In recent years, the world has seen a substantial rise in web comics, which are comics created by individuals who generally publish online one page at a time. Many of them, however, are generally never finished and are dropped. Web comics can be considered the modern form of the popular comic strip and will more than likely one day completely replace them. When trying to choose one to read for this week, I found that there were many, many options to pick from. I eventually decided on the popular web comic - Bad Machinery.
Bad Machinery is written by John Allison and acts as a sort of sequel to his previous comic, Scary Go Round, and follows a similar premise. Like Scary Go Round, Bad Machinery consists of numerous cases and mysteries and follows groups of detectives trying to solve them. However, in this series, the detectives are young kids and teens, with one group consisting of boys while the girls make up the second. Each case takes place during the school term and generally reflects on topics and struggles of adolescents. Like many web comics, Bad machinery focuses more on humor and funny, yet sometimes surreal, situations. While both groups of kids are sometimes working on the same, mystery or dilemma, they generally start off with different leads and usually have different focuses, such as the boy's focus more on things like catching monsters, while the girls focus more on emotional issues and connections. Despite the main mystery theme, the comic also has plenty of comedic slice of life moments where we see the kids trying to get through life and the school term.
Generally, I don't find web comics that interesting, and the inconsistent page updates and the fact that many of these comics are left unfinished leave me having a hard time truly getting interested in them. However, I did find much more enjoyment out of Bad Machinery than other works that I had previously read. Even if I don't end up coming back to read more, I think others, specifically a much younger audience and those that are experiencing similar issues through their school life, will be able to relate to this piece much more and thoroughly enjoy it.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
This week, while focusing on superhero comics, I read numerous works such as Watchmen and the Fables series. While I thoroughly enjoyed them and plan to read more of them, the piece, Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth impressed me the most. Arkham Asylum is a Batman piece from 1989, written by Grant Morrison (with this being his first Batman story before becoming a regular writer for the series) and illustrated by Dave McKean.
The story follows Batman, who is called in to help deal with a riot where all of the inmates have recently taken over Gotham's psychiatric hospital, Arkham Asylum, which houses all of Gotham's most dangerous criminals and Batman's Rogue Gallery. Once inside, Batman confronts all of his foes and sees the effects that living in the asylum has caused. Here we see characters such as The Joker, Mad Hatter, Killer Croc, and worst of all, Harvey Dent aka Two-Face, who has become so broken that he can't make a decision on anything, even on going to the bathroom, due to having his trademark coin taken away and being replaced by a six-sided die, and later a deck of tarot cards. Batman is forced to go on the run and is constantly forced to fend off the other inmates who are trying to kill him. While Batman is fighting his way through Arkham Asylum, we get a look at the creation of the asylum and the history of its founder, Amadeus Arkham. Here, Amadeus tells the story of his late mother and both of their struggles with her insanity and the story of his wife and daughter who are eventually tortured and murdered by an escaped inmate that Amadeus psychologically evaluated earlier while he is in the process of converting his childhood home into Gotham's future asylum. Amadeus's own decent into madness is depicted in the story as well.
I was already intrigued by this story before I initially read it since this book served as the initial inspiration for the Batman: Arkham video game series, which has become one of my favorite video games to play in the last few years. While the two do differ quite a bit from each other, the basic premise remains the same, specifically the story of Amadeus Arkham. However, I did enjoy the comic book version much more as I felt it dove into his mind much more vividly, allowing the readers to visually see and feel Amadeus tragic story of loss and insanity. In fact, compared to the video game, I felt that the comic focuses much more on Amadeus himself instead of Batman. Another thing I really enjoyed is the art direction. The art itself is very gritty and surreal and while I'm not a fan this design choice on some of the characters such as The Joker, it leaves a very great effect on Batman. Here, the artist basically leaves Batman entirely in silhouette, never showing any of his details excepts for some small ones once in a while, such as the bottom of his mouth in close ups. Because of this, I feel that it heavily pushes the ideals and goals that Batman himself strives to have, as well as it giving the readers a look into the mind of Gotham's insane and it's citizens, allowing us to see Batman more through their eyes.
In closing, I found Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth to be quite enjoyable. I personally felt that it is not so much as a Batman story, but more of a story of Gotham City's past, specifically the life of a very important figure, who, for the most part, is never seen alive in the Batman serials. It also gives us a good look into the mind of the mentally ill similar to the graphic novel, Batman: The Killing Joke. However this story focus more on the thought of preexisting insanity, those trying to cure them, and the damages that result from these so-called cures and procedures. Overall, I think this is a very good piece which differentiates itself enough for those who really don't care for superhero comics or would prefer a different type of subject. I believe that they would be able to find enjoyment in reading this piece.
The story follows Batman, who is called in to help deal with a riot where all of the inmates have recently taken over Gotham's psychiatric hospital, Arkham Asylum, which houses all of Gotham's most dangerous criminals and Batman's Rogue Gallery. Once inside, Batman confronts all of his foes and sees the effects that living in the asylum has caused. Here we see characters such as The Joker, Mad Hatter, Killer Croc, and worst of all, Harvey Dent aka Two-Face, who has become so broken that he can't make a decision on anything, even on going to the bathroom, due to having his trademark coin taken away and being replaced by a six-sided die, and later a deck of tarot cards. Batman is forced to go on the run and is constantly forced to fend off the other inmates who are trying to kill him. While Batman is fighting his way through Arkham Asylum, we get a look at the creation of the asylum and the history of its founder, Amadeus Arkham. Here, Amadeus tells the story of his late mother and both of their struggles with her insanity and the story of his wife and daughter who are eventually tortured and murdered by an escaped inmate that Amadeus psychologically evaluated earlier while he is in the process of converting his childhood home into Gotham's future asylum. Amadeus's own decent into madness is depicted in the story as well.
I was already intrigued by this story before I initially read it since this book served as the initial inspiration for the Batman: Arkham video game series, which has become one of my favorite video games to play in the last few years. While the two do differ quite a bit from each other, the basic premise remains the same, specifically the story of Amadeus Arkham. However, I did enjoy the comic book version much more as I felt it dove into his mind much more vividly, allowing the readers to visually see and feel Amadeus tragic story of loss and insanity. In fact, compared to the video game, I felt that the comic focuses much more on Amadeus himself instead of Batman. Another thing I really enjoyed is the art direction. The art itself is very gritty and surreal and while I'm not a fan this design choice on some of the characters such as The Joker, it leaves a very great effect on Batman. Here, the artist basically leaves Batman entirely in silhouette, never showing any of his details excepts for some small ones once in a while, such as the bottom of his mouth in close ups. Because of this, I feel that it heavily pushes the ideals and goals that Batman himself strives to have, as well as it giving the readers a look into the mind of Gotham's insane and it's citizens, allowing us to see Batman more through their eyes.
In closing, I found Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth to be quite enjoyable. I personally felt that it is not so much as a Batman story, but more of a story of Gotham City's past, specifically the life of a very important figure, who, for the most part, is never seen alive in the Batman serials. It also gives us a good look into the mind of the mentally ill similar to the graphic novel, Batman: The Killing Joke. However this story focus more on the thought of preexisting insanity, those trying to cure them, and the damages that result from these so-called cures and procedures. Overall, I think this is a very good piece which differentiates itself enough for those who really don't care for superhero comics or would prefer a different type of subject. I believe that they would be able to find enjoyment in reading this piece.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Batman: The Killing Joke
For this specific entry of this blog, I was tasked with thoroughly analyzing the critically acclaimed comic in DC's long time series of Batman comics, Batman: The Killing Joke, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland.
Batman: The Killing Joke is a 1988 one shot graphic novel created by Moore and Bolland as their personal take on The Joker's own origins and his decent into madness. The Joker in the main Batman series has never had any sort of past revealed about him even to this day. This work has become so popular that it has since become the definitive origin story for The Joker by fans and has even had many of its elements and setups adapted into the main Batman continuity.
The Killing Joke explains that at one point, The Joker was a poor, failing stand up comedian, desperate to earn enough money to support his pregnant wife and their unborn child. Eventually, he is convinced by a pair of mobsters to help them break into a chemical plant, where the comedian had worked at a prior time, so that they can rob the playing card company next door. In order to accomplish this, as well as to set up the comedian as the fall guy, the mobsters have the comedian disguised as the infamous mob boss, the "Red Hood". However, the comedian soon learns from the police that his wife has tragically died in a household electrical accident, leaving him devastated. Losing the will to continue through with the plan, he tries to back out, but the mobsters force him to continue. Upon arrival at the plant, they are discovered and the mobsters are quickly dealt with by security, while the comedian falls into the polluted river after being confronted by Batman. The comedian soon washes ashore, with his body transformed by the chemicals, and with him remembering his deceased wife and child, the comedian breaks down into madness, becoming The Joker.
While The Joker's origins are told to the readers through various flashbacks, we also see The Joker enact his most recent plan, which he puts into motion. We start off in Arkham Asylum, where Batman goes to talk with The Joker about their feud, and that they need to end it. However, it is revealed that The Joker he is talking to is an impostor, and that the real Joker has escaped. Soon after, The Joker visits the home of Commissioner Gordon, shoots his daughter Barbara, leaving her paralyzed, and proceeds to kidnap Gordon and take him to an abandoned carnival. Here, Gordon is striped naked, drugged, and tortured, both physically and mentally, in order to drive Gordon insane. Batman eventually rescues Gordon after The Joker gives him a clue. He pursues The Joker after Gordon is still shown to be sane despite his ordeal and wants The Joker brought in by the books. Batman eventually subdues The Joker and tries to reach out to him and help him recover so that they can finally end their everlasting war. The Joker declines, saying it's too late and proceeds to tell a joke. Batman chuckles at the punchline and the ending is left ambiguous, but could either be interpreted as Batman breaking The Joker's neck or just symbolizing that nothing has changed.
After reading the story, my reactions have left me in a state of pity for the characters, especially The Joker. The Joker is my favorite comic villain of all time. Whether he is being portrayed as a mob boss, a simple prankster, or a mentally insane person, he is always an interesting character despite never having an actual origin in the main Batman serials. But, in The Killing Joke, it really tugged at my heartstrings as we see him lose everything, both his family and his mind. I also enjoyed how it explored the idea that, psychologically, Batman and The Joker are mirror images of one another and how they come to terms with their tragedies and how it leads them to their present selves. I also enjoyed the end with Gordon as it showed that despite The Joker's belief that there is something inside every lunatic, and that it's just waiting to spring out, one can overcome the tragedies and keep their sanity.
I made several connections with this story, but the parallels between the two main characters and how one bad day can change everything really stuck with me the most. In the main story, both Batman and The Joker lose their families, and while either of the two could have ended up the same way as the other, they each go off in their own way. Bruce Wayne decides to live on and eventually becomes Batman to help others and end crime and corruption. The Joker, on the other hand, is driven to the point of complete insanity due to his grief and trauma and wishes to bring others to the brink as well. If a similar event were to ever happen to me in my life, I don't think I would ever end up that way to that extreme. I would hope that I would follow in the ideals and mind set of Bruce/Batman. I have also seen people fall to the other side of the coin in this parallel, and I feel that by seeing them, it motivates me more to try and keep my more positive frame of mind and not end up the same way.
If I were to adapt this comic into a different medium, I would definitely like to see it made into a film. While recently The Killing Joke has gotten an animated movie, it included numerous additions not from the comic that were unnecessary, which ended up bringing the film down. Since an animated movie was just recently made, I think a live action version could be amazing. Personally, I would keep it more like the original source material. Instead of adding things such as a clunky first half, I would instead expand upon certain sections such as Batman's search for Gordon and Gordon's torture by The Joker. I would also try and keep an R rating, making it as dark and violent as possible while staying true to the comic. Since it would be live action instead of an animated film, the audience would probably be affected by it even more. However, I also feel that even if it were to get a live action adaption, because it's a Batman property, the owners of the film rights would never allow an R rated live action version to exist and would severely tone it down to a PG-13 rating so as to market it more towards younger people and sell more merchandise. I feel it would be edited so much that it would be unrecognizable and effectively ruin the artist's original message. However, I would still love to see a live action film version true to the source material.
In closing, I absolutely loved Batman: The Killing Joke and the numerous themes and ideas that finally give one of my favorite characters not only a proper past, but an emotional one. This comic is a great read, especially for those struggling or interested in insanity and loss. It also has numerous potential for being adapted into other forms of media. I encourage anyone, even those who aren't Batman or superhero fans to give this a look. I doubt they will be disappointed.
Batman: The Killing Joke is a 1988 one shot graphic novel created by Moore and Bolland as their personal take on The Joker's own origins and his decent into madness. The Joker in the main Batman series has never had any sort of past revealed about him even to this day. This work has become so popular that it has since become the definitive origin story for The Joker by fans and has even had many of its elements and setups adapted into the main Batman continuity.
The Killing Joke explains that at one point, The Joker was a poor, failing stand up comedian, desperate to earn enough money to support his pregnant wife and their unborn child. Eventually, he is convinced by a pair of mobsters to help them break into a chemical plant, where the comedian had worked at a prior time, so that they can rob the playing card company next door. In order to accomplish this, as well as to set up the comedian as the fall guy, the mobsters have the comedian disguised as the infamous mob boss, the "Red Hood". However, the comedian soon learns from the police that his wife has tragically died in a household electrical accident, leaving him devastated. Losing the will to continue through with the plan, he tries to back out, but the mobsters force him to continue. Upon arrival at the plant, they are discovered and the mobsters are quickly dealt with by security, while the comedian falls into the polluted river after being confronted by Batman. The comedian soon washes ashore, with his body transformed by the chemicals, and with him remembering his deceased wife and child, the comedian breaks down into madness, becoming The Joker.
While The Joker's origins are told to the readers through various flashbacks, we also see The Joker enact his most recent plan, which he puts into motion. We start off in Arkham Asylum, where Batman goes to talk with The Joker about their feud, and that they need to end it. However, it is revealed that The Joker he is talking to is an impostor, and that the real Joker has escaped. Soon after, The Joker visits the home of Commissioner Gordon, shoots his daughter Barbara, leaving her paralyzed, and proceeds to kidnap Gordon and take him to an abandoned carnival. Here, Gordon is striped naked, drugged, and tortured, both physically and mentally, in order to drive Gordon insane. Batman eventually rescues Gordon after The Joker gives him a clue. He pursues The Joker after Gordon is still shown to be sane despite his ordeal and wants The Joker brought in by the books. Batman eventually subdues The Joker and tries to reach out to him and help him recover so that they can finally end their everlasting war. The Joker declines, saying it's too late and proceeds to tell a joke. Batman chuckles at the punchline and the ending is left ambiguous, but could either be interpreted as Batman breaking The Joker's neck or just symbolizing that nothing has changed.
After reading the story, my reactions have left me in a state of pity for the characters, especially The Joker. The Joker is my favorite comic villain of all time. Whether he is being portrayed as a mob boss, a simple prankster, or a mentally insane person, he is always an interesting character despite never having an actual origin in the main Batman serials. But, in The Killing Joke, it really tugged at my heartstrings as we see him lose everything, both his family and his mind. I also enjoyed how it explored the idea that, psychologically, Batman and The Joker are mirror images of one another and how they come to terms with their tragedies and how it leads them to their present selves. I also enjoyed the end with Gordon as it showed that despite The Joker's belief that there is something inside every lunatic, and that it's just waiting to spring out, one can overcome the tragedies and keep their sanity.
I made several connections with this story, but the parallels between the two main characters and how one bad day can change everything really stuck with me the most. In the main story, both Batman and The Joker lose their families, and while either of the two could have ended up the same way as the other, they each go off in their own way. Bruce Wayne decides to live on and eventually becomes Batman to help others and end crime and corruption. The Joker, on the other hand, is driven to the point of complete insanity due to his grief and trauma and wishes to bring others to the brink as well. If a similar event were to ever happen to me in my life, I don't think I would ever end up that way to that extreme. I would hope that I would follow in the ideals and mind set of Bruce/Batman. I have also seen people fall to the other side of the coin in this parallel, and I feel that by seeing them, it motivates me more to try and keep my more positive frame of mind and not end up the same way.
If I were to adapt this comic into a different medium, I would definitely like to see it made into a film. While recently The Killing Joke has gotten an animated movie, it included numerous additions not from the comic that were unnecessary, which ended up bringing the film down. Since an animated movie was just recently made, I think a live action version could be amazing. Personally, I would keep it more like the original source material. Instead of adding things such as a clunky first half, I would instead expand upon certain sections such as Batman's search for Gordon and Gordon's torture by The Joker. I would also try and keep an R rating, making it as dark and violent as possible while staying true to the comic. Since it would be live action instead of an animated film, the audience would probably be affected by it even more. However, I also feel that even if it were to get a live action adaption, because it's a Batman property, the owners of the film rights would never allow an R rated live action version to exist and would severely tone it down to a PG-13 rating so as to market it more towards younger people and sell more merchandise. I feel it would be edited so much that it would be unrecognizable and effectively ruin the artist's original message. However, I would still love to see a live action film version true to the source material.
In closing, I absolutely loved Batman: The Killing Joke and the numerous themes and ideas that finally give one of my favorite characters not only a proper past, but an emotional one. This comic is a great read, especially for those struggling or interested in insanity and loss. It also has numerous potential for being adapted into other forms of media. I encourage anyone, even those who aren't Batman or superhero fans to give this a look. I doubt they will be disappointed.
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Women's Comics - This One Summer
Over the years, women's comics have been becoming more and more popular and meaningful. Of the numerous ones available, I found This One Summer by the pair of cousins, Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki, to be highly enjoyable and relatable to it's target audience.
This One Summer follows a young girl named Rose and is told from her perspective. Every summer, Rose and her family go to a cottage in Awago where she spends time with her summer friend Windy and her family. During this particular summer, they begin to explore their new growing interest in boys, as well as the emotional hurdles of both themselves and the adults around them. Most of the adults and teenagers shown are portrayed as sad and "burnt-out" role models.
The biggest issue that seems to persist is the various changes that come with childbirth and how it affects different people, as well how those particular people soon affect others around them. For example, the majority of the book follows Rose's relationship with her mother. Her Mother has recently become quite depressed whenever they visit Awaggo and refuses to even go in the water anymore, which begins to put a strain on the entire family, especially Rose. Despite some misunderstandings, it is later revealed that the mother's depression and refusal to go into the water is due to having a miscarriage the previous Summer. Rose was not told due to how early it was in the pregnancy stage. Rose also deals with pregnancy itself and how it effects people when one of the teenaged locals suddenly gets pregnant, and her boyfriend refuses to do anything. The relationship becomes so bad that it gets to the point that the pregnant girl wishes to commit suicide.
Despite being a guy, I found This One Summer to be very enjoyable. The art alone is amazing and simple, seemingly taking some inspiration from Japanese manga, making it feel very natural and relatable. I felt that it perfectly portrayed how young girls and women really are in life, and I enjoyed how it showed them handling such a difficult topic and their thought process. There is no doubt that pregnancy is a wonderful thing, but it is also one of the most stressful and life changing experiences that anyone could have, especially when one is a young child. This comic perfectly shows this topic from both sides, the side of life and the side of death, and how it effects everyone. Overall, I definitely recommend this piece to any young girl, or any woman for that matter, either just in general or dealing with similar issues. I even feel that guys would enjoy reading this as well, despite being aimed more towards women.
Asterios Poylp by David Mazzucchelli
This week, I dove into the works of famed cartoonist and writer, David Mazzucchelli, particularly into one of his finest, yet more recent works, the graphic novel known as Asterios Polyp.
Asterios Polyp follows the life of the title character, an architect and college professor of Greek and Italian descent, with the uncanny ability to learn and memorize anything he reads. Despite winning numerous awards for his works, in actuality, though, none of Asterios's projects have ever actually been built. After his apartment burns down in a fire due to a lightning strike, Asterios takes a one way trip as far as his money can take him to the town of Apogee, where he quickly gets a job as an assistant auto mechanic, with his new boss providing room and board for him as well. While he works in Apogee, he goes on a soul searching journey as the story goes back and forth between the present day and to his past with his childhood and his troubled married life with his ex-wife Hana, a fellow college professor working in the sculpture department. We also learn that Asterios had a stillborn twin brother named Ignazio with whom, all throughout the book, Asterios has numerous visions and discussions. It is also implied at some parts in the story that Ignazio acts as the narrator during the flashback sequences.
Asterios Polyp is a very well done graphic novel. Probably one of the best aspects is the story itself, which has a unity to it, as well as explores the ideas of duality and other groups such as reason vs emotion, destiny vs free will, and many, many more. There is so much information being thrown at the reader that one almost needs to read the book multiple times in order to soak in all of the information and understand it. Due to the character's Greek heritage, this also plays a part in the story, with the Greek tale of Orpheus being a reoccuring theme. Another aspect that stuck out to me was the art and the direction the artist took with it, something that David Mazzucchelli is known for. The standard art used all throughout the comic is quit simple, but very nice and appealing. However, all throughout the piece, the two main characters, Asterios and his wife Hana, will, at times, distort into a completely different style, usually matching their personalty and occupation. This seems to happen when one of them goes all out in discussing one of their own ideas or beliefs, but it also seems to occur whenever their relationship takes a rocky, sometimes distant turn. Due to being very stiff and analytical, as well as his occupation as an architect, Asterios's body takes the form of more geometrical shapes, while the more artistic Hana becomes softer and more like a smudgy, oil painting. The color choices used are also very interesting and help with the idea of unity. The artist uses just the three colors, blue, pink, and yellow, with blue being the main color asterios is drawn with and pink for Hana, while yellow is often used in places like the modern day in Apogee and the numerous sequences with Ignazio.
Overall, I found Asterios Polyp to be a very interesting piece, in both regards to its story and its art direction. Both are fun and unique and are quite appealing to the readers. It also features many unique characters, and its approach on the topic of stillborn twins and its focus on the subject and symbolism of duality and relationships makes an interesting read.
Asterios Polyp follows the life of the title character, an architect and college professor of Greek and Italian descent, with the uncanny ability to learn and memorize anything he reads. Despite winning numerous awards for his works, in actuality, though, none of Asterios's projects have ever actually been built. After his apartment burns down in a fire due to a lightning strike, Asterios takes a one way trip as far as his money can take him to the town of Apogee, where he quickly gets a job as an assistant auto mechanic, with his new boss providing room and board for him as well. While he works in Apogee, he goes on a soul searching journey as the story goes back and forth between the present day and to his past with his childhood and his troubled married life with his ex-wife Hana, a fellow college professor working in the sculpture department. We also learn that Asterios had a stillborn twin brother named Ignazio with whom, all throughout the book, Asterios has numerous visions and discussions. It is also implied at some parts in the story that Ignazio acts as the narrator during the flashback sequences.
Asterios Polyp is a very well done graphic novel. Probably one of the best aspects is the story itself, which has a unity to it, as well as explores the ideas of duality and other groups such as reason vs emotion, destiny vs free will, and many, many more. There is so much information being thrown at the reader that one almost needs to read the book multiple times in order to soak in all of the information and understand it. Due to the character's Greek heritage, this also plays a part in the story, with the Greek tale of Orpheus being a reoccuring theme. Another aspect that stuck out to me was the art and the direction the artist took with it, something that David Mazzucchelli is known for. The standard art used all throughout the comic is quit simple, but very nice and appealing. However, all throughout the piece, the two main characters, Asterios and his wife Hana, will, at times, distort into a completely different style, usually matching their personalty and occupation. This seems to happen when one of them goes all out in discussing one of their own ideas or beliefs, but it also seems to occur whenever their relationship takes a rocky, sometimes distant turn. Due to being very stiff and analytical, as well as his occupation as an architect, Asterios's body takes the form of more geometrical shapes, while the more artistic Hana becomes softer and more like a smudgy, oil painting. The color choices used are also very interesting and help with the idea of unity. The artist uses just the three colors, blue, pink, and yellow, with blue being the main color asterios is drawn with and pink for Hana, while yellow is often used in places like the modern day in Apogee and the numerous sequences with Ignazio.
Overall, I found Asterios Polyp to be a very interesting piece, in both regards to its story and its art direction. Both are fun and unique and are quite appealing to the readers. It also features many unique characters, and its approach on the topic of stillborn twins and its focus on the subject and symbolism of duality and relationships makes an interesting read.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Manga - Ranma ½ and Phoenix
Among the various forms of comic books, I find Japanese Manga to be some of my absolute favorites for numerous reasons. For example, unlike American comics, there are almost no forms of reboots, there is generally just one main story and one origin story. They are different from American comics like Batman or Superman where we basically have over a hundred retellings of the exact same story. Manga generally don't do any form of reboots, and instead, a story will often get either a direct sequel or a comedic spinoff. This way characters and stories can continue to develop, and the reader can become more interested without causing boredom. Manga are also read from right to left instead of the traditional western left to right. Surprisingly, many non-Japanese readers actually find it easier to read this way.
This week, I read multiple chapters and manga series of various genres. Particularly, I focused on two specific classic works, Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi and Phoenix by Osamu Tezuka.
Rumiko Takahashi is considered to be one of Japan's most affluential manga artists and is the best selling female comic artist in history. She has won numerous awards for her works, such as Urusei Yatsura and Inuyasha and, of course, Ranma ½. Ranma ½ is a martial arts/ romantic comedy that follows the life of the teenage Ranma after his return from training in China with his father and his adjustment to a new school and a new fiancé. However, it turns out that Ranma has been afflicted by an ancient Chinese curse, which causes him to instantly switch genders into a female whenever he is splashed with cold water, with hot water reversing him back. As the series goes on, Ranma encounters others with the same curse as him, who either turn into various different animals or genders depending on that particular individual's variation of the curse, as well as numerous other female suitors.
Phoenix is the life's work of Osamu Tezuka, the godfather of anime and Japan's equivalent to Walt Disney, who was also a major inspiration to the artist. He is known for many series such as Astro Boy, Black Jack, Kimba the White Lion, and many, many more. However, he considered Phoenix to be his magna opus. Sadly, Osamu Tezuak passed away from stomach cancer in 1989, leaving Phoenix unfinished. Phoenix is a beautiful piece, with each volume focusing on a different story in either the distant past or the far future. However, each story is connected by their various themes of life, death, and rebirth, as well as the inclusion of the god-like Phoenix, who appears in every story.
Overall, I personally love manga and how they handle their characters and stories, as well as the vast amount of genres they cover. There is literally a manga for everyone, and I encourage anyone to give it a try and read some such as Ranma ½ and definitely Phoenix. Both are some of the world's best manga, and they both can leave a deep, emotional impact on the reader.
This week, I read multiple chapters and manga series of various genres. Particularly, I focused on two specific classic works, Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi and Phoenix by Osamu Tezuka.
Rumiko Takahashi is considered to be one of Japan's most affluential manga artists and is the best selling female comic artist in history. She has won numerous awards for her works, such as Urusei Yatsura and Inuyasha and, of course, Ranma ½. Ranma ½ is a martial arts/ romantic comedy that follows the life of the teenage Ranma after his return from training in China with his father and his adjustment to a new school and a new fiancé. However, it turns out that Ranma has been afflicted by an ancient Chinese curse, which causes him to instantly switch genders into a female whenever he is splashed with cold water, with hot water reversing him back. As the series goes on, Ranma encounters others with the same curse as him, who either turn into various different animals or genders depending on that particular individual's variation of the curse, as well as numerous other female suitors.
Phoenix is the life's work of Osamu Tezuka, the godfather of anime and Japan's equivalent to Walt Disney, who was also a major inspiration to the artist. He is known for many series such as Astro Boy, Black Jack, Kimba the White Lion, and many, many more. However, he considered Phoenix to be his magna opus. Sadly, Osamu Tezuak passed away from stomach cancer in 1989, leaving Phoenix unfinished. Phoenix is a beautiful piece, with each volume focusing on a different story in either the distant past or the far future. However, each story is connected by their various themes of life, death, and rebirth, as well as the inclusion of the god-like Phoenix, who appears in every story.
Overall, I personally love manga and how they handle their characters and stories, as well as the vast amount of genres they cover. There is literally a manga for everyone, and I encourage anyone to give it a try and read some such as Ranma ½ and definitely Phoenix. Both are some of the world's best manga, and they both can leave a deep, emotional impact on the reader.
Monday, October 17, 2016
The Dormant Beast by Enki Bilal
This week when we decided to take a look at various European comics, The Dormant Beast, by Enki Bilal, seemed like a very excellent work, and reviews that I saw seemed favorable, so I was excited to read it. Sadly, I was wrong. The Dormant Beast takes place in the dystopian future of New York in the year 2023, plagued by radical terrorist attacks. The main character is a man named Nike Hatzfield, who has the ability to perfectly recall everything from his past since before the day he was born. Throughout the novel he recalls the events from the first 18 days of his life, with him being orphaned and sharing a crib with the other main characters, a man named Amir and a woman named Leyla. There is also the main antagonist, Dr. Warhole, who leads the radical religious terrorist group, the Eradicators. Their goal seems to be the destruction of anything from thought, culture, science, and memories, and they brainwash and/or kill people with a series of flies. Warhole's master plan is to use Nike as a human bomb to destroy a site known as the Eagle Site. Enki Bilal also uses a very interesting and cool art style using an almost surreal, chalk like art.
While this sounds very interesting, I found the end result to be a confusing mess, which barely kept my interest. I felt that there were so many missed opportunities to make this great.
In the book, Nike recounts events/moments from the first 18 days of his life. However, these are shown as small, simple text boxes scattered at random sections of the story. Now, this wouldn't be so bad if the panels that they were paired with were, at least subjectively, related to the topic being discussed. But, for the most part, they are completely unrelated to each other. This really disappointed me as this could have created and shown the reader some very interesting imagery, especially with the fun and unique art style, but instead the text box and panels clash with each other. This kept confusing me and had me forgetting what was supposed to be going on or any message that was supposed to be conveyed, which I find ironic since this is supposed to be about memories and remembering. I whole heartily believe that when it come to both film and comics, that one needs to "Show, Not Tell", and I think this piece is a prime example of what not to do.
While I said that a work should "Show, Not Tell", surprisingly, the opposite also applies to it as well. This piece has a lot of dialogue, but most of the time I found that there were numerous inconsistencies or parts and goals that are never explained at all. For instance, it is safe to say that the main antagonist's main goal in this book is to find and destroy a site known as the Eagle Site. It's never really mentioned as to why he wants to destroy it. The book implies that the site is related to extraterrestrial life and the possibility of disproving the existence of a single deity. Now, this wouldn't be so bad, however, all of these facts on the Eagle Site are a part of a small single panel of a computer file. Basically everything other than the two parts I mentioned are locked, classified, and never explained further than that, and we never come back to it. Even Dr. Warhole, who leads the Religious Eradicators, surprisingly isn't portrayed being shown with any religious factors or ideologies. It is more like that he is just using the Eradicators for his own goals. In fact, he never really goes into any depth on why he wants to destroy the Eagle Site. He just suddenly announces in one panel that he will find it and destroy it, with no real context given or thoroughly explained.
I could go on forever detailing all of the issues that I found, such as the fact that all of the characters were boring and, for the most part, emotionless, and that two of the three main characters are barely in this comic. The three never interact with each other except for a quick meeting with two of them in the very last panel. Now I understand that this is only the first part of a trilogy of books in this story, and I am sure that things are explained and revealed further, as well as improved development with it's characters as the story goes on. But, I found this piece to be such a failure, it leaves me to wonder if anyone would want to continue the series.
In television and books, both regular and comics, the beginning is one of the most important parts as it is supposed to create interest of the world and its characters with viewers in its own way. I found that The Dormant Beast to not have any of its establishing aspects, or at least they were not done well. Enki Bilal is known to be a very great and successful artist and author, and I look forward to reading some of his better work such as The Nikopol Trilogy and The Hunting Party. There is no doubt in my mind that The Dormant Beast is perhaps his weakest work and, unlike the others, I have absolutely no desire to continue the stories from The Beast Trilogy.
While this sounds very interesting, I found the end result to be a confusing mess, which barely kept my interest. I felt that there were so many missed opportunities to make this great.
In the book, Nike recounts events/moments from the first 18 days of his life. However, these are shown as small, simple text boxes scattered at random sections of the story. Now, this wouldn't be so bad if the panels that they were paired with were, at least subjectively, related to the topic being discussed. But, for the most part, they are completely unrelated to each other. This really disappointed me as this could have created and shown the reader some very interesting imagery, especially with the fun and unique art style, but instead the text box and panels clash with each other. This kept confusing me and had me forgetting what was supposed to be going on or any message that was supposed to be conveyed, which I find ironic since this is supposed to be about memories and remembering. I whole heartily believe that when it come to both film and comics, that one needs to "Show, Not Tell", and I think this piece is a prime example of what not to do.
While I said that a work should "Show, Not Tell", surprisingly, the opposite also applies to it as well. This piece has a lot of dialogue, but most of the time I found that there were numerous inconsistencies or parts and goals that are never explained at all. For instance, it is safe to say that the main antagonist's main goal in this book is to find and destroy a site known as the Eagle Site. It's never really mentioned as to why he wants to destroy it. The book implies that the site is related to extraterrestrial life and the possibility of disproving the existence of a single deity. Now, this wouldn't be so bad, however, all of these facts on the Eagle Site are a part of a small single panel of a computer file. Basically everything other than the two parts I mentioned are locked, classified, and never explained further than that, and we never come back to it. Even Dr. Warhole, who leads the Religious Eradicators, surprisingly isn't portrayed being shown with any religious factors or ideologies. It is more like that he is just using the Eradicators for his own goals. In fact, he never really goes into any depth on why he wants to destroy the Eagle Site. He just suddenly announces in one panel that he will find it and destroy it, with no real context given or thoroughly explained.
I could go on forever detailing all of the issues that I found, such as the fact that all of the characters were boring and, for the most part, emotionless, and that two of the three main characters are barely in this comic. The three never interact with each other except for a quick meeting with two of them in the very last panel. Now I understand that this is only the first part of a trilogy of books in this story, and I am sure that things are explained and revealed further, as well as improved development with it's characters as the story goes on. But, I found this piece to be such a failure, it leaves me to wonder if anyone would want to continue the series.
In television and books, both regular and comics, the beginning is one of the most important parts as it is supposed to create interest of the world and its characters with viewers in its own way. I found that The Dormant Beast to not have any of its establishing aspects, or at least they were not done well. Enki Bilal is known to be a very great and successful artist and author, and I look forward to reading some of his better work such as The Nikopol Trilogy and The Hunting Party. There is no doubt in my mind that The Dormant Beast is perhaps his weakest work and, unlike the others, I have absolutely no desire to continue the stories from The Beast Trilogy.
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Racial Stereotypes and "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi
Racial stereotypes have been found in media for a long time, ever since the beginning stages of popular media such as film, comics, and art. However, for the most part, the characters depicted were given designs and characteristics that were never truly their own, but where more than likely just a quick and cheap way to show an audience that they weren't white and enforce any misconceptions on that particular people. It is a literal example of quantity over quality. For instance, in many works from artists of the 1900s such as Winsor McCay, people of African descent were depicted as extremely black skinned, with large lips, and often depicted as native savages or cannibals, stupid, or the civil war "mammie" archetype, just to name a few. They were also generally shown to speak with a broken English dialect, often in a form of what a white man thought someone from a ghetto talked like instead of how an African American person from that area actually spoke.
When I was growing up, I have, and still do, always seen all people as equal human beings, no one being superior to the other. Concerning media, particularly in comics and movies, there have been many depictions of people, especially of African American people in older media, that I find completely unnecessary, so I enjoy when works such as the comic strip Beetle Bailey by Mort Walker have depicted different races in their own style so that they fit into their world as equals. However, I will say that I am personally against all the radical accusations some people make concerning the appearance on a certain character, sometimes demanding a change in design or a complete removal, especially when said characters were clearly never meant to represent said race to began with or an older icon that represents that dark point in history. Recently in my home town in Texas, there have been many trying to have a statue of a Confederate soldier removed, because some consider it racist. I disagree completely with that action. While I admit it was a horrible time in American History, statues such as these now serve as a reminder to Americans of the terrible things that we once did so that we will never forget them, and so that we can insure that we as a people never revert back to what we once were.
Due to this, I found the comic Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi to be very enjoyable and insightful. This comic depicts the real life events that Marjane experienced growing up in Iran during the Iraq and Iran War, having to adjust to the new radical thought of the regime and religion, her life in high school after leaving for Vienne until her return to her home town, until finally leaving and living in France. What I find most fascinating was that basically the people of Iran acted exactly like many other people, especially American ones. They enjoyed smoking, drinking, dancing and partying, listening to music, free speech for not just men, but women as well and so much more. But now, because of the change of power, they have lost all of their original rights and even had friends and family murdered by the government. As such, many , including Marjane, have grown to despise the current state caused by the Islamic Revolution.
With all of the past and recent events such as 9/11 or the Paris Bombing, people have grown to despise all of those from the Middle East or of at least of Middle Eastern descent. But as a work like Persepolis shows, not all Middle Eastern people are violent or agree with the actions and ideas of others. It reminds us that the true danger is not the people, but it is Radicalism and those who believe and practice it. Because of this I think more people should read Persepolis, mainly in part because to show not only are we much closer to the Iranian people than we thought, but it shows where the real root of our current problems lie.
When I was growing up, I have, and still do, always seen all people as equal human beings, no one being superior to the other. Concerning media, particularly in comics and movies, there have been many depictions of people, especially of African American people in older media, that I find completely unnecessary, so I enjoy when works such as the comic strip Beetle Bailey by Mort Walker have depicted different races in their own style so that they fit into their world as equals. However, I will say that I am personally against all the radical accusations some people make concerning the appearance on a certain character, sometimes demanding a change in design or a complete removal, especially when said characters were clearly never meant to represent said race to began with or an older icon that represents that dark point in history. Recently in my home town in Texas, there have been many trying to have a statue of a Confederate soldier removed, because some consider it racist. I disagree completely with that action. While I admit it was a horrible time in American History, statues such as these now serve as a reminder to Americans of the terrible things that we once did so that we will never forget them, and so that we can insure that we as a people never revert back to what we once were.
Due to this, I found the comic Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi to be very enjoyable and insightful. This comic depicts the real life events that Marjane experienced growing up in Iran during the Iraq and Iran War, having to adjust to the new radical thought of the regime and religion, her life in high school after leaving for Vienne until her return to her home town, until finally leaving and living in France. What I find most fascinating was that basically the people of Iran acted exactly like many other people, especially American ones. They enjoyed smoking, drinking, dancing and partying, listening to music, free speech for not just men, but women as well and so much more. But now, because of the change of power, they have lost all of their original rights and even had friends and family murdered by the government. As such, many , including Marjane, have grown to despise the current state caused by the Islamic Revolution.
With all of the past and recent events such as 9/11 or the Paris Bombing, people have grown to despise all of those from the Middle East or of at least of Middle Eastern descent. But as a work like Persepolis shows, not all Middle Eastern people are violent or agree with the actions and ideas of others. It reminds us that the true danger is not the people, but it is Radicalism and those who believe and practice it. Because of this I think more people should read Persepolis, mainly in part because to show not only are we much closer to the Iranian people than we thought, but it shows where the real root of our current problems lie.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Maus by Art Spiegelman
I became excited when I heard that the required reading this week would be the graphic novel, Maus, by Art Spiegelman. Maus was one of those books that I would see all of the time whenever I would go out shopping, and just by the cover alone, I was intrigued. I had always heard that it was an extremely good piece, but for one reason or another, I never got a chance to read it before. So when Maus became our next assignment in my class, the first thing I did was to go out and buy the hardcover complete edition of the book.
Maus is a story that recounts the life of the author's Polish Jewish father, Vladek, during the mid-1930s and the Holocaust through a series of interviews that the adult Art Spiegelman conducts with him over the course of the book. Despite being a take on a true story, all of the characters are depicted as various animals, more than likely as a way to help push the idea of racism that was occurring during this time of World War II as well as possibly being more pleasing to the reader due to the idea that "Reality is too much for comics... so much has to be left out or distorted". In Maus, all Jewish people are portrayed as anthropomorphic mice. The Germans are depicted as the mice's primary predator, cats. Also, the Polish people are drawn as pigs, the French as frogs, and all Americans as dogs. As a way to show the Jewish people trying pass themselves off as polish people, the mice wear pig masks. Despite portraying humans as different animals, Spiegelman still includes the real life photos of his father and others, probably to remind us, the readers, that this was not a work of fiction.
Each chapter of Maus is divided into two sections. The first part takes place in recent times with the author visiting his elderly father, interviewing him as part of a book he is writing on his father's life, with the second part of the chapter being told in a flashback sequence. The story follows the life of Art's father, Vladek, and Art's mother and Vladeks first wife, Anja, starting with how they first met and Anja's sudden breakdown after the birth of their first son and their stay at a sanatorium in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia at the beginning of the Nazi takeover. At first their life is perfect, but all of that soon comes crashing down, starting with Vladek being drafted into the Polish army and then captured by the Nazis. However, he is released and allowed to return home, but instead of taking him home, the Nazi's plan to kill him and numerous other Jewish soldiers that were granted freedom. Vladek is able to narrowly escape and return home. From here, Vladek, his wife and their family begin life in their now Nazi occupied Polish community. One after another, their family is killed, either due to being sent to Auschwitz and to the gas chambers or, as in the case of their son, poisoned along with other relocated children due to their caregiver refusing to allow them to be taken away. Now with just the two of them left, Vladek and Anja go on the run until, in an attempt to be smuggled into Hungary, are betrayed and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. After that, Vladeck and his wife are separated, and we are shown Vladek's life in captivity, his release, his rescue by some American soldiers and his eventual reunion with his wife, Anja.
After all of the years of anticipation, I can safely say that I was not disappointed at all when reading Maus. To me, the Holocaust is probably the one point in history that leaves me the most emotional. When I visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. as a young child, I was probably actually too young to handle it, and I literally had a breakdown and had to sit down for a few minutes before going back to the exhibits. Seeing the video footage and the actual artifacts from the victims touched me deeply and left a great impact on me. Despite that, I don't regret my trip at all, and it is probably because of that experience that I have become so sensitive and emotional on this subject and the events. I thoroughly enjoyed Maus, and I think this is a perfect way to not only introduce younger people to the horror of the Holocaust and the life of a Jew during that time, but I feel that this is a book that everyone needs to read, especially in recent years as numerous people have been trying to bury tragic events such as this, almost as if they had never happened.
Maus is a story that recounts the life of the author's Polish Jewish father, Vladek, during the mid-1930s and the Holocaust through a series of interviews that the adult Art Spiegelman conducts with him over the course of the book. Despite being a take on a true story, all of the characters are depicted as various animals, more than likely as a way to help push the idea of racism that was occurring during this time of World War II as well as possibly being more pleasing to the reader due to the idea that "Reality is too much for comics... so much has to be left out or distorted". In Maus, all Jewish people are portrayed as anthropomorphic mice. The Germans are depicted as the mice's primary predator, cats. Also, the Polish people are drawn as pigs, the French as frogs, and all Americans as dogs. As a way to show the Jewish people trying pass themselves off as polish people, the mice wear pig masks. Despite portraying humans as different animals, Spiegelman still includes the real life photos of his father and others, probably to remind us, the readers, that this was not a work of fiction.
Each chapter of Maus is divided into two sections. The first part takes place in recent times with the author visiting his elderly father, interviewing him as part of a book he is writing on his father's life, with the second part of the chapter being told in a flashback sequence. The story follows the life of Art's father, Vladek, and Art's mother and Vladeks first wife, Anja, starting with how they first met and Anja's sudden breakdown after the birth of their first son and their stay at a sanatorium in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia at the beginning of the Nazi takeover. At first their life is perfect, but all of that soon comes crashing down, starting with Vladek being drafted into the Polish army and then captured by the Nazis. However, he is released and allowed to return home, but instead of taking him home, the Nazi's plan to kill him and numerous other Jewish soldiers that were granted freedom. Vladek is able to narrowly escape and return home. From here, Vladek, his wife and their family begin life in their now Nazi occupied Polish community. One after another, their family is killed, either due to being sent to Auschwitz and to the gas chambers or, as in the case of their son, poisoned along with other relocated children due to their caregiver refusing to allow them to be taken away. Now with just the two of them left, Vladek and Anja go on the run until, in an attempt to be smuggled into Hungary, are betrayed and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. After that, Vladeck and his wife are separated, and we are shown Vladek's life in captivity, his release, his rescue by some American soldiers and his eventual reunion with his wife, Anja.
After all of the years of anticipation, I can safely say that I was not disappointed at all when reading Maus. To me, the Holocaust is probably the one point in history that leaves me the most emotional. When I visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. as a young child, I was probably actually too young to handle it, and I literally had a breakdown and had to sit down for a few minutes before going back to the exhibits. Seeing the video footage and the actual artifacts from the victims touched me deeply and left a great impact on me. Despite that, I don't regret my trip at all, and it is probably because of that experience that I have become so sensitive and emotional on this subject and the events. I thoroughly enjoyed Maus, and I think this is a perfect way to not only introduce younger people to the horror of the Holocaust and the life of a Jew during that time, but I feel that this is a book that everyone needs to read, especially in recent years as numerous people have been trying to bury tragic events such as this, almost as if they had never happened.
Friday, September 23, 2016
Underground Comics - Cheech Wizard by Vaughn Bodē
This week I took a step into the world of Underground Comics, particularly the series Cheech Wizard by Vaughn Bodē. To be honest, when going into this comic for the first time, Cheech Wizard was exactly what I expected from an Underground Comic. Underground Comics were at their height of popularity in the late 1960's-70's. They were small, self-published comic books that, for the most part, focused on forbidden content such as heavy drug abuse and explicit sex, sometimes using popular mainstream characters such as Mickey Mouse and Popeye the Sailor Man, and content such the issues relating to the USSR and America.
The character Cheech Wizard is a wizard who wears an overly large yellow wizard's hat that covers his entire body aside from his legs, which are dressed in either red tights or footy style pajamas. Also, despite usually never seeing them, Cheech does indeed have hands, and possible a beard as well, as shown in certain stories such as when Cheech Wizard is captured by a group of frogs and forced to remove his hat.
Cheech Wizard follows the basic underground formula. Almost every story follows Cheech Wizard in situations that consist of him being highly intoxicated, very abusive to the other characters around him, or having sex or at least trying to pick up women for that purpose. However despite the majority of the stories feeling like they were recycling ideas, there were a few times were Cheech Wizard decided to branch out and try some different stories. For instance, one of the very first stories consists of its own rendition on the Great Space Race, which involved an actual, physical race to the moon between Cheech Wizard and the leader of the American Communist party, though they actually just send other people to do the dirty and risky work for them.
I did notice that while most of the art of Underground Comics is generally pretty bad, as they are made by many people who really aren't actually artists, Vaughn's style is actually quite good and very enjoyable to look at. I found Cheech Wizard to be a much more enjoyable read then some of the other Underground Comics. However, I still wasn't that interested in it as I read through it. Seeing as how Underground Comics were designed to be satirical and a way to stick a knife into the back of society, I feel that many failed in successfully conveying what an Underground Comic truly is, despite possessing many of the same elements. Cheech Wizard I found, however, to be much more successful in its ability to convey the thoughts of the artist in interesting ways and shows what an Underground Comic should be.
I definitely feel that Underground comics aren't for me. While it was enjoyable seeing the various forms of satire and the handling of issues that would be considered outlawed for comics at the time, I personally wasn't a fan of how some of the graphic content was depicted in some of these comics. I felt Cheech Wizard to be much more up my alley, and while I don't think I will ever pick it up again and read it, I would definitely recommended it anyone with a budding interest in the world of Underground Comics.
The character Cheech Wizard is a wizard who wears an overly large yellow wizard's hat that covers his entire body aside from his legs, which are dressed in either red tights or footy style pajamas. Also, despite usually never seeing them, Cheech does indeed have hands, and possible a beard as well, as shown in certain stories such as when Cheech Wizard is captured by a group of frogs and forced to remove his hat.
Cheech Wizard follows the basic underground formula. Almost every story follows Cheech Wizard in situations that consist of him being highly intoxicated, very abusive to the other characters around him, or having sex or at least trying to pick up women for that purpose. However despite the majority of the stories feeling like they were recycling ideas, there were a few times were Cheech Wizard decided to branch out and try some different stories. For instance, one of the very first stories consists of its own rendition on the Great Space Race, which involved an actual, physical race to the moon between Cheech Wizard and the leader of the American Communist party, though they actually just send other people to do the dirty and risky work for them.
I did notice that while most of the art of Underground Comics is generally pretty bad, as they are made by many people who really aren't actually artists, Vaughn's style is actually quite good and very enjoyable to look at. I found Cheech Wizard to be a much more enjoyable read then some of the other Underground Comics. However, I still wasn't that interested in it as I read through it. Seeing as how Underground Comics were designed to be satirical and a way to stick a knife into the back of society, I feel that many failed in successfully conveying what an Underground Comic truly is, despite possessing many of the same elements. Cheech Wizard I found, however, to be much more successful in its ability to convey the thoughts of the artist in interesting ways and shows what an Underground Comic should be.
I definitely feel that Underground comics aren't for me. While it was enjoyable seeing the various forms of satire and the handling of issues that would be considered outlawed for comics at the time, I personally wasn't a fan of how some of the graphic content was depicted in some of these comics. I felt Cheech Wizard to be much more up my alley, and while I don't think I will ever pick it up again and read it, I would definitely recommended it anyone with a budding interest in the world of Underground Comics.
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Contarct with God and Other Tenent stories by Will Eisner
A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories is a 1978 graphic novel by Will Eisner, who is considered by many to be one of the pioneers of the graphic novel. A Contract with God is a collection of stories that mix melodrama and social realism which focus on poor Jewish characters who either live in or have a connection with a specific tenement building in New York City.
To me, one of the most outstanding aspects of this piece is the art style, a trait Will Eisner is famous for. Will Eisner focuses on depicting the emotions of the characters with the eyes.Through this, we can clearly see what is going in their minds and their emotional states. Many artists think that the mouth is enough to convey emotion, but in truth it never comes across or conveys the emotion strongly. Will Eisner proves in this work and many others like The Spirit that the eyes are actually the most important element in drawing emotion, and that the mouth should just be used as subtle way to enforce the emotion.
Another aspect of this work that stood out to me are the stories and characters. The stories focus on the tragic struggles of traditionally Jewish immigrants. I find that the first story, the one actually called A Contract with God, to be the one that affected me the most. The story follows an older traditional Hasidic Jewish man from Russia named Frimme Hersh, who, as a boy, carves a contract with God on a stone, believing that God will make life perfect for him and take care of all his worries. However, his entire life comes crashing down with the death of his adopted daughter, and he breaks all ties and renounces God. After this, his entire personality takes a complete turn around, and he proceeds to cut off his beard, lie to others, etc.., until he eventually becomes one of New York's richest men and real estate moguls, even buying the tenement he once called home and raising the tax on it. Soon he goes to a local synagogue and demands that the rabbis write up a brand new contract with God for him, believing that his contract was null and void since he wrote it on a stone when he was a boy and probably wrote it incorrectly. Reluctantly, the Rabbis give him a new contract and in his home, Frimme Hersh, relishing in his new contract, spouts that everything will be just as it was, but better. He will live a wealthy life, get married and have a brand new daughter, who he will name Rachele, which is the exact same name of his deceased daughter. However, seconds later, Frimme's heart gives out and he collapses and dies.
Being a very religious person myself, I have seen these types of situations happen many times. Each time it brakes my heart to see someone lose their faith to such a degree or even misunderstand God's messages and commandments. Coupled with the brilliant art style, the emotions of the characters leave quite the impression on me. We the readers can see just in their faces alone how the character can go from perfectly fine to growing more and more insane. Overall, I find Will Eisner's approach to art style and his ability to convey the emotions to be very impressive.
To me, one of the most outstanding aspects of this piece is the art style, a trait Will Eisner is famous for. Will Eisner focuses on depicting the emotions of the characters with the eyes.Through this, we can clearly see what is going in their minds and their emotional states. Many artists think that the mouth is enough to convey emotion, but in truth it never comes across or conveys the emotion strongly. Will Eisner proves in this work and many others like The Spirit that the eyes are actually the most important element in drawing emotion, and that the mouth should just be used as subtle way to enforce the emotion.
Another aspect of this work that stood out to me are the stories and characters. The stories focus on the tragic struggles of traditionally Jewish immigrants. I find that the first story, the one actually called A Contract with God, to be the one that affected me the most. The story follows an older traditional Hasidic Jewish man from Russia named Frimme Hersh, who, as a boy, carves a contract with God on a stone, believing that God will make life perfect for him and take care of all his worries. However, his entire life comes crashing down with the death of his adopted daughter, and he breaks all ties and renounces God. After this, his entire personality takes a complete turn around, and he proceeds to cut off his beard, lie to others, etc.., until he eventually becomes one of New York's richest men and real estate moguls, even buying the tenement he once called home and raising the tax on it. Soon he goes to a local synagogue and demands that the rabbis write up a brand new contract with God for him, believing that his contract was null and void since he wrote it on a stone when he was a boy and probably wrote it incorrectly. Reluctantly, the Rabbis give him a new contract and in his home, Frimme Hersh, relishing in his new contract, spouts that everything will be just as it was, but better. He will live a wealthy life, get married and have a brand new daughter, who he will name Rachele, which is the exact same name of his deceased daughter. However, seconds later, Frimme's heart gives out and he collapses and dies.
Being a very religious person myself, I have seen these types of situations happen many times. Each time it brakes my heart to see someone lose their faith to such a degree or even misunderstand God's messages and commandments. Coupled with the brilliant art style, the emotions of the characters leave quite the impression on me. We the readers can see just in their faces alone how the character can go from perfectly fine to growing more and more insane. Overall, I find Will Eisner's approach to art style and his ability to convey the emotions to be very impressive.
Friday, September 9, 2016
Comic Books
As much as I love reading comic strips every Sunday morning at the kitchen table, I enjoy reading comic books far more. There are actually many differences between comic books and comic strips. Probably the most obvious difference is the length. Comic books are much longer and larger than strips, which are generally around just a few small panels on just one page. Another major difference that I noticed is that comic books can be much more graphic in their contents. While comic strips are designed to be read by a wide range of audiences and, as such, are more family friendly, comic books are aimed for more specific types of readers. For instance, Carl Bark's Donald Duck comics are generally more family friendly, but they include longer stories and more development than their comic strip counterparts. While on the other hand, a comic book such as Zero by Ales Kot, which follows the life of an ex-government spy, are aimed for a more mature audiences. Comic books such as these include graphic depictions and art such as more graphic violence where we as the reader can see gory scenes such as decapitation and guts and organs literally spilling out of another's body in all of its full, uncensored glory. Even sex scenes are shown to be quite uncensored and graphic, sometimes surprisingly more than one would think a M-17 rating would generally allow.
This last week I read various types of classic comic books intended for various audiences. Generally I focused on the DC published Action Comics series and the Tales from the Crypt series by EC Comics. Action Comics included numerous stories, including the original Superman series, the sci-fi epic Tommy Tomorrow, the jungle adventurer Congo Bill, and many more. Like the name implies, most of the content in these books focused more on action and adventure and were geared more towards young boys. The Action Comic series also included numerous other types of comics such as those depicting more average and normal people similar to the ones used in the works of the Archie Comics, while others seemed to be more of just a way to sell a type of real life product such as a specific brand of bubble gum. The Tales from the Crypt series focused more on telling various horror and noir style stories and was more for an older audience such as teens and young adults. Each story opens up with the narrator cracking open the Tales from the Crypt book and reading a section of the book to the reader. This is an example of a more graphic comic book and included stories such as a doctor who caused the suicide of two characters, and is eventually killed by the living, severed hand of one of his victims. It is later revealed that the encounter was all a hallucination caused by his own guilt, and that he actually choked himself with his own hand. Another entry takes place in a hospital wing where an old man by a window tells the other occupants of the room, who are all paralyzed and bedridden and are unable to see anything other than the hospital ceiling, what is going on outside, such as people taking walks in the park, kids playing, etc.. One day a criminal is admitted for murder so he could recover from temporary blindness before being sent to jail. Using the old man's observations, the criminal maps out an escape plan and proceeds to jump out of the old man's window, only to find everything to be bricked off and that the old man was just lying in order to lift the spirits of his fellow patients.
Overall I find more enjoyment in comic books than I do with comic strips. They are generally much longer and cover a much more diverse group of genres. There are also much more geared toward an older audience compared to a strip, which I find to be quite enjoyable since they can cover greater variety of styles, genres, stories, and even more interesting characters without having to be tied down to the limitations that exist with the comic strip.
This last week I read various types of classic comic books intended for various audiences. Generally I focused on the DC published Action Comics series and the Tales from the Crypt series by EC Comics. Action Comics included numerous stories, including the original Superman series, the sci-fi epic Tommy Tomorrow, the jungle adventurer Congo Bill, and many more. Like the name implies, most of the content in these books focused more on action and adventure and were geared more towards young boys. The Action Comic series also included numerous other types of comics such as those depicting more average and normal people similar to the ones used in the works of the Archie Comics, while others seemed to be more of just a way to sell a type of real life product such as a specific brand of bubble gum. The Tales from the Crypt series focused more on telling various horror and noir style stories and was more for an older audience such as teens and young adults. Each story opens up with the narrator cracking open the Tales from the Crypt book and reading a section of the book to the reader. This is an example of a more graphic comic book and included stories such as a doctor who caused the suicide of two characters, and is eventually killed by the living, severed hand of one of his victims. It is later revealed that the encounter was all a hallucination caused by his own guilt, and that he actually choked himself with his own hand. Another entry takes place in a hospital wing where an old man by a window tells the other occupants of the room, who are all paralyzed and bedridden and are unable to see anything other than the hospital ceiling, what is going on outside, such as people taking walks in the park, kids playing, etc.. One day a criminal is admitted for murder so he could recover from temporary blindness before being sent to jail. Using the old man's observations, the criminal maps out an escape plan and proceeds to jump out of the old man's window, only to find everything to be bricked off and that the old man was just lying in order to lift the spirits of his fellow patients.
Overall I find more enjoyment in comic books than I do with comic strips. They are generally much longer and cover a much more diverse group of genres. There are also much more geared toward an older audience compared to a strip, which I find to be quite enjoyable since they can cover greater variety of styles, genres, stories, and even more interesting characters without having to be tied down to the limitations that exist with the comic strip.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
"The Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics" and the Comic Strip
This week, we dive into the world of the comic strip. Comic Strips have been a source of entertainment and cultural satire since the early 19th century and have been a mainstream form of art and a staple of American society ever since. Comic Strips are almost always found in the pages of the newspaper and have been one of the favorite past times of children as they anticipate each day's or week's issue to see what happens to their favorite characters. Many of these older comics are products of their times, so their contents could be viewed as having extremely racial stereotypes or including jokes that by today's standards may not seem as funny unless they are examined more thoroughly. Some comics such as Buck Rogers became so popular with their more continuing stories instead single weekly ones that they soon crossed into numerous other forms of art and entertainment such as animation, movies and radio shows.
There are so many examples of comic strips that it may seem overwhelming when trying to decide where to start. Thankfully, we have The Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics to help us. This book is a fantastic collection of some of the most popular and possibly greatest comic strips that have helped shaped many comics, art, and culture of today. Some of these works Include The Katzenjammer Kids by Harold H. Knerr, Krazy Kat by George Herriman and many more. The Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics also gives us a brief history on comics strips through the various ages, and the included works are arranged by the date of their original publication.
Of the many works available, I mainly focused on the series Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz and Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. While Peanuts is one of those comic strips that focuses more on the philosophical, psychological, and sociological aspects that flourished in the 1950s and 1960s, some of these are actually still relatable to the readers of today. This series is probably one of the best examples of a comic strip that expanded into numerous other styles such as movies, TV specials, toys, etc. Calvin and Hobbes became another very popular series in today's market after its initial debut in 1985 and chronicles the imaginary adventures between a six year old boy and his anthropomorphic stuffed tiger toy as they go on numerous adventures. This strip delves into the mind of a child, and growing up as a child with just as much imagination, I wish I had read this comic strip more.
There are so many examples of comic strips that it may seem overwhelming when trying to decide where to start. Thankfully, we have The Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics to help us. This book is a fantastic collection of some of the most popular and possibly greatest comic strips that have helped shaped many comics, art, and culture of today. Some of these works Include The Katzenjammer Kids by Harold H. Knerr, Krazy Kat by George Herriman and many more. The Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics also gives us a brief history on comics strips through the various ages, and the included works are arranged by the date of their original publication.
Of the many works available, I mainly focused on the series Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz and Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. While Peanuts is one of those comic strips that focuses more on the philosophical, psychological, and sociological aspects that flourished in the 1950s and 1960s, some of these are actually still relatable to the readers of today. This series is probably one of the best examples of a comic strip that expanded into numerous other styles such as movies, TV specials, toys, etc. Calvin and Hobbes became another very popular series in today's market after its initial debut in 1985 and chronicles the imaginary adventures between a six year old boy and his anthropomorphic stuffed tiger toy as they go on numerous adventures. This strip delves into the mind of a child, and growing up as a child with just as much imagination, I wish I had read this comic strip more.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
"Understanding of Comics" by Scott McCloud
Understanding of Comics by Scott McCloud is a very interesting and insightful book on the world of Comic Books and how they are structured. For most writers of this sort of material, it would be sufficient to fill it with words and analysis, covering the page with text and leaving little room for pictures. However, what makes Scott's work unique is that it is a traditional comic book. This approach is actually perfect for this genre. What would be a better format for an analysis of comic books than an actual comic book?
Scott takes us on a ride through the art of the comic with his use of simple, but interesting imagery that captures the spirit of the comic strip and thoroughly details every aspect and fact in such a way that it envelops the reader. It directly shows how one would use these features appropriately. For instance, Scott explains that comics are what is known as sequential art. Quoting Will Asner, he explains that alone, pictures are just pictures. However, Asner goes on to say that, if we put those pictures in as part of a sequence, then that image is transformed into something more! Scott also goes on to explain numerous other facts in a fun and interesting way such as the use of icons, and how both text and pictures are a form of icon. He also explains other aspects such as the types of transitions that are used, to even the emotional impact that the reader experiences due to the amount of spacing between each individual panel.
By far my favorite section is when he explains the various uses of a more simple art style, specifically for the characters. Scott implies that the more simple the character, the easier it is for the reader/watcher to implant themselves as those characters and live out the fantasies of those characters' worlds. He also say that this is even more emphasized when the characters are simple but they contrast to a much more realistic space and environment. This technique also helps express the importance of the moment. For example, a sword viewed from afar looks just as simple as the character wielding it. But, if said character suddenly spies strange writings on the blade, we would get a closer view, with the sword shown in very high detail, suggesting a Three-Dimensional object and to show the importance of the item and or moment. This is shown in various famous works such as TinTin and Asterix, allowing the reader to mask themselves in a character and safely enter a simulated world. For the most part, this is actually not that popular with American artists, however the masking techniques are considered standard in Japan, where they continue to explore, develop and refine the technique, with some even attempting to use even more realistic looking characters to capture the same feelings as the simpler ones.
As a long term reader of comics, I find the masking process extremely interesting and relatable. To me, the art style is a big deciding factor in whether or not I wish to read that particular comic. Perhaps, that is why I have read slightly more Japanese Manga than American Comics over the last few years. I can enjoy many works from artists like Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame and Brian Lee O'Malley and his Scott Pilgrim series because of their simplicity. However, an artist such as Alex Ross, known for illustrating extremely realistic looking art that, as a comic, leaves me with a strangely uncomfortable feeling upon viewing it. I have a difficult time even looking at his art, let alone indulging in the story or emotions. I have always enjoyed the simpler art and looking back, I too felt like it was easier to imagine myself in those worlds.
Scott McCloud has written what I would consider the perfect guide to creating a modern comic. It details everything that one would need to know in such a way that it successfully passes on the information to the readers without boring them. I feel that this is an essential piece of material for not just those wishing to pursue a career in the comic book industry, but as an artist as a whole.
Scott takes us on a ride through the art of the comic with his use of simple, but interesting imagery that captures the spirit of the comic strip and thoroughly details every aspect and fact in such a way that it envelops the reader. It directly shows how one would use these features appropriately. For instance, Scott explains that comics are what is known as sequential art. Quoting Will Asner, he explains that alone, pictures are just pictures. However, Asner goes on to say that, if we put those pictures in as part of a sequence, then that image is transformed into something more! Scott also goes on to explain numerous other facts in a fun and interesting way such as the use of icons, and how both text and pictures are a form of icon. He also explains other aspects such as the types of transitions that are used, to even the emotional impact that the reader experiences due to the amount of spacing between each individual panel.
By far my favorite section is when he explains the various uses of a more simple art style, specifically for the characters. Scott implies that the more simple the character, the easier it is for the reader/watcher to implant themselves as those characters and live out the fantasies of those characters' worlds. He also say that this is even more emphasized when the characters are simple but they contrast to a much more realistic space and environment. This technique also helps express the importance of the moment. For example, a sword viewed from afar looks just as simple as the character wielding it. But, if said character suddenly spies strange writings on the blade, we would get a closer view, with the sword shown in very high detail, suggesting a Three-Dimensional object and to show the importance of the item and or moment. This is shown in various famous works such as TinTin and Asterix, allowing the reader to mask themselves in a character and safely enter a simulated world. For the most part, this is actually not that popular with American artists, however the masking techniques are considered standard in Japan, where they continue to explore, develop and refine the technique, with some even attempting to use even more realistic looking characters to capture the same feelings as the simpler ones.
As a long term reader of comics, I find the masking process extremely interesting and relatable. To me, the art style is a big deciding factor in whether or not I wish to read that particular comic. Perhaps, that is why I have read slightly more Japanese Manga than American Comics over the last few years. I can enjoy many works from artists like Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame and Brian Lee O'Malley and his Scott Pilgrim series because of their simplicity. However, an artist such as Alex Ross, known for illustrating extremely realistic looking art that, as a comic, leaves me with a strangely uncomfortable feeling upon viewing it. I have a difficult time even looking at his art, let alone indulging in the story or emotions. I have always enjoyed the simpler art and looking back, I too felt like it was easier to imagine myself in those worlds.
Scott McCloud has written what I would consider the perfect guide to creating a modern comic. It details everything that one would need to know in such a way that it successfully passes on the information to the readers without boring them. I feel that this is an essential piece of material for not just those wishing to pursue a career in the comic book industry, but as an artist as a whole.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
"The Arrival" by Shaun Tan
For the majority of people, the thought that comes to mind when hearing the phrase "Comic Book" would probably be a book that is anywhere from a single page comic strip like those in the Sunday newspaper to a 200 page novel filled with tiny pictures and featuring at least one main character, with their only way of communicating their thoughts and words through the use of speech bubbles. The Arrival by Shaun Tan, however, is an interesting departure in style from the usual norms of the comic book world.
What sets The Arrival apart from other works is that there is not one single speech bubble ever used throughout the piece. Like the classic silent movies of old, all of the thoughts and emotions are expressed by the actions of the characters. This is a wonderful departure since the majority of comic books heavily rely on its use of dialogue, sometimes greatly hindering both the art and story and potentially boring the reader. But in The Arrival the story is not tied down by any dialogue and we the readers are able to understand what is going on with the main character with its art alone. Shaun Tan's art is fantastic and extremely detailed. Shaun is able to paint an epic fantasy world that is filled with wonderful environments, characters, and creatures that, while fictional, feel as if they are truly alive and could spring out from the pages at any moment. If I could compare the art to anything, I would say that it reminds me of many of the works of various Renaissance artists like Leonardo Da Vinci. The story is completely told through the drawings and its characters to such a degree that the reader is left completely captivated and entranced with story, able to understand everything quite clearly. The shading used is also outstanding. It is used perfectly in capturing the raw emotion of the characters and both the happy time and the tragic times that they face.
The story follows a man as he and his family immigrate to a new land in an attempt to escape a great evil. As he waits for the rest of his to join him in the new country, the man encounters numerous people who kindly help him adjust to his new way of life and share their own experiences that led them to immigrating themselves.
The Arrival is a wonderful piece of literature that separates itself from other similar works. It details the life of an immigrant quite well and shows that there is always a place where you are welcomed, no matter where you go. I feel that many people will be able to relate to this piece, especially those who have experienced or are currently experiencing the same things here in the real world. With our world currently being bombarded by some kind of evil in every country, it allows anyone to relate to it in some way and gives one hope that we are not alone and that together, we can live in a peaceful world.
What sets The Arrival apart from other works is that there is not one single speech bubble ever used throughout the piece. Like the classic silent movies of old, all of the thoughts and emotions are expressed by the actions of the characters. This is a wonderful departure since the majority of comic books heavily rely on its use of dialogue, sometimes greatly hindering both the art and story and potentially boring the reader. But in The Arrival the story is not tied down by any dialogue and we the readers are able to understand what is going on with the main character with its art alone. Shaun Tan's art is fantastic and extremely detailed. Shaun is able to paint an epic fantasy world that is filled with wonderful environments, characters, and creatures that, while fictional, feel as if they are truly alive and could spring out from the pages at any moment. If I could compare the art to anything, I would say that it reminds me of many of the works of various Renaissance artists like Leonardo Da Vinci. The story is completely told through the drawings and its characters to such a degree that the reader is left completely captivated and entranced with story, able to understand everything quite clearly. The shading used is also outstanding. It is used perfectly in capturing the raw emotion of the characters and both the happy time and the tragic times that they face.
The story follows a man as he and his family immigrate to a new land in an attempt to escape a great evil. As he waits for the rest of his to join him in the new country, the man encounters numerous people who kindly help him adjust to his new way of life and share their own experiences that led them to immigrating themselves.
The Arrival is a wonderful piece of literature that separates itself from other similar works. It details the life of an immigrant quite well and shows that there is always a place where you are welcomed, no matter where you go. I feel that many people will be able to relate to this piece, especially those who have experienced or are currently experiencing the same things here in the real world. With our world currently being bombarded by some kind of evil in every country, it allows anyone to relate to it in some way and gives one hope that we are not alone and that together, we can live in a peaceful world.
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