Week 3 - Comic Strip

            After reading the Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics I did not realize that newspaper comics were looked down upon for some time. It was only until many years later that they were taken seriously. Newspaper comics in their earlier development like in Little Nemo were very surreal and often depicted fantastical happenings. The author of Little Nemo also utilized panel space very uniquely. Newspaper comics were often single cells moving linearly across the page but in Little Nemo he was innovative by outstretching panels or spanning them across a page. They had no particular organization sometimes. He also played with perspectives quite a bit and drew characters themselves stretched out with the panel or walking along walls, sometimes making it difficult to follow. Another interesting thing about the Little Nemo comics were how he chose to end them. The last panel of the Little Nemo in Slumberland comics all ended with a panel of Little Nemo in bed showcasing that it was clearly only a dream.

            Comics from early on in their development specifically the early 1900’s and so on had lots of humour elements that no longer make a lot of sense to audiences from today’s era. Though this does not mean they are not still enjoyed. Many people, and plenty that I know, still read newspaper comics and enjoyed them from their own child despite the introduction of a lot of new mediums. Calvin and Hobbes, the Peanuts, and many others are still widely sold and enjoyed.

Week 2 - Understanding Comics

Mcloud brings up an interesting point, one of which I never thought of or had explained and I am sure many people haven’t. He says that time does for animation and film is what space does for comics and that is a good way accentuating the importance of space in comics. Also, many people view film as a more serious art form but that analogy puts into perspective the work it takes to make comics. Another really important bit was that the more simplistic the face the more people it represents. Everything is exaggerated. Show don’t tell is something I have only really been introduced to this year through this class. It is very important in comics as with many forms of writing not to tell too much and to let our audience figure it out through seeing. We must not assume our audience is dumb and does not understand what we are saying. Stories are most interesting and dynamic when we allow our audience to see rather than us spelling it out for them.

Week 1 - Picture Interpretation

Picture Interpretation in Class

First Page: A poor gypsy woman is telling her chicken to balance on a ball for a street act in order to make money.

Page Two: A man who is half bird with a chicken at his side stand guiltily over a woman he plotted to kill because he wanted not to perform anymore.

Page Three: Two chimera human animal hybrids bury a woman, one of them being the half bird man that wanted her dead.

Page Four: The chicken man and other person animal hybrid plot out a way to maintain the appearance of innocence.

Page Five: The chicken man cries out victoriously when he sees the last person he wanted dead in their chamber.

Page Six: He is able to take off his mask as a cowardice chicken because he has taken out all of his enemies.