Skip to main content

How Does Class Affect Our Perception of the Comic Image?

In my experience with comics, however brief, comics were just that, comics. Though I recall growing up with the occasional Superman or Batman, I never really wondered about the inspiration behind them or took them for more than face value. I remember the first day of class thinking, “How the hell is there an entire class devoted to comic books?” That question was quickly answered the moment I opened up McCloud’s Understanding Comics and skimmed through the pages. My perception of comics being simplistic, illustrated, short stories was quickly changed to one of appreciation for the science and psychology involved in making them. I would have never guessed that placement of panels, coloring, and spacing was so deliberately controlled to create a tone or response from the reader.

Another aspect of the comic that fascinates me is the level of depth of the sub plots in many notable comics. For instance, before this class if someone had asked me what Tarzan was about, I would probably look at them skeptically and talk about a man getting abandoned in the jungle and being raised by apes. The subtle themes of inferiority of foreign culture and the white race’s superior genetics shocked me. The author’s use of these underlying messages is so successful because they appeal to a wider audience. Children could read Tarzan and see it as I did, a story. And at the same time a more mature audience capable of understanding the subtle plot is still interested.

As an avid history fan, learning about an alternate culture throughout the 20th century that I hadn’t had much knowledge of previously is exciting. My knowledge of the history of comics was fairly limited and extended to a basic understanding of popular superheroes. Reading about the effect of comics on events I learned about in a more traditional history class is interesting as, although comics are so popular, I wouldn’t have guessed they would have been influenced by things like wars and the Great Depression.

Another astounding aspect of comics, to me, is the varying political undertones. Throughout the 20th century comics touched on topics anywhere from the first and second war to the urbanization of America. The pre WWII era disputes between pro war supporters and isolationists were not left from comics. The fact that the cover of the first Captain America portrays a picture of the Captain punching Hitler in the face conveys the fact that comic authors weren’t trying to sell a simple action story. It’s already clear from the first three weeks of class that comics have played a much larger role in popular culture throughout the 20th century than I would have ever imagined.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mythology and Superheroes in Comics

Ohhh my goodness... When I decided on trying to analyze the mythological origins and references in superhero comics, I had no idea the can of worms I was opening up... On the one hand, it was awesome to see just how many connections there were between superheroes and psychology/mythology/philosophy, but all the information also made it terribly difficult to distinguish what I should be using and how to tie it all together. When I was talking to one of my sorority sisters about it she said, "Oh yeah, well, research essays are kind of like putting together puzzles..." and I think that really sums up what writing this paper was like for me. Fortunately, I was really interested throughout the whole process and I very much enjoyed writing the paper. Being a psychology major, I was especially interested in reading about the Jungian archetypes that had a lot of parallels with major modern comic books superheroes. I was also able to incorporate Joseph Campbell's "hero cycle&

Why blame comics for societal failure?

Why blame comics for societal failure? Society blamed comics for the societal failures because it was a fairly new industry, and as things seemed to go “wrong” they figured it must be comic books. When a child grew up during the war, his father was probably killing people and the military and his mother was probably making things in factories to help kill the opposition. The only things kids had to “babysit” them was comic books, and they read many different kinds. So when kids starting acting differently in this new generation the figured it must be the comic books. Society didn’t want to believe it may have been the internal and external scars war causes on the soldiers and their families. Also the fact that young unattended children are reading these comics may not be able to differentiate between fantasy and reality. When society fails it always needs a scapegoat then it was comic books next it was rock and roll. Society naturally resist change.

#FUTURES: Tomorrow Idris Elba will be the Last Man Standing

There is some bad buzz around Pacific Rim on the web. I suspect the possibility of a giant robot movie being awesome is too much for some people.  The internet is full of dark corners, but until we see the movie we won't know the box office.  What we can tell right now is that Idris Elba is doing his part to make the movie a success. A standout performer, Elba has made a name for himself in countless productions .  He achieve wide recognition for his turn on the big screen in films such as Thor and on the small screen in the BBC's Luther . Of course, the open question about actors of color in any film is whether not they will help or hurt the box office.  Will Smith recent disappointment with After Earth opens the door for this conversation. His lack of success sparks the question who will be the next "bankable" star of color. There can be only one! See what I did there:-)  These sentiments reflect a Hollywood centric approach that ignores Nollywood