Octopus Pie

I like the art in Octopus Pie. It's cute and simple and reminds me of the style of Scott Pilgrim. I think that online comics sometimes are more interesting because I feel that there is no censorship. Also it helps that they are easy access. I like the roommate paring of the pessimistic with the care free optimistic hippie chick. It's a classic comedic paring of total opposites. I also like how in this comic the characters change their appearances. Usually a cartoon character will have the same clothes on the entire series. But in Octopus Pie the characters change their daily wardrobes and the men actually shave and grow facial hair. Actually it's funny that the hippie girls boyfriend shaved after he got a big beard then started growing it again. that is exactly what i do. I can't help but smile every time I look at that guy. It's so cute and funny the way he is drawn. He has a big beard and bangs covering his eyes so his face is just a nose and a mouth. But besides the way it is drawn. I think this is the best comic I read so far this semester. It's funny and cute, and makes a great sit com. If i wasn't reading this online I think I would be watching it on tv.

Superhero Comics

Super hero movies are a big trend now and there is an obvious reason. Many superhero comics tell excellent stories, most superheros are classic, not only that but they already have the visuals to go by. Which makes superheroes appeal to a wide audience. There was a time when superhero comics featured morally perfect beings who save the day and everyone loves them. However, this is boring. Superman is boring. I don't know that many people who are fans of the Superman comics or movies. More people are a fan of batman. Why? Well I think that since he is flawed batman is relatable and interesting. Being perfect is boring. I think that cat woman would be my favorite super hero/villain of all time. She is a really sexy and fun super person. I couldn't really say that she is good or bad because she really doesn't pick a side. There is even a sexual attraction and an odd relationship between her and batman. She helps out batman sometimes, sometimes she steals jewelry, and sometimes she helps out the bad guy. But i think ultimately she has been casted as a super villain because the only person she is looking out for is herself. Which many people would think that apathy is a bad thing. It might be, butI'm on the fence. It wasn't until after the 50s or 60s i think is when batman starts to merge out of being the goody two shoes kind of hero into a protagonist. Same with cat woman, instead of being evil she is seen as rather independent, and a strong woman. It's funny how it seems that every character in batman is sort of off their rocker. Everyone is sort of lost. The villains being the most insane characters. The only sane people in the comics I think are Alfred and Batman's girlfriends. I always seen Batman as a Bisexual character which would be also seen as a flaw by some people for different reasons. Of course I am talking about his relationship with Robyn. I find it hilarious how they always seem to slip in a homosexual undertone in the comics. Preacher was a cool comic to read. A supernatural being attached to a preacher in Texas. The being named Gensis is pure evil and pure good at the same time. Talk about being flawed. Every action in Preacher is extreme. Which makes him superhuman. A combination even more powerful than God. Because God is pure good, and the Devil is pure Evil. A person or a being both at the same time is just kind of mind blowing to think about. The series is also good because everyone loves exorcisms and find vampires and demons. The series is awesome.  Watchman is a series about superhuman beings that just get fed up with obeying societies rules and become in a sense greek gods. Because they take matters in there own hands and do whatever they think is good and you can't do anything about it. I like when Alan Moore was discussing in class about how he was a magician. Because, the definition of a Magician, in his understanding, is someone who has a skill or craft that influences or manipulates. Which is pretty far out idea, but then again it's not. He goes on to say that people in the entertainment field are all magicians. Some are more powerful than others. I can't help but agree because people like us use our talents to change someone's perception of reality.

Love and Rockets

A comic about sex, love, and rock and roll. I like the way the comic is drawn and I like the subject matter of young adults living in the punk scene durning the 80s-90s. They are everyday teens/ young adults just living a rebellious teenage lifestyle. It's pretty realistic. I like how there is latin american influence in the comic. It gives a cool perspective and culture to the comic. However, I think the different cultural influence is also it's downfall. I couldn't really get into the other comics because I didn't really understand them. I think there is a big misconnection with the different cultures.

Asterios Polyp

Asterios Polyp is about a man who struggles with his own flaws. It is a story about the relationship between free will vs. fate. He is of italian and greek decent and relates parts of the odyssey with his life. I like when he talks about how the ancient religion of greek gods explained the randomness of the joys and tragedies in life. They were powerful beings that did things upon feelings. If they didn't like someone they would doom them. The ancient gods were very human. So is it a religion based on god or is it a religion explaining human nature. I do believe that life is 50/50 when it comes to free will vs. fate. Fate happens but we always have a choice in how to deal with it. Situations can destroy us, or make us stronger in terms of how we choose to handle things. As human we are flawed and so are relationships and there is no helping that. Asterios is self-centered and insensitive and his wife is very passive. Their flaws get the better of them which leads to their separation for a period of time. I do like the ending when he does make it back to her and they start to patch things up. I liked it's hopeful wishful thinking ending. Relationships won't always be wonderful. But, we live for those special moments when we can really connect with someone else. Relationships are work and people don't want to always compromise. But I feel if you really love someone you'd do anything for them. You'd swallow your pride just to be with them. Sacrifice is a big part of love and I think that is a major theme in this story.

Manga

When it comes to Anime/ Manga I am very indecisive. As an Illustrator am told that Anime is a dirty word. However, I don't think that it is. It is easy to copy characters and as a young artist to learn how to draw the human form. I used to draw Anime characters all the time when I was in middle school. However, I really don't like that much Anime. I feel that most the time it goes too fast, its too over the top and too out there. I tried watching more Anime shows and reading manga outside the Amereican mainstream. I didn't really like anything. The only shows/ comix I liked are Sailor Moon and Miyazaki films. I find the story telling style to be more relaxed. I also liked a short Anime called Gravitation and that was a yaoi animation. I read some of the Yaoi on the website. And I have to say as a gay man I eat that stuff up. I wish that more comics in America or even shows featured gay male drama a little more at least. Even though these comix are mainly focused an women readers I like them more than the gay manga comix for men. Because I like the romance of yaoi. It is very passionate, romantic, and intimate. Where as the men's comix are all about sex. Which is boring. Most yaoi doesn't even have sex, but if it does, it isn't graphic at all. If the characters don't have sex, it is a better story. To quote Andy Warhol, "The most exciting thing is not doing it. If you fall in love with someone and never do it, it’s much more exciting." Which I think might be true to a point. I don't think never doing it is out of the question. I mean come on we are all human. But I think waiting for the perfect moment or the right time for sex is definitely is more exciting, it's more romantic. What's the fun in just doing it? Where's the chase? Where are the feelings, where is the story? 

Persepolis

I've been wanting to read this "graphic novel" for a long time now because I heard it was so good. Everyone was right it was terrific. I think that a lot of teenagers and young adults can benefit from reading this comic. It explains the situations in Iran that could be understood better, also it shows how teenagers and children are similar to those of American ones. Identity is a big theme in Marjane's novel.  Not only does she discuss her own identity but the women's identity suppressed by the regimin in Iran. Her punk style and attention to punk culture started when she was in grade school. The older genration was not accepting of the new style as of those in Europe later on in the novel. I like the changes that she goes through in the novel trying to find herself by cutting her hair and changing her clothes to fit the punk style. She has a hard time fitting in at points of the book which I can relate to. But more than anything she experiences racism for being Iranian. When she is staying with the nuns they scold her for being Iranian and uneducated. Which is horrifying because nuns are suppose to be holy figures but, they are just as ignorant and insensitive as anyone else. However, I like how she shows how educated she is about them asking them if they were prostitutes before they became nuns. There is another instance where a boy is flirting with her and he asks what she is, and she says French. Everyone has told a lie at one point or another to fit in with a crowd of people and if not they are lying. We all want to be accepted and appreciated and instead of showing people who we really are we lie and tell people what they want to here. But as we get older the more we begin to accept ourselves as we are and care less of what others think. All in all Marji may have her faults every once in a while but she is a badass character. She steps to be beat of her own drum and isn't afraid to speak her mind or put people in their place. Although she maybe too stubborn for her own good at times, it is also her strong point. I really couldn't imagine living as she did. Living in Iran with a corrupt government and then being sent away pretty much to live on our own without the help of your parents. She does struggle with loneliness and depression for most of the book and she has a hard time connecting with people. I think that one of the great life lessons in this book is that at times we may feel like we are alone but we never truly are. Her grandmother is my favorite character besides Marji she is full of wisdom and like experiences I adore her. She is the best mentor and tough yet sweet. I like when Marji comes to visit her and Marji is still wearing the veil and she tells her to take it off. Marji forgets she is wearing it, her grandmother says never forget you are wearing it. She says something like, they will try to take your identity but never let them. Which is still significant today. Today, the most important thing is to be yourself. Which is a new movement that is stressed in America's younger generation. It probably started with the gay rights movement.

Maus

It think that making the Jews mice and the Nazis cats is great symbolism. Obviously cats eat mice, but making the characters animals show survival and everyone is for themselves. Even though the characters are drawn mice it is still pretty horrifying because it is attached to a very real event that effects people still today. Even though that the story is about the Holocaust, the story is mostly about the relationship between a father and son. Even though the son never was apart of the Holocaust (he was not born yet), he still feels guilty he wasn't there. Why? He also talked about what if he was there. He was even talking about which parent he would save if they had to send one to the ovens. Which is horrifying. Traumatizing events that you hear about or experience will get you to think about things you would never consider. Its funny how dogs are represented as Americans. Americans want to do good they are loyal, but kind of ignorant. I am not sure why Polish people are represented as pigs or why the French are frogs. Is the author trying to say that the French are not useful? I think that representing humans as animals have a lot of symbolism in it. Also, I think that the author chose to do this because animals are easier to read about because it takes the horrifying humanistic trauma out of it. Also it helps divide the people based upon species, to really show how people were divided during the holocaust. I like the art style it is bold and simple which gives more power to the story rather than the drawings.

Underground Comics

I can see why parents at the time wanted to ban pornography from comics. Of course children would be handing around comic shops and seeing these graphic images. But, while some are just for pornography's sake, sex is only a minor aspect of the comic's story. However, I found that the comic where a couple goes flying and as they are, fornicate and fall out of the sky and land in the lake upon climax. Talk about a weird fantasy. But not as weird as when the white man, in Crumb's story, has sex with a Yeti. But, that isn't the main purpose of the story. Even after being rescued from the wilderness the man still goes back with the yeti. I think that the story implies that we are all still animals weather we like it or not. We all desire comfort and security and perhaps the modern life is way too complicated to be appealing. Crumb also creates a lot of religious stories, like when the man is entranced by the golden fish necklace and his religious experiences cures his illness for a short period of time. He also creates the comic version of the bible. And everyone knows that there is sex talked about in the bible, however, Crumb shows it. I think that as people are concerned talking about sex is some-what appropriate  however, showing it, is out of the question.  The big shocker for people at the time were the gay comics, since homosexually was still taboo. The stories are interesting about how each person goes through their life challenges.

Eisner

Eisner and Thompson aren't just comic book artists, they are narrators. I enjoy Contract with God and the different characters stories and how in depth they are. However, Eisner tells human stories, where Thompson tells stories with subhuman characters with surrealistic settings. I have to say I was shocked that Thompson made up this adventure in, Doot Doot Garden, where two characters go floating down a diarrhea river and eat poop. Quite disturbing. But, perhaps he was trying to make commentary about something that was going on at the time.

I very much like Eisner's drawing/ pen and ink work. His characters have a lot of expression in the character him or herself, without the words to explain. In Contract with God his stories take place during the depression in New York City. Many of his characters in this story have a deep depressing story attached to them. You can tell that life during that time must have been very hard.
In his comics there are also lot  of reflection and going from past to present. I also like how the page is open to text and the image as well, and not confined to panels. Such as when the Jewish man looses his daughter to sickness and he comes back to the present to explain why he is breaking his contract with God. Of Course Eisner, writes for a mature audience because he writes about sex, scandal, and drugs in his comics. During the time he must have had a hard time selling his comics because comics were frond upon, not only that but mostly kids were thought to read comics. He must have been apart of this sort of underground comic book readers club.

Blankets is a very compelling story about how this characters goes through periods of changes in his faith and his art and also how his religion affects his art. Also about he is afraid to tell his parents that he is no longer a christian. The little things are stressed the most in this graphic novel and they seemed to be the most important things in this character's life. There is a precious moment where him and his brother are trying to catch the static electricity in the blankets. Fairies they called them. This is one of the moments that this graphic novel is named after. It also could be referring to loosing his virginity to the beautiful girl from his summer camp. It also could be referring to hiding under the blankets. Because he is a very sad and afraid teenager, because he is grunge and his high school is out in the country filled with cowboys who bully him. It also could be a symbol for being blind or ignorant. One other thing i can think of blankets symbolizing is to seek and want comfort and security in life.

Both stories are very heavy and not a light read at all. Both having a conflict with faith in god themselves, and humanity.

The Comic Book

The difference I see between Carl Barks, and Tin Tin; and Ec comics are the age differences. Carl Barks and Tin Tin are for the younger age groups; and Ec are for a mature audience. The way Donald Duck and Tin Tin are drawn in a whimsical fashion with bright colors and lots of fluidly drawn movement and action; and unrealistically drawn. Where as EC comic books are stagnant, detailed, pen and ink work; realistically drawn, and the text speaks for most of the action portraid. The format for the Ec books is more on the lines of a graphic novel with the story at the top of the page typed like a novel and  the drawing is on the bottom of the page. It pretty much is a traditional written novel with a illustration on each page. The comics are mostly told through speech/ speech bubbles. Also the context of the comics with Donald Duck and Tin Tin the problems in the comic are light hearted and slap stick. Where as the Carl Barks comics are murder mysteries. As you grew up during this time I think you would read Donald Duck comics first, then Tin Tin, and then Ec. Tin Tin is the sort of in between the two it has the light heartedness of Ec with the mystery of Carl Barks, but doesn't go as far as murder. As the number of pages differed from the Ec Comics being the shortest and Tin Tin and Ec being the longest comics. I think Carl Barks had a shorter number of pages because the audience which is children would have shorter attention spans which ment less time reading.

Understanding Comics

I enjoyed the part of the comic where it talked Japan's manga comics and how sometimes they use detail to emphasise importance of objects. Such as, when the narrator cartoon guy was swinging the sword around and it looked cartoony and we got the information. But, when he stopped to look at the sword it looked very detailed and beautiful. I think that this techique is good at showing extreems. Such as ugly or beautiful. Take for instance Spongebob. The world they are drawn in is pretty neutral or basically drawn, however, when they zoom in on a characters face and it is drawn detailed, it looks very ugly. You can see every poor and pimple and wrinkle on the cute cartoon's face and its funny. 

 

I have to say that I do like western cartoons and comics, compared to most Japanese cartoons and comics. First thing that bugs me is the lack of originality. It seems that Western cartoons are more iconic than Japanesse ones. Like it says in the comic most people respond better to icons. There are many cartoon characters from America, that I would recognise if they were only siloettes. However, there are only two I think I would regonize from Japan and that would be Sailor Moon. It's because of the iconic hair and outfit. Nothing else besides the distinct hair and clothes are very original about the way it is drawn. 

   

One other thing I do not like about Japanese comics is the very detailed backgrounds and the simplified characters. I think it looks very mismached and it is honestly pretty hard to look at and it gives me a headache. Because, in my mind the two should not match up together. I feel that detail in cartoons should only be enphasised very limitedly and only in times of importance. 

Speaking of detail I also really enjoyed the part of the comic where the little narrator man talked about how detail could be distracting from the message. In the one pannel he is drawn more detailed an more realistic. I was paying attention to him more than what he was saying. Rather than the simplified recognizable drawn version of him, the message did not have to compete. I also perfer western cartoons  to Japanese comics and cartoons because, usually Japanese cartoons have more of a complex story behind them and a lot is going on and the cartoon is drawn simple. I find it very mixed matched and unejoyable. Take X-men comics and superhero comics in general. X-men is a very detailed comic with a very complex and layered story. I find the two to go together. Perhaps culture has another factor in preferance. Maybe I don't enjoy the Manga comics is because of the culture difference. It is something I  may have to learn to understand. 

The Comic Strip- Little Nemo, Peanuts, and Krazy Kat

I didn't realize that a lot of animated cartoons came from the classic comic strip a person would read in the paper. When I was a kid i loved the peanuts cartoon, pop-eye, and little nemo cartoons shown on tv and vhs. I like Lucy's character in the peanuts series. In the comic strip it seems more apparent that Lucy has a thing for Charlie Brown. However, in the cartoon series she is more mean to him, so no one will know that she likes him. It is funny how kids use reverse physiology in a romantic sense maybe because they are a stranger to romantic feelings and they do not know how to react. Maybe they are even afraid someone will make fun of them for liking someone before puberty hits and its cool to have a mate. This is the classic case with a lot of kid characters such as Helga on Hey Arnold!, a classic 90s Nickelodeon cartoon. She is mean and hateful to his face, but ends up stalking him and making poetry about how in love she is with him. I see similarities between the two cartoon couples. Like Helga, Lucy is bossy and aggressive, where as Charlie Brown, like Arnold, is calm, and patient and willing to listen. They balance each other out making them a perfect match. The Peanuts have a variety that many different kids can relate to. Pig pen, "the kid who doesn't bathe"; Linus, "the kid with attachment issues", he never let go of his blanket; Sassy, "the annoying little sister who has a crush on your best friend", etc. I find it funny that they always make fun of Peppermint Patty as being a lesbian in multiple parodies who is usually in a relationship with her nerdy best friend Marcie. She is of course made fun of as the lesbian because she is a tom boy.  However, they never make fun of a character being a boy and also gay, because either, it is not apparent, or as a society it is inappropriate to be a gay man. However, i think that Schroeder is they gay boy character. He is the reserved artsy type that doesn't usually get involved. Lucy is openly attracted to him because is the cool guy, and mysterious which attracts her. She won't be criticized for liking him. However, Schroeder ignores her, which makes Lucy want his attention even more. One more observation can't go without notice is, like Archie, there are no minorities.

I did find some minorities in the Nemo comics how ever. Of course though they were depicted as servants because of the time period they were made. Black people were depicted as enjoying there oppressed position. Because, having rebellious black people in the comics would be too inappropriate for publication at the time. However, I can understand how children would like the comics of Little Nemo in slumberland because it is playful,circus like, and fantastic. My favorite scene would probably have to be the walking bed. There also is another way black people are represented in this comic, as savages. The Imp is a character that plays tricks on people and is uncivilized, he is a racial caricature of native Africans. Black people are represented as either servants, or savages but never quite so civilized, or people of mainstream society. Other companions in Nemo's world is flip. Who is a clown that is Nemo's nemesis and then becomes his friend. It is not indicated whether or not flip is a small man or a child even though he does smoke cigars and hints at a balding hairline. I think his character is suppose to represent a fool, a man who never grew up; possibly even being a disobedient kid. There is also a princess in the comic which Nemo denies an attraction to. And there is her father who is king Morpheus, who is the god of dreams in greek mythology. There is a lot of mythology in this comic strip from ancient to religions and also focus towards biblical stories and Christianity. There is a nightmare realm with a demon as its ruler which represents the devil and evil, and king Morpheus who be god, and slumberland would be heaven because it is place of safety and fun, child-like and without sin. There is also a hint at the story of Pandora where Zeus tells her not to open the box and she does anyway. King Morpheus gives Nemo the key to the city that will unlock any door. But, he must never unlock the door with the symbol of the key on it. Flip ends up convincing Nemo to open the door and he lets evil or the nightmare back into the world. This is also an interpretation of Adam and Eve. Eve being Flip, and Nemo being Adam.

Lastly, Krazy Kat is an interesting comic strip where a mouse keeps hitting a cat with a brick. It looks like a retro tom and Jerry cartoon, but it is the mouse that is hunting the cat which is ironically funny. The slapstick in the comic gives inspiration to later cartoons such as Looney Toons. The in these cartoons one animal is always trying to hunt another, like Elmer Fudd is trying to hunt Bugs Bunny and Bugs Bunny is trying to convince Elmer to hunt Daffy Duck instead. Or the road runner vs. wild e. coyote.  Also, i can see where Matt Groening, got his idea for the Simpsons cartoon. Lisa and Bart watch the show Itchy and Skraty where a mouse hunts a cat ironically. However, it goes beyond slap stick humor, and shows shows the mouse chain sawing the cat's body inhalf and his blood and guts shoot every which way. I think that Matt Groening was intentionally trying to parodies the violence in cartoons.

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

A wordless graphic novel is universal. By making up a written language and by relying on only body gestures to understand the story, everyone can experience what it may have been like to be a foreigner migrating to America through Ellis Island. I think it is profound that the Shaun Tan kept the people the same, but changed the architecture, animals, plants/ food, and machinery. I think what Shaun Tan was trying to say is that people are generally same everywhere, the atmosphere, culture, and language just changes. One can really feel the anxiety that the character goes through by making the architecture larger than life, and the culture somewhat futuristic and alien like. Everyone can relate to this graphic novel because everyone in their life has felt alienated, whether it is going on a vacation to an unfamiliar place, being the the new kid at school, or moving away from home to go to college, or the first day at a new job, etc. However, we adapt to survive. Just as the main character does. I like at the end of the story where the main character's daughter is showing the new comer the way around the city. It shows that she has already submersed herself in the culture. It is always the younger generation who adapts the best to new surroundings, and the mature are more set in their ways. I imagine what the story, told through the eyes of the main character's daughter, would be like. I imagine that when she arrives to this strange wacky city things look as they do, but, over time the atmosphere because more recognizable to new yorkers or Americans. Such as the buildings take shape from big pyramid like shapes, to sky scraper rectangles; gibberish becomes English, and the weird lizard like pet, turns into a recognizable dog. It would be interesting in using the elements in this story, but use them to tell a story about racism or immigrants. Perhaps there could be a main character that lives his everyday life and then suddenly these strange people could show up in his city. They maybe wearing goofy outfits or something of that nature; something to set them apart from the norm of the city. The story would be about them trying to get along with the people of the city and the moral would be people are just people we don't need to be afraid of them. I'll maybe think about this for my thesis. Anyway, the drawings are beautiful in this graphic novel and some of the pages are incredibly detailed. I wonder however why he did make the images black and white. Perhaps that was the easiest choice for production. However, there are uses of cool shades and warm shades in the sketches. Maybe this is a universal easy way to show positive or negative energy, rather than color. I could also be a way to show the difference between day and night.