Author Archives: lkelly6

Respondents: Favorites

Not sure where the original posting of the favorites was, but I like reading other people’s rankings and now I feel like jumping on the bandwagon, so here’s my list: (9 the least favorite, #1 is, well #1)

9

In my Darkest Hour

Literally, the entire graphic novel eluded me. I missed the past of sexual abuse, his moments of reflection and his moments of reality. The only thing I grasped on first reading was the intriguing style of art. I felt pretty sheepish in class when the true subject matter was being discussed. I had to read the novel again. Still, I think I have a mental block on Santiago’s method.

8.

Uzumaki

Hm, manga is something new to me. I read a few Sailor Moons when I was younger, but honestly thought it was some extreme coloring book when I was 7 years old. So, I colored my Sailor Moons, put them in a box when I was done, and haven’t really looked at manga since. Uzumaki either made me gag with grotesque imagery (especially snippets from the 2nd and 3rd books that people brought in) or it made me laugh. The “scary” spirals? Mmhmm.

7.

Jimmy Corrigan

I feel bad for having this so close to the least favorite. I really understand Ware’s graphic novel to be a work of art. And I should give it more credit, because I rarely sympathize with characters when reading, yet when Jimmy’s sister pushes him in the Dr’s after the news of their father, with a vicious “Get away from me!” I actually got teary-eyed. I don’t like crying from a book, so maybe that’s why it’s up at #8, although I do like the fact that there is a book that could make me cry.

6.

Fun Home

You know what it is, I have too many favorites, these aren’t really my least favorite, they just lose a little on the competitive favorited. I liked Fun Home for its dry humor. As an English major with Modern British Literature as my concentration, I loved understanding most to all of the literary references. I saw so many parallels, contradictions and symbolism in Bechdel’s neurotic depiction.

5.

Batman

Never was one for D.C. comics. The most excitement I got from a D.C. hero was the xbox360 game, Mortal Kombat v. D.C. Universe.

4.

American Born Chinese

I haven’t had to read a young adult book in a long time. I think the bright colors, shiny pages, cute characters (MONKEY and Chin-kee) attracted my inner child more than my brain.

3.

Maus

Absolutely loved Maus. Couldn’t understand why he changed the art though. The non-published version looked cartoony to many, maybe that’s why Spiegelman didn’t pick it, but to me it was much more real. I understand the stark look of the style he did choose. I also loved this was a true story. After hearing the tape of his father, actually on the bike, made me appreciate the genuine dedication Spiegelman put into his ever-resourceful father.

2.

Persepolis

My first reuniting with Graphic Novels since color-book-Sailor Moon. haha. I read this for Islam Studies a couple semesters ago and was so obsessed with the story (and my infatuation for the Middle East regardless), I got the movie. I love Satrapi’s style.

1.

Watchmen

Alan Moore is AMAZING. Bob Dylan, Deism worked so seamlessly into a fantastic comic?  I was obsessed with nearly every page. What to say….every panel became my new favorite. Favorites rarely can be justified; that’s how you know you love them.

First Readers: In my Darkest Hour

I had trouble figuring out what to be my first reader topic. There’s a recurring theme of 2012 in the graphic novel, after Omar learns about this end of the world theory 12-21-12. It’s his total on a cash register, at one point I think it’s his alarm clock – this doesn’t surprise me that he sees the numbers constantly, now that he knows what they can stand for. What makes me wonder, though, is where did the theme go? It just kinda drops off.

And I’m not sure of what to make of this novel. Manic-depressive, bipolar, slightly neurotic, aging fat man is getting paranoid about his state of being at this stage of his life right now. It’s not really traumatic or unfortunate enough for me to care – that possibly sounds really messed up of me – but anyway, I didn’t really connect/appreciate the storyline. I like the art though. And what I really like about the art is the advertisements are in their true iconic form. For example, the Mrs. Fields cookie bag is the actual font, icon, logo that we see in real life. I guess Santiago can’t do this with everything (big name Fox news becomes Faux, but the font and angled shapes are still there), but I wondered why he focused so much on making sure the logos of pop culture are exactly as we see them today in our lives. Would it really make much difference if that bag of cookies wasn’t Mrs. Fields?

Is Santiago trying to really draw a criticism to these big corporations in his graphic novel? Do these corporations/exact logos have some sort of influence on Omar?

Respondents: Identity Crisis

Vaeyn writes:

I find it interesting that the assigned section covers Marjane’s identity crisis. I don’t know if it what was by design or coincidence but it was nice either way.
The first chapter of the section for the week was The Vegetable. I like how it started off with a very detailed look into the awkwardness of growing into an adult. The self consciousness of how you know they are staring at your foot that is bigger than the other one, or that random mole or blemish. It is an interesting look into the personal fable of all teenagers.
The more Marjane tries to fit in the more she ends up becoming the person everyone else wanted her to be. She cuts her hair to look more punk, and smokes joints because her friends do. There is even a point that she lies about heritage at a bar to just fit in.
She goes back and forth between moments of experimentation and returning to herself. After she gives up the punk look she goes through a brief period of returning to herself, but then she starts dating. It is no longer about pleasing everyone, but instead pleasing that one person. Marjane even goes as far as becoming a drug dealer for Jean Paul.
Finally when she returns home she finds out how far her life in Europe has taken her from what she was. In one scene her girl friends ask her about sex and when Marjane tells them she has had sex with multiple men they call her a whore. She goes from one extreme a sexual revaluation to the repressed ways of the fundamentalists. At this point I think it is when Marjane realizes that her attempts to be accepted in Europe made it so she no longer fit in at home.
I think it is sad to what lengths people will go to fit in. Peer pressure is a powerful thing, even more so when a person is in an experimental stage of their life. In trying to find where she would fit in during her years in Europe, Marjane loses sight of everything she was. The thing I found profound about this section is that this is where the influences of Marjane’s past mix with her present desire to be accepted, and are boiled down in the crucible of her adolescence to leave behind what will solidify into the person she becomes. It is a very personal journey and one she is lucky to survive despite her suicide attempt.
Also just to add about Marjane’s suicide attempt, I wonder if it was something did wholly on her own or was it because of a compounding effect of the drugs. Anti-depressants have a history of provoking suicidal thoughts, even more so for anyone still going through adolescences because of the constant fluctuation of hormones.

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I wanted to continue on Marjane’s struggle for identity.  There were a couple instances in the graphic novel where I felt Marjane’s complex can be waived on multiple levels. Firstly, she’s a teenager so an amount of her struggle can be brushed off cause of her age. Then there is pg 79 where she is completely in tears over Marcus, but the last panel she wonders three things: with a wavering face, “where is my mother to stroke my hair?” with a reminiscint face, “where is my grandma to tell me there will be tons of other boys?” and finally, with a strong face, “where is my father to punish this boy?” These three questions reveal a lot about Marjane’s identity crisis.  Basically, she’s alone and has no idea how to act. She is imagining what her family would tell her/do for her in this situation, if only they were there. But no one is there and they can’t act on it. Marjane is left with a void, but she knows what should fill it. This creates a tension inside Marjane.

Another peer-pressure/fitting in pressure that I recognized in Marjane’s life is on page 120. She gets rid of her obsessive hair on her body, and face. She throws out clothes and has new ones made – an emphasis on her bare, hairless legs in a pair of strappy heels. Then her hair gets cut and permed. There’s brief little panel where she is shopping, and she’s all covered again. And then the next panel, she starts with makeup, emphasis on her lips. I think she has trouble fitting in under unusual circumstances here because she is used to being covered, having no need to get rid of her hair (for who can see it?) but yet, at the same time, she is getting her hair done, wearing makeup, upkeeping with hair, going shopping…these are two different cultures smashing into one person.

So, in summary, I agree that teenagers will do a lot to try to fit in. There’s a lot of peer pressure. But for Marjane, I feel she has these natural basics, but the complexities of her case justify her obsessive ‘what is my identity?’ She has no family to guide her, yet she knows what they would do if they were around. That has to be very frustrating, to know what to expect, what would help, and then…it’s just not there. Also, she is used to going out in public in fundamentalist dress, andd now she’s experimenting cosmetically with everything. She’s probably having trouble defining her comfort level on what she wants to look like.

searchers: american born chinese

So I know I’m early – searchers is due Oct 29th, but I found this and thought I’d just get it done with

I really like this clip because it has a real interview w the creator of American Born Chinese.

I think an important definition to note is that Gene Wang says the novel is about “Creating an Identity for Yourself in America”. This can be a struggle b.c it’s natural for people to want to belong – but also to keep their own specific cultural history special at the same time. Meshing the two together can create a complex.

Gene Wang also says that American can be seen as a community of individuals, and as a comic book creator, he has found a parallel in his profession “comics is a very individualistic pursuit…expresses who you are” He continues by discussing which components of a person can be changed, and which components are vital to your individual self.

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As a side note, I would also like to say I enjoyed this clip b/c it represents a cinematic appearance like we were talking about with Jimmy Corrigan. Deftly, there are subtle movements (monkey king’s arm, etc), but also the panning of certain characters in a panel show which one is important at the moment.

-laura kelly

maus part 2

some initial insights:

As this is a true story, I appreciate the numerology on page 28 that the Priest observes in Vladek’s tattooed ID number. The intelligent religious man re instills hop e to Vladek.  Also, Vladek’s outstanding resourcefulness helps him make friends (pg 34 spoon, shoe and belt for Mandelbaum). Even in the concentration camp, Vladek manages to barter and trade to help him survive.  (Giving the shoe to a real shoesman in return for food to save his life and win a sausage) (also pg 93-94 his froggy French men share their food. ) I also noticed this second book is more gruesome in images (mice burning, mice dying of disease, being beaten, etc.)

some initial questions:

Vladek’s tale is straightforward and requires little additional questions. As Art is doing the interviewing, most questions are asked by him. However, Art confuses me. In the beginning of chapter 2, he is wearing a tied on mouse mask, that has exasperated eyes. Drawing this tastefully and keeping the seriousness of Vladek’s history is well represented on page 41, with the mound of dead, emaciated mice on the floor of his drawing table, like rolled up drafts discarded. Art for the next few pages illustrates his difficulty with his father’s tail (haha sorry) by drawing himself as a little mouse when feeling pressured and confused. When he talks with his shrink, he grows back up into man mouse. I want to know why Art includes his own thoughts and mental confusion randomally in the middle of his fathers’ tale. To me, its an interuption and I feel his confusion and stress loses credibility because he’s not nice to his father. See page 47, when Vladek is trying to vent about his problems with Mala, and Art (selfishly) yells, “ENOUGH! TELL ME ABOUT AUSCHWITZ!” Perhaps he realizes his own detachment from his father, and his lack of willingness to be a friend to his father, instead of a selfish interview, because he shrinks back into baby mouse form. I want to know if anyone else thinks like this about Art and Vladek? And if so, what motives drive Art to illustrate his disdain for his father’s personality so freely in such a widely publicized book? I view Art’s regard for Vladek as an embarrasment.

searcher: watchmen related things

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FddtfNWJ0E

Sorry I’m not really sure how to post youtube videos as videos,  just copy and past the first 2 urls.

Basically, these are videos from conventions ( I suppose)  and this artist is amazing! He is creating a watchmen mural in chalk. His attention to detail is amazing. Anyway, that’s just something I wanted to share.

This however, is my related pick:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zPIJhtYo8k

This is clips of panels set in soundtrack to a Bob Dylan’s song. It’s relevant because the lyrics correspond with some of the panels and our book does have little panels with lyrics “at midnight all the agents”, etc.  There is a parallel between the song and the graphic novel, and I think the story’s progress is shown through the song.

-laura kelly