This weeks readings where a lot of fun!
I love starman, or at least Jack knight as starman. its great because it takes the reluctant hero to a whole new level! I haven't read through all of it yet, (though i plan on it) but what i've read so far it super cool! I really like how Jack Admits he's a coward and runs way quite a bit in the beginning only to run back. And how he doesn't have this superhero thing down at all, its all elbows and knees with him just plain awkward.
Bone was super cute, i really liked the story telling and artwork was so simple yet very detailed at the same time. and poor Fone Bone! he keeps getting the short end of the stick!
I couldn't find Sandman on the shelf, though hopefully it will be back their tomorrow, But i have read all of Sandman before, And its great work! i never muched liked how they switched artists for every issue, but the story telling and artwork in general was amazing. That and i just love Morpheus's character! he's such as Ass in the beginning! and kind is till the end too... i also really love Daniel, but i wont spoil any more if you guys haven't read all of it!
The best crime stories was interesting, i didn't really see what the whole point of the story was... the artwork was amazing though...
The only thing i have to say about the War stories is this. "War's a Bitch..." "Roger.."
So I agree with you on most accounts. I really enjoyed Starman because it was a different sort of hero than what we've mostly seen so far (his shirt was rather terrible, though). I also liked the introduction of the older brother as the hero at first -- the seemingly perfect hero, but in fact the narration made him seem slightly bad and power hungry to me, so even though it's a hero lost, we're not too upset about it. And it made the contrast between the power-seeker and reluctant hero even stronger.
ReplyDeleteBone was adorable. I loved the monsters - "you called me fat!" - so much. They had so much personality and I really liked how they were drawn. I also liked the sudden arrival of winter -- I can definitely relate, having moved to Minneapolis from Texas.
Sandman was very interesting. I've never read it before, but I enjoyed the writing. The art was… rather unsuccessful in my opinion, but the narrative made up for it. I really enjoyed the travel through history. I wish I knew more about the characters, though -- names, what they can do… I feel like I missed a lot.
I honestly didn't understand the Old Gangsters story too well, but I thought it had an interesting rhythm to it -- like comics as jazz or spoken word. The sort of slow beat, jazzier type of poetry slam. The shift in techniques from harsh black to painted was interesting, too, but I wasn't entirely sure what it was trying to achieve.
I still enjoyed it more than the war story, though. But, in general, I don't like war things… partly just because it's painful (which is, I suppose, why I should be reading it). It was a depressing story, but seemed very typical of the time and gave some insight to the veterans' feelings upon meeting the reactions of the people back home. Before then, Americans were eery patriotic and supportive of veterans, but because of all the controversy and turmoil they were not welcomed as well upon returning (against their expectations).
Ahhh, Sandman. This is the story that proves that Dream is the world's greatest and most prolific hipster. Truly a hipster for the ages, especially when it gets to the '80s. This story is really just an anecdotal story that gives more history to the characters. The research that must have went into this story really shows. I love how you can see the progression of the characters through history and how Gaiman does such a great job making sure that it is clear when in history they are. This story always stuck out in my head as one of the more memorable comics for that reason. This is another reason why Sandman has been so popular, because Gaiman keeps a consistency with his writing and the way he builds up his characters.
ReplyDeleteBone is another one of my favorites. I love to go back to the earlier issues of Bone because it seems so innocent. But don't let the beginning fool you, this story is EPIC, like a Lord of the Rings type of epic. I'm pretty sure that Bone was drawn for color, but the way that Smith uses black and white to move the story along is brilliant. Yeah, another amazing use of character as well as a t-shirt. Because without the t-shirt, Bones would get confusing.
I thought the Old Gangsters story was great. I wasn't perplexed by the way that it was delivered. Sure, it wasn't telling the traditional sort of "story" but it doesn't have to. The intro said that the written part of the comic is lyrics to a song, so its a cool poetic comic. I was entertained by it, which, when you get down to it: isn't that what the purpose of comics is? I can understand how people would want more of a story, its just that I personally thought it was refreshing.
The Starman story was good. Not entirely my thing, but good non-the-less. I like how the brother died, it was unexpected and seemed to fly in the face of how a super hero comic "should" be portraying the hero. It was written in the time where people were truly questioning superheroes and it seems like superheroes were being viewed as wierdos. They seemed to be viewed as comical to some degree.
Speaking of comical....
Superduperman was ridiculous. What a great ending. That is how you end a superhero comic....talk about how, even though they are super, they're still a creep. This was Wally Wood right? His drawing style was really comical and you could tell that he had fun drawing it. I know that MAD makes fun of everything, nothing is safe, but I understand the significance behind this being an assigned reading. All of the comics that we read this week are ones that are redefining the medium and seem to be a backlash at what came before. People were, in general, questioning the status quo. The Cold War, Reaganism, Milli Vanilli... I mean really, can you blame them?
The War story was sad. It was well told, although some of the characters were a little confusing at first. It seemed like a story that needed to be told. At first, the characters seemed a bit one-dimensional, but I found that I began to relate to them. When he is describing the way that they handed out new guns and how crappy they were, you get a sense of sadness for them. I mean, I did. This story points out just another way that soldiers at this time felt unimportant to the government, which would do whatever comes cheaply.
And on that note. Yay! Comics!
It's amazing what comics can do when their extremely well-written. Gaiman is an extraordinary writer; I don't think there's been a single thing he's written that I haven't liked in some way or another. I love Sandman's sophisticated writing, but I have to agree with Maya. The art doesn't quite do it for me. I think it's the coloring. I despise 90% of comic book coloring. It's all so tacky and plainly photoshopped. Ugh, garish doesn't even begin to describe comic book coloring sometimes.
ReplyDeleteMoving on, I didn't get much time to pick through all the readings as i'd like to due to some unforeseen circumstances popping up, but I did like what I'd read of Starman and Bone.
I think the one reason I enjoyed Starman was because of the reluctant hero. I seem to like superhero comics that either have as much of a problem with the genre as I do or they completely take the piss out of the genre, subverting it and turning it into a surreal comedy (Plasticman ahem).
And Bone is a charming little (not really little actually) fantasy story. I know I have a volume of it somewhere at home, and I have made attempts to read it before. I think when I get home I will pick it up again and take a harder look at it.
and like everyone else: yay comics!