Making Comics (3 Points)

 Making comics is not simply just a good read for people who want to make comics-it is almost an invaluable resource. Although outdated due to the rise of digital media in the 2000s, most of its material is still relevant, as the elements of comics still remain the same. I have found myself over the past few months referring back to a chapter or two whenever I am unsure about a decision I need to make. The book even has some additional information about each topic discussed at the end of each chapter, including exercises and references to other works. It is difficult to pinpoint what parts of the book I found most important, but I can go through some of my favorite chapters. The first chapter, simply named 'Writing with Pictures, discusses the ways panels transition, such as action to action and subject to subject, to name two. This chapter gives you a great understanding of how and what to communicate to viewers through images, and makes you think ' is this panel saying anything that has not been said in the previous panels, and is it necessary to convey the story?'. The  Worldbuilding chapter is the one I would refer to the most, as I am always insecure of whether or not every single panel has to have the utmost detail. The final chapter I would pick is the final chapter, 'Your Place in Comics'. It describes how place, time, and who you are can impact the comics you create, and that the world is your oyster.


(258 Words)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

George Herriman (2 Points)

 Herriman's work is charming, and takes what Winsor McCay invented, and polishes the technique. From what I can tell from the two Krazy Kat animations, the characters are now separated from their backgrounds, giving the animators the ability to reuse and loop animations, unlike in McCay's work, where he had to instead play it forwards and backwards as a result. As for the comics, unfortunately, they were inaccessible from the weekly assignment page (404), but I was able to find some bits online. One strip that greatly intrigued me was the one where the mouse was telling her kids to accept Krazy into their family, and the children asking whether to refer to Krazy as aunt or uncle, which the mouse replies, 'Suit Yourself'. I think I vaguely recall Dr. Steiling mentioning that Krazy's gender changes throughout the comic. I would love in the future get a better opportunity to read more about this, as well as the comic as a whole. From the little I read, the characters a...
Read more

Maus Book 1-2 (6 Points)

  Maus definitely lives up to all the good things I have heard about it since I first became interested in comics. It had always been on my list, and I am glad to have finally had the time and opportunity to read such a monumental work. Its storytelling is straight to the point, and chronologically shares the story of the author's father, who was was a Jewish man in Poland during World War II, and how he and his wife survived through sheer luck, kindness, and resourcefulness.  This isn't all these books provided, as between parts of the story, we are taken to the present day, where Art, the author, is in the process of interviewing his father. We are shown a window into the rest of Vladek's life, and that they do not get along very well, but love each other much the same, even if it isn't said within the story itself. These two intertwining stories leaves the reader on the edge of their seat. I for one, would be desperately reading through each section, wanting to know ...
Read more

SandMan: Preludes and Nocturnes (1 Point)

 I read the first chapter/issue of Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes , written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Sam Keith and Mike Dringenberg. Although I am still unsure of the setting of the story, whether it is the realm of all dreams or just one person, I found the whole concept quite intriguing. Gaiman created a strange world filled with characters from many different mythos, such as Cain and Able from the Bible, Hypnos, the Greek God of Dreams, and the three that are one, which are found in many different mythos, and refer to them as such. During the scene where the older woman wanted to see her son, I was very concerned when they referred to the place where he was imprisoned as 'Arkam'. The dread of this possibly being connected to superhero comics was confirmed by the eldest fate, who says Hypnos' stone was with the Justice League. I really enjoy the tone and interest of this comic, and I am curious to read more in the future and see how Gaiman writes these well know...
Read more