The Future of Comics

    Nothing can really be said for certain, especially in this tempestuous day and age, but one can predict, and time will tell. Certainly the advent of the internet and portable media has made comics and animation much more convenient and accessible, but my concern doesn't lie in the medium so much as the quality. I feel as though life is accelerating culturally and may become detached from nuance and subtlety where one must stop for a moment and take something in. Some things just can't be rushed. 

    I do aspire to reach a point where I can be recruited to illustrate a 200-page graphic novel and not feel overwhelmed by the prospect. I aspire to illustrate like my favorite artist. All those things that inspire me are right there in my mind as I reap the present and anticipate the future. I hope that my preference for traditional over digital won't be disregarded. I don't think it will. I do look forward to learning digital, and find that if anyone wants to survive, they should learn all aspects of their field. We'll see how things turn out! I'm ready for it.

    Never will I allow the prospect of wealth interfere with quality work. I can't stand the sell-out ideal as that isn't who I am as a person. I'm not trying to say that I'm better than anyone. I'm just trying to say that I don't like profit or financial gain to be the motivating factor when it comes to narrative progress. Such stalwart principles are appreciated in my book.

Revisited: Motion Comics

    Every now and then I run into motion comics, an amalgamation of abbreviated animation sequences arranged in separate panels like conventional comic books. It's like reading a comic that has ADHD, kinda. Because of their slightly animated nature they cannot be printed, only watched on television or on a computer. Unless you enjoy the tactile quality of printed paper, this shouldn't be much of a detriment. They are often the choice medium when converting a written story to visual format. Which may account for the myopic nature of the comic, but that still doesn't answer for motion comics that are not based on any prior work.

    A good friend of mine, Craig Smith, and I discussed motion comics as an independent medium worthy of calling itself a comic. I sent him a link to a particular example of motion comics at work entitled: "Halo: The Mona Lisa." About an hour in length, I felt that this was the epitome of what a motion comic aims to be. In our discussion, he mentioned that apart from lip-syncing, it was essentially a fully animated piece. At a glance, that's devastating, because why would you want something that is partially animated? He also mentioned that one of the great things about conventional comics is that you participate in the narrative by visualizing what goes on between panels, thus creating an experience of your own. In motion comics, however, this is done for you thereby eliminating that personal involvement. 

    I agree with everything Craig said. This specific style of storytelling is far too simplistic to create a lasting impression. All it can amount to is being a curious supplement.

Comics as Contemporary Literature

   Recently it would seem that comics have become much more common than they've been in the past. The digital world has certainly made the proliferation of comics much easier. Most people nowadays read some form of comic anyway. Web comics are very popular, and many go to see movies based on comics. As time goes on, people move and do at a faster pace, and as such, ideas of entertainment will reflect this.

   As of today there are plenty of legendary works that define the medium of comics as literary marvels and as culture and technology advance, there will certainly be no end to it. People are fascinated with stories about the surreal and the fantastic. People also loves good visuals to enhance the narrative. Comics clearly can provide both. While comics are sometimes considered to be lesser in stature to a more formal source of entertainment, such as the paperback novel, it would appear that this is more of a personal preference. Comics are widely spread and very much appreciated by any demographic. 

   Comics exist as any genre with wildly varied appearances and lengths and with the advent of motion comics, games and film may now include sound and movement. There is no limit to the versatility of the craft other than those who create it. My only concern is that the prospect of business will hamper the quality of genuine craft.

Reconsidering the Superhero

    Besides the awesome art style or nifty premise a story might have, it needs to have substance to really draw me in. The Authority and V for Vendetta are my best examples, although I've heard a lot about Watchmen being even better. I become fully involved with a story when its characters thoughts or the conflict in question challenges my thinking. I already know the characters are having it tough, now I want the story to go out of its way to make my life a crisis. Make me work for that sweet and satisfying end! Or better yet, leave it ambiguous so that I can figure out how it may have ended!

    For me a shallow attempt at a hero story is the classic brooding Mary Sue-type character that is barely worth spitting at who suddenly obtains superhuman or alien abilities, then he becomes a symbol for hope and freedom and the human will to persevere. I've had enough of that!  Far too many characters have virtually the same origin stories and it wears on me quickly. Alan Moore's characters tend to be more down-to-earth in their behavior and personality. They have introspective thoughts and character flaws, which makes them much more accessible. Sure his stories are grittier, but that's the idea! It's a big bad universe, and in a world where there should be batshit carnage, why not make it appear so?

   Something else that bothers me are resurrection and reboots. Actually, as far as comics be concerned, I'm not sure there's a difference between the two. I like a story to move forward, regardless of events that occur. I find it very enjoyable and clever when writers manage to pull a character through even though he/she should be utterly spent. Because of this outlook, reboots are a lazy excuse for a lack of creativity. Either that or money is more important than quality storytelling.

   Since I find myself leaning more toward anti-heroes as more relatable characters, I've comes to classify characters as one of two archetypes: Soldiers and Superheroes. Judge Dredd, Batman, Black Widow and V being soldiers, and characters such as Martian Manhunter, Superman, Hulk and Thor being superheroes. Within these two concepts you typically have either technology or magic. Most often their separate, even if they're both present in a given continuity, but occasionally they can blend. I prefer technology, since machinery and guns are one of my personal aesthetics, and it usually has a practical explanation that I can research and accept. Now I'm not saying that superheroes don't have plausible explanations for their abilities, but as far as I know, there are far fewer. I like the common men stuck knee-deep in the trenches with no way out. I want to see them find their way out or die trying!

Stereotypes in Comics

Racism has always made me feel unclean whenever it turns up. Depending on the message it can be used strategically for dramatic effect or to make a point, which is fine, but it takes subtlety and understanding to execute it properly. I have read authoritative fiction in which racial slurs were very effectively used in context, and as long as there is appropriate context, the mere presence of a racial remark can be ignored.

Will Eisner speaks of the necessity of stereotypes in comics to communicate a mood or message. While his argument was valid during his time, it would seem that now things are less back and white. Contemporary graphic literature is much more interpretive and no longer needs to rely on such blatant symbolism (such as the good gun and bad gun). While part of his argument does remain it's given more toward a philosophical perspective that allows the reader to decide for themselves whether something is "good" or "bad."

Recent films such as the Transformers movies and Cop Out were good examples of cheesy stereotypes employed for cheap laughs. I'm not so easily amused. I found those films quite irritating with the gratuitous attempts at humour to the point where it started to anger me. Whether it was racially insensitive writing or the simple fact that the jokes sucked I cannot say. In either case, it's still stereotype and I'm tired of it.

Despite all we covered in class that day, racism never comes up in my work as a problem to be dealt with. If it appears in my work I work carefully to use the idea to enhance the story in a dramatic way, or I omit it entirely, and even then, it only appears so often. I don't want one concept to receive emphasis of so many others. For me the most common stereotype to deal with is the Mary Sue character. I can't stand them. It is these characters that helped drive me away from anime, actually. They're far too powerful, too brooding, and all too common. It's as though I have to go extra lengths just to make sure there aren't any in my work, but like I said earlier, there can be a time and place for these sorts of things.

Autobiographical Nonfiction

As much as I keep fictional stories for myself, nonfictional stories are often given to life. I've learned that experiences in life are like scars and that while they are often ugly in their own right, they all can speak in your favor.

I may not be any original saying this, but I was that outcast in middle and high school. Constantly I was ostracized by my peers for being outlandish. I never viewed myself as different, never really wanted to be. I just wanted to exist, so finding a suitable circle of friends wasn't difficult. We always spoke of our futures and what we aimed for in the long-run. It's amazing how such beautiful stories are wrought from simple discussion.

Autobiographical non-fiction is pretty much just that! Writers delve into their experiences and share them with us in all their raw and sugar-free splendor. Something I prefer, actually, is to tell it like it is. Some of their stories are very similar to what I'd ask someone or myself such as: "What would it be like to be a woman?" or "Where can I find out about problems I've had my whole life that I've only recently discovered?" These writers and artists set out to ask these very same questions and then answer them in their own way while leaving you with enough room to put yourself in their position, especially if you are coming from the same beginning i.e. Blankets.