Blacksad is a unique and outstanding piece of comic literature. I found it be an excellent noir comic, though fast paced and not nearly as mysterious as it could have been. I am certainly not a person to have a problem with anthropomorphic critters running around doing the things that people do, and in the case of Blacksad, I think the adaptation of typecasting animalistic characters actually added to the enjoyability of the story. I feel that Blacksad would fall as a beautiful if routine noir comic if the characters were all human.
The style was beautifully done, especially compared to the art that normally makes up the furry world. The toned down watercolor provides an excellent feeling to the world that these furries live in. The approach to the comic allows for an excellent use of color, especially in the characters and, in a similar style to Sin City, the blood. The blood plays an important part in emphasizing the commonality of the races in the world, and fortunately, everyone in the story bleeds (at some point in time or another).
The sexuality and violence, things I'd consider quintessential to a noir novel were elegantly approached and executed. Further, the suggestion that a true human was the villain was truly ingenious. The suggestion via hands and body that the villain in this episode was a human being was a somewhat delightful slap in the face as humanity is suggested as the bane of the world. The reveal that it was an amphibian and that he was self proclaimed to be a “cold-blooded” bastard made it more delightful, for there are plenty of “humans” out there that could fit the bill.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Webcomics
Reading through Perry Bible Fellowship, Least I Could Do, and Hark, A Vagrant, I have to say that webcomics are a delightful form of the comic, allowing for immediate access to the entireties of the work, which allows for readily accessible back references and also allows for close to free publishing and publicity.
Perry Bible Fellowship has no continuity of story, but relies on sharp wit. The juxtaposition of elements (astronauts and snowflakes, for example) makes the mundane humorously horrible. The art is subjective to the subject of the comic, but is always clear and straightforward.
Least I Could Do is equally entertaining, which is a completely continuous story. Though there is no plot, the comics lead from one to another, embracing the sometimes raunchy mind of the main character Rayne and the way he views the world. The art is very repetitive and looks often like it was cut copied from other weeks, but allows for daily publishing, and emphasizes the text.
Hark, A Vagrant is similar to Perry Bible Fellowship in its wit and lack of continuity. Being a double major of art and history, the creator of Hark A Vagrant often references stories from the past, including literary texts such as Hamlet, Macbeth, and the Great Gatsby.
The webcomic embraces the one second humor of the newer generations, relying our apathy for continuity to enhance the comic. Without a worry for the beginning and end, many webcomic focus on the wit of the one liner, which I'd have to say that I enjoy, if only so I could be that witty too.
Perry Bible Fellowship has no continuity of story, but relies on sharp wit. The juxtaposition of elements (astronauts and snowflakes, for example) makes the mundane humorously horrible. The art is subjective to the subject of the comic, but is always clear and straightforward.
Least I Could Do is equally entertaining, which is a completely continuous story. Though there is no plot, the comics lead from one to another, embracing the sometimes raunchy mind of the main character Rayne and the way he views the world. The art is very repetitive and looks often like it was cut copied from other weeks, but allows for daily publishing, and emphasizes the text.
Hark, A Vagrant is similar to Perry Bible Fellowship in its wit and lack of continuity. Being a double major of art and history, the creator of Hark A Vagrant often references stories from the past, including literary texts such as Hamlet, Macbeth, and the Great Gatsby.
The webcomic embraces the one second humor of the newer generations, relying our apathy for continuity to enhance the comic. Without a worry for the beginning and end, many webcomic focus on the wit of the one liner, which I'd have to say that I enjoy, if only so I could be that witty too.
Hellboy, Kingdom Come, Powers, and Invincible
Having already read Watchmen, I decided to pursue other comics dealing with the modern superhero. Overall, I feel that we are bored with the old superheroes for their near faultlessness and unwavering personalities. Batman gave up everything in his life for the pursuit of his vigilante justice, Superman never met a challenge he couldn't overcome, and so on. However, Hellboy is a demon who fights for love and justice... and often he fails. He picks the personal choice over the “better” choice, which is how we like to see our heroes now. Flawed. In Powers, the comic is about the portion of the police force that has to deal with superpowers. In that world, their “Superman” equivalent is literally insane with power. How does the mortal, superpowerless world cope with such a character? In Invincible, the main character is a teenager, whose dad is a superhero. He joins the world as a superhero of his own, only to watch his dad betray the planet, kill the “Justice League” equivalent and flee the planet.
Our obsession with the superheroes I think stems from our inability to effect change on our own. One person can make a difference, but it's rare that they do make a difference. The idea that a single person could be empowered to affect change is a wonderful concept. However, the old views on them were these kind of infallible, perfect beings (Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, even the old Charles Xavier). These characters were great for a time, because it talked of the better portions of us. However, now, we like to recognize the flaws in those characters, because it makes them MORE human, and thus, more like us.
Even our movies, such as Hancock and Iron Man really rely on the flaws of the main characters to portray the story, and how their flaws actually make their jobs more difficult. The idea that everything is easy when you are superpowered is flawed, and we now like to emphasize how flawed it can be.
Our obsession with the superheroes I think stems from our inability to effect change on our own. One person can make a difference, but it's rare that they do make a difference. The idea that a single person could be empowered to affect change is a wonderful concept. However, the old views on them were these kind of infallible, perfect beings (Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, even the old Charles Xavier). These characters were great for a time, because it talked of the better portions of us. However, now, we like to recognize the flaws in those characters, because it makes them MORE human, and thus, more like us.
Even our movies, such as Hancock and Iron Man really rely on the flaws of the main characters to portray the story, and how their flaws actually make their jobs more difficult. The idea that everything is easy when you are superpowered is flawed, and we now like to emphasize how flawed it can be.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
