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.