Week 14 - The Future of Comics

For the final week of reading I read a couple things but my favorite was by far Failing Sky. The way that it is setup to be read is fantastic! Since they knew that this was going to be in an internet comic and they could design the layout of the comic in different ways, I think they really took advantage of this with how you read it. Making the reader choose multiple ways and even giving them the option to switch to different chapters by clicking on items throughout the story is so creative and makes it very intuitive.

This is where I see comics going in the future. The way that the internet is taking over our world is crazy and people really just aren't reading nearly as much from books and print. It is bad in some ways that this is happening but in other ways its great, such as the fact that it is so much easier to obtain written works and also it opens up so many possibilities of creating books and comics in new and unique ways. This was a very good week to end the readings on I think.

Week 13 - Superheroes

Ahhh the classic and what every person thinks of comic genre, Superhero. Bad guys, action scenes, and saving the world from destruction. Since I was young I have been a huge fan of Batman so when I saw that Arkham Asylum was on the list I was immediately attracted towards that and was the first thing that I read. The story and art of this comic is absolutely amazing. The depiction of each character is absolutely beautiful and I think my favorite character illustration is the Joker. I think it really captures his characteristics very well and  makes him out to be the super villain that he really is. An absolute freaking psycho. Love it.

Week 12 - Comics by Women

First off I'd like to say that I feel like this week of reading can in a sense fall under the stereotype category as well. I say this because I feel like yes, these comics are very different from the rest in how they are written and I see the point of having them separated from the other weeks for the class but I do not think that it should really matter who the comic was written by. I think that our world is changing very quickly to be much more progressive than the past and that many of these comics could easily have been written by men as well. Wow kind of went on a tangent.

Well as far as the readings go, I started off by reading Diary of a Dominatrix because how could that not be intriguing! Ha. Ok well wow, this comic was a unlike anything I have ever read. Like really that comic is way out there. I figured it was unfair to only read that of course so I also read This One Summer and that was really nice and cute. I wouldn't really say it was like feminine only but I would say that it had more girly or cutesy features throughout. I really liked it though and felt like it could definitely be like a short indie film or something similar to that.

Week 11 - Channel Zero

So Channel Zero. Hell yes. Normally I start these off talking about the story and my opinions on that but this comic's style is absolutely stunning. I literally fell in love with this comic just off the first couple pages before I even read it. I am really big into 3D design but as far as 2D styles go these dramatic graphic styles are some of my favorite. Bold lines, foreground background, texture, this comic is awesome.

As far as story goes I like this a lot. The way it depicts the world as a like this government controlling world is awesome and the way they show how Jennie is fighting back against the controller is a classic story line but works extremely well for this and supports the style. I think this a very very well done comic and probably on of my favorites I have read this whole semester. Awesome work.

Week 10 - Manga

Soooo not going to lie, I was not really too excited form this week of reading because in the past I haven't really been a big fan of anime and it always seemed kind of weird to me. I was not as upset once I read Battle Angel Alita. It was actually pretty interesting to me and the story was not as, I guess, childish as I thought it was going to be which was nice.

The art for Battle Angel Alita was nice too in certain parts. In volume 1 when they show like the skeleton and body being made I loved that illustration style but its the really like the massive eyes and stuff I'm not a huge fan of. I get why its done and that is kind of like traditional in that sense but I dont know why but those kind of things I really just don't like. Just a personal thing but I dont like those styles.

Week 9 - Ran Xerox

This weeks reading for me was... Interesting? I read Ran Xerox and it was very different to me from any comic I had read, not just for the for mature content but like in that is was just such a different story type. The way the story was written was like a classic find the girl kind of story but it was also so interesting in the way that it was written. I think that having Ran Xerox be a robot and selling drugs are a really cool twist on that kind of story. It makes it more appropriate for an older audience and brings in a different crowd of readers.

As far as the art goes Ran Xerox had an illustrative style that I really liked but you could definitely tell that it was dated a little bit now. It seemed straight out of the 80's to me and that makes sense I guess since it was written in 1978 and is futuristic in terms of story and content. I thought it was a good read though would definitely recommend to other comic readers.

Week 8 - Ugh Stereotypes

Stereotypes are a big issue with me personally. I think that stereotypes are hurtful and that all people should refrain from using them. HOWEVER. I understand the use of them in the past as a form of storytelling. As much as I disagree with this in reality, I see that stereotypes help to push stories sometimes even though I think that there should be ways around using them. Examples of what I think are stereotypes that are alright to use in my opinion are the ones that do not really affect the people like making objects appear certain ways to help make the story easier to understand. A good example of this is in the presentation pdf where it shows how you can distinguish between the good and bad of the story by how something is illustrated, the type of object it is, or even how something is held.

When I read the last question about if I had been stereotyped in my life it kind of struck me because as a white christian male in this world I am not really the subject for stereotypes. This is not completely true though and I know people who have stereotyped me and my family many times. My family is not like crazy wealthy or anything but are for sure well off and money is not a huge issue. People that know this tend to think that my family is snobby or selfish though and it changes how people see me and it can be hurtful. My parents are the most caring people I have literally ever met and do so much for others that they don't flaunt and when you hear things from people like, "Oh they probably just take everything for granted" it can be hurtful. I have been raised to always give back to those less fortunate and to never be boastful and respect everyone. My parents have built their business and lives around serving others and helping as much as they can whether it is their mission work and business in Uganda or even their work in Sarasota it is all focused on serving others to "enhance the lives of all we come in contact with" (excerpt from the mission statement of my fathers companies). With story telling I understand why they are there and how they can help to tell a story, but in real life I do not think that stereotypes should have a place.