Week 14: Web Comics

This week I read some of the Cucumber Quest web comic. (http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-1/)

Previous to this week, I had never read a web comic, although I've heard so much about them and I've had friends write them themselves. I chose to read this webcomic purely stylistically. I tend to be a very visual person, and the aesthetics of a comic can greatly sway my opinion on the piece, and I fell in love with the style of Cucumber Quest. I had never seen a comic done in this style before, and that aspect really drew my into the story.

I was really impressed by the aesthetics because of its painterly quality, and pastel color scheme. The style is very illustrative and simplified, yet perfectly detailed to differentiate the characters and make the storyline easy to follow. Aside from that, I also thoroughly enjoyed the added humor in the story, it felt very current in terms of style, and was presented nonchalantly throughout the series.

I found that web comics have a special quality to them. They allow artists to write and illustrate their own stories, publishing them in their own formats, for everyone to read. It seems like the most effective form of comics, in that it is a platform in which the artist can do whatever they want and present their story to readers at a free or low cost basis. That being said I found this format incredibly important and unique in that it allows anyone to be a comic artist and get their ideas out and into the public. Since the comics are published online and are generally non-profit, the artist isn't bound to certain rules or regulations on what should or shouldn't be in each "issue".

Week 13: Reconsidering The Superhero

This week I started to read Ms Marvel. I have heard such good things about the comic, and after seeing it on the reading list for this week, I knew I had to read it. Marvel has an amazing way of reinventing their classic superheroes and I’ve always been interested to see how they handle each character change. That being said, I knew Ms Marvel was going to be a redesign, but I wasn't sure how they were going to handle it.

Perhaps I’m biased but I was very pleasantly surprised and entertained by the character of Kamala Khan. She is portrayed with such a realistic teen mindset, and the struggles she faces have a very humanistic feel. The character is quite easily likeable and I thoroughly enjoyed reading the series. I couldn’t stop reading and ended up finishing the whole first run of the series over the weekend.

This was the first mainstream comic in which I saw extreme and well thought out diversification in character and story. The main character’s Muslim upbringing and culture is very well portrayed and done so in a very respectful and appropriate manner. I believe that this form of representation is extremely important in today's society. Not only does this type of comic help people of that culture connect with the character, but it also helps inform readers of a culture they might be misinformed on, or not know much about.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the series, and look forward to reading the next run of the comic. Marvel always has such talented artists and writers on their team, and I was happy to see some of my favorite comic artists work in the series as well.

Week 13: The Killing Joke Questions

Q. What is your reaction to the text you just read?

A. I found this text to be incredibly interesting and quite an escalation from the past Batman and Joker storylines, the plot is much darker and seems much more complex than that of the past. The story takes turns that are unexpected and really help to build the character of the Joker and show his insanity and relentlessness. I found the ending to be witty yet somewhat unsatisfying.

Q. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the work with which you were able to connect.

A. I really connected with the frustration the characters feel in the storyline. The Joker gets away with so much and in the story you can really feel the stress and frustration that Batman and the Gordon's feel towards the Joker and his scheme. That being said, I enjoyed seeing a glimpse of humanity from the Joker at the conclusion of the comic.

Q. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?

A. Initially I'd say to translate this comic into a movie, that being said, they already have–and I've seen it! The film was great and I thouroughly enjoyed it, however, I hadn't read the comic previous to this, and after reading it, I noticed quite a few changes from the text. If I were to adapt the comic, my first choice would be in movie form, however, I'd try to stay more true to the text. The comic is much more interesting and graphic in my opinion. I believe that perhaps the film would be more successful in a live-action form, with a Dark Knight-esque feel to it. 

Week 12: Comics by Women

This week I read This One Summer by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki. I feel like I say this every week but this graphic novel has its own beautifully unique style as well. I was pleased with how the artist takes breaks from the busy comic pages to let the reader breathe with peaceful and beautifully drawn airy pages (such as below).

 

The author presents the story of two young teenage girls. The story presents the daily life of two girls and their antics. I'm convinced the authors pulled from their own childhoods, as a lot of the information and happenings in the story, I remember from my own childhood.

In doing so, the story feels that much more personal to the readers. Another aspect I found compelling about this story is its presentation of women in the story. In a field that somewhat has a record of objectifying women, this comic broke away from the norm. The story is composed mostly of women, presented in different ages and trope types. After calling one of the other older girls a slut–after she heard one of the men call her that–Rose's mom scolds her daughter. This is presented in a witty way that adds a moral to the tiny storyline. "Bit strange calling someone you don't even know a slut."

Week 11: Comics as Contemporary Literature

This week I read Asterios Polyp, by David Mazzucchelli. This graphic novel truly blew me away stylistically. Unlike any novel or comic I've read, Asterios Polyp has a unique color pallet and style to it. The pages are colored in a two-tone way which gives the book a unique and beautiful feel. The limited color palette also helps set the mood of the pages.

Something that was very low key, but pleased me nonetheless, was the author's attention to detail. Either knowledgable of the art world, or having done his research, Mazzucchelli really brought Asterios' architectural world to life with the collection of designer furnishings in his apartment. In the room you can see furnishings from Eames, Breuer, Mies van der Rohe, Eileen Grey, and Le Corbusier. With such expensive and iconic designer furnishings, it was interesting seeing the space messy and dirty, and the juxtaposition of the two helped set the scene for the opening of the comic.

Another plot moment I found interesting, and shocking, was how the narrator reveals himself as the stillborn brother of Asterios. It adds interest to the story, while revealing a major aspect of the plot. These type of plot reveals are ubiquitous throughout the story, and give the reader big moments of realization.

Week 10: Manga

This week I (re)read the first volume of Death Note, by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I chose to read this manga because I had read the series way back when I was in middle school, and I remember being head over heels in love with it at the time.

Manga helped push me into the art field, and although I didn't recall most details of the story in Death Note, I do remember admiring the art. That being said, delving into Japanese manga this week, I have noticed some differences between manga and the American comics we know. Most obviously would be the artistic style. Manga seems to be a relatively detailed form of comics, with exaggerated aspects such as larger eyes and hash-sharper angles. Aside from stylistic differences, the themes also seem to be different. Specifically when reading Death Note, the manga deals with a darker and more complex theme then most American comics I have seen. Perhaps this is because they are targeting a different audience.

That being said, I wasn't sure what to expect reading Death Note for a second time. I didn't think I would like it as much as hyped up 12 year old me did, however, I found myself liking the story. The concept behind the story is very heavy and well thought out. The theme is complex and deals with tough questions that the reader can ask themselves throughout the storyline.

Week 9: European Comics Tradition

This week I read Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. I had heard so much about this comic, and its film adaptation a few years back. So I was excited to see what all the hype was about. I wasn't let down! The comic is striking in multiple ways. First–and most obviously–the graphics. The artist chose to illustrate the comic with only 100% black and white. No use of grey tones. I found this very interesting and–as a graphic designer–pleasing. By doing so the graphics are very harsh and simplified looking. This aspect makes the comic simplified and easy to look at.

I also found the story, and the issues that the comic deals with, to be incredible striking. A topic thats been so prevalent in todays society, I found it interesting to hear and see a first hand account of a child growing up and dealing with religious and personal conflicts first hand. The graphic elements and personal feeling of the work, make a compelling and informative story that really paints a picture of what life was like for the author. 

Week 8: Stereotype and The Ethics of Representation

This week I read March, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powel. My immediate impression was the expressive and graphic quality of the imagery. The comic is drawn in a very expressive style, the viewer can see the brush pen strokes, and the artist doesn't try to cover this up. On top of the art style, the text/speech is also drawn by hand, only using typography for the title pages. An aspect that I found to aid in this is the rigidity of the speech bubbles at times. This is apparent in the opening, when the protestors are confronted by the authorities, their speech bubbles are rigid and rather reminded me of saw blades. This gives a harsh feeling to the text and brings emotion into the work. Overall the expressiveness of the type and imagery dramatically adds to the feeling and mood of the comic.

Along with the art style, I really appreciated how the artist allows some of the drawings to bleed into the page. The graphics really seem to sink into when the artist does this, and it gives and airy and calm feeling to the story. The author seems to use these graphics in this way on purpose.

In terms of stereotype, this comic seemed to be a model for others to follow. I do believe that stereotype is somewhat necessary in comics, since there is no vocal element, the reader needs to be able to tell who each character is. That being said, the stereotyping of characters needs to be respectful and true to form. I think that people tend to think that broad stereotyping is okay, because they don't belong to the community being represented, and therefore aren't being affected. However, if done incorrectly, stereotyping in comics–and all media forms–can be extremely toxic and harmful to individuals who are being falsely represented. I've personally felt stereotyped before, and it's a shame to be pushed into a corner when individuals are so much more complex then that.

Week 7: Maus and The Legitimization of the Graphic Novel

This week I re-read Maus (after reading it for class in middle school). And found that I enjoyed it just as much the second time, as I did the first. That being said, this time around I was reading the graphic novel from the viewpoint of an adult. And it meant a lot more to me then it did when I was young.

I've always heard that Maus was an important novel. I assumed this was because of the story it tells–which is incredibly important–but also because of the way in which it is told. After learning more about the history of comics, I knew more of what to look for while re-reading this story.

What struck me the most by this story, is its ability to tell a difficult and serious story, in a way thats palatable for younger audiences. Perhaps Art Spiegelman is successful in this because of his use of symbolism in representing characters. The individuals in the story are human-like, but not human. Spiegelman uses cats to represent nazis and mice to represent jews. This clever portrayal dehumanizes a sensitive subject. The reader is still struck with incredible emotion while reading, but since the subjects aren't human, the images don't seem as graphic. The author represents himself in the story, as he interviews his father about his experiences in the Holocaust. In this presentation, the story feels more personal and it allows the reader to put themselves in Art's shoes.

Although a graphic image, if the author had depicted the characters as human instead of mouse, the image would've been much more disturbing, especially for younger audiences.

In the middle of the first book, Art Spiegelman places a comic within a comic (which has me wondering if he actually published it in an underground comic book). This comic depicts the story of a recently released prisoner and his mom who committed suicide. As a juxtaposition to the story of Maus, the characters are depicted as human. This brings the reader back to reality, after somewhat distancing themselves from the nonhuman characters in the story.



Above all, I appreciate the author's ability to tell a difficult story to readers, in an easily receivable way by use of symbolism and comics.

Week 1: The Arrival

This week I read The Arrival by Shaun Tan. I found it incredibly interesting to read a comic comprised solely of images, with no text. I have seen short wordless comics, however, I've never read a wordless comic of this length.

That being said, I have mixed feelings about this narrative, and the way in which it is told. I enjoyed the artistic quality, each frame is like a masterpiece of its own. The way that the artist uses the medium (graphic or charcoal) is exquisite, and this is the first time I've seen comics drawn in this amount of detail. Comics usually seem simplified, but this take is rather different.

That being said, the lack of words, mixed with the weird and unusual creatures and happenings, makes the story incredibly confusing at times. The reader is left attempting to piece the story together in their minds. Perhaps this is a tactic and delivery method that the author intended. This technique makes the reader think, and although I somewhat enjoyed it, things weren't 100% clear for me until we discussed the reading as a class. I think that I might've enjoyed the reading more, and gotten more out of it if the story was stripped of its "fantasy" and presented in a more straightforward way. In this form, I think that the wordless-ness would've been more effective.

In the end I feel as if this comic read more as a work of art, then a comic.

Week 6: Underground Comix

I was rather excited this week to dive into underground comics, as they push the envelope of political correctness and live in their own little world of publishing whatever they want. I started out by reading through the proto-underground Tijuana Bibles. I found this experience to be very different from any comic I've ever seen/read. These comics were written by and for adults, in a time in which pornography wasn't necessarily present. In this aspect it was interesting seeing comics used for this purpose, and it seems to play up the versatility of comics.

After this, I moved onto Gay Comix #1-3. After reading the Tijuana Bibles, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. That being said I found myself rather surprised by the material. The comics were written and drawn by LGBT artists, some of the comics were raunchy, however, some of them were merely just comics with LGBT representation. Published in the 1980s, it was clear that these comics were a source of community in a time in which many of these people were in hiding. In that sense, I can understand how these comics must've been very important at the time.

One of the most interesting comics for me in the book, was one that talked about a transgender author and his life. I can only imagine in the 80s how much of a struggle it must've been being transgender, and hearing first hand about it–written in the period–was very compelling to me. The experience was like going into a time machine, through the art style and first person description, it felt very sincere and personal. It is nice to see comics as an outlet for LGBT individuals to connect with each other and build a community in a time in which they were facing persecution from the outside world.

Week 5: The Emergence of the Graphic Novel

This week I read the graphic novel, Contract With God by Will Eisner. I found this story to be incredibly compelling and well done.

From the start I was blown away by the extremely detailed and expressive illustrations. I especially enjoyed how Eisner rendered water and rain in his work. His drawings have a very natural and emotional feel, and the colorless pen and ink help with that.

As a graphic design major, I always find myself analyzing the use of typography in art. That being said I found this graphic novel to have a very interesting use of type. The narrative story floats overtop of all the pictures, becoming a part of the illustration itself. In some of the frames, the text even interacts with the story and setting (such as the text bleeding when it's raining). The narrative font is also handwritten, adding a deep, personal sense to what is being said.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Will Eisner’s style in which he presents his stories. The illustrative qualities add a sense of depth that might be absent in a traditional comic format. I’ve never seen a similar style before, and I found myself more invested in the story because of it.

Week 4: The Comic Book

This week I decided to look into Hergé's work and read The Adventures of Tin Tin: Explorers on The Moon. I was excited to reach this point in the curriculum, as I'm an avid comic book reader, and this format is the most familiar to me.

The first thing that stuck out to me about this reading, were the vibrant—and plentiful—colors. Yes colors were present in the past readings we've done, but typically they were muted pastels, or just straight up black and white to save on printing costs.

I found the familiarity of the comic incredibly pleasing, and that came from multiple aspects. First, obviously the layout. The use of familiar dialogue boxes and directional lines gave a feeling of a contemporary comic book. As a side note, I also found it incredible interesting how the artist changes font between the narrator bubbles and the speech bubbles. Typically I've seen the bubbles change shape, or the text italicize, but in this comic the narrator's voice is in cursive. I've never seen this before, but I found it an interesting–and pleasing–element.

Aside from that, the main character, Tin Tin, and his dog Snowy, also felt very real and familiar. Prior to this, my only knowlege of Tin Tin was the (creepily motion capture animated) movie that came out six years ago. That being said, while reading the comic, I felt like I knew this character and had known him for quite a while, despite my lack of knowledge beforehand.

Week 3: The Comic Strip

This week I read a collection of Mickey Mouse Dailies, the Sacred Jewel. Personally, I thought it was incredibly interesting seeing a character that I know, in a form that I wasn't previously familiar with.

In contrast to the word-less comics we read the first week, it is clear that Walt uses words full force in his comics. Rounded boxes of type are in practically every frame, yet their hand-written-look doesn't distract from the beautiful compositions in each frame. As a designer, along with the graphics, the type is what I tended to gravitate towards. I appreciated the recaps at the beginning of the strips (since they were published each day), and how the writing is done so that the reader is reading in that characters voice. Words are spelled phonetically how the character would say them. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and although it was hard to read at times, I found it much more interesting and unique.

Aside from the type, I also appreciated the styling of the comic. Each character was so uniquely styled and designed that the reader was never left confused as to who was talking in each frame. With only black and white at Walt's disposal, he was able to create depth and contrast with the use of grays and harsh filled blacks.

Through the use of dynamic poses and descriptive words, Walt Disney found success with his Mickey Mouse comics. It's not surprise that this title character became a celebrity. Perhaps it was my knowledge of the character before reading, but I found these strips to read like a chopped up animation.

Week 2: The Rooster's Laughter

The Rooster's Laughter by Max Ernst

1. Woman poses in dance-like graceful form while rooster balances on a ball, next to basket of eggs.
2. Rooster-man looks over sleeping/dead/unconscious girl, rooster watches.
3. Girl is burried under the floor while 2 rooster people, and naked woman look upon her. Rooster is not shown.
4. Rooster-people look upon statuesque naked woman, she looks sick.
5. Dead looking woman pictured in bedroom on the floor, Rooster-man is shown yelling with arms raised.
6. Woman dances while Rooster-man looks upon her from behind a door.
7. Rooster-man sits with two women at the theatre.
8. 2 women hide from Rooster-monster, goose head sticking out of woman's back.
9. Man pulls at Skeleton, skeleton is holding another skeleton, another figure is pictures looking off panel, seems uninterested. Rooster is pictures on floor looking upon them.
10. Rooster-men are grabbing women, unconsentually.
11. Rooster-men tied up another fellow bird-man.
12. Rooster-men have a woman tied up, looks tortured.
13. Women are shooting at one another, roosters standing around.
14. Rooster-man pointing at body of woman hung.
15. Rooster-man is pictured hung in a bedroom. The bedroom of the woman on the floor? Lovers?
16. Rooster-men raise flag above city.

Perhaps a commentary on animal abuse, the treatment of Chickens and Roosters by humans.

Week 2: Understanding Comics

After reading Understand Comics this week, I found it was full of interesting and thought provoking ideas that I had never encountered before. Specifically, there was a section in which icons are discussed. The comic mentions icons and the simplification of pictures. Specific and realistic images of people speak to only a few, however, abstracting and simplifying forms allows people to more easily identify with an image of a human. “The more cartoony a face, for instance, the more people it could be said to describe.” 

Humans are self centered and see themselves in everything. Even simply adding a dot to a shape can make the mind think you’re staring at a face. I found this aspect of the chapter incredibly interesting because I have often found myself seeing faces and human-like shapes in objects, but never really stopped to question why and how. It’s pretty amazing how simple and abstract shapes can convey such a complex thought. The comic continues to go on about the human face, and how when looking at others we are constantly analyzing their facial features, but our own features remain blurry and “cartoonish” to ourselves. That being said, when thinking of others, we see a vivid image in our minds, however, when it comes to ourselves, we identify more with cartoons, and less detailed imagery. Although I agree, I’m not sure how accurate this is. With mirrors and photographs, I believe its pretty easy to know the details of ones’ own face, however, I can see how in conversation you wouldn’t have as vivid of an image of yourself as you would the person you were talking to. You can identify with a cartoon, but I believe you can also identify others with cartoons. Furthermore, the comic describes our fascination with cartoons from a child. After identifying with cartoons, we become them. 

This led me to thinking, perhaps comics aren’t imitating us, maybe we’re imitating them?