Web Comics

Web comics are not something I am familiar with and was skeptical about how well I accepted the new generation of comics.  Even though I read printed comics on the web, the format for web comics are different.  The panels aren't as diverse as printed comics, at least not the ones I read.  Not a bad thing but it is something I am not used to seeing.  I decided to read a comic recommended for the week, Octopus Pie and was immediately hooked.  The light comedy and situations kept me interested and entertained.  The comic seems like it is for my age group and capitalizes on it well.  The sexual innuendos and comical life situations made it so I was never bored.  Eve and Hanna are a perfect combination of personalities and makes a good dynamic.  Their contrasting personalities make for good fun and Hanna's free spirit is funny to witness.  The dialogue is always relevant and easy to understand.  I have only read about 70 pages but the impression has been left.  This is a great comic, period. 

Superheroes Rediscovered

Out of all the subject throughout the semester, the superheroes rediscovered was my favorite.  The comics are like the ones I personally own and read when I go home.  The art style reminds me why I enjoy comics as much as I do now.  I read a number of different comics including Watchmen, Hellboy and Authority.  My favorite out of the three was Authority.  I liked how they took existing superheroes and spun it in a unique way.  The characterzation of the Batman character is probably the most appealing.  As far as the story, I got the impression that the heroes use Stormwatch and vis-versa, while the bad guys are trying to destroy the world through terror.  The art direction is amazing, from the colors to the linework and mood.  The style is exactly the same as the comics I own, full of color and intersting compositions in each panel.  I take much of my inspiration from comics like these.  Speaking of art style, Hellboy is great.  The use of black in the shadows makes the entire piece dynamic, making cool shapes and sillohettes.  The loose linework is also pleasing, gives the feel of movement throughout so it seems like the characters are always in motion.  The story I read had unexpected turns, constant action and compelling but simple dialogue, which is the way I like my comics.  

Women comics

There is one comic I read for the week of women comics.  From what we discussed in class, comics created by women address different issues such as relationships.  A film shown in the beginning and middle of class display subjects often neglected by men, simply because most men dont think of in depth feelings or relationships.  The comic I read for this week was "Dairy of a Domanatrix".  The subject matter of the comic is new to me.  The perspective of the life of a domanatrix is something I have never thought of or conceived.  Never the less, the comic is entertaining to say the least.  Panels are filled with multiple tools for a dominatrix, techniques and procedures.  It was full of surprises, just when I thought my mouth couldnt drop lower, it shows the reader how to do a vicectimy.  The character is oddly funny and clever.  A dominatrix that likes her job but sont like the customers.  She never has sex with them, she will just torture them.  Despite her profession, she has a boyfriend and in a stable relationship.  The life that this women lives is foreign yet so close to home.

Comics as Contemporary Literature

I read a couple of comics from this section.  Each selection I read had a distinct style and was modern compared to other comics I have read.  The first comic I read was Bone.  I heard that it was highly recommended if you like fantasy so I decided to give it a try.  It wasnt what I expected when I see the word Bone.  I was thinking more ominous and tense feel, not to say the comic is bad but I was expecting something different.  Besides the initial shock, the story was fun to read and moved more like a storyboard than a comic.  Bone constantly reminded me of a dark Tom and Jerry.  The characters are reminiscent of past characters.  Overall I enjoyed it.  The second comic was love and rockets.  I was initally sucked in because I am a big wrestling fan.  The main character is in the WWW which is clever of the Hernendez Bros.  The relationships each character has to one another is something that kept my interest.  Friends that are away but come back and people staying with other people to be secure....its like a web of friendship and love.  It has a sitcom vibe to it that draws you in and takes you on rollercoaster of love. 

European comics

I read a number of European comics this week.  All the ones I read very new and range from funny to serious to action.  The subject matter is handled differently from American comics.  The majority of the humor is more caricatured and satirical.  Out of all the books I read this week, the one I enjoyed the most was Blacksat.  The comic was in another language but the art work is superb.  Each panel is illustrated so that you don't need to understand what is being said.  Every once in a while, I may not know what is exactly happening but I get the main point.  The art style gets the cool perspective and gestural figures that I love.  Cool angles and expressions kept me interested.  The use of extreme perspective is something I always admire in art and this is among the top examples.   The facial expression are mind blowing, capturing the right moment in the action.  All the characters are animals but are illustrated in such a way that you dont even notice.  If anything, the different animals enhance the storytelling.  The personality of the individual shapes the type of animal they are.  The police chief is a dog, which are loyal.  The underground bar is filled with reptiles and nocturnal animals.  A shady character is a rat or some kind of vermin, either a rat or a possum.  The crime boss or main antagonist is a slimy reptile.  The different animals were my favorite part of the comic.    I definitely want to find an English version.

Buddha Vol 1

Tezuka's Buddha is a great manga.  I was surprised how good, entertaining and emersive it is to read.  Most manga I have read in the past are cool to look at and have decent storylines but none of them have the narrative that Buddha brings forth.  The writing itself is good enough on their own and dont need the pictures to illustrate the action.  The illustrations for each panel are composed very well.  They kept me involved.  The story and pictures are so good that I was able to link sequences between panels as I was reading. Before reading, I read some reviews and it seemed like a book that is used to set up what is going to happen when the main character is born.  As a result I thought it would be boring or not as intriging.  As I wrote above, this is not the case.  Never once was I bored and considering how many pages there are, it is a very fast read.  The story as a whole is well thought out with elements of history like the attire and class discrimination.  These elements create believability that I like in books.  Although the characters look child friendly, there is some pretty deep violence and nudity.  Not enough to say its vulgar but it makes a nice contrast and can be funny at times.  I enjoyed every part of this manga.  I plan on reading the next volume to see what happens to the new born child.

Comic Books

In class we read two types of comics.  A variety of Marvel and DC comics as well as more down to earth comics.  Starting with the super hero comics, many of them are early comics of the series.  From what I observed, the dialouge between characters are limited.  The mjority of the dialouge are the character's thoughts and feelings about a particular situation.  The actual dialouge is corny and uses phrases like, "Holy Calito".  The sequences are well done and gets you from panel to panel.  I found that some are hard to read and leave me to figure out the action.  The transitions go from action to action then switches to another character and their situation.  I like this format, it makes sure that I only concentrate on one character at a time.  These comics take me back to watching the Justice League and other superhero characters on t.v.  The other comic I looked at was more down to earth and related to me and everyday situations.  The stories are enjoyable and keeps me interested, especially when it relates to history.  The comic on the conquesedores and their conquest of a Native American village was intense.  Very action packed, to the point that I was dying to know what happened next.  Both genres of comics held my interest and broadened the way I looked at comics.

Maus

This is the best book I have read this year.  Every part of the novel pulls me in a direction, whether it is laughter or suspense or sadness.  All range of emotions are conveyed in this novel.  Beside the historical side, the characters are expertly realized.  I made a connection with each character.  So much so that I can hear the voices of the individuals.  There is a sense of self and truthfulness, to where there is no adjustments at all.  The character in the book is how they are in real life, not just based on a real life person.  The novel has many good points, too many to mention.  I was drawn in from the very beginning.  The life of a man who lived through the Holocaust, the story he tells ring volumes of feeling.  The progression to wealth and the continual deterioration until nothing is left. It pulls on your heart strings.  The differentiation between races are interesting and makes it easy to tell which group of people are talking.  The illustrations do a great job of moving you through.  The movement is so well done that I refused to put the book down.  This novel is a superb example of a biography even if it is done in comic form.  There is an essence to this novel, a tragic event with a hopeful future.  The fight for freedom no matter what obstacle.  A "do what you have to do" mentality in order to stay alive.  I felt the constant need for shelter, the cold nights in a barn, the restlessness of being caught; every chapter shows me something more.  I feel many people know about the Holocaust in general but I believe there is a deeper connection that happens when there is a specific point of view.  There are things that happened that I couldn't dream of, just thinking about the struggles puts me in the situation instead of just the reader.  This is why the novel grabs me so tightly, such personal experiences encourages me to learn of my own past.

A Contract With God

This is the first graphic novel I have read.  I prefer this to most comic books.  A fully fleshed out story with a message in the end.  The way the different stories are woven around each other creates a cohesive overall story.  The saying, "Its a small world" comes in mind.  It reminds me that all things are connected.  The first story is very interesting, including religion as a center focus.  The story is relatable in the sense that such a tramatic experience can change a person and distort their perseptions of the world.  I have seen such things from personal experience.  The whole concept of making a contract with God is true but not in such a concrete form.  The act of writing out the details of a contract sounds a little upsurd.  Although, it does reflect how many religious people follow religion.  They make a contract and do good things, God makes a challenge to test your faith, some stay strong, while others abandon their faith completely.  Over time they might come back or as the story illustrates, try to bargain for a new contract, one not made with your intentions but based on others.  Corresponding to the bible, it says,"Not to test God".  The consequenses wont be as seavre but it is something that is not done.  The book as a whole flows with ease and makes it fast to read.  This is now one of my favorite books

Peanuts

The Peanuts comic strip is the most entertaining to read.  The humor is simple yet complex in the underlying themes such as politics or ethics.  The Journey Through the Tribune is one such comic.  Filled with facts and information while adding some humorous comments here and there.  I find that comics like these are enjoyable to read.  Step by step tour without having to go there yourself.  The use of having characters that are in the newspaper talk about being in the news paper is clever.  This comic seemed to be longer than most Peanuts that I've read.  It would be categorized as a movie compared to the other strips which would be closer to t.v shows.  The style and dialogue clearly reflect the era.  Retro in intent and full of one liners.  The 50's dialogue comes off as corny and very salesman-like.  Propaganda filled saying and the sense that the characters talk short and fast is an unappealing aspect.  Despite my personal preference, Peanuts are a classic and gives a warm feeling of the old days when I was a kid watching Charlie Brown. 

Krazy Kat

The transitions are kind of standard.  Some have awkward jumps, more movement between panels.  The style is gestural, not much regard for reference but focused on expression and action.  The relationship between the pictures and the words are remotely balanced.  The words fit the pictures and even strong emotion like anger.  They are easy to read.   Action is expected in these strips are at least a sense of movement. These strips are about a satire of sorts or conflict between the two main characters.

Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend

The transitions are fluid and easy to understand.  They move mostly from action to action or moment to moment.  Almost every single strip ends with the dreamer in the bed.  The style is very controlled, each mark is made with a purpose.  Some strips are more controlled than others, specifically the line quality.   Some would have strong line, with definite line.  Others have broken lines.  The word bubbles are simple but jam-packed with words.  It makes it hard to read at times.  Most of the time, the picture/word relationship work nicely but some of the bigger panels have word bubbles that take up too much of the space.  The strips seem like they are about open creativity of the mind.  While dreaming, anyone can be anything or anyone that want to be.

The Arrival

How wordless comics like the arrival tell complex stories without the use of words?  This is a very interesting question.  Books like this can be confusing.  Instead of the book telling you what to look for, the reader has to look for the interest point themselves.  This can also be a very involved experience.  The reader has to look at each element in the image and peice together what is taking place.  But like I stated before this can be confusing.  Most readers are just that, readers.  They are not used to reading a book with no words.  A picture book can even involved more work than a book with text.  The reader has to make sure that every detail is seen and compatible with the information of the previous picture and since there are no words, the reader has to sometimes guess about what is going on in the image.  If the illustration is poorly done, the story could easily unravel and loss track of itself, not to mention the reader.  Words are used to communicate with one another and express thoughts and opinions.  Without words, these things become less concrete, they are assumed based on how the characters are drawn.  The illustrations do however convey emotion and maybe personality, morals, ethics and motives but only if they are illustrated in the right way.  Books with no words are like movies with no sound, you can somewhat tell what is happening like emotion, tension, atmosphere, temperature, mood and facial expressions.  But while these remain, the feeling of seeing these happen is not the same as hearing and seeing the movie.  One of the senses are muted or at the very least, the volume has been turned down. 

The Aquatic Uncle

Right off the bat, it is unclear what the main character is.  There is a part that says that he has paws but it doesnt mean that he is a mammal.  In fact the uncle is a fish so they still must be an amphibian of some kind.  The fish reminds me more of a grandfather than an uncle, with his outrageous stories and constant phrases that dont apply to todays standards.  Despite being related, the main character is ashamed to introduce his fiance' to his uncle.  In today society, people dont want to claim where they come from or things and people they were associated with.  Contrary to what he thought, his fiance' actually liked the fish. In fact she liked the fish so much that she left him for his old uncle.  

The Nine Billion Names of God

This a fun short story with a funny ending.  These monks are trying figure out all the names of god using some mathmathical system by using some self thinking machine.  The monks believe that when all names of God have been made, the world will end.  The delivery people think what they are doing is crazy.  Its true that most people would think that something like this is a waste of time or just plain stupid.  In religious terms, God has many names but its not possible for God to have so many names, at least names that are nouns.  Many people may have a problem with this short story.  Religion is not something that is taken lightly in human society.  The light hearted feel of the story may lead the reader to believe that it is a satire of religion, which it probably is but I enjoyed it none the less.  The most enjoyable part is when all the names of God are completed, the most unexpected thing happened....the stars start goin out.....

The Stars My Destination

This book is full of action and drama and I couldnt get enough of it.  The main character is a bad ass and everyone else is an evil bad ass.  The story is entertaining and the characters are realistic and understandable. 
The main character Gully Folye is a very troubled person.  He is focused on his task throughout the book.  He is driven by rage and constantly is looking for a way to get revenge.  From the very beginning, he was pissed.  He was the last survivor of the Nomad and just drifts through space.  Another ship called the Vorga goes by and leaves Folye to die and from that point on, he decides he's gonna kill whoever left him to die.  To show how determined he is, he even educated himself and became a high society type in order to get closer to the captain of the Vorga.  One of the most interesting things about Folye is his tattoos.  Even though he gets them removed, they still show when he gets angry.  From the way the book described it, those were tribal tattoos and are meant to be permanent.  Its a sort of branding for life type deal. 
A great thing about this book is that it has powers like telepathy but only select few have the ability.  Throughout the book they talk about this thing about jaunte, the ability travel through space.  Jaunteing seems to be a very rare power and Folye happens to have it.  The ending ties everything together and Folye seems to get himself together.  This is a great book thats all I need to say about that.

War Breaker

This is a book that many people in my generation will appreciate.  The book keeps you hooked from chapter to chapter, with a well developed world and characters.  The story has twists and turns that keep interest.
Since War Breaker is a fantasy novel, I expected it to be magical with talking animals and some wimpy love story.  This is not the case, there are gods, kingdoms at war and mercenaries.  This is a gritty version of a fanatsy novel.  It is obvious that this book is meant for college level students.  Anyone younger wouldn't understand certain context or meanings.  For example, war between the two kingdoms and how the king sends his younger daughter to marry the king of the other kingdom.  Although she is sent to the God King against her will, she gets to know him.  God King is an interesting character.  He isnt able to talk with his mouth, the power to rule over an entire kingdom but no one ever hears the voice that gives them orders.  Things like that can lead to a lonely and depressing life. The God King had his tongue removed to prevent him using his breath.  The breath power in the book is interesting but a little corny.  The breath is a diferent color and is based on power to ressurect things or make inadement objects come to life.  Despite not being able to talk, he reveals himself as a shy and kind.
This definitely a book I will read again, it is one of those books that sucks the reader into its world and its the right kind of adventure for me.  It is a book I would recommend to anyone.

Bloodchild

Is T'Gatoi a different species all together?
By using the humans as hosts, is that the only way of reproduction?
Does the story take place on Earth or another planet?
If it is on another planet, is it T'Gatoi's planet?
Why is there a preserve?
What kind of gun was used for the killing?
Was the gun primative or advanced technology?
Why are eggs so important in diet?
What kind of vehicle came up?
Is technology advanced or primitive?

Why are humans used as hosts?
Why are humans in a preserve?
Should the differences in species cause conflict?
Can two different species co-habitate with each other?

Are the humans of African descent?
What is T'Gatoi based off of?

The Anansi Boys

I found that this book is harder to get into than the previous books I've read.  The one thing I've noticed about fantasy is that it can be very descriptive and long winded at times.  The same thing goes for this novel, it drags on and on and takes and while to get going.  The main character Charlie is in plain words,  a punk.  He simple but is overall happy with his fiance.  He has a brother named spider, who is a little off to say the least.
Being brothers, Charlie and Spider develop a sibling rivalry.  Spider tends to mess with Charlie throughout the book.  This relationship relates to most siblings and creates a connection between the reader and the book.  Charlie talks to a spider (insect) and asked him to find his brother and later wishes his brother away.  Spider comes up with a plan to take over Charlies life.  He goes to his job and even goes out with his fiance'.  Its kinda like Fight Club where Tyler isnt a real person but just an extension of the main character.
There are alot things in this story, just one thing after another.  It's hard to make sense of it all.  It seems like the book is telling the same story from a different perspective and branch out from one another.  It is mental overload of story.  Its hard to emerce yourself in the story when so many things are happening. 

Scott Pilgrim vs The World

Scott Pilgrim is considered is be the perfect movie for our generation and I agree with that statement.  The overall feeling of the movie envokes what today's youth dream about.  All of the labels and icons that pop up throughout the movie keeps the feeling of a video game.  This generation is consumed by video games and the gaming industry.  Even the art community has been influenced by video games so the idea of including video games in a movie is genius.  The sound track of 8 bit music keeps the overall experience enjoyable.  The action packed fight scenes are also apart of the youth society.  The arcade like, street fighter type action project memories of old school arcade fighting games.  The comic book written BAM and WHOOP is reminessiant of the classic batman show with Adam West.  Ramona Flowers, Scott Pilgrim's crush has seven evil ex's and are all beta males, the opposite of Scott.  The way the evil ex's fight with Scott is to turn him into a beta male. 

Ah The Magicians is quite a book.  I have to say its almost exactly how I pictured magicians.  I remember people saying its a mature version of Harry Potter but it exceeded my expectations.  This world is filled with sex, drugs, depression and conflict.  The Magicians paint a realistic picture of college life and life as a magician. 
Quentin is the main character of the book and is quite complex.  He has power but instead of this happy go lucky feeling, he is plagued with depression and drugs.  The one glimmer of hope he has is his childhood books about Fillory.  When he goes to Brakebill Academy, he sinks deeper into depression.  It seems like he is uncertain of life and what the future holds.  He has magic powers but doesnt know what to do with them.  He wonders aimlessly without a purpose to fulfill.  The majority of the characters are fleshed out just like Quentin.  It makes you connect and care about them.  Whether they make good or bad decisions, you have an opinion about it. 
I think the best part of the book is when they find out that Fillory is actually a real place.  When they get there, it turns out to be almost as bad as the real world.  Its a magical land of drugs, sex and violence.  A bear with a drinking problem and giant animals weilding medieval weapons.  Its a crazy place but it fits well with my imagination.  The entire book was a breath of fresh air to me.  All of these sugar coated fantasy stories like Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia are nice but are missing the "real shit" factor.  I love the fact that magic in The Magicians isnt something easy, it takes years to even control it.  Rigerous training and concentration is what is needed to use magic and its something I like to read.

The Hobbit

This book is a great way to get introduced to fantasy.  The thrill of adventure, danger and treasure lure you into a world completely different from our own.  The Hobbit is a very enjoyable book, easy to read and understand, likable characters and an overall good plot and story.  I'm not familiar with the lord of the ring books but from what was discussed in class, it seems like The Hobbit is way easier to read than The Lord of the Rings series.  The Hobbit has enough detail to paint a mental picture but no enough to take you out of the experience.  I dont like books that drag on and on about the same scene or environment.
I dont know if this is true or not but The Hobbit is a prelude to The Lord of the Rings, as least in terms of the movie.  All characters are the same, have the same morals, motives and personality.  Bilbo for example is the same at the end of The Hobbit then he is at the beginning of The Lord of the Ring.  Bilbo grows as a character throughout the book.  In the beginning, Bilbo was the same as all the other hobbits, loved food, drink and peace.  When he goes on this adventure, he is tested and learns about wit and survival.  One of the things I like about this book is the progession from a normal hobbit to a spider killing badass, so to speak.
I believe people gravitate toward fantasies so much is because we place ourselves in the shoes of the main character killing monsters, falling in love and ruling a kingdom.  As kids we all wanted to slay a monster or win an epic battle.  Even now as an adult I find myself dreaming about being a warrior or king fighting against impossible odds and somehow winning the fight.  Such dreams can translate into an illustration.  Fantasy is something to fantasized forever.

the wild sheep chase

This has to be one of the strangest books I have ever read.  Im not really familiar with Japanese horror so it may be that I dont understand the culture but it didnt seem like a horror story.  This book didnt have any of the main themes for a traditional horror novel but as I said before, its probably because I'm not familiar with the culture.  From what we discussed in class, Japanese horror tends to be less about plot and more about the story line.  There tends to be a moral attached than anything or to teach a lesson to those watching, listening or reading.
The main character is a detective but is never named.  I dont know what the intent behind this was, whether it allowed us to imagine ourselves as the detective or if it had no purpose at all.  Although it is a detective story, it seems more like a parody of a detective story.  Weird almost surreal things happen in this book that go beyond the realm of detective and horror.  No character in this book has either no name or a "code name" as I like to call it.  The main character, his ex girlfriend and new girlfriend  have no name at all.  The only characters with names are side characters but their names are The Rat and The Boss, just to name a few.
Im not gonna lie this book can get pretty long winded at times, so much so that I would have to force myself to continue reading.  Fortunately the story was interesting enough for me to finish the book.  The ending didnt happen the way I thought it would but happy with it none the least.
Overall it was different and I like different, but its not something I would read for fun.  Besides the no name characters and surreal like details, I enjoyed The Wild Sheep Chase.

Interview with a vampire

Interview with a vampire is set in New Orleans, a perfect place for vampires.  New Orleans is known for its corrupt politicians, social structure and Gothic themes.
Ann refers to thirst throughout the book.  Even though it is a vampire book, blood is not the only thing they thirst for, love, knowledge, acceptance and lust.  Each character searches for something their missing.
It is clear that the characters have a hierarchy, Claudia is top dog, the purest of both humans and vampires.  Turned into a vampire at the age of five, she never had the chance to learn how humans love, live and experience. She has no human ties to shape her views of life, making her the perfect vampire, ruthless.  On the other hand, the vast amount of knowledge she has can never reach its full potential.  Since her body is that of a five year old her deepest desires can not be met, which makes her sexually frustrated.
Louis seems to be the most human out of the vampires, for a large part of the book he refuses to feed on humans and takes the blood of rodents.  He is easily manipulated by others, particularly by lestat.  Lastat is the "bad boy" the only plays by his rules.  Very charismatic and sly.  He continuously seeks knowledge and never lets people learn all that he knows.  I think he believes he is something he is not.  For example he claims to be a lone wolf but always has a companion around, he continuously seduces people to believe whatever he wants to but cant trust.
I personally am not a fan of vampires in general , the book isn't my kind of story.  Ann can get really long winded with unnecessary details.  A story full of lust, love and feeding isn't what I like to see.  I prefer action oriented vampires like Blade and Underworld.  Ann is an excellent literary writer but the details bore me and take away from the overall story.

Monster Island

I'll be the first to admit that I don't like zombies unless there is an interesting twist or if the zombies die in a humorous fashion.  Fortunately there is a little of both in Monster Island in my opinion.  The solider who left his daughter and dumped his wife in an room wasn't very interesting to me.  He reminded me of the normal solider that is up against impossible odds, just like in every zombie movie.  Despite that, he is a relateble character, its completely understandable why he did what he did.  The teens traveling with him provide me with comedy of some sort.  I think it's humorous that the ones that survive are teenagers with assault rifles and shotguns.  Early in the book, it says that all the major countries, particularly ones with allot of industry.  This includes North America, Europe, Australia, and the majority of Asia.  Only the third world countries survive.  Its an interesting idea, all the advancements in technology and it is all brushed aside by the walking dead.  Since the underdeveloped countries are mostly at war, surviving the zombie horde would be more likely.
Gary's decision to turn himself into a zombie was bold and in my opinion was the smartest thing to do.  The only other option was to hide and eventually get eaten.  The idea of becoming a zombie but with the your original intelligence is interesting.  Gary is both but neither at the same time, he is in between the world of the living and the dead.  Although his still has his conscience, the craving of flesh calls to him;the only difference is the he has a higher level of control than the other zombies.  It's hard fight to resist animal instinct, especially since he has his own mind. 
The zombie itself has always been frightening to allot of people.  A person you may know or a relative coming after you, trying to kill you and has no idea what they are doing.  The zombie is also the closest monster that we can really identify.  They are the slow, decaying version of people and in my opinion makes them the scariest monster. 

Conventions of Horror

• Suspense
• Old creaking door
• dark, stormy night
• myth
• Gothic themes
• heroine
• Past decisions haunt the future
• Secret passage way
• Body horror
• Invincibility of the monster
• Usually take place in European countries or Transylvania
• Dramatic scenes
• A need for survival
• Satire
• Metaphorical material
• Outside noise like howling wolves or lighting
• Monster
• Tension

Frankenstein

Even though Frankenstein is categorized as horror, the book didn't give me that feel.  Its clear that the Gothic era of horror is very different from how the present views horror.  The book is very subtle, more of a literary style than the slashing and screaming we are used to seeing.  The movie that the class saw today was very different from the book.  The movie was more of a clique horror with comedy sprinkled on top.  Its very interesting how we see Frankenstein and how it was supposed to be portrayed.  The monster is described as a lonely, hurtful creature which leads to anger.  Speaking of anger, the violence is...strange.  The deaths are very quick and seem almost harmless.  The monster would strangle someone but its wouldn't go into any detail about how he would kill.  The monster would kill and will abruptly go to the next scene, almost like it was a dream.  I have to admit that my perception of horror has changed and is deeper than I gave it credit for.