Online Comic- Octopus Pie by Meredith Gran

So I have never actually read a comic made to be seen via the web. It was interesting to see the different ways in which artist laid out their comics. For one of them a scrolling sideway technique was used so that the comic became one continuous strip, in others you must scroll down and in others, such as Octopus pie, you simple see one page, click an arrow and see the next. This process is the nearest to how actual comics are read for Meredith Gran makes sure you will only see the panels she wants you to see when she wants you to see them. Unlike scrolling which lets the eyes wander to a new page before you are done with the one currently be read. Anyway, back to Octopus Pie. This comic uses very fluid curvy line drawings with quite a thick line. It is completely black and white but is interesting to look at because of the fun and fluid style. The characters were a bit of a surprise at first, such as the new roommate who is fun and blonde and also a pot head. You don't expect it for the introduction of her character is set up by the main character, Ning's, mother. You are made to believe she is this pure little girl who is annoying with her almost cheerleader like enthusiasm. But no, she is enthusiastic for an entirely different reason- this reason is she is continuously on drugs. Other things are unexpected as well and just kind of ridicoulos. For example, Ning is off to work when she realizes her bike has been stolen and so she makes a new one with a security system that will shock anyone not authorized to ride it. But in the end she ends up getting robbed for she stupidly sold her keys to her house in exchange for the parts to create her new security bike. All in all, this comic works well online for I cannot see it much as a shelf comic. It possibly could become that for it does have a similar style to Persepolis with the heavy outlines but who knows. But I will say its most appealing factor is the crazy and random things that happen to Ning that you don't expect. For another example, you can go on and look at the newest pages and find that the first page is a "guide to preventing sidewalk shuffle". This page below:

Johnny the Homicidal Maniac by Jhonen Vasquez

This was a very interesting read. It was morbid and dark but somehow kept me oddly wanting to read more. One thing that keeps one involved is the style of the illustrations. They remind me a little of the old TV show "Invader Zim" where the people have huge eyes that seem as if they have had no sleep but they somehow, are still fun to look at. They are characters which lend themselves to being very dramatic and this story is all about drama. I feel bad for the characters in the story but also find them quite ridicoulous. For example, the man who is conducting a survey for neighborhood crime who is asking people how they feel about murder which is sad that there is that type of crime going on but he is treating it like he is taking a survey on what candy taste better, or the lady who responds with a tragic account of her husbands death and then responds to this survey by saying, "umm, bad", or the little boy whose parents are neglecting him and whose father basically thinks that his son ruined his life. All sad situations made ridiculous by the actions that follow. But I will say, due to the characters being overly dramatic the expressions illustrated are fantastic. They are extremely exaggerated and therefore entertaining. The lighting on the characters and in the scene also helps to make everything seem more dramatic. It is very harsh black and white inking with slight hatching in some areas such as cloths. In one scene Johnny even exclaims "By the next time I write in this book again, I hope to be as cold as the moon that lights this page."I also love the layouts of the pages stating which part of the story you are reading. How they illuminate only a mysterious figure. In the end of the book I also like how they added sketches of just developmental work. It is nice to see some of the thought process that went into the finished art.

Alan Moore: Watchmen

It is interesting to read this comic after seeing the film a couple of years ago. I have to say I think, now having read the comic, that the movie did not do it justice. But honestly, what movie has ever done a work, not originally made for film, justice? So, that being said, I found the style of this comic to be refreshing. Not only are the dynamic shots impressive but it is nice to see a comic done with color. The black and white inking was getting to me. I thought it was interesting how they used the color to separate the idea of the present and the past or the present and what could have been the past. For example, in the very beginning of the comic an investigation is in progress and the detectives are coming up with different scenarios of what could have taken place. While speaking about these things the panels switch from them to panels of the man who was murdered. In these panels the man is seen acting out the detectives suggestions and you realize this is not presently happening due to the panel being painted in red. As well, this comic is slightly ironic, like I remember from the movie, it begins with a smiley face found in blood. A symbol of sorts to mark the presence of the murderer. Its ironic because it marks such a gruesome and horrible thing that has taken place with a bright yellow, happy smiley face. It has iconic characters such as, my favorite, Rorschach, a private detective who disguises himself by wearing a white mask featuring ever changing ink blots,  Doctor Manhattan, a blue skinned physicist, and Nite Owl, a man who uses owl-themed gadgets, to name a few. Aside from all this, the thing that got me the most is that Moore incorporates slight hints at being political. For example, he has Rorschach say that President Truman was a good man and that, basically, communism is bad. Also, Moore puts in panels that are purely action based, meaning they do not include any dialogue. These panels I particularly like. I feel they convey the sequential scene extremely well. there is no confusion about what is trying to be said.

My New York Diary by Julie Doucet

This graphic novel I do not care for. I was not able to get through the entire novel for its sexually explicit aspect does not sit well with me. I even felt uncomfortable when she first began the novel with just being with some guys she doesn't really know talking with her. How she is okay with stealing, one of the first things she writes about, and falling into bed with a stranger. Even the illustrations make me uncomfortable. The text is crammed into spaces while the rest of the panel is overflowing with items given the same amount of detail as everything else. If this diary was suppose to make one uneasy, she accomplished her goal. But, one thing I do find interesting about this work is how Doucet goes from a white background to a black background periodically. Sometimes it turns black because of the time of day, sometimes to add to the fact that she is dreaming, and sometimes just to emphasize that the lights are off or not visible. For example, when she says they should read under the covers, the scene automatically turns into white on black. It is also interesting to note that this is called "My New York Diary" but she only begins to mentions dates after half the book has been read. She actually has more stories before she gets to the diary section which I did not realize until I got to what I would call a title page for it. Anyway, I don't have much else to say about this book but that I am no fan of underground comics written by men or women.

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:

  

King by Ho Che Anderson

    King is a graphic biography of Martin Luther king jr.. The New York Times summarized it best by saying, "[King] is a study in extremes. Stark, uniform black-and-white panels contain talking heads: a Greek chorus providing varying opinions and historical background. Among these, Mr. Anderson inserts montages full of raw, visceral energy. At times, tightly-rendered grids give way to near-collage, in which retouched photography is melded with oblique, loosely sketched forms that convey an ominous tension with moody imprecision. Violent eruptions splay into vast,painterly tableaus, as in the Birmingham riots of 1963."
    For me it was more moving and moody due to the black-and-white portraits that the New York Times mentions. The panels are striking due to Anderson using no gradients, no hatching, just stark black on white, white on black. I also thought it was interesting how in the panels with "the witnesses" that he has multiple people and in order to recognize them each individually, he has the same portrait each time the same person speaks rather than having them change in position. Along with this, when Anderson gets into his larger panels (one's that are not just portraits) he really plays with space. For example in some he makes taller than need be to add a looming dark space above the scene.
      Another thing to note in Anderson's work, is that he writes, before he goes into the comic, a little background about both Martin and the historical context in which he was living. Then when you get into his actual text in the word bubbles he quotes people. Meaning, he lets the characters speak like they normally would with out cleaning anything up. They curse, use slang, etc. I also like that in some panels where no one is speaking, he has the radio on playing a tune from the era and in one imparticular, the first time we see this, he has the words flow in and out of the panels like they are swaying to the song and finally end up looking as if they are coming out of the jukebox.
And I truely think the image for the back of the book is really quite breathtaking. (See image below)