This week we look at comics written by women. First I clicked on the link to 16 Comics By Women Only and it made me laugh. Art style aside, it touched on topics that can be extremely relatable for most women. Why is it so relatable and accurate? Because, it was created by women, for women, so that women have character who they can relate to.
I also read a bit of This One Summer. I wouldn't say it's easy to tell who it was written by, but its nice to read conversations between characters that sounds a lot more natural for once. Women in comics can often be overlooked or made out to be weak or annoying or unimportant. However, in this comic, two of the main prominent characters are both female and talk about things that just sound very natural.
Monday, May 6, 2019
Week 11: Contemporary
This is typically what i call the weird stuff. I first looked at The Bus by Paul Kirchner which was basically a bunch of short strips all with a 'what in the world is happening' feel to it. You kind of have to look at it sideways a couple of times before you even begin to understand whats happening. It kind of reminds me of political comics where you gotta look at it for a second to understand what it means.
After that I looked at Alice in Sunderland. This is another weird piece. I didn't really read much of this but rather looked at the art. Its a mix of traditional and some sort of odd photo bash. We live in a creative time where people just create, as I say, 'weird shit' and thats fun!
After that I looked at Alice in Sunderland. This is another weird piece. I didn't really read much of this but rather looked at the art. Its a mix of traditional and some sort of odd photo bash. We live in a creative time where people just create, as I say, 'weird shit' and thats fun!
Week 10: Manga
Anime and Manga mostly come from the East, specifically Japan. These stories are created in various genres and for readers of all ages. They have themes from superheros to romances to high school dramas and everything else in-between and beyond.
I read a bit of Bakuman which I also read a bit of when I was still in highschool. Its about a young artist who meets a friend who wants to start creating comics with him. This story pretty much gets the readers familiar with what the comic book industry is like in Japan.
Manga and anime don't stop here either. I also read a bit of Buddha which highlights the stories of the Buddha as taught through his stories. Ive had classes and done research on Buddha and his teachings and this novel is a great little addition to go along with the stories and provide visual representation.
I read a bit of Bakuman which I also read a bit of when I was still in highschool. Its about a young artist who meets a friend who wants to start creating comics with him. This story pretty much gets the readers familiar with what the comic book industry is like in Japan.
Manga and anime don't stop here either. I also read a bit of Buddha which highlights the stories of the Buddha as taught through his stories. Ive had classes and done research on Buddha and his teachings and this novel is a great little addition to go along with the stories and provide visual representation.
Week 9: World of Comics
This week we touched more on comics from other parts of the world, more specifically Europe. This week I looked into a Graphic Novel by Anki Bilal called The Dormant Beast. This story takes after the strong themes we've already seen in both underground comics and stories like Maus. It's not really meant for younger audiences, which isn't necessarily a bad thing since it opens the market up to readers of all ages.
This story in particular is beautifully illustrated and doesn't use a lot of text. The story is all in color and shows quite a bit of expression compared to other stories. This allows for the reader to connect on a more visual level and get more of an emotional feel for the story.
This story in particular is beautifully illustrated and doesn't use a lot of text. The story is all in color and shows quite a bit of expression compared to other stories. This allows for the reader to connect on a more visual level and get more of an emotional feel for the story.
Week 8: Stereotypes
Stereotypes can be a bit of a touchy situation. Theres a blurry area between stereotyping and bullying in my mind. Take comedians for example, they base a lot of skits off of making fun of others, but its all in good fun. If someone were to say some of the things said by the comedian in normal conversation, they could easily run into some sort of fight or argument. It's important to handle stereotypes carefully so you don't offend specific parties.
However, I don't necessarily view stereotypes as bad. Stereotypes in the entertainment scene can be very important. It offers consumers someone who is relatable. Someone who is going through the same struggles and battle as them. Personable characters and relatable experiences are important and help validate the lives of many who look to role model examples of what to do in certain situations.
So for comic books, whether is be a stereotype or just a character with normal everyday experiences, I believe its important to have them out there. It helps people feel like they aren't alone and can help validate their choices.
With that being said, I read My Friend Dahmer. It was a great short read as it highlighted the overall story of the killer in his younger years leading up to the crimes he would commit. Dahmer would be considered your stereotypical 'psychopath/sociopath'....I would hope its not something someone would personally relate to, but it gets the point across!
However, I don't necessarily view stereotypes as bad. Stereotypes in the entertainment scene can be very important. It offers consumers someone who is relatable. Someone who is going through the same struggles and battle as them. Personable characters and relatable experiences are important and help validate the lives of many who look to role model examples of what to do in certain situations.
So for comic books, whether is be a stereotype or just a character with normal everyday experiences, I believe its important to have them out there. It helps people feel like they aren't alone and can help validate their choices.
With that being said, I read My Friend Dahmer. It was a great short read as it highlighted the overall story of the killer in his younger years leading up to the crimes he would commit. Dahmer would be considered your stereotypical 'psychopath/sociopath'....I would hope its not something someone would personally relate to, but it gets the point across!
Sunday, May 5, 2019
Week 7: Maus
This story was a groundbreaking story. Maus is a story about the time in Germany where the Jews were a target, the Holocaust. One thing I noticed with the story is the abundance of words. It's a comic book style read, but the expression in the drawings are lacking. Unlike a lot of comics up to this point, it's not really considered a 'fun' or 'light' read. It highlights topics that can be considered controversial and is seen as extremely serious. If anything this book can be seen as a teaching tool or aid to conversation on the Holocaust.
One thing I thought about while reading this was why the author chose mice instead of any other kind of depiction. One thought I had was that he was trying to symbolize with a creature that comes in numbers. Where there is one mouse, there's most likely a family or colony of hundreds or more. For more perspective I like to think of maybe 5 mice to every human, so that in fact would be a lot of mice.
This is a nice transition from Underground Comics which were seen as vulgar and inappropriate. Underground comics sort of broke the stereotype that all comics are light easy reads for children. Underground comics paved the way for comics to cater to more than one audience. Maus set the stage for themes that are a bit more serious. Maybe the aren't quite inappropriate but it's meant for a more mature audience.
One thing I thought about while reading this was why the author chose mice instead of any other kind of depiction. One thought I had was that he was trying to symbolize with a creature that comes in numbers. Where there is one mouse, there's most likely a family or colony of hundreds or more. For more perspective I like to think of maybe 5 mice to every human, so that in fact would be a lot of mice.
This is a nice transition from Underground Comics which were seen as vulgar and inappropriate. Underground comics sort of broke the stereotype that all comics are light easy reads for children. Underground comics paved the way for comics to cater to more than one audience. Maus set the stage for themes that are a bit more serious. Maybe the aren't quite inappropriate but it's meant for a more mature audience.
Week 4: The Comic Book
For this week I read some of the Donald Duck PDF's. Comics started to become popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Soldiers during this time use to really look forward to reading comic books.
The great thing about comic books is not having to wait for the daily paper to come. All of your favorite stories is right in your hand in book form. Having books allowed for the stories to be a little more extended.
The great thing about comic books is not having to wait for the daily paper to come. All of your favorite stories is right in your hand in book form. Having books allowed for the stories to be a little more extended.
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