The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal 





















This was a very enjoyable comic where there is humor and adventure between TJ and Amal. Both of these characters are traveling across the beautiful countrysides across the country. There is a great sense of freedom when you are walking through the countryside with so much to explore and experience. They are escaping from their lives; TJ is running from his past and Amal is running from his family. This story is very much character driven and does an excellent job with the development of the two main people in this story, TJ and Amal. At the beginning of this comic they go through the backgrounds of each characters lives individually, which I think was a really good idea and really helped to develop the story. The drawings tell so much about the positive energy of the characters. They are beautifully drawn, very expressive and there is a very good use of color towards the middle and end. They are composed very well and show a great sense of atmosphere, which I really enjoy a lot. It gives the sense of the space we are in as viewers. I really enjoyed this story a lot because I connect to this story as I am also a very adventurous person and I am funny. Where I feel free is the beach and also creating graphic and bold illustrations. The beach is very calming to me with the seagulls speaking to us and the waves crashing just soothes my mind where it's free. I am a very creative person too, so drawing is really fun and is enjoyable for a career. This is a highly recommended comic for anyone that enjoys reading comics.

The Private Eye Issue 9
By: Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin



This is a highly compelling and entertaining comic with a future that has no internet access, which I found to be very fascinating. The beginning few pages of a young boy at his mothers funeral appear to me as a very sensitive, dramatic and peaceful way to start a comic. This very emotional scene drew me into the comic and encouraged me to continue to read on. The artwork is beautifully drawn, graphic and consistent with an excellent story. After reading this story I am very grateful for the technology we have, but also grateful for the idea of being a part of nature and the real reality we live in. With the world growing at such a fast rate the technology is growing more advanced to keep up. There are so many different ideas for the future and the technology we will have twenty to thirty years and beyond. I feel like most of the world is overusing technology and being trapped in this virtual reality that is not real. The reality we do know is starting to fade as virtual reality and technology continues to grow. Yeah!! We do still interact with nature, travel, go on adventures and experience new things. However, there are people creating virtual reality games where we do not need to go outside. I think this takes away from the true and real experience that is so fun. People in our world need to realize that technology should be used for important things rather than virtual reality and advanced technology. I do get this is how the world is moving, but we do not need to spend every second of the game playing video games, watching Netflix or texting. This is a comic I would recommend to people who enjoyed The Amazing Spiderman and Batgirl comics.

The Killing Joke



The Killing Joke from the master of comic writers Alan Moore comes a comic filled with entertainment, humor and action. I myself found this comic to be very fun to read and I enjoyed it very much. The story was well scripted, while the illustrations proved to be very graphic, stylized and dramatic adding expressiveness to the story. Also, I really enjoyed the flashbacks, which added more of the background character development of the Joker and how he came to be insane. I would continue to read this over and over. I really like the references of two face and poison Ivy towards the end of the story. I think those are two characters that are very interesting in the DC Universe and should have their own movies or at least play partial roles in the batman franchise. Overall, this story really gives me a sense of Batman's and The Jokers hateful relationship with one another.

When I began reading the comic it reminded me of the second movie in The Dark Knight franchise where Heath Ledgers Joker was in prison and Batman went in to talk to him. The scenes are very similar in their portrayal of what happened. The comic and movie version both portrayed the insanity going on in the Joker's mind. However, the deck of cards wasn't there, which would have been much more entertaining for the movie and would have taken it in another direction.

There are a couple changes I would make when I adopt this story into another medium. I would change the beginning scenes, which are kind of confusing and not composed very well. In the middle of the story when the man is chained and in the carnival I would show more of the environment. I would adapt this into a live-action featured film. I think with the DC Universe struggling with their movies recently I think this story could bring it back to life.To start, at the beginning of the comic the Insane Asylum looks very welcoming and not that terrifying and the illustrator only draws part of the building. I would have gone more menacing-looking and shown more of the complex instead of parts of it. Maybe the building is much bigger and it's on the top of hill and a grayish color to it. Also, if they had a scene at the beginning of the story showing the entire building on the hill that would give us more of an understanding of the environment we are going to. As for the middle of the story when we are at the carnival it would be nice to see more interesting angles and compositions. There are just a lot of compositions in this story that fall flat and I feel like could be shown in a more 3-Dimensional environment.

DC Archive Comics - Wonder Woman



Wonder Woman is a superhero of great beauty, strength, speed and intelligence. This comic introduces this great heroes history and her fun adventures fighting unique villains. The introductions provide us with interesting insight to the story they are about to tell about Wonder Woman. The introductions keep the readers entertained with asking us questions that we need to look for in that part of the story. At the beginning of the comic Wonder Hippolyte, the Queen discovers Wonder Woman during a tournament to see who is the strongest woman in the Amazon. She and Steve Trevor have a very close relationship with each other, as Wonder Woman tends to save him a lot and they always seem to be in scenes with each other. Wonder Woman sets out to save problems and reach feats no other woman can achieve. The drawings are stiff and feel flat to me including the compositions, which I think could be a lot better. For vintage comics the color is decent. However I have read other “Archived,” comics that have a better use of color with more interesting compositions. After watching Wonder Woman make a cameo in Batman Vs. Superman the actor Gal Gadot does an excellent job in the role. She is a great representation like the ones in the comic, especially the suit, which depicts more of the "newer," version of Wonder Woman. She acts in a way that truly brings out Wonder Woman’s physique, strength, speed and beauty in this film. Her shield reminds me of Captain America's because of its strength as well. I would recommend this comic to anyone who enjoys Wonder Woman or any superhero comics.

Arkham Asylum 



Arkham Asylum is a comic that really takes a horrifying and dark turn to the Batman saga. It's something I would not normally read. However, I really enjoyed this comic. The beautifully drawn illustrations and master storytelling drew me into the entire narrative. There is so much simplicity and stylization in some of the drawings and in others are very detailed environments that are masterfully designed and colorized. Batman is not one of my favorite everyday superheroes and see him portrayed as more of a criminal and vigilante than the classics that have powers. His advanced weaponry and combat skills make him a master at fighting. Ben Affleck's portrayal in Batman Vs Superman was very well done. There was one thing that did not work well when Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman were fighting Doomsday. Since Batman is not a god he was pretty much rendered useless in this fight. I liked Christian Bale's portrayal is Batman in The Dark Knight series a lot more. It reminded me more of the comics especially when he was fighting the joker, which reminded me of the joker in this comic. The joker is my all time favorite DC comics villain. His tricks as well as insanity makes him perfect against the crime fighting superhero Batman. This comic goes full insane when the joker takes the mantel and Heath Ledgers portrayal of the character is just as disturbed and insane as the one in this comic. Overall, I would recommend this comic to people who enjoy horror and being terrified. This is a comic I enjoyed but I am not a huge fan of comics or movies that goes full on insane.

Ms. Marvel


Ms. Marvel is a fascinating muslim teenage superhero with interesting powers of shapeshifting. She sneaks out at night to go to parties and is still figuring herself out. She has very disciplined parents that want what's best for her. There is a sort of disconnect between Kamala and her parents because she is just beginning to discover who she is and what she is capable of. Kamala's different shapeshifting abilities are exploring her true identity and the coming of age. She is first discovering her powers after she is leaving a party and has a drink she falls down. She is dreaming about Captain America, Iron Man and Captain Marvel. This was an interesting effect in the comic book where they connected her with the use of her powers and spoke to her about maturing as a person and a superhero. When she wakes up she is trapped in this cocoon, breaks out and turns into Ms. Marvel. There was not a whole lot of action as she is just getting her powers, but I feel like the writers need to  develop her as a character. Instead of her just saving her friends she needs to be protecting the city. Overtime I think this will happen, but I found it to be a little slow. The illustrations were beautifully drawn and were the highlights of the comic book. As a teenager we are in between the child and adult phases where we are in the middle of childlike and mature behavior. Overall, this is a comic I would recommend to anyone who enjoys reading Marvel comics.

This One Summer - Mariko and Jillian Tamaki 



This is a story of two friends, Windy and Rose, who are visiting the beach together with their families. However, since they are maturing into teenagers they find themselves dealing with love. And Rose deals with her parents marriage falling to pieces.

This was a very enjoyable comic to read and the illustrations were beautifully drawn. The script had the content of two young teenage girls who are going through a phase and talking about boys. We were getting a perspective of two girls and what to talk about when they are at the beach. We got a feeling we were at the beach with the mention of the fresh air and swimming. When you are at the beach with your family your parents always tell you your story of how you were born and grew up. I enjoyed the reference Windy's mom used when she was telling her about how she grew up. The mother referenced a bean to Windy because they start off tiny and when they grow up they turn into a beautiful human being. That's what Windy is becoming and I just thought this was fascinating. The illustrations were very well composed and expressive, which makes the scenes come to life. They are very atmospheric and dreamlike, which give us the feeling that it's summer. And since there is no color in this it creates the quality of a dream, which is what the beach feels like. The characters are developed to a point where they are recognizable and stand out. They are stylized to the point where they could be cartoons on a kids tv show. I always like a cartoon characters eyes because, in my opinion they are the focal point of the character and define them. He simplifies the eyes, but they create an interesting character. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys the summer, the life of teenagers and their struggles. I think this is a great interpretation of that.

Asterios Polyp 



This is a bizarre and random comic that I enjoyed for its single illustrations. It was very confusing to follow and at times was very hard to read. As an illustrator I noticed a very interesting stylization of the characters; they are very gestural and expressive. They were very well developed and we know a lot about the characters histories and how their lives play out; the best part of the story. I fully enjoyed the illustrations that did not have script with them. I thought they were good as stand alone illustrations. The silhouettes are very powerful and like the fact that they are not black. The illustrations were not always consistence with each other, at times reminded me of storyboards, and seemed rushed as well. The vintage color palette was very unique for the story. It made me feel like i was part of the dream world with the opal colors and subtle value changes. This story seems to take place when everything was very retro and old fashioned. The single illustrations on each page tends to break up the flow of the story. I think it is interesting of they were played out correctly and not have most of the white page invading the space of the illustrations. I would recommend this to people who enjoy very vintage and retro style comics.

Manga - Yaoi Too Close for Love Ch. 1 

This is the first time I have read a Manga comic. I have never read one before until now because this type of comic just never really appealed to me. The covers are interesting, but they do not capture my attention. A lot of the Manga comics mainly have just characters and not full illustrations, which captures more of my attention. While I think the illustrations are fun and exciting I find this comic as hard to get through, chaotic and unorganized. It was confusing to try to follow the script and as well as the illustrations. There seems to be a lot more character development than characters and environments together in a panel. There are very suggestive environments in some of the panels that are interesting, but just do not bring me into the story. I am also not a huge fan of the very pointed chins to me it just makes me think of villains from comics and animated films. The characters seem very similar too each other. They do have different eyes and body shapes. However, from my perspective all the characters seem very similar to me.

This comic Too Close for Love was a story about Fumi and Eiji and their love for each other. They seemed to be very happy when they were together. There was also a lot of kissing, which i thought was overplayed a lot in this comic. Overall, manga just isn't appealing to me so i was not able to read the entire thing because of all the confusion and chaotic presentation of this comic.

The one thing I do like about Manga is the environments. The environments are beautifully drawn and detailed and very representational of everyday life. I just wished they put that much effort into the characters, which to me just do not seem complete and consistent enough with the environments.

March: Book One 
By: John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell



The first volume of March is a very powerful story about the Civil Rights Movement and blacks marching the streets to protest for equal rights. The story developed around Congressman John Lewis  his extraordinary life's history, accomplishments and the movement he lead. During the beginning of the story they write about the events of the very christian praying protestors getting arrested for being in a bar or refusing to move sitting in the back of the bus. Eventually there were so many people in jail the policeman decided to let them go. "Bloody Sunday," was a very aggressive time when they were fighting for equal rights, marching and where police were blocking their path. They were then attacked after John Lewis's orders with many getting injured. It then jumps straight to Obama's inauguration. We notice Lewis is telling his story to people who visited him in his office in congress.

Lewis, Aydin and Powell create a comic book with a strong vision, message and storyboard like illustrations using a lot of graphic lines to communicate the emotion. They use very dramatic compositions and simple character designs, which communicate the story very well. Powell uses a very interesting technique using black, gray and white washes and markers to create some really good storytelling. They succeed in describing Lewis's life story and his becoming of a true and very prayful christian and civil rights leader. His life was very extraordinary. He held funerals for chicken that died instead of eating them or throwing them away. He also spoke of Ghandi, talked about the Montgomery Bus Boycott, War Resistance and Nonviolence. They reference racism and how evil it was, how evil poverty was and how evil war was. They just do such a great job with capturing us in the moment and to me it felt like I was part of the civil rights movement and experienced a time of such hardships for the blacks.

Maus: A Survivor's Tale - Art Spiegelman 



This is a comic book by the cartoonist Art Spiegelman is a very historic comic book.  This comic is a great survivors tale of Artie's father and the love of his life. This comic did a great job to separate the Jews from the Nazis. The mice are portrayed as they jews and cats as the Nazi's, which is a very imaginative way to tell the story during WWII. Vladek was a prisoner of war in a concentration camp who survived. It goes into a great amount of detail behind Artie's father how he was a prisoner of war and ended up surviving based on the priests accusations of looking at the numbers on his arm, which was very interesting. It was horrible learning about the Nazi's actions towards Jews. They did so many horrible things to them, which was disturbing but intricate to the story and what happened in Germany during the Holocaust.

Artie from the beginning of the comic starts documenting his fathers history. So his father is telling him his story when Artie himself is writing it. I think this is an interesting way to write this comic, which I really enjoyed with the animals. The suicide of the mother and the father burning his stuff is the reason why he wants the information from in father is because the evidence was destroyed.

Vladek was kind of a pain in the butt. He was a stickler for everything and even went out of his way to throw Artie's old jacket in the trash because he thought it wasn't "good looking enough." He was very wealthy and when he remarried Mala takes all his money, which is why she marries him.

The drawings are very distorted, stiff and very rough, which I though was relevant to the subject of the story, but are not masterpieces. The drawings are graphic, but because of the stereotypical imagery the approach adds a little humor to it because we wouldn't think of the idea of animals taking the place of Jews and Nazis.

This is an important comic to read because of it's historical background and interesting way to convey the Jews and the Nazis. It was a great thing to experience reading as I was not alive during this time and was able to read about it.

I read this comic freshman year of high school so it was interesting to read it eight years later at a more mature age and think much differently about it now. When I first read it I didn't understand why there were mice and cats and I was very confused. Reading it in college I understand Art's way of depicting the Jews and the Nazis. He did it this way because cats tend to chase and eat mice, so the cats are in charge, which is a very powerful way to write this comic.

Mr. Natural - Robert Crumb

Robert Crumb's Mr. Natural is one of his most popular characters. In this comic strip he really pushes the political satire by using a lot of profanity and excessive use of uncensored nudity not appropriate for young readers. The really exaggerated and cartoony figures add humor to the overall narrative of the story, which is solid. The old man seems to be very mischievous and adventurous by doing things that others dislike. The woman in this comic are portrayed as animals instead of people based on Mr. Naturals vulgar actions towards the baby. He tends to make fun of the "homeless person." Someone that does not have enough money for clothing. Crumb also makes fun of a beggar by Mr. Natural teasing him. Mr. Natural gives his money to a kid walking by right in front of the beggar. I did not care for this at all. His behavior towards the poor is hard to see because everyone is trying hard to get a job in this economy and I am always seeing people on the side of the street trying to survive. This shows how many people treat beggars and homeless people. Most tend to ignore them because they are perceived as dangerous, even though some can be very nice. The expressions on there faces are very simple, but they get the characters expressions across rather successfully. At the beginning of the comic in the Sunny Side Up story there is a little use of rhyming, which is a unique way to start a comic book, which gets the reader into a good mood. The cross hatching at times tends to be a little overwhelming in certain places and uses a good amount of cross hatching in others. 

I thought this was an interesting comic, but I did not care for the subject matter that much because it made me very unsettling and was very disturbing. I am not a fan of the way artists, tv, magazines, newspapers and any social media depict woman today and even when this comic was being created. I can see why most woman would not think about reading this comic. Woman are people too and are just as equal to men in my eyes. Robert Crumb made me laugh a little in this comic, but it did not really speak to me in a positive way but a creepy and hostile way. 

A Contract With God - Will Eisner 


Will Eisner's, "A Contract With God" is a powerfully written and well executed comic, which reminds me of a crime noir and an emotional relationship with God. The illustrations are composed in a simple manner emphasizing key moments of each scene with lots of drama. The realistically drawn buildings, cartoony characters and expressions complement each other with the story. The scenes with the rain are inked really expressively. You can see the rain just pouring down. There are huge puddles and does a great job drawing the rain drops.

The man, Frimme Hersh, is a very compassionate man who has a contract with God. He is a brilliant man and lives in a pour town. Even though he lives in a harsh reality he doesn't complain about it. He does good deeds for people and tells them ,"God will reward you!"This is very symbolic to the whole meaning of the entire story, which is the mans emotional and psychological connection with god. It elaborates on the idea that if you do an act of kindness for someone something good will happen to you as a reward. He is a hero for helping people at the beginning of the story; the end of the story after his child died his contract was broken with god he wanted to start his life over. After his child died he turned greedy because of the riches he had, which is when he wrote and signed a new contract. I can relate to this since I have the same compassionate personality of the man and a deep relationship with God myself.

Uncle Scrooge in "The Fabulous Philosopher's Stone"



This is an excellent Disney comic that takes the classic greedy Uncle Scrooge character and sets his sights on something more valuable known as the Philosophers Stone. Once Uncle Scrooge reads about it he wants it. He wants it because it will make him gold and get him more rich. On this journey he bring along Donal Duck and his three nephews.

The Philosophers' Stone is also shown in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and The Flash Season 3 tv show. Even though the ideas around this stone are somewhat the same they are used differently. In this story the stone creates gold out of anything. In Harry Potter the Sorcerer's Stone helps Flamel live forever. And the Philosophers stone from the flash brings Savitar (the main villain of the Flash Season 3) to life, but it can also make him vanish into the speedforce.

The story was very fascinating and well-written. It is an easy read with very fluent narration from scene to scene. The expressions and character attitudes bring a lot to the comic. They show anger, happiness, joy, annoyance and many other types of feelings. The color was very modern and vintage. There were a bunch of different camera angles in the beautifully drawn compositions, which added a lot to the dramatic scenes especially. The black shadows work very well to popping out the focus of each composition. The detail is suggested gesturally, but adds a very accurate look to buildings, props and the placement of the characters in each scene.

Uncle Scrooge is a an interesting creation by Disney. He seems to be a take on Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol, which has had a lot of versions and remakes of the story. I really like his character at the end when he realizes that there is more to life then just money. So, he learned his lesson in the end, which is great for young readers to learn about. This comic shows how greedy Uncle Scrooge is because of his deep desire for finding the philosophers stone to make more gold.

The Adventures of Tintin: Tintin in Tibet 



Tintin is a classic comic that takes beautifully drawn illustrations and the narrative to life. The simplicity of the characters and detailed environments makes this comic a desirable read. The buildings are simply drawn with some detail on the walls and roofs to create a realistic vibe. There is humor and simple expressions which was enjoyable and fun to read. They also add question, exclamation marks, different fonts and different languages to bring the characters and the story to life. There are some excellent camera angles, which are very interesting and give a different perspective to the illustrations. For example, on page nine, frame one there is a camera angle on the cars wheels with the dirt flying. I just find this to be a very unique angle and perspective of the car. There are also life lesson that are taught through this comic. For example towards the end of the comic the Captain tells Tintin that alcohol is bad for young people and poisonous to the body. I rarely ever drink any and even when I do I don't drink that much. So, the moral here is to be responsible about it and not do this very often.

I love the cover of this comic. It's one of my favorite illustrations, favorite compositions and graphic use of color. The unique font explains a lot about the different cultures and ethnic backgrounds through the entire comic.

My favorite part of this comic is when they start hiking up the snowy mountain. Snow is a beautiful thing to witness. I have always loved snow and the fluffy yet cold aspect to it. I used to love playing in the snow as a kid; riding the sled and snowboard down hills with my brother, friends and relatives. I love going out at night with the snow falling it's a beautiful sight. I think the illustrator does an excellent job with the snowy part of this comic. Since the snow is white the values are very subtle, which the artist did very well. The artist makes it look and feel exactly like a wintry day and night.

When I was very young my grandfather introduced me to this exact comic; he read it to me and my brother when we stayed at my grandparents house some nights for a sleepover. So, reading this comic made me think of him. He passed away last spring at the age of 93. He was an amazing inspiration and role model for family and friends. I would highly recommend this comic for anyone that enjoys humor, art and different aspects of cultures from around the world.

Little Nemo: Awakening in Slumberland By: Winsor McCay

This comic is a great example of a historic comic strip. Throughout the comic he experiments with writing narrative bubbles to go along with the images. On page ten and beyond we get better quality drawings and a better understanding for the narrative. The drawings are cleaner and easier to read than the beginning of the comic. As shown on page ten of this comic he is seen as a giant and his name "Nemo" in Latin means "no one," which i think is very interesting and adds to the development of the character. Another great example of a very distinctive page and very emotional drawing is with the circus elephant. All the sequences on this page are very expressive, composed really well and easily tell a story. The elephant is a symbol of a time when circus's were very popular. NOW!! Not so much. There are also a couple pages with the use of very elegant line work. For example on page 14 there is no shading if not very subtle changing. It changes the mood of the story, which adds more variety to the comic. The characters are animated very well. They have very emotional and suggested poses that bring each character to life.

This entire comic was a dream Little Nemo had, which was in Sutherland. He sees himself as a giant and almost a god-like figure. At that part in the story it reminded me of the movie Gladiator, with the clothing being very similar to that of the movie. McCay's imagination for creating a bed that walked along the streets was very interesting and adds to the narrative of Little Nemo's dream. The ending of the comic is very interesting how the staircase seems to go on forever. In the final frame of the comic Little Nemo is on the ground of his bed.

This was a very enjoyable comic to read and I would suggest this to friends, family and neighbors. I am not surprised this was one of the most celebrated comic strips during the early 1900s. The narrative is very well-paced and has excellent illustrations that are composed very well.

Mickey Mouse: The Mail Pilot 



Summary:

Mickey Mouse wants to become an airmail pilot. He flies through all kinds of weather and encounters new things to make aviation history.

Characters:

All the Disney companies and Disney himself always create some of the most iconic and memorable characters in animation and for comics. Mickey, Minnie and Captain Doberman are the main characters in this story. They are very well - developed with simple character designs. In this story we see Mikey as a very positive, upbeat and outgoing character who is willing to try new things. In the earlier comics like this one we see him as a more mischievous character, while in later stories he is more shy and always does the right thing. Minnie Mouse is a very compassionate, sweet, beautiful and caring character, especially towards Mickey. She looks after Mickey and doesn't want him to fly in an airplane. She sees them as dangerous and wants Mickey to be safe. The last main supporting character in this story is Captain Doberman. In the beginning of the story he doesn't believe Mickey can fly the airplane and become a good pilot, but in the end congratulates him. I also noticed in the comic Mickey and Minnie's eyes are black oval shapes to suggest the eyes. We notice this in the earlier comics and later the black ovals become pupuls as the eyes get more detailed.

Evaluation:

Overal Disney is a genius when it comes to story, narrative and development. He adds humor to this comic and all his others. They all show drama, sadness, happiness and many other emotional scenes depicted here. Everything he creates flows very well. The characters are simple and puts them in environments that are very detailed and complete the story. There is an excellent sense of design and shows the characters in a space that adds to all his stories.

I would highly encourage reading this comic and any others he has written. I also encourage others to watch the movies as well. Disney is an excellent example of someone that knows everything about emotion, environment, story, characters and everything else to make all things come to life.

The Complete Peanuts - 1959 to 1960 
"We're afraid of the future!!"


This is a classic comic that dates back to the beginning of the 1950's. It is filled with iconic characters and moments that give all types of audiences joy and laughter. Each character is given interesting personalities and symbols that represent who they are. Some examples for symbols I noticed include: the swirl suggesting Charlie Browns hair, Linus's blanket, and Schroeder is always around or playing his piano.

I also noticed that no parents are present in this comic and any of the other ones I have read or seen. I think Charles Schultz wanted to give the characters a sense of independence and maturity. In the animated movies, from the ones I have seen the adults say "Wa, Wa, Wa!!!!" This suggests that there are adults present, even though we never physically see them appear. This was a very interesting addition to the movies to give us a sense that they do have parents and teachers.

My favorite character out of all of these is Snoopy. Snoopy is a very mischievous and humorous character. The way he does things always brings wide smile to my face and makes me crack up. His very simple design has that humorous look, which makes him very recognizable.

In a Charlie Brown Christmas, which was made in 1965 really developed the Snoopy character. I loved the beginning of this movie. The part when snoopy twirls everyone around and they go flying everywhere. "Thats my kind of humor!!!!!!" He seems to always be on the roof of his doghouse or in his doghouse doing some kind of activity. Especially in this movie his house wins a prize for being the best display of lights, which gets us in the christmas spirit.

Apart from Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Linus, Lucy also comprises a big role. She thinks of Charlie Brown as a nobody; Someone that is clumsy, not very smart and needs her help a lot of the time to get through difficult times. A famous scene we see a lot of in the comics and the movies is when Charlie Brown and Linus lean on a brick wall and contemplate over certain things. I thought this was another great addition to such an iconic comic that has been enjoyed by so many people of all ages.

Calvin and Hobbes

This comic focuses on a child and his stuffed tiger, which comes to life when his parents are not looking. This strip adds a lot of humor because of it's exact references to the behavior of a young kid and his stuffed animal. I thought a funny part in this strip was when Calvin asks his mother if he could drive her car, which I thought was an excellent addition to the story. Calvin also is seen in the principles office, not listening to his mother, getting in trouble, having fun, playing and many other things that all young children experience. We also experience the passing of notes in class, which is something I experienced as a young kids and friends wanted to message in class. It is almost like texting today except we passed notes to talk while the teacher was not looking. I also really enjoyed how they narrate arguments between a girl named Susie in his class. This was how girls got a boys attention because they liked them. When he was eating he would throw the food all over the wall because he did not like his oatmeal. As a young kid I never did that!! I always ate everything!!

The parents in this strip showed the woman as being more of the disciplined and leader of the household. While the father was very encouraging and laid back the mother tended to yell at Calvin. They do work as a team, which is how a marriage should work, but the father needs to be more of the leader, which I do not see as much in this comic.

Each frame is very well composed and simply drawn. There is a lot of expressiveness with the characters, their emotions and overall expressions. Calvin tends to be kind of bossy and a trouble maker, which is how a lot of young boys acted at this age. When I was little I was more of the quiet, laid back and very compassionate child compared to Calvin.

I would recommend this comic to everyone that enjoys comics, little kids and stuffed animals.

Max Ernst - A Weekend of Kindness or the Seven Deadly Elements

For the first half of the pages it conveys woman and how they are portrayed. All the images depict a rooster in each scene. These roosters are symbols to show different relationships of culture into this comic. These images seem to me like they are dreamlike of some sort. Each of the scenes portray different conflicts that go on and we continue to see in everyday situations. There are these reflections on the female nude figures that that we connect with violence. In most of the scenes the woman seem like they are being taken for granted. That they are being portrayed like objects and not people.

These were very surrealist illustrations that I think are negative affects on the uses of woman. Woman to me are the same as men. I mean yeah!!! Woman tend to be more fragile, but they mature faster than men and more of a feminine physical appearance.

Thursday
Element: Blackness
Second Example:
Easter Island

In the second half of this story it is developed from the men's viewpoints on life. They are depicted as the superior gender with the symbol of the Egyptian-nesk figures in each frame. The artist is sequencing the images very well with very gestural figures to show the narrative. The compositions get deep into your mind and mess with your minds a little.

These illustrations from both parts really explore the narrative and storytelling with the emotion and gestures in the figures and there environments.

Understanding Comics by: Scott McCloud



Scott McCloud takes us behind the scenes of comics and how to fully understand this concept of being able to identify cartoons from actual reality themselves. He goes through the background of icons and there meanings to comics and even animation. McCloud also talks a lot about the simplification of the person or object, which gives the characters more meaning and a more unique quality to them. An excellent point discussed in this comic, which I have noticed before is that we see ourselves in everything. For example, The lights and bumpers on our cars show a face and type of emotion. As a kid to even the present moment when I look at the car it somehow shows it's own emotions based on how it was designed.

There were so many other very interesting things in this comic that I myself have noticed when reading this comic. The idea that we ourselves can't actually see ourselves but vivid images of what we could look like in our thoughts. Yeah we can feel our emotions, but we can't actually physically see ourselves doing it. We can picture it in our minds, but it's not reality. We also look in the mirror and see what we look like. I agree with this idea Scott McCloud talks about in this comic. The idea that humans, even though are realistic are somehow trapped in this animated world because we were technically designed with physical attributes and looks.

For me this was a very interesting and well articulated piece of comic literature. When I look at comics, read comics and watch animations there is more iconic characters. The simplification and ample detail is what sets comics apart from real live action films. However, when comic book characters come to life on the screen there is a different perspective to it because they are still very iconic but in realistic form on the screen. Animated films have the cartoony style that I love. The cartoony yet realistic quality to the cartoon characters fascinates me. It's as if they are part of reality themselves. The environments themselves tend to look more realistic but they connect very well to the characters and there situation.

Archie's Girls - Betty and Veronica No. 198

 
Betty and Veronica are two close friends that depict the average poor and wealthy woman during the 1970s. Betty is a very pretty, sweet and poor, while Veronica is a very wealthy and abrasive. Yes!! They do have there differences, but at times they get along well with each other. Betty and Veronica both find Archie attractive. Archie seems to be racing between the two woman to do activities that they enjoy. One minute you will find Betty with Archie sewing patches and the next Archie is racing towards Veronica to go shopping with her.

This comic is a great and easy read. It is very fun and enjoyable. Much like the rest of the Archie comics I have read. I like the fact that Betty and Veronica are very open people when it comes to building relationships, especially with Archie. We find that they are both very compatible people for Archie. Although I see myself picturing Betty and Archie together. I see this only because they seem to have more similar aspects then Veronica and Archie.

I would highly recommend these comics to anyone that enjoys Archie's Girls - Betty and Veronica and the rest of the gang in the Archie Series.

The Arrival - Using Pictures to Tell a Story

This story of The Arrival potrays importance towards a man that immigrates to a desirable new land for opportunity. This story takes place during the early 1900s; a time where imagery was more intriguing to audiences. It was also around the time of silent movies. I could definitely see this as a silent movie during this time where immigration was pretty common in our world. The illustrations are that good that they alone can tell a magnificent story. Throughout this story there are clean transitions from drawing to drawing that defines the littlest of details for his travels.







Each piece of imagery shows a lot of expressiveness in the strokes and emotion in the forms and the people. For the full illustrations with environments we get a sense of the space the man is in with the beautiful buildings, architecture and the boats. He uses atmospheric perspective which really shows the space we are in. Tan uses a bunch of different camera angles through the beautifully drawn imagery. He uses a lot of close-ups, medium shots, long shots, establishing shots, ariel shots and a couple deep focus shots. This story also focuses on depression, misery, sadness, peace and also happiness. One of the main symbols that stood out to me were the white birds. They symbolize peace and the birds show how this new land could be a peaceful place for the man to settle in.



This comic had a very deep story behind the immigrant which was very powerful way to portray it. My great-grandfather came to the US at the age of 16 from Italy. He didn't have that much money and came overseas on a boat by himself. He learned the American language by reading the paper. He made my grandfather work starting at a very early age. From the stories that have been told about my grandfather have been very inspirational to me as well as my family. So, this story made me think of the man as being my great-grandfather being transported overseas to America to look for opportunities not available in Italy.