Week 13 |April 23| Superheros Reconsidered

Batman the killing joke questions:
1.) What is your reaction to the text you just read?

It was very emotional and dramatic. The colors and shading were intense and contrasting. It felt a lot like a conglomeration of animated movie stills. It felt very cinematic and action packed in every still- it is a sad origin story that is mainly focused on the villain. You feel disgust and hate for the Jokers actions as a reader, but also sorrow for his past. The menacing and evil stills contribute to this creepy and evil feeling you get from the Joker. As for the hero- i feel as if batman is trying his best, but he could do better to catch up with the Jokers tracks and try to stop him more deliberately. Batman is still seen in this as an iconic character that captures the feeling of heroism. 

2.) What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the story with which you were able to connect. 

I am not able to completely connect with the characters good and evil because the events in their lives do not relate to anything I've been through. since i have not experienced much loss in my life- I personally do not think it makes logical sense for him to be losing his mind so quickly. Turning into a psychopath. I think they should have had more of a dramatic reaction to his wife dying, and the post-loss that drove him mad rather than events happening so quickly. I do like the fact that he was a failed stand up comedian and takes out his evil plans inspired by attempting to be humorous. I cannot also connect to batman because personally i would have wanted to try harder in finding the joker and allowing him to live constantly just creates more problems. Simply put i would have just killed the Joker and ended it no matter what life he has worth living, its not worth to torment many lives of innocents. 

3.) What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?

I would adapt this comic into movie-grade material such as the super hero movies that have been adapted today such as wonder woman. The cinematic stills serve as a good basis for the camera angles and dramatic feel that would be used in a movie. I would have changed the script and jokers origin story. Some parts in the comic are very climatic, and some are anticlimactic and don't move you as much. This can be changed by emphasizing the jokers suffering and loss. Making the viewer more aware of his pain and suffering and will do to terrible crimes that live up to his evil name. The script is also a bit cheesy at times on the Jokers part. It is a very dark version of Batman as it is meant to be, but for a movie it could be darker. 

Week 12 |April 16| Women in Comics

Week 11 |April 9| Contemporary Graphic Literature

April 9th

Tale of one bad Rat

This comic is about a homeless girl who lives in Britain and has strange encounters with other homeless people on the street. There are some flashbacks showing her past. It shows that she is suicidal but has a reason to live, which is taking care of the rat. The pictures are vivid and the narrative seems to be taking place sometime in the past. 

Comics Clowes Ice Haven

This is a realistic narrative with modern satire that tells it how it is. There's a man who observes the neighborhood around him and he explains what happens. Children are back talking the adults and having a hard time getting along. The colors are very simple and have this 50's retro style to them. These just seem like realistic experiences of growing up. 

Love and Rockets #23

For this comic it seems like this woman lures men into her house in this dysfunctional neighborhood and uses them. After that she kills them and draws their picture on the wall. The children are drawn more innocent and cartoon style than the adults with a more realistic style. 

Comics American Splendor Our Movie Year 2004.pdf

There's a lot of text that explains events in a mans life as a writer on HBO. It shows the same pictures of the same man throughout on different adventures. It seems like this is his way of collecting or gaining material for his writings. The drawings are detailed and small at times with a lot of shadows, the  they seem to be cartoon themed and more simple as well.

Bone 1

This is a scholastic comic about a bone who is wandering with his friends in the desert and comes across bugs and monsters. He get separated from his friends and becomes alone, running away or befriending the monsters of the desert as he tries to regroup. The backgrounds are painted nicely in what seems to be watercolor.  

Week 10 |April2| Manga

This week i read Battle angel Alita

The style of the comics seems like more realistic anime than I've usually seen. I'm used to less textured fills and rather more simplified angular textures. The story itself is very cinematic. It still keeps that anime style within the face of the character. The illustrations look masterful, complicated, and intricate. It pairs perfectly with the sci-fi theme. The close ups are dramatic and elegant, while gruesome with the crosshatching illustrations.

I also enjoyed reading Ranma this week. The author i found is a successful female illustrator in japan who is making comics to this day. Her anime style is a bit older and classic. The story is fun and adventurous but it is also strange which makes it interesting. Its about a girl being set up with a boy/girl/panda who can transform into many different forms. I found the illustrations really cute and the story interesting which kept me reading.

Another manga i read this week was Yaoi Cinderella boy. The illustrations mixed with the text seemed confusing, and not as appealing. The drawings themselves are a bit too simple. I think that better illustrations mixed with a more fun story keeps the reader attached.

Week 9 |Mar 26| European Comics Tradition

Week 8 |Mar 19| Non-fiction Comics

This week i read Persepolis about a little girl growing up in hard times as a Muslim within a country of political trouble. It is illustrated like a children book, with cartoon characters that seems almost innocent. The story itself is not innocent and light-hearted, but is perceived in that way at first. The drawings are innocent and child-like, with adult themed events and stories of hardships.

I like how non fiction comics can be an outlet for creators and artists to tell their stories in a different medium other than the spoken word.

Week 7 |Mar 5| Legitimation of the Comics

This week we read Maus. After only a few pages i knew the meaning of the comic and the imagery as well. This is definitely a lighter approach to nazi Germany, antisemitism and the holocaust in a simpler, cartoon-like and less realistic approach. I would say this is okay for children only because of the cute animals, but maybe for early teens.

The mice are depicted as very cute and innocent animals which are hunted by the "cats" which are the nazis. I feel directly relates with how the situation became, innocent people being hunted and attracted by the leaders and people of the countries they lived in. They are dressed like humans are drawn with a simple and distinct cute mouse face.