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Showing posts from December, 2020

Final Grade

Blogposts : 81 Attendance : 14 (missed 1 day) Total : 95

Pretty Deadly - 5pts

 I really loved this series of comics. I found the introduction with the rabbit skeleton and the butterfly very appealing. I thought that the characters were very unique and compelling to read about. The entire comic was written very poetically and I found myself determined to hear the end of the story. The girl with the vulture coat was very interesting to me and I ended up wanting to cheer her on. The visual form of the god of death was also very appealing and I also enjoyed how they set the story up, that was told at the beginning, to be the back story to one of the main characters. The fight scenes were epic and I loved the colors of red and orange that were prominent through the story. The whole thing flowed together very nicely and it was overall a huge pleasure to read.

Phoenix - 9pts

I've read a lot of manga but this is the first I'm read that had this sort of style. It took me a while to get into the correct tone of this comic because I was mislead by the very cute style into thinking it would be more innocent and carefree. But then a character dies and I was confused by the storyline right off the bat. Less importantly I got confused by the gender of a few characters, I thought the younger boy was a girl. Then the tone would switch from something very serious to very carefree almost instantaneously and I would lose the character's goals. I forgot about the phoenix for some parts of it as well and had to remind myself of the original plot of the story. There definitely a lot of plot twists though. I think maybe the translation ended up getting me lost sometimes perhaps. Phoenix Future was even more confusing to me, maybe because I was used to the prehistoric timeline from before but I became confused by this. It was a completely different style than th

Watchmen - 4pts

The use of red is very abundant in the comic which I think immediately sets the correct tone for the comic. I found the main character very interesting and I liked how is mask was never really drawn the same way. In three panels side by side they were blatantly all different designs for the mask on his face. I liked the antihero feeling to it all where the motive of the lead wasn't very clear and his morals are a little sketchy. It reminded me a lot of the feeling of Deadpool. At some points I found the character pretty funny in his complete disregard for others, like when he's breaking the man's fingers in the bar and asking everyone else for information. It's more crazy than threatening. This alternate world where all the superheroes are very disorganized, selfish, and fighting with each other is also very appealing. It's sort of a backhanded way of not having trust in humanity to use their powers for good but rather for their own benefit.

The Dark Knight Returns - 4pts

 I found the style of this comic very interesting but I found the TV interview segments a little confusing and harder to follow. The most appealing and eye opening panels to me were the ones filled almost entirely with a black shape. I liked when the black shapes took up most of the panel and surrounded the characters.  I think the integration of batman's backstory works really well in this way. I found the large lettering for the sounds very effective in the storytelling. In one panel they used the lettering as the frame for a bolt of lightning which was pretty ingenious. Also using the lettering to surround the car tires screeching really helps the sound be in the audiences mind while reading. The lettering surrounding the characters also helps to fill the space with that sound. Overall this story was very eye catching and did a great job of keeping the audience entertained. 

Octopus Pie - 5pts

 I found this comic very interesting and easy to understand. The only thing I had a problem with was that the whole thing seemed very unfortunate for the main character and she can never seem to catch a break. Nothing good ever happens but she just keeps going without being rewarded or fulfilled. The main character is pretty depressing and I much prefer Hanna over her. The comic is also very fast paced and I find it hard to understand what happened before moving on to the next problem. Like there's no "how does this make you feel" and no pause for the consequences. I thought a lot of things were pretty relatable though. There's a panel where Hanna and her boyfriend are talking to each other through pictochat on the nintendo DSI which is a major callback to my childhood and I was able to appreciate it.  

The Killing Joke - 2pts

1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?      I really liked the darker take on the relationship between Batman and the Joker where this cat and mouse game has gone on for so long. Batman begins to question what exactly is the reason it's all happening. I also liked how the backstory for the joker was interlaced within. The Joker has a way of talking where he appeals to the audience, in a way that even though he is the bad guy he seems to make some sense. The ending panels are really interesting to me because batman starts to laugh at the Joker's joke and then it pans down to the reflection in the water. The space between the two characters merge into one and the reflection becomes all black. As if to say that they really aren't that different.  2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss what elements of the story with which you were able to connect?     Sometimes the way the Joker speaks makes a lot of sense and it's almost as if he's able

Pretty in Ink - 5pts

     The artist I loved the most visually and to read about was Nell Brinkley. Her illustrative style is very appealing and dainty. I love her line work and the way she draws hair and the female figure. It's a very romantic style that is accompanied by tiny swirls and etching. She went on to inspire many others to use a delicate pen style. Following her I also enjoyed the simplified take that Ethel Hays created. The Flapper Fanny comics that were later taken over by Sylvia Sneidman were drawn in a very cute and pretty style which I enjoyed. I noticed that usually the earlier comics centered around women and children and rarely featured men unless it was in a romantic context. They style is typically pretty and cutesy and barely has anything grotesque or dark undertones. That's why I was very excited when I was reading the Mrs. Fury comic because it featured a strong and independent female lead. It seemed to be the start of women creating comics with darker undertones and being

Asterios Polyp - 1 pt

 I absolutely loved this comic. The shape language and motif of his head shape was incredible. The colors were visually wonderful and I loved the internal monologue of his relationship with his twin that died at birth, with himself, and with his lover. When they drifted apart I thought it was so clever how they would show that with their shapes breaking up and becoming disconnected. Because that was exactly what was happening. This comic was a fantastic read and I found myself loving the characters flaws and cheering him on despite how he was sometimes full of himself and over bearing. I related a lot to his lover and how she felt that she was being overpowered by him. She wanted independence and to shine on her own. This is something I think a lot of women can understand.