Week 14 The Future of Comics

I read Ducks by Kate Beaton. Its a B&W sketch comics in 5 parts. It's about her time living in a mining camp. Its a strange look at who mining does to the environment including wildlife. A bunch of ducks gets suck in crude oil and it becomes an environmental story. It's cool how the internet gives a way for anyone to publish a comic. However, I think this one would be easier to read if it was more finished

Week 13 Reconsidering the Superhero

I read The Killing Joke by Alan Moore. This is the origin story of the Joker. It was very sad because he was just an ordinary guy who became a supervillain by things he couldn't control. Losing this wife and the unborn baby would drive anyone insane. The fact that he was forced to help rob the chemical plant which is even sadder because he wasn't even the criminal. Batman wants to help the Joker but the Joker thinks he's already too far gone.

In superhero stories, it doesn't seem possible to have to villain have a change of heart otherwise we wouldn't have the good vs. evil stories. The end is confusing not just for me but also for everyone else because no one knows what really happened? He is an unreliable narrator so we are not sure if we can believe any of the story

Week 12 Women's Comics

I read Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. This comic reminded me of My Favorite Thing is Monsters. The main character in both stories is a girl struggling to grow up in a difficult family situation. Both girls are also dealing with the idea that they're gay. In Fun Home, life with her father is very difficult. We find out that a big part of the problem is that he is also gay but refuses to do anything about it. They both love reading and art but never able to build a strong bond. When she finally works up the courage to come out, her father is not supportive. She and her mother wonder if this news and his unwillingness to be honest with himself are what cause him to commit suicide by getting hit by a truck. This complicated relationship is the main focus of the story but her openness about her sexuality and the struggles of her being different are also the main focus. I think that a graphic novel with issues like this will open up to a large audience that feels the same way as she does.

Week 11 Comics As Contemporary Literature

My favorite thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris is the graphic novel I read for Comics As Contemporary Literature. I can see why thing book is considered literature because the narrative has many layers and is told by multiple points of view. The Primary point of view is from Karen a 10 year old girl who seems to be based on the author. It's a story within a story because its a story about a little girl who draws her life as a comic. She is a fan of monsters so it's no surprise that she draws herself as a little werewolf. Possibly she draws herself as a werewolf because she might have something to hide about herself just like werewolves do when they are humans. I think the mystery element helps the novel seem more like literature. The author uses Karen's process of being a detective to reveal things about the other characters. I wasn't too satisfied by the end because the mystery was not solved.

Week 10

I read Buddha Volume 1 by Osamu Tezuka. That Japanese comic was written by the manga artist who is considered a master. It's kind of interesting because it is about another master - Buddha. This is an interesting and sometimes funny look at one of the oldest stories in the world. It's interesting because I didn't know anything about the class structure in India.

His illustrations of India in black and white are beautiful and show the details of Indian art and culture. Thus seems very different from the style of illustration used in the characters/animals. They are very cartoony which makes the story more interesting. However, the story itself is hard to follow. The most interesting character is the little boy who was the thief. The expressions on his face with his big manga eyes make him look very cute and like he's always getting in trouble. The best scene is when he and his friends are peeing on the boy he stole from. I assume that this is the lowest class and I wonder if the people who are in this class in India are naked all the time.

I find action words interesting. It doesn't seem like this sort of comic would have BAM, POW, OWW. Another interesting part is when the boy can turn into animals. You feel sorry for the boy because his mother had been sold as a slave. So the little trouble maker decides to help him.

Week 9 Wide World of Comics

I read The Black Incal by Moebius and Jodorowsky. This comic is set in the future and the main character's name is John Difool. His job is a private investigator and he is sort of like the anti-hero in main of the old Noir films. He is kind of rough looking, hasn't shaved in a whole, his clothes and all messed up, and he's got bandaids where he has been hit. Like the detectives from Noir, his motives are not totally pure and he hangs out with robot hookers and people from the more shady side of life. He finds the incal but doesn't exactly understand it or its power.

As far as the layout of the comic goes, it uses 4 basic colors in vibrant tones and with variations of it. The figures are realistic with all the usual body parts, but there are lots of nonhumans type monsters. The layout is usually 5-6 panels per page that are easy to follow but the speech bubbles are all over the place and very confusing. It's fun that they use the old fashioned word art for the sound effects such as KPOW!

Parts of the story are like ironic fairy tales. For example, he meets a princess that looks so pure, she is drawn with a halo. She pays him to take her to a place seek pleasure for kinky desire but if he doesn't get her back by midnight he doesn't get paid. She has sex with a freaky dog man and when Difool tries to get her to go home, she turns the dog man on him. The ironic part is that while they fight it turns midnight and she turns into a saggy old lady. I don't really don't see a difference with this comic compared to the ones in the U.S.

Week 8 Stereotypes in Comics

Of course various racist have been stereotyped in comics. For example, Asian Americans are either the brilliant scientist or the Kung fo master. African Americans are dark superheroes like Black Panther or Spiderman's alter ego. In some of the older comics, African Americans are pictured as less intelligent and of the poor working class. However, things have improved in these groups in recent comics. But one group is still objectified are women, whether its Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Supergirl, they are all illustrated to be sexy symbols. Even in the Archie comics, which are supposed to be typical high school girls, they wear tight sweaters, have big boobs, and are not always very bright. One more recent example is Aeon Flux. She had an amazing body and wear tight clothes but she is a total badass. She can kick any man's butt. So if women are going to be objectified, a least now they can kick butt.