Emily Carroll’s Through the Woods was oddly reminiscent of Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Scary Stories, along with Grimms’ Fairy Tales, were my go-to horror reads as a kid, so this collection really struck a chord with me. Maybe it is the narrative voice of folk tales, or particularly Carroll’s, but these stories were told beautifully. Modern,… Read more →
Growing up, I read quite a few comic books. I was the kid browsing comic book bins every weekend, and had a great relationship with my local shop owner. I started as a huge fan of Alien vs. Predator, all if its related incarnations, Mortal Kombat, and various Marvel franchises. Big guns? Ninjas? Superheroes? Aliens? That was my schtick. I… Read more →
Creating comics must be difficult. Otherwise, everyone would do it. Since reading the web comic project description, I felt like I was at a bit of a disadvantage — I’m no artist. But, I was put in charge of creating the main character, Alex, in my group’s web comic, Quest In Progress. Our comic is stylized as a throwback to… Read more →
Since opening What It Is, I’ve been enthralled. The collage art style combined with simple, thick-lined doodles reminds the audience of childhood from the beginning, which enhances the narrative of a child growing up. The narrative is further broken down into portions of remeniscing on both the speaker’s and the audience’s childhood, divided by sections exploring complex subjects like the relationships between the imagination, the… Read more →
Over the course of the semester thus far, I’ve been paying most of my attention to how the art of comics differs from other styles. Primarily, because I like to doodle, and comic panels generally don’t take up too much space, but also to analyze how the depth of each panel is conveyed. As is often discussed, comic panels… Read more →
Will Eisner’s “Cookalein” demonstrates the graphic novel’s ability to discuss controversial adult topics. Eisner creates a graphic narrative which shares little in common with contemporary comics by presenting fundamentally flawed and therefore realistic characters. Let’s focus on Willie, 15, the oldest son of a lower class family spending the summer at a mountain house. He and his family spend an evening… Read more →