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.