work, she introduces a concept for her readers to grasp, then she inserts another idea that causes the reader to look at the two concepts in different lights. Two poems that she has written that do this are, “At the Tourist Centre in Boston” and “Comic Books vs. History (1949, 1969)”. Another way she uses contrast is showing a gradual change in a character and outlook over time. One poem that is a prime example of this is, “Later in Belleville: Career”. Atwood is notorious for many styles of…
a local comic book shop, I thought to myself “what am I going to read today”. I walked into the store not knowing what I was going to get, so I started looking around and found several different brands of comics. There was Marvel, DC Universe, and Dark Horse Comics. I looked at them all and it was crazy there were so many good titles like “Deadpool”, ”Star Wars”,and ”Batman”. I was so intrigued by it all I must have sat there for hours daydreaming. It was hard enough looking at the comics, but…
saying the main focus of comics is the photos, not the text. 2. An important claim found in McCloud is the authors definition of comics. He defines it as sequential art containing any kind of style, quality, or subject matter. Another claim is that the basic difference between animation and comics is that “animation is sequential in time but not spatially juxtaposed as comics are.” The author also states that “it doesn’t have to contain words to be comics.” Meaning that comics are based upon…
Another unconventional feature that the Gond art has introduced in Bhimayana is the use of distinctly shaped speech and thought bubbles. David Carrier, in his book The Aesthetics of Comics, says that the sequence of images in a comic strip or graphic novel constitutes a narrative which brings this medium closer to that of mainstream literature. The author asserts that, to analyze the narrative, the reader’s awareness about the ‘speech balloons’ is important. In Bhimayana, we find two types of…
challenge to traditions of fine art by including imagery from popular culture such as advertising and comic books. One of its aims was to emphasize the elements of any culture, most often through the use of irony. Jack Kirby a forerunner of comic book illustration was a resounding artist who led much of what pop artists drew their inspiration from. Revolutionizing the styles and techniques used by comic artists of the time, Kirby took a more coloristic and surreal approach to his art, this…
fascinating art style in this collection of comics. Yours truly is pretty sure it's actually impossible to know every single comic artist working on the Internet these days. Sure, you might follow one or two, but there are just a lot of them out there. So, when Ten Speed Press sent me Fran Krause's The Creeps, I was not really surprised to find that Krause runs a website, Deep Dark Fears, where people submit their fears and he turns them into comic strips. With that in mind, though, The…
“The greatest value of a picture is when it forces us to notice what we never expected to see.” John W. Tukey. Comic books and graphic novels are expected to have colorful graphics and plain dialogue. They display fantasy worlds filled with buff heroes and busty women or cartoon animals and loveable sidekicks. Maus by Art Spiegelman is a story about the Holocaust, but in comic book form. It tells the story of his father, Vladek Spiegelman, and his encounters during the Holocaust as a Polish Jew.…
The first appearance of Al Capp’s “Shmoo” was in the classic comic strip, “Li’l Abner”. As said by Life Magazine, the nation was instantly “Shmoo-struck,” and his “Shmoo” became a big hit. There are many stories, comics, and TV shows with and about the Shmoos, the story we’re focusing on is “The Short Life and Happy Times of the Shmoo.” Their life in the book goes through love and hate. With only the desire to please the humans of Dogpatch, USA, they lay eggs, give milk, and if you look at them…
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is a graphic novel and autobiography that encompasses Marjane Satrapi’s life as a child in Iran’s Islamic Revolution. Satrapi writes a beautiful story but her use of graphic imagery really allows readers to connect and understand to her personal and mental growth. Throughout the story, Satrapi goes through a great change in personality which is fueled by her residence in revolutionary Iran. Her personality matures and is greatly affected by the repression and the…
Comic books have been around for a long time. They are very popular among both kids and adults. However, there is a stigma concerning comic books. Many parents and educators dislike this form of reading. Many people don’t want their children reading comic books because of many reasons. For example, parents don’t want their kids to be exposed to violence in comic books. This is not a valid excuse to not let kids read comic books because just like movies and novels, parents have to decide whether…