Pretty Deadly - A commentary

1

.       When I first started reading it, it took me by surprise. The concept of a butterfly and a bunny seemed so innocent up until the point the comic introduces itself as a gore genre. As I read while it keeps the basics of what a comic is they add a really nice dialogue in the beginning of the next volume. It would basically be filling the readers in on what the last volume was about, but written in a way as if someone was reading us a story.

2.     From volume 4 I felt a great feeling of content. There was no immaturity or “wrong” in Ginny’s or Foxy’s actions, but Ginny, a woman felt so empowering of the situation. She was angry, but kept her cool while fighting Foxy, which turned up for the best in the long run. The transition of the story is very smooth, so seeing that kind of character development (As in her accepting compromise) is very satisfying. I genuinely have nothing bad to say about this comic because even the element of surprise is rather unpredictable and dramatic (in a good way of course). I also noticed there aren’t many sound effects, which really sways away from the traditional method of comic making. I think it works because from the panel’s execution is so on point the readers can most likely tell what’s going on, including in the action scenes.

3.      Honestly, if this was animated/executed in the way Netflix produced the Castlevania animation… this would be a masterpiece of a series. Cool thing about modern comics and adapting them into anime/animation is that there’s probably not much needed to change. Composition, dialogue, and even the narrative can all be translated into animation. One particular thing I think would go really well is the beginning dialogue because that’s just an obvious way of starting off an episode…. Man do I want an animated series of this.

The Future of Comics - A commentary

Finally! Webcomics! Webcomics have become a gateway for almost any artist that want to get there story out there..well.. out there without having to worry about having to work for a company to get published or whatnot. Since webcomic sites like Line, Hiveworks, and Webtoon's come into existence on the internet, new approaches to storytelling come into the spotlight. 

For this blog I've re-read 2 webcomics I was heavily influenced by:

Todd Allison and the Petunia Violet takes place in 20th century Australia, where clumsy neighbor Petunia is given a simple task in sending a letter. What seemed to be easy enough the post office she was supposed to be delivering the letter to is bombed by a mysterious terrorist. From then on Todd and Petunia try to just get things done and get on with life, but instead the webcomic slowly becomes crazier and captures the aesthetics of the 20s. When I was 12 and read this comic I was so enamored with the character design and color. Back then I thought it was the 1920s in America so I did mistake the aesthetics to be sort of Great Gatsby and... I'm still not fully opposed that it isn't that. 

I followed this series very closely up until 2014. It progressed sort of slowly so I never took the chance to step back to see how much the artist had improved from the beginning of the series. Sadly, the artist sort of disappeared off the face of the earth after some controversial stuff (not related to the comic!) and Hivework officially archived it as unfinished recently. 

Next webcomic I reread was My Kitty and Old Dog by Cho. If there was one comic in from any world/time this would be my all time recommendation to any reader. (Not just comic wise!) It is such a charming, tear jerking diary of the artist's pets. Some episodes are from interviews from other pet owners/people with their experience on certain things and some episodes can also be a pet's perspective on their life. (Of course she doesn't know exactly what they're thinking and just interpreting it, but it's a real tearjerker) A huge portion of the comic circles around her old dog (Nagnak) and new kitten (Soondae) and just makes comics on maybe some funny thing that might've happened with them or a genuine dairy update on her old dog's health or whatnot. Once her dog passed away in 2015 she posted her last comic. There was not a dry eye in the room and while her supporters encouraged her to keep making at least comics where she interviews other people, it was understandable that she was ready to move on and that this comic was originally intended to be one long goodbye for her dog. The art style is very cute and simple and holds a lot of charm from the yellow-ish filter that is sometimes put over it. Overall, this is definitely one of the best webcomics I have ever read and everyone should at least give it a chance because there will always be one comic that the viewer will be able to click with regardless of their standpoints with animals. Heck, there's a handful of episodes where she interviews people on why they don't like animals and most the times their answers are reasonable. 

Comics by Women! (Heck yeah!) - A commentary

During class we discussed different comics by women. While I did enjoy discussing paper dolls and how they were still popular during my time we also discussed the harsh reality of most women having that same cute style to get a job in the comic industry way back when. I'm proud to say that now we don't have to worry about such things. 

Charlotte Gomez is a general illustrator for Buzzfeed. I've followed her work for a decent amount of time never really realizing that some comics that she makes is something only a woman can understand. Whether it's a struggle we can all laugh about or just painful truth her comics don't follow any sort of "cute" look a company way back when would look for. Most of the time the comic would just be a self insert of herself. Her awkward, asian self. There are even some comics she would post rarely talking about topics that are hard to talk through words, like anxiety or depression. Being a women making comics on such topics creates a bridge between the female viewer and the creator and finding common ground between all of us. 

Another comic book that we were required to check out was "This One Summer" by the Tamaki cousins. I wasn't able to finish the whole thing because of it's very steady flowing narrative, but from what I have read it's a very charming comic that tackles topics in a delicate matter. Growing up and growing apart was something I felt like tween me might've been able to. But because of some pages being slightly explicit I wonder if I was allowed to read something like this in my teen years. With the peaceful progress of summer I get a very melancholic feel once an obstacle is brought up. I feel like the artists choice of using blue hues was smart because I feel a sort of peaceful ambiance while still being able to imagine each page in full color. 

Contemporary Literature (Is weird) - A commentary

I noticed that other than Asterios Polyp and Bus I couldn't really enjoy the other comics. I would end up reading pages repeatedly with the results of still not understanding what's happening.  What does it mean to be a "modern" comic. I see a reoccurring pattern that they're trying to aim for something different, but some just seem too out there and not clever enough.

The Bus by Paul Kirchner genuinely surprised me in a pleasant way. Each new comic had such clever twists and turns with no set story or plot. It always kept a consistent composition and reoccurring backgrounds making it like a sequential piece. Seriously, after every "ending" of the comic panels I'm just baffled by how clever they took the concept of something so simple and making it "fiction". The art style consists of very simple crisp lines and normally doesn't go over 3 tones and I really appreciate the simple aesthetics. The focus is the concept rather than the art in this situation.

Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli seemed to be the opposite of The Bus. It's where style exploration was the focus rather than the story. The transitions and exploration of geometry, symmetry, and unity is shown through rough lines, soft organic, and just a lot of different styles within one comic. There probably was some sort of narrative I was unable to understand, but the ending was a silly ending and sort of made me have an "Oh come on!" reaction, which I found fun.

A lot of different manga- A commentary

My father read manga so naturally I picked up manga at a super young age. Back then I wasn't picky, so a lot of the titles we were required to read is all familiar to me. It wasn't until senior year of high school when I started gaining tastes and started choosing titles more carefully. 

  

So the most interesting title out of all of Tezuka's work in my opinion is Black Jack. Reading this always gave me a sort of uneasiness sometimes because some of the topics it tackles like inevitable death and sacrifice. It made sense because it was a manga about a man's medical fantastic adventure. Whether it was saving someones life and not gaining any recognition for it or teaching some ignorant man a lesson it was always another chapter to look forward to. 

Although Tezuka was more involved with manga, to this day he is still referred to the godfather of anime. Without him, the popularity of anime/manga to even international proportions might have never happened. 

Now coming into more modern times I also read Bakuman back when it was new. It was made by the creator of Death Note, so I wanted to see this refreshing new genre that he was taking on. (Death note was mystery/thriller whereas Bakuman is slice of llife) I never finished the manga, but watched the anime when it released. It was extremely informational and really gave me a taste of the real world of the manga industry through something well.. published by the manga industry. Looking back on it now the only thing that I wish it delved into more was the poor payments and harsh schedules of working for the manga/anime idustry. 

The Silver Surfer (Moebius) - A commentary

Before learning about European comics in class I knew nothing or seen nothing about Moebius, but seeing all that he has influenced through his work I see him almost everywhere. Especially the film industry. It's cool that he is inspired by American comics and in return many famous Hollywood film makers are influenced by his works. He truly was a master at world building especially around the sci fi genre. 

That being said I wish I had the time to read his more successful comics like "The Fifth Element" and the "Empire Strikes Back". Instead I read the "Silver Surfer" since in my childhood I really loved the Fantastic Four movie that featured the Silver Surfer. Looking at some surface reviews it held some promise as it was given kudos for reimagining the Silver Surfer, but boy did I regret reading it. The art and composition was beautiful, I wouldn't have changed a thing. The biggest turn off for me was sadly the story itself. The world/universe he had built around this character was inconsistent and very boring (Like the story) and felt slow even during the action scenes. 

Overall it was an A for effort sort of comic. It tried it's best to show it's appreciation to western classic sci-fi and sort of intermix an autobiographical genre,  this Silver Surfer falls short to the Silver Surfer that Stan Lee had created. 

American Born Chinese- A commentary

It was interesting to read this book again and to have such nostalgic feelings come back to me again. I don't know if  used the word nostalgic right, if it has to be tied to good things because it was a familiar feeling of annoyance. I liked it, but I reacted probably exactly how the writer probably wanted me to react? (I hope that's the case...)

I am American born Korean, so I share a lot (A LOT) of similarities with Jin. My initial reaction to the bullying of arranged marriage and whatnot was actually pretty ignorant back in the day. But now it's sort of like.. the fact that I can relate with a comic book that clearly states something stereotypical is a problem. ( Note when I say back when I was ignorant it was in middle school when I first read this book) That's not even the best part.

When the nearing end chapters introduce a character named "Chyn-kee"( Aha chinky.. clever..) I understood that he was meant to be a stereotype for the lessons to come, but I was still very uneasy. He was basically all the things that were labeled unto me growing up (Except.. peeing in a can that's just strange).

(Wait a second...) Okay so I understand this is basically a mirrored self of the author, an American born Chinese man, but I don't know how I feel about basically all of the second half of the book. I feel like the moral of the story was strong enough to put in elements of stereotyping and the monkey king. Honestly it just made me more confused. I understand that this comic isn't supposed to be 100% realistic, but it was just too out there for me. It was a good ending and this book has received a lot of awards, but personally I'm not a fan.

Now my opinion on stereotyping on media. Just don't do it. Most stereotypical things I see is connected to negative connotation. It should never be a representation for a race because it's almost always used for exoticism, fetishizing, or even for cheap laughs that aren't even that funny.

Because of not having a voice or an opinion on such matters of stereotyping as a child this has affected me heavily. I loved my culture, but bringing in a lunch that doesn't look like my friend's lunch would automatically be connected to me being a dog eater. Unlike Jin I actually had a lot of asian students at my school, but since we were only kids bullying was so apparent for those who were different. I remember vividly of having to "act white" around 6th grade because I was just so tired of being myself at school if I was just going to be insulted. 

Maus and Barefoot Gen - A commentary

The first time I was introduced to both these comics was in our History of Illustration class last semester. We were discussing the topic of PTSD rather than comics, but to be revisiting both these comics was hard. I knew it was inevitable we'd be reading/watching these, but I'm still not entirely sure what to say. 

Both events I can't exactly connect with since I have never experienced it myself, yet the way it was illustrated and present almost feels like I can relate or at least feel sadness for them. Especially Maus since it was basically narrated. I could almost hear his raspy voice and the memories he recalls. What terrified me the most was how clear it was. There wasn't really a moment of hesitation of "this might have" or "maybes" this was a portion of his life that was stripped from him and something that even till present day holds lots of regrets.  

The art style was very unsettling. In the beginning it's actually seen as quite cute up until the reader realizes this isn't exactly a book for children. It's clear it's a comic, but for what the story tells it legitimizes the fact that comics can be a whole story, a memory, and even informative. I thought it was quite clever that the mouses were jews, cats were germans, and pigs were polish. It almost made sense and simplified it for me more easily rather than if they were people. They were all animals, yet still different. I thought it was especially clever when he had to disguise himself by wearing a pigs mask. I can't imagine any other way of how the artist might've shown someone disguising their race. 

Now unto Barefoot Gen... This was a comic (I read the comic last year before learning there was an animation, so I'll be talking mainly about the comic) that hit me hard. Of course I had no personal family or connection to this event, yet felt a deep sadness and realization after reading this graphic novel. The majority of the beginning is just showing a day in a life of this small Japanese town. There were some warning signs of trouble like bomb drills, but the tragic event itself came out of nowhere. It basically spent the beginning making a peaceful relation with the viewers and characters and proceed to basically rip your heart out. The rest of the manga is spent on life afterwards and the struggle, which made me realize how this wasn't just some comic of an event, but an experience. 

(Also backtracking a little bit I recall in class after watching the film we discussed a bit about nuclear war and whatnot. It really baffles me something as dangerous as nuclear warfare is even up for debate. I think the whole point of this comic/film was to ensure that this never happens again.)

Underground Comics- (Slight nsfw warning) Commentary

"Gay Comix"

What I appreciated the most out of this comic was their summary page explaining who's worked on it and why it was made. They state clearly that these compiled comics are not made to represent the "average" homosexual, rather more personal experiences or views. This comic wasn't made to be politically correct, but more so bring humaness to a poorly represented community. It seems like the artists that have worked on this made this on genuine fun rather than trying to take a progressive stance.

One of the short comics that stood out to me the most was "Billy Goes Out". The layout in itself was very unique in which where he gets ready to go out, but in his mind is going through an existential crisis on how to act according to his "values" (Ie. I'm guessing religion) while being gay. While getting ready to go out to possibly sleep with someone he prioritizes that over going to his uncle's funeral. This sends his mind into an abyss where he feels like a terrible person, but in the end comes with his happiness coming first. It had a charming ending, but don't get me wrong this comic was very explicit, but almost felt like it was required to get the point through.

"Tits and clits"

Another underground comic that isn't afraid to mention that this isn't for some philosophical or moral ending. It's literally there to "please" the readers. There's even a page where it states "My mommy's vibrator can't compare with getting off on all these comix" referring to the comic the viewer is reading. It's vulgar, explicit, and all around red flags everywhere, but done because there isn't a publisher or a big company that would put them under a microscope.

There's one particular short comic that intrigued me the most was "Wet Dreams" by Shelby. It strangely almost felt informational? Not for me, but it seemed like there was a visible demographic, which is a good thing for people who want to do that sort of thing or might be interested

Contract with God + Blankets - A commentary

Similarity in graphic storytelling:
I think the biggest similarity I find is the flow and composition of each singular panel. They're very easy to read and sequential to the point of being able to imagine it in movement. (Animation;Film)

Personal Commentary:
"Contract with God" was a very entertaining comic book to read overall. Most of the endings had some sort of ironic twist or a hit of karma, which I enjoy. It all felt believable enough of such events actually happening during that time because they show different viewpoints, endings, and story. The most interesting chapter was definitely the last. To be honest I wasn't quite sure to make out of what happened to the -rapist- man, but I assume that's what the author is going for. The naive girl who turns out okay in the end and the bad man who thinks he got everything he wanted, but instead is given the unfortunate obstacle of leaving behind success to forcefully take care of his poor family. It was a bittersweet ending nonetheless and I didn't really find a certain chapter that I could personally relate to, but with Craig Thompsons "Blanket" novel is an entirely different review.

I feel like I can heavily relate to things that had happened during his childhood/young adult life. It's strange questioning something you've grown up with, it even feels disgusting almost. Disgust with yourself with even questioning something you thought was your whole being. There's so much respect to the artist for tackling this topic and for being so brave for sharing. Not just Craig, but in the publishing industry it's so refreshing to see writers, artists, and podcasters even for discussing their relationship with religion.

The style was very unique and held a lot of charm. It's hard to believe this was something publish in 2003 rather than 2010. The story and art itself seemed so modern it was very easy to relate with it in contrast of "The Contract with God". It was simple enough to understand each panel, but also held lots of symbolism. For example the bed in the cubby was first seen as a monster, where the dad had to pry it's teeth. It really gave me a shock up until we learn that it's just a dingy bed. It shows the little brother's genuine fear of the cubby. In comparison with the "Contract With God" while they do share a similar aesthetic of character movement and emotion I believe that "Blanket" had more things to relate to, thus was more enjoyable to read. (Aka crying a whole bunch realizing I've never related to something so much in terms of religion and sort of being happy that there's an artist out there that feels the same way. We lived very similar lives.)