JTHM

Reading this book was a very different experience. I was reading it fast and comprehending what was going on. I usually am not fond of violent books or ones dealing with torture, but this one was done in such a way that it was more comical than gruesome. I loved Johnny's character and personality. He was so ridiculous it was hard not to sympathize with him. Johnny's relationship with Squee was one of my favorite parts of the novel. It was so one sided, but it was funny to see Johnny's affections towards him in contrast to his hatred of humanity. 

The comic was so twisted and ridiculous it was hard not to like. He never got caught and I guess it is because he was killing  people that were forgotten. These people were evil or hated in some way and others wish they could kill them. Johnny was a bit insane or schizophrenic I think. Talking to a nail, bunny and doughboys. Or painting the wall with blood so that giant monster wouldn't come out. He was funny and it would be a shame to waste such perfect insanity.

Watchmen

It's hard to know where to begin. Watchmen, requires more than one reading to fully grasp everything thrown at you. Moore is a master at throwing clues to his audience without them even knowing it. Only by going back an reviewing the book over again will you see Moore's trademark subtleties. 

Moore is a skilled artist, he combining fact with fiction to make it all work. Everything Moore has created is believable; from Dr. Manhattan's super-human metamorphosis to a giant alien squid destroying New York. It seems that he must be a master of research, whether it's because he goes out and obtains it or if he has a very broad spectrum of general knowledge. Gathering fact and including it in fiction takes your audiences to places they wouldn't think possible.

Diary of A Dominatrix

For Women comic writers section, I chose to read Diary of a Dominatrix. This was a really different , I've never read anything like it, and I've never been interested in fetishes or masochism. What I like about this comic was its simplicity, and occasional humor. The story isn't complicated at all. There really isn't much of a plot, it is merely a series of events in the life of a dominatrix. As well as an explanation of details of a Dominatrix's life. When I say details, I really mean it too! Tools and procedures are outlined to their fullest extent. Overall I think it's sometimes good to step out of your area of comfort. I'm not opposed to sex or even dominatrix fetishes. Somehow Kiely does a good job of a pulling back after making you cringe and enjoying some light humor. 

Ghost World

          Ghost World is the story of two teenage girls, struggling to leave the childish things of their past behind and find adulthood to be strange and unforgiving. The girls are superbly realised, surrounded as they are by a host of caricatures the extremist teenager who rebels against liberalism, the shy young boy who finds himself at the wrong end of the girls’ sexual frustrations, the parents who can’t do the right thing and a supporting cast of assorted weirdoes.

         The artwork is black and white and adds green highlights as the go-between. At first this seems a bit strange, as the black on white would be more than sufficient, though the extra colour adds a subtlety of depth that shades the world with a ghostly and atmospheric hue, brining these teenagers’ world alive. This comic is a fascinating insight into the mind of the disenfranchised youngster. Insecurity, anxiety, frustration and inevitability are mixed with friendship, love, independence and fun. 

Heavy Metal

There was very little story line, just a common theme. There is no real plot in any of the stories, there is only a common theme of scifi and surrealism. But what I liked about the comic was the style of artwork that seemed just as chaotic as it's written content. I feel like this style was ahead of it's time and its random story-telling with bright, flashy colors, violence, and sex. I definitely feel that there is a certain level of creativity invested in these works, but it's nothing that should be taken too seriously. I think the creators sometimes get a kick out of producing a simple story and having critics invest all this energy into giving it a greater purpose. I see Heavy Metal simply as the artist's attempt to create an ideal world or situation. 

Osamu Tezuka's Buddha Vol. 1

    This week I read Osamu Tezuka's Buddha series. The first volume was 400 pages, and is a very easy read. His style is very playful and energetic. Emotions are clear and are pushed, but don't appear as cliche. You can see he is  influenced by Walt Disney, especially with how he draws animals. What is most interesting is that Buddha, is barely features in this book at all. His mother and father are mentioned as he is born. Which really emphasizes how much more entertaining the other characters are in comparison to the main plot. The main story follows a young monk, two slaves, and a pariah named Tatta. Rather than giving a biography into the life of Siddhartha Tezuka chooses to give an insight into his teachings and ideals.


     The story begins by following a Brahmin, or monk, who is sent by his master to seek out one who would be a god or a king. In his quest the Brahmin discovers that the person for whom he is searching is from the lowest class, below slaves, a pariah. This pariah, Tatta, has the ability to become a god or a king with his wisdom. He can take over an animals mind and command its body while speaks to them. Tatta sees all life as equal, human and animal alike. In his life Tatta has befriended a young slave trying to save his mother. Their village is attacked by a neighboring monarchy and Tatta's friends and family are killed. Chapra a slave boy, winds up saving the enemy general and is adopted as his son. So the Brahmin, along with Tatta and Chapra's mother set out across the desert in search of Chapra.


      Chapra ignores all ideals of Buddhism in his rise from slave to noble and thus his life is not as positive as it would seem to be. However Chapra is marked as a slave by a brand on his foot and so he can never truly escape his past. He is a slave and will always be a slave. Even as Chapra abandons his past and his mother, Tatta, and the Brahmin continue to search for him, to rescue him. And along the way they face great hardships, the most poignant of which is when Tatta sacrifices himself to be eaten by a snake in order to make a trade. The snake would give some of its eggs to Chapra's mother and the Brahmin so that they may eat as a plague of locusts came and devoured everything around for miles.

Tezuka's style leant to this story is slightly off-putting at first but as you adjust you begin to see the poignant and expressive nature of the artwork. The story of Siddhartha, his life and his teachings, is a very important one in Asian cultures and Tezuka's telling of it is very clear and respectful, allowing non-Buddhist people to read and understand the story of the founding of the religion.

Week 7 -Maus 1 T/ Maus 2

These are some of the first graphic narrative book that i have read. The story keeps you so interested. I had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to know what happened next the plot was so jaw dropping and the art was so interesting they way people were portrayed as animals. Art Spiegelman really knew what he was doing and shows people what the Holocaust was like from a different perspective. It is nice that you see how much he  cares about his father but has a had time showing it cause his father is so stubborn. Art Spiegelman, wanting to record his father's Vladek Spiegelman history as a graphic novel, conducts a series of interviews with him over several years. Vladek tells how German policy towards Jews slowly changed in the late 1930s, and how his family came to suffer, persecution, and loss of life. Talks about Vladek and how he tried to make the most out of the difficult situations he faced. Once i had finished the first i could wait to read the second.