Time to play favorites with the course texts:
[Edit again: Even though it’s probably lost in the after-class void, I think I’d switch Maus and Fun Home here — putting FH at 3. The more I mull Bechdel’s memoir over the more it seems to have to say. Plus, I like that it deals openly with gender issues and homosexuality, both areas that I feel many writers, thinkers and people in general are cowardly about.]
Top 3:
1. Jimmy Corrigan
I loved this book. As I said in response to Chandra’s post, Chris Ware managed to do something rare in that he was able (I think) to present a portrayal of intense awkwardness and loneliness in a way that wasn’t full of the wallowing theatrics of self-pity. I loved all the quirky touches Ware includes also, like the cutout zoetrope, and the fact that these touches aren’t just non sequiturs, they have actually thematic significance as well. Also, just some really great tragic scenes, like when the boy grandfather throws the tin horse-lump into the snow before frantically clawing it out again. And the intricacy of some of the art is really fascinating, like the map in the front matter. I could ramble about Jimmy Corrigan for a while, so I’ll cut myself off here, and try to abridge my next “reviews.” [EDIT: Abridgement didn’t work too well.]
2. Watchmen
Alan Moore is a scary, bearded nutjob genius. The Rasputin/Charles Manson hybrid look-alike approaches the superhero mythos with characteristic narrative complexity and philosophical depth. The characters of Rohrshach, the Comedian, and Dr. Manhattan are especially interesting to me. The book seems to invite the readers to identify with (or be intrigued by) Rohrshach specifically, perhaps as a cathartic impulse at the perceived ongoing injustice in the world, and then forces them to confront the question of his lawlessness and violence, the moral conundrum he presents. Ultimately, Watchmen is about the nature of power, and it’s such an incredibly fascinating analysis of it, and its uses and abuses. Really incredible. (Also, love the “opposite” color palette.) If there’s anything problematic with the text, it’s probably that there really aren’t any compelling female characters, but I guess that could be a reflection on the superhero genre in itself.
3. Maus
Of course, Maus is legendary, so I doubt there’s anything new I could say about the “why” of its effectiveness or appeal. The most compelling (need to stop using that word so much [EDIT: The word “compelling” appears six times in the span of this list]) Holocaust narrative I’ve come across. I think academics and theoreticians are right when they say that the comic / graphic novel medium has a unique appropriateness for traumatic material or retellings of traumatic material. Maus is the case study for that. Either way, really amazing stuff, and certainly Art Spiegelman deserves his fame.
[IN PROCESS OBSERVATION: Holy crap I’m writing way too much, so I’m sticking to explaining my top 3 and a bottom 3.]
TIE 4/5. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns AND Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic : (Tie because they both deal compellingly with such similar issues.)
6. Uzumaki
Bottom 3:
7. Persepolis
Sorry, Marjane. Although I think Persepolis is a good piece of work and a compelling one, this is the third time I’ve read it through for class and cracks are showing. I feel like the childhood portion of Persepolis is the most interesting, perhaps because it juxtaposes the idealism and innocence of childhood with the violence and subjugation of revolution and authoritarianism. I feel, ultimately, that the reason Persepolis is interesting is because of the unfamiliar context of the Iran war and political struggles, when these are removed, the narrative loses its uniqueness or freshness. And these are removed more are less in the Austrian section. Maybe in part I’m reacting to the hype the books / film received on release, probably due in part to loose comparisons drawn with Maus. I guess I’m saying Persepolis is overrated. Still good, but overrated. Or maybe I’ve just read it / talked about it / wrote about it too much.
8. In My Darkest Hour
In my opinion, this book might be better titled The Pathetic Misadventures of a Womanizing, Self-Pitying Douchebag. Although towards the end I was able to salvage some sympathy for Omar, throughout practically all the narrative he was thoroughly unappealing. Obviously, being bi-polar is no cakewalk, but valium and forties of OE aren’t going to keep you level. So, he self-medicates and then complains about feeling like crap. Omar is sometimes narcissistic, frequently misogynistic, and always pathetic. Not disturbing, just lame. As a saving grace, the surreal collage artwork was interesting.
9. American Born Chinese
This book just had no teeth. I think if you’re going to address topics as layered and heavy as immigration and racism you have to be willing to push the envelope, because its ground that’s been tread so often before. I realize this graphic novel was aimed at a wider audience, but still… No envelope pushing, and nothing new.