooky than crime noir. Pulp has a lot of cheese. It's retro-sexual with a touch of the strange. From vampire mobsters to a dame with looks to die for, literally. It's the land of cannibal serial killers, beautiful blonde detectives with a taste for women and grizzled old cops carrying silver bullets.

I Heart Noir

ShinGen
However better examples of Noir are

Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels [en.wikipedia.org]

Er, I can't see how that movie would be a film noir.