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.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
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...
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...
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
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.
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.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
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.
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.
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