Jack Cole and Plastic Man (Commentary)

Thoughts before Reading:
Oh boy I had no idea we were ever going to touch base with THE Plastic man. He's a very niche superhero compared to more known heroes like Superman or Wonder woman. I first saw him in a Batman animated movie as a kid. The internet was still a mystery to me so I couldn't really do research about him when I wanted to so he just disappeared into my memories. Recently popular tv show "The Flash" actually hinted that the Plastic man might make an appearance in this season, so imagine my surprise when I learn that we have to read about it in class. (A fun convenience..really)

Post comic commentary:
It took me a little bit of googling to understand who Jack Cole was. I had no idea that he was the creator. It's common for comic writers to resemble their characters so I was curious of what Jack Cole might've been like because I really like the Plastic man's boyish and energetic personality. The information I found led me to learning Jack Cole had actually committed suicide, which is really tragic. Because he was so uppity to the comic community no one saw it coming.

Whatever events led up to this he did not get lost into history. The whole point of Art Spiegelman  making this compilation is to pay tribute.

Okay so actually after reading about 3/4 of it I really enjoyed it. Unlike other superheroes that are sort of uptight about justice Plastic man held some sort of comedic fun. He still cared about doing right, but at the same time he'd use his powers to do silly/dumb things like looking up skirts and whatnot. Even the side characters, antagonists, and rivals had so much character. The dialogue was pretty on point as well. Not too wordy and expressive enough where I can almost imagine what they might sound like. It didn't feel too wordy and didn't feel like I was reading a book more like a cartoon in my head? (I don't know if that makes sense!!)

Overall reading about Plastic man's history was a very positive experience and I look forward to how "The Flash" will portray him in the show. I hope they keep his boyish nature and humor!

Little Nemo in Slumberland

I remember quite clearly that the first thing that had come into mind when reading this book was if Alice from "Alice in Wonderland" were a boy. Though back then it was a weekly comic page and the book I read it from compiled most all his adventures in "order".

Little Nemo in Slumberland is composed so it shows this amazing surreal adventure with the last panel always being some sort of abrupt awakening. (Which is relatable to those who dream and wake up when they do not want to) I don't know if McCay did this intentionally but the concept of the boy waking up at the end and signifying it's end makes it feel like the reader is Little Nemo. A boy who just wants to know what happens next? What does it mean? That's what I feel like really compels the readers to keep wanting to read more in anticipation of what comes next.

McCay really hit it out of the ballpark not only during his generation, but to people who appreciate the classics to this day. His use of colors, narrative, and consistency really showed he knew what he was doing. His work did not go noticed. Before ever coming to this class I remember the title vividly from childhood where there used to be an anime my mom would put on. It was not from my time (1989 to be exact) but after rewatching the animation studio tried it's very hardest to mimic that dream like aesthetic though it did have a darker color palette. In 2014 as well Eric Shanower attempted to make a continuation tribute by making "Little Nemo Return to Wonderland". It was about Little Nemo and touching base to those he met along the way. But personally I think it fell flat because everything that McCay worked for almost seemed in vain. They did not keep the tradition of him waking up in the end rather it was one consistent dream until the last page of the comic. The concepts were even there (Ie. Dragon chariot, clowns, and princesses) but the more modern dulled out colors really made it uninteresting and no longer this spectacular feeling in contrast to Mccay's bright saturated colors.

Overall Winsor McCay's Little Nemo in Slumberland is a timeless comic that will be appreciated in both comic and art world.