Week 14: The Future of Comics

For the final week in Literature of Comics I took a look at the five part webcomic Ducks by Kate Beaton, and although it was relatively short I definitely appreciated what it had to say about the environment. The story is about Kate's time working at a mining site and all the little experiences she has there. The scenes are very simple, with just enough detail in both the art and the dialog to get the intended messages across. I personally believe the basic, sketch-like style suits Ducks more than anything detailed or colored ultimately would have. The tone of the story is melancholy and to me the art style just seems to say "Here's what happened. It is what it is." Its not trying to embellish anything or make it pretty. It presents a very real truths about the mining industry and how it can effect wildlife and humans alike. I enjoyed the way this comic was formatted too. Again, it was nothing fancy, just panels that can easily be scrolled through on a phone or computer.

As for a personal recommendation, one of the only other webcomics I'm familiar with is Ava's Demon by Michelle Czajkowsk. I was introduced by a friend in high school and ended up reading and enjoying the chapters that were released at the time. I am not caught up (I haven't looked at the series for over a year) but as far as I know it is still updating regularly. For me, the most appealing part of Ava's Demon was the gorgeous art style. Each panel is a full color digital painting, and almost every chapter incorporates a clip with music and animation. Personally, I am very inspired by this style of webcomic and would love to write and illustrate my own story like this one day. 

Ava's Demon: http://www.avasdemon.com/

Batman: The Killing Joke

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

The story of Batman The Killing Joke was very different from what I expected. Having never read any Batman comics before, I was always under the impression that the relationship between the Batman and the Joker was very black and white. That the Joker was evil, Batman was good, they hated each other. But what was presented here was more of a gray area. I was surprised to see that Batman was wanting to talk to the Joker, work things out, and prevent the inevitable ending where one of them kills the other. While the Joker was not exactly preceptive to this proposal, the comic ended with the two nemeses laughing together at a joke. It left me questioning the entire dynamic between these characters.

2. What connections did you make with the story?

Despite being a very dark story, I was able to connect with the desire to mend a bad relationship. The fact that Batman would be willing to make right with one of the most evil characters of all time is definitely admirable in my opinion. I believe its safe to say almost all of us would rather be on good terms with our enemies than bad ones. When I think of people who have hurt me, who I know are toxic and unkind, I cannot deny that a small part of me deep down is dying to reach out and say "Hey, it does not have to be like this between us." But another part of me knows that in life, not all relationships are going to be good, and being friends with everyone is not rational.

3. What changes would you make to adapt this story to another medium? What medium would you adapt it too?

My immediate answer when I heard this question was an animated film, since its very common for comics and animation to be adapted into each other. However, I found out that there already is an animated film. But since I've never seen it, I can just describe my personal idea. It would be traditional animation, rather than CG, as the panels from the comic could more easily and accurately be translated into frames. It would need to be as equally dark as the original, even to the extent of being labeled "not for kids" in order to capture the tone and themes intended by the author. I would be interested in seeing the film that exists and compare it to what I have imagined.

Week 13: Reconsidering the Superhero

I've never really taken much interest in superhero comics. The reasons being essentially what we have discussed in class: plots are seemingly endless, character development is constantly reset, and death has little weight as the heroes will always come back somehow. I've also always known that if I were to read a hero comic, I would look for a female lead, and preferably one that is not simply the "girl" version of a male character, i.e. Batgirl or Supergirl. That's why the name "Promethea" caught my eye on the course resource page, so I decided to read the first volume.

Despite not being particularly long, the first volume of Alan Moore's Promethea does a wonderful job of establishing the lore of the the series in an interesting way. I love the idea of a reincarnated heroine that has survived throughout the centuries in the form of powerful women. Moore obviously pulls a lot of influence for Promethea from ancient Egyptian and Greek culture. The two combine and create a stunning character design. The futuristic city that the new Promethea, Sophie, lives in is also very visually interesting. The concept of cars that hover in the air rather than use wheels in not entirely original, but I felt that it worked quite well with the aesthetic design presented here.

Overall, I found this first volume to be a very good hook, and I could certainly see readers being excited for all of Sophie's future adventures as the new Promethea. I really appreciate that Alan Moore wrote such a powerful female hero in a series that would appeal to all types of people, not just female comic fans.

Week 12: Comics by Women

This week I read the graphic novel This One Summer, written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki. While reading this story, I was amazed to find that it was not autobiographical. The coming of age themes presented are so on point that without knowing otherwise, anyone would assume they are a personal recounting. The emotions and experiences that the main character, Rose, undergoes are things that everyone, especially girls can relate having gone through in their youth. The element of family traditions during the summer, having a place that you always go to (like Awago) is certainly accurate to my childhood. Rose's slightly younger friend, Windy, is a character that many of us have encountered growing up, whether it is through a friend, cousin, or in my case sibling. It is always an interesting dynamic when kids are so close in age, but clearly on different levels of maturity. This goes hand in hand with the theme of  wanting to be or thinking of yourself as more grown up than you really are. Other very relatable elements of the story are the crush on an older teenager, the desire to expose yourself to "adult things" (in this case, horror movies), and the awareness conflict between your parents.

Reading this book reminded me of my experience with Blankets, another coming of age story that we read this semester. Both stories have bitter sweet moments, and do not necessarily conclude with happy endings. They just sort of end, which adds to the realism (although Blankets is based on the author's personal experience). Both these books left me wondering what part of my life I would illustrate if I were to ever write a graphic novel. Since childhood is such an important time of discovery and growth, that is probably the time I would pull from.

Week 11: Asterios Polyp

David Mazzucchelli's Asterios Polyp is probably the most visually interesting comic I've read in this class.  The art style has a very unique relationship with the narrative, as it fluctuates with the tone of any given scene. One of my favorite examples of this is when the drawings of the protagonist, Asterios and his wife, Hana begin to differ as the couple grows farther apart, unable to see things from the other's perspectives. The styles themselves clearly reflect the personalities of these characters too. Asterios is precise, practical, and confident, which is translated through the sharp, straight blue lines he is portrayed with. Hana is carefree and compassionate, so sketch-like pink marks suit her well. Any chapter that features a disagreement between them will begin with one unified look, and slowly transition into the two styles to convey how disconnected they are.

Another element I really enjoyed was the use of unique dialog fonts and speech bubble shapes for different characters. Like the art styles, these also serve as reflections of the characters personalities. For example, the ethereal Ursula Major uses whimsical lettering and fun, fancy speech bubbles in contrast to her husband's much simpler font surrounded by wavy, less structured shapes. 

However, even without these interesting artistic decisions, I know I would still enjoy this comic for the story. There is enough plot to fully flesh out a large cast, and I found myself very found of most of them by the end. My favorite was of course Hana, and I particularly enjoy a long sequence that illustrated all the elements of her daily life. It helped her to seem more real in my eyes. I could see myself buying a physical copy of Asterios Polyp, if only to have on hand if I ever want to sit down and enjoy the story all over again. 

Week 10: Manga

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't really looking forward to this week. Manga has always been by far the form of comics I am most familiar with, which I know is not uncommon for girls my age in this decade. When I was in middle school my mom would take me to the bookstore on Friday afternoons as a treat to pick up the next volume of Fruits Basket, Fullmetal Alchemist, or whatever I was into, for me to enjoy over the weekend. All my little thirteen year old friends loved manga. We'd share volumes with each other on the train headed to and from school. However, that was years ago and I rarely have the time or opportunity to read these comics anymore, so its safe to say this week's topic was very nostalgic and fun for me.

For class I chose to read volume one of Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi. I was somewhat familiar with her work beforehand, having seen a few episodes of the anime adaptation of Inuyasha on Adult Swim. I found this series to be really appealing, and I could see myself reading another volume here and there just to pass some time. All of the characters were constantly rude to each other in that charming manga way, where you know they'll begrudgingly start to care as the series goes on. The art style was cute and simple, and I found all the character designs and outfits to be very pleasing. However, I know these praises to be true of all of Rumiko's major works. Probably why she has been such a successful creator!

Getting to see some of Summer Wars in class was great! It was cool and different to look at something so recent, as most of the films we have watched were made before my time. I have seen the whole film, and I must say its one of my favorites in terms of anime. Its director, Mamoru Hosoda, also made what may be my number one (yes, even above the Ghiblis) Wolf Children. I would recommend any of his works to someone who loves animation. Overall, I have to admit this was my favorite class of the semester, and it definitely did something to rekindle my love of manga.

Week 9: A Wide World of Comics

I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed reading some of the Blacksad stories this week. When I randomly clicked on the title off of the course resource list, I was immediately deterred by the whole "anthropomorphic animals" thing, having come to associate those images with a more... deviant side of internet culture (which was, hilariously, even mentioned by our professor in class). However, I couldn't deny that the art style was certainly beautiful, with expressive characters and full color rendering. That alone was enough for me to give Blacksad a try.

I found the story "Amarillo" to be very engaging, and I was already engrossed after only a few pages. For me, the characters were the most appealing part. Despite being short story, there is a very large cast, and the readers are able to grasp the personality of each new character in as little as a single drawing. We come to care for each of them, even some of those presented as antagonists to the main character. I loved the wide variety of animals used in the story too, including lions, hyenas, buffalo, penguins, koalas, and so much more. Each animal fits their character perfectly, yet often in unexpected ways. Can a pink flamingo be a hardened criminal? Yes, and it actually works really well.

It is hard to imagine that a story taking place in the United States, and playing off of very specific American archetypes could be written by two Spanish authors, Juan Canales and Juanjo Guarnido, for a French audience. If I had not known this beforehand, I would have never even suspected it. I supposed that this just goes to show that comics are an extremely universal form of media, that can be appreciated by nearly anyone around the world. I would recommend Blacksad to anyone who is interested in more adult-oriented comics. The stories are thrilling and the art is gorgeous. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read it this week.