Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka

      First of all I have never before read any Manga. I had overheard talk of it being a little backwards but my brain never remembers these things when they are needed to be remembered. So, for the first couple of pages i had no clue what was happening and thought that this Tezuka guy must have been a little backwards himself until it hit me... read left to right not right to left! So, after iI finally figured this out  everything became a little more clear. I finally understood what was happening...sort of! What  mean to say is this, now that I can read the story, I must figure out what is going on in the image. Tezuka puts so much into one small panel that is can become very confusing. And the lack of color doesn't help to separate things either for he basically uses three values- white, black and gray- in his work. I think that it is interesting that at some points he uses Japanese words to emphasize actin scenes or fill space. I also think that it is interesting that he uses a more angular word bubble in the areas where it is white in white and a more star burst hatched design when he is putting the white on black. he also uses a very dramatic and dynamic light. I think this helps the action seem more dynamic.
      I also recently saw the Astro Boy movie. I don't know what fans of the comic would think but looking at the two I think they did a pretty good job. One thing I did notice though was that the Dad is off model in the film. But other than that I think it was pretty good. I'm not sure if it is the same story the comic gives for I did not read how Astro Boy began by Tezuka but it seemed to be a good start.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

     So Persepolis for me is a re-read, but a well needed one, for I had forgotten some main points Satrapi brings up within the memoir. This graphic memoir is really very unique. It captures events in the life of a small girl in a way that makes you both think and feel. It explains what was going on in Iran from its first occupation by Indo-European nomads, to the establishment of the Persian Empire, to the 1979 Islamic revolution. But it is still so much more than that. It dives into the story of one girl's childhood and how she dealt with what was going on around her. How she stood up against the oppression by not wearing the garment on her head and how she was a deep thinker who would occasionally have conversations with god. It is the story of her losing the ones she loves, such as her uncle who was wrongly accused and punished by death. It shows injustice in her own household with her maid being in love with the neighbor and that love being extinguished when the boy discovers she is not of any importance, she is just the maid in Marjane's household.
    But enough about the story, I think Marjane Satrapi also has a lot to say with her illustrations. For example, she often shows repetition of people standing, of people saluting, covering their hearts with their hands, sitting with the new head dress on. I think this shows a great deal that these people where forced to  conform and lose their individuality. As well, i like how she introduces a new event with a small horizontal illustrated banner almost like a she is beginning a new chapter. Two examples of this are below: