Week 8: Stereotypes in Comics

I cannot lie, I merely skimmed this one due to lack of time, but from what I gathered I did like. I too had the same experience as Jin, being the only Asian student in my grade, and there is a lot of truth to how it is interpreted in this graphic novel.

I feel bad that this one is really short, but none of the comics I glanced at really interested me. Perhaps this is the one genre of comic I just am not compatible with :/

Week 7: Maus

As soon as I started reading this, I immediately thought of a monologue from the movie Inglorious Basterds. In this monologue, the German officer is talking about "thinking like a Jew" and how most Germans can't think like a Jew. The officer said that Germans think like hawks, like born predators. But Jews "think like rats", in that they pay up their dignity for survival and hide in the most unlikely of places. Throughout our discussion in class, it was mentioned how the father can no longer relate to his son. I feel like that that's happened because he has sacrificed that human relationship so that he and his son can survive. I read a quote once, "There's no condition one adjusts to so quickly as a state of war", and I think that there's truth to it, especially in Maus. When you're in that situation, you have to do anything to survive, including shut down your emotions.  Because once you're dead, you're gone forever, and even if you've lost a bit of dignity you're alive to tell the tale and build yourself up again.

Week 6: Underground Comics

Oh man, talk about letting it all hang open. I read in class a particularly raunchy retake on The Tortoise and Hare, where both animals are drunkard, angry characters who have a thing for a little bunny with swag. The language is much more adult, and though the style is still very childlike and there's cameos of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, the tone is so much more mature. On a less scandalous note, I read another comic in class that involved very short stories with very simplistic drawings. What made me interested was that it was blatantly labeled as "adult content", and I was expecting something completely different from what I got: some very intellectual humor for adults, not necessarily adult. The only thing to properly warrant that warning was the occasional f-word thrown in for clear dramatic effect. I did chuckle a few times, and I was pleasantly surprised by the contents. It's funny how these two different comics are two very opposite extremes of the same genre.

Week 5: Craig Thompson's Blankets

These are the types of comics I enjoy the most. Graphic novels with emotion and excellent storytelling. Blankets in particular was very heartfelt and easily relatable. I too have gone through many of the same things that have happened in this story, and the whole thing is very personable. There was one seen in particular where he, uh, "has some alone time" and he mentions that whether we believe it or not, that was the only time he did that his senior year. That scene alone is very telling: in most religious sects, it is looked down upon to satisfy yourself in that way. He is in the process of venturing out of religious constrictions. Having feelings for this girl has given him the audacity to do so. It's so personal and in a way feels very raw and powerful, which makes it enjoyable to read.

Week 4: Comic books

I have always thought comic book reading to be a glamorous hobby that I would never waste my money on. Not to say I haven't read them, but comic books are a particular vein of sequential art that I never had too much interest in. And the reason is because I don't like the wording, nor do I like the style of drawing. I know that comic books are targeted toward children, but I feel that the dramatic style of the text is being forced down my throat. I'm being fed all the information, leaving no room for me to think and form my own conclusion. There's drama, but no suspense. I enjoy the superhero mythology, so much so that I've tried reading super hero comics just to experience those stories, but the way it is presented is still not enjoyable for me.

Week 3: Comic Strips

Peanuts

I start with Peanuts because it holds a very special place in my heart. One of the very first animated cartoons I ever remember seeing was A Charlie Brown Christmas. This short film inspired me to delve into the comics with an appreciation and fervor that is only comparable to the Madeline books and TV show. Charlie Brown, despite being a giant woobie and all-around kick bag for many of the other characters, I find to be charming and good-intentioned despite his faults, making him extremely relatable. All of the children in Peanuts are relatable in one way or another, and most comics revolving around a bunch of kids at school with funny one-liners easily grabs my attention anyway.

Calvin and Hobbes

I never really read Calvin and Hobbes when I was younger, but I knew the precipice of the strip. I knew it was about a boy and his stuffed tiger, and I knew they got into all sorts of mischief. Reading it now, its very clever: you forget that Hobbes doesn't really talk or exist. He seems like a literal and very real part of the family, which I guess to Calvin he is. I like how the comic takes you sorta into Calvin's point of view and you get to fully experience Hobbes the way Calvin does.


Little Nemo

I watched the movie before I ever read the comics, and even then it was very very long ago that I watched it. But then I took History of Animation and learned all about Winsor McCay. Reading the comics whilst knowing the tediousness of how each panel was done and what it lead to, I was really impressed with how clean the art style was. It's an enjoyable comic to read and despite its predictability plot-wise, its never a dull ride, especially for Little Nemo.

Week 2: Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

At first this book's format confused me, despite how much I wanted to understand and learn from it. But after I was finally able to understand what I was reading, it became extremely helpful. I've been interested in creating a comic of my own for several years now, and this was the first book recommended to me. The concepts and ideas of how comics are interpreted and how they come about gave me some perspective and insight in how I want the comic I one day make to read.

It also amazed me how the book itself is a large, detailed comic.