The Future of Comics

It is in my opinion that the future of comics is going to be an important one. I think comics are around to stay in a large way, whether people can see it or not.  Comics are important because of their ability to communicate.  Currently I think the effectiveness of web-comics and their different formats are interesting, but I feel the various experimental comic artists are trying way too hard.  The concepts for adding a multimedia experience to a typical comic experience seems contrived, rather than artistic.  I think this is a perfect example of the classical case of: "less is more."

Comics have introduced multiple facets into the area of storytelling and visual representation that are just now infiltrating film and video games. A great example of this is the new film, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.  This movie introduces really interesting cuts from scene to scene, object to object, etc. that come straight out of a comic book panel.  However, it is important to note the modern day audience member does not get lost in this unique take on editing a movie.  Rather than have a hard time following the action, they become more engaged and walk away with an enhanced experience.  This experience is not all that hard to believe considering another visual medium has been using interesting transitional techniques since the beginning of its existence. This is a great example of the potential comic books have to contribute to other mediums, from an aesthetic perspective alone.  I think this trend to learn from the comics will provide the medium with a sustainability beyond what people might initially think.

Another effective relationship I think that comics will help fuel in the future are video games. I think video games and comics will have a strong relationship because they both have the ability to capture and audience members attention through representative simplified versions of reality. Which have always been extremely important in our history as human beings, as discussed per class.  Video games have a power similar to comics, being they can quickly and effectively communicate ideas, often times more simply and more effective than written words alone.  The video game medium can take a lot of concepts that comic book artists have created and very effectively and very directly incorporate them into their own work.

On the opposite of that equation, I think the comic medium can take a lot away from the current state of storytelling be achieved in film and video games. Every day filmmakers are pushing the bar to increase the amount of immersion experienced by the viewer.  Comics can take this heightened sense of reality and try to incorporate this into their medium. A great example of this is a web comic in production by a team of very talented Zbrush artists, who are implementing the most advanced form of 3d technology into the comic book format. Next Gen Comics

 In conclusion the future of comics is a bright one. The topic could be discussed for hundreds of pages, but the more important idea to relay is that comics will be here to stay. One cannot undermine the potential comic books have for supporting and sustaining themselves as a very relevant medium, whether it be through the use of conceptualization for a game or film, or as a contemporary literary masterpiece.

Reconsidering the Superhero - Watchmen

For Reconsidering the Superhero I read Alan Moore's: Watchmen.  I think he is one of the forerunners for the re-imagination of what we consider the superhero, but hardly the first.  I think it is important to understand the idea of the Anti-hero to better understand the direction and though that went behind the creation of Watchmen.
A good start is looking at the Byronic Hero, a character that was created by the great Lord Byron, and often includes a character who is: "mad, bad, or dangerous to know." One of the class antihero of our time is Sam Spade, a detective who, smokes, drinks, lies, cheats, and does bad things. However, at the end of the day he does his job and obeys the laws, and brings down the "bad guy." Although his means are not traditionally heroic, his ultimate actions and motives are seemingly for the betterment of man.

Where does Watchmen fit into this? Well Watchmen takes a look at the superhero retrofitted into a "real" world. Real superheros, and how they fit into a corrupt world.  The characters unlike many comic hero's of the past are effected by real emotions, real feeling, and real problems. All of these are characteristics of a Byronic hero, and create a character that is much more interesting and easily related to, than the traditional American superhero.  Another important implication to consider when talking about the "deconstruction" of the superhero comes in questioning the character's moral and ethical obligations in relationship to his or her obligatory governmental, work related duties.  I think this was very important in the Watchmen because it showed a lot of the struggles we have as a people in approaching every day quarrels with right and wrong.

Enough of that. Aesthetically I think Watchmen is a great piece or work, and is packed with excessive amounts of detail in each panel.  Being one of the strengths of the Graphic Narrative one can quickly recognize the power of this piece on a representative level.  The World itself is one of the most interesting characters, and it really becomes something special when you approach the work in this way.  This work is very important culturally and politically, along with its aesthetic value. I hope to dive more into the complex intricacies of Watchmen in the future, but for now I think it is one of the best examples of the "Reconsidered Superhero."

Women's Comics

I thought the Women in the Comics week was pretty interesting because it touched on a lot of material, which I had been unfamiliar with in the past. It is also very intriguing to see the relationships that women had getting into the comics industry along with other various industry's, whether it be business or artistic related.  I remember discussing the difficulties women had getting into the field of animation back in the day.  Women were rarely taken seriously as artists who could compete with men and produce work that could inspire the masses. A great example of this comes from a rejection letter sent from the Walt Disney company to a Miss Ford detailing that women are not part of any of the creative work connected with the cartoons: Women Not Allowed.

However, I think it is great to see the number of female artists involved in the advertising industry and the comics medium, whether they were isolated from the men or not.  I was really impressed with the work of Nell Brinkley. She was an amazing artist who had the ability to draw better than many of the male artists I've seen in that early period. Her line and ink work were stupendous and you can see the direct relationships from the art nouveau movement.  She also has a very interesting female aesthetic which cannot be seen from the work of the men.  It is interesting to contemplate how much better off companies would have been had they allowed actual women to help in the production of certain movies, which contained numerous scenes of cute, feminine material.

Another really interesting component of female cartoonists work that can be seen throughout all of the artists discussed in class, but very apparent in the work of Edwina Dumm is the ability for the female artist to incorporate very interesting and stylistic dress into their work.  The costumes and attention to the characters dress can rarely be scene in the work of their male counterparts. This helps to add a strong sense of fashion and visual interest to the characters in their work, along with creating a more realistic representation of who they people were and what it is they were doing.

In conclusion female artists are extremely important to the comic medium, whether they get the attention they deserve or not. All too often the influence of female artists and representation of their skills go unnoticed. This is extremely true in the Comics industry. However, this is also bull shit, because the work the female cartoonists were producing is extremely invigorating and appealing tot he reader.

Comics as Contemporary Literature - Asterios Polyp.

For Comics as Contemporary Literature, I read Asterios Polyp.

I think this book is a little over my head intellectually, but I was able to grasp some of the concepts and explore some of the themes from reading the work once.  Often times works of Contemporary Literature are interlaced with symbol and metaphor, which require complex understanding of ethics, religion, philosophy, psychology, etc.  In order to understand the true meaning of a work, one must understand the underlying foundation of the author and areas of study which help flesh out the piece.  Written Literature has been one of the most profound formats for expressing intellectual concepts through the use of metaphor and representation. However, with the availability of easier methods of print and reproduction the concept of printing images along with words has become much more prominent.

Asterios Polyp. Is a great example of a modern day graphic novel that really understands the possibilities of using the Comic medium as a means for relaying complex story driven ideas, with layers of deep intellectual thought.  This book follows Asterios, a professor of architect and his struggles with every day life.  The book explores his struggles with his wife and the dualities of thought that plague their relationship. (reason vs. emotion) A very complex subject that could be quickly overlooked in a book with just words, becomes much more understandable with images showing the relationships. For example, there is a great panel with Asterios and his wife where she is asking him: "What makes you think you're always right?".  The artist chose to represent Asterios as a very mechanical and structural line drawing, showing the form and contour of the actual drawing, the mechanical side of drawing. Something that would be very hard to represent in words and concepts, but can easily be seen in a drawing. On the other hand his wife, the female character is represented in a much more emotional and personal manner. She is shaded with tone and value rather than relying on solid lines and contour, her environment is also reflected in this sense of light, creating an emotional feeling.  This is one example of the power of using images in relation to text.  The ability to convey very complex ideas, becomes extremely simple through the use of images.

 










Often times a reader less privy to the complexities of written language will become lost in the void of text which fills a page.  Complex ideas are much harder to understand because of the daunting requirement of interpretation and the use of the imagination.  However, with a series of simple images the viewer can quickly discern the authors intentions and have a more firm understanding of the materials motives laid out before him.  I think this is one of the most powerful components of the Comic medium as a means for conveying Literary concepts.  Although, potentially more simple in communicating a complex message or thought, I believe the message is just as powerful and potentially more accessible to the masses, making Comics a great platform for Contemporary Literature. A great example of this is Asterios Polyp.

Wide World of Comics: Triplets of Belleville

This week we took a look at the Wide World of Comics. A lot of the work included was from around the world and from various places in Europe.  I found this to be one of the more interesting topics of discussion, because the work in Europe is so stylistically different than that of the tired Disney, Pixar  tradition.  A great example of this: The Triplets of Belleville a 2003 animated adventure film created by Sylvain Chomet and primary created in France, and Belgium.  This is a an adventure traditionally animated film that packs a lot of punch. The style is extremely edgy and very different than most animation created in the states. I think it is interesting to understand the importance of this as a representational piece for work being done outside of the Americas.  The characters are rich and dynamic in their own right. Often times the dialogue is much less important because the characters actions and mannerisms speak for themselves, along with the ability to create emotion through the execution of the style and drawings.

The other primary work I took a look at for Wide World of Comics week was: The Nikopol Trilogy created by Enike Bilal.  I found this work to be very inspirational, because I am a big fan of Science Fiction, especially cyber punk work concerning the use of biomechancis, etc.  This work was visually very satisfying and can be attributed as inspiration to a lot of current video game and films related to the genre.  For Example, the Nikopol Trilogy does a great job at creating a believable world distant from our own, but could be considered representational of something we might see in the future. I also noticed a strong resemblance to work done by Swiss artist: H.R. Giger, who explores dark futuristic themes in a lot of his work and was a big part of the art direction for Ridley Scott's Alien.

In conclusion, I think it is very important to recognize the potential impact European comics can have on the American entertainment industry.  All too often Hollywood has a reputation for sacrificing artistic direction, and story for profitability.  This is something that not only hurts the industry as a whole but diminishes the importance of strong artistic works.  However, in Europe there is more of a tendency to accept the visions of the artist and create work based on the importance of artistic vision, rather than the financial success.

 

An Introduction to Manga - Anime

Manga, or more so Anime was a large part of my everyday experience growing up.  Everyday I would wake up and go to school, then when I would get home I would immediately turn on the television to cartoon network and catch the latest Toonami episodes of Dragonball Z  This was a huge part of the culture at school and a common subject to talk about in middle school and high-school. I remember talking mainly about the compelling adventure story and extremely interesting action sequences which took place amongst the characters, whether it be Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Cell, etc.

Thinking back to my opinion of the series then, compared to my opinion of the series now is an interesting reflection.  I still feel the same love and passion for Dragonball, however my ability to discern what made it such a compelling and interesting entertainment format has grown.  I now realize that a lot of the success of the series has to do with the hundreds of extremely talented artists involved in the production of the work. On top of that one has to appreciate the amount of effort and work placed into developing the characters in a way that excites the audience. And most importantly the Japanese ability to tell an adventure story, and bring along the viewers for the experience.

Much like video games, the Japanese Manga and Anime mediums have an ability to create not only a personal memory with the work, but help the viewer build a personal narrative relationship with the experience.  The ability to bring the audience into the piece, and feel as if they were one of the adventures themselves is a true accomplishment.  I think this inclusion of the audience is one of the main differences than what is being produced over here in the Americas. Often times with superhero formulas the reader is left on the outside as someone who is insignificant to the main protagonist, i.e, superman.  However, in many Manga/Anime based stories it is believable to feel like part of the experience, because you "grow-up" with the characters.

Osamu Tezuka:

We discussed the importance of Osamu in class. His works range from Astro Boy to Phoenix.  He was considered by many to be the "Walt Disney" of the Manga medium.  He is also personally responsible for a lot of the aesthetic sensibilities one sees in Manga.  Another interesting story that Osamu created was: Kimba the White Lion.  There is an interesting controversy over close relationships between The Lion King and and Kimba, however it is important to note that Kimba was first published in 1954.

Sterotype: American Born Chinese

This week we discussed the importance the role of stereotypes play in comics.  It was an interesting discussion and very relevant because the importance is quite obvious in many situations. For example,  the idea of recognized symbols which readers can quickly pick up help to better convey the situation and context for specific characters.  A perfect example of this would be the physical manifestation of super heroes, who generally have an alpha-male physique and the standard heroic proportions.  This also applies to a number of other characters we can quickly recognize: the nerd, the dork, the jock, the mom, etc.


Another important component of comic book stereotypes includes more than the characters appearance, but the characters actions and mannerisms, whether that be speech, gestures etc. Often times African American representations are a perfect negative example to help illustrate this concept. For some reason the artists chose to change the speech bubbles to blathering, almost incomprehensible dialect which indicated sounds that were more likely to come from an animal rather than a human being. However, this helps to illustrate the idea of stereotyping in comics, because it is a powerful means of communication that can quickly be understood by the masses.

For this weeks reading I chose to look at: American Born Chinese.  This work is a great example of the use of Stereotypes in comics, and explores a much more literal approach to the subject. The novel follows three separate Chinese tales, which all come together in the books climax. Danny is the Chinese boy born in America, who is visited by his traditional Chinese cousin named Chin Kee.  I also found this novel to be a great representation of ethical and moral obligations to a culture or stereotype, which provided an interesting format to address these issues and explore the intellectual concepts that make stereotypes important in the comic book medium.

Maus

Maus: A Survivor's Tale by:  Art Spiegelman, documents the life of the artist's father, a Jewish man who lived in Germany during the early 30s through the end of world war two. His father later moved to New York, which is where Spielgman grew up. Maus is considered to be one of the most important works in the history of the comics.  This comic is critically and academically important for several reasons.

Maus earned the Pulitzer Prize in 1992. This is extremely important in the comic world, because it showcases the power of the comic medium amongst academics.  This work won the prize for several reasons: first of all, the depiction of the characters in the novel brilliantly display the ridiculousness of the Nazi stereotype. How are the characters depicted?  The Jewish race are depicted as mice in the novel, and the Nazis are portrayed as cats.  This simple but very visual metaphor is striking in the message it conveys, and helps the viewer to easily "classify" and separate the races in the book. As ridiculous as that sounds, its very similar to the inhumanity of the German people during the war.

The second major success of this book, other than quickly expressing the lifelessness of war, is the ability to tell a story with compelling characters.  This story is in-fact based on the real life of Vladek Spiegelman, and his son, Art Spiegelman, who is trying to gain information and storys from his father's life.  Interesting subjects are talked about throughout the novel ranging from his father's early relationships to his persecution in the war and the oppression of the Jewish people.

I found this to be a really interesting read, and I think it only helps to exemplify the power of the comic and its ability to transport the reader.  The story communicates very quickly and the metaphors are powerful and very accessible to all readers, which is extremely important in any form of storytelling medium.

"I have been convinced that Art Spiegelman is perhaps the single most important comic creator working within the field and in my opinion Maus represents his most accomplished work to date." - Alan Moore

Underground Comics

Today in class we discussed the topic of: Underground Comics.  This has probably been one of my personal favorites.  Underground comics is a great example of a rich sub-culture and one that consists of very passionate and devoted followers. The sub culture of comic books explores areas of interest that very few mediums would have ever considered before the popularity of the internet.

Sex, drugs, lust, nudity, violence, racism, religion, etc are all very taboo subjects, when being handled delicately, which underground comics used to fuel their own personal success.  The sub culture of comics used these different topics and themes and pushed them to the extreme.  The opening showed sex in various panels, along with nudity and violence. A lot of the underground comics showed all of them combined in the same issue.  The underground artists were not afraid to explore the medium.

In class we discussed the use of drugs and psychedelics, which were often popular amongst the underground comic genre. Various underground artists, would try to represent the feelings and emotions experienced during drug use, sex, etc, through the comic book medium. Some artists were heavy users of hardcore drugs like lsd, and heroin.  However, this honesty and pureness to their work provided an experience to the viewer which is rarely felt, through media which has been heavily censored by corporations and various censorship committees. 

Dr Atomic was the underground piece that I had a chance to look at in class. This was a really hard one to put down. One of the more important notes to make about underground comics, lies in the mastership and execution of the medium. A lot of the work which came out of this field was extremely well done. The artists were amazing artists who explored amazing ideas. Dr. Atomic is a great example of this. The panels flow very interesting and are amazingly well drawn. One never finds himself having trouble becoming immersed in the action and following the zany character, who is Dr. Atomic.  Besides the pure aesthetics of Dr. Atomic the content also fit perfectly into the underground comic culture. This particular issue dealt with the irony of uneducated social classes, who pass judgment and show discrimination towards other groups with different opinions. This issue also touched on the absurdity of the media and the news networks, prompting Dr. Atomic to build a spaceship which would take him off of earth. Awesome!

Underground comics are a goldmine for anyone looking to think [outside of the box.]  The topics and issues explored are not for everyone, but there is also something for everyone if you dig deep enough. The culture is very strong and the popularity of this comic craze has only grown with the development of the internet and the availability of information on topics that are not considered main stream or normal.  These comics feature some of the most interesting and pure explorations in any artistic medium and have indirectly helped  pave the way for a lot of the "crazyness" which has become the internet and popular culture today.

Will Eisner

COMING SOON

The Comic Book

Today in class we talked about the comic book. I had the pleasure to read Action Comics #1. Why is this comic book significant?  Action comics #1 is the piece that introduced Superman to the world.  I have heard about this issue before, but never had the chance to read it. I think a lot can be said about this issue and has more than enough substance to deserve an entire post.

Superman clearly paved the way for the future of superhero comics.  This iconic character brought a new formula of the mythical hero to light, and did so through the use of the comic book medium.  One can quickly see in today's society the impact Superman has had on us culturally, by taking a click glance at the box office. Lets see.. in the past two years how many blockbusters have been produced, which have had superheros as the main protagonist? The answer is astounding: three spidermans, three batmans, two hulks, two fantastic fours, three xmens, two ironmans, a catwoman, and the list goes on... amazing, and what can we attribute this to? Profit and Action comics #1.

This comic shows a much different Superman, than the one of today's standard. Instead, the first superman reflected a lot of qualities of the ideal conformist, who believed in providing safety for the police and serving men of political stature. In class there was the discussion of the creators of superman: Jerry Siegel/Joe Shuster, who grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. The first superman dealt with several common issues in the first pages of his existence, one of them being domestic abuse.  It is apparent that the creators put a lot of their own personal concerns and love into the man who became superman.

Why was Superman such a success?  A lot of his success can be attributed to the timing of his birth. World War II was raging and it superman provided an icon and symbol for the american soldier.  He represented something the average American could attribute to become, and someone who people ethically and morally responded to at the time. The good guy standing up against the powers of evil and restoring order to the universe.  This characteristic paved the way for hundreds of superheros who followed the man we know as superman.  However, this trend did not last for ever. The arrival of the anti-hero eventually paved way for a new hero, which a much different nation related to years later, after Superman had clearly been established.

On a more trivial note, Superman also had undeveloped powers in the first Comic. He did not have the ability to fly and was not as evidently super as he is represented today. For instance, when he would need to get from point a to point b: he would simple run and jump! Yes, he would jump super far to transcend different heights and traverse the urban landscapes. Not nearly as exciting as flying?

In conclusion, everyone should have the opportunity to experience the birth of Superman. It is really interesting to see the qualities and essence of the character distilled into the very first pages of his existence, but like many comics it does just that. The idea and clear characteristics of Superman can be felt by the reader from the very beginning.  The success of Superman has had a huge cultural impact on today's society. We would not have the movies we have and the heros we love today if it were not for the success and importance of the iconic Superman.

The Comic Strip

Krazy Kat, a comic strip series by George Herriman is a great example of the power the comic strip possesses.  Krazy Kat is a perfect example of the creating emotion and connection to a simple representative art style, which easily communicates to every reader.  However, simple is hardly a word to describe the complexity and creativity that goes into each frame of the Krazy Kat Series.

Through further investigation and analysis of just a few strips of the Krazy Kat series, one can quickly start to see the deeper workings of the strip.  For example, further analysis of one of the Krazy Kat strips revealed various deeper psychological and personal themes represented by Herriman.  The idea of race and movement that affected Herriman's life showed up in several examples discussed in class.

One of the most interesting realizations I had during class was the effectiveness these simple comic strips have on an emotional level.  It seems the simpleness of the art form and quick ability to make a personal connection to the characters, quickly entices the users mind and helps transport the reader into that world. This is interesting to me as a game artist, who's primary goal is to immerse the player into a world different than the real one.

On a final note, it was enticing to talk about the "essence" or primary theme of Krazy Kat, that being the cat chasing the mouse. One of the great aspects about the comic strip, whether is be: Krazy Kat, Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Garfield, etc. is the continuation and seemingly simplistic method of conveying a certain: mood, theme or idea in every strip.

Understanding Comics

Understanding Comics by: Scott McCloud was an interesting read on the general subject of comics and how they relate to the various artistic mediums that exist today in our culture. The "book" was not actually a book at all, but rather a comic used to describe itself.

One of the more interesting successes of the book was the ability to communicate the information intended by the author/artist, in this case, Scott McCloud.  The information flowed extremely well and provided the reader with a new learning experience, yet to be attempted before this work.  Information was conveyed both in words and pictures: through the use of illustrations, graphs, charts, and other info-graphic representational imagery.

Another interesting section of the book deals with the different techniques used in eastern Manga to help the viewer discern the image visually. For example,  the artists would create highly realistic backgrounds for the simple characters to exist in. What does this do? This transports the reader into a highly imaginable world, ultimately taking them to the place where the character exists. The simple characters, as explained by McCloud, is a means for allowing the reader to relate more easily to the protagonist of the comic, thus becoming that character.

Over all, Understanding Comics is a highly valuable read for comic lovers or anyone just trying to better grasp what the comic is.  McCloud does an excellent job conveying his message and passion for the medium.

The Arrival

The Arrival by Shaun Tan was one of the more interesting pieces of storytelling I have experienced in comic format in a long time. The arrival is a great example of the power sequential imagery has in the realm of story telling. The general premise of the book is about the immigration of a man from his home land into a new and magical world. The book is divided into two important worlds: the one where the man is coming from and the world where he is going.

The second world is depicted with lots of fantastical imagery used to exaggerate the mysterious new land which the "foreigner" has traveled to.  Another powerful aspect of this comic is the artistic style and softness used in the images. It truly transports the viewer into the world and leaves one largely immersed in this fantastical experience.  Ultimately, the main success of this piece is the ability to tell a story through pure imagery. Most words have been removed from the book, which causes the viewer to really focus on the order and meaning of each panel.  This piece is something truly unique and more comics and film should truly try to capture the essence of the image, much like The Arrival did.

Literature of Comic and Graphic Novel

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