Showcase of DIY final Comics

   

   

Thank you for a great semester!

Final Blog Post

Given our readings this semester I have come to learn that a comic or a graphic novel can do so much more than an ordinary, traditional novel. My first argument is that a cartoonist is able to say many things at once in just one panel. For example, in one panel a character can be having maybe an inner monologue in the caption box or there could be a narrative taking place, and the character could also have one speech bubble of what they’re saying and another speech bubble of what they’re thinking and then obviously so many things could be happening in the background. Obviously humans can’t read multiple things at once, but a comic has the power to give you all the information at once, therefore giving it to you quicker. Also the power of illustration, eve just on its own goes so far. There are some things you can illustrate that you aren’t able to say in words, and the comic/graphic novel format gives you the power to have the option to pick which way you want to express your idea; there is more freedom. As far as limitations go, one of them has to be the stigma around comics; I think people are missing out on great books/stories/comics because they think they’re childish or think they’re unintelligent and not scholarly. I never thought negatively about comics, otherwise I wouldn’t have taken this class, but I think that my opinion on them has grown even more favorably after this course. We’ve learned that there are so many different types of literature that would be considered under the comic genre, and I think that’s awesome because it makes comics more accessible to anyone; theirs is certainly a story out there for everyone if you just look.

Fashion in Torchy

Fashion seems to be a running, not theme, but aspect throughout the Torchy Brown comics. Torchy and most of the other female characters that appear in the comics seem to always be either be dressed in stylish, fashionable clothing or getting ready to get dressed. I didn’t find the content of the comics to be that engaging (it was also kind of difficult to read) but what I did appreciate, which is in line with the fashion aspect, was the paper dolls featured in the later comics. I think that makes this comic very appeal to young readers and gives them the opportunity to further their experience with Torchy Brown. In this sense they are given the chance to perhaps make neither own Torchy Brown comic or scenario, which is an added bonus.

I don't get what all the fuss is about

It’s crazy to me that comics like the Crime SuspensStories would cause such a riot for the Comic Code Authority. Although the series deals with issues like death and crime, I think it’s totally harmless. I could see how this series would the popular with youths—it’s fun, mysterious, and slightly racy (not anything to get worked up about). Something that I really liked about it was the language; I remember in one of the first episodes one of characters has a bit of monologue at the end of the comic, and the length and how it was written reminded me of the way people spoke in old movies—very fast, speech but very long content. I enjoyed the length of each story; every one of them was pretty concise, however, they gave you just enough information to understand what was going on but to also want more information.

Dr. Manhattan Backstory

It’s hard to pick one thing to focus on in Watchmen because there are so many things happening. Even so, chapters 4 and 6 resonated with me the most. In chapter 4 we get the full backstory of how Dr. Manhattan came to be, and this is done through caption boxes containing his inner monologue. We’ve seen this is in other parts in the book, but there is a lot of repetition in chapter 4. The way that Dr. Manhattan recalls the past, present, and future makes for a chilling and emotional account of his life. I think the way he repeats certain dates, shed light on the way he feels about those dates. The chapter sort of revolves around a photograph of Dr. Manhattan and his ex-girlfriend Janey (for the most part); he mostly recalls moments with her and throughout the chapter recalls the photograph. I thought this was so sad; even though Dr. Manhattan feels distanced from humanity I felt the most empathy about his situation. While the position he is in is very much omnipotent, it’s a bad position to be in term of a relationship. Dr. Manhattan is sort of detached from Janey because he knows that their relationship is going to end inevitably, even if everything is going well it will end. Sadly this is classic ‘the lord giveth and the lord taketh away’ circumstance. Dr. Manhattan is given superhuman power, but for what it’s worth he is left only with apathy.

My Knight in Shining Armor

In comparing The Dark Knight Returns to the Batman Chronicles, they might as well be two separate stories that have nothing to do with each other. That’s an exaggeration but the disparity in depth is huge. It is obvious that character and plot development are what makes them so different from each other. Looking at just Batman’s character in The Dark Knight Returns, the scope in which we see him, but also think about him is complex. The first panels of the book open with an internal monologue that carries on throughout the rest of the book. I think this monologue is one of the crucial elements of the book that provide depth. It shows us the inner workings of Batman’s mind and that alone engages the reader and creates investment because it’s almost as if you know him. Another aspect that I felt added depth was the fact that the story started later on in Bruce Wayne’s life; I was really thrown off that he was so old. Even so that gave Frank Miller the opportunity to explain what was going on, what had happened, things that were never even almost touched on in the Batman Chronicles. The artistry from comic to comic also differs greatly. The illustrations in The Batman Chronicles are so simple—I don’t mean unskilled in anyway, just that illustration-wise, there’s nothing too crazy. I will say that the panels are not exactly standard and all the same size which is interesting, but nothing too eye-catching. There are no big risks taken in the panels; a fair amount of the panels don’t show a detailed background but rather just a solid color. On the other end of the spectrum The Dark Knight Returns seems to have a slightly different panel layout on every page. If you could even set a standard perhaps it would be a 16-panel grid, but that’s every so often, and I don’t think ever a full 16 evenly spaced panels. The backgrounds are so much more detailed and real, the shadows and colors are unique in that they seem understated but in a meticulous way, somewhat washed out but still bright (if that makes sense!). Also there are tons of splash pages. Overall it’s just exponentially the better comic book.