finally! it onyl took me half the semester...

2005-10-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

after many attempts, i am back in action with blogger. for some reason, it wasn't letting me sign in to post, so i've just been keeping my posts in a word document and subsequently forgetting that no one else could actually access them... but i will work on getting them up to account for the past....oh my, two months. i truly apologize to the class (and whoever else is reading this) for my lack of postings - but i hope my fruitful class participations in discussion have been making up for all that...

but now i suppose it's onward and upward.

Mid-way through Understanding Comics I realized I had developed a ginormous crush on Mr Scott McCloud. His explanation of comics and art and everything was just so ridiculously thorough, I couldn't help but to fall in love. I loved several entire pages of his concise explanations of the finer points about the power of lines, and gutters, and color!, and even his conclusion made me feel all warm and mushy inside.

However, sadly enough, Reinventing Comics was not the same experience. Whether it was because I "had" to read it for class, or because the novelty factor was already used up, or because it was discussing technology that made even me feel old (2000 was not that long ago, but I suppose technology years work like dog years or something) - it just wasn't as enjoyable. And I think this is due to several reasons...

McCloud does not provide realistic solutions to seemingly massive inherent problems withint the comics industry. He does, however, annoyingly only hint at what he thinks would work. And it's usually some overly idealistic (even for me) hope that people will wise up and buy good independent comics.

McCloud does not go into detail about comic book retailers, and why stores mostly profit from figurines and trading cards, etc. This seems like a major breakdown or loophole in his argument/logic, because if comics are as amazing as he (and I) think they are, what's the deal with people not buying them but plastic figures instead? I personally can't think of answers - especially when he has been so great about spelling - and drawing - them all out for me.

He does not go into comic book conventions, which personally confuse me.

He also seems to ignore the growing importance of films and/or their directors (and I know it was a little too early for Spidey, but I was thinking of folks such as Kevin Smith) who are obviously influenced by comics, and in turn add to the fan base. I was really expecting some sort of nod to this movement, especially concerning the current digital advertisement mania that surrounds these comic-based films.

And that's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure the class discussion will inspire me to think of more problems I encountered with this sequel.

On a more personal note, I guess I should include my experiences reading RC. As much as I love reading and speeding through comic frames (my mother swears that I learned to read courtesy of Barbie comics when I was two. She thought I was only looking at all the colors and pictures until I busted out some Thai greetings to a waiter on our cruise ship when I was three, all because I read it in some sort of Vacation Barbie issue), I realized I am not such a dedicated comic reader. I noticed that I tend to read only the text, and even then have trouble absorbing most of what I read. It was frustrating to lose my place (or have trouble following the structure), only to realize I wasn't sure where it was in the first place. With UC I read it all in one sitting, in one plane ride to Portland. But in my brilliance I left the assigned reading on my bed, and had to read the sequel when I returned on Tuesday. I found that frequently stopping and starting just isn't the same sort of experience for me - although it did force me to keep track of the information I was digesting. And a pretty wild sight was to see that my book's previous owner had highlighted two statements within their bubbles - since I had never even thought to do that. I simply dog-eared the pages I found interesting, without deigning to even take notes directly on top of the pages. I guess McCloud would be happy to know that, interpreting this as a type of respect for the art form. Because when it comes down to it, I do respect (so much so, it has manifested into that crush I was talking about) him, and his mastery of art in particular. But qualms aside, I still enjoyed this reading immensely. And really really recommend checking out Understanding Comics.

Oh, and some questions I ran into: What's up with Art Spiegelman writing "comix" instead of comics in his backcover praise for UC? Was anyone else kind of disappointed with the chapter on "The Battle for Diversity"? And does anyone have any comics (preferably written by women...maybe not Barbie, if you please) they'd like to lend me to help sate my reborn appetite for comics?

That's all (for now), folks.
Peace

the end of a blogless era

2005-08-31T15:57:00.000-07:00

so this is my first ever posting on my first ever blog. weird. even though i feel like the little overachiever i was in grade school, i am actually proud that i got this whole shebang set up right away -- otherwise i'd probably have forgotten, and that wouldn't exactly make a good first blog impression, now would it?

My So-Called 'Blog'

finally! it onyl took me half the semester...

the end of a blogless era