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.