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.