Respondents- A post without a plot?

I am not going to touch the peaches with any detail because I think Jeanine nailed it. Instead I am going to muse for a moment. Someone described Jimmy Corrigan to me as “an extremely depressing” book, and that got me excited to read it, as many of my favorite stories are fairly downbeat.  What that might say about me aside, I tried very hard to enjoy Jimmy Corrigan. In the end however, I found it to be a test of the reader’s endurance. I kept waiting for the “hook” and found that there was none. Ware seems more intent on creating a mood more than anything else, and while he manages to get some small details about life so right, I’m not sure how I feel about it as a whole.  I don’t know if anyone else can relate to this, but this book reminded me of Gus Van Sant’s film “Gerry.” A movie with almost no dialogue, only 2 characters, no clear plot, small exchanges between the two are themselves abstracted though enlightening to characters and relationships but little else; it becomes a visceral experience more than anything else. You find yourself waiting for the catch, where the plot will kick in, but it never does, more importantly you begin to try and find a meaning within the work, looking for symbols, patterns. Humans seek meaning in everything, when we can find no clear meaning we go up a level in abstraction, until a work with no clear meaning is about having no meaning. While Jimmy’s story is not nearly as sparse as that film, I do see similarities, both in construction and how I approach it. I think that both work at a level somewhere one or two levels of abstraction above where a plot might sit. You might say “Gerry” is about using  the audiences expectations as to what a film should be, and dashing them at every turn. Jimmy on the other hand is rich with symbolism, having to do with a variety of Jimmy’s problems. So I think that by having a work without clear plot, can sometimes make us think more critically about the work, to our own benefit.

I also think that, in response to the poster who talked about Ware being similar to Jimmy, there is indeed some truth there. If you read the notes at the end of the book, Ware talks about making contact with his own estranged father and how that worked itself out in his book. Indeed I think most would agree that among a few other things, one of the key themes is parental influence, or lack thereof.

Overall, as much as I wanted to like this book, I just found it mostly a chore to get through. Where I think Ware really succeeds is in his form. The art and layout as well as his ability to juggle realities and time periods, all point to greatness. I wish I didn’t hate it so much.

Searchers – Acme Novelty Archive

http://acmenoveltyarchive.org/

While looking around for resources and information pertaining to Chris Ware, I stumbled on this website, which is remarkable to say the least.  It is essentially a _massive_ database searchable for anything and everything relating to Chris Ware and his work.  As an example of the kind of fun / interesting material available here,  follow this link to see assembled versions of the paper models included in Jimmy Corrigan and elsewhere by Ware:  http://acmenoveltyarchive.org/gallery/index.php?dir=./Paper%20Models

(Click inside the individual frames to get a magnified image; the thumbnails don’t show up on my computer and might not on yours.)

Respondent: What about those peaches?

I really enjoyed reading bfleser’s post and agree with much of it, although you are much kinder about Jimmy’s “awkwardness” than I’m going to be.  First, those damn peaches.  I found the recurring symbol of peaches important in showing Jimmy’s repressed sexual nature.  Peaches have long been associated with female genitalia and sexuality and I believe that this may explain why it keeps popping up in the book. The description of the peach by the old man in the airport says it all:  “A soft, single-seeded stone fruit, with a pinkish, red-tinted downy skin and moist, dewy flesh”.  Peaches are either out of Jimmy’s reach or he avoids them.  For instance, we first see the peach dangling high above the scene showing a bloody Amos, killed by his father because of the missing truck, the truck that would transport Jimmy to his first date and possibly toward a sexual encounter.  On the next page, we see Jimmy as the robot, leaning as far from the peach tree as possible (this may be a stretch, as it could simply be Jimmy slumped over in sleep).  Also, in a flashback scene, James eats sugar infested with bugs rather than eating a fresh, ripe, juicy peach.  I find it interesting that most, if not all of his thoughts about women end with them cuddling, rather than having sex.  Even his imagination recoils from the thought!

So, I think Jimmy Corrigan is a sexually repressed boy-man with a highly active and very disturbing imagination.  He has been seriously damaged by his relationship with his overbearing mother, as we can see from his unfortunate attraction to the equally overbearing Peggy, from his office.  In fact, women in positions of authority seem to turn him on (witness his fantasy about the doctor). His uneasiness with women is matched only by his hostility toward them.  Of course, they seem to constantly reject him and not in a kind way (Peggy and the woman on the plane who accuses him of staring at her breasts are two examples), so this is perhaps understandable.  This love/hate is reflected in Jimmy’s (Chris Ware’s?) borderline misogyny and objectification of women, which runs through much of the book.  This is first seen in the comments of his male co-worker:  “I’ve made it my personal rule not to tell any chick I like her until I’ve fucked her at least six times”, a sentiment closely echoed by his father later in the book – “never tell ‘em you like ‘em until you’ve ‘done’ ‘em”.  And it doesn’t help that his dad then says “How’s your mother, by the way?”, a comment sure to add to Jimmy’s sexual confusion by forcing him to see his mother as a sexual object.  Soon after this, Jimmy’s imagination has him in bed with a “cocktease whore” who had the temerity to say ‘no’ to his sexual advances because she doesn’t feel ready.  And, again, when he listens to the tape recording of the couple walking by arm-in-arm (the woman says to the man, “You’re the most wonderful guy I’ve ever met…I think I might be falling in love with you”), his response is to laugh (bitterly, I think) and call the woman a “bitch”. All of this shows his skewed vision of women, which probably stems from his abusive past.

Jimmy is a mess.  While I do have some sympathy for him, he makes me terribly uncomfortable.  His mild manner belies a seething cauldron of fury ready to explode at any moment.  If I were Tammy (the new girl in his office) I would ask to switch desks.

First Reader-Jimmy and James

What I’ve found most interesting thus far about Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest on Earth is how the novel is as much Jimmy’s grandpa’s story as it is Jimmy’s. I actually find myself much more compelled and moved by Jimmy’s grandpa, James’ story. It might possibly be one of the most depressing things I’ve read but I could not stop reading into it. I am still looking for ways in which the two stories parallel each other. They parallel each other in the sense that both James and Jimmy are social outcasts, emotionally detached characters. Their situations differ however in that James’ scenario has a more serious undertone to it.  His story displays a boy who is emotionally scarred and longs for his mother, to which his father blames him for his mother’s death. You could read into Jimmy’s story as having a very serious undertone to it as well, as he grew up without a father figure and is emotionally burdened because of it. The whole book may very well be a commentary on the family life, and the effects a broken home may have on a child. The two stories contrast each other though, as Jimmy’s story displays a jarring sense of humor and awkwardness. We might find it harder sympathize with Jimmy because of his painfully awkward mannerisms and his sporadic sexual fantasies, making his world seem strange and uncomfortable. With James’ story, there are definitely those moments of awkwardness, but not emphasized as much. James is a boy that has just been dealt a bad hand of cards. His father is an asshole, his mother died when he was born, and the kids at school joke about killing him. I personally found it easier to sympathize with James as he is a kid that has just been bullied his whole life and is looking for a sense of peace. As far as I am in the story, I’m not sure what Jimmy wants yet, and sometimes his awkwardness is just painful. I suppose the disorganized panels sort of add to the jarring effect of the two stories, as both convey a sense of twisted emotion on their own levels. But seriously, when reading about Jimmy’s grandfather, I thought it was the saddest thing in the world.

Question for respondents: what do you make of those damn peaches?

Jimmy Corrigan: The Relationship Between Amy and Jimmy

What appealed to me most about Jimmy Corrigan (and in turn, the other Jimmys) was the essence of the “everyman” that encompassed him. Loneliness, social ineptitude–all of this was made clear in the graphic novel without much actually needing to be said. What I found most interesting was how much faster the read was towards the end when Jimmy’s half-sister Amy is introduced. As one of the first female faces we see, she seems to serve as a strong foil to Jimmy. She is adopted into a loving family, whom she remains close with throughout her life. Her mother has passed away, unlike Jimmy’s, but there still seems to be a strong connection with her despite that. During the car ride after their father has just been in an accident, she talks about how she would never want to meet her “real” mom because it would ruin everything, but she remains hesitant after that. I think it’s interesting how closely linked the two are, especially when the page of her lineage mirrors Jimmy’s earlier on in the novel. Amy serves as the more emotionally stable character, but she sort of ends up in the same scenario as Jimmy in the epilogue. I’m not sure exactly how much time has passed, but it seems like nothing has ever really changed for either of them in the end.

Respondents: What do you think is the significance of Amy ending up in the hospital where both her parents have passed away? Do you think that Amy and Jimmy could have maintained any sort of sibling relationship after the death of their father?

Searchers – Eisner Award

I noticed that Jimmy Corrigan won the Eisner Award in two categories – Best Publication Design and Best Graphic Album: Reprint.  Looking at some of the other titles that won in those categories, I found that all three of our previous authors (Miller, Moore, and Speigelman) won Best Graphic Album: Reprint, but only Ware won Best Publication Design (300 did win this award, but the credit was not Miller’s).  I also found that the edition of Uzumaki we’ll be reading was passed up for an Eisner (http://manga.about.com/od/recommendedreading/tp/2009EisnerMisses.03.htm).  There’s only one category it could be considered for (Best US Edition of International Material – Japan), which is why it only has one nomination.  It got me thinking on the nature of the comic awards, the criteria and so forth.  The Awards are run by Comic-Con, who funds the awards with donations from “distributors, retailers, media companies, and such industry suppliers as major printers of comics.” (http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisnersfaq.shtml#oscars).  I despise conspiracy theories, but the awards seem to be much closer to a commercial venture, a giant advertising ploy, then a pure exmination of artistic merit.  The awards are dominated by DC, especially in categories like Best Story or the two Best Series’.  There really isn’t any direct criteria- the judges receive the nominations, send out ballots to people in the comic industry, and tally the results.  It’s unsettling to think that while these comics may truly have artistic merit, their recognition is not quite art-based.

Jimmy Corrigan First Readers- Ryan

Though it may be a turn in a strange direction in regards to the graphic novel, Jimmy Corrigan uses its unique structure and story to display a awkward tale of and even awkward individual. Some may find its disjointed narrative as confusing and Jimmy’s imagination equally as puzzling, but one thing Jimmy’s disconnect with reality achieves is that it gives us the reader an intimate look into his deepest thoughts. Jimmy is an interesting character, with all sorts of mannerisms and deficiencies and we don’t get very much dialogue from Jimmy, so we must depend mainly on his odd fantasies to get a deeper look into inner thoughts. Take page 30 for example: having never met his father before, he imagines the many possibilities of what he may look like. Not only that, but at the same time he imagines the first awkward words his father would say to him. Leading up to this we are, for the most part, unsure of his feeling towards his father. The only inclination we get are though these strange fantasies. A more eye-opening example comes on page 39 where Jimmy imagines himself walking in on his mother and father having sex. Jimmy’s pent up aggression surfaces when he promptly breaks a glass on his father’s face and proceeds to cut him open with the shards. Again before this, we have no idea he harbors these kinds of feeling towards his father, towards anybody for that matter. These off the wall fantasies provide an in depth look at a complicated and quiet character, and also do wonders for the novel as a whole by making it increasingly odd and entertaining.

First Readers Word Choice in Jimmy Corrigan- Alexa

I was very overwhelmed while reading the first three fourths(ish) of Jimmy Corrigan. I felt the anxiety and confusion that Jimmy felt by the way the graphic novel was set up. I thought the use of words and dialogue is very interesting in this graphic novel. The diction is very precise and the images are very bold. One example is in the first half of the book, on the bottom right corner in a blue and white panel. It says “A NOOSE      into which Mr. Corigan refuses to stick his tongue” and it shows two hands and a ring being given after a series of pictures of Jimmy’s childhood. Because the graphic novel isn’t filled with text, we are able to see an emphasis on this one frame. While a noose isn’t pictured, the reader can easily sense the alternative meaning behind the image and the word choice.

Another place where language was used in an interesting manor is where it says “ANAYWAY following a taxicab ride during which our hero listens silently to his father…” I thought the choice of hero was interesting since we’re reading a graphic novel that isn’t about a hero, or a superhero. What type of hero is Jimmy? Is he a hero overcoming his childhood?  I also liked how transitional words like thus, later, and and were used as transitions between panels. I tend to have issues reading the dialogue of our graphic novels too quickly which makes me unable to focus on the action. I think it allows the reader to digest the story in our own and not rely so much on what the characters are telling us about it. Since some of the story is in Jimmy’s head, isn’t the lack of dialogue helping us figure out what he’s thinking? Or does it make us more confused? What’s the deal with all of the peaches? I didn’t figure that out. I’m still getting used to this graphic novel thing.

Jimmy- First Reader- Jeannie Hilleary

This has been the most complicated annoying and fascinating read I’ve seen in a long time.  While reading it I often reverted back to memories of the newspaper comics on sunday or comics like Tin Tin whose artwork reminded me of Jimmy’s.  I can say for certain that while the story is confusing with its flashbacks and daydreams and often surreal reality, the parts of the book I loved the most were the parts that wanted me to destroy the page and build children’s stories.  Different pages throughout that want you to cut and build and interact with items like quizzes spinners.  Even pages of panels with no words whose opposite side looks like real-estate advertisements.  The book makes me feel like it wants me to create my own childhood neighborhood, even going so far as to cut out and build 3D trees for it.  I especially love that the book recognizes itself as an interactive comic and places an ad on the back cover which is nothing more than the announcement of how much the book costs.

I can say the wordless panels in this novel often move me more than words could describe.  Its made me appreciate the power of the panel more than many of the other novels who seem to combine the powers of words and art to be equal Jimmy seems one sided towards the art side.  MAsterpiece or no masterpiece I am having fun disassembling the book and building paper objects, taking quizzes, and in general using the placed devices to become more involved with my reading.  is anyone else having fun with it?

Searcher – A Look into Chris Ware

**NOTE: Please excuse the French in this documentary. The actual commentaries from the authors are in English and unless you are a semi/fluent French speaker, the video should be started about 2:20 into it. Thanks!**

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpjtg_comix-chris-ware_life

Upon surfing the web for a topic that I’m really just not into (Jimmy Corrigan), I decided that I would look for something regarding the author rather than just the work or characters themselves. I found a video done by in French by Comix on the story of Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth  and its author Chris Ware. After wading throughthe first two minutes of titless French cinematography, the real interview came with Chris Ware as well as Art Spiegalman’s take on this new promising author. Comparing notes from last weeks class, it is easy to see that we as a class were on the right path of feeling sorry (or not feeling sorry) for Jimmy in the book as well as noticing his similar characteristics to the classic Charlie Brown of the Peanuts comics. The documentary goes into the realtionship between Art and Chris as well as other influences he had in creating his comics.  He speaks on the meaning of comics in his life and the depths he goes to make his comics what he wants through real life experiences. He also speaks on the depressing aspects of being a comic artist. To me there seemed to be many similar characteristics between Chris and his character Jimmy.

First Readers – Jimmy Corrigan

I will start by first saying that I have finished the book and I may reference things that are farther than you have read, though I doubt it.

While I can’t say that it was a great book, I can say that Jimmy Corrigan was, at the very least, a unique experience and by the end I felt that it was worth my time. Finally seeing the connection of the 1893 story and present day was gratifying and really showed the connection between James and Jimmy, as if this sort of luck and personality runs in the Corrigan family. When Jimmy’s dad dies really tugged at the heart strings, not so much because of the death itself, but because of the knowledge that it is no longer possible for Jimmy to know more about his dad, especially when Amy literally shoves Jimmy out of her life. This story could have easily have ended with Jimmy jumping from the top of a building (just as he saw Superman do at the beginning of the book, and was actually the ending I expected). I was relieved that it ended on more of a hopeful note for him. But if they get together, won’t that just pass down the family heritage of disappointing fathers, and depression to the next generation of Corrigan?

Also, one other thing I am very confused about is the constant occurrence of peaches throughout the book. What is the deal with that?

Shannon, Searcher–More Wareness

First of all, I’d just like to point out that anything can be made into merchandise. How disturbing would it be to have a Jimmy doll standing on your shelf? And would you pay 45 Euro for it?

Things to buy from Ware

On to my main link, the Acme Novelty Archive. This will show you exerpts from most of Ware’s work, which seems to always feature lots of small boxes, cut-out models, and other interesting parallels to Jimmy Corrigan. It makes me wonder whether such things have any particular symbolism in the novel, or if they are just stylistic preferences for Ware. In the archive, you can search for anything that features Jimmy Corrigan, but, as the site itself tells you, it’s “not particularly useful if you’re trying to narrow your search.” I hadn’t realized this, but Jimmy appears in much of Ware’s artwork, often simply as an icon (I assume for depression or childhood fantasies or bleakness). In fact, the character was around before the novel. You can view an issue of the New Yorker that uses him to represent American fiction as it currently stands. It seems like a full understanding of Jimmy Corrigan requires viewing it in the context of all of Ware’s work.

Acme Novelty Archive

Alyse Jones — Searcher — Holocaust Love Stories

Vladek’s love for Anja inspired me to look for other Holocaust love stories.

I found this video telling Masha and Avraham Greenbaum’s story. Their story is different from Vladek’s and Anja’s because it begins at the end of the war when Masha was technically a refugee at Bergen-Belsen rather than a prisoner. The video is interesting because Masha briefly talks about the horrors she encountered in the concentration camp, including lice spreading typhus.

The source seems to be reliable because it is linked with ABC news, but that can sometimes mean little. For example, a famous Holocaust love story about Herman and Roma Rosenblat has proved false, yet it has been featured as true on CBS news http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULcvUxd_Ngo&NR=1, has been made into a children’s book, and is currently being made into a movie http://news.usti.net/home/news/cn/?/news.jews/2/wed/bb/Ayb124897688.Rsad_INV.html.

Searchers Leon Langford

The following link focuses on one of the many subjects we’ve frequently discussed in class: Art’s relationship with his father. It’s an interesting piece were it discusses the role of the father in a son’s life, and how Vladek is a very poor father figure. I don’t wish to spoil the read for anyone, but the author Ms. Withers, makes an interesting point is saying that Vladek is a living Holocaust Memorial, and anyone who comes in contact with him will share his pain. This basically summarizes not only simply Vladek but even the relationship between Vladek and Art.Check it out when you get a chance, it almost makes you want to read the book again just to see the defined relationship between Art and Vladek and to learn how Spiegelman crafted such an interesting relationship.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1785466/essay_on_maus_i_and_maus_ii_graphic.html?cat=38

Respondent: Vladek and Art- Alexa

This is responce to Sherell’s post. 

I  think Art’s decision to “save his Mom from the ovens if he had to choose between his parents” had to do with both his disdain for his father and his regret of not having a stronger relationship with his mother before her suicide. His choice stems from both relationships. Art’s relationship with his father progressed as he grew up causing him to feel annoyed with Vladek over time. We have to remember that Art’s Mom committed suicide when he was only 20. Vladek died when Art was an adult- he was able to have a full functioning (or dysfunctional) relationship with his father. In my opinion, Art is more inclined to save his mom because he didn’t get to have the fully dysfunctional relationship with her while he was an adult. He sees the bad sides to Vladek because he was with Vladek until the end.

Of course Art feels guilty about the way he treats his father.  In a way, Art and Mala are very similar. They care about Vladek and want to help, but while they’re there with him, they’re constantly annoyed and angered by his outrageous behavior. Unlike Mala, Art can’t run away. Vladek has his sweet moments with Art which is somewhat redeeming; however, sometimes I get the feeling Vladek is trying to guilt Art into staying with him longer by saying how much he enjoys the visits and their time together. Art feels guilty because he is constantly bothered by his father which causes his temper to be short but ,I believe, at the end of the day, Art (and most children) would want to care for their parents if they were ill. Pages 125-128 (in book 2) demonstrate this. Regardless of Vladek’s ridiculous actions of repacking everything and complaining about the packed sunglasses, Art still puts up with his father’s behavior and choreographs his arrival back to New York.