Week 15: Revised Post - Underground Comics

What a time the 60s-80s must have been if you were a comic artist. So for this week's reading I took it upon myself to read through a couple different comics on the list that seemed like they'd be best to understand where comics in standing within the last 40 some years in terms of style and cultural imagery. My readings were Gay Comix Issue 01 and Tits and Clits, please excuse the names. The titles were eye-catching enough if it weren't for the typical colorful and saturated imagery used on the covers. Not too mention the sexual innuendos in the imagery gave me a small chuckle. Comics back then appeared to not be "shy" with their use of incredibly explicit imagery. 

As an LGBT identifying person myself, reading these comics was really fascinating. To be able to read comics which took place in such an interesting time range in our culture I was able to see how the LGBT community saw itself back then and how it was treated through the stories drawn out. Many of the stories in the Gay Comix issues were relatable and were cool to read because even back in the heights of the 60s or 70s LGBT people weren't too different from the community today. Although the comics were strife with the usual stereotypes that even still exist today most of the imagery were presented positively. If it seemed offensive the image was probably intended as a social critique since back then if you were outed as LGBT you were more likely to be discriminated against or harmed. It was all the more power to the comic artist to express their sexuality in such an oppressive time.

I think it was also very important for comics such as these to exist at the time. The LGBT movement was starting to really pick up after the 60s and it exploded in the 80s due to the AIDs pandemic and other cultural issues. Comics like these were a good way to educate people and share the experiences of queer-identifying individuals who faced certain struggles in a time where the idea of sexuality was really being fought against. LGBT comics were also a good way to help bring more visibility to the community which has obviously been a success seeing as LGBT in comics today are even more present and seen in a more humane and positive light.

Week 14.2: Transmetropolitan In-class Response

1 1.   Are there any prominent symbols in the story? If so what are they and how are they used?

a.     The most prominent symbol that I was able to catch while reading through Transmetropolitan was the three-eyed yellow smiley face. Almost strangely similar to the smiley face seen in Watchmen, the symbol here is used, in my opinion, as a sort of political symbol for the Transient movement in the comic. The symbol has three eyes and is obviously used as a universal image used by those who are transient, or partaking in the major transhumanism event taking place within the city in the comic. It looks like it was meant to symbolize a non-human person through using a very well known image/emoji as it's base to connect with people who view it.

2.    What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the work with which you were able to connect.

a.     I was sort of able to connect with the protagonist of the story, Spider Jerusalem. He’s cynical but his distrust and general antagonistic attitude towards other people was strangely understandable seeing as he was a very hardcore journalist. Journalists get into the thick of things when it comes to general political movements, mass disasters, etc. It’s their job to get as much out of a story as they can so they can give it to a news broadcast or someone to get the word out. Maybe Spider just saw too much while he was a journalist and it got too him and that’s why he hid away for so long? Or maybe he’s just a cunning jerk of a journalist. I’m not too sure yet since I haven’t gotten too far into the storyline of the comic.

3.    What changes would make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?

a.     Mostly editing and watering down the story to fit it into a more watchable medium like television or a movie. The visuals would be doable though costly, but since it was originally a comic it would have to be widdled down for the sake of being able to make it into a move or television series. I have no doubt that the visuals would be doable, if not as outlandishly stylized and detailed as what’s seen in the comic at least. Some mature content may also have to be cut from the story as well depending on if it’s made into a movie or television show. The MPAA loves to tear at anything with content like Transmetropolitan so it would have to be carefully crafted so the essence of the story and its characters would still be translated into another medium form.

Week 14: The Future Of Comics

     The future of comics is a bright one as far as I can see. With many people moving into the digital age it's no surprise that the creation of webcomics has kicked off so well. By now too there're so many webcomics to look at that it's become quite daunting as to what to choose. The only downside I can see of course is that with the continuing rise of webcomics we'll probably see a drop in physically produced comics at some point. Of course physical comics paperbacks and graphic novels will always be desired so they'll still be produced but I can see that maybe the demand to produce them may be dropped some bit since so many people use the internet to read now.

   For this week I took it upon myself to once again read the magical and, ahem, perverse webcomic known as Oglaf! Oglaf is an incredibly funny and well witted (ha see what I did there!) comic that features a short sets of panels every week showcasing an often hilarious or sexually filled event featuring incredibly funny and often likable characters. While it's very NSFW at times it's definitely worth a read if you're not afraid to see certain genitals and bare chested peoples. The comic is usually updated fairly quickly. The creator is very connective with their fan-base so there's always a lot of funny instances in the comic that the fans can understand and appreciate, especially with the pop-culture or fantasy trope references that are thrown in.

   Webcomics are definitely going to bring comics forward from now on seeing as how easy it is to make them and put them on the web for all to see and interact with. Compared to a physical comic, webcomics are easier to produce and plan out so long as you have the right programs. With different products coming out to help would-be comic creators as well like comic based digital design programs and how-to books almost anyone can make a comic/webcomic now. I mean one of the most popular comics on the web right now involves well written dialogue and stick figures. Never think you can't make a comic! It's becoming easier now more than ever.

 

Week 13: Reconsidering The Superhero

   "Who watches the Watchmen?"

   As a long time comic reader I've went through so many cookie cutter comics and characters it gets a tad tiring. A number of comics follow the safe route and try not to offend or shock their audiences, but with Watchmen well it's done the exact opposite and I couldn't be more thankful for it completely dismantling the idea of what it means to be a "superhero".

  Alan Moore's Watchmen is definitely one of my all time favorite comic books.I picked up the graphic novel as a teenager and I can say that it's ruined superheroes for me. I mean this in the best way possible of course. Watchmen is an incredible comic due to it's complete deconstruction of the superhero genre. Every character in the story appears to fit one of the usual hero archetypes you're used to but then they completely flip it around. In this way though I feel that Alan Moore has created a comic which features incredibly realistic "heroes" that would feel more appropriate for the time they take place in. 

  Most characters we see in comics aren't too complex. They're quite likeable and sometimes even mary sue/stuish at worst. With Watchmen you have gritty characters who's personalities differ greatly in a way which each makes them so unique and real. You wither like them or a little or you hate them by the end of the comic. That I feel makes a comic really great to read. I feel more invested in characters when they feel more real. 

  I also love how Watchmen eradicates what the usual comic reader is used to when it comes to the whole good/bad morality scale. In this comic no one is truly good or bad. It's an incredibly gray moral area and I feel that just makes it so much more interesting to read. You aren't really sure of what a character may do or what they're capable of.

Week 12: Comics By Women

   Since their conception, comics have admittedly been a very male-dominated area in the creative industry. Of course that was before and this is now. More and more today young girls and women are getting into comic books and overall the comic industry is really becoming more open and changing to adapt to readers of all genders and comic creators as well. We're starting to see and hear about a lot of notable women comic creators, artists, and writers coming into the comic-scene and I for one could not be happier.

  In terms of reading for this week I took a look at Noelle Stevenson's Lumberjanes. Lumberjanes is an incredibly fun and well written comic with a mostly female cast that follows a young group of girls who encounter a number of interesting supernatural events while away at camp. I'm also a big fan of Noelle's work since I've followed her back when she was starting out on tumblr. Her comic work is really quite good and her humor and characters are adorabley drawn and on point.

   Lumberjanes has been well acclaimed by the comic audience and I believe it's now an ongoing series. I for one am glad to see and read comics like this because it shows how women can write/draw an interesting comic just as much as any male creator. I've seen a few instances of people complaining about female creators and how the comic industry should be a male-only niche. But seeing as how comics have grown to such a wide audience now it's important that as a creative industry that it should reach audiences of all ages and genders regardless of who dominates the market, which by the way is almost half and half I believe and is coming to be a lot like the gaming industry now where almost half of the gaming audience is female and many developers coming in are female. By spreading out and appealing to a more diverse audience representation is also being distributed more which is something the comic industry has really needed.

  

   

Week 11: Comics As Contemporary Literature

   The graphic novel, or comic, is in my opinion a definite form of literature. It's just more directly visual of course than it's word-only counterpart. Honestly by now graphic novels and books are really pretty similar, it's just the stories are told through different forms. For this week I took a look at Daniel Clowes's Ghost World. I remember watching the movie when I was younger but finding out it was a comic surprised me a bit. It makes it interesting to see it jump from one medium to another like that.

   Ghost World was an interesting read and it really flowed like any other story you might read on paperback. The only real difference of course is that you have a lot of drawn out panels to look at and take in along with the character's dialogue to understand the story. I can see how the graphic novel is becoming such an appealing form of literature by this point. Ghost World feels a lot like any other drama I've read but the visual aspect of it's comic form gives it so much more than a simple word-based book would have. Following the ventures of Enid and Rebecca in the novel was much easier and I felt more connected to the characters thanks to the visual help of the graphic novel. I feel that this is also one other aspect graphic novels have over books and why they can be successful. Through the use of visuals the reader can form an easier connection to what they're reading by seeing similar imagery or anything of interest.

Week 10: Manga

    I can bet you my entire comic collection that most avid comic-readers these days have at least one manga issue jammed somewhere in their shelves. It's not a surprise that the Japanese comic has become such a huge market across the globe and has become such a big niche in the US here for many comic readers.

   Manga is an incredibly interesting and unique style compared to its American counterpart. First, they're usually much smaller than the average comic book. Mangas are usually pocket sized so they're really easy to buy and carry around to read. There are also many interesting genres of mangas available to read like harem, shonen, shoujo, etc. The usual visual style of manga is also unique as it sticks relatively close to the anime standards seen from Japan. The main difference I've seen though between Japanese comics and American though is that in Japan manga tends to have very well drawn environments and smoothly drawn actions in the panels. Not to mention the sound effects are usually cleverly drawn in to match the style of the comic too. Did you know that you could also purchase a giant magazine style preview book for manga as well? Believe me it's awesome.

   As for Manga I've actually read, I've read too many!!!! Though for this class I decided to read Battle Angel Elita, a classic in my opinion and a really good manga to get into. The artwork is amazingly detailed, the environments are really well drawn, and the action in each panel is pretty incredible. Reading through the story is like watching a scifi movie come to life!!!!