While looking at colleges during high school, I seriously considered applying to a handful of arts schools because I had a dream of working for the Walt Disney Animation Studios creating the background art for their films. I loved how the settings in the Disney films could transport audiences to completely different worlds thanks to the setting's extraordinary detail.
Just like in the Disney movies I grew up with, Pterror Over Paris took me into the streets and buildings of Paris during the 1910s.
The images in the comic are much more realistic than any other comics we have read in class thus far. In my opinion, the more realistic images serve as a nice juxtaposition with the comic's bizarre story of capturing a loose pterodactyl killing innocent victims in victorian Paris. The images help ground the story. By placing the science-fiction tale in a historically accurate setting, the reader is more willing to follow along with the plot.
For me, the detailed images of Paris is what kept me reading. At times, I found the plot confusing (like who is this laughing guy that keeps popping up?) but I didn't mind. I just wanted to keep studying the pictures.
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ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed reading Pterror Over Paris because of its artistic sensibility. Personally, I find the crisp, ligne claire drawing style appealing because of its inherent sense of organization. Although not necessarily minimalist the style has a sense of structure that I feel shapes the reading experience. Although plot is primary in determining the feel of a comic, for myself ligne claire seems to establish a calmer reading experience compared to a style using sketching and shading. In reading Pterror Over Paris I felt that Jacques Tardi took Herge's TinTin to another level, utilizing ligne claire but also structuring an elaborate sense of setting. Often times when reading I found myself examining the images more than focusing on the text, which pays tribute to your point that Tardi's illustration makes up for the story's confusing plot.
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