Maus

As someone who has done extensive research on World War II and the Holocaust, I found Maus to be a surprisingly accurate and engaging depiction of that part of history. While the graphic novel itself seemed to follow a very basic and formulaic structure to its visual layout, and the artwork was thickly rendered and relatively flat, I did still find enjoyment in it, and how powerful its story and message were. As I read deeper and deeper into the story, I kept wondering to myself why the story was told in an almost kid-friendly sense by making the characters animals. I understood the thought behind making the Jews mice and the Nazis cats as a means to depict the hideousness of racism at its worst form, but other than that, the fact that the characters were animals seemed almost arbitrary — That doesn't mean I didn't like that choice, I just mean to say I still don’t fully understand it. I will say, I found it’s kid-friendly aesthetic to be extremely fascinating when juxtaposed to the story and subject matter that it covered, and I appreciated the fact that it didn’t stray away from the reality of what happened. The Holocaust will forever be a horrible part of history, but it also contains many stories of redemption and human resilience, and I have great respect for both the survivors of those stories, as well as those who tell them.

Response to Tijuana Bibles

As I read the Tijuana Bibles, I had a hard time thinking of a way I could justify its value as a comic series, and not just aimless, comical porn. I realize that the series was an underground, raunchy comic, but I personally don’t think I could’ve ever gotten behind them as a series, even if I didn’t have a moral objection to the material.

I found nothing appealing about the comic. Its gags were lazy, crass, and unresolved. The drawings lacked polish and appeared to be drawn only to convey the most basic forms of information, those forms usually being penises and boobs. As the comic was printed on a smaller page, I understand that the drawings may need to be reduced when it comes to detail, but a lot of the illustrations weren’t even well-drawn. Proportions were incorrect, and sketches looked unfinished.

I did wonder where one bought these comics, and who the target audience was. Naturally they were marketed to “adults”, but as a demographic, I wondered what subcategory or subcategories of people bought this series. In terms of a comic that I could pick up and read, I find no appeal in the Tijuana Bibles, so I would’ve never bought it.

Blankets

I found Craig Thomson’s Blankets to be an extremely personal, relatable and well-told graphic story. I found myself engrossed and engaged in the narrative from start to finish. Thomson so eloquently translates the innocent thoughts and viewpoints of childhood into a visual form to the point where several times throughout the process of my reading, I clearly recalled from my own life the same memories and emotions the “characters” were experiencing.

Similarly to Thomson, I grew up in a very Christian home. I remember struggling with my own faith in God, and feeling as if I had no calling or purpose. I remember being sent to church-camp, and can attest to how fake and phony the people who go there really are — Not to the point of cursing, sex and drugs, but I was always disappointed to see how differently people behaved in of the chapel, to outside of it. I liked how the story was able to criticize the faults of modern Christianity without insulting or discrediting it, to me, when a story can do that, it makes its message so much more poignant.

Another thing I really appreciated about Blankets, was its nonlinear story structure. I enjoyed how it wove childhood memories into the bulk of the main story, relating the present back to the past. It opened a lot of opportunities to utilize a creative narration of the story. I was very pleased by Thomson’s ability to capture the internal thoughts of his “character”. By simply overlaying a thought bubble overtop a meadow of text, it clearly and elegantly conveys internal thought and external narration. I was able to read it in a very cinematic manner, and at many times, could even see it making an incredible and moving piece of cinema some day.

2001: A Space Odyssey

         Personally, I am very interested in Science Fiction as a genre. I love Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, and pretty much anything related to space. So I jumped at the opportunity to read the graphic retelling of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was surprised at how detailed the artwork was, as well as how cinematic the comic book ended up looking. The story progressed very similarly to that of Stanley Kubrick’s film, though I would say quicker, which is understandable, as it would have to in order to remain interesting and engaging. 

One thing I am curious about, is how well the comic would read for someone who isn’t familiar with the film and story of 2001. As I read it, I was able to envision everything to the full effect, as I have seen the film several times. But I did wonder how different the experience of reading this comic book would’ve been, if I were reading it as someone who had never even heard of 2001. I imagine it is a similar concept to seeing a film adaptation before you read a book (even though this is the other way around). It goes to show how much sound and motion can effect an experience.

Development and Messages

As I read the Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, and several other comic strips, one of the things I found interesting is how much the comics changed throughout their years of production. I liked comparing the older comics to the newer ones, and seeing the significance in the differences. Visually, the character designs developed a lot, backgrounds became more detailed, perspective improved, and generally, the later comics had a much more polished look. The stories and jokes improved significantly too. The first gag in Calvin and Hobbes was a stupid pun, and while it was funny, the later gags had layered humor, sophisticated jokes, and creative angles. It just went to show how much something good can improve to be something great.

Another thing I found fascinating about comic strips, were their relation to the current times. Many strips contained content that was either subliminally or obviously making a social commentary on a current event, or set of events. While I didn’t fully understand the whole message, as I wasn’t alive in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, I found it very interesting to see how comics were able to deliver an important and often poignant idea that related to modern times. It made me more aware of possible messages tied into comic strips today.

Understanding Comics

I found Understanding Comics to be an extremely informative, as well as a delightfully charming method of explaining what we subconsciously pick up on. There’s so much that goes into graphic story telling— Specifically comics and graphic narratives, that we simply don’t think about. We go along with the story that the comic has tailored, and don’t think twice about it, and that’s due to the carefully designed structure of how the comic was put together.

One of the points made within Understanding Comics that particularly stood out to me, was the point about icons. In our modern culture, icons have been around for so long, that a great deal of information, and even complex concepts can be conveyed through only a simple image. I find this to be particularly evident in Manga and other forms of Japanese cartoons, such as anime. The icons used within Manga have been used for so long, we are now conditioned to know exactly what is going on in the story, just by seeing them. For example, when a character is angry, we see a red vein pop up on their forehead, but that icon has been around for so long, its gotten to the point where the vein simply looks like a few giant red lines that don’t even have to be on the characters forehead— and we instantly understand, that character is angry.

In western culture, we have our own icons to convey certain concepts and ideas as well. One of my favorite uses of a icon, is in Calvin and Hobbes, and The Peanuts, to name a few. When a character is frustrated, a jagged scribble appears over their head. I find this particular icon to be quite charming, because of how simple and clear the meaning is, as well as the fact that it could almost be considered a self-aware effect. The frustration scribble can be looked at as the place where the artist’s world and the comic’s world connect. As an artist, when I get frustrated with a drawing, I occasionally scribble aggressively, so when I see that icon, I can instantly understand that emotion. It amazes me how we are able to communicate extremely deep and specific concepts even with something as simple as a scribble. 

The Arrival

Shaun Tan’s The Arrival is able to convey a very detailed and surprisingly clear story and message of immigration solely through illustrations. The story follows its protagonist on a journey from one country to another, as he searches for a new home and job for himself and his family. The illustrations capture the true feeling of being immersed in a completely foreign culture. By creating a world where strange machines are the primary form of transport, and bizarre creatures can be spotted in every direction, it puts us as the viewers in the same position as the main character. We are just as confused and astounded by this new and unfamiliar world as the main character.

The thing I really appreciated the more I thought about it, was the fact that the people the main character encountered, seemed normal, behaved normally, and did not act surprised by the bizarre surroundings. It reminded me of a time when my friend Mesphin visited America for the first time. Mesphin is Ethiopian, and had never left his home city before then. When my dad and I picked him up at the Chicago airport, he couldn’t stop staring at everything. It was like he had stepped into another world, he was in total culture shock. The Arrival incapsulates this feeling and concept perfectly, and does it without using a single word. It takes away our ability to understand through words, just as if we were placed in another country that did not share our language, and forces us to decipher everything through pure visuals.