REVIEW: Hark! A Vagrant Webcomic

Hark! A Vagrant! (Webcomic to Print)

Comics published on Livejournal on 2007 and on their current site 2008.

Book published 2011

Hark: A Vagrant Webcomic

· As this a webcomic, the original content was meant to be free to read online

· The book has but a selection of what the author intend for the purchaser to view, save for any drafts or bonus materials not included online

· The composition is self-contained and occasionally episodic, making it sort of a newspaper strip of sorts in updates

· Periodically, characters previously introduced return in a later comic, indicating a sort of continuity in the author’s work

· The webcomic site’s background is white, as with the pages of the printed book, therefore coinciding the layout to the viewer

· The webcomic provides further categorizations and footnotes left by the author in cyberspace not available in the printed copy

· The book, as it is something to purchase, it optional in reading the comic and therefore serves but a source of revenue for said author

· The schedule of the comic varies to the author’s pace of drawing and dedication, as opposed to other comic forms where there is a fixed schedule or a fixed editor

· Compared to the original first pages, the present updates show drastic improvement on the author’s part, mostly from keeping a consistency of drawing comics. This is made more prevalent with the webcomic format as the entire archive is readily available to the reader

· The webcomic version has commentary from the author below the work that takes no space, as the printed version would require pages be dedicated to commentary

· Billboards of several other comics and other media are constantly present on the webcomic, as a means for the author to gain money while making the comic free to read is present with this as a way to fund the comic to continue

Bibliography

Beaton, Kate. "Hark, a Vagrant: 335." Hark, a Vagrant: 335. Self Published, 26 Mar. 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. .

Beaton, Kate. Hark!: A Vagrant. Montréal: Drawn & Quarterly, 2011. Print.

REVIEW: The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb

The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb

Graphic novel by R. Crumb 2009

Authorized King James Version of the Bible translated 1611

The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb:

· As this is an illustrated version of the biblical text of Genesis, R. Crumb took many liberties in the depictions of the text in its pictorial representation

· Furthermore, the use of the King James Version would further note the work to have translation biases

· The text and dialogue of the work are taken word for word from the King James Version with no alterations

· Crumb took many liberties to depict God in an anthropomorphic fashion, akin to the depiction of Greek deities. This is notable since he chose to depict God in a non-representational manner and in a more literal sense of being the template to man’s form (Chapter 1, Crumb)

· It is of interest that Crumb also included the two depictions of man’s creation, though both versions are in Genesis it is to note that he depicted them as two versions of the same story as opposed to sequentially one happening after another (Chapter 1-2, Crumb)

· As with R. Crumb’s style, he didn’t held back when depicting sex in the Bible. An example of this would be the ‘pure’ reproduction between Adam and Eve that depicted no sin, as they are seen mating in plain site with such excitement on their faces. In addition, Crumb took many liberties in emphasizing the fertility of female characters by his reflection on their bodily design, as with the perky large breasts of Eve in her full nudity. (Chapter 2, Crumb)

· Crumb also took it to himself to illustrate sequence for the numerous lineage births and rise of nations that were included in Genesis, as with the case of the lineages being told after the murder of Abel by Cain (Chapter 4-5, Crumb)

· It is of interest that Crumb made a little homage to another tale, the Epic of Gilgamesh, in the depiction of heroes of old. (Chapter 6, Crumb) This follows with the text “The Nephilim were then on the Earth… had entered the daughters of men, who bore them children. They are the heroes of old, the men of renown” which follows the depiction of Enkidu and Gilgamesh slaying Humbaba as depicted in the Epic of Gilgamesh. (George, A.R.)

· In Crumb’s style to the grotesque being almost comical, his depictions of unspeakable horrors that mankind had did out of sin in Genesis are commonly depicted in almost a parody form in how inhumanely gross the violence is. An example of such would be the drowning of people in the flood, where people are floating around and looking comically horrified in the face of Armageddon. (Chapter 6, Crumb). This is also seen with the destruction of Sodom by the rain of fire, which has a comical depiction of death in that some people are being burnt in the butt and people are piling over one another with no logical reason to how they got in that state (Chapter 19, Crumb)

· For the Tower Of Babel depiction in the book, it is to note that when the people of the world finally gain different languages, they are speaking in legitimate languages in the Middle East, such as Egyptian hieroglyphs for Egyptian and Sand script for Sumerian. Whether or not they actually translate to something I cannot be certain but if so then R. Crumb took many steps into making this one panel (Chapter 11, Crumb)

· Crumb didn’t held back with the depiction of sexuality in questionable terms in Genesis, as with the incest of Lot’s daughters to him to carry on his name (Chapter 19, Crumb) and the old yet still fertile-looking Sarah with her husband Abraham (Chapter 21, Crumb)

· Interesting is the choice of design for the household gods that are relevant to Genesis, as Crumb chose to depict them in a more pagan design as opposed to the humanistic look of the messengers of God and God himself in the work (Chapter 31, Crumb)

· The grotesque style of Crumb doesn’t limit to people as he depicted the cannibalism of the cows and wheat in Pharaoh’s dream to be just as gross as his depiction of humans (Chapter 41, Crumb)

· An interesting depiction of subtle differences in culture in the time of Genesis was Joseph’s use of Egyptian words and his Israeli translator when Joseph was meeting his brothers. As opposed to merely showing Joseph speak directly to his brothers, it is to note that Crumb kept to the text in that Joseph kept his deception to even this minute detail (Chapter 42, Crumb)

· The looks of terror was worked well with Crumb’s depiction of horror or amazement in Genesis, as with how Joseph’s brothers looked upon him in amazement when they discovered the true fate of their brother (Chapter 45, Crumb)

· When depicting the various persons in Genesis, R. Crumb took it to himself to depict the many details of individuals by designing each person named to look distinct onto his own look. An example would be the lineage of Israel/Jacob who came to Egypt, which included up to forty-eight individuals to be compared to one another as kinsman (Chapter 46, Crumb)

· Ultimately, the series ends with Joseph’s death with implication of continuity. This stays true to the book of Genesis as one is expected to read Exodus afterwards. This means that Crumb took the dedication to even end his series the same way as with the original text (Chapter 50, Crumb)

Bibliography

Crumb, R. .. The Book of Genesis: Illustrated. New York: W.W. Norton, 2009. Print.

George, A. R. The Epic of Gilgamesh: The Babylonian Epic Poem and Other Texts in Akkadian and Sumerian. London: Penguin, 2003. Print.

REVIEW: the Scott Pilgrim series

The Scott Pilgrim series (Graphic Novel and Film Adaptation)

Graphic novel by Bryan Lee O’Malley made from 2004-2010

Film released 2010

The Scott Pilgrim series:

· The opening provides chords along the song “Launchpad McQuack” which incidentally can be played by real guitarist, suggesting O’Malley has a history with the instrument

· The setup is notable to a slice of life setting to a more fantasy setting with the transition of Scott being with Knives to being with Ramona, parodying if not drawing inspiration from many a romance comedy action manga popular in Japan

· Knives is noticeably Chinese as opposed to Japanese, which is strange given that she and her family are ninjas (left out in the film)

· The film deviates from the books starting the fourth volume as the film was made before the fifth one was finished

· The entirety of the series is somewhat of an homage to the hipster culture, which with the Scott Pilgrim series’ popularity and the film adaptation ironically made the ideology mainstream

· Various video game, manga, Western comics and such are notably made throughout the graphic novel (mostly pop-culture)

· The characters are notably Canadian, as opposed to American which a good notable readership is. This may be due to O’Malley’s own Canadian upbringing or may hold significance to the counterculture lifestyle of our protagonists

· With the absence of more elder adults in the graphic novels, Wallace notably plays the role of mentor and maternal figure as the gay best friend

· Scott being a bassist is notable in that they are the supporting roles in the genre of music that the Sex Bob-omb plays. This is ironic as Scott is the main character if the series and poetic justice as he plays no part in his fate once he begins a relationship with Ramona

· Ramona being from New York City (and therefore America) plays a more key role with the majority of the cast being Canadian, as she plays the role of the exotic girlfriend in this context to a culture not too different from American culture

· The fact that characters are making obscure references is in itself a reference to hipster culture

· The style of O’Malley is stylized to show basics of characters and rarely emphasizes realistic details on characters or settings

· Rarely is background factored into the setting of the graphic novel, yet as it takes place mostly in the winter season of Canada and therefore lots of snow is prevalent that in itself can be a style

· The flow of the panels are quite fast paced at the beginning, only capturing essential movements and dialogue with the exceptions of time sequence.

Bibliography

O'Malley, Bryan Lee. Scott Pilgrim the Complete Series. [Portland, Or.]: Oni, 2010. Print.

Scott Pilgrim VS the World. Dir. Edgar Wright. Perf. Michael Cera. Universal, 2010. Film.

REVIEW: Edgar Allen Poe Graphic Novel Adaptations (The Raven)

Edgar Allen Poe: Graphic Classics and Max Graphic Novel Adaptations (The Raven)

Poetry written by Edgar Allen Poe. Graphic Novel adapted by Corben and Co. (Haunt of Horror: Edgar Allen Poe) and Pomplun and Co. (Graphic Classics: Edgar Allen Poe)

Poetry published 1824 to 1949.

Graphic Novel adaptations published 2006 and 2010.

Haunt of Horror: Edgar Allen Poe (The Raven)

· As with the Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven is limited to the artist’s interpretations yet this is made more clear with the original text provided with it

· The violence against the Raven wasn’t necessarily in the original poem and may have been a fabrication of the artist

· The comic is noted to not be a true word for word adaptation of the poem, as the lettering in the graphic novel is noted to be different than with the poem

· The fact that the artist was limited to but eight pages leaves little for the imagination, compared to the implied pacing of the poem being indefinite, which seems finite given the nature of the graphic novel and its but eight pages

· It is noted that the Raven is further changed to the interpretations of the artist Corben, who took the liberties to change connotations and wording of the poem to make way for his art

Graphic Classics: Edgar Allen Poe (Raven)

· The art has an abstract feeling to it, with the protagonist eerily transitioning to a tragedy mask while the raven sits on top of a comedy mask

· The lettering, while noted to being clumped on top of the work and seems to be a separate entity from the comic, is at least part of the composition as the eye can flow from picture to lettering as with any other comic naturally

· The facial expressions on the protagonist seems unnatural to the situation he is in, having a rhetorical conversation with a raven. He seems too emotional, and not necessarily in the negative sense. Then again, this piece is more abstract than the other comics so that may have been the intent of the author

· The raven doesn’t seem like an ominous figure in the poem as it appears to be more comical in nature. This downplays the tragedy of the composition for me

· The background seems to lack consistency, as the study to which the raven stalks seems to change from panel to panel in continuity

Bibliography

Corben, Richard, Rich Margopoulos, and Edgar Allan Poe. Haunt of Horror: Edgar Allan Poe. New York, NY: Marvel, 2006. Print.

Poe, Edgar Allan, and Tom Pomplun. Edgar Allan Poe. Mount Horeb, WI: Eureka Productions, 2010. Print.

REVIEW: Howl the Graphic Novel

Howl: Poetry, Animation and Graphic Novel Adaptations

Poetry written by Allen Ginsberg 1955.

Animation was published 2010

Graphic Novel was published by Drooker 2010.

Howl Graphic Novel analysis

· The graphic novel was definitely built around the narrative of the poem, making it not necessarily an amalgam of text and illustration but rather illustration purely a means for aesthetic representation of Ginsberg’s work for the reader

· The graphic novel further has the handicap of being a graphic novel adaptation of the animation to which came before it, as illustrations were made in favor of a scene by scene nature as opposed to a panel by panel

· Furthermore, the graphic novel provides a comparison to the film and the real life Ginsberg, to which further solidifies this piece as a but the after work of the poem, the animation and the film, not making this graphic novel a piece of its own

· The poetry had its own mental interpretation to the reader whereas the graphic novel forces a specific interpretation of the poem to the reader, although Ginsberg had a hand in Drooker’s work so it would be as accurate to Ginsberg’s intent as it could be

· The spilt page of the phallic symbol of the woman was unnecessarily split between the pages in a spread, as the animation had not this handicap. It felt almost as censorship to the animation by this(Drooker 110-111)

· The imagery of Jazz in the graphic novel felt fixed as opposed to fluid as with the animation and the reading of the poetry, going against what Jazz is supposed to represent as a free flowing form of expression(Drooker 22-23)

· The imagery at the end as opposed to the forced narration to the illustration was arguably the best part of the graphic novel as it felt organic in its composition: the artist was illustrating a paneling that seemed coherent in its composition as opposed to the illustration being built exclusively around the text(Drooker 217-220)

· The illustration merely holding the place of Ginsberg as opposed to any context besides the implied lobotomy served little purpose as the panel tells nothing secular about the event. Little can be inferred visually from the panel and this page more than others forces the readers to take the text as the only source of information for the section (Drooker 118-119)

· The imagery of the building on the island overlooking the city was gorgeous. In context to the text it gave a feeling of intellectual isolation that I liked about the poem (Drooker 90-91)

· Drooker’s composition of the illustration in a V shape didn’t have a natural flow of the eye as readers are forced to take the text out of context to the panels. Had the poem be place under the V, this wouldn’t have been a problem. However, this method of storytelling seemed slipshod at best (Drooker 120-121)

· The Moloch segment excluded a powerful segment in the animation where children were sacrificed in a baptism of war to the god, which felt lacking in context to the graphic novel should one had seen both

· The scene with the fire typewriter seemed lacking in intensity as opposed to the animation where the scene was emphasized by the movement of the fire. In a still, there is no subtle means of indicating movement and this felt lacking in the graphic novel (Drooker 132-133)

Bibliography

Ginsberg, Allen, and Eric Drooker. Howl: A Graphic Novel. New York: Harper Perennial, 2010. Print.

REVIEW: Edgar Allen Poe Graphic Novel Adaptations

Edgar Allen Poe: Graphic Classics and Max Graphic Novel Adaptations

Poetry written by Edgar Allen Poe. Graphic Novel adapted by Corben and Co. (Haunt of Horror: Edgar Allen Poe) and Pomplun and Co. (Graphic Classics: Edgar Allen Poe)

Poetry published 1824 to 1949.

Graphic Novel adaptations published 2006 and 2010.

Haunt of Horror: Edgar Allen Poe (Tell-Tale Heart)

· Most noted is that the original short story was given to the reader after the graphic adaptation so as for a means of comparison from the illustrator and the works of Poe

· The illustration is built on the pretense of the original reading, so actions are abridged in written detail as the actions are done by the drawn characters. This had varying degrees of success

· The lettering appeared to be built around the work in terms of its composition, so both do not complement each other necessarily with reading

· The actions of the police officers close to the climax had no means of drawing suspicion as illustrated, as they were merely standing around as if nothing happened. This could be interpreted as the maddening effect of murder on the narrator, yet this had to be assumed with reading as opposed to being told in the tale

· It was unnecessary to illustrate the destruction of the old man’s heart in the end, though this may have been the author’s spin on the tale

· The old man and the narrator were illustrated in a hilarious fashion compared to the dark telling of the tale, which didn’t compliment it for me. Compared to almost Herge’s Tintin design of he policemen the two characters seemed too unrealistic

· The stylized dread of the narrator seemed unrealistic as it didn’t convey the message of the narrator’s internal conflict as well as it could

· As stated before, the adding of the original text to the end made it so that the illustrated work seemed worse as one could compare their own interpretation of Poe’s work to that of the illustrator. This has the side effect of appearing to be padding on the publisher’s part

Graphic Classics: Edgar Allen Poe (Tell-Tale Heart)

· The story starts with the narrator directly addressing the audience, which doesn’t seem natural due to what is to happen later in the short story

· The lettering at least served to compliment the pacing of the comic, as the story was divided to as to show transition between panels according to the tale

· The narrator continued to directly address the audience, which breaks the pacing of the comic in a bad way as it leads to the question of to whom is he talking to

· The implied butchering of the old man due to the transitions between gutters was done well, as the horrors that happened are left to the reader to interpret (opposed to the previous read which left little to the imagination)

· The actions of the officers was well done, as the conversations and the interpretations of the narrator on their part felt natural as with the original story

· The officers noting of the narrator’s weird actions later on felt organic in its composition, as the smiles that started this piece was to be replaced with whispers and uneasy grins

· As with the other graphic adaptation, the implied actions of cleaning and such are left out by the narrator and the illustrator, so as to minimize the work of the illustrator. This made it felt lax as opposed to abridged

· The emphasis on backgrounds was a plus as it set the scenery that the characters interact with, though the short story did not go into the details upon this so such work was on the illustrator’s part

Bibliography

Corben, Richard, Rich Margopoulos, and Edgar Allan Poe. Haunt of Horror: Edgar Allan Poe. New York, NY: Marvel, 2006. Print.

Poe, Edgar Allan, and Tom Pomplun. Edgar Allan Poe. Mount Horeb, WI: Eureka Productions, 2010. Print.

REVIEW: MoCCA: Uslan, Bat-Manga and Howl short essays

Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art exhibits

Michael Uslan: The Boy Who Loved Batman, Bat-Manga: The Secret History of Batman in Japan, The Art of Howl: A Collaboration between Eric Drooker and Allen Ginsberg

Part of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (Feb. 2012)

Michael Uslan: The Boy Who Loved Batman

It was interesting to note how the influence of one fan had on the portrayal of Batman as seen with the case of Michael Uslan. Displayed in the museum was the literature that depicted the so called vile nature of comic books, the various rejections from film producers to make a Batman film and the triumphant posters of publishing on those Batman films that came. It was clear that there were many hardships to making Batman the icon we know of him today, as roughly quoted from our tour guide on Michael’s undying diligence to bring Batman to a more serious tone as with the graphic novels, “it wasn’t about being at the right place at the right time as much as continuing to pursue a goal until the right time made itself available.” However, it was noted that his efforts did pay off as the posters displaying the gritty Batman we know of contemporarily were hung, as with the case of “The Dark Knight Rises” poster, the poster of the Batman film done by Tim Burton and the acclaimed animated series movie poster of Batman that hung not too far from the displays of Uslan’s papers with rejections and the like. What was notable about the exhibit is that the transition of Batman’s theme was done not by an artisan or a writer who necessarily worked on hand for Batman’s change. Rather, it was someone who worked hard to influence the tone of his favorite comic book superhero as seen by the public eye.

Bat-Manga: The Secret History of Batman in Japan

While in contemporary times the transition of an American superhero series to a Japanese manga may seem less unusual nowadays, there existed a time during the late 1960’s where Batman was adapted into a manga done by the now defunct Shonen King. During an age where artisans were still inspired by the narrative and artistic styles of the influential Osamu Tezuka, it was an interesting artifact of a Western concept brought to the East. As with most Shonen manga magazines of the time, the original prints were more likely to have been discarded once read; however, Chip Kidd, an influential novelist, managed to receive the raw drafts of the series from the archives of Shonen King, which was displayed to great detail at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. While it may not seem plausible nowadays, but back when the manga was published in Japan Batman was a sensation amongst the Japanese. This was evident with the artifacts of Batman Japanese toys that were with the display. In fact, the series would return to a cult piece of trivia in Batman lore with a Bat-Manga plot written with the television series Batman: the Brave and the Bold. In said show, they took a chapter of the original Bat-Manga, the tale of Lord Deathman, and transitioned it for a Western audience.

The Art of Howl: A Collaboration between Eric Drooker and Allen Ginsberg

As the poem Howl was considered risqué at its time, it was interesting to see how the illustrations for the animated version were made in relations to its adaption as a solo series and its shoehorned state in the Howl film starring James Franco. It was interesting to note that the animated segments were made before the film was even conceived, which has its own connotations as to Drooker and Ginsberg’s interpretation before Ginsberg’s death. Some reviewers have noted that the animations had nothing to do with the movie, and as the status of it being originally intended to be its own thing existed it can be seen why that is so. It was noted that the phallic imagery displayed existed to coincide with the phallic poetry in Ginsberg’s poems. Statements about sex were followed with almost cosmic pictures of reproduction, with sperm as constellations circling a lover’s embrace and the like. Overall, such an adaptation for what was for a spoken monologue could have been done terribly had it not been for animator and poet both working together to make said animation. It is then a pity that such works were not noted for its elegance of balance between the two creators when taken into account for the third factor: the film, where a third party took that animation and used it to interpretation of a different note.

Bibliography:

“The Art of Howl: A Collaboration between Eric Drooker and Allen Ginsberg.” New York, NY. Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. Feb. 9, 2012

“Bat-Manga: The Secret History of Batman in Japan.” New York, NY. Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. Feb. 9, 2012

“Michael Uslan: The Boy Who Loved Batman.” New York, NY. Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. Feb. 9, 2012.