The future of comic

I read Cyanide & Happiness, which is a comic series made by Explosm.net. It is definitely an interesting comic with all these adult content, sexual content, and ironically burlesque. I love how it takes everything simple and funny. The comic strip itself is like draft which draws on a lined paper, but the rough drawing and the black joke make this comic pretty intense. The comic writer for this comic must put a lot of time and took a lot of drugs to create such imaginative comic. Cyanide & Happiness reminds me, Rick and Morty. I remember there is a short video of Cyanide & Happiness which has a very similar scene with Rick and Morty. A couple goes shopping, and the man is trying to get the milk from the fridge, then a milk-like creature grabs him and put him into the cart. It reminds me of a scene in Rick and Morty when they run through all these planets and see human ordering pizza by using a phone, pizza ordering phone by using human, phone ordering human by using pizza. The way they express the humor is similar, and I enjoy it.

The Dark Knight Returns

"This is a fictional story. Things in the story may or may not happen..."
Once upon a time, this sentence often appeared in American comics. Basically, these comics are just fantasy world of the author. The contents are nothing more than Bruce's retiring to the second line, or Robin inherits the robes and spreads the bats... Even if there is a tragic ending, it is still about heroic dedication. Frank Miller version is different. Robin is dead. The 50-year-old Batman has retired several years. Gordon is about to be forced to retire. Gotham City, the violent crimes on the streets have intensified.

In other words, all the efforts of Batman in the past are in vain. So He returned. He also awakened the enemies of the past and was regarded as an extrajudicial murderer by the new Police Commissioner. Is the existence of criminals creating Batman, or is the existence of Batman driving crime?

Miller "violated" the dogma of all previous comics. There are no intrigues, no bright bad guys, no flashy "death traps" and props. The reason for the crime is simple: money, power, or simply perversion. There are no handsome guys, no righteous heroes, no gorgeous battles. There's only a ruthless real world, and a man who tries to challenge the system.

Batman in this work is not a hero, but an anti-hero. His heart can't withstand the constant battles, but he still faces all kinds of pursuits without fear. He refused to accept the result of "the veteran is not dead, just withered."

Batman conquered the street gangsters and formed a new gang. It’s hard to say whether they are criminals or victims. His cooperation with Green Arrow (which used to be a leftist position in comics) is more political. Superman who faithfully obeys the president in exchange for the living space of the superhuman, becomes a lackey of the authorities. As mortal, Batman signaled no compromise, even if the price is death.

reading response: Batman The Killing Joke

The Killing Joke is a originate story of one of the antagonists from Batman comic, the joker.

I really like the comic. It explained why joker is the joker and the relationship between the Batman and Joker. It is definitely not a comic for kids because of the violence in the comic.  Although I think it is bloody, I believe some things work from this comic. Criminals don't appear suddenly. They are the result of the environment.

I'm a creator myself. My connection with the story is, I will always have a back story of my character.  It makes more sense to the character of Joker. Joker is created by the environment. He said in the comic, he just wants to prove that "there's no difference between him and everyone else." 

If I can adapt to this comic, I will definitely make a film of it. I believe this story will fit Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, but I would not do exactly Christopher Nolan did. The idea is to make their character complement with each other. I will add some lines to the ending. I like the way that comic talking about good and bad, but I think there must be something more between Joker and Batman. I think there will be one more reason that Batman doesn't want to kill Joker. He doesn't exist if there is no criminal. He needs Joker, and Joker needs him. I will change the Gotham city to this peaceful city, because what Batman did. I will make Batman more worry about what's going to happen if there's no criminal. I will make Gordon crazy after what Joker did to Barbara. 

Women's Comics

I read "Diary of a Dominatrix" by Molly Kiely. It is a comic with sexual explicit. Somehow I think I'm reading a pornography comic, but this comic is definitely not one of them.

It is interesting how the artist brings the mood in easily. The beginning starts with Zelda cutting her nails. Everything goes smooth, it's like a normal morning when a normal female was doing normal things.  I like how it presents the protagonist. Then it shows the makeup process and the dressing process that a woman goes through at morning.

I also read "Pretty Deadly" by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Spanish artist Emma Rios. I love the art. Everything is a very atmospheric first page in. However, I don't really like the way it tells the story. The storytelling is affectation because I still can't understand what was going on after I read Volume 1. I do like the storyboard. It is a very beautiful piece.

The third comic I read was "My Favorite Thing is Monsters" by Emil Ferris. I love the style. It seems like the comic was drawn on lined papers. The style is so interesting and the story is easy to understand.

The Fountain and Box Office Poison

I read "The Fountain" by the author Darren Aronofsky and the artist Kent Williams. Before I read the book, I noticed that the book had been adapted to a movie, The Fountain, which was also directed by Darren Aronofsky. I remember I seen some clip from the film are beautiful. The comic also surprised me when I look at the image. It seems like the artist use color painting to drawing this comic.






There is one sequence I like, which is when we first see the Captain Tomas Verda's face. He puts the ring on his left hand under his nose, smells it, and the next page it jumps to the flashback smoothly. It is a very cinematic transition which I can understand it without reading the dialogs.

I also read "Box Office Poison" by Alex Robinson. It also presents a lot of flashbacks, but the way is different from "The Fountain." In the beginning, it starts with the flashback image with this stamp edge. The stamp edge demonstrates the story is in flashback, and last you will see more flashbacks in stamp edge.

Battle Angel Alita

I read the Battle Angel Alita "Last Order." It is not the first Sci-Fi manga I ever read. I used to be a big fan of Ghost in the Shell (not the movie in 2017). Battle Angel Alita is the second Sci-Fi manga I read.
The wasteland atmosphere sets up quite successful. I am happy to see there are philosophical thinkings about human and machine in this story. Those fighting scene always makes me feel passionate. Action design for this comic is very well.
If I read it earlier, I will love it more. The plot seems very old-fashioned, even a little bit cliche. The growth of the protagonist accompanies everything about the hero. Finally, the theme sublimated when her goal was completed. The temptation of dreams, the death of relatives and herself, and the love she's seeking for make this story unflattering.
All living beings are working hard to live. No matter what method is used, no matter in what way, no matter how inferior. This is the place where the whole comic is the most fascinating to me. No matter how inferior a creature exists, it has its greatness. I believe there is no noble and base between different animals.
I noticed that the manga is going to adapt to a movie. I don’t know what the film will look like, but I hope it will be good.

Asterix

Asterix is such a funny comic to read. It makes my day whenever I read it. Asterix is a French comic. I noticed that it had been translated to 111 kinds of language. It is very worldwide.
The story of Asterix is about this small town in Gauls. Roman had occupied Gauls in 50 BC. However, it was not totally controlled by Roman. There is a small town haven't been occupied. People in this town have magic water which can get superhuman strength, which can defeat the Roman army.
Image result for Asterix gothIt is very funny because there is a lot of detail in this comic. When Asterix meets people from different countries, the font of their dialog will be different.
For example, Goths have this Gothic font when they talk. Egyptian's speech balloon is always pictograph.

I also noticed that there is also some stereotype joke in the comic. For example,  ancient Goths in the story has been described as very militarization. Ancient Britains like to eat boiled food.
Somehow I think the stereotype jokes are not very sensitive. Although it is hard not to think that this comic is not racist, it really controls the stereotype in a suitable range.

March Book and Hip Hop Family Tree

It is so exciting to see real stories been put in the comics. When I am tired of reading nonfiction stories in real life, this kind of comics can bring some light to my reading experience.
March book is a comic about John Lewis, an American politician, and civil rights leader. The comic is about his political story. It is a black and white comic start with a protest on Edmund Pettus Bridge.
I surprised that I can see a comic about politics. I don't think it is propaganda of John Lewis. It might somehow publicize the Democratic Party because John Lewis was one of the lead creators for this book, but I do think this is more like a history graphic than propaganda. It is such an interesting way to represent a political story.

The second comic I read was Hip Hop Family Tree. It is a comprehensive introduction of Hip Hop history. I am a Hip Hop fans, so I enjoy the comic. I am definitely listening to old school Hip Hop when I was reading this comic. The art style is more like graffiti. I like the way it presents the culture, from macro to micro, from technology to background. At the end of the comic, the book mentioned a lot of Hip-Hop artist by using a different style of art to present their name. I like this part because it shows how different artist represents different kind of Hip Hop.

Maus

By only looking at the cover alone, it seems that this is just a dull, even naive comic novel. The first book is a pair of humanoid mice, and the second book is a group of mice that wears blue and white striped clothes, blue striped hats. The black and shiny big eyes may look cute.

However, the Nazi flag behind them is very depressed.

The cover of the books has been carefully designed. Before I recovered from the cover, I opened the second page, and the black and white image shook my heart. Even if I didn't read the content, I was impressed by the expressionless faces. I think I can’t feel the same as the survivors from the Holocaust.

The medium of Maus is comic. The author draws various animals to represent people from different countries. Germans are cats, Jews are mice, Poles are pigs, Americans are dogs, French are Frogs, British are fish, and Gypsies are moths. The faces of these animals are interchangeable, highlighting that the absurdity of assessing people by race.

There were not only Jews and Poles in the concentration camp but also many Germans. It emphasizes that the Holocaust is not just a shame of Germans or a disaster for Jewish, but also a disgrace and disaster for all humanity. 

Maus reminds me a poem written by Martin Niemoller:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—

     Because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—

     Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—

     Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Underground comics

Before I read these underground comics, I thought all of them are going to relate to drug and sexual. However, there are comics relate to drug and sexual, there are also comics like “Heroes of the Blues,” which is just an encyclopedia of famous Blues artist.

The experience of reading underground comic and standard comic is way different. The comics from DC, Marvel, and Disney usually have a similar style. Although they might have a number of comic artists draw the comics, the stories and styles are mainly the same. However, underground comics don’t give a damn about that. Tits and Clits are short stories about sex. The title of the comic already shows that directly.

I feel like underground comics are willing to show the desire of human. Some of them are pornography comic. I don’t know their relationship with the readers, but I do see the practicality of these comics. 

Will Eisner

Before I read Will Eisner’s comics, I already knew his name. He is revered as the "godfather of American comics," not only because of the great influence of “the Spirit” on the comics industry but more importantly, he has improved the artistic status of comics. The public accepted him for elevating comics from children's books to a new literary form.

I read his book Comics and Sequential Art. When I read the theory that has been put in comics, I always feel amazed. Especially the differences between comics with text and without text. Or the same bubble produces an entirely different meaning in different pictures.

The focus of the comics is the use of space and the sense of time. Every frame needs to be carefully considered. Gradually, the picture has become a story-telling art. This medium can express more thick emotions and more complex stories.

The comic “the Spirit” already has the prototype of the superhero comic. The style of the Spirit is very American. I kinda don’t like it because I have been seen too many comics like this.

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

The whole book begins with a wall full of photos of immigrants, just like the Esley Island Memorial. Some of them depict immigrants entering the customs and their passport photos. The landing hall in the book was also created based on photographs taken on Esley Island.The story in the book begins with a man who is carefully putting a photo of his family into a box. The time is morning. His wife and daughter sent him to the train station. The scene is the town he is about to leave, and the town is home for creatures with huge black tentacles. In the picture of the train station, We can see the sadness in the eyes of his little daughter. When he took out a paper crane from the hat to tease her, she smiled reluctantly. They hug and say goodbye, and then the train started. Mom and daughter walked back home in the shadow of the creature.From these pictures, we can appreciate the tremendous effort and think of the author in this book. In each of the works, there are details carefully designed by Shaun Tan, which allows the reader to look at the new world with the amazing eyes of strangers. The man was in the arrival hall, and before he finally entered, he silently accepted the health check, and the immigration officer asked him about his purpose.He found a new job, met new people, and we learned more about him and this new, quirky new world. The final scene of the story is that he happily greets his wife and little daughter. From the joy in their faces, we can appreciate how emotional their reunion is. In the last painting, his daughter is guiding the way for a stranger who just arrived. It is a comic for travelers. It is a comic for immigrants. It is for people who are far away from their home. I feel the emotion that the author wants to show. As an international student, I feel homesick when I read it.

EC comics

I read some EC comics, mainly military stories, and adventure stories.  

I never read EC comics when I was a kid. They are very unfamiliar to me because the graphic novels I read are mainly from DC comics and Marvel. However, once I read EC comics, I had been attracted by the stories I read in the comics.

One of the military stories that attracted me was a story about a lucky officer in a battle. He is very confident, and he can even avoid those bullets from snipers. He is brave because he dares to get out from the trenches and yells to the enemies when they are shooting. However, after his army destroyed an enemy’s base. When the checks on the base, the officer has been shot by a villain who has not died. The story is so ironic, and it changed my thought of comic books, especially graphic novels. 

EC comics make me rethink about the difference between a novel and graphic novel. It is the truth that graphic novel is not only a bunch of pictures that tell a simple story, or some superhero novels that create self-confidence. It can also provide a realism that influenced by real-life stories. I believe comic will be the 9th or 10th art. We can’t judge an art form by only its story, or only by its drawing. Comic artist is storytellers who tell the stories through comic, just like novel writers and filmmakers. 

The Comic Strip

In the library, I read the Tarzan, peanuts and Li'l Abner, which not only have a vary characterizes in art style, but also in the formatting of comic. The Tarzan is very artistic and illustrated. I was surprised by the fact that it doesn’t have any of those dialogue bubbles, in other words, that is not a conversation between characters. The only way the reader can only what is going on is through the pure-word description on the top. Therefore, I see it more like a novel with beautiful illustration than a comic. But consider the fact it is all in color, I guess it might seem the artist intends to remove the dialogue bubble so the readers can focus more on the image.

For the peanuts, I like it, a lot. The story isn’t that complicate at first glance, but if you think about it from an adult point of view, it is truly stunning and impressive. It’s like the author is giving some simple lesson about being ‘simple’ through these kids’ daily life in the comic. The art style isn’t that complete, doesn’t have many details, very easy to pick up and move on. All in all, I like it a lot.

Peanuts are using the point of view of kids to explain the world. The history of Peanuts also impresses me. The author of Peanuts keeps drawing the comic until he died. The characters are still young although the author was getting older and older.

Understanding Comics

It is my first time to read "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud, although I do love comics. When  I heard the name of the book, I thought it would be a reference book like "Understanding Movies", which is boring. However, the very first page of "Understanding Comics" destroyed my anxious. 

The way he represents it already gives a basic understanding of the art of comic. The comic shows a lot of styles of comic, such as American comic style, Japanese comic style. 

Before I read this comic, I can’t tell what the main difference between film and comic. They are so similar because of the storytelling flow. A lot of comics used film-like visual language such as camera angle, shots and depth of filed. However, “Understanding Comics” explain the difference for me, which is time-based and space-based. The film is definitely time-based. You can’t reverse the film or watch it from the middle. Space does for comics what time does for film. A comic artist can adjust the focus and juxtaposed by changing the size of space. 

The other unusual point of the comic is the Icon. It’s like what the Arthur says, he “using the word ICON to mean any image used to represent a person, place, thing or idea.” It is hard to believe a simple icon can represent a culture or a religion. However, I think I can remember an icon better than an idea or a brand. The icon such as Micky Mouse, Tai-chi are already stayed in my head.

A P0ST, ABOUT HUMAN AND ROOSTER

A woman who dresses in black and doing Kung-fu movement that she learned from a rooster.

The woman lays on the bed, and the rooster is looking at her.

The woman died, but two rooster wizards bring her ghost back.

Two rooster wizards are preparing for a sacrifice by using humans.

A human sacrificer had been killed by someone, and the wizard gets mad.

A wizard is staring at humans when they are dancing.

A rooster wizard is seducing a human woman by using a magic stick.

The rooster wizard brings women to a house and starting to scare them.