Asterios Polyp

This graphic novel was really cool to me. The first thing that jumped out was the colors. The whole coic is just so eye-catching. The pinks, purples, and blues create a really fun, interesting, atmosphere for the story. The story follows a man whose house gets struck by lightning. He follows his instincts and just moves as far as his money can take him, It's about following your heart, and becoming who you are.

The art style in Asterios Polyp is my favorite thing about the novel (along with colors). It's simple, but interesting and eye-catching. The only thing that bothers me is the font choice, and color. It made it kind of difficult to read.

Manga

I was a pretty avid reader of manga when I was younger. The difference in Eastern and Western comics is really intriguing to me. Now however, I'm not that big of a fan. A lot of it just seems way too over the top, and honestly a little obnoxious. For this week, I read Buddha by Osamu Tezuka. It was refreshing and not what I had expected at all. It was the retelling of Buddha's life. Even though the subject matter was interesting and different, the fact that there was no colors kind of bothered me. Tezuka used black and white throughout. I don't feel like it was a great way to show the deep content.

The Nikopol Trilogy

The first thing I noticed about The Nikopol Trilogy was how awesome the artwork was. It's dark and edgy looking, which is something that I thoroughly enjoy. Every thing seems run down and grimy, which fits with the science fiction theme. It gets even more interesting in the second chapter, where photography and color is introduced into the comic. Also, text outside of the speech bubbles. It's something new. fun and interesting which is something I love seeing in comics. It's out of the ordinary and makes it even better to read.

American Born Chinese

I can't decide whether or not I really enjoyed American Born Chinese. It was okay, but the stories were easy to read, but for some reason I just didn't really get into it. The art style is simple, and flat. It's nothing special, really. I didn't find it too interesting, and it actually kind of bothered me.
Of the three stories, the second two were more focused on racial stereotype and fitting in. In the first story, Jin Wang, a second generation immigrant child is struggling to fit in in America. The story is a little cookie cutter, and predictable. You can basically guess the ending off the bat.
The third story is about an american boy and his Chinese cousin that visits him. Danny is often embarrassed by his Chinese cousin Chin-kee (chinky), as h posses many American stereotypes for the Chinese. These two stories are practically the same, but from different perspectives. It's perplexing how something like race can cause so many issues with self esteem, and such. The over all moral of the comics is to just be yourself, something I feel is kind of overplayed in stories like this, but is a message that a lot of the times struggles to get through to people.

Barefoot Gen

Wow. What to say about Barefoot Gen. It's definitely something I didn't want to watch at 8.30 in the morning. It's a very strong, heavy story. An autobiography of Keiji Nakazawa, a survivor of the Hiroshima bombings. The story starts out innocently enough, and to be honest I didn't get hooked until the bomb was dropped. It was like watching a car crash, it's horrible but you can't look away. I feel like this could be a useful tool in teaching people about the bombings because its an interesting way to show it, and it's very attention grabbing.

Underground Comix

These are absolutely hilarious. I read a lot of the Tijuana Bible comic strips, and I couldn't stop. They're obviously directed towards an older audience, as they're all preeetttty pornographic.
These comics combine sexuality and humor in a really easy to understand, humorous way. They made me giggle, but there really wasn't much depth to them at all. They were all very straightforward, so although they gave me a laugh, they're not something I would read again, at least not very soon. The idea of an underground comic is very appealing to me, much like Ringling's underground zine, ZigZag. They're a fun way to get out ideas and stories that would otherwise be overlooked or remain unpublished by a lot of other papers, and companies. They're fun, rebellious, and give the youth a sense of their own. They're really humorous, and fun.

A Contract with God

This graphic novel, in my opinion, was really really compelling. It sunk it's hooks into me, and I couldn't stop reading. I really enjoyed the gritty, dark nature of it, although it does get a little too intense for my tastes at some points. The way the panels are laid out with the white space, and the art style really lend to the mood of the novel. The ink work definitely sets a dark, mysterious tone throughout. It's definitely a different turn from other things we've been looking at, which have been fun and whimsical. Contract is definite proof that comics are NOT just for children, and can deal with some pretty heavy subject matter suitable only for adults.

Tin Tin, The Shooting Star

To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about the Tin Tin comic books. They're fun and have interesting stories, but I had a hard time concentrating on them.

It's hard to tell whether or not Tintin is an adult or not, especially considering his baby face. This caused some confusion for me.

I feel like the stories are really interesting, but there's just something that wasn't clicking for me with the Tin Tin comics. I can't really put my finger on it.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed

The first thing I have to say about this is that it is incredibly beautiful. It was almost entrancing. Being a huge fan of paper craft, I really appreciate all the intricate scenery, and little details put into it.

I believe that technically, this would be the first animated film, as opposed to Snow White. This film really doesn't get all the credit it deserves.
I feel like its definitely under appreciated, but it's something I think everyone should see.

Comic Strips

I am a huge fan of comic strips, specifically Calvin and Hobbes. I've loved them since I was young, and I still even have some of the books sitting at home. They're simple, fun and easy to enjoy at any age. This gives them a wide age range of people who can enjoy them. They have an easy to get sense of humor, but can tackle subject matter that can be fairly touchy or complex.
The Peanuts comics definitely have a lot of complex themes and stories in them. The stories are fun and and timeless, considering some youth today still enjoy them. The characters are full of personality, and have even jumped from the comic book page to the television. I don't know about you, but I know that even Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, whatever holiday, me and my family watch the Peanuts specials. It's something that I still hold dear to me.

These comics are fun for a wide range of people, and are incredibly relatable, which I believe contributes to their greatness. They are timeless and I think they will continue to be enjoyed for generations to come

Understanding Comics

I was really impressed with McCloud's 'Understanding Comics'. I didn't know what to expect but I was surprised at how in depth the comic gets, and I really wasn't expecting it. The points were clear and very easy to understand, which made it a joy to read. I was most interested in the way McCloud talks about how simplifying people and objects makes them more relatable. If you see a realistic picture of a face, you see someone else. If you see a simplified face, you see yourself. Realistic renderings of a room are more complex, but a simplified, cartoon comic room seems to be bustling with life. When items are simplified, its easier to give them a personality.

Another thing I enjoyed was McClouds comparison between Western and Eastern comics. As someone who enjoys comics from both places, I knew the two were different, but I never really noticed the way McCloud did. Western comics are quick and action packed, whereas Eastern comics move more slowly focusing more on mood and emotion of the story. They're the same kind of vessel for storytelling, yet refreshingly different.

Max Ernst

To be completely honest, I have no idea what's going on in the first panel. It looks like the woman is doing some kind of dance, or striking a strange pose in front of a rooster. I don't really know what to take from that, but perhaps she's performing some kind of spell.
The second panel shows an anthropomorphic rooster-man, looking over what appears to be a woman's recently deceased body. I still have no idea what's going on. The rooster-man hybrid DOES however give me an uneasy feeling.
The third panel appears to be a kind of ceremony. Maybe a funeral, or a sacrifice. Two chicken men, and a woman stand around a pit where a woman in a casket lies. There appears to be a wooden lid for the pit in the bottom left corner, so the chicken-men must be burying her.
The sacrifice continues on into panel 4. There is a person sprawled out on a plank, with what appears to have a skull and crossbones on it. The story is a switch up of the rolls. Humans kill chickens daily, but when reversed, it seems much more gruesome.