Week 13: redefining the Super Hero

The Joke That Kills

1. My initial reaction to the Killing Joke was that of awe and intrigue as the back story of the Joker character has only ever been shrouded in some mystery as it was only ever hinted at but never explicitly explained. It also one of sympathy as the story really tries to make a long time villain the victim of the story.
2. The connection I made to the story was that this comic was somewhat defiant of the stereotypical "Batman" story as it didn't deal with Batman's side of the story. But rather instead chooses to explore the Joker's psyche, proposing the Idea to the audience that instead all it takes is one bade day for someone to turn out like him. I was able to connect more to the Joker though this story as it paints him as a tragic character that was a product of his environment.
3. The changes that would be made to adapt the story is somewhat minimal as most works or mediums that gain popularity are usually due to its appeal within that genre/medium. To adapt it to a new medium while maintaining the spirit, appeal and overall mood and theme of the story is a difficult task. You either create a 1:1 adaption of the story, it moments and dialogue or you take creative liberties with it to make it truly special but not faithful to the source material at all. (akin Stephen King's the Shining and Stanley Kubrick version). For comics the easiest route to adapt to would be animation as the two are closely related and require no rewrites or major redesigns. 
4. This story differs somewhat greatly from the typical hero power fantasy because it tells the villains side of the story and makes the reader sympathizes with them. Also the main character of the series, Batman, isn't out fighting overpowered villains in this story, instead he is just going around doing detective work on the Joker, he isn't fighting some super powered overpowered beings.  

Week 11: Comics as contemporary litereature

Literary Comics

The comic has been through many iterations and stages throughout its runtime that only up until recently in the west has the comic taken a more serious tone in both its content and  viewership. In the past comics where viewed as just very casual pieces of short digestible content that anyone could pickup and read. This was as to keep the audience as broad as possible so that. But now that the underground comics movement set the precedent for more mature and grotesque content that the comic can truly show its potential as a medium of serious literature. 

For this Week I read Sin City, and Channel Zero with the former being interesting to me as it introduced me personally to the idea of a weekly comic with a hard set overarching story as most comic I had read until then only had loose moment to moment interactions tying them together. I enjoyed this immensely as i reminded me of a serialized novel or book series that each had its own contained story, but in service of a grander tale.

For the Later ,Channel Zero, I found strong particular interest in as I reminded me of some other forms of media like the video game, which can go hand in hand in viewing this comic as the literary piece as a good handful of media works are later interpreted by others in other forms of media. 

In many ways these two pieces are very similar to each other as both share the same messages (Anti-Establishment) and anti capitalist, as well as sharing the world's asthetic.

Week 10: Japanese Comics

Western Vs Eastern Comics

Starting with the Western hemisphere I had noticed that the western comics are made up of interconnected "moments" in there story arcs rather than a singular narrative told through-out as seen in contemporary manga. 

Comics are called many things in different countries. In the West it is often call comic books or graphic novels if the subject material is deemed mature. But this week i wanted to focus on how the two works from the opposite sides of the hemispheres.

The Death in The Family  or Batman comics in general are a good example of this as Batman's identity. A story in which one of his sidekicks are killed. However apart from moments like this he relative stays and acts the same. His story and comic runs are defined by his "moments" rather than his "Overarching" character arc as he needs to same the same as he was day one in order for there to be a "Batman" this is seen mainly throughout the western comics.

Contrasted with the Wests styling of storytelling the Eastern comic shows the opposite in many respects. Instead of moment to moment events the story is rather defined by the "Overarching" plot and characters rather than sequential obstacle. With western comic we see the emphasis on the individual and what they can do in the world. What makes them special. In manga there is the slight opposite. Although yes the main protagonists are seen as being different fro the rest of their respective group. The story arc are almost always defined by the characters and there interactions. In many manga it is typical for villains to later turn to allies as the manga likes to emphasize the group rather than the individual.

These stark differences in story telling are mainly due to how the respective hemispheres deal with comics. In the West the work of making a comic is divided among several people while the manga is usually worked on by one individual person telling their story. 

Week Nine:Going International

The International Comic

      For this week I read India Authentic by Deepak Chopra. A comic that explores the Religious and Mythical Figures of Hindu deities, reminding me of the works of Neil Gaiman's American Gods, as it explores these mythical figures while telling their past histories. This is different from the American renditions of deities as India authentic shows the Gods being brutal with not only the people but also to the other gods themselves. It can be interpreted as more or less a more faithful adaption of the Gods and Goddesses more so than the Western Interpretations of mythical deities.

.Left is The portrayal of the Hindu Deity Ganesha vs the Western Interpretation of a Nordic Deity, Thor.














     India Authentic takes a more grounded approach to the character designs of the gods instead of employing artistic liberties found in most western comics

Week 8: Stereotypes

Analysis of Stereotypes as Tropes

Stereotypes in forms of media is now more of a trope these days. In a sense they can serve a purpose, Speaking more from the narrative stereotypes like the workers, the scientists, the thug, the bad guy. I am speaking more to the designs and narratives that are in the character themselves and less on the side of racial stereotypes. This can hearken back the principles of character design that can be found in many forms of media.

Designed as"obviously evil" and "good is good"

An Olympic swimmer perhaps? I think not.

With the stereotype or more so the tropes of sharp angles are more menacing and rounded designs are more friendly. 

Narrative stereotypes can be seen more as a trope since they can be useful in storytelling as you can easily identify a character based on there designs. Because of this archetype/stereotype the audience can infer what the character will be like and how they will behave. With that being said there are also the other extreme of tropes or stereotyping.

Week 5: Graphic Novels

No Longer for Kids

Since the introduction of the dedicated comic. The stigmatization of comics being only for kids further drove them to be heavily censored. And thus began the call to have certain works differentiate themselves from what would be for kids. This later would be called the graphic novel, This would be more catered to mature audiences with more complex storytelling and characters. Both Will and Thompson tackle these more mature themes like the prospects of growing up in an abusive environment or pondering the meanings in ones life.

Comics or "graphic Novels' No long were catering to the family friendly audience.

With Thompson's Blankets and Will's A Life Force both are more of a man vs. environment kind of theme or more accurately a Man vs Society. or how society has failed them. where Thompson's story showcased the struggles of the main character with the other super religious conservative environment. While Eisner focused more on the specific individuals. However I found Thompson's story to be more relatable as these are real people that exist in the world and one can only imagine what it would be like to live in those conditions. 

Week 4

The Katzenjammer Kids, The Panels are all the same size

The Conventional Comic

For this wee we are introduced to what I believe is the conventional comic. Or rather the idealized version of the comic that is more widely known throughout the world. Here is where I believe we begin to see the rise of the "Superhero" or the costumed hero that the general public identifies. For this week I read Action Comics Superman and Captain America. One of the more striking things that surprised me with the comics is the the panels are more dynamic, as in they now change size to fit the action of the content. Additionally the dialogue of the serialized comic is more chopped. As in there are now more specific scenes/panel just dedicated to the characters interacting/dialogue. Now with the costumed hero, with each issue there are now a good vs. evil narrative. The designs of the characters and heroes are now clearly defined so that the reader can now identify them almost immediately.

Captain America comic is more dynamic

Week Three: The Comic Strip

Peanuts

Original Design of Charlie Brown

Modern design of Charlie Brown

For this week I read the original Peanuts comic from the 1950's by Charles Schulz. The Peanuts comics of the early days was surprising as I wasn't expecting the art-styles/designs of the character to be different from what I have read since I was under the impression that that the designs and art-styles are usually consistent. Though this change from the early day of peanuts to know, although could be due to Charles himself evolving his art. At first the designs were very simplistic derpy looking characters. We don't see the modern representation of the Peanuts characters until about 4-5 years later. Remarkably though the humor has remained relatively the same throughout it entire run. 

Week 6: Comic from the Underground

Underground Comic

Nick Fury's Embraces was censored with a close up of his gun

     From reading the underground comic, I have noticed that all if not most of the comics adhered to the cartoonish aesthetic and art style of the traditional "comic" at the time. Irregardless of the comic, its contents artist or story almost all the comics presented still carried the overall art style of the comic strip. and in some cases, They parody other comics. Additionally he under ground comics are un-apologetically raunchy by nature, gone are the days of hard censorship of mundane things ("Strange Tales Vol 1 168) and instead we are presented with the uncut, raw nature of the comic and their artist. This was now a medium of expression in which censorship meant nothing. It was about the raunchy, gritty laugh of the story. Funnily enough this is what the parents of "reading comic will rot your brain" will shudder at the thought of the raunchy comic.

     This all in part can bee seen as the evolution of the comic as the underground comic can now tread new ground with a more mature audience opening the way for new stories and art-styles that cater to the more gritty. It went from one extreme of family friendly to the extreme of adult.

Week Two: Comprehension of Early Comics

 Early Comics

     Early depictions of the traditional comic where more or less a glimpse into the "normal everyday" of the people. I catered to the common folk and didn't depict grand overarching stories or multi-issued plots that needed multiple runs in order to tell a story. Instead I saw the early comics akin to that of court jester. A piece of medium for the average folk to view and relate to and even laugh at. Like the early comics of Hogarth, It was made not as a piece of art following the traditional "prison of rules" but instead viewed as a medium of expression and freedom. In some aspects it has the challenge of conveying an entire story all with in a single frame even. From cause to effect.Additionally the early comics didn't have words but instead expressed it purely through visuals and illustrations. This was possibly due to in part that the comic depicted relatable content to its readers.

Week One: An Arrival

The Arrival

   The Arrival by Shaun Tan is a very visual medium of story telling, relying solely on art panels to tell the story without any text or dialogue. From my perspective the story is similar to the stories of immigrants from Ellis Island. It tells the story of an immigrant without any knowledge of the culture or language coming to a foreign place in order to either escape persecution or to help provide his family with resources/income. 

It achieves this without any use of text or written narrative and instead conveys the story through "shared" assumptions/experiences. It makes good use of context to drive forward the story of the characters. Context is the key here as most of the panels by themselves aren't anything special as without context they become meaningless.

Additionally the comic makes use of share or assumed experiences. These shared experiences help in creating the context for the reader. From a man not knowing how to read the language of the new country to struggling to hold a job, to having conversations with people. For example the comic is colored in a sepia like hue that would be found in old photos drawings and newspapers at the time. This would convey the feeling of age and antiquity to those that have ever looked at anything old. Like this panel for example of a family having dinner together. To a majority of people this scenes conveys a sense of familiarity/connection to the readers that have experienced this/ watched this play out in other mediums. (Scene from the Godfather echoes the same feelings of a family dinner)

tesr