Manga!

I've drawn my fare share of what is considered manga style for many many years. (See "Heirloom" listed on the left side in volumes on my deviantart gallery: http://kuthinks.deviantart.com/gallery/ ) However, because I liked to move along at a quick pace, I called my drawings finished at the pencil stage. I enjoyed the later stages of comic making in this assignment. I started traditionally because that feels so right to me. Everything went smoothly until the half-tones (added in photoshop). They sure are tricky business! I quickly learned that they can destroy line work. I'm guessing it takes years of half-toning to become good at it.

These two pages are meant to be the start of something longer. The story and characters come strait from my thesis (a fantasy video game concept).

Web Comics - the new one-liners

I should be reading web comics. Everyone does these days. It's the new way to read comics, right? To me, they don't feel like comics. They feel like the .gifs and cheezeburger cat images you see on tumblr. Tempory, short, hilarious tidbits about everyday life. Me, I like a story I can get involved with, character I become attached to, scenes that can make me feel something more than a chuckle.

With this attitude I approached Octopus Pie by Meredith Gran. It was O.K. While still broken down into short segments, there was an over-arching storyline at work. It has both elements of 'web comics' and what I consider 'real comics'. There is character development and unusual people keep the story interesting. Unfortunately, I didn't connect with any of the characters myself, although I'm sure other have. I'm not lazy, so watching our poor main character Eve fail at taking control in her own life frustrated me. I've never had junkie friends, and I don't curse much--yeah, I run with a clean crowd--so what can I say about Hanna? She seems like someone I'd keep my distance from, and I don't want to get to know her. She-has-her-circle-I-have-mine kind of vibes. I enjoyed the comic where she went topless in the park, though. I've often wondered why girls have to cover up while guys get to go free (haha). So there was one set of ideals I connected with.

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer comics in book format. I'm not alone, either. Back in middle through high school, friends would ask me for my comic books so they could read them. I told them I'd posted it online, and that they'd have to go there to read (I'm not handing out my only original! It's like my child!). They always looked disappointed. In recent days, however, I think we've ALL gotten more comfortable with digital format. With tablet devices, it's now possible to curl up in bed to read without fumbling with a laptop.

Maybe I'll change my ways.

Superheros [extra long post for final]

Superheros are still a new experience for me. While I've heard of them on and off since I was young, I've never actually read, cover-to-cover, a superhero comic. I consider myself ignorant of the genre. When people start throwing out Marvel and DC characters and stories, it soars right over my head like Superman. For this week, I decided it had to change. At last, Katherine shall enter the world of western comics!

I began with a Hellboy comic off the webshare. The issue I picked up was obviously in the middle of a story already. What? Am I really supposed to believe that's Hitler in a robot? I was stunned. I had no idea what was happening. Monsters were coming out of trains, and bad guys were everywhere plotting things. Hellboy's universe seems quite accustomed to monster-people, which I thought was unusual and refreshing (superheros usually hide their power/appearance, right?). I loved seeing that big Dragon man character having a nice Christmas moment with a normal family. Rather comical.

Realizing that jumping into something wasn't a great idea, I decided I should start at the beginning. Yeah, I'll just read the very first issues of all the big names I'd heard of -- Superman, Spiderman, the Xmen, etc. Good thinking, Katherine. Doin' it right. I began surfing the web to see if I could purchase them used for cheap. Here's Spiderman #1 for $23,000.

I returned, defeated, to the webshare.

Alex Ross's Wonder Woman Spirit of Truth was my second attempt. I loved it! Stunning artwork aside, I followed the daring rescues by Wonder Woman with ease, taking in each painting one at a time. The story--or, moments--flowed like a montage, due to the lack of hard-edged panels and the placement of each scene all over the page. There were no words--not even on (what I assume to be) the cover. Because of this, it was up to me to piece together what I was seeing. It made me think about the order of events, and what Wonder Woman has gone through. While the comic itself was fairly short, it had that timeless aura about it. It felt like I had read it for several hours. At the very end, on a double page spread, there is text that describes her back story. Who knew Wonder Woman had any connection to Greek Mythology? Not I! What a perfect work for me to pick up--It felt like a great introduction to the classic Superhero.

Next I opened up  Y - The Last Man. Right off the bat I'm greeted by a guy in a straight jacket with a monkey. Oh boy. First impressions are not always correct, as I found out. This comic is good. Really good. The story itself if captivating--some unknown disease killed all male creatures on Earth, except one (our protagonist, Yorick). It feels like the authors were playing with "what if-" situations, then decided to fully flesh one out. The feminism is important in this comic, especially in the first chapter. Reading all the statistics at the end were eye opening. Wow, 85% of all government representatives are male. I thought we were essentially equal genders this day in age, but let's face it- women still get paid less. This comic is radical and educational, addressing real problems, while also telling a captivating story.
But wait, aren't I supposed to be reading about superheros? I had to dig deeper, but it's there. Our 'hero' Yorick finds himself in an unforeseen responsibility and is forced to deal with it. He's capable of things that no other person can (now) do. I suppose it equates.

 

Lastly, I gave The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen a shot. Right away the scenery reminds me  Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars. Perhaps it's intentional. The artwork got in the way of storytelling every now and then--I couldn't tell what I was seeing and how it connected to the proceeding panel. The artwork is busier than most comics. Like Hellboy, I'm not sure I 'got it'. There was a long article at the end of the comic that might have explained some things, but who wants to slow down and read that when you've been cruising through colorful pictures? 

There are immense quantities of superhero comics in the world. After having a taste of them, I realize that, just like every art form, comics vary greatly from artist to artist, even if those comics are in the same genre. Each one I read felt completely different from the last. I've just scratched the surface, but intend to further my research.

Fables

The idea is a fun one: Familiar fairy tale characters living in our world. Using the known knowledge of fairy tales upon which to draw up a new story line is brilliant. By re-creating pre-existing characters, the reader feels instantly familiar with the comic. It gives the reader clues as to the character's personality and motives, but isn't so obvious to be predictable. Every time we see a new character, it gets us guessing as to which fairy tale character they might be. I believe this is what brings the most joy into reading Fable.

But apart from learning about the characters, the story is captivating and new-aged. From chapter one, we are thrown into the Fables' tough situation. It is set long after their original fairy tales end, and everyone seems to be hard on cash and struggling to get by in the city (It's hilarious, really. I love the side story about the Pig). I couldn't help but think of a more recent take on this same idea--have you watched Once Upon a Time on HBO? Very successful and popular for the exact same reasons. People like seeing 21st century versions of their familiar fairy tale characters. By referencing and stirring all known fables together into one interesting story, Fable is the kind of comic you can't seem to put down. Wanting to know what happens next, as well as discovering more fairy tale characters, makes it a real page-turner.

Brenda Star, what a gal!

As I opened up the Brenda Starr comics on my computer screen, my mother (who was visiting) remarked that she recognized the name! However, my mother was used to the 80's style Brenda and had no idea that she went back to the 40's. Out of curiosity, we googled more about Brenda and were surprised to find that her comic had been published all the way up to 2011. We also learned that when Dale Messick retired, another female artist picked it up.  Brenda Starr has been a strong female character written by females for quite some time.

After sampling a number of the 50's Brenda Starr comics, I must say I'm quite fond of them. She's got everything the strong female lead needs-- guts, athleticism, perseverance, and intelligence. But the real icing on the cake is her clothing. She gets a scoop and follows it through, no matter what, while donning the latest fashion of the time. Even when climbing construction sites or diving off bridges, she looks pristine in her heels and tweed suit, or scarf, or hat, etc. In other words, she's got it all, and looks good doing it. As a 90's kid reading 50's Brenda Starr, the dated aspects of the comic make me smile. Her fashionable bob. That green tweed suit. The very style of the drawings.

Actions scenes in comics have come a long way.  This brings me to an interesting discussion about Brenda's action sequences. While serious stuff is going down (shots fired, people running, cars crashing, chase scenes...) the sense of excitement and involvement in the story isn't quite there. This is due to several things:
1. The panels are roughly the same size, so even an exciting car crash appears small on the comic page.
2. The camera angle is often farther back with little perspective put into the action, so it feels safe and distant.
3. Even when action is happening all over the place, 20-50% of the panel is devoted to a word balloon.

All in all, Brenda, Snapper, and the Chief Editor are all fun characters and have their moments. Brenda Starr was a successful, long running comic with a strong female character. I'm sure her very existence in comics helped pave a new view on females and feminism in stories.

Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli

So much can be said about Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli.
First, there is style. Style alone in this comic conveys large elements of storytelling, primarily character development. When one thinks of 'artistic style' we generally predict that it is constant throughout a work. Mazzucchelli breaks this assumption and uses it to his advantage: Each character is drawn according to their personality (I might say their soul). Asterios: Geometric, logical, straight-edged. Hana: Abstract, Free-formed, emotional. While each character's personality comes across fine in writing, the use of these stylistic differences reinforces it and allows us to see how the characters influence each other.

If I may evaluate the ending. The reader experiences a brief moment of satisfaction and hope as the two main characters are reunited. Suddenly, A huge meteor is seen on the next page plummeting directly for Hana's house. My emotions read as follows: Shock, sadness (especially for Hana), and after sitting back and thinking about it, awe. How tragically fitting it is that Asterios, a man of order and logic, should be vanquished by something so random, something so infinitesimally unpredictable.

After some time, I plan to re-read this book. So much happened and there is so much to understand and digest--I feel I've only touched the surface. There were many layers and philosophies that were woven into the story--I didn't even mention Ignazio in this review--that could lead to further discussion.

Osamu Tezuka, God of Manga

As a tween, I sampled a fair amount of manga. Titles that circulated amongst my friends included Naruto, Bleach, Hana Kimi, Fruits Basket (a "shojou" favorite!). But even before this time, I was influenced by Japan. From my childhood, manga in the form of animated Saturday morning cartoons was very prevalent for my generation: Cardcaptor Sakura, Pokemon, Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh!... Because of this, I am (and I feel many other in my generation) much more comfortable with Eastern comics and ideals than previous generations may be (things like honor, the nobility of the 'fight', the desire to master your profession).

Looking, then, at Osamu Tezuka's work as the genesis of manga was quite interesting for me. I caught a few cartoon episodes of Astro boy as a kid, but that was it. Seeing the ideas, morals, and storytelling that Tezuka displays through his comics was eye opening. They say he laid down the path for all to follow, and I can see evidence of that. The death of boy who is recreated as a robot by his father (Astro Boy) : Japan's obsession and advanced proficiency in robotics technology, and the popularity of Robot manga and anime. The tragedy of a boy loosing his entire family (Buddha): The now cliché tragic hero character in many shonen manga, and the hardened/stoic reservedness of character often displayed by characters concerning their past. The combination of horror, comedy and romance in a story (Black Jack): many modern mangas exploit violence or horror along with comedy almost passively, it seems.

I could be looking too deep, or it could be the truth. As it is, every new manga I read and every manga I reflect on seems to draw some sort of relationship back to Tezuka's work.