The Future of Comics - Extended Response

Last week I discussed my experiences reading Octopus Pie. This is a web based comic that still maintains the feel of a print comic strip. It is interesting that I took this class and it still maintains ideas about the future of comics that I have encountered in my studies as a graphic design student at Ringling. 


As previously discussed, in the fall of my junior year, I took an interactive zine class where we had the assignment to create a print zine for a specific subculture and then create a digital version as well. In addition to actually designing, a lot of the class involved discussing how print can be interactive beyond the basic "page turning" and how print is and will be viewed now that there are so many digital channels for information to be presented. 


I also participated in an internship at the St. Petersburg (Tampa Bay) Times last summer. Again, in this every growing digital society, there was much discussion on how to keep consumers interested in a print edition of the paper. A lot of my knowledge of user interface, experience and web design knowledge was used during my time there because the Times seemed to understand that they will not survive in a print only channel. They are migrating to more digital applications.


How print is viewed has changed. With the newspaper, because it is daily and newsprint is cheap, like Pulp Fiction, it seems to be regarded as disposable. In magazines, much like comic books, it seems that the print version is coveted as a tangible item that can be collected.


Though the world of comics is varied and vast, like the subculture zine I created, comics are still for a specific audience, though that audience is growing. I think that a transition into a digital environment will help that situation. For one thing, the internet connects to most places on the planet (I know, crazy right?) so comics in digital form could be delivered to more people a lot quicker.


The most interesting concept for comics in a digital environment is the idea of inserting rich media. As a graphic design student, we have discussed digital interactivity quite a bit. When looking at interfaces of digital versions of magazines, there are opportunities for graphics and charts that would be static in print to move and become interactive. The same discussions were held at the Times about their website and applications. Like I discussed in my Octopus Pie post, there are so many possibilities for this kind of interaction in web and digital comics. Though Octopus Pie author Meredith Gran chooses to keep her work simple and in strip form, I can see comics writers choosing to use touch screen motions for interactive panels and animated panels that would add to the movement, excitement and appeal of comics and graphic narratives.


As with all things too much of this could be a bad thing. What will be interesting to see is the change in how comics writers choose to balance still and moving/interactive panels and how writing will change when the author must choose the right places for interaction.


This class has been great for me. I have had interaction with most of the basic comics (strips, superheroes, the popular graphic novels) before this class. Though I learned so much about the history, structure and process of comics writing, what I enjoy the most is how this class made me realize how vast the world of comics really is. I think that most people immediately jump to the stereotypical hero in tights when the hear "comic books". What I now know is that comics don't only include science fiction stories about super-humans or little trouble-making kids and their dogs. A lot of comics are stories about real people with real issues, based on events in their lives. Or some comics are meant to make statements about social and political issues. Or event present philosophical and conceptual ideas.


The point is that this medium is perfect for communicating dynamic and engaging stories and I think that the future of comics in digital realms can only extend how vast this world is. I look forward to seeing what comes next.

Web and Comics? WHAAT? Octopus Pie

Octopus Pie has been on my radar since a class I took Fall 2010 my Junior year. I took a class about interactivity in print and its transition into the digital world. We discussed comics and graphic narratives on tablet and digital devices. Web comics was a part of this and I was able to check Octopus Pie out then. Unfortunately, I have not looked at it since until this posting. It was refreshing to go back to comic strips and quick reads after looking at graphic novels and longer stories.

The first thing I notice about this is that even though I am viewing this comic in a web browser, the experience is very much like that of a print comic strip. Though there are seemingly endless possibilities for interaction in the digital realm, you read this strip panel by panel. Meredith Gran only shows the reader a little at a time and doesn't overwhelm you with the possibilities. I also get a similar feeling to a print strip from the fact that even though there is a continuing storyline, each strip has a gag setup the ends it nicely. The visual style is flexible, curvy lines that create excellent movement so the reader is kept interested even though it is only black and white. Octopus Pie is entertaining with fun art and amusing characters. I look forward to see what will happen and how it will adapt in more interactive realms.

Reconsidering the Superhero

Alan Moore. Hmmmm. An interesting character.

This week we were asked to look at some of the newer ideas of superheroes. I think that when the word 'superhero' is thrown around people immediately think of an all american good boy in tights (tight tights) that can do anything. They are not always relatable. When looking at Alan Moore's works, Watchmen, etc. or Arkham Asylum (Batman reconsidered), I think that there are many ways that these "heroes" are more relatable to the reader. Most notably these characters are way more developed. There are layers to them that allows the readers to see the flaws and not only the glistening exterior. In many cases, like my favorite, V for Vendetta, the hero must do something much darker or harsher in order to do good. They are not necessarily all clean and shiny, almost like anti-heroes. The line between who is the hero and who is the villain may be extremely blurry. Overall, the tone of the worlds these "reconsidered superheroes" inhabit is much more dark and grimy than the golden metropolises of yesteryear. I think that this was the most interesting assignment for me because for some reason I relate to these the most. They are still fantastic enough to keep me interested but the characters are so human and relatable.

Response to Phoebe Gloeckner

For week 12, I researched Phoebe Gloeckner after looking at her Diary of a Teenage Girl. I found this to be describable as the quintessential "coming-of-age-in-the 70s" story. I feel like the story is really similar to other stories I've read. The main character, Minnie, goes on a journey of self-discovery as she grows up in the changing times of the 70s San Francisco. Like many coming-of-age stories, she experiments with sex, drugs, relationships and her own character. Though a familiar story, it was by no means boring. In fact, the character development and dark and intense tones were engaging. The story and what Minnie was going through had an element of danger and uncertainty that kept me on the edge of my seat. I found her obvious cartoon inspired style to go along with the story because I felt that she capture the feeling and soul of her characters, especially in facial features. After researching her more and learning of her unique tone, style and notable content in works like A Child's Life and the unique medical illustration work in The Atrocity Exhibition, I am immensely interested in what she has to offer and look forward to find out more.

In Class: Graphic Fiction

In class week 12 was fun because we were able to get a small introduction to the very, very wide world of graphic fiction/non-fiction. We were given an assortment of graphic novels and comic collections and asked to quickly look at them and get a feel for them. I was given King of the Flies: Vol. 1 Hallorave. I was immediately drawn in by this story, or series of intermingling story lines. It was interesting because you are first introduced to the main character (the self-proclaimed King of the Flies) on his way to a halloween party in some rural cornfield with his friend and his friend's girlfriend, whom he is into. On their way to this seemingly normal event, there are some surreal elements because they are taking drugs. The graphic quality of the imagery helps to support the idea of his head feeling like it was going to explode. Just when I was getting into this story, it switches. Though we had a limited amount of time to read, I came to understand that there are several story lines set in suburbia that seem like they have nothing to do with each other but end up interconnecting. I really want to read more.

What I am intrigued with is that this a noir story, which I have already read in this class. It seems that noir style stories fit well into the comic form. Even though their visuals differ greatly, both Blacksad and King of the Flies create engaging noir stories.

Comics as Contemporary Literature

For this assignment I read Asterios Polyp. The most obvious way that we can take this graphic novel, treated like any other comic visually, with a series of panels, an give it the title of contemporary literature is how deep, insightful and complex the work is in it's content. It plays with several levels of tone and varying structure, by using flashbacks and alternate characters' points of view, and theme. There are several kinds of conflict from a storytelling point of view: man vs. man, man vs. environment and most often man vs. self, as Asterios Polyp's struggle is mainly a journey within him self, even thought there is a physical journey that pushes the narrative forward. In addition to conflict there are several plays on the idea of natural and man made dualities and variations. I enjoyed the visual quality of the novel because in plays and reinforces these ideas. There is a juxtaposition of high contrast graphic shapes and the messy line drawings. The varying styles help to support the themes of perception of the world through varying points of view.

Osamu Tezuka's Buddha

This was my first experience with Tezuka and one of my first encounters with manga (thankfully it was the American version so I did not have to figure out which way to read it!). I decided to read Buddha, which, no pun intended, was very enlightening. It taught me not only about manga in general but, like my earlier reading of King by Ho Che Anderson, showed a different interaction with an historical figure that is often made out to be quite "pure." I was very excited to read Buddha because of my interest on the subject. Unfortunately I was only able to read Vol. 1, but I would definitely be up for reading further. The retelling of the life of Buddha proved an interesting read. I enjoyed some of the more humorous aspects of the tale, however I found it odd that for something with such a rich visual heritage, Tezuka chooses to use black, white and cross hatch shades of gray to create this world. That being said, there is a good use of contrast and dynamic movement to create visual interest. Overall, this was not my favorite representation of a deeper subject matter I have encountered this semester.