For my reading this week I read Lumberjanes, and Nimona by Noelle Stevenson. Noelle Stevenson, is very much a new and popular contemporary writer. Her work contains a lot of modern humor, and writing that we typically see on television, webcomics, and other media today. She is an incredibly talented writer that really exceeds at what she does. The comic Nimona follows a young girl who desperately wants to become a super villain, so she follows around one of her idles and becomes his sidekick, only to dig up some interesting things about his past, and why he plays by the rules of a villain.
Lumberjanes involves young badass woman, who deal with the paranormal and fairy tales. The first issue really peaked my interest with the little red riding hood intro, typically for me that story has been destroyed inside and out by its overuse, but the comic found a very refreshing approach, and it stepped us, the reader, not into little reds story, but the Lumberjanes. It makes it feel like its their job, and that its essential for who they are, and why. thats a great form of storytelling, and a great way to push aside things that would typically appear as repetitive.
Overall Im very much inspired by Noelle Stevenson's work, and have absorbed a lot of her unique storytelling abilities.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Comic Assessment:
Prominent symbols: There were a lot of sex symbols used in the comic, both physical and mental images are very much pushed to the extreme during conversation and actions taken. The panels push it in both the drawn detail, and the dialogue used. Overall the comic is gritty, but tries to push realism, in this very much fictional world. It was trying to seem religious, but felt very much the opposite as well. With extreme violence and gore, it felt more like dogma a parody on religion itself / taking it to what in reality religion actually presents itself to be.
I made a somewhat personal connection with how religion is sort of treated. It's treated very crudely and shows the darker sides of what religion typically can do to people if they are too invested into it. Other than that there isn't much of a connection to this comic with me, It felt a little forced for me, and i couldn't connect to many of the characters.
Adaption: If i were to adapt this to television or film, I would probably tone down some of the 70s aspects, and make it a bit more modernized, but with similar settings and appearances. The reason being is simply to have the audience relate to it more, and to have a more modern generation watching it. I may also change the appearance of how heaven was perceived into something more mechanical, the style of heaven did not match the style on earth very well, so when characters collided they would feel more in place with one another.
I made a somewhat personal connection with how religion is sort of treated. It's treated very crudely and shows the darker sides of what religion typically can do to people if they are too invested into it. Other than that there isn't much of a connection to this comic with me, It felt a little forced for me, and i couldn't connect to many of the characters.
Adaption: If i were to adapt this to television or film, I would probably tone down some of the 70s aspects, and make it a bit more modernized, but with similar settings and appearances. The reason being is simply to have the audience relate to it more, and to have a more modern generation watching it. I may also change the appearance of how heaven was perceived into something more mechanical, the style of heaven did not match the style on earth very well, so when characters collided they would feel more in place with one another.
Modern Comics: Sandman
One of the modern comics for week 11 on the resource page I read was Neil Gaiman's Sandman. A very strange but well told story about one of the 7 entities of the afterlife. While cultists are trying to capture and own death, they accidentally end up catching the sandman instead, and end up tormented after the sandman's release. The story follows the Sandman trying to re obtain his power, and encounter his brother death. The story is not necessarily hard to follow,, but its pacing is strange, it constantly connects itself back together every other page. Which makes you feel very smart as a reader. Which i think is something thats very powerful to use and have in a story. The images were everywhere, and it felt like a strange retelling from Dr. Seuss. The story seemed dark in both humor and telling, but had fairly vibrant colors.
The only problem as a reader I could have with it, is just how long it feels like it takes before everything is established, and we the reader understand what exactly is happening with the sandman, and the other gods. However this is just a personal taste, and the comic is incredibly well developed and written as is. Overall it is a fun read and I plan on continuing the story.
The only problem as a reader I could have with it, is just how long it feels like it takes before everything is established, and we the reader understand what exactly is happening with the sandman, and the other gods. However this is just a personal taste, and the comic is incredibly well developed and written as is. Overall it is a fun read and I plan on continuing the story.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Anime and comics (Improved*)
Ive read a few of the Mangas listed, but I found it interesting Scott Pilgrim was on the list, when i view that as more of an American adaptation of a manga. The story revolves around Scott Pilgrim, and his new girlfriend. When he starts dating her he has to go through seven evil ex's and unless he can beat all of them, he can't be with her. The style has had many influences on others today, it feels like a more bold version of the early dragon ball series, but with more static and simple shapes.
However it is clear where the anime influences come in, with the almost power level video game like strengths specific ex's have. As well as the ridiculous exaggeration that is thrown into what would normally feel like a natural event. music in the series is used as weapons, and overall it feels like an RPG mixed into a comic.
The reason i say its not so much of a manga and more like an american graphic novel, is how Brian Lee O'Mally tends to shift some aspects of Japanese culture. T
here is very much an Americanized sense of humor that occurs at specific moments, and it is based on much more of an american lifestyle than a Japanese one. However with that said I definitely think he was inspired by Mangas alike, and that it was very much one of the beginning shifts into a modern blend of Eastern/ Western culture.
One of the mangas on the list, Death Note, has a huge fan base and following, and I have to say It's still one of my least favorite manga/ anime today. I can understand where its a little innovative and has interesting turn of events, but overall no matter how unpredictable the entire series tried to be, it felt very much predictable. some of the characters deaths felt forced, and just unnecessary.
SPOILER ALERT Don't read this if you intend on watching/ reading the manga* Overall I just wanted the main character to die the entire time, and when it actually happens it felt like a giant waste of time.
That's not to say its not an interesting read, because strangely it is. I just found that by the end, I wanted a different turn of events, and not the one that felt most predictable, when the entire story tries to feel unpredictable.
Overall I can see why the manga is so highly regarded among many people, the pacing is really well established, but by the end It felt lacking, and took away what was built the entire time. It was disappointing for me the reader.
Expanding upon Anime and Manga today :These two mediums today come typically hand in hand, if there's a successful version of one, the other will most likely be made. This is a very interesting business scheme, and really opens up how much you can give in one version compared to the other. If the manga comes first the writer can be free to take/ add anything they want in the anime, and vice versa. It allows a story to be more open and diverse, but also continuous and the same. It's pleasantly unpredictable.
One of the Anime's i grew up with was dragon ball, not dragon ball z but the first beginnings of it. Where a child rises to the top, with good moral and spirit. It's a story that still motivates a lot of my work today. When I was younger, and stumbled across the manga version, it immediately caught my attention. I started flipping through pages, and once I understood they went from right to left, I didn't want to stop. It felt like the same story to me, but as if I were reliving it in a different way. and it felt refreshing to see some of the different monsters, and changes Akira Toriyama made. it felt like an expansion to what I already loved. It was satisfying to have and be a part of.
However it is clear where the anime influences come in, with the almost power level video game like strengths specific ex's have. As well as the ridiculous exaggeration that is thrown into what would normally feel like a natural event. music in the series is used as weapons, and overall it feels like an RPG mixed into a comic.
The reason i say its not so much of a manga and more like an american graphic novel, is how Brian Lee O'Mally tends to shift some aspects of Japanese culture. T
here is very much an Americanized sense of humor that occurs at specific moments, and it is based on much more of an american lifestyle than a Japanese one. However with that said I definitely think he was inspired by Mangas alike, and that it was very much one of the beginning shifts into a modern blend of Eastern/ Western culture.
One of the mangas on the list, Death Note, has a huge fan base and following, and I have to say It's still one of my least favorite manga/ anime today. I can understand where its a little innovative and has interesting turn of events, but overall no matter how unpredictable the entire series tried to be, it felt very much predictable. some of the characters deaths felt forced, and just unnecessary.
SPOILER ALERT Don't read this if you intend on watching/ reading the manga* Overall I just wanted the main character to die the entire time, and when it actually happens it felt like a giant waste of time.
That's not to say its not an interesting read, because strangely it is. I just found that by the end, I wanted a different turn of events, and not the one that felt most predictable, when the entire story tries to feel unpredictable.
Overall I can see why the manga is so highly regarded among many people, the pacing is really well established, but by the end It felt lacking, and took away what was built the entire time. It was disappointing for me the reader.
Expanding upon Anime and Manga today :These two mediums today come typically hand in hand, if there's a successful version of one, the other will most likely be made. This is a very interesting business scheme, and really opens up how much you can give in one version compared to the other. If the manga comes first the writer can be free to take/ add anything they want in the anime, and vice versa. It allows a story to be more open and diverse, but also continuous and the same. It's pleasantly unpredictable.
One of the Anime's i grew up with was dragon ball, not dragon ball z but the first beginnings of it. Where a child rises to the top, with good moral and spirit. It's a story that still motivates a lot of my work today. When I was younger, and stumbled across the manga version, it immediately caught my attention. I started flipping through pages, and once I understood they went from right to left, I didn't want to stop. It felt like the same story to me, but as if I were reliving it in a different way. and it felt refreshing to see some of the different monsters, and changes Akira Toriyama made. it felt like an expansion to what I already loved. It was satisfying to have and be a part of.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Maus
Maus to me has always been a real beauty, when showing just how powerful the graphic narrative can be. Art Spigelman tells the tale of the holocaust and the horrific events that took place perfectly, and the cartoony characterization of mice and cats strangely fits to make it bearable for the audience to continue reading, learning about the terrible things that occurred for people. It wasn't necessarily a look back to the holocaust, but almost a personalized story of what took place, and how they coped with the events that took place. The underlying theme was who to help when and why, because it could mean life or death.
I think by anthropromorphisizing the characters, it adds a real almost fictitious tone to the story, much like how world war 2 actually felt for many people. But even though the tone may feel fictitious, theres always that wandering thought in my mind that knows the events that took place were probably real, and how horrid that time actually was in human society.
Overall Although i did not make it through all of the graphic novel, I plan to continue reading it over time, so I can see how deep it dives into that era.
Maus very much dives into the area of no return, with seriousness, but presents it in a way that many readers will be able to digest. He shows a format of delivery that was able to convey the message in a powerful way, but in just the right way. The holocaust is still very much a sensitive topic today, not only because of the survivors but also because of the recordings, and museums that show the damage that was done during this time.
I think by anthropromorphisizing the characters, it adds a real almost fictitious tone to the story, much like how world war 2 actually felt for many people. But even though the tone may feel fictitious, theres always that wandering thought in my mind that knows the events that took place were probably real, and how horrid that time actually was in human society.
Overall Although i did not make it through all of the graphic novel, I plan to continue reading it over time, so I can see how deep it dives into that era.
Maus very much dives into the area of no return, with seriousness, but presents it in a way that many readers will be able to digest. He shows a format of delivery that was able to convey the message in a powerful way, but in just the right way. The holocaust is still very much a sensitive topic today, not only because of the survivors but also because of the recordings, and museums that show the damage that was done during this time.
Underground Comics
For this weeks selection I read Tijuana Bibles and Dopin Dan.Tijuana Bibles was pretty entertaining, however there wasn't a lot that really stuck out. There was never a deep underlying plot, something that connected them, or something that really yells amazing. But it did make me laugh a little, I found the puns at the end of the shorts were pretty creative and served there purpose. However some of them did feel a little "forced" ba dum tsst* Overall the shorts were fun to read and had me smirk, but its nothing outstanding, nor do I think it's supposed to be. The jokes served their purpose, and it gave me a laugh, however some people today might find some of these offensive.
Dopin Dan was interesting, its humor was clearly aimed towards those who haves served in the armed forces. Although i pick dup on a lot of the jokes, they did not make me laugh very often, and i did not find a lot f interest in continuing them. Tijuana bibles made me laugh with some of its jokes, but Dopin Dan, wasn't my sense of humor. I don't think it has much to do with being a soldier, because the punch lines and set ups were clear to me, its just the way they were delivered. They were dry and too slow for my taste. I can see where people could find humor, but the comic just wasn't up my alley in terms of standards.
Dopin Dan was interesting, its humor was clearly aimed towards those who haves served in the armed forces. Although i pick dup on a lot of the jokes, they did not make me laugh very often, and i did not find a lot f interest in continuing them. Tijuana bibles made me laugh with some of its jokes, but Dopin Dan, wasn't my sense of humor. I don't think it has much to do with being a soldier, because the punch lines and set ups were clear to me, its just the way they were delivered. They were dry and too slow for my taste. I can see where people could find humor, but the comic just wasn't up my alley in terms of standards.
The Spirit by Will Eisner
I did my reading on The Spirit by Will Eisner, The interesting thing about Eisner's comics, is that they seem to tell their stories in a much more modern way than many other comics during the 1940's. The story typically follows The spirit, a regular badass, as he hunts down and fights crime. He's basically like batman, but is much more open about who he is, and doesn't need a silly disguise to get the job done. The only form of concealment he has is his mask, to hide his eyes.
Will Eisner uses story in a very different way than most comics did during this time. The Spirit felt linear, and had many moments that made you question what was to come next. Which although was successful, it was no where near as popular then than as a story element used today.
Will Eisner changed the way comics were written, and even inspired Jack Kirby, which led to giving super hero problems, and making them more relatable as characters. This pushed the comic industry miles, and now is a huge market product in the movie industry. Although Will eisners characters weren't always moral on race and sex, that is mostly due to the time period and how people were brought up in society in the 40's.
Will Eisner uses story in a very different way than most comics did during this time. The Spirit felt linear, and had many moments that made you question what was to come next. Which although was successful, it was no where near as popular then than as a story element used today.
Will Eisner changed the way comics were written, and even inspired Jack Kirby, which led to giving super hero problems, and making them more relatable as characters. This pushed the comic industry miles, and now is a huge market product in the movie industry. Although Will eisners characters weren't always moral on race and sex, that is mostly due to the time period and how people were brought up in society in the 40's.
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