For this week, I re-read the first three-ish acts of Homestuck.
Homestuck is a really unique webcomic, I think, because it's such a cultural phenomenon for the amount of people that got into Homestuck when it first came out. I remember first reading Homestuck when I was starting High School, and it only finished semi recently, about three years ago.
It's one of those comics that I think can relate the most to sort of old school comics in terms of it being a series that some people kind of just grew up with, and it's in this new medium too which is the 'web comic'.
The other sorts of web comics that I read over my years that have shaped a lot of what I did is stuff like VG Cats, F@NB0Y$, Lackadaisy, Their Story, Dark Legacy Comics and I'm sure a lot more that I can't quite remember at the moment.
The way webcomics work in allowing artists that aren't "professionals" or whatever I think really helps with the appealing feature of people being able to get into them. It's a bit like with illustrators in the digital age in general-- you can just go and be an artist and grab a tablet or what have you and just start drawing and posting your work online to be able to get people to look at it. You don't have to go to a school, you don't have to get a publisher, you don't have to go to a professional art gallery-- the access of the digital age allows anyone to sort of more easily follow their hobby or even get into it professionally with less of a barrier of entry than previously.
Anyways, re-reading Homestuck (or at least as much as I could in the amount of time we have) was an interesting experience. A lot of the humor is still good, while some of the humor definitely shows the age of when Homestuck first came out in general.
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
[Week 13] Super Hero Stuff + The Killing Joke
So for this week I decided to read Hellboy! I specifically read Savage Dragon, Wake the Devil, and Conqueror Worm. I've never actually read Hellboy before, and had only seen the Del Toro movies a long, long time ago. The art style really is fantastic, and Hellboy's dry humor is really great. I also appreciate the violence against Nazis, as well as the general smattering of mythology that's in the series. Roger is probably one of my favorite characters in it, because he's just a gentle sort of character that is very human, despite "not really being human".
[In Class Stuff- Killing Joke]
1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?
I've never really read the Batman comics before, but it was interesting to see the Joker take this sort of persona in the comic, and for us to really understand what had happened to him. It's good to see that him and Batman are really similar, but just took different paths in reaction to having a 'bad day'. The art was really great too, and the ending being as ambiguous as it is is really interesting. I like seeing this side of the Joker, but the Lego Batman joker is still probably my favorite.
2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the story with which you were able to connect.
So I was able to make at least some sort of connection with the aspect of Batman being incredibly frustrated with just trying to talk to the Joker so they wouldn't end up killing each other. I can relate to this incredibly well, because I often get really frustrated when I know a problem can be solved simply by just talking to the person, but they don't want to talk or they keep avoiding being talked too, much like how the Joker is constantly on the run in the comic up until the end. This sort of horrible frustration is so relatable in the comic, especially with the aggression that comes with it.
3. What changes would you make to adapt the story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?
If I had to make this story into another medium, I would make it into a game, probably. I would have to change the story to have alternate endings, so it would not only have the ambiguous ones, but also probably endings that have more definitive endings. I would want the game to be based on different choices in order to access parts of the Joker's backstory, maybe even have the ability to change the outcome of certain things based on player choices.
It would just be fun to let people have a sort of 'choose your own adventure' experience with something like a comic story as important as Batman and Joker.
[In Class Stuff- Killing Joke]
1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?
I've never really read the Batman comics before, but it was interesting to see the Joker take this sort of persona in the comic, and for us to really understand what had happened to him. It's good to see that him and Batman are really similar, but just took different paths in reaction to having a 'bad day'. The art was really great too, and the ending being as ambiguous as it is is really interesting. I like seeing this side of the Joker, but the Lego Batman joker is still probably my favorite.
2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the story with which you were able to connect.
So I was able to make at least some sort of connection with the aspect of Batman being incredibly frustrated with just trying to talk to the Joker so they wouldn't end up killing each other. I can relate to this incredibly well, because I often get really frustrated when I know a problem can be solved simply by just talking to the person, but they don't want to talk or they keep avoiding being talked too, much like how the Joker is constantly on the run in the comic up until the end. This sort of horrible frustration is so relatable in the comic, especially with the aggression that comes with it.
3. What changes would you make to adapt the story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?
If I had to make this story into another medium, I would make it into a game, probably. I would have to change the story to have alternate endings, so it would not only have the ambiguous ones, but also probably endings that have more definitive endings. I would want the game to be based on different choices in order to access parts of the Joker's backstory, maybe even have the ability to change the outcome of certain things based on player choices.
It would just be fun to let people have a sort of 'choose your own adventure' experience with something like a comic story as important as Batman and Joker.
Monday, April 15, 2019
[Week 12] Women's Comics
For this week I ended up reading This One Summer by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki.
The thing that I found interesting with this comic, which I guess relates to the whole women writing comics for other women thing, is the topic that's touched on-- two topics, really. The way the writers managed to handle sexism and self-hating, on top of issues like miscarriages and stuff was very real. The way they handled the friendship between Rose and Windy too was very realistic feeling. The art was really attractive to look at too, and I found the expressions and body language used to be very realistic, to go with the subject matter. It felt a bit like Blacksad but without the gore and animals. I can appreciate a good comic that displays younger kids in a way that doesn't make them completely stupid, babies, or completely unrealistic in their depictions or how they would act in situations.
[ In Class Stuff Below ]
(Movies)
Faith Hubley - Really unique looking animation style of the movie we watched at the start of class today! Has a very experimental quality that feels like a ceremony more than a typical movie. Loved it!
Watched a movie by her daughter next. The Grandmother's Gift feels very horror like while it's not supposed to be, at least I don't think it is. Just has kind of a creepy quality. Also very weird that it's just a lot of talking about periods for the first part. Once that happens the sort of horror-like quality goes away, but still feels very weird. Reminds me of some artful games that I've seen in the past. Sound design is actually kind of annoying with her daughter's film. The 'I remember' repeating is just annoying.
Cockaboody looks weird. Not sure which one made this one, has some of that less creepy quality, just looks like kids doing usual kid things. Very loud and it hurts my ears. Kids talking about having babies is also just kind of weird. Art style goes between being weird to being very cute and storybook-ish. Actually, having to listen to the sounds of children scream really just makes me hate this, a lot. I disregard everything I said before, listening to children screech like little hellions is not an enjoyable experience, no matter how cute the art is.
______
(Artists)
Nell Brinkley is really interesting to see. Her art is very lovely to look at, and her comics are still pretty funny honestly. Her portraits of girls/women are just really fantastic, I love the line work and pen strokes. Her faces also have a lot of emotion.
Neysa McMein also has a very wonderful illustrative style, really nice pastels, maybe they're oils? Not sure. Odd woman but I really like how she paints.
Ethel Hays is probably one of my favorites; knew about her before this class, and I've always loved her flappy fanny comics. Her whole take on women of the time is really good, and she just sort of has a stark opinion of what's going on at the time, especially with her takes on things like fashion and stuff. Her pieces that are more illustrative are really nice too, but I'm still always a fan of her pen and line work.
Gladys Parker's work with Mopsy and advertisements are really good, but her comics are also genuinely funny too. Her work with fashion is also really awesome, and I love looking at all her designs of it.
Jackie Ormes is also fantastic, her art style is pleasing to look at, especially with the way she handles color with her prints in comics. Her line-weights and work are also really fantastic, and her being one of the first African American women for the African American print industry is really cool. The Patty Jo doll is also great.
Donna Barr is another interesting one. I like her stuff with Stinz.
The thing that I found interesting with this comic, which I guess relates to the whole women writing comics for other women thing, is the topic that's touched on-- two topics, really. The way the writers managed to handle sexism and self-hating, on top of issues like miscarriages and stuff was very real. The way they handled the friendship between Rose and Windy too was very realistic feeling. The art was really attractive to look at too, and I found the expressions and body language used to be very realistic, to go with the subject matter. It felt a bit like Blacksad but without the gore and animals. I can appreciate a good comic that displays younger kids in a way that doesn't make them completely stupid, babies, or completely unrealistic in their depictions or how they would act in situations.
[ In Class Stuff Below ]
(Movies)
Faith Hubley - Really unique looking animation style of the movie we watched at the start of class today! Has a very experimental quality that feels like a ceremony more than a typical movie. Loved it!
Watched a movie by her daughter next. The Grandmother's Gift feels very horror like while it's not supposed to be, at least I don't think it is. Just has kind of a creepy quality. Also very weird that it's just a lot of talking about periods for the first part. Once that happens the sort of horror-like quality goes away, but still feels very weird. Reminds me of some artful games that I've seen in the past. Sound design is actually kind of annoying with her daughter's film. The 'I remember' repeating is just annoying.
Cockaboody looks weird. Not sure which one made this one, has some of that less creepy quality, just looks like kids doing usual kid things. Very loud and it hurts my ears. Kids talking about having babies is also just kind of weird. Art style goes between being weird to being very cute and storybook-ish. Actually, having to listen to the sounds of children scream really just makes me hate this, a lot. I disregard everything I said before, listening to children screech like little hellions is not an enjoyable experience, no matter how cute the art is.
______
(Artists)
Nell Brinkley is really interesting to see. Her art is very lovely to look at, and her comics are still pretty funny honestly. Her portraits of girls/women are just really fantastic, I love the line work and pen strokes. Her faces also have a lot of emotion.
Neysa McMein also has a very wonderful illustrative style, really nice pastels, maybe they're oils? Not sure. Odd woman but I really like how she paints.
Ethel Hays is probably one of my favorites; knew about her before this class, and I've always loved her flappy fanny comics. Her whole take on women of the time is really good, and she just sort of has a stark opinion of what's going on at the time, especially with her takes on things like fashion and stuff. Her pieces that are more illustrative are really nice too, but I'm still always a fan of her pen and line work.
Gladys Parker's work with Mopsy and advertisements are really good, but her comics are also genuinely funny too. Her work with fashion is also really awesome, and I love looking at all her designs of it.
Jackie Ormes is also fantastic, her art style is pleasing to look at, especially with the way she handles color with her prints in comics. Her line-weights and work are also really fantastic, and her being one of the first African American women for the African American print industry is really cool. The Patty Jo doll is also great.
Donna Barr is another interesting one. I like her stuff with Stinz.
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
[Week 11] Contemporary Comics in Class
First comic:
Eightball - Daniel Clowes
Things of note on this comic:
Older sort of classic comic style, sort of googie in nature.
Comic starts out in a porno theatre, so the comic doesn't shy away from sexual tones and themes.
Main character seems to have a reputation following him, has bad luck with a lot of things.
Doesn't really seem to be entirely based in reality, this comic, due to the other character having the shrimps in his eyes.
Has also a very grpahic style ontop of the old googie style. Feels almost like block-print at some point.
Main character seems like he wants to find something, possibly just the main character in the porno movie he saw.
Also thought there was a funny aspect of the character judging the porno theatre as being full of sickos, even though he's in there.
A good black/white style with grossness and grittyness.
Second comic:
Wimbledon Green - Seth
Things of note on this comic:
Color palette is very sepia-esque, not very super saturated and just sort of neutral tones.
Characters seem to get their own palettes when recounting Green.
Pages are kind of like interviews, specifically when Wimbledon isn't around. It states who the person is that's describing Wimbledon. They also each get their own comic block when talking about Wimbledon.
Noire-esque with this comic as well. Some sort of mystery going on that I'm not really sure about. Lack of clarity is helping focus on the story more.
Maybe some sort of double-twin mystery thing? Dunno.
Third comic:
The Years Have Pants - Eddie Campbell
Things of note on this comic:
Very gesture-al style to this comic. Looks very loose and sketchy.
Another dream-esque area of a comic. Doesn't quite feel super real but it's definitely mostly based in reality.
Very existencial of a comic.
Hand written comic, or at least the font looks like handwriting. Makes it feel more personal.
It's got a blend of styles between ink, screen tones, charcoal, etc.
Unsettling amounts of style on the faces sometimes, probably on purpose.
Comic is based in the 50s, or I assume so because of the style of fashion the characters are wearing, plus the hairstyles. Maybe 70's, because of the cars. Hard to tell.
Based on the main character talking about his life, sort of a null personality, he's just recounting things with his life while talking with another character, while having these other dreamlike qualities put on top of it. Nihilistic.
Another comic that's vaguely sexual in nature.
Fourth comic: Darren Aronofsky and Kent Williams - The Fountain
Things of note on this comic:
Very artistic comic, pages are basically painted with what looks like oils and watercolor. Possibly pastels?
Main character is always rendered out really well while everyone else is gestural and loose.
Based in reality, looks medieval? Might be some fantasy elements to it.
Might be a thing that's based in reincarnation. Starts out as the Spanish conquistador, then goes to 2478 with them in the future, then goes back to 1997, and then even more back and then forward.
When the nebula section returns, it's colorful and painted, but when it's talking about other things in the characters future, it's inked and monotone and not very colorful. Very bleak and flat.
Fifth comic: Brian K. Vaughn - Pride of Baghdad
Very mature subject matter, very gory and brutal.
Very brightly colored despite the subject matter. Colors fight the subject matter a lot.
Very violent, but very hopeful.
A lot of personality given to the different animals.
Phsyical traits on the animals are representative of the personalities.
Very sad comic to read at the end, a very real ending. Based in history but shows a story that we wouldn't experience or know.
More personality is given to the animals than the humans. Shows intelligence in the young ones.
Eightball - Daniel Clowes
Things of note on this comic:
Older sort of classic comic style, sort of googie in nature.
Comic starts out in a porno theatre, so the comic doesn't shy away from sexual tones and themes.
Main character seems to have a reputation following him, has bad luck with a lot of things.
Doesn't really seem to be entirely based in reality, this comic, due to the other character having the shrimps in his eyes.
Has also a very grpahic style ontop of the old googie style. Feels almost like block-print at some point.
Main character seems like he wants to find something, possibly just the main character in the porno movie he saw.
Also thought there was a funny aspect of the character judging the porno theatre as being full of sickos, even though he's in there.
A good black/white style with grossness and grittyness.
Second comic:
Wimbledon Green - Seth
Things of note on this comic:
Color palette is very sepia-esque, not very super saturated and just sort of neutral tones.
Characters seem to get their own palettes when recounting Green.
Pages are kind of like interviews, specifically when Wimbledon isn't around. It states who the person is that's describing Wimbledon. They also each get their own comic block when talking about Wimbledon.
Noire-esque with this comic as well. Some sort of mystery going on that I'm not really sure about. Lack of clarity is helping focus on the story more.
Maybe some sort of double-twin mystery thing? Dunno.
Third comic:
The Years Have Pants - Eddie Campbell
Things of note on this comic:
Very gesture-al style to this comic. Looks very loose and sketchy.
Another dream-esque area of a comic. Doesn't quite feel super real but it's definitely mostly based in reality.
Very existencial of a comic.
Hand written comic, or at least the font looks like handwriting. Makes it feel more personal.
It's got a blend of styles between ink, screen tones, charcoal, etc.
Unsettling amounts of style on the faces sometimes, probably on purpose.
Comic is based in the 50s, or I assume so because of the style of fashion the characters are wearing, plus the hairstyles. Maybe 70's, because of the cars. Hard to tell.
Based on the main character talking about his life, sort of a null personality, he's just recounting things with his life while talking with another character, while having these other dreamlike qualities put on top of it. Nihilistic.
Another comic that's vaguely sexual in nature.
Fourth comic: Darren Aronofsky and Kent Williams - The Fountain
Things of note on this comic:
Very artistic comic, pages are basically painted with what looks like oils and watercolor. Possibly pastels?
Main character is always rendered out really well while everyone else is gestural and loose.
Based in reality, looks medieval? Might be some fantasy elements to it.
Might be a thing that's based in reincarnation. Starts out as the Spanish conquistador, then goes to 2478 with them in the future, then goes back to 1997, and then even more back and then forward.
When the nebula section returns, it's colorful and painted, but when it's talking about other things in the characters future, it's inked and monotone and not very colorful. Very bleak and flat.
Fifth comic: Brian K. Vaughn - Pride of Baghdad
Very mature subject matter, very gory and brutal.
Very brightly colored despite the subject matter. Colors fight the subject matter a lot.
Very violent, but very hopeful.
A lot of personality given to the different animals.
Phsyical traits on the animals are representative of the personalities.
Very sad comic to read at the end, a very real ending. Based in history but shows a story that we wouldn't experience or know.
More personality is given to the animals than the humans. Shows intelligence in the young ones.
[Week 11] Contemporary Comics
For this week, I re-read the comic, Asterios Polyp.
I've read this comic before, but it's been a long time so I chose to re-read it because I remembered enjoying it.
Some of my favorite aspects of this comic is the fact that when it goes into the sections where Asterios starts thinking of past situations or stuff in his mind, the style subtly changes. Asterios is always represented in articulated, mathematical shapes that are easily broken down and methodical, while people like Hana are represented with artistic, crosshatching and soft artistic shading. It's great for determining early on what kind of a person Asterios is.
So the other thing I appreciate about this comic is how it can really just show you how to deal with people in real life that are like Asterios, because trust me, there's a lot of them. Seeing a character like him sort of get 'dealt' with and served a bit of 'shut up and listen' pie is intensely satisfying, even in comic form. The internal conflict that always follows behind Asterios is also fun to read, with his dead twin.
Overall I think it's a pretty easily digestible "smart" comic that most people can enjoy, even with Asterios' constant babble about himself for the first big chunk of the comic. People I think can really enjoy his relationships and the way he manages to crawl his way out of a really shit situation, and somehow make it work.
I've read this comic before, but it's been a long time so I chose to re-read it because I remembered enjoying it.
Some of my favorite aspects of this comic is the fact that when it goes into the sections where Asterios starts thinking of past situations or stuff in his mind, the style subtly changes. Asterios is always represented in articulated, mathematical shapes that are easily broken down and methodical, while people like Hana are represented with artistic, crosshatching and soft artistic shading. It's great for determining early on what kind of a person Asterios is.
So the other thing I appreciate about this comic is how it can really just show you how to deal with people in real life that are like Asterios, because trust me, there's a lot of them. Seeing a character like him sort of get 'dealt' with and served a bit of 'shut up and listen' pie is intensely satisfying, even in comic form. The internal conflict that always follows behind Asterios is also fun to read, with his dead twin.
Overall I think it's a pretty easily digestible "smart" comic that most people can enjoy, even with Asterios' constant babble about himself for the first big chunk of the comic. People I think can really enjoy his relationships and the way he manages to crawl his way out of a really shit situation, and somehow make it work.
Monday, April 1, 2019
[Week 10] Manga Edition!
So for this week I read a few things;
For Tezuka's work, I read Dororo!
I found this manga really fun to read, because I love the old manga that have takes on samurai stories and regular Japanese mythos and cultural legends/implications that go with them! Tezuka's style sort of makes the serious parts of the manga slightly hard to take seriously, though, but it didn't detract from the enjoy-ability of the series as a whole. I found out that apparently manga with demons in it was very popular for children at the time.
Speaking of the plot, about the only thing I didn't actually really enjoy was the ending to the manga. It felt a bit rushed through, and I wanted to see more battles or some followup to the story. Also, a character that becomes friends with either Dororo or Hyakkimaru dying each chapter was a bit funny after it kept happening, it was hard to take deaths seriously.
The other manga that I've read for this week, which aren't finished yet, was:
Dungeon Meshi (Delicious in Dungeon) and Ajin: Demi-Human.
When using MangaRock to read things, I really suggest switching it to "Vertical" mode for reading. You can just scroll up and down to read with that.
Dungeon Meshi can be read here!
Ajin: Demi-Human can be read here!
Dungeon Meshi is just a nice take on the usual RPG-Hero's journey type of manga, and is very comfy to just read through, with a really good plot to boot. The party has to save Laios' sister from being completely eaten by the Red Dragon deep in the dungeon, but it soon turns into much more than that. The author goes to great care to craft all these fantasy recipes that the characters use through the story, making use of the random monsters and other things they encounter in the dungeon to eat.
Ajin: Demi-Human, is a really good take on the typical action-oriented manga, with really great artwork with mechanical and environments that involve urban areas. The manga is very violent and gory, and has an interesting plot involving the mechanics of being unable to die from normal means.
For Tezuka's work, I read Dororo!
I found this manga really fun to read, because I love the old manga that have takes on samurai stories and regular Japanese mythos and cultural legends/implications that go with them! Tezuka's style sort of makes the serious parts of the manga slightly hard to take seriously, though, but it didn't detract from the enjoy-ability of the series as a whole. I found out that apparently manga with demons in it was very popular for children at the time.
Speaking of the plot, about the only thing I didn't actually really enjoy was the ending to the manga. It felt a bit rushed through, and I wanted to see more battles or some followup to the story. Also, a character that becomes friends with either Dororo or Hyakkimaru dying each chapter was a bit funny after it kept happening, it was hard to take deaths seriously.
The other manga that I've read for this week, which aren't finished yet, was:
Dungeon Meshi (Delicious in Dungeon) and Ajin: Demi-Human.
When using MangaRock to read things, I really suggest switching it to "Vertical" mode for reading. You can just scroll up and down to read with that.
Dungeon Meshi can be read here!
Ajin: Demi-Human can be read here!
Dungeon Meshi is just a nice take on the usual RPG-Hero's journey type of manga, and is very comfy to just read through, with a really good plot to boot. The party has to save Laios' sister from being completely eaten by the Red Dragon deep in the dungeon, but it soon turns into much more than that. The author goes to great care to craft all these fantasy recipes that the characters use through the story, making use of the random monsters and other things they encounter in the dungeon to eat.
Ajin: Demi-Human, is a really good take on the typical action-oriented manga, with really great artwork with mechanical and environments that involve urban areas. The manga is very violent and gory, and has an interesting plot involving the mechanics of being unable to die from normal means.
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