The previous class we spoke about the comic book editor Mr. Priest who was unhappy with his status in the comic book industry. As one of the first black editors in the industry he felt that his lack of recognition was a slap in the face. Priest was also unhappy with the portrayal with black characters in comic books. Why do minorities characters have to play the stereotypical role to be expected into the white community? The reoccurring trend seems to be with these characters they should be authentic enough for their community to accept them but at the same time still conform to the margins on the majority population. In today's reading, we see the great change in the role of black characters. In the original Tarzan we see him defeat the "black cannibals" but we then see them change into equal partners. During the time of this article we know that there were great changes happening in the 1970's, minorities that were long subjugated were demanding equality. The trend in comic books should reflect that.
To begin with, I really do like the idea of reading a comic about comics. I think it's a great idea and it's very well executed. As I was reading the first two chapters, I was surprised at how many examples there were of art in recent (and ancient, in some cases) history that are variations of "sequential visual art" and thus the foundations of modern comics. I'd never even thought about it before and it was hard to believe how many different kinds there were. I also love all the discussion about how our human brains automatically interpret certain images in a specific way, how we see others constantly but we identify ourselves when we look at cartoons, and how inanimate objects automatically becomes extensions of our bodies. The pyramid of styles was very interesting too as a way to conceptualize and almost graph or "place" a specific art style in comics. In Comic Book Nation , I enjoyed reading about the evolution of early comics from "funnies...
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