Spiney's Comics

This week I read some Will Eisner comics including A Contract With God and Blankets . Will Eisner's style of comics is grungy and reveals the darker side of the human condition. His lines are harsh yet flow freely and are very expressive. Blankets is a coming of age story that is told through a boy who feels rather trapped by his family's economic situation, and the oppression he faces at school and from his parents. His relationship with his little brother is not one without conflict, but you can tell that they rely on one another. Later on, Craig grows up and recalls moments from his childhood that relate to a problem he is struggling with in the present. Another relationship he continuously struggles with in the story is with God. As he grows up he harbors certain feelings of shame and guilt because he is condemned by figures of having sinned. This ties into the narrative of  A Contract With God, the main character is let down again and again by his faith after being a devo...

      This week, I read the Adventures of Tintin, Tintin in Tibet,  as well as some EC comics, such as Two-Fisted Tales. Tintin in Tibet, made in 1960, follows the story of Tintin looking for his friend in Tibet. It is a 68 page story that follows a story structure that we are familiar with that has a beginning, middle, and end. It is adventurous and spontaneous, and has many interesting characters. Tintin is a strong-headed teenager who does not fear any adventure. About 1/3 of the panel is made up of the text. The panels vary in different sizes, although each page always has 4 rows of panels. My favorite part of this comic was following the different countries and locations that Tintin travels to, such as India, Nepal, Geneva etc. Seeing these locations that I would hope to go to myself some day.       EC comics, on the other hand contain darker themes, and are intended for a mature audience. For example, the Two-Fisted Tales issue I read (Vol.1 No....

Today, I picked up and read Prince Valiant by Hal Foster, Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Gasoline Alley by Frank King, as well as some more Little Nemo in large format. I can say that reading these comics in large format on paper really improved the viewing experience for me. This is because the words are easier to make out, my eyes are able to more easily follow the panels, and it allows me to appreciate the artwork in a more organic, palpable way. Prince Valiant caught my eye because of the art, and the high fantasy setting. Oftentimes, I feel like high fantasy stories are too cliche and follow the same tropes and storylines. But Prince Valiant felt humorous and grounded because of the well developed characters. They don't seem to take themselves too seriously even when serious things may be happening. Prince Valiant uses his wits to win in desperate situations, and even if he doesn't win, there does not seem to be life threatening consequences. Unlike most weekly new...

For this week, I read the comics Little Nemo by Windsor McKay, Krazy Kat by George Herriman, Peanuts by Schulz, and Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. Each comic reflected their respective times and purposes. First, Little Nemo delved into the world of a child's dreams. It is in full color and features fantastical backgrounds and environments. It feels like a more sophisticated comic because of this. When I read it, I feel like I am going on a grand adventure with Little Nemo . The panels are varied in shapes and sizes, and the characters are often small in comparison to the backgrounds. It is clear that Little Nemo in Slumberland was made in older times due to the racist depictions of African characters. Through this we can see that these were times when racism was comedic and widely accepted. Krazy Kat , by Geroge Herriman is about the interactions between a cat and a mouse. Krazy Kat is in love with the mouse, called Ignatz, however Ignatz constantly makes fun of him. Ther...

Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics talks about icons in media, and how a comic is compromised of a sequence of images. He argues that simplicity can create associate to certain concepts. An icon is a representation or symbol. When something is more simple, it makes it more accessible to a wider array of people. On the otherhand, an image that is more photorealistic gives it a more physical definition instead of conceptual. He talks about how as people, we tend to see ourselves in our surroundings. It makes sense that our brains automatically associate observations with imagery that we are already familiar with. McCloud also talks about time. A spread of panels cannot be happening at the same time. He thinks of time as a rope, stringing together the actions into a coherent sequence based on the order they are read in. He talks about several concepts and theories in a relatively short amount of pages that it could have taken for such elaborate ideas. The style that McCloud draws in...