Understanding Comics

Scott McCloud's

Understanding Comics

I knew from the start of this book that it would be very entertaining, and not to mention pretty educational. I never realized how broad comics were.. there's a comic for every single person on the planet to enjoy if they just looked. Also, how comics come in so many different ways today- the materials and the way they are presented are endless. Web Comics, for example, are becoming all the rage today. There are also the traditional ways, like inking and printing, which are still around as well. Another point I found fascinating is how long comics have been around for- the examples he gave, like hieroglyphs, I didn't even think of as being comics! This really opened my eyes to how sequential art is literally everywhere. This book made me think in ways that I would have never thought of- example, the icon. I mean, when I see a picture of a planet, I automatically say "That's a planet!' but in reality it's just a drawing of a planet or etc. 

"When we abstract an image through cartooning, we're not so much eliminating details as we are focusing on specific details. By stripping down an image to its essential meaning, an artist can amplify that meaning in a way that realistic art can't. - This line really stood out to me, I found this to be so very true when it comes to cartoons.

The parts about how we are such a self centered race was highly interesting, the way we see faces in everything and how when we interact with each other we are always thinking about how we look to them. Even when we look at a simplistic cartoon we see ourselves, no wonder why we are so attracted and engulfed in them. It is also very important to make sure that your audience can identify with the characters- this causes them to care about them and to become wrapped up in the story.

"The Gutter" - It's surprising how much our minds can do- being able to fill in the spacing of a comic with our own life experiences. I didn't know that there was different categories for transitions in comics, like "moment to moment or action to action". The way that our minds work in terms of making one panel into a series of panels is very cool. The process of making comics seems so simple, but after reading this it is quite complex. 

Overall, I found this book to be so helpful when introducing comics. Especially, since I'm honestly not a comic book reader- I found that comics are way more than what I thought they were. They are a very special form of art that has survived for generations and continues to enthrall and entertain people of all ages today.

Transitions

- Moment to Moment: Nothing has changed much between panels

- Action to Action: There is parts to fill in between the panels in the gutter.

- Subject to Subject: Still in the same scene, but there is a development in the scene. Action within the same scene.

- Scene to Scene: Found in films a lot, and mostly found in dialog. Can be quite a bit of change between panels.

- Aspect to Aspect: You start with the scene, and then focus on certain aspects in the scene.

- Non-Sequitur: Not a clear logic from one panel to the other.

Une Semaine de Bonte

Panel One:

There is a lady standing with her arms out wide, while a man lays down dead looking on the stair case in the background. There is also a rooster in front of the woman standing on a ball or egg.

Panel Two:

There is a lady now laying down on a long cold looking bed, while a man with a rooster's head and wings looks down upon her. The atmosphere seems very sad and upsetting. The woman seems as if she is on an operating table or deathbed. There is scientific tools found around the room- books, beakers, etc.

Panel Three:

In this panel, the lady that was laying on the bed before is now being put to rest. The Rooster is still by her side, as well as some new characters- a lady that has no clothing and another rooster headed man who's holding a lantern. There is candles and wreathes found on the table behind the naked lady. 

Panel Four:

Now, we see the naked woman laying down on a wooden plank with a skull and cross bones on it. Next to her a rooster man kneels next to another rooster man- the kneeling rooster is talking with the other about something on a piece of cloth. In the background we see other naked humans laying about. This place seems full of voodoo and witchcraft and/or a surgical type setting where the roosters will experiment and learn about the humans.

Panel Five:

There is a woman who as fallen out of bed and is surrounded by blood. There is a rooster man in the door way who is either highly outraged or extremely happy. There is also two regular looking roosters- one on the bed and one on the floor   beside the fallen woman. Perhaps, the roosters are experimenting on this woman and it ended in her death. This room seems very normal in comparison to the images before being in surgical cold looking places- this room is very warm and looks like a normal bedroom. 

Panel Six:

In this last panel there is a woman who is turning around to talking to a man who is in a very awkward position. He has his back against a wooden dresser- it seems as if he is hanging on by his arm.. he also seems unconscious. Behind the dresser there is a secret passage with a rooster man peeking out. This room is conflicted with warm and cool feelings- the fire by the woman makes that side of the room seem cozy... but the way the man is hanging, he seems dead- which makes that side of the room seem cold.

The Arrival.

Shaun Tan's

The Arrival

   
   I didn't really think much of this comic when I first saw it on the "to read" list, it didn't really perk my interests. Then I started reading watching it.. I mean you can't really read a wordless book now can you? This comic played out in my mind as if it were a movie. The images were all very clear and easy to interpret. The story became very intriguing and caught my attention after the first few pages. I enjoyed how creative Shaun Tan was with his creatures found throughout the comic- I really loved the little guy pictured on the cover. I felt the story had a positive moral about family matters and how a father cared about his wife and child. The struggles he went through in order to meet their needs and find a way to survive. I could just feel the emotion in each of the images- the ending where he finally see's his family again was especially emotional. The image just screamed how happy they all were when they were finally reunited. I also liked how the pictures seemed very worn and old, it gave the story more of a graver feel- the changes of color also helped a lot to tell when the flashbacks occurred. Its really amazing how you can read all these emotions and understand this mans story just from pictures, I guess this just goes to show that a picture really is worth a thousand words!