Spiney's Comics

This week, I read March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell. It is a memoir of the congressman John Lewis as he recounts his upbringing up until the day of inauguration of President Obama. John had a strict upbringing. And it was clear that he was an oddball unlike the rest of his family. He valued education and even went against his father's demands to go to school instead of staying at home to help with the farm. He also was a preacher. He preached to his chickens ever since he was young, and held funerals for them when they died. He becomes one of the youngest preachers and goes to meet Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He participates in the lunch counter non-violent sit ins to desegregate America. And after much tension, on May 10, 1960 six Nashville restaurants served food to black people. This was a great triumph for desegregation. His story proves how difficult freedom can be, and how resistant people can be to change when they hold themselves superior to others. Racism i...

Maus is a graphic novel by Art Speigelman. It depicts his father's experiences during the Holocaust as a Jew. The story is written in an interview style, where it interlaces the dialogues with his father in the present and his father's accounts of the war. This type of writing gives the narrative a second layer. When the story gets too dark, we get a moment of relief from the bleakness and get an insight on the characters peaceful lives now completely different from the horrors of the holocaust. It also suspends us mid action and makes us want to know what happens next. Although moments like this become less as less frequent as the story goes on, it becomes more of a continuous narrative with his father as the main character. Maus gives us a new lens to understand the Holocaust through the medium of the graphic novel, using unique visuals and storytelling techniques. The interesting element of Maus is how it uses animals in the place of human characters as a metaphor. He port...

Underground comics was a movement between the 1960's and 70's that diverged from mainstream comic books. These comic strips often contained offensive, sexual, and violent content. Reading the comic Zap, I find that   a lot of the humor is satirical and quite dry. Oftentimes the punchline did not hit for me. It could be that times have changed and what people found humorous back then is not what we find humorous today. There are stories that seem to be offensive solely for the sake of being offensive. I also found that many stories did not feel very linear and did not have a clear beginning, middle and end. The stories were mostly text heavy, and did not have a clear focus. Underground comics did allow for comic artists to not be censored, and publish stories not accepted in the public eye. The comic Girl Fight, for example was an early feminist comic that centered around strong female characters. There is still sex and nudity in the comic, but it portrayed women as being ...

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...