09_ Wide World of Comics

    This week I have decided to read a piece from Jean Moebius, Blueberry “General Golden Mane.” This story had some really strong tension between characters that encouraged me to want more. At some points i’m trying to decide whether to have hope for the Natives or the new Americans to win. 

    Generally I wish for the Natives to keep there land for the reasons shown in this story. 

We see how Golden Mane has no interest in the Native lives as well as his own. He plays off as a hero of some sort but truly he’s nothing more than a coward that’s afraid to lose to Blueberry. It’s funny to see how far he goes to get rid of Blueberry. After demoting him he even suggests killing him. The general wouldn’t even be alive if Blueberry hadn’t saved him. I guess the entire plot was based around the one moment were Blueberry could have either saved him, like he had regretfully done, or left him in the water to be scalped by the Natives. He instantly knew that he his decision was wrong but being the true hero it’s in his nature to save everyone. 

    Blueberry is the clear symbol of a hero. After saving the general and being demoted he still takes charge to win the battle and most of all, protect his troops. While he’s sent out to be slaughtered by the Natives he still works with what he has to succeed. Another admirable moment, the most admirable, is we Blueberry had argued with the general to leave the innocent women and children unharmed. Of course, rather than doing what is right, the general decides to send Blueberry to fight warriors while he pillages the easy targeted civilians. 

    In terms of art I am interested in the color choices that Moebius switches between. The story is drawn in black and white except for the characters. Beginning the story the characters are saturated with multiple colors. Then from scene to scene we see different schemes that help create the mood. Battles become shades of red and scenes of death become shades of cold blue. I found the intro most interesting for having the multicolored palette that represents what they were before the battles and death.   

    Moebius has done a great job building a climax, filled with tension between enemies. Through character development and foreshadows we learn how the true heroes are the ones that make mistakes but always defend their honor. 

08_ Stereotype and Ethnic Representation

    Stereotyping and ethnics are always a choice of subject because so many issues can come from them. As artists, who is to say what or how we draw? Really, no one can control our design and choices but there are definitely things to think about before settling for the character you thought was fine. 

    When designing characters and, more specifically, other races, it is important to not be offensive. If you are trying to represent someone, stereotypes are not the way to go. They don’t enhance the reading at all because they can’t describe any character individually. To stereotype is simply a way to judge a whole race or culture through any given character, rather than actually giving that character his/her own personality. Often times a stereotype is used as an easy joke when the artist isn’t really thinking about anything, it’s just a standard judgement that many don’t think about.

    Now, I can understand where some cases may appropriately include a stereotype. We have all experienced different situations and we have met different types of people. There are stereotypes for a reason, they have actually happen sometimes. The appropriate time to handle a stereotype is through observation. I believe that if you are or have observed something that may become stereotypical than hey, you’ve seen it happen so feel free to write about it. When it comes to the actual character, if you decide to exaggerate someone than you should do the same to other characters. It’s when there’s the uncomfortable difference in character design that we, as readers, see the artist is being aggressive. When bringing in a character they must be introduced at the same level as the others. 

    However you choose to render your representation, make sure it is something that you have experienced or seen. It is one thing to assume the stereotype in your artwork and then there’s the accurate depiction that benefits the story. Be careful when choosing the ways to depict a character because once the artist chooses to stereotype they will loose the connection with the audience and their views will not feel real. 

07_ Legitimation

        Maus is a graphic novel that I have seen everywhere yet had never read before. I have also read and watched many stories about the Holocaust and all are powerful in their own way. Maus has been different though. A graphic novel is a powerful way to convey the Holocaust for all of the reasons we have learned up to this point. 

        Maus is created around symbolism. When I read this novel it actually reminded me of Pink Floyd’s Animals  album. The symbolism is similar in terms of hierarchy, just a couple animals exchanged. The pigs are always the leaders of government and essentially corruption. They sit at the top feasting on their wealth and power which makes them the glutenous pig. Rather than the dogs Spiegelman uses cats. Treated the same, cats are also ones with power just at a smaller level. They essentially work under the pigs to achieve the same goal of greed and power. Then lastly, rather than sheep, we have the mice. The expendable mice who must hide from the cats to not be hunted. This symbolism is very powerful and accurate to display hierarchy. 

        The use of a graphic novel to portray the Holocaust or any significant matter is perfect. We have all seen live action movies of tragic events and they are definitively hard to endure. As the viewer we place ourselves in other shoes and that helps make them feel powerful. The graphic novel point of view can be just as powerful if not more. Graphics can visually exaggerate the message to empower the tone. Also, the simplicity of the characters allows us to feel more connected with them. 

Through the mice, Spiegelman has brought us to such a personal level of his own life. There is so much power as I follow what his family endured at the time. Not only that but we experience the effect it had on the children and further generations of those survivors. As he tells the stories he does not seem to hold back life movies often do. People are afraid to see the truth but as a graphic novel he can draw and say whatever he desires. He doesn’t hold back on the details and horrible things that happened and I respect that. 

        I think that the Holocaust will always be remembered although it is losing interest. I have seen so many different movies and variations about it which are all sad but at the same time it gets old. There’s needed to be something new that can entice the viewer while keeping the general story and accuracy. This doesn’t mean I need more gruesome details but simply another take of the subject. We always need something new to keep us interested. Spiegelman does this perfectly. He took the subject that had been losing views and successfully remade the stories through the eyes of his own family.

06_ Underground Comix

        This week I have read a few stories of Robert Crumbs underground comix. What drew my attention is the weird, yet natural interest many may have with his work. Everyone, or most, has a natural draw towards sexual tendencies whether we admit it or not. 

        These stories share different sexual encounters that tend to be humorous yet very wrong. I find it difficult to know whether I should be laughing like I instinctively do or if I should feel concerned. At the same time what interests me with Robert Crumb is that his stories often feel more natural than what people want to imagine for a sex scene. We see in the movies how romantic everything is or has to be but truthfully it’s all a dream. Looking at “A Pastoral Interlude” we see two girls trying to get it on in the woods because no one knows about the secret girl scout spot. Rather than making the story follow the perfect romance they struggle to fool around because of natural obstacles. The sharp rock, the wet grass, the ants, and of course the intruding boy scouts. These are all possible problems anyone could run into while out in the woods with someone else. I respect Crumbs choice of the explicit truth we all try to hide.

        Another interesting piece from Tits and Clits is “I Was a Sex Junkie”. The style seemed to create a fifties feel as we are told so energetically what we can and can’t do. The girl seems so excited to tell us of her sex drive but at the same time she appears completely terrified. Crumb has set an interesting mood were I felt the girls excitement in her tone of voice yet we are essentially watching the life of a girl who was taken advantage of or perhaps raped. She is so turned on when thinking of it but the in the moment scenes she resists and says no but couldn’t do anything. Crumb introduces the reality of what may happen to girls that are taken advantage of at young ages. They amy turning into sexually driven women that turn to the negative aspects in life which potentially destroy them. In the end it wasn’t the life they wanted, it was forced onto them and Crumb shares that feeling of mockery as we catch ourselves be entertained by another person taken advantage of. 

        Lastly I had read Robert Crumb’s Whiteman. This was a great read for its random change of gears. The most obvious one is how smoothly Whiteman gets comfortable with the Sasquatch and basically convinces himself of how nice this new freedom was. My favorite line was when he had mentioned that his wife would never be down for whatever he had been doing to Sasquatch. I love the unnatural ending of having Whiteman completely give up his wife and kid to become an ape as well. It’s interesting to see such little care in ones actions. I think what really makes this a grossly illustrated comic are Sasquatch facial expressions and sound effects during sex. There was one moment were her vagina had HISSED... Just imagining that is disgusting but so perfect for the mood and exaggeration of this story.

        Overall Crumb’s sexual comics are interesting for bringing the hidden truth to a situation and the natural ways of life rather than the expected, perfect sexual experience. 

05_ The Graphic Novel

        Will Eisner and Craig Thomas portray emotions through character body language. This allows us to understand the mood and tone of the story without even needing dialogue.

        Will Eisner has done a great job portraying fate in the three stories of A Contract With God. It’s very true how we all expect so much from life or God when haven’t truly earned it. The thing is that we don’t know what obstacles we will face in the future. Who’s to tell us what we deserve and are owed. The men in these stories expect soo much for what they have done or been through but when you start expecting things, you start losing faith. 

        

        The first and third story felt most powerful, seeing Frimme Hersh lose his daughter and go mad. From there on I could easily feel the emotion and rage he had through his body language as he took over Dropsie Avenue. Essentially giving up on faith changed his life. Did he become more successful or less? He lost his love for anything in life and was empowered by the anger to build an empire out of Dropsie Avenue. We see the transformation in character stature as Frimme is drawn slouched to his uptight proper posture. When forcing the new contract on the clergy men Frimme is hidden within shadow. You rarely see his face anymore as he stands tall, towering over everyone else. Receiving the contract he becomes soft and humble again but it’s deception as he turns straight back to his demanding self, leading to his death.

        The Super is another great comic from Eisner. What interests me most is whether to feel for Mr. Scuggs or the little girl. Mr. Scuggs is always seen slouched over with his shoulders dropped. Through body language we already se how unhappy he is with life and it effects others perception. Only when he is drinking or hugging his dog do we see the happiness that is in him. What strikes me the most is finally seeing the good in Mr. Scuggs right before the niece took it away. Simply walking into his room had struck me as being a problematic. It never felt weird to me until I found out that the girl was only 15. At that point I couldn’t tell whether to favor the stuck up niece or the unhappy pervert that’s been robbed.

        Lastly, Blankets by Craig Thomas is a story about first love that is conveyed through characters and line. Compared to Eisner, Craig’s design is much cleaner. His use of clean lines allows us to see the attraction between characters. We can see the delicate soft features of the girl through her smooth line quality. Craig’s choice of style enhances the story by building the love interest. As a first love situation the two characters felt very natural and real. 

04_ The Comic Book

        When reading Spiegelman’s Jack Cole and Plastic Man I assumed it would be just like every action/hero comic. After checking out a few works and cover designs for Plastic Man it appeared more as art than a usual hero comic. The covers definitely feel surreal as we see compositions with Plastic Man stretching into a new form. The humor in Plastic Man is that he seems to shape shift into very random objects and shapes to fight crime. I’ve seen him take the shape of a book, lightning bolt, and even a dinosaur. Of all the ways Spiegelman could design Plastic Man I appreciate the artistic, humorous approach. He allows us to be surprised by the way Plastic Man may saved the day since he has unlimited forms and ways to stretch around the canvas to attack. 

        I had also read Donald Duck The Ancient Persia which was a fun a surprise. I had always watched and favored Donald Duck over the other Disney characters. The three little ones are always getting into trouble wherever they go but it creates a mini adventure at the same time. The kids are easily just the same as Donald Duck in terms of personality but together they can create interesting adventures while DOnald tries to protect them.