1) Clean vs rough
Something that really struck me about Chris Ware’s work was that not only was it incredibly detailed, colored with clarity and taste, and given to unconventional layouts (as I mentioned in the Twitter conversation, the panel configuration gave me fits for some time, as I kept reading left to right, instead of realizing the “small panels in their group first, then the big panel” pattern), but one of the most rigidly clean examples of draftsmanship we’ve seen this semester.
The hyper-normative straightness of the lines, their extremely uniform thickness, the precise angles, curves, and shapes which Ware uses to construct his narrative emphasize the digital nature of his creative process. The razor-edged houses and compass-perfect circular heads and wheels make it obvious that Ware didn’t draw the finished product on a paper and then scan it in and ink it. However, I thought back to last weeks reading, and found the fact that Baker drew Nat Turner similarly entirely digitally (as indicated by the note which mentioned that the one-volume edition was colored directly from the digital files) fascinating. Both Ware and Baker utilize digital capabilities to their limits – Ware to create a seemingly sterile, utterly clean world of lines, angles, and monotone colors (note that there is little to no shading on objects, though often shadows will appear on the ground and walls), and Baker to facilitate the illusion of a rough pencil or charcoal sketch (the nature of his lines makes me wonder how this effect was accomplished) while seamlessly incorporating photographs and other artefacts which he did not draw (most obviously his alteration of the historical image of Nat Turner, and every time a gun appears).
Such a dramatically diverse approach to the same tools makes me wonder the thematic purposes behind such choices. Baker clearly emphasized the violence and uncontrolled nature of his narrative through his chosen methods, while Ware seems to indicate the claustrophobic, disconnected, overly-polished life of his severely damaged main character.
2) Superman
I kept noticing how ugly every appearance of Superman or a Superman figure was. The book opens with Jimmy’s mother being seduced by the seemingly genial Superman actor in a rather sordid vignette. Later, Superman leaps to his (still very clean) death as Jimmy watches from his office, an action Jimmy later contemplates. Part of me wishes Ware had made more of the comic book conventions and fixations on superheros. As it is, I am disturbed by Ware’s use of the figure of a costumed hero, but not terribly enlightened on what insight he has into the idea.