This is what I would add to what I wrote before. I really enjoyed reading Little Nemo.
This comic reminds me almost of the more successful vines where they are able to tell a story within a short amount of time (or in comics, a short amount of space on the page/panels/being limited to one full page). By reading Little Nemo I have gotten the impression that out of all the comics we have read this may be one of the most effective ones that uses the least amount of text in the shortest amount of pages. Usually Nemo has dream like adventures with quirky characters that will talk to him before he wakes up. These adventures range pretty widely, from running around a tree that ends up turning into a rhino to sledding down a hill discovering jack frost's palace.
The visuals in Little Nemo are very impressive to me. Specifically the way in which the backgrounds/landscape/buildings are drawn. Most of the detail seems to be put in the background which makes sense because it's a comic about a dreamworld. However there's so much detail put into the line work of everything around the characters it stands in a league of it's own. I believe that in class we talked about how he drew everything from memory too which is almost unbelievable because the architecture looks like it was taken from inspiration from life. This shows you how an artist can require to have multiple different skills in order to create their work. Going off of his buildings that was drawn for Little Nemo I'd say he's almost like a concept architect.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Week 4 - The Comic Book
EC Comics Haunt of Fear
This was my first horror comic. Haunt of Fear felt as though it was a classic campy horror film, most likely because this comic was from the 50's. What made it felt the most campy to me was the dialogue. However I would not consider this to necessarily be a bad thing. Through the dialogue I was able to read the words in the voices I assumed the characters would have while also being able to feel the way in which the characters were saying their dialogue. This really stood out to me because sometimes it can be hard to convey the way in which dialogue is being said to an audience but in this comic it felt so natural. I believe that this is due to not only the way in which the dialogue was written but also how the character's faces were drawn and the fact that it is a genre. Throughout the comic the characters reactions are very apparently drawn out in an over dramatic way that I think is only fitting for a horror comic. The other thing that stands out to me is that there is a narrator. This makes it feel similar to a childhood story in that someone is telling us a spooky horror story. This someone is a very detailed looking old woman that resembles a witch.
Explorers On The Moon
This comic felt very appropriate for the times. This comic was made in the space age period of the 50's/60's I believe. This was a time when America had high hopes for the future. Space exploration was something that people dreamed of. I feel as though this specific edition of Tin Tin was to intrigue people's minds. This was my first time reading Tin Tin. It almost felt like a novel with pictures rather than a typical comic book. I loved the dialogue when characters said things such as "Blistering barnacles...". These older comics have a special charm about them but that may be because I like the period in which they are from. The story had funny comedy parts that you just don't see now. Such as when one of the characters (who was getting tipsy off whiskey) accidentally shuts off the nuclear motor (sounds like a dangerous motor) and so the gravity is not normal. They all start floating around. After they get the gravity fixed they are all issued magnetic boots in case the problem happens again. This whole comic has lots of issues such as this one where one character gets into a pickle and Tin Tin has to save the day.
This was my first horror comic. Haunt of Fear felt as though it was a classic campy horror film, most likely because this comic was from the 50's. What made it felt the most campy to me was the dialogue. However I would not consider this to necessarily be a bad thing. Through the dialogue I was able to read the words in the voices I assumed the characters would have while also being able to feel the way in which the characters were saying their dialogue. This really stood out to me because sometimes it can be hard to convey the way in which dialogue is being said to an audience but in this comic it felt so natural. I believe that this is due to not only the way in which the dialogue was written but also how the character's faces were drawn and the fact that it is a genre. Throughout the comic the characters reactions are very apparently drawn out in an over dramatic way that I think is only fitting for a horror comic. The other thing that stands out to me is that there is a narrator. This makes it feel similar to a childhood story in that someone is telling us a spooky horror story. This someone is a very detailed looking old woman that resembles a witch.
Explorers On The Moon
This comic felt very appropriate for the times. This comic was made in the space age period of the 50's/60's I believe. This was a time when America had high hopes for the future. Space exploration was something that people dreamed of. I feel as though this specific edition of Tin Tin was to intrigue people's minds. This was my first time reading Tin Tin. It almost felt like a novel with pictures rather than a typical comic book. I loved the dialogue when characters said things such as "Blistering barnacles...". These older comics have a special charm about them but that may be because I like the period in which they are from. The story had funny comedy parts that you just don't see now. Such as when one of the characters (who was getting tipsy off whiskey) accidentally shuts off the nuclear motor (sounds like a dangerous motor) and so the gravity is not normal. They all start floating around. After they get the gravity fixed they are all issued magnetic boots in case the problem happens again. This whole comic has lots of issues such as this one where one character gets into a pickle and Tin Tin has to save the day.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Week 8 - Stereotype and the Ethics of Representation
To me stereotypes in comics is an example of an artist who is not creative enough to come up with compelling characters. Stereotypes are easy to do because we see them all the time. They are what we "expect" to see. But because we see them so often they start to become very unoriginal. At the same time I believe that stereotypes do not really help anything. Yes it allows the artist to be able to create characters very easily but for what? It does not do anything for the reader when we have these shallow small depth characters. By having these stereotypes incorporated in our pop culture it only reenforces them. This is not the mindset that the artist should be giving people who view their work.
We should be using our medium to making people see past the typical stereotypes. Art can be used and I think should be used as a way of communicating positive messages to the world. Stereotypes only exists I believe because they are similar to viral videos, in that once there's the image of a stereotype, some people just seem to buy into it and believe it.
Looking into the future I hope that comics will throw away the stereotypes and enforce the use of not having any stereotypes. It's possible with the newer generation who for the most part, we seem to be more open to things such as this, will be the ones to rid the stereotypes. But at the same time it is hard to predict what will happen because I believe that the stereotypes have become somewhat ingrained into our society, even if the majority of the people do not like them.
We should be using our medium to making people see past the typical stereotypes. Art can be used and I think should be used as a way of communicating positive messages to the world. Stereotypes only exists I believe because they are similar to viral videos, in that once there's the image of a stereotype, some people just seem to buy into it and believe it.
Looking into the future I hope that comics will throw away the stereotypes and enforce the use of not having any stereotypes. It's possible with the newer generation who for the most part, we seem to be more open to things such as this, will be the ones to rid the stereotypes. But at the same time it is hard to predict what will happen because I believe that the stereotypes have become somewhat ingrained into our society, even if the majority of the people do not like them.
Week 3 - The Comic Strip
Little Nemo
What grabs my attention the most about Little Nemo is that we are experiencing the character's dreamworld. Anything can happen in each comic strip. At the same time though as a reader you can somewhat expect there to be a little bit of consistency between each comic because they all end in the same way. Every Little Nemo ends with him waking up out of bed, signifying that everything that was shown previously was a dream. Both the consistency yet unknown (being a dreamworld where anything can happen yet knowing that it is a dream) is what would draw me back to read the comic on a routine basis.
What grabs my attention the most about Little Nemo is that we are experiencing the character's dreamworld. Anything can happen in each comic strip. At the same time though as a reader you can somewhat expect there to be a little bit of consistency between each comic because they all end in the same way. Every Little Nemo ends with him waking up out of bed, signifying that everything that was shown previously was a dream. Both the consistency yet unknown (being a dreamworld where anything can happen yet knowing that it is a dream) is what would draw me back to read the comic on a routine basis.
Friday, November 27, 2015
Week 9 - A Wide World of Comics
Persepolis
Since this comic is an autobiographical comic it feels as though it's similar to a comic documentary. It is interesting to think of comics used as a form of non-fiction almost. Most of what's in this comic I knew nothing about so I think that this comic does a good job at informing people. Because this is a autobiography I feel as though it's the best way to really get a sense of what it's like growing up as in Iran during the Islamic revolution. This is more effective to me when it's written this way versus being a fiction story because it feels more genuine and accurate. It's like a history book but with more visual images and less text. Precise and to the point. I believe that this comic would be effective at even teaching the younger Islamic generation what there past was like. It would be able to reach a very broad audience since the writing in this comic is not too advanced.
When it comes to different religions and beliefs having simple line work and black and white images help to convey information that may be more difficult for us to understand. Their beliefs can seem so vastly different from our own that it can be hard to comprehend why they do the things that they do but when it's presented in a comic format that is easy to understand, I can make sense of unfamiliar things easier.
I think it's interesting how we see how bad she wants to be a prophet no matter what anyone tells her. This makes us connect with her because we too want her to accomplish her dreams. Slowly her desire to be the prophet gets put on the back burner as the revolution becomes the main focus.
Since this comic is an autobiographical comic it feels as though it's similar to a comic documentary. It is interesting to think of comics used as a form of non-fiction almost. Most of what's in this comic I knew nothing about so I think that this comic does a good job at informing people. Because this is a autobiography I feel as though it's the best way to really get a sense of what it's like growing up as in Iran during the Islamic revolution. This is more effective to me when it's written this way versus being a fiction story because it feels more genuine and accurate. It's like a history book but with more visual images and less text. Precise and to the point. I believe that this comic would be effective at even teaching the younger Islamic generation what there past was like. It would be able to reach a very broad audience since the writing in this comic is not too advanced.
When it comes to different religions and beliefs having simple line work and black and white images help to convey information that may be more difficult for us to understand. Their beliefs can seem so vastly different from our own that it can be hard to comprehend why they do the things that they do but when it's presented in a comic format that is easy to understand, I can make sense of unfamiliar things easier.
I think it's interesting how we see how bad she wants to be a prophet no matter what anyone tells her. This makes us connect with her because we too want her to accomplish her dreams. Slowly her desire to be the prophet gets put on the back burner as the revolution becomes the main focus.
Week 10 - Manga and the Japanese Comics Tradition
Battle Angel Alita Volume One
A scifi manga. These are my favorite type of mangas as they always seem to bring up topics that make you think. In Battle Angel Alita it is no different. The first volume starts off with two scientists trying to bring back a person using an advanced form of technology and science. I find it interesting that at first they are disputing about whether to bring back this person or not. The friend of the scientist asks the scientist why would he bring someone back who is his enemy. This stood out to me because the scientist is not only acting as a god by bringing someone back but he is bringing someone back who has killed him before. I think that this says a lot about his character and what he believe it means to be someones enemy.
What sticks out to me about manga versus other types of comics is that it is usually very cinematic. They also tend to have very long stories that feel similar to the greek epics. The thing I love about them is that they feel like they have the scope of giant blockbuster narrative films yet they have the format of episodic television shows. Battle Angel Alita in particular starts off that way. We have this epic scene where we see the scientist bringing the girl back to life while at the same time there are these two kids walking across the desert trying not to get shot or blown up by land mines. At the end the scientist finishes making the girl and she wakes up. I believe this is to get you interesting and wanting to read the new volumes.
A scifi manga. These are my favorite type of mangas as they always seem to bring up topics that make you think. In Battle Angel Alita it is no different. The first volume starts off with two scientists trying to bring back a person using an advanced form of technology and science. I find it interesting that at first they are disputing about whether to bring back this person or not. The friend of the scientist asks the scientist why would he bring someone back who is his enemy. This stood out to me because the scientist is not only acting as a god by bringing someone back but he is bringing someone back who has killed him before. I think that this says a lot about his character and what he believe it means to be someones enemy.
What sticks out to me about manga versus other types of comics is that it is usually very cinematic. They also tend to have very long stories that feel similar to the greek epics. The thing I love about them is that they feel like they have the scope of giant blockbuster narrative films yet they have the format of episodic television shows. Battle Angel Alita in particular starts off that way. We have this epic scene where we see the scientist bringing the girl back to life while at the same time there are these two kids walking across the desert trying not to get shot or blown up by land mines. At the end the scientist finishes making the girl and she wakes up. I believe this is to get you interesting and wanting to read the new volumes.
Week 11 - Comics as Contemporary Literature
Asterios Polyp
Asterios Polyp has a very pop art vibe going on. There's a selective use of colors that is very visually appealing. The color purple is the main color while often times there will be one other color thrown into the mix. Other colors such as yellow or blue will be used to sort of guide our eyes visually to what the artist wants us to pay the most attention to. Pink seems to be used primiarily during love/romance parts of the comic. This is a great use of the medium and uses the restrictions of the medium to ones advantage, beyond what has already been done before.
There's an interesting concept throughout this comic that is presented as "What if reality (as perceived) were simply an extension of life?". I feel as though this accurately represents the theme of the comic. Throughout this comic there are a lot of big concepts about life and our ways of thinking intermixed with the main character's narrative story. I would consider this comic to be a very philosophical comic in the sense that we get several different people's opinion on life but in a very detailed way. We really get into the main character's ways of looking at life. A memoir of his personal perspective on life would be a good way to put it.
The line work to me compliments the deeper meaning of the comic in that it is very simple line work contrasting with big concepts. This puts more importance on the words than it does on the actual images.
Asterios Polyp has a very pop art vibe going on. There's a selective use of colors that is very visually appealing. The color purple is the main color while often times there will be one other color thrown into the mix. Other colors such as yellow or blue will be used to sort of guide our eyes visually to what the artist wants us to pay the most attention to. Pink seems to be used primiarily during love/romance parts of the comic. This is a great use of the medium and uses the restrictions of the medium to ones advantage, beyond what has already been done before.
There's an interesting concept throughout this comic that is presented as "What if reality (as perceived) were simply an extension of life?". I feel as though this accurately represents the theme of the comic. Throughout this comic there are a lot of big concepts about life and our ways of thinking intermixed with the main character's narrative story. I would consider this comic to be a very philosophical comic in the sense that we get several different people's opinion on life but in a very detailed way. We really get into the main character's ways of looking at life. A memoir of his personal perspective on life would be a good way to put it.
The line work to me compliments the deeper meaning of the comic in that it is very simple line work contrasting with big concepts. This puts more importance on the words than it does on the actual images.
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