Notes on Unsounded/ Ava's Demon

Webcomics are something I particularly enjoy versus printed comics. When I was in middle school, I began collecting a vast library of manga, most of it comprising of Naruto books, shoujo, and vampire comics. I had a huge variety,  but it was expensive! Each book cost $8.00-$10.00, so I was burning a huge hole in my wallet just trying to keep up to date with each story. Eventually, my mom told me I had to stop buying them, and placed a (temporary) ban on bought books. However, this came at a good time, since by then I had discovered webcomics.

The first comic I remember reading was The Phoenix Requiem: http://requiem.seraph-inn.com/ It was my first time reading a comic that wasn't Japanese, but instead was an independent print done by a girl in Australia. I was thrilled to finally have the best of both worlds--I could still read comics, and I didn't have to buy the books!

Finally, that comic ended and I expanded my taste in webcomics. Now, the two that I tend to follow closely are Unsounded by Ashley Cope (http://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/), and Ava's Demon by Michelle Czajkowski (http://www.avasdemon.com/). Both are webcomics that I think do something that printed comics can't do--they end up having a level of interactivity as you read.

With Unsounded, it may not be obvious at first--at first, it reads like a typical comic, with a high level of cinematography. However, when you reach the second chapter, the literal dashboard of the comic begins to change. At one point, the dashboard itself literally begins to burn, going up in flames until the second chapter is left in ashes. After that, the author continues to experiment with the dash, adding thematic items, full-color rendered paintings, and even animation. By far, it is one of the best comics to read on the web. The print is good, too, but the web version is such an experience.

Now, with Ava's Demon, there is also another level of interactivity. The comic panels are done in small squares (much like most comics, who tend to take up a whole, rectangular spread). Each one is in full color, and reads more like a series of storyboards. Each one is a full-color, rendered painting with gorgeous control over the color palette. The artist herself interned at Pixar and worked at Dreamworks, eventually working on Ava's Demon full-time. Something else that is incredible about the comic is it's use of motion graphics. In between chapters, there is a link to a video that is a part of the main story. Each video contains gorgeous paintings, but put to motion--in a sense, a full-color animatic. All of them have a lot of work put into them--they are gorgeous works of art.

There are other comics I could recommend, but these are my favorites so far. I hope you enjoy them, too.

Notes on Asterios Polyp

While I wish I could say that I have finished reading the graphic novel, I must unfortunately say that I haven't. It's strange--usually, when I find something to be truly great and fascinating, I have a hard time trying to finish them. This is the same case with the comic, Asterios Polyp, because while I love reading it, I don't want to finish reading it. Or, in this case, I don't want it to end.

So, I'll delve into what I love about the comic, which is the art style. It's different than most comics, since it uses such abstract shapes and concepts in the panels. Some panels are even two pages long--some pages will even contain just one tiny panel. But, the pages themselves also contain different color schemes and styles. While viewing the past, the main character (Asterios) is a shadeless, light blue line drawing. But, when the reader catches up to him in the present, he's the same purple and yellow shade and line combo as the other characters. This helps distinguish himself from his past and present self. The comic also depicts different styles to compare Asterios to his lover, Hana, a Japanese fine artist. She's usually depicted as having a pink outline. And when the two argue, both of them demonstrate different looks--she is a shaded, pink figure while Asterios becomes a constructed, hollow geometric figure. This shows that both of them are really different people, and makes the reader question whether they'll be able to stay together in their relationship or not.

Overall, while some may be off-put by the style, I really enjoy it. Now, if only I could overcome my fears and actually finish it...

Notes on Blacksad Vol. 1

Okay, so first off--I love this comic. No wait, scratch that...I LOVE this comic (see what I did there...I put that word in bold and uppercase). Because I've loved this comic since high school, I thought it was high time to read it again. In particular, the second issue. Which while it may not be as great as the first, has a lot more symbolism and talks a lot more about politics during the sixties.

Overall, the comic is about a detective named Blacksad, a black cat featured as the noir character of the story. In the second issue, he is tasked with finding out the disappearance of a young girl. He is also given the job of finding out more about the leader of Artic Nation--the equivalent of the Ku Klux Klan--featuring animals with pure, white fur/skin. It is said that the leader is a pastor and head of the police in the town Blacksad needs to check out--because of this, he uses his power to even threaten Blacksad to keep him from getting his nose into trouble. Of course, Blacksad doesn't back down, and eventually goes to the Mother to look for more information, while his assistant trails one of the leader's confidants. At the same time Blacksad meets the extremes of the Klan, we're also introduced to the equivalent of the Black Panthars (known as the Black Claws Gang). These guys even try to get Blacksad recruited into the group, but he denies.

In the end, the comic discusses the idea about sticking with your beliefs, while not going so far as to hurt others or force your ideals upon any race, gender, etc.  In the comic, the leader of the KKK ends up going as far as killing other animals to get what he wants. He even bullies his confidant, an Artic Fox, to the point where the leader's friend successfully dispatches him via hanging. A similar situation occurs with the Black Claws Gang, where their leader attempts to rob a store of its goods and paint Blacksad's face black. Among all this, Blacksad keeps his composure and manages to focus on the real problem at hand--the disappearance of a little girl from her mother. In a world that seems so clearly black and white, he manages to stay neutral, and never gives in.

Notes on Promethea

Promenient symbols in Promethea include the balance between light and darkness. The shadow that chase after the interviewer is named Twee--he is a living shadow, a creature that is the very definition of darkness. He cannot be killed, and therefore is able to live on in the umbras of N.Y.C. Then, as his opposite, are the gods and stories. Whenever they are around, they are radiating with light. Even Promethea stops Twee using flames and fire--much like how Prometheus brought fire and knowledge to the Greeks. Another symbol is that of Caduceus, the staff wielded by Thoth-Hermes and by Promethea herself. It is also mistaken as the Rod of Asclepius, but because it has two snakes, I believe it to be the before. It is a symbol held by the messenger--which makes sense for Promethea to own it. She is a living embodiment of a story, which means that she brings messages and heralds ideas to writers, comics, artists, etc.

I really connected with the comic when the gods brought in Promethea as an idea. It was an interesting notion--rather than the girl dying in the desert, the gods brought her in and cared for her during a time when they knew they would become endangered. It was a cool idea, and one that's always fascinated me: is there another way to live on? And could that way still allow us a chance to live on Earth and influence it? I also really liked the element of darkness in a neon city. In most cases, I suspect it must be difficult for something like Twee to live a city so open and alight. In fact, even the Police are constantly showing a light on the city in their saucers. It is impossible to hide in so much light, and yet darkness still continues to thrive. It just goes to show that you can't have on without the other.

For this story, I think I'd use animation as the medium. Something that's great with animation is that you can basically do anything--everything is made from scratch, and therefore becomes its own world. I also think 2D animation might be best to use instead of 3D, since Twee is a two-dimensional character built to run along walls and darkness. And because it would be in 2D, the style can still retain it's comic-book look. I do think some things in the comic would need to be streamlined, but it can still keep it's original look rather than modifying it to suit the technology. A prime example of this would be the adaption of Batman in Batman: Gotham Knight, especially the last animation in that series. It's modified but without straying from the original look.

Overall, I was generally confused in the beginning about Promethea, but was delighted after sticking with it for a while. I think this would be a great story to bring to a new audience, as long as it is remade in a proper way. And, as long as the beginning is made clearer.

Notes on Cinderella Boy and Too Close For Love

For Week 10, I could have read some classic manga (Cyborg 009, Astro Boy, or Barefoot Gen for example). In fact, it seems like those comics epitomize historical Japanese comics, as they are probably the most well-known.

Instead, I read Cinderella Boy and Too Close For Love--two yaoi (gay-love) comics? The reason--because when do you get the option to read these comics for class? Not very often.

So, onto the comics...well, my first impression of them was that they were very flowery and sparkly. In this case, I expect this from shoujo manga. After all, this type of comic is intended for girl audiences. And, in fact, most yaoi comics are written by girls for girls! Which to me was something rather unexpected. Another impression I got from the comics is that most of the characters have unusually slender bodies and legs. This is really prominent in Cinderella Boy, where as the main character is skinnier that his colleagues, everyone in the comic is incredibly skinny. However, this isn't the case in Too Close For Love, but both still have rather idealistic, "gorgeous" characters.

Also, another aspect about both comics that I considered Too Close for Love to be more of a gay comic than Cinderella Boy. This is only because, while Cinderella Boy is about a girl dressing as a guy, it it still about a boy and a girl. I think the only reason you can consider gay is because the girl is a transvestite, but it's still a story about a girl and a boy. However, Too Close for Love almost borders on being Shonen-ai (boy's love), a genre of manga about gay-love, but with a weird twist (usually an age difference, a man/boy relationship, or incest in some degree). However, because the men are not blood-related, but childhood friends, it's different.

Now, despite reading these, I can't say they're the best gay-love comics I've read. Now, while these aren't considered 100% manga, these are two comics I can recommend that have gay-love themes but do it in a slightly, more natural way:

http://tjandamal.com/

http://honeydew.smackjeeves.com/comics/93161/chapter-1-when-life-gives-you-honeydew-you-make-something/

Notes on The Tijuana Bibles

I've heard of these before--it was when I first read Watchmen that I even got an idea of what they were. See, I knew that they were "dirty books", and would sometimes feature famous celebrities. But I never thought I'd ever get the chance to read one myself...until now.

And I must say, they're actually quite silly.

I guess I say this because the situations in the Tijuana Bibles do not feature your typical harlots, porn stars, and sex activists. They feature characters who tend to have run-of-the-mill jobs, whether they be a pilot, movie star, or house-wife. But, what the Bibles do feature are crazy situations. In the first one (which I think was my favorite out of all of them), a pilot decides to take his babe out on a plane so they don't get caught doing the deed. However, when is it EVER possible or plausible to do that--never! Unless you have one of those fancy-pants jets with a bedroom in the back, there is nothing sexy about it.

So, despite the fact that these are outrageous, the next question is this--why are these stories in here? Well, even though they're insane, they are the fantasies of what common men (note, I do not say women) want. And, because they're crudely drawn, they're easier for the common man to relate to. There's no crazy style that the reader needs to get used to--it's just plain and simple.

Notes on The Arrival by Shaun Tan

While some people believe that words can hold power, it is sometimes the wordless--stories that tell themselves through pictures--that are the most prominent and memorable. Shaun Tan's, The Arrival, is a testament to this; the comic itself contains no dialogue, but the reader is able to follow the entire story.

In the comic, it tells about a father/ family man who must leave his dangerous homeland in the hopes of making a new life for him and his wife and daughter in "America". It also tells of his trials and tribulations of being an immigrant, and going through the process of learning the land, it's language, and it's culture (despite it being a variety of cultures).

While some say that it might be body language that drives the story, others say that it might be the fact that it takes place in a world unlike our own that makes it resonate with people overall. In the end, all of us have experienced being in a land unlike our own. And in the end, the universe within The Arrival is also foreign--a beautiful, fantastical landscape that uses symbols everyone can relate to the histories they've grown up to learn.

While I wish I could say more about this book, I feel the need to re-read a few more times to truly understand it. So if you haven't picked it up yet, I'd highly recommend doing so.

Notes on Blankets by Craig Thompson

Before reading Blankets by Craig Thompson again (for probably the one-millionth time, because it is one my favorite graphic novels ever), I decided to read some of A Contract with God by Will Eisner. To most, Will Eisner is considered to be one of the legendary artists of comics, sitting beside legends such as Stan Lee (even though he started much earlier and influenced the now Marvel legend). To me, I knew he was a legend, but I never thought I would like his style/stories (since my last experience with his art was when I read The Spirit comics). But then I realized something shocking--his graphic novels read just like Craig Thompson's work.

What are the similarities? Well, one thing that I've absolutely loved about Thompson's work is his use of personal lettering/typography. Depending on the situation within the story, the lettering itself becomes a part of the overall composition of the panels. And while Eisner doesn't take to as much an extreme as Thomspon, the letters in Eisner's "Contract with God" are unlike anything you'd see in a typical, comic serial. They're personal--not imitation.

Another similarity I notice between the artists is the use of ink and detail. While Thompson typically keeps his blacks solid, Eisner isn't afraid to use an ink wash to help separate the foreground from the background. But both comic artists use a variety of tapered lines and solid blacks. They even use single panels that take up one whole page to provide emphasis in their stories. Both of these aspects (the line and single panels) are somethings that have carried over to aspiring and working comics today.

Notes on Tales from the Crypt #1

As both a comic reader and a (secret) horror fan, nothing pleased me more than to read the comic, Tales From the Crypt--a collection of scary stories meant to delight, disgust, and terrify! And I simply loved it.

The basic structure is as follows--our frightening and disfigured narrator promises to tell us the most bone-chilling story, before revealing it to us in dramatic fashion. In this case, the first story is "The Maestro's Hand"--a story guaranteed to scare the reader.

And terrifying it is--the comic's style was typical for comics in the 1950's. It used fairly realistic drawings, while utilizing flat color and blacks for the shadows. After all, printing in color is not cheap, and the style lends itself to not only being noir-esque, but also very efficient.  Also, the style helps to evoke a sense of dread in the readers through its use of exaggeration for the beasts and creatures, while retaining the human quality in the heroes.

Out of the stories, I'd say that "Maestro's Hand" was my favorite. Rather than be a story mainly told in present time, the story is told through the past events of a man named Dr. Hollman. The doctor is a vengeful and regretting man--this is told to us by our wonderful narrator, and it just so happens that the character agrees. In fact, there are a few moments when the narrator foreshadows the miseries the main character will endure down the line. In particular, the narrator mentions how Hollman's demise will occur due to a maestro falling in love with his woman. Powerless to his own story, Hollman must go along with what is planned.

Tales from the crypt is an interesting take on horror comics. Not only does the narrator control the story, but the way the stories are drawn and written are entertaining without being too gruesome. Makes me wish I had an original copy of one of these...

Notes on Peanuts Visit The Des Moines Register and Review

Usually when I read Peanuts comics, I tend to expect the usual gang in roughly three to six panels. However, much to my surprise, I found one of the comics I was given to read was the gang breaking the fourth wall and going into a real life newspaper, printing company.

As the comic starts out, we find the characters in their typical place (within square confines, in black and white). As they journey along, they come upon the last panel, when suddenly they find themselves growing bigger and in a world of color. It is to symbolize the "other side", much like how Dorothy finds herself in the colorful land of Oz (only in this case, it's our world).

Now, what fascinates me about this comic is that it places characters who are more iconic than the characters designed for the tribune. It makes sense to do this, since the Peanuts characters are not of this world. But, in this case, the real world just doesn't seem that relatable to me. Whenever I read the comic that included a panel with the Peanuts characters, I always found myself drawn to them. I wanted to know what they had to say, because to me they were the most interesting characters in the comic. I guess it goes to show that simplicity really allows for the audience to not only relate to your work, but get into your story, as well.

Notes on Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

As an avid, comic reader, I've heard and already read Scott's wonderful graphic novel about the history/ conventions of comics and...well, graphic novels. However, I felt it was a good time to revisit his work--in particular his chapter on the psychology of closure.

When talking about closure, what I mean is the idea that the human brain will try to connect (based on info. given), pieces of images, words, etc. and try to make them whole/ make sense. A good example of this would be in the chapter where Scott mentions "the gutter" between two comic panels. By separating the two images, "the gutter" leaves the story up to the reader's imagination. Considering what kind of images are displayed next to each other (such as a moment-to-moment or non-sequiter), the reader will either have to make a small jump (or huge leap) into how they believe the images are connected.

To me, this same concept could be implied to movies. Certain mainstream films tend to be shot moment to moment and action to action. This allows the audience to relate closer to the film, and to better understand the story that's going on. However, there are other films that tend to break this mainstream narrative. Despite not having seen it, Tree of Life is one that pops into my mind. In the film we see snippets of images ranging from family life to nature, taking us into the character's childhood life to his present one. The story is so open-ended, it allows some of the watcher's imagination to fill in the blanks.