Response to Underground Comics

It was not a far stretch for me to assume that underground comics were going to be different from anything else we have read for this class, they are underground for a reason. It must be taken with a grain of salt. A great deal of the content deals with sexual situations and drug use, which hearkens to the time in which they were written, a time of breaking free from normal conventions. But also a time of people trying to keep that kind of stuff away from mainstream media.

It is obvious that the artists and writers of underground comics had fun. Along with the thought provoking (ahem) subject matter, most of the comics that I looked at have a fun loose quality to their line work - nothing seems to be taken too seriously.

While there is a loose quality to these comics, within the writing a lot of them send to be satire or cynical in some way. There is an edge to them that goes with out saying when something is not mainstream. They are thought provoking,innovative and even controversial. A very enjoyable study.

Response to Blankets - Craig Thomson

I was extremely excited to read Blankets because I have been told countless times by many of my friends what an amazing and enjoyable read it is. So without any pressure whatsoever, I sat down to read it.

I found it interesting that there is a similar quality to the visuals of both Craig Thomson's work and Will Eisner's in that they are black and white and both have line quality that is extremely kinetic. While Eisner's is much more sharp, there is a gentler, softer quality to Thomspon's. I found his characters to be charming, simple and iconic. His illustrations are also very emotive in that the reader doesn't only understand the action taking place, they get the feeling of that character and their reaction to the situation.

The story was one that almost every person, including Thomson since it is fairly autobiographical, can relate to when moving from childhood into adulthood. It deals with subject matter like bullying, faith and love. Like discussed in McCloud, it seems to be a good thing that his characters are simplified so the reader can connect themselves with Craig's adolescent experiences. Everyone has felt out of place and longing for someone who won't connect in the same way. Though the comic doesn't necessarily end on a high note like most would like, it does teach a life lesson of the more likely scenario. It's bittersweet.

It is better to have loved and...

Response to Will Eisner - A Contract with God

When I read the assignment on the Literature of Comics Blog to read some Will Eisner, I already had what my response would be in my head. I assumed based on the look of his signature and his name being the same as Michael Eisner, that he would be a part of the Disney family, like Carl Barks, and have works that were wholesome and have talking animal of some sort. When I started to read "A Contract with God", I realized immediately that I was wrong based on the first illustration of a group of people walking toward an old building or even perhaps the scenes of sexual activity later on.

I first found it interesting that there were multiple short stories that were extremely solemn and seem to be put together for a bigger meaning. They have a little bit of a more mature tone to them talking about spiritual beliefs and the everyday lives of those in the tenements of the Bronx. After doing some research it is obvious that Eisner takes some inspiration from his experiences growing up there.

I really enjoyed that there is really no structure to the panels, if you think of it in typical comic layout. Most of the illustration are free on the page and not contained by a bounding box. I think that this works really well with Eisner's illustration style, which has a lot of movement because of his use of lines. I also enjoy how he uses light and shadows for emphasis since he doesn't use color. My favorite touch is when he works with expressive typography next to the illustration, not just the normal "comic book type".

Response to Early Comic Books: EC, Barks and Herge

This was a great assignment, not only because we were asked to read comics books as an assignment but because I was able to reminisce about my experiences. It was interesting because all three of the readings assigned I have encountered before. As stated in a previous post, one of my larger projects in my graphic design studio was branding a fictional museum dedicated to Comics. While conducting my research I stumbled upon EC comics, though I may not have known it at the time. I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to recognize some of the covers and styles during this assignment. remember wanting to read them then and now I was able to. I am most intrigued by the Tales from the Crypt series, which is the most notable and recognizable, especially because of the TV show adaptation. It was certainly a part of my childhood. Disney was also definitely apart of my childhood and it was super interesting to discover that the character of Donald Duck and his many forms (Uncle Scrooge, etc.)r was a comic book and drawn by Carl Barks.

The most exciting part of the assignment was the Tintin readings. I understand that Tintin was never that popular in the United States, which I find really unfortunate. I was introduced to Tintin by my grandmother around the same time as my father introduced me to Indiana Jones. I just remember associated the two of them because of their obvious sense of adventure and dynamic stories. I find the character of Tintin relatable and engaging, his youth and intellect allowing him to outwit opponents and solve mysteries. There is also an endearing quality to the illustration style: simple, yet effective.