To begin, I’d like to say that I invested more time in both Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbs than I did with Little Nemo. This isn’t to say that I didn’t read Little Nemo, but to simply say that for me personally, I gravitate much more towards simple designs because of the time it takes to process information than a visually packed comic.
With that, I’d like to say that Little Nemo in Slumberland was a very interesting read for me. The strips from what I can understand revolve around this young boy in pajamas named Nemo that experiences these bizarre scenarios in Slumberland. I think this is to mean that whenever he goes to sleep, these events take place. Though I could be wrong. Aside from the whimsical situations that Nemo is put into, one thing I would like to point out is the style and the art behind the strips. Windsor McCay was a very visual person, and with the video that we watched about his work, it makes sense. His art in Little Nemo however is incredible to look at, the amount of detail in the color and the fidelity of the linework is beautiful, even for old reprints and scans. They still hold up.
This is where I believe Calvin and Hobbs and the Peanuts strip both lack, I mentioned before that I prefer the latter over the former and this is still true. Perhaps it may be due to my age, but I prefer reading comics over looking them over visually, even if at times, the roles can and sometimes do switch. With Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbs, the art style is much more simplified and the art is as well. This places a greater focus on the writing and it’s why I have more of a connection with both Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbs. Plus as someone who’s still youthful (Or at least I would hope that I am), there’s something about seeing these kids talk in a style more similar to my own.
Monday, February 24, 2020
Week 1/21/20 - Thoughts on Understanding Comics
Philosophy was never really a strong suit of mine, despite my very clear and apparent enjoyment of the matter, Understanding comics by Scott McCloud proves to be one of these instances where I'm immediately hooked by what I'm reading and am eager to digest more of the information presented to me.
The format of the book itself proves to be a strong suit in grabbing and maintaining interest, or at least for me it does. As a visual learner and a visual artist, this comes as no surprise, comics have always been something I’ve gravitated to but never have I experienced reading a comic about understanding the logic behind them. As Scott McCloud puts it, comics are much more than sequential images, in fact the idea stems much deeper than what it appears. Within the book he explores the ideas behind exploring identity within objects, how the mind perceives information and the convincing explanation of the psychological and philosophical sciences behind the graphic narrative. Personally I found the humor in this book to be very charming and kept me entertained as I was reading, comic humor is one of my favorites, not simply because of the visual gags but because of the creativity and inventiveness behind them. Comics can allow humor to exist that would otherwise be physically impossible.
Within the book he even goes to explain how this is one of the many strengths and appeals to comics as a whole, however for the majority of the book he explores the ideas behind them, hence the understanding. Overall I enjoyed reading Understanding comics, I simply wish that Scott Mccloud would tackle more contemporary pieces within the comic industry, not simply the ideas of how to make them.
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