Category Archives: Respondents

Respondent: Graphic Novel Award Show

From what I’ve seen of other’s posts, I’m glad to see that people aren’t afraid to defend their favorites. Considering that the semester is nearly over, I think such a reflective exercise is appropriate. In that same vein, I’m giving each book an “award.” I will try to keep it brief.

The Grammy for Most Played Out goes to… Persepolis. I think it’s a great book and I don’t think it’s overrated, but so many people have read it/talked about it/reviewed it/reread it that it’s just become too much. It’s like when they’ve played Toadies’ “Possum Kingdom” on DC101 for the nth time and you just want to scream. Oh dear, and now I’ve gone and compared Persepolis to Toadies.

The Emmy for Most Passive Character goes to… Kirie in Uzumaki. This book was a quick, sickly addictive read, but why was she SO SO passive? And why did she stay when her boyfriend kept telling her how freaking terrible the town was?

The Tony for Least Realistic Portrayal of Bipolar Disorder goes to… In My Darkest Hour. I totally agree with Pierce that it should’ve been called The Pathetic Misadventures of a Womanizing, Self-Pitying Douchebag. While the presenters did a good job of sharing some interesting insights, I still did not like this book. I thought it was a superficial representation of bipolar disorder and it didn’t strike me as being particularly “nightmarish.” It was a wannabe thug trying to tell a deep story and failing.

The Country Music Award for Ghettoest Production Style goes to… Jimmy Corrigan. It was a frustrating read (intellectually and physically, what with the book falling apart), but it provided good discussion, so it can’t be all bad. People seemed to either love or hate this book and although I didn’t like it, I can see that such a characteristic means that it is probably worth analyzing.

The Teen Choice Award for Most Esoteric goes to… Fun Home. I thought I would appreciate the literary allusions more, but instead they seemed to embody the pretension that comes with literary criticism that Bechdel tries to avoid. Someone mentioned that they would probably never reread Fun Home and it definitely wasn’t their favorite book, but they understood why it was important to the fabric of the course. Ditto, ditto, DITTO.

The Golden Globe for Fanboy’s Choice Award…is a tie! Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns. This tie fascinates me because I devoured DKR and I loathed reading Watchmen. Reading Watchmen was like reading any “classic”– I hated it the whole time until I finished it and, I had to grudgingly admit I understood why so many consider it to be the Bible of modern comics.

The MTV VMA for Most Harmless goes to… American Born Chinese. It seems like after all is said and done, American Born Chinese has landed in people’s “meh” pile. I think we had a lot of interesting things to say about it in class, but it doesn’t seem to have a strong lasting power in people’s minds.

The Oscar for Causing a Little Resentment Toward An American Tail goes to… Maus. I used to love An American Tail when I was a kid, but as soon as I found out that Art Spiegelman had to rush to publish Maus just so people wouldn’t associate it with the movie, I got a little annoyed at Steven Spielberg. I don’t know if he actually ripped Spiegelman off, but it all sounds rather shady.

Well hm, like all award shows, that ran way too long. This post seems really cynical and sarcastic now, but I didn’t mean it that way. I hope it was just an entertaining way of looking back on the semester and feel free to disagree.

Respondents — Another Favorites List (!)

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.

Respondent to First Readers – Fun Home (2nd week)

As far as Fun Home goes I’ve decided not to give to tuff of a time. By far it is not my favorite or one I would choose to read again, but I can’t deny that it was “necessary” in the context of the class. I was by far one of the more narrative comic books.  Literature and words are so important to the author and that is reflected in this novel. The word are so important and sometimes I would say more important than the pictures that they narrate. While I would attempt to say this, having learned more about her drawing process and seeing the intricate detail of the finished product I can’t in good conscious negate the importance of the illustrations. So I think it was a worthy addition in that it explored the more narrative side of comic books and was a very interesting depiction of the “literary” world fusing with and influencing the graphic novel world (not to separate graphic novels from the literary)

For my order of preference:

1.) Jimmy C: This surprises even me because it beat out DKR for first. I just love what Ware has accomplished in this novel. The artwork is superb; the story line complex, and the characters reflect a darker/sadder side of human nature that many can relate to. It has a grace about it, and also a sarcasm that I love. I could, have, and probably will(again) read this again. Which is saying a lot as the book is falling apart at the seams quite literally (which is infuriating)

2.) DKR: Aside from home field advantage (home field being my heart and Batman being my FAV) There was really innovative panel work in this novel. Because of its familiar content it is a great transition for baby graphic novel readers, because however familiar Batman is he comes from a very rich universe and there is a lot to be discovered there. As aforementioned it was a treasure trove of varying panels and panel transitions while the artwork is messier than I usually like it suited the content…good stuff all around

3.) American Born Chinese comes in third or 2a. I loved the brightness of this graphic novel…except its not that bright…and it was kind of flawed and lacking in the message it tried to deliver…but it was still approachable…so I don’t bear it ill will for what it lacks. I thought the illustrations were great and I loved some of the border breaking aspects of the panels. The three stories connecting was golden and the laugh track for Chin-Kee was innovative (at least I’ve never read a laugh track) Despite its shortcomings it had a great story of self discovery and self acceptance and all it lacks (in acknowledging other sides of the racial acceptance struggle)  makes it a great piece to talk about.

4.) Maus for a black and white piece this is really powerful. I don’t have much to say about this one but as a historical document I find it to be innovative and effective. As a story I find it to be engaging. This also had a lot of great panel work and the subtlety of repeating images (the swastika) in varied/unexpected forms i.e. the smoke from the chimneys.

5.) The Complete Persepolis is more of a historical document than Maus. Maus depicts one persons story from the Holocaust but there is a lot that is common knowledge concerning that horrific event. Strapoli takes the time to break down the history of Iran that most people (at least I) didn’t know. In all of her careful honest detail Strapolki successfully makes herself and her people easier to relate to. This was one of her goals and she did it successfully. This was also a novel where the words were chief in conveying the story and the emotion. It is interesting to see how Bechdel and Strapoli both focus on words but Bechdel’s pictures trump Strapoli’s in detail but both of the complete works pack a lot of emotion.

6.) Watchmen: It’s odd that this is so low on my list because I really like this novel. Plan on reading it again. I think I just like the other stories more because they were more real to me and slightly less jarring in an apocalyptic way.

7.) Uzumaki: I think I would have appreciated this more if we’d read the trilogy. I don’t like scaring/disturbing myself to no effect and I couldn’t help but feel that I was subjecting myself to horror for no reason. Aside from the experience of reading right to left and back to front I wasn’t afforded anything else especially enlightening about graphic novel technique. This is not me discrediting  it because as a graphic novel and a horror manga it was working well in a lot of way (there are some horrific images in this book) but it was essentially me scaring myself and not learning anything from it

8.) Fun Home and IMDH(slightly below Fun Home): I’ve already give my shpeal(?) for FH at the beginning of this post. It definitely served its function and accomplished its goals I personally just wouldn’t read it again. IMDH I read squinting honestly it was hard for me to look long and hard at the distorted images and get everything that I could from it. It  definitely stands out as the most visually challenging of all the novels. However I hated the illustrations and cared little for the main character. Honestly I’ll probably be returning these last three novels to the book store.

Respondants: Rating Books This Semester

1. Fun Home
I really enjoyed Fun Home. I was having a bad day and read it all in one sitting, and it was both engaging and thoughtful. I thought the end was really quite beautiful… it was a bit of a kicker somehow. Mostly, though, I think the narrative kept me on my feet. It was never dull or expected, and it used both the images and the words to full capacity.

2. The Dark Knight Returns
I think I liked the Dark Knight because it was the most obvious of the comic books on the list, and it still wasn’t what I expected. The art was engaging and the story teetering between comic silliness and disturbing psychological reality. There is also something really fun about reading Batman with such seriousness.

3. Maus
This is not the first time I read Maus, but I enjoyed it much more this time. I think it was a matter of working on the presentation for a few pages making me look harder at everything. The story is amazing, but the relationships are what are most engaging more me.

4. The Watchmen
Another one I’ve read before. Liked it then, like it now. There was a lot I gained from the class that I really didn’t know going into it either. It seems like a comic book for people who read comic books, and I appreciated the perspective I gained this time.

5. Uzumaki
I really liked the artwork in this. It was both creepy and attractive, though the story loses steam as it progresses, I think. It’s strange reading something that doesn’t end, but what’s there is interesting.

6. American Born Chinese
I’d call ABC cute, and not much else. It was a quick, easy read, but there was nothing really lasting about it, I don’t think.

7. Jimmy Corrigan
I don’t think I hated this book with the seething passion of most people, but it was a bit of a chore to fight through. I did have pity for Jimmy, though, and hope against hope that someday he’ll get his shit together. The diagrams and things are neat, though the book itself drove me a little nuts at times.

8. Persepolis
Read this before. Found it boring then too. I think the beginning when she is a kid is kinda charming, but it loses that as it goes on and just becomes something of a struggle to get through. It loses its spirit as Marjane does, I think.

9. In My Darkest Hour
Confusing, gross, confusing a little bit more… I appreciate the work that went into it, but ick.

Respondents — Favorite Books of the Semester

1. The Dark Knight Returns
First of all, this is my favorite not just because of the amazing dark artwork in it; but because Batman is the first character that comes to mind when I think of graphic novels (or comic books as the rest of us non-fanciful people would call them). As a kid I always wondered what would happened to superheros when they got old and if they all would end up in a superhero retirement home or if they would still be just as bad-ass fighting crime. The question has been answered by TDKR. Batman, still as kick ass as ever, starts to realize his mortality (as many middle-aged people do) and genuinely thinks of retiring. Also, I love that Catwoman is a Madame at a brothel in the book — so fitting.

2.  Persepolis
Honestly, this book was always on one of those “I’ll read it when I get around to it” kind of lists and I never got around to it. I loved the simplicity of the drawings and the lack of colors. The narrative began so strongly and it pulled at your heartstrings, but alas I was disappointed with the ending.

3.  The Watchmen
I was most familiar with this graphic novel when we started class  and by luck of the draw ended up getting to do my Pukea Mucha (joke.) presentation about it. I hated the movie, and that was the driving force behind me wanting to find out what kind of narrative could inspire such a god awful movie. Needless to say, the book’s much better.

4. Maus
After reading Maus several other times for other classes, I found this class discussion of Maus to be the most interesting. Not only did we focus on content, but we focused on the more subversive nature of the book — the art. Never before had I looked so closely at every detail in every frame. Its a heavy read but so worth it.

5. Jimmy Corrigan
Had a tough time reading this one, didn’t really like the narrative and could only relate/admire the intricate details in certain frames and pages.

6. American Born Chinese
Quick read, great moral. Simple drawings, but I couldn’t relate culturally.

7. Fun Home
I think this book would have better served itself earlier on in the semester. Its such a lush book with so many facets that placing it at the end of the semester when everyone is burnt out and stressed about so many other projects is a bad idea. Yes, there are a lot of literal references, nooks and crannies that can be explored (no pun intended), and  I would have loved to have spent more time reading into these details — save for the fact that I am inundated by multiple term papers and essay tests.

8. Uzumaki
Didn’t like this book at all. The drawings were detailed and the story was horrific but I don’t really like horror stories to begin with.

9. In My Darkest Hour
Tied with Uzumaki. I could grasp the fuzzy images and I hated the collage of different media types. I have bad eyesight to begin with and trying to focus on a blurred page gave me a headache.

Respondents-Re: Natalie’s First Reader Post

Natalie wrote:

As I’ve been reading this, I’ve been wondering about what makes this a remarkable graphic novel or piece of literary text. I mean, Time made it its #1 book of the year in 2006. This is not to say that I don’t like the book! There is just a lot of text and the memoir itself seems steeped in literature. I was just wondering if this book would be the same (or better?) if it were just a straight up novel.

We had a class discussion about whether or not Jimmy Corrigan could be translated into film or novel form. The general consensus was that Jimmy was just too damn avant-garde and comic-specific to be anything other than a graphic novel. I don’t know if this is necessarily the case with Fun Home. To me, a lot of the things that Bechdel draws could also be effectively conveyed through vivid imagery (Everyonecan picture that slightly creepy Dad who wears cut-off jean shorts.).  This thought then makes me wonder if the book would be as heralded as it is if it were mere novel. Is what makes it original the fact that it’s a comic book?

Bechdel’s art style is very detailed at moments, but it is still very iconic and therefore I don’t know if the drawings really help evoke the extravagant nature of her house (except maybe the last panel of p. 17). The only real function I see in the art is that it helps make the literary illusions more subtle (so she doesn’t actually have to say, “Yeah, I masturbated to Anais Nin.”) Perhaps my opinion will change once I finish the book. What do other people think? Could Fun Homefunction pretty well as a straight up novel?

—————————————————————————————————————————

Now that we’ve discussed in class the plausibility of Fun Home being made into a novel, I’d agree with your hesitation to say that it would still be as critically acclaimed. I think that the art holds a TON of meaning, and while it could be translated into words, the work would probably lose some merit in doing so. I believe that Fun Home was so well-received due largely to it’s genre of graphic novel.

Fun Home stands out as a work comprised of very iconic, cartoon-y images, mixed with such verbose prose and heavy (emotionally) content. That combination of qualities is what makes it so great. Or so Time says. If you take the imagery aspect out of the mix, it’s not quite the same. You’d still be left with a novel that is verbose and has a deep story line, but without that third element of illustration, Fun Home wouldn’t be as admirable, I don’t think. I’m sure it could function alright, but that outstanding quality Fun Home possesses that won it such praise wouldn’t shine as brightly.

 

First reader/ Respondent Fun Home (week15) -Alexa

Responding to Nathalie’s question if Fun Home could function as a straight up novel? I think it could. I thought the text she wrote, as well as the dictionary definitions, letters, and maps could have been displayed in a novel and it wouldn’t have changed their effect. I found most of the images being secondary to the text- which hasn’t been the case with other texts we’ve come across this semester in Eng493. The inclusion of so many literary, textual references could have worked in a novel as well.  Most of the images throughout Fun Home could have been easily depicted with vivid imagery. If it was a novel, I probably would have imagined her dad as being way more handsome than Robert Redford, even thought he looked pretty attractive in the picture we saw in the clip online and he looked dorky and creepy in the graphic novel. Whatever.

As to why it’s #1 in Time…maybe it’s seen as being original because she’s telling such a unique and crazy story. How many families do you know work with a funeral home (although it’s such a small part of the plot…at least to me) and have a mostly closeted gay dad and a lesbian daughter? I guess that makes it unique. I don’t know if it was the first…only….last graphic novel written by a lesbian about her own life, but I’m pretty sure there aren’t a lot of graphic novels like these. I guess it tests the norms of graphic novels. Maybe that’s the reason Fun Home was so widely recognized. It also tests the norms of graphic novels by having so many literary references. At times, I felt like Alison Bechdel was trying to brag about how well read she is. I was overwhelmed by literary references…except when they were about mythology and The Great Gatsby.  Overall, I’m not trying to be so hard on Fun Home. I really enjoyed reading it. Once again, it was a very different type of graphic novel. It was more intellectually stimulating to me than some of the others- probably because I’m not much of the graphic novel type…but I have enjoyed sampling a little bit of everything in this class this semester.

Respondent-Shannon-Bechdel’s Feelings about her Dad

My interpretation of Allison’s relationship with her dad is of those unsolved and unanswered attachment and of awkwardness. Allison’s feeling toward her dad is not a simple attitude. Instead they are mixed feelings of dissatisfaction and also at the same time the search of approval.

Allison and Her dad shares the kind of world that no one else in the family can approach in the same way. Both of their homosexuality separates them in a world of their own and makes the boundary to the others outside. They share the same kind of interest such as their understanding and appreciation of many complicated philosophers and authors. They also share the same kind of taste in manliness such as muscularity and clothing styles.

Their conflict comes in how they act on these preferences. Allison’s father wants to accomplish his wants and interests through Allison, who in her own wants to be like man, refuses it.

They coexist in the harmony of shared interests and also dissonance caused from their different sexuality.

Respondent to: First Readers – Bechdel’s feelings about her dad

As we discussed on Tuesday, Bechdel did not want to accept that maybe her father’s death really was a suicide that had nothing to do with her. She wanted to keep a connection with her father no matter how bad or insignificant it was. In the next three chapters we see this occurring. Bechdel even says they tried to make the other more of what gender they should be instead of focusing on their own. Her father makes her wear a barrette in her hair. He also buys her dresses he wants t her to wear that are feminine. Bechdel tries to suggest to her father of what kind of suits he should wear, for example the blazer that she was looking at in a magazine. In both cases they failed but they still had an odd connection with each other. There is more of a connection seen, however small, between the two of them than any other member of the family. Even her mother is not so connected with the family, seems to be in denial about what is happening to husband and daughter.

Even thought the family is as she says, “…a sham. That our hose was not a real home at all but the simulacrum of one…” (Page 17) she seems to have some sort of contentment with the relationship she has with her father.  Maybe that small connection is something she wants to keep of her father since she seemed to always have a small connection.

-Kimberly S

Respondent-Shannon-Bechdel’s Feelings about her Dad

I was glad that the first reader brought up Bechdel’s ponderings about her own objectivity in characterizing her dad, and how much of his identity is just her wishful thinking. One of the reasons I think I like this novel so much is that it doesn’t fall into the trap that many books dealing with sexuality do; excessive labeling with no thought about the labels themselves. So often, a character will decide that he or she is “gay,” with no real explanation of what they are actually naming in themselves. I’m of the opinion that human sexuality is way too complex to be accurately described by the terms “gay,” “straight,” or “bisexual,” and so most authors who use these terms are inherently problematic to me.

And at first, I felt like Fun Home was veering in that same direction. Alison of the story, in fact, discovers the label before she even has the experiences normally associated with it: “a revelation not of the flesh, but of the mind” (pg 74). But there’s a difference here; Bechdel is not, as an author, saying that lesbians are actually a discrete  class of people, not suggesting that there was anything that truly seperated her from others, but simply portraying how she self-identified and how it helped her find belonging.

The reason I suspect that the Bechdel of today has a more complex view of sexuality is that she puts it in her book, but she lets this theory come from her fathers’ mouth, not hers. At one point, he asks, “Do you have to put a label on yourself?” (pg 211) Alison doesn’t seem to gain much from his words when he says them, but they’ve obviously stuck with Bechdel the author, shown in the later musing that the first reader noted: she recognizes that she may have been hasty “to claim him as ‘gay’ in the way I am ‘gay,’ as opposed to bisexual or some other category” (pg 230).

Although gay men and lesbians are largely portrayed in this book as true communities, seperate from the mainstream and with certain easy-to-identify characteristics, I appreciated that there are some glimpses of the idea that this is not the way things always are, or have to be. I also appreciated that Bechdel recognized those ideas were not hers at the time the story, and therefore attributes them appropriately to her father.

Respondents: Paying Attention to Detail

A lot of the first reader posts discussed the incorporation of texts and images and how they mostly seem to blur or skew themselves, as well as the incorporation of the clear images of brands or photographs. Jessica pointed out in her first reader post that McCloud wrote “the more defined the artwork, the less relatable to the reader,” which was definitely the case for me while reading. It was a little unnerving to me to see these things that seemed so out realistic and out of place in a world that was clearly full of anguish. The mixed media artwork reminded me a lot of zine art as well, and usually I would think of the blurriness of the artwork as a soft thing, but here there is a significant harshness or crudeness (not only in the content) to it. The yellow hues remind me a lot of acid as well, which I think mirrors the deterioration of Omar’s mental state. I found that the distorted images drew me in more and had me paying more attention to the detail in those pages, while the clear images of brands or photographs jolted me out of the graphic novel, even though those distortions didn’t really have a lot of detail to begin with.

It was definitely a completely different experience than any graphic novel that I’ve read. I was frustrated and annoyed reading it the first time, but after the second time, I found myself really enjoying it and understanding that the things that I found annoying were…kind of the point?

Response: Strangeness in My Darkest Hour

The book may seem strange in many ways, but to me it’s a complete reflection of how disturbing and dark real life can be. Life isn’t four neatly drawn panels on a page; it’s gritty, raw, and completely disconnected. Santiago did an excellent job displaying that for us here, taking us to the deep recesses of Omar’s thoughts, thoughts that any person could have at any given time. It’s the darkness itself that provides us with an interesting story where, because without it Omar is simply just another uncommitted individual with normal human tendencies. We read this novel because we want to see Omar spiral (no relation to Uzumaki) into oblivion, we want to see him hit rock bottom, because that’s where the drama is and that is what’s entertaining. If this novel had been neatly drawn like American Born Chinese, there would be a completely different opinion on it. But through Santiago’s dark and disturbing style, he provides us with something so much more, because in all honesty not a whole lot happens in terms of actual story. The fact that Santiago blended these dark images with the subliminal enhances its more realistic approach and kept us in reality when at times it seemed we were drifting further and further away from it. It is my opinion that this book is the closest to reality that we’ve read yet and really causes one to reflect on his or her life. Even that alone says a lot about this novel.

Response to Jessica’s first reader post- Alexa Romano

I believe that Santiago’s mixture of art styles was very intentional. The realistic backdrops and images of pop culture (like the beer, bags of food, posters, shirts, and TV images) made the content more relatable. I was also able to gague a time period of the graphic novel. “The Watchmen” clearly provides dates but reading “In My Darkest Hour” we’re forced to use the pop culture references in order to figure out the time period and setting.  The more graphic, real pictures of naked women were very striking and caught me off guard. Those were obviously intentional. They spark a different emotional response than drawings of a naked female body. (… I wonder how those women pictured feel about being naked in a graphic novel…). The drawn pictures didn’t catch me off guard, I expected drawn nudity but seeing the actual pictures really startled me. I think that’s what he wanted. To startle the readers. To cause a weird mix of emotions. I felt more like Omar because I was confused, startled, among other things. The simply drawn characters allows me to go in and out of relating to Omar. However, the very intricate, distorted images, along with their text, forced me out of the graphic novel. I’d become too overwhelmed and confused trying to decipher them. I’d become detached. It was a very different emotional expericnce than I’ve felt in the other graphic novels. Maus was very emotional for me, but in a sad, sympathetic way. I was confused by Jimmy Corrigan. I was constantly changing my emotions with “In My Darkest Hour.”

In My Darkest Hour-Response to lkelly6

I think lkelly6 and I probably hold the same viewpoint regarding IMDH. The one thing that I could appreciate the most was the art; the juxtaposition of the drawings with real photographs. I personally liked the Taxi Driver poster on Omar’s wall. Good movie. It sort of made for a very surrealist/expressionist environment, which I suppose was the whole point of this story. But other than that, the story line, the theme (if there is one; there probably is), the overall message, I just wasn’t feeling it. I get where the author is coming from, what with the jarring, disturbing images meant entirely to make you feel uncomfortable. The artwork in the story seems to encapsulate the images going on inside Omar’s head, showing an alternative perspective of reality, showing life as madness. We are introduced to a dark world with no meaning, where pleasures serve as temporary pick me ups but ultimately lead to more depression. To me, it was the story of a man’s search for meaning but coming up short.

Which leads me now into the question about the corporate logos. I absolutely think Santiago was criticizing these big corporations. They seemed to play a more general role in the overarching theme of life as madness. And if you look at the ‘Acknowledgements’ section of Santiago’s book, one of the people he lists is Jello Biafra. Jello Biafra was the former lead singer of the Dead Kennedy’s, a punk rock band from the ‘80’s. Most people probably know what I’m talking about. Today, Biafra is an adamant, direct action, political activist poet, very much in favor what we would call “far left” causes. One of the big things he attacks is corporate America. You can see this influence in IMDH, with the television programs, the political figures, and the corporate logos such as Mrs. Fields and “Faux.” The most vivid criticism of this is the page towards the end depicting the meat packing plant, with various corporate logos labeling each section of the meat packing plant. I think Santiago, from his own political views, is saying that corporate America contributes to the chaos that is life, influencing and controlling our lives through consumption, or something like that. I think this then plays into the overall theme of Omar’s situation, how politics and corporate America are in some ways an indirect influence on his life, contribution to his lack of control over himself, given that life is such a “madhouse” and all that. I think the images of the Bush Administration and the news feed about the Iraq war contribute immensely to this as well. It is interesting that the book ends with the prelude to the Iraq war, as if trying to say this whole game of madness is controlled by those in power.  I mean, I’ve seen stuff like this before. Disturbing images with a broader message about the life we live in and how its so bad and all that good stuff. Sure, yeah, I get it, just don’t expect me to agree with it.

Respondent: On the Veil, Identity, and Memoir

The veil is obviously an important symbol in Persepolis and some others have commented on it. But I think the reason it’s so important is that as an item, the veil symbolizes the discrepancies and malleability of people’s notions of identity and the different forms it can take. The veil is at once a symbol of personal identity and one of national or cultural identity. It is viewed by some people as something to hide behind and by others as something to wear upon one’s self almost as a badge of honor. By others still the veil is seen as a means of debasing women, while others will say it is empowering to them. Such opinions stem very much from the cultural identities that inform their individual and personalized counterparts. I think this is underscored nicely in Persepolis because the book itself takes the form of a memoir – an innately personal expression of character, identity, and experience. Throughout the novel we see Marji confront her own developing sense of identity through a course by which there are several twists and turns, highs and lows, and periods of confusion or uncertainty. The veil doubles back around again symbolically, then, when we think of the kind of duality it imparts between its wearers and observers. The veil separates the individual within from the world without. We see Marji immersed in different cultures throughout Persepolis – in her native Iran and in Europe. In each position, life seems very different, and the other culture more poignantly characterized.

Also, with regard to the feelings some have expressed about the ending of Persepolis being lacking, or the storyline being ambiguous or almost non-existent: I think it is important to remember that a memoir is not a deliberately crafted story. It’s essentially a series of events that meaning is assigned to after the fact, rather than being contrived even from its origins as a story to be crafted to communicate a point or ideal. A more theatrically-crafted work would likely have an edge in gripping the reader, but such a theatrical or dramatic framing might in fact be disingenuous to the author’s own sentiment or recollection of experience. Because in a memoir the events that take place and the twists that turn the story are essentially predefined at the outset, the framing of these elements seems like the most undefined aspect of creating such a work. But in the end, as a memoir, the author should be inclined if not obligated to portray the relevant events in a true-to-life fashion.