Week Fourteen

I read “What the Birds Know,” a web comic. I was a little skeptical at first. I wasn’t quite sure of the time period at first because the characters used modern language but were in a more medieval setting. Their relationships were very modern as well. The way that parents acted towards their kids wasn’t exactly how adults treated their children in medieval times.

However, I enjoyed the story a lot. The eggs were really weird at first and I wasn’t sure on how it was going to go. And I couldn’t understand the relationships between the three girls at first, especially between the bossy one and the blond one. However, their backstories did explain a lot. It was a very interesting concept: having the jelly creatures turn you into part of the other dimension. Since the story was so intriguing, I kept reading.

A long time ago, I read my first web comic. It was called “After School Military Activity.” It was by a korean artist. The cartoon depicted a korean high school class that needs to fight as soldiers when Korea is invaded with weird alien spheres that kill people. It was a fairly captivating piece. The story was told documentary style. The characters would in an interview with the narrator throughout parts of the story. The artist was very good at showing how war transformed people. The students started off with emotions ranging from skeptical to excited. When the war ended and all the killing spheres were shot, the students were all weary and depressed. I recommend it.

I think everything is moving towards self-publication. Web comics will become very popular in the next several years. I know of one web comic that got turned into a manga because the story was so good. Web comics will get artists and writers discovered. It’s the beginning of a new part of the industry.

The Killing Joke

The Killing Joke was very well written. It didn’t use more words than it had to. In my experience, some comics have very long wordy descriptions about what is happening that can make me lose my interest. However, Alan Moore let the pictures do more of the talking. The story was also very compelling. The suspense was nicely built up to something you didn’t quite expect. I didn’t expect the Joker to be an imposter or Barbara to get shot. I also expected the Commissioner to go fully insane. I think Alan Moore’s choice to make the Joker photograph Barbara after getting shot fully captures the Joker’s insanity and loss of humanity. It completely solidifies his character. Batman’s character is also interesting too. You get to see his increasing self doubt and desire to understand the Joker.

The ending is very ambiguous because it seems like Batman will spare the Joker’s life but then again, maybe he will finally kill off the Joker for good. It’s strange how the Batman and the Joker have almost developed a compassion for each other. Batman says that the two still don’t know each other after fighting for a long time, but it doesn’t seem like they completely hate each other when Batman offers to rehabilitate the Joker. Many heros and villains develop some kind of relationship after years of fighting. I think that Lex Luthor has collaborated with Superman to defeat a greater evil. Also, Catwoman has an interesting twisted relationship with Batman. This reminds me that villians don’t consider themselves the villains. They’re the protagonists in their own stories and aren’t being evil for the sake of being evil. They are trying to accomplish their own goals. However, the Joker admits that he’s doing immoral things to get a rise of Batman. He lost his sanity so he’s being evil for the sake of being evil.

I could make this into an animated TV show . However, it would move at a much faster pace and the viewer wouldn’t be able to catch all the small details like the circus posters on the tent when the Joker first enters. Miss Burkiss probably wouldn’t make an appearance because it wouldn’t add anything to the episode. There are some things can only be shown in pictures. However, if it was animated, you would be able to see the impact of the bullet hitting Barbara. You would also be able to hear the sound of the insanity ride as the Commissioner goes through it. You also don’t have to show the Joker’s face on the ride. You could only hear his voice which would make it more disorientating.

Week Thirteen

For Reconsidering the Superhero week, I read “Arkham Asylum.” I was immediately surprised by how dark it was. My experience of superheros mostly come from TV shows. I watched the Warner Brothers kids channel when I was younger. I watched Teen Titans and the animated Batman. I also watched Young Justice and Justice League. I also watched Marvel movies like Avengers and the new Spiderman. Therefore, my impression of superheros were that they were all about justice. They were all good. They never did anything immoral. They never wavered in their decisions.

Then, I was really surprised when I read “Arkham Asylum.” The drawing style struck me first. The lines are chaotic and frenzied. Nothing is crisp and clean cut like the older style superhero comics. The panel boundaries were barely there. I could hardly keep track of the order. But I think the artist wanted to do that on purpose because the story is about how the characters went insane.

I think Batman is one of the most interesting superheros. He is the only hero I know that has no superpower. He can’t fly or shoot lasers or read minds. His only powers are his incredible intelligence and wealth. I guess Robin is the same way. Batman also has this incredible sense of morality. However, I feel like since he doesn’t have any real superpowers, he’s forgiven if he wavers in his way of delivering justice. But at the same time, I feel like he’s also held to higher expectations since he has to keep up with Superman and Wonder Woman.

In Justice League, he was always the outlier. He was the one who would be the safety net if the others went astray. And he has the capability to take down all the superheros. I think the Joker is also an interesting character because you can’t figure out his motivations. He’s insane. He plays with Batman. He does things just for the effect for being cruel. I read up on him more and found out that he cut off his face and wore it as it rotted. That’s why I think he’s such a captivating character. He’s so unpredictable. You just want to find out more about him.

Week Twelve

For the comics by women week, I read “This One Summer” by Jillian Tamaki. I found it to be very interesting because the character was so relatable. Because the artist was a woman, she drew issues that normal women faced. You don’t talk about menstruation and miscarriage in most comics by male artists.

Also, in most comics, particularly superhero comics, the women characters are very flat. They’re just accessories to look at. They’re obedient, comforting and yielding. If they are the villains, the female characters are hysterical and seductive. This is kind of what Anita Sarkeesian said in her video. Female villains use their sexuality to be evil. And that’s all they are.

However, in “This One Summer,” the characters are very real. The women are not flat and perfect. They have very real flaws. They make real mistakes. And they develop throughout the story.  

And I relate so much to the main character because I’ve done so many things that she did. I remember the confusion of going through puberty and dealing with crushes. The curiosity she has about the teenagers is so real. When I was around twelve, all I was interested in was growing up. Tamaki captured that feeling of not feeling right in that age so well.

Week Eleven

Asterios Polyp is another example of how the comic book works as an effective medium for biographies. Pictures are infinitely more descriptive than words. It reminded me of Blankets where the artist used symbols to show different aspects of his inner thoughts.

The pictures are a really telling way to show the relationship between Asterios and Hana. When they are in unison, their drawing styles merge. At the faculty party in the beginning of the story, Asterios and Hana begin to talk to each other and the blue and pink lines begin to melt together. When the two are fighting, the differences are stark. When Asterios first tells Hana about the video camera in their bedroom, his lines are straight and ordered and blue. Her lines are wild and alive and pink. It feels as though the two styles can never compromise into one piece.

Each character has their own speech bubble style as well. Asterios talks in all squares. The font is geometric and crisp. On the other hand, Hana’s script is curved and flowing in round speech bubbles. Meanwhile, Asterios’ mother talks all in cursive.

You can feel how Asterios dominates Hana. He takes up most of the space in the scene. His speech bubbles are bigger. When he first visits Hana’s studio, a spotlight literally moves to shine on him. The only time that Hana dominates is when they fight about Willy Chimera. For the first time, Asterios is taken aback.

The ending was interesting. Everything just ended. I assume they died. I thought that I would be dissatisfied with an asteroid killing everyone off but I wasn’t. They reconciled and that’s all that mattered to me.

Week Ten

For the week on Manga, I read Astro Boy for the first time. The thing that immediately struck me was how Tezuka was inspired by Disney. I could see it in the round forms and large eyes of the characters. For the longest time, I always thought that Disney was inspired by manga. It’s also amazing how Tezuka inspired the entire manga industry.

I find it really interesting how shoujo and shounen manga have basically rocked the young generation of Asia. I know because of shoujo, many Asian girls have an ideal image of a pretty chivalrous perfect guy who can’t exist in real life. Meanwhile, shounen manga has given men a way to enjoy action comics as they get older. Comics in Asia are not just for kids. They’re enjoyed thoroughly by grown adults.

I watched a documentary recently about the decreasing birth rate of Japan. Young Japanese men and women are getting married less often. Women are also having babies at a later age. Part of the reason is the extremely strong work ethic that rings through Asia. People will put their career in front of dating. However, the narrator also interviewed Japanese women on why they think that not as many people are getting married. The women said that Japanese men were disappointing. They did not seem mature enough.

I wonder if the ideal perfect imaginary men in manga lead to higher expectations for women. The documentary also explored the world of “digital girlfriends,” where Japanese men bought an anime game for their phones and a character would basically become their boyfriend. This eliminated their immediate need for dating. This also made me see how Japanese women could see Japanese men as immature.

It’s just interesting how Asian cultures have developed a very specific ideal image for their men and women. I know that Korea is also suffering from a low birthrate. I wonder if it’s because of similar reasons to Japan. Also, Korea has an influential K-POP and K-Drama industry filled to the brim with perfect ideal men. That is why the plastic surgery industry is also booming.

I also finally read Bakuman after so many years of my friend telling me to. It taught me that becoming a mangaka is not an easy task. It is hard as any artistic job.

Week Nine

I read Incal this week. I really enjoyed Incal because the storyline was fascinating. I enjoy post apocalyptic stories. I noticed that Europe is not that squeamish about nudity and sex, while Americans want to censor everything. I also heard that corresponds to the movie realm as well. Interestingly, European movies don’t like to show extreme gore and exploding guts, but are completely fine with depicting with full-out nudity. Meanwhile, American movies thrive on the exploding guts, but freak out when a rogue nipple is exposed. This carries over into the advertisements. When I was walking through Paris, I saw so many ads with fully nude models who didn’t try to cover up anything. I feel that Incal was an interesting comic because it was targeted for adults. It covered issues like social class and abortion. It was a story that kids could definitely not understand. The story wasn’t the typical superhero saves the city from the evil villain storyline. You can see how because European artists weren’t forced to follow the censorship of comics, the medium was allowed to develop and evolve.

I also grew up reading Asterix the Gaul comics. I just thought that Obelix was an extremely funny character. The way that Goscinny has with his words is brilliant. All the names of the Romans and non-Gaul characters are a play on words. I feel like the narrative style is also pretty conversational at times. It’s hilarious how no Gaul fears the Romans. The whole concept is so comical of how the Romans are supposed to be controlling the Gauls, but in reality, it’s the other way. I think that’s what appeals to all the readers. I think we also like a world where everyone can get into fights but never get killed. They tussle every story and heal almost instantly. They always end a fight one way or another. No one dies. There’s always a peaceful ending even though they’re technically at war.