Web Comics

As I have stated in the beginning of the class, I actually didn’t spend much time with comics when I was a kid aside from a few of the Calvin and Hobbes I own.  So naturally I am a little late to the web comic scene.  My main interest as always been the gaming industry, so I have fairly recently taken a liking to Penny Arcade.  The art is nice but the messages they convey for the most part are genius.  They don’t hold back when it comes to commenting on the videogame news of the day.  Penny Arcade says what everyone else thinks, and it has come to the point where checking their site is a part of my daily routine.

Arabian Nights

Lillian Chestney’s Arabian Nights caught my eye the most out of the selection for the week.  The style that won me over is best described as an art nouveau rebirth.  Everything about the work was vibrant and whimsical.  I really wish I would have been able to see a hard copy, I don’t think the pdf scans do the artwork justice.

I had already been exposed to the Arabian Nights tales when I was much younger so I was vaguely familiar with them.  The way the panels were laid out would at time become extremely detailed and intricate.  While it was difficult to comprehend what was going on at times, I found myself far too engrossed with the craftsmanship that it didn’t bother me at all.

Manga

Manga has probably had the largest amount of influence on my generation.  My first exposure to manga and anime was around the age of six when my family was stationed in Japan.  I remember turning on the TV one Saturday morning expecting my usual shows only to be confused and fascinated by shows such as DBZ and Pokémon.  The manga I chose was Death Note, which was recommended to me by a few friends of mine.  I was unable to finish it but I was hooked shortly after the first few pages.  Stylistically it was pretty traditional but it also incorporated an element of macabre that I’m always drawn to.

It’s always nice to have low expectation and then become pleasantly surprised.  The writing style makes the reader omniscient.  We are able to see both sides of the investigation.  Knowing what each faction is capable of as the protagonist and the arch nemesis try to discover each other’s identities first.

Maus

I found Maus particularly interesting.  Being the history buff/nerd that I am, I was eager to see how the author would be able to convey the harshness of the Holocaust/ Nazi Germany’s environment using cats, mice, dogs, and pigs.  The story telling was interesting and pretty blunt and to the point.  I can’t quite point it out but there is something about the novel that sends a strong, heavy message and while using these “cartoon” characters and comic book layout.  The fact that the author was able to successfully tell a holocaust story in the form of a graphic novel is revolutionary.  I wouldn’t mind finding more graphic novels that focus on historical events in a serious tone.  This was definitely one of my favorites for this class.

Underground Comics

This was a pretty interesting topic; and a real eye opener for me.  Can’t say this portion of the class was my favorite.  For the most part each comic I viewed relied off of childish toilet humor and explicit material.  Not to say I didn’t chuckle a little bit at some of the toilet humor but it was hardly enough to keep me interested in works.  It was interesting to see the type of material the comics had for their time as well as the amount of influence it had in the industry.  It was kind of interesting to see the artists have a field day with drawing whatever they pleased.  Other than that, it wasn’t that I was offended by any of the comics but they stories (if you can consider them stories) weren’t coherent nor were they interesting to me.

Polly & Pals

Not the best selection we have read this semester.  Being an artist, esspecially when dealing with comics, It is always very difficult and nearly impossible to see past an art style I dont particualrly care for.  I didnt really care for or even really understand some of the jokes that were presented in the comic.  The know I am probably in the minority since the later evolutions of the series are known for being more innovative from a graphical standpoint, but I honestly still did not care much for it at all.

Calvin and Hobbes/Nemo

I decided to revisit one of my most favorit comic series ever.  Calvin and Hobbes has been a pretty big part of my childhood.  I have always loved the art, the comedy, and the short stories.  After taking time to revisit the series, I can still say it is just as entertaining as ever.  The stories have this classic sense of adventure that resembles very closely my childhood.  Calvin has the typical imagination that you would expect from most children that age, and seeing exciting and many times insane visions in a brilliantly illustrated form is what makes it special.  Even after the several comics I have been exposed to in this class, I have yet to come across anything that is as awesome as this:



As far as the Little Nemo series goes, I thought they were overall very enjoyable.  Needless to say, being an illustrator, I really like Winsor Mcay's style.  The quality of the Illustration is arguable the best in my opinion.  He pays so much attention to detail and the brilliant use of color would entice any reader to the series.  Coming across some of the things that were in the animated film from my childhood made reading this a little nostalgic.

Understanding Comics

This was an interesting read for me.  Having not read too many comics as a kid, it was interesting for me to read theories on what comics mean and their place in society.  I also like how he was able to explain in depth the creation of comics using the comic style.  The Author quite clearly used his own personal opinions of which are probably debatable amongst people that have a much greater understanding of the medium than myself.  Though it was at times a little dry, It was still nice learning material for me.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed

The Adventures of Prince Achmed is an interesting silent film that is composed of paper cut outs and uses stop motion animation. I think the reason why I was so intrigued with the film was due to the interesting lighting and how remarkably well the stories were conveyed with out the use of dialogue.  The color in conjunction with the beautiful score make for an entertaining and effective piece.

In class activity

Panel 1: The woman begins some sor tof strange ritual
Panel 2: A giant Chicken is summoned along the bedside of a woman
Panel 3: The woman from the first panel undresses as another strange creature is summoned
Panel 4: The two creatures continue the strange ritual around the two women
Panel 5: The woman has been sacrificed as she is bleeding under the bed
Panel 6: Two of the women seem to be under the control of the giant chicken and other strange creature
Panel 7: The two women are sitting at the table conversing along witht he giant chicken.

The Arrival

The Arrival was one of the most interesting stories and forms of storytelling I have ever encountered.  Granted I was never a big comic reader as a child but I still enjoyed the very few that I did read.

The Arrival is a story about one man's journey to another country.  It is told mainly through the use of pictures, there are very few words used in this story.  Being the history nerd that I am, I was fascinated by the early 1900's photographic theme that the book is based on.  It almost felt like I was looking through through someone's time capsule or an old family photo album.  The story also contains interesting and fantastic creatures that people had as pets.