The Rhetoric of Comics

Comic like what is in McCloud's book!

2012-01-31T11:41:00.002-07:00

Found this on 9gag. ENJOY!

Examples of Using Closure and the Gutter for Comdey

2012-01-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a great example of how infants are incapable of closure:

And here's a funny comic using the gutter for a purpose other than closure:

Questions? Quibbles? Controversies?

In The Gutter Chapter 3 Summary

2012-01-31T01:45:00.001-07:00

In chapter 3 of Scott McCloud’s book, he breaks down whatthe in between the lines of comics. What we as readers see and don’t see, more ofa “read-in-between-the-lines” sort of deal. Going through the book we know thatthere are more to comics that meet the eye. It’s not just a collaboration ofpicture and cartoons; it’s a more in depth complex piece of literature thenthat. What this chapter is really goinginto is the technicalities of even though something isn’t there; we stillassume that it is, that’s what our minds perceive. Also comparing it to a gameof “peek-a-boo”, even though the mother playing with her child is still there,the child’s mind says that she is gone. His definition of this act where weobserve the parts but perceiving them as whole, is called closure. He uses thisdefinition throughout the chapter to describe the so called “gutter” of comics andother areas as well. While reading about the gutter we learn that in a comicbook, the transition from one panel to the other, the space in between, is thegutter, this is where we do the assuming of what happened between events.

I as an avid comic reader, I honestly didn’t know about thesmall details such as the transitioning "gutter" area that all comics have. Itmakes since that the time we assumed happened in between was just somethingcreated by our mind, because in many daily things we do it all the time. When weread or watch a television show, our mind will put things into the story tocontinue the flow. If we watch an episode of our favourite cartoon, they couldleave a crucial scene out and our imaginations immediately take over to justifywhat happened. It’s a common every day thing, and until I read this chapter, Inever noticed how much we see “gutters” in our daily life.

Keep Your Mind In The Gutter!!!

2012-01-30T23:59:00.005-07:00

The beginning of chapter 3 in the book Understanding Comics,Scott McCloud introduces a topic that is known as closure. He introducesclosure by explaining what every child has experienced and it has happened tohim when he was a child. As a child you tend to daydream (I still do it everyonce in a while). As most children tend to think, a daydream was just a showfor us, we didn't know that while we are a child that this was something we didto entertain us. We didn’t know that what we were doing was nothing more than asimple theory. Scott McCloud also explains that we use all of our senses, whilereading comics. As children we followed the simple rules, if we can't see it,touch it, smell it, or taste it. It doesn't exist in our minds, but the game ofPeek-A-Boo is a great example of how this is put to the test. We learned thatno matter what our Mom and Dad did they didn’t go anywhere, because they wouldreveal themselves a couple seconds later. This is called closure, and what thismeans is, in our everyday lives we complete things, based on our pastexperiences. One of the most difficult mediums that require closure is T.V.This is mainly because scenes on a movie can change in an instant, without usknowing. This is a result of time and motion. The gutter is the space that isin between the panels, and to me this is what makes comics worth reading. The gutter is what makes use our senses, it creates suspense. While having the ability to draw and to create a storyline, which is a craft in itself, there are other types of crafts that they use. One of the many crafts of being a comic book requires you to know these; moment-to-moment,action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene, aspect-to-aspect, and non-sequitur. Moment-to-moment requires very little closure between panels. Action-to-Action panels are those that have a single unified subject. Subject-to-Subject closures have the ability to change the scene, but it remains on the subject. Scene-to-Scene is transitions that challenge our minds to cross distances of time and space to remain on the subject, and to picture the story and its settings. Aspect-to-Aspect closures are more likely to bypass time majority of the time, and forces us to wonder around. While Non-Sequitur panels offer no possible link to the possible subject. As McCloud states " Comics is a mono-sensory medium it relies on only one of the senses to convey a world of experience."

From what I can understand, "gutters" are one of the main points of a comic, they make us use all of our senses to figure out what is going on in the comic. Not only is this making me more interested in the book, it has the potential to make pick up a comic book (unlikely as of right now) and actually pay attention to what the meaning behind each panel is. So for now I'm going to stick with keeping my mind in the gutters and using my senses to react the comic storyline.

Fill in The Space Ch.3

2012-01-30T23:59:00.004-07:00

Invisible art has finally opened up into a bigger picture in chapter there of Understanding comics by Scott McCloud. McCloud started off by explaining the importance of closure. Closure By saying when we as people are given blank space we tend to fill it in with what would assume goes there. Just because we don't see it doesn't mean it isn't there in our mind. Comics is simply using the imagination and using all of our senses. Just because we cant see it, hear it, touch it, or smell it doesn't mean it is not there. Faith is the main meaning of having that closure for example like the game "Peek-A-Boo".
McCloud also made other great points by explaining the panels of comics. By labeling them off into categories the first one is moment-to-moment which not much happens from one scene to the next. The second category is action-to-action which one subject taking and doing a lot of different kinds of actions. Next is subject- to-subject is staying with one main idea and having meaningful transitions. Last but not least scene-to-scene which is transitions to another area from a greater distance from the first one.
After reading this i never realized how much meaning comics have and how involved a reader has to be to be able to expand their horizons on filling the gutters. It took me awhile to take the chapter all in so i went back and read it again to get a better understanding. McCloud is very knowledge able and every chapter I keep reading I am gaining more respect for comics.

The gutter is where the mind should be!

2012-01-30T23:23:00.004-07:00

In Chapter 3 of Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics he is articulately showing the readers what is in between the lines, what we don’t see as the readers, and that is what is in the gutter. We read the part where it talks about how a BIG part of comics is the space in between the scenes. We may not realize it but our brains are filling in that space making it our own story with another person’s ideas. We may see the actual picture but we fill in the rest as to what is underneath the panel, and this I have learned is called closure. This means we see what is only on paper, but perceive the partially drawn scene as a whole, which can be the author’s main goal for the reader to achieve while reading a comic. Reading from that view point I learned that I do that with almost everything, I can’t see it but I know it’s there. For example when you go to the grocery store, you buy the groceries knowing they have the intended contents without the tendency to open up the bag and see for yourself. We assume, we fill in the blank.

In this chapter I have also read about the differences in styles many comic authors have. The moment-to-moment and action-to-action transitions vary on the author’s techniques and writing styles, this is where the east and the west comics’ are then separated. While they differ they still achieve their purpose of the story telling, as unalike as they may be.

Fill in the Blanks With Your Imagination

2012-01-30T22:55:00.003-07:00

In Chapter three of Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud, he starts off the chapter with an example of how society assumes things, he states "I've never seen the earth from space firsthand, yet I trust that the Earth is round." It shows that even though we haven't experienced seeing the world from outter space in person, we begin to assume that it is still round however. He then starts to explain that comics works in a similar way. The space between each panel in a comic is called a "gutter", the gutter allows the readers to piece together their own scenario of what could happen between each frame. The gutter can be used differently in each comic, some comics allow for a lot of the readers imagination, where other comics only give you a small ammount of imagination between scenes. Their are six different types of transitions between panels, such as, moment to moment, action to action, subject to subject, scene to scene, aspect to aspect, non sequitar, these six transitions require imagination.Overall in this chapter McCloud is trying to make the readers understand that unconsiously as readers we create our own scenario, and we assume many things, which makes reading comics a different experience for everybody.

Ch. 4 Time Frames

2012-01-30T22:38:00.000-07:00

Inthe forth chapter of Scott McCloud’s book UnderstandingComics: The Invisible Art, he talks about time in comics and how it isoften overlooked. McCloud begins his explanation by showing a large singlepanel where many characters are present and there is a lot of activity takingplace in the panel. Just because it is a single panel does not mean that isalso just a single moment. In fact, Scott McCloud explains that the singlepanel can actually be broken into several different panels. The reason for thatis because the words, including the words that illustrate sounds, introducetime. McCloud then explains that photography may be the reason why many peoplesee a single panel as also being a single moment because that is what we areconditioned to do when looking at photography.

Scott McCloud also writes aboutanother crucial piece of comics that is also overlooked by almost everyone, thepanels. The panels in comics are very important because they show when time andspace are being divided. The shape of the panels vary but with that, it willnot change the “meaning” of what is in the panel, however it can affect theexperience for the readers. He then explains how time and space go hand in handin comics. McCloud writes that readers are usually able to guess the durationof a sequence but what if the author of the comic wants to extend the pause ofthe sequence? The ways that the authorcan do so is by controlling the content of the panels, the number of panels,the closure (space) between the panels and the shape of the panels. Anotherimportant aspect of panels is the border of the panel. If an image were tocontinue off the page it is illustrating that the time in the panel is endless.

Lastly, Scott McCloud writes thattowards the end of the 19^th century, everyone was focused onbecoming the first person to successfully produce moving pictures and as thatevolved Italian Futurist and artist, Marcel Duchamp, were focused on paintingmoving images on still mediums. However they soon moved on from the task but itwas picked up and later perfected by other artist. The techniques that McCloudshows on how to create movement are using multiple images, streaking, and“subjective motion”.

I thought everything Scott McCloudwrote in the forth chapter was very interesting and it made me realize thatwhen reading comics, you, the reader, don’t even realize how we are processingtime and all the moments in the panels. The chapter really opened my eyes tohow we can read comics and process them with no problem even though the processof making them that way readers won’t have a hard time understanding them isvery complex.

Closure of the Gutter

2012-01-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

In Chapter 3, Blood in the Gutter, of Understanding Comics the Invisible Art McCloudexplains closure, its importance in the gutter, and the expectations of comicwriters. Closure is the capability of seeing something minuscule or incomplete andstill able to perceive the complete picture as a whole. What writers refer toas “the gutter” is the space between the panels of comics and is left open forthe reader to distinguish what events takes place during that time. He gives anexample saying that he may have drawn a picture of someone raising an axe atanother person, but it is up to the reader to visualize the scene in action. Hethen goes on talking about the six different panel-to-panel transitions whichare moment-to-moment, action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene,aspect-to-aspect, and non-sequitur. Most comics from the west derive from threemain transitions: action-to-action, subject-to-subject, and scene-to-scene.Unlike the west, the east makes comics using almost all types of transitions.When he tells a story about a person who drinks, drives, and then becomesdeceased he retells the story a total of three times and each time he shortensit. By doing this he shows how the art of comics is as subtractive an art as itis additive and how finding the balance between too many panels and not enoughis crucial.

I never thought even small parts of comics can be socomplex. When he talks about the gutter he goes in depth and takes apart eachaspect of it, explaining it thoroughly. I had always thought of comics as very simple books until I read thisbook.

Ignorance is bliss

2012-01-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

As children we tend to have a very wide ranged vivid imaginations. We can take anything and turn it into something completely different and it makes perfect sense to us. We also have the mindset that if we don't see something happening it never occurred, I guess we're just ignorant in that way.

In Scott McCloud's third chapter of Understanding Comics the Invisible Art he demonstrate the same concept. He demonstrates that people relay on sensory details in order to experience the outside world. If we cease to see something, in our minds, it doesn't exist. "I've never been to Morocco, but I take it on faith that there is a Morocco!" Scott discusses that one's view of reality is an act of faith based upon simple pieces of the world.

In this chapter Scott also presents the idea of "closure". He defines this as the "...phenomenon of observing the parts but perceiving the whole...." Closure allows people to put the little parts of an event together to form a story. Closure can occur anywhere from comic books to movies on the big screen. For example, McCloud says “I may have drawn an axe being raised in this example, but I’m not the one who let it drop or decided how hard the blow….That, dear reader was your special crime, each of you committing it in your own style. To kill a man between panels is to condemn him to a thousand deaths.” Closure allows the readers and viewers to interpret a story in their own way. It allows them to use their imagination to fill in the blanks and come up with their own ending.

Comics & Time

2012-01-30T21:12:00.008-07:00

Growing up, Mcloud used to have this recurring day dream which stuck with him for quit some time. In this dream he felt the world was made to please him, like a big show being put on for him daily. The reason this is important, is because chapter three in "Understanding Comics," he introduces closure. The correlation between the two is that we as human beings assume the "norm" is taking place when were not watching. Were not sure of what or if anything is going on if we can't be a witness. "Our precept ion of reality is an act of faith based on mere fragments," is an example Mcloud gives to further expand on the topic. Explaining that people view the world as a whole but can only tell as much as their five senses (smell, see, listen, taste, touch) will let them, but in all actuality the world is incomplete in many aspects. Mcloud uses a few examples that were very helpful in my opinion. One he used that was extremely helpful was a mother and child playing "peek a boo." As infants, committing the act of faith is nearly impossible, so what they rely on is their five senses. In the game of "peek a boo," the moms face comes and goes but she still remains. Closure can take place in many different ways, from pictures, to newspapers, even television to posters. Closure is that space that takes place from one panel to the next. In another example where there is a man with an axe in back of another man in the first panel, and an "eeyaa," in the next, Mcloud may have drawn the crime scene up, but myself as the reader actually committed the crime in my own way. The space between the two panels allows the reader to put mystery and their own ending into action.
Next, transformations are introduced. Mcloud begins to talk about the different types of transitions which include, panel to panel, action to action, subject to subject, scene to scene, aspect to aspect, and non-sequitur. By transition, he explains how different each set of panels can be and how our minds adjust to each one and make sense of a set of panels that make no sense at all. Action to action is by far the most popular transitions used it comics. Mclouds main point in this chapter is to inform the reader how critical it is to understand closure while reading comics because without it, the reader would not be able to relate to what they are reading and identify the relation with the author. Imagination during the closure is huge!

Reading chapter three for the first time I did not really understand it so I had to go back and read it for a second time. In my opinion this chapter was probably the best yet. The reason being is I personally love mystery and things being left for me to figure out. This whole chapter was basked on closure and transition which allowed me to look at panels and add the mystery and transition in myself. Panels are not what they seem. Reading between the lines and going beyond what your eyes see is very important!

Use Your Imagination!

2012-01-30T21:12:00.006-07:00

From the time of birth to our childhood, we have to develop a perception of things that exist even if we do not see them. If we were unable to learn this we would not be able to function in the world around us. Our imagination is a fascinating thing, it allows us to perceive things even though we cannot see, hear, taste, touch or feel them.

In chapter three of Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud, he writes about how comics allow us to open our minds, by simply having spaces between the panels. By doing this, the reader can (and should) assume what has happened between the scenes. Like most readers, when I see two different pictures that are somewhat relevant, I find myself more curious on what went on. Each reader can interpret the story differently. This simple idea allows many readers to use their imaginations instead of just reading tediously.

According to McCloud there are six different types of transitions between panels. the first type is a "moment to moment" transition. For this type of transition the reader has to use little imagination, because it is as simple as showing a person blink. I think this type of transition would entail a very boring story, due to the lack of imagination involved. The second type of transition is "action to action". This also does not require the reader to use very much imagination because it gives a play by play of what happened in the sequence. In my opinion i see this type of transition as one that would be used in children's comics. The third type of transition is "subject to subject". This type of transition is really cool. It shows two different images that stay within the same scene or idea, but they allow the reader to use their imagination and become more involved in the story. I think this is a good idea, because each reader can interpret the story differently, and the meaning could be different for each individual. The fourth type of transition is called "sense to scene". This type of transition also shows two different images within the same idea, but this one takes the reader over a significant amount of time or space. This makes the reader have to use more imagination because there is more time in between the images, that the reader can imagine so many different things. The fifth type of transition is "aspect to aspect". This one can shows two different images and the ideas of the images are different. To be honest I don't understand how this works, in the sense that the reader could explore their imagination if the pictures don't make sense? The last type of transition is "non-sequential". This means that the two images have basically nothing to do with one another. I think that the reader would have to have a big imagination for this one to see what the story was about.

I'm with McCloud on the idea that comics open our imagination beyond what we ever thought they could, and that all we need is to have a little bit of faith. Because after all, even if we can't see something it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist ;).

Pure Genius!!!!

2012-01-30T20:32:00.003-07:00

In chapter 3 of Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud mentions that when he was younger he would daydream that nothing existed unless he saw it or paid attention to it. It was later on in life when he realized that he was not alone when it came to experiencing this theory. As I read through the chapter, McCloud states that everybody has five senses that we use every day and in every situation. The five senses are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. Some of us use these five senses without even noticing. We have developed these senses over time as we grow up. It begins when we are infants and we are introduced to the game of "Peek-A-Boo."
Another topic that Scott McCloud introduces in chapter 3 is closure. He states that there is a wide variety of closure. The variety of closure ranges from shapes, outlines to the change of time and motion. A prime example of closure is the space or gutters between the panels. They allow the reader to become a part of the comic. By becoming a part of the comic we are able to predict what will happen next. For example, let's just say that Spiderman was fighting the Green Goblin on a roof top. This fight is a combination of shooting web, kicks and punches. The Green Goblin forces Spiderman to the walk toward the edge and Spiderman is close to falling. But Spiderman shoots the Green Goblin in the face with his web, blinding him. Spiderman then punches the Green Goblin and performs a spinning jump kick. The Green Goblin is kicked off the roof top and Spiderman has defeated his enemy once again. You as the reader decided how hard the Green Goblin got kicked and where Spiderman kicked him.
The third topic that McCloud mentions in the chapter is the 6 categories of panels. The First category is the Panel to Panel which is also called the Moment to Moment. This type requires very little closure. The Second category is the Action to Action. This type of paneling is a series of action that is occurring through numerous panels. The example of this type is a picture of a baseball player getting ready to hit the ball. The next panel is when the baseball player is swing the bat and hits the ball. The Third category is the Subject to Subject. The main point of this paneling is to stay within the scene or idea that is currently being discussed. The Fourth category is the Scene to Scene. This panel is used to take the reader over a series of time, distance and space. The Fifth category is the Aspect to Aspect. This type of panel passes through time very easily and sets the mood about different places or ideas. The Sixth category is referred to as the Non-Sequitur panel. This panel has no relationships with the other panels. This chapter is definitely making comics sound more appealing. It is also adding more to my knowledge of comics.

Keep Your Mind in the Gutter! Ch. 3

2012-01-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

Chapter Threeof Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics-TheInvisible Art deals with the concept of closure and progression between thepanels in comics. According to McCloud, closure is the act of “observing theparts but perceiving the whole.” We use closure every day, usually relying onour own experiences to help us fill in the blanks. We use closure to perceivephotographs that have been reproduced in a newspaper or a magazine, when wewatch a film or television and, of course, in comics.

The small spacesbetween panels in comics are known as “gutters.” Closure has an especiallyimportant role here in the gutter. We use closure to help us unify the separateimages into one coherent idea. Closure helps the reader participate in comicsas they read and is, in fact, the main driving force behind comics because thisis what simulates time and motion. McCloud makes the claim that because thegutter requires none of our senses, all of them are engaged by it. This is dueto the fact that our imaginations are set free between the frames. McCloud examinesthe six different types of transitions, which include moment-to-moment,action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene, aspect-to-aspect, andnon-sequitur. Here in the West, the most popular transition types areaction-to-action, subject-to-subject, and scene-to-scene. In Japan,moment-to-moment and aspect-to-aspect are also popular transition choices.

The wholeidea of closure is fascinating. The fact that our minds can take pieces of animage and perceive a complete image is nothing short of amazing! I never realized how involved the reader’simagination had to be while reading comics. I’ve also never given much thought to the purpose of the space betweenthe panels; I always thought it was just there. Scott McCloud, however, hasmade me aware of the gutter’s special role in comics.

The simple, and the complex.

2012-01-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

The beginning of chapter 3 in the book Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud introduces a topic known as closure. He begins introducing closure by explaining what happened to him when he was a younger child. When he was a child, he daydreamed and later found out that there were other people who daydreamed, and never knew that their daydreaming was actually a theory! McCloud explains that closure meets human needs by using their 5 senses, (seeing, tasting, smelling, feeling, and listening). I agree with McCloud when he gives an example of what a baby perceives when playing the game known as "Peek-A-Boo". McCloud explains that when the sight of "Mommy" is actually there, to a baby, she isn't and will eventually appear at some point for them.

Between panels is where we can find closure. Our mind wonders while reading panel to panel and allows us to connect each panel together with the last one that we saw to pretty much make a reality of the comic. According to McCloud, "Closure in comics fosters an intimacy surpassed only by the written word, a silent, secret contract between the creator and audience." I agree with McCloud because in order for there to be closure, a person must actually see, or know about something in order to understand and come to an understanding of the topic. Talking about this topic leads McCloud to explain how the creator honors art and craft. There are 6 panel transformations. Moment-to-moment (which requires little closure), action-to-action (shows progression), subject-to-subject (stays within a scene), scene-to-scene (transports us across distances of time and space), aspect-to-aspect (sets a wandering eye on the different aspects of the comic), and the non-sequitur which has no logical relationship between the panels.

Closure is very important when it comes to reading comics. It makes the reader become involved in the reading. While I read this chapter, it taught me a different way of looking at comics. Now that I understand the term "closure", it actually helps me to understand the meaning of what is being said in the comic. It helped me to read through chapter 4 thoroughly and swiftly.

Chapter 3 Blood in the gutter

2012-01-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

Chapter three is all about closure, and how the author's of most comics assume you to know certain things. The chapter informs us that we look at the world using our five senses. Although at a younger age, you're not really able to use your senses, and a great example of the game peek a boo was given when the child knew his mom was there a second a go, yet she disappeared so quickly. The chapter also helps us understand the six main categories and also explain the variations of eastern and western translations. Regarding the six categories, Moment to Moment requires very little closure. Action to Action features a single subject in distinct progressions. Subject to Subject requires the reader's involvement. Scene to Scene requires deductive reasoning. The fifth element Aspect to Aspect sets a wandering eye on different aspects of a place, mood, or idea. The final element is the Non-Sequitur that offers no logical relationship between panels. The whole idea of closure and the assumptions of the comic readers really in my belief is really securing the fact that there is a comic book out there for everyone. For example when McCloud explains that in the killing scene, we as readers all took part in the killing, it's true that we did because in our minds, we are the ones that decide how much force we use when dropping the axe down on the man.

All in all, my thoughts on the chapter are that I actually enjoyed reading the chapter. It wasn't too long or as long as I thought it would be. The most interesting thing to me in this chapter is the idea of closure and how we as readers really do take part in the comic. It was puzzling to me how well I connected with the assumption thought that we as readers know what a closed eyeball looks like drawn, because the reader assumes that we in general know what a closed eye looks like. I didn't really understand the differences of comics in the eastern and western regions, because I believe they are different styles from one another since the east and west have different cultures.

Seeing the Unseeable: Chapter 3 - Blood in the Gutters

2012-01-30T17:31:00.000-07:00

The gaps between the panels leave an infinite amount of space for the mind to fill its blank canvas. This act of filling is referred to McCloud as closure. This allows readers to have a continuous thought, even though the panels themselves are in a state of transition. McCloud states that there are six different types of transitions. Moment to moment, action to action, subject to subject, scene to scene, aspect to aspect, and non-sequitur. Starting with moment to moment and going to non-sequitur the need for closure increases greatly, to the point where non-sequitur does not seem to have a rhyme to its reason. Focusing on American artists, statistically, there is a pattern in comics that show a heavy reliance on action to action, subject to subject, and scene to scene. McCloud links this to the fact that Western culture has a fixation getting to the point, while Easter culture places importance on how you get to the point. Eastern culture has a fixation with balance and balance is key to comics. The author must decide what to add and what should be removed without casting the whole story into a tailspin confusion. The author also must find produce work that is visually stimulating, once the eyes are captured, so are the other senses. The author must also be weary to not create something that is too realistic or unidentifiable. This hinders the reader's ability to have a continuous thought. This balance that is needed in so many different aspects joined together in one story is special to the art of comics, and this is why they are, in a way, magical.

Things only exist because I exist. There is no way I can prove things are real beyond what I am sensing in that very moment.This point made by McCloud I found to be perplexing. When I was younger I don't doubt that I had similar thoughts, but now I realize how much faith every single person invests in this world. I cannot prove that my house in Colorado is standing right now, but I trust that it is. This idea relayed interestingly to how comics are read. I never considered how the gaps were apart of the story. The gutters allow the readers to become the authors, making comics interactive on a level I never really thought of. McCloud really hook, lined, and sinker-ed me on this one.

Not Just Blank Spaces

2012-01-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

Paulina Medina

Chapter 3

ENGL-112

January 29, 2012

Not Just Blank Spaces

How big can ones imagination be, in order to see whats not really there? In a world dominated by our senses, Scott McCloud breaks apart “reality” and puts together the fragments that allow us to perceive a comic with much more detail. Chapter 3 of Understanding Comics-The Invisible Art, describes how the panels, word bubbles and pictures in comics combine with such a complexity that even the blank spaces have a meaning. The automatic process in which we observe a part of something but perceive the whole, is known as closure in this chapter. For comics, closure allows for the reader to make a connection between two panels. The imagination of the reader is crucial for a comic to be enjoyed plentifully. With closure not only is the reader following along the story but he or she is also creating a big picture of the comic. According to McCloud, the reader of the comic becomes “The equal partner in crime,” and has a powerful role once participating in the limbo of the blank space known as “The gutter.” The 6 categories in which the different panel transitions fall into are: moment-to-moment, action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene, aspect-to-aspect and non sequitur. Although a comic typically does not include all categories, each author is free to use any of these combinations to “unravel the invisible art of comics storytelling.” Scott McCloud describes the importance of finding the balance between too much and too little in each panel. Not only does the storyline have its complexities, also finding the perfect amount of text and picture to support it plays a crucial part in comics.

It is very interesting to see how comics involve so many concepts that have truly been ignored, at least by me. Scott McCloud really gets into detail in this chapter and caught my attention supporting the title, The Invisible Art. As readers we are always able to make judgements on weather something is good to read or not. However, to see what a crucial part the readers has in comics and the techniques used by authors is very impressive. It is almost fair to say that if we are not able to understand a comic, then something is wrong with our imagination. McCloud in chapter 3, is great at giving the hidden facts behind a comic and allowing me to look at every detail in order to appreciate them more.

Chapter 3 "Blood in the Gutter" Understanding Comics

2012-01-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

The importantance of chapter Three in Scott Mccloud Book "Understanding Comics, The Invisible Art" is understanding comics in the sixth catogories and diference between East and West Comics translations. The sixth main catogories are ; Moment to Moment, Action to Action, Subject to Subject, Scene to Scene, Aspect to Aspect and Non Sequitur.In the history of comics books all of these are catogories are use in variations of each other limitations. The main caution here is would be that Scott Mccloud Theories on to use these Catogories in prospective and especially style how to use each catogories compliments the story. The main issue that I as a reader had is that say about this issue on the different styles on East ( Japan Comics) and West ( United States of America Comics) are significantly different styles and Ideogologies on how comic are suppose to be precieved. I think there an obvicious different between them (East versus West) but also their very similar to each other in written and illustrated. In contrast i think scott mccloud points out the main differants between the comics book in length and Story Outlines/closures. I like how the author mentions Jack Kirby as the biggiest contributor in the western influenes and in the eastern side Tezuka influence on comic anthologies.

In conclusion, i think Scott Mccloud has many importanty views on chapter three and how his argruments view in his answer towards the end of the chapter. I quote on the importance of his views between east and west comics, "Traditional western art and literature dont wander much on the whole. We're a pretty Goal Oriented culture." Scott Mccloud Views on the east, " But, in the East. There's a rich traditions of cyclical and labyrinthine works of art." In the end I as reader agree on the author on the different authors view on catogories but I strongly disagree with him on the difference between East and West comics. I argument against Scott mccloud reasons on the subject of east versus west comics are different is the chronicals comics anthologies and description of catogories. The best example where there similar is the "The Dark Knight Series" which is an anthologies on Batman and how he came to be this iconic heroe.

The Theology of Comics

2012-01-30T00:50:00.001-07:00

Montel Morris

Villlareal

English 112

Summary

29, January 29, 2012

The Theology of Comics

Chapter three of Understanding Comics The Invisible Art takes a more intricate approach in furthering the concept of how we understand comics. Author Scott McCloud delves into what most individuals would not care to think about or pay attention to when they’re reading a comic. The focus has been placed on the reader’s involvement when they perceive what has been drawn. McCloud once again also gives the reader a glimpse of how he observed life around himself as a child and how it applies to comics. During his explanation of observation, McCloud emphasizes the role of human senses when reading comic panels. Detailing the lesson of what is being conveyed, he uses an outline approach to illustrate the six panel to panel transitions associated with comics and the type of closure the viewer experiences in-between each of the six described.

Throughout this annotation he picks back up on the topic discussed in chapter two to foster conclusion on the subject of various iconic and non iconic drawing styles. Reverting back to his original thought as a child, but only this time as an adult cartoon of himself, using it as a metaphor to have faith in what he is trying to convey. Blood in the gutter has to the most interesting chapter thus far. The description of closure provided great insight into what is actually occurring within our minds when were reading a comic. I never really paid much attention to the involvement of my imagination, because I’ve always been preoccupied with visual aspect of the images. Taking this in account out of sight out of mind doesn’t necessarily apply in response to closure.

Chapter 3: Blood in the Gutter

2012-01-29T23:59:00.001-07:00

In the beginning of chapter 3 of Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art heintroduces the topic called Closure. He describes that people perceive theworld as being a whole but people can only tell so much by using their fivesenses (smell, taste, see, listen, and feel). But in reality the world isfragmented and incomplete. He uses that example to introduce the term closure,meaning that one observes the world as a whole. McCloud begins to discuss thedifferent forms of closure. Closure is that space where the mind wandersbetween one panel to the next panel. McCloud uses an example of a comic stripwhere there is a killer with an axe in one panel and just another panel of aword that describes someone screaming. That space in between makes the reader’smind wander and their imagination come into play causing the reader to actuallyparticipate in what they are reading. This then leads into the topic of thepanel transformations. He listed six of them, but the common ones are Action toAction, Scene to Scene, and Subject to Sucject. McCloud’s point of this chapteris to show how important closure is when it comes to reading comics. It causesthe reader to relate and actually get involved with whatever comic they arereading, causing a connection between the author and the audience.

When reading this chapter I started paying attention to whatreally closure meant. I re-read a few panels of the comic and my mind wandered.Closure is important when it comes to writing a comic just because it allowsthe reader to use their imagination and in some sort of way become the authorof the unwritten parts of the comic. This chapter made me understands the comicworld more clearly. It is not just a bunch of pictures with a few words, thereis more in between the lines or in this case in between the panels.

Time in Comics-Chapter 4

2012-01-29T22:21:00.001-07:00

Jessica Brink

Chapter four of McClouds book Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, he talks about the aspect of time in Comics. He uses the metaphor of a rope representing time. One inch on the rope represents one second in time. If you were to line the rope up with the text, and different panels of a comic, you could see that time passes through each one. Even one silent panel has some time taken up in it. In the example that he used, one large panel with different things happening in one panel, is basically several panels, combined into one. When we read, we read it from left to right just like a regular comic, and we assume that time is taken up. But, not all panels are like this, because panels can also be held in a single moment, and it does not have to hold any sound. The panels that hold the icons in comics, act as a divider to show that time or space is being divided.

McCloud continues on by talking about the difference between times depicted in comics and time perceived. A lot of times, we just assume what is going on in certain panels because of what we have done in our own lives. For example, McCloud uses a conversation between two men on page 100. During the three panel conversation, the second panel is a picture of one of the men silently sitting there, or in other words, pausing for several seconds. We assume that the pause is only a few seconds, because of how it is depicted. McCloud points out that there are several ways to shorten or lengthen the pause in the conversation. One way to lengthen it is to widen the space between the panels. Another is to make the panel with the pause, bigger so that it “feels” like a longer period of time. There are several other ways to show time in comics. For example, running a picture off the edge of the page lets the picture escape from the traditional panel and go off into space, making it seem like the picture is timeless, and is always going to be there.

The motion of comics really came about in the 1800’s. Thomas Edison came up with the first motion picture. The idea that motion could be portrayed in a single image, was first addressed by the futurists in Italy, and by Marcel Duchamp in France. He simplified movement in images. People soon lost interest in this idea and the motion line formed somewhere in that time span. The motion line started out a little confusing, but has evolved into a great representation to what the actual physical motion looks like.

I think this whole chapter is really interesting, because everything McCloud addresses, I honestly never thought about. The whole time I read comics through out my life, I just sort of knew these concepts without actually knowing that I knew them, if that makes any sense. For example, seeing that there is a pause in a comic, can easily be picked up through several different ways. Like a bigger space between two panels, or a panel with a character not saying anything during a conversation. I knew that these were pauses, but I never really though about how I knew it was.

Close That Space!

2012-01-29T21:45:00.001-07:00

In chapter three of Scott McClouds Understanding Comics he goes into depth about many topics that help the world of comics function. It helps us as readers believe that more credit should be given to comics than many people believe. Throughout this experience the world of comics has become very clear that they are a lot more complicated than meets the eye. During chapter three McCloud discusses how comics have a story to tell between each panel where blank space exists. This blank space between the reader is called closure. Closure is something that we do in everyday life. Even if the reader cannot see beyond the page he or she is reading they trust that there are still more pages filled with information about comics. That is what McCloud calls closure and this is what we explore during this chapter.

Closure allows the reader to use his or her imagination. Closure plays a huge part in comics because without it and the imagination of the reader each panel would be an individual and comics would be unreadable. The creators of comics are trusting that each reader can make an assumption between each panel in order for the story to flow smoothly. This is where the reader has to get involved with each comic and they are helping the creators story come to life along the way. No matter what type of panel the creator has decided to use whether it be moment-to-moment, action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene, aspect-to aspect, or non-sequitur the creator is putting their faith in the reader that they can create their own story between each panel for them to understand.

This chapter opened up a window that I was unable to see within comics. It helped me better understand the many possibilities that comics can open. By allowing the reader to provide closure between each panel the creator is letting the reader take their story and add their imagination to the mix. In the end we are all getting the same content but how the reader creates that content is their choice.

Review of Chapter's 3&4: A look at the concepts of motion, time, and assumptions

2012-01-29T20:53:00.003-07:00

I feel that it is necessary to blog a little on both chapters because they build upon each other as a general idea. Scott Mcloud first starts the third chapter by discussing his adolecent theory of how things may not exist beyond his senses, though later in time this is easily proven wrong (i.e. the existence of other places, people, ect). Scott ties this very complex idea to how the space between panels (also known as gutters) require or even demand your imagination to see what is not being illustrated. The comic can manipulate the readers mind with simple words to show action and leave the reader assuming an action has occurred.

Scott Mcloud continues to elaborate on this passing of time by breaking down time in sequential art into six different categories:

1. Moment to Moment

2. Action to Action

3. Subject to Subject

4. Scene to Scene

5. Aspect to Aspect

6. Non-sequintur

This analysis helped me understand that time passing in comics is not set or limited to a specific time frame. Identifying these sequence times was a little difficult to spot at first but I think I might finally have a firm grasp on it. For example, this sequence of Captain America getting his brains ripped out from "Marvel Zombies" resembles Mcloud's Action to Action description.

In the fourth chapter Mcloud goes on to explain tha

t time can elapse in just one panel and within only a second or two, thus defying time and reality without the reader noticing. This is important for his next point of motion in a panel. Motion it usually captured with wavy or ridged lines known as "Zip Ribbons" help visually convey a motion a character or object is creating. A good example I found was of the vigilante "The Maxx" smashing the fabled "Isz". All of these concepts are in my opinion essential to understanding movement in comic books and simultaneously make them look cooler.

Chapter Three: Close That

2012-01-29T20:38:00.001-07:00

Lucas Rodriguez

Mr. Villarreal

29 January 2012

Chapter Three: Don’t read under the influence.

Inchapter three of Scott McCloud’s UnderstandingComics the basic idea of closure, both in comics and in everyday life, isexplained. The basic idea that McCloud is trying to portray is that a person’smind is capable of, and more importantly incapable of not taking individualparts of anything and making them into a complete picture or story. If not forthis ability comics would not be the success that they are today, and mostlikely wouldn’t even be readable. Closure is the reader’s ability to take theevent in one picture and relate it to the next as a sequence of events. Closurecan also be the ability to look at a picture and relate it to what the picturewas taken of, or looking at something and relating it to something that itobviously is not, such as the smiley face symbol which is merely two dots, acircle and a line, and perceiving it to be a human face. This may be the most important element of comics,for the reason that, without closure it would be impossible to determine panel-to-panelaction, and it would also be impossible to determine what the frames containother then lines, colors, and dots. McCloud informs us of six types of closure,moment-to-moment, action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene,aspect-to-aspect, and non-sequitur. In the western world the most popular typesof closure, in comics, are two through four. According to McCloud, comics fromthe east, particularly Japanese comics, tend to use five of the elements of closure,as opposed to comics from the west where only three of the elements aregenerally used. The sixth element listed, non-sequitur, isn’t mentioned byMcCloud as being used by anyone as a main element. Closure opens up the horizonsof comics by letting the reader control, with their imagination, how things arehappening in and between the panels.

Thischapter was the first chapter in which I feel like Scott McCloud succeeded attaking me to a level where I am beginning to truly understand comics. Afterreading this chapter I feel like reading comics might actually be aninteresting way to spend my time. I’ll have to test that theory soon.

Chapter 3 Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art

2012-01-29T19:29:00.001-07:00

Chapter 3 of Understanding Comics: The Invisble Art is a very helpful chapter, Scott McCloud helps understand transitions in comic panels that are known as closure in this chapter. Closure is a very important part of comics due to the fact that this is how readers have their personal interpretations of the comic they are reading. The dead space between each panel provides the reader with an opportunity to use their imagination and interpret the story their own way; making comics unique to each reader. There are six different categories of closure in comics, moment-to-moment, action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene, aspect-to-aspect, and non-sequitur. Each category of this group has their own meaning and role in the world of comics. Each playing a role in how the reader interprets the comic he/she is reading.

I found chapter 3 very helpful in understanding one of comics biggest concepts. After reading this chapter I have a better understanding of comics and understand how panels work for each reader. Now I know why it is said that there is a comic for each individual, by involving your imagination in the reading each individual could create their own personal story. Now I know that in order to have a good experience reading a comic, as a reader I need to be involved with the comic becoming part of the story.

"without time where would we be"

2012-01-29T17:28:00.002-07:00

in chapter four of Scott McCloud's book on understanding comics I have read that what time frames do in comics is that create a sort of pause to where it separates moments in between different panels. Also that single panels are used to just show how a single moment even if silent portrays the division between space and time. in comics time and space are the same different from what occurs in real life, and if a writer of comics wants to make such of a longer pause for the reader to feel they simply make more panels in the comic. to the fact that we are staring at a closed panel it is something such as a kind of timeless space due to us not knowing if the panel ever ends. all panels represent a past and present in the way we read. then when moving images became a part of everything in 1880 comic artists such as Marcel Duchamp began to paint motion by using such things as motion lines. over the years these motion lines became more complex and styled. to finish off I read that sound and motion are mostly the main topics of comics but it all depends on the persons frame of mind to determine illusion or normality.

Chapter Four

2012-01-29T16:42:00.001-07:00

In chapter four of Understanding Comics Scott McCloud talks about time frames in comics. Scott McCloud talks about the majority of people thinking that a single snapshot is just a single moment in time but that is not always true in comics. But in comics when there are severial pannels that are side by side they are not just a single moment in time but are acutally severial seconds. So the space is acutally representing time. Also relying on the pictures to help tell the time sequence is how time can also be told, and the pictures can also set the mood for the scene in the comic. Also in some comics they have additional effects to help the reader get more involved and understand the actions taking place.

I feel like this chapter explanted a lot about how the panels can be read from any direction and make any story diffrent which makes comics that much more intresting. Also i found it very intresting that the time seguence is told thur the panels.

Chapter 3: Imagination and Faith

2012-01-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

In chapter three of Scott Mcclouds Understanding Comics, the reader learns about a tool that comics focus on, closure. Mccloud breaks down how comic readers are able to take fragments of scenes and make them a whole. The brain is able to commit closure when it notices certain patterns, black and white images, and outlines. The gap in between comics is used as closure, our brains are able to fill in the space with what we believe to be there. Comics use closure far more than any other media, the readers must use their imagination to allow a baseball to be in a hand in one picture to being thrown in the air in the next. There are six different styles of transition: movement-to-movement, action-to-action, subject- to- subject, scene-to-scene, aspect-to-aspect, and non-sequitur. In 1966, Jack Kirby the creator of "Fantastic Four" introduced a style in comics where action-to-action is followed by subject-to-subject then scene-to-scene. He set the stage for how American comic makers would continue to make their comics. It was even noticed that European writers also followed this style. Other artist such as Osamu Tezuka from Japan decided to stray from the orthodox style of comics and publish ones that were radically different. Japanese artist do not follow the same conventions as American artist, which proves that comics can have any of the six transitions and the readers will still understand.Some comic strips focus on filling medium with plenty of details and others don't. Keeping comics simple contributes to the "less is more" concept, readers are then able to imagine what should be in the comics. By artist keeping the readers involved throughout the comic strip, the reader will always come back for more.

In every chapter it seems as if Scott Mccloud introduces a new topic that helps decode the secrets behind comics. After he introduces the topic, he elaborately explains his topic and connects his evidence to things the reader will agree with and understand. In Chapter 3 of Understanding Comics, Mccloud discusses the importance of "the gutter", which is the gap between frames. The gutter is able to provide closure for the reader, we can fill in blank spaces with whatever we see fit to connect to the next image. I don't believe the mind even notices its doing it, it is able to accept one frame to the next without questioning how it happened that way. The six transitions seem to all connect, they all involve actions and reactions. In order to understand comics better, it is best for the reader to get an understanding on how closure plays a huge part in reading them.

sean sanchez ch.3 understanding comics

2012-01-28T14:26:00.002-07:00

Sean Sanchez

Chapter 3 Summary/opinion

English composition 2

In Chapter 3 of Understanding Comic, Scottmcloud explains how we rely on senses to understand the world as a whole. Hesays “our perception of reality is an act of faith based on mere fragments”. Scott McCloud calls this idea of observing theparts but perceiving the whole as closure.

He uses the examples of movies and televisionwatchers how they can turn still images into a moving sequence of events. Herelates this to comics because of the gap between panels called thegutters. Closure helps you to understandthe story unfolding in the comic.

Scott then talks about transitions. He explains the five types are moment tomoment, action to action, subject to subject, scene to scene, aspect to aspect andnon-sequitur. He compares other comics to see what transitions are mostused. He finds that action to actiontransition is the most used followed by subject to subject and scene to scenein famous American comics.

In Japanese comic though it is differentsubject to subject is nearly the same amount of action. Also aspect to aspect transitionsappear more often than seen in the west. He explains that this difference could be thelength of Japanese comics compared to American comic but he thinks this is notthe only factor. He states that the western world is a “goal oriented countryand that in the east there is a rich tradition of cyclical and labyrinthine worksof art.

Scott begins to explain how to find a balancebetween too much and too little for a reader to understand the closure of thestory and comic. He talks a little abouthow to arrange theses panel also. In conclusion Scott asks you to have faithand a world of imagination.

I think Scott McCloud explained closure verywell and detailed. Most comic books readers do not realize they do this processevery time they read a comic. An author must understand closure so he can makea successful connection with his reader.

Chapter 3 Closure

2012-01-28T13:40:00.003-07:00

In chapter 3 of Understanding Comics, the Invisible Art, the author Scott McCloud introduces the concept of closure and its importance in comics. Closure is when your mind puts together the individual parts to create the whole picture. This is the most vital element of comics, it is how the reader perceives a story from a sequence of still pictures. There are six types of closure, moment-to-moment, action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene, aspect-to-aspect, and non-sequitur. The most commonly used styes are two-four, especially in the western world. However, in the east, mostly Japan, the aspect-to-aspect style and moment-to-moment are used almost equally with styles two-four. Style six is very rarely used in any comics around the world. Closure can be used both inside the panels, and in-between them. Closure in-between the panels allows the reader to imagine using all of their senses what happens from one panel to the next. This is the art and magic of comics, it puts the story into the readers imagination, creating endless possibilities to a single story.

This chapter was very interesting to me. I have never noticed how much my mind fills in when I see a sequence of images. I think this helps prove his point that there is a comic for everyone because everyone perceives the same comic a little differently according to their own taste. I liked how he explained the differences between western comics and Japanese comics because it shows that there really are tons of different ways that you can draw comics.

Chapter 3

2012-01-26T17:42:00.001-07:00

In, Understanding Comics The Invisible Art, the author Scott McCloud tells us about transitions and closure. Chapter 3 is all about transitions and how the creator of the comic uses them strategically to give the reader closure. Their are 6 main transitions they are moment to moment, action to action, subject to subject, scene to scene,aspect to aspect, and non-sequitur. In most comics the creator uses action to action,subject to subject, and scene to scene. in Japanese comics they use 1-5, mostly using scene to scene. The panel transitions are all used for closure. Creators of comics have to make sure they get the right balance of transitions so the reader can have closure. If the creator has to many then the reader may not get any closure at all. The icon and non iconic drawings could also have an affect on the closure of a comic.

This chapter was really interesting. It helped me to understand why creators of comics do things the way they do them. I never really thought there was a reason for the transitions other then i thought the creator just wanted to add a little extra art into the comic. Its pretty cool how your mind can make a conclusion based off of on transition like an eye closing, you see and open eye and a closed eye but your mind adds in the extra steps giving you the closure he was talking about.

Push Those Boundaries!!!

2012-01-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

According to Kunzles definition, a comic has to have a sequence of images, more image instead of text, be mass produced, and have a moral whether it be good or bad. Scott McClouds definition states that a comic has to be pieces of art deliberately put in sequence, or side by side, in relation to space. Since this is only one frame, not several in sequence, then according to both definitions this is not a comic. It also violates Kunzles definition by having too much text and not enough picture. I am starting to wonder why a comic has to have more than one image to be classified as a comic. I understand that this part of the definition helps to slim the world of comics down, because if it wasn't there we would have to include almost every piece of art since the beginning of time. I think that this part of both definitions makes sense, but now I,m on the fence. Why can't these single images be comics too? We just need to keep pushing those boundaries. Just a little push will take me over that fence to the side where comics can be a single image if they want to be.


                         Not a Comic, but I kinda want it to be!!!

Simulated Experiences

2012-01-25T22:52:00.000-07:00

In chapter two of Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud, McCloud delves into the world of icons and our ability as readers to perceive even the simplest ones. He begins with the very famous "Treachery of Images" by Magritte Called that everyone who has taken intro to art or philosophy 101 knows the confusing circle of the painting's message. Like the painting, McCloud begins by explaining that what is on the page is not the actual object that we see. He uses the example of the classic two circles and two lines “face” that every person can recognize as a face immediately, he suggests that this is possible because humans are such a self-centered creature that sees itself in everything. He then proposes that this is why the majority of cartoons are drawn so simplistically, so we can see ourselves in the character’s place. This is very important to stories because an audience’s involvement is produced by how much they can identify with the characters. McCloud explains that comics are a media that can mix 3 factors that make up the “pictorial vocabulary,” these things are language, reality, and the picture plane. Comic book artists can mix these things however they like to tell their stories in a matter they see fit, whether it is by simple drawings with complex dialogue or extremely intricate art with minimal vocabulary. He concludes that it’s up to the author to create the stories and images but it’s up to us as readers to give the characters life.

The entire concept of what we perceive as objects or reality all goes back to the Allegory of the Cave and Plato’s Theory of Forms.

Ghost in the Shell is full of philosophical questions of being and possessing life.

The Vocabulary of Comics

2012-01-25T21:42:00.002-07:00

As everyone knows comics are best known for their creative art and engaging text writing but as many don’t know, there is more to it than meets the eye. Scott McCloud wrote a brief chapter about the significance of vocabulary in comics. McCloud tries to explain that in his perspective, vocabulary of comics is an “icon” that represents a person, place, thing or idea. He gives a small example by using a picture of a pipe but says it’s not a pipe, more like a painting of a pipe but it’s not a painting, rather, it’s a drawing of a painting of a pipe but it really is a printed copy of a drawing of a painting of a pipe. (I know it’s a confusing concept to grasp). He notes that any picture in the world of comics is not quite what it may seem but rather it is an iconic category and its concept is to express idea and philosophies. There may be pictures more iconic than others but there are also some that are non-pictorial icons and also others that are more abstract than some. As McCloud finds ways to abstract and simplify images, he comes to the counter point in many comic arts, “cartoon”. When abstracting an image through cartooning, it’s not so much eliminating details as focusing on specific details but stripping down an image, the artist can amplify its meaning in a way that realistic art can’t. If you may draw an art picture in detail, would the audience observing or reading the text ever pay attention to it? Well, probably not because more people would respond more to a cartoon figure. It’s just the way people were brought up in the 20^th century today and that’s one of the issues in vocabulary sense that McCloud tries to explain.

McCloud expresses non-visual self-awareness, when saying people whom experience things in life can have two separate realms, meaning the realm of concept and senses. Non-visual self-awareness can be the identities and awareness by using inanimate objects, and people use this concept in everyday life. In any case of vocabulary, Icons is a big participation in a work of art and the same goes for comics. McCloud makes some really good views about the Iconic role of comics and when he explains some strong values about art and the concept of each type of genre art, like cartoons, pictures or paintings, he gives his input of how valuable it is towards comics. Some of his work and research may strike me as unusual but he puts his observations in proper perspectives that could or may relate to the world of comics and in everyday life. Comics do have a wide range of definitions and just by my own observation of his information on sequence imaging, ”icon” is another good perspective I see as understanding comic; as it will help me understand the unraveling mystery of comics.

ICONS- The new vocabulary of Comic Books

2012-01-25T20:33:00.001-07:00

In Chapter two of Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud starts off by analyzing a painting but according to him it is a printed copy of a drawing of a painting of a pipe. Doesn’t that sound bizarre? Well, McCloud then introduces the word ICON that he’ll be using to signify a person, place, thing or idea. He begins analyzing the difference between images and vocabulary, which is what this chapter is about. McCloud makes a point about how drawing and cartoons are so expressive even if they seem very abstract to our eyes. McCloud tries to get every point across by making it relatable to us and how we think.

McCloud talks about media’s and animations in America, Japan, Europe and the fact that in spite of them being extremely cartoonish we as readers find a few lines and dots reasonable. For example: a circle with two dots and one line represents a face regardless of the abstractness in them. He switches on to vocabulary and pictures. The two are related but yet very different as pictures are “received information” whereas reading is “perceived information”. If pictures are more abstracted from reality, they require greater levels of perception, which is equivalent to lower levels of perception when words are bolder and more direct. I don’t seem to disagree with McCloud at all as this is a wonderful way to relate each one to another. The Picture Plane table, reality and language are the three vertices he uses to represent the total pictorial vocabulary of comics or any visual art. He points out various characters based on their drawing styles, indicating a mix of characters and their environments. Towards the end he analyzes other comic book artists from the mid sixties, eighties and nineties. Based off from the earlier comic books he predicts that the twenty-first century will use more visual forms/iconography for universal communication. McCloud ends the chapter by stating McLuhan’s opinions of the only two medias he finds coolest are televisions and comics.

A picture is the most important factor of a comic. The main highlight of a comic has to be the pictures. And, Scott McCloud in chapter two is emphasizing on ICONS and how they communicate with the reader even if he/she isn’t literate. It is true that we need text in comics but McCloud has made pictures so appealing that it is almost like the vocabulary of a comic. In my opinion McCloud shone a totally new light for drawings in a comic book, expressing not just mere feelings but having the ability to explain beyond them. McCloud simplifies every point he makes by backing them up with examples and bizarre drawings.

In Your Face

2012-01-25T16:55:00.002-07:00

ScottMcCloud uncovers some very deep points behind the comic in chapter two of hisbook Understanding Comics. He shows us how comics usethe world of icons to pull us into the story. Icons can really beanything, anyplace, anyone, or any idea. With such a broad spectrum oficons to choose from, the world of comics is limitless, infinite so to speak. Making this world of comics even more complex, we see that even the iconsthemselves can change, altering how the reader perceives them. Showing us one of the most used icons in comics, the cartoon face, ScottMcCloud informs us how abstraction plays a vital role in how the human mindprocesses the image. A cartoon smiley face, contrary to a detailedpicture of a face, allows the onlooker to imagine oneself as the character; butthe extremely detailed background takes our mind into a realm of wonder. The ability to impose our identity upon asimple object like a smiley face goes deeper than one would think. This ability bridges the gap between theconceptual and sensual world. ScottMcCloud goes on to formulate a table of some past comic artists including MaryFleener, Jack Kirby, and Stan Lee just to name a few. This table shows us how abstract comics canget, ranging from the simplest of shapes to the most detailed pictures. This triangle- shaped graph has threedifferent points representing ideas, nature, and art. The placement of the artist’s comic shows us wherehis strongest views are.

Understandingwhat an icon really is broadens the horizons for the entire medium. An icon can truly be just about anything youcan think of, and more are being created every day. This gives the comic artist unlimited ways tocommunicate with his audience. There arealso the timeless icons like the smiley face. How long have people looked into that face andsaw themselves staring back? Maybe sincethe beginning of time. Some stories andtapestries of the ancient world have very simply drawn faces; did these artistsrealize that the onlookers would identify themselves within the face? The smiley face has stood the test of time,and I think it will remain important to future comic artists.

Review of Chapter One in Scott Mcloud's Understanding Comics Textbook

2012-01-23T18:09:00.002-07:00

At first glance, this book may seem like just another graphic novel of some dorky college student's exploits to analyze comic books, but once you flip to the introduction or even the table of contents you will see that Mr. Mcloud has gone above and beyond. This book completely defines, analyzes, and graciously accepts there argumentative points and I know this just by reading the first chapter. Starting with the introduction, Scott Mcloud (well, his fictionalized cartoon image of himself) is having a conversation with his friend about what he plans to elaborate on what comics are what what they can do and do do (yes, I said do do). His friend assures him that this challenge is fit for someone with more experience, but Mcloud has a higher consciousness about sequential art.

Speaking of sequential art, Mclouds whole first chapter is narrowing and perfecting the definition for comics. He is very opposed to the original name given to this widespread medium because it infers that ALL art that shows progression of time with more than one panel is FUNNY and quite possibly childish.

SO, instead of calling this form of visual and text assisted medium "Comics" or "Comic Art", he would rather address it as "Sequential Art". But Scott proceeds to further define the definition after being heckled from an illustrated audience. The development of definitions extends from:

Sequential Art to

Sequential Visual Art to

Juxtaposed Sequential Visual Art to

Juxtaposed Sequential Static Images to

Juxtaposed Static Images in deliberate Sequence to

Juxtaposed Pictorial & other images in deliberate sequence

After all of this specification, Mcloud proceeds to show the reader the deep-rotted origins of sequential art throughout history. Technically, Pre-Colombian Manuscripts (Mayan Picture drawings or sculptures), The Bayeux Tapestry, and Egyptian Scribes are all examples of a style of story telling through visual static images. After reading his thorough definition for this specific type of storytelling, I did not dispute the fact that all of these examples could be construed and even presented (in my own personal opinion) as early sequential art.

Mcloud uses a few more examples to support his claim, but my favorite was his look at a collage novel from a man named Max Ernst. The novel was entitled "A Week of Kindness" and was widely considered to be a 20th century artistic masterpiece.Scott brings up the question of why this collage was not considered panel art, even though it is. The answer to that question is the era and ideology of the time.

Anyway, Scott then presents very recent examples of sequential art like instructional diagrams, stained glass windows, and even series of photos can be considered "Sequential Art". I think what Mcloud is trying to do here is give us an overall mindset that "Comics" shouldn't be thought of restrictively, put down, or underestimated, but taken seriously, praised, and further observed. All I know is that I'm digging this book and the next time I look at the visual instructions for a hand dryer I'll think "Scott, you rule". That or "Push button, receive bacon"

Welcome to Our Class Blog!

2012-01-23T09:00:00.003-07:00

Welcome to NMHU's Rhetoric of Comics class blog!

If you're a new student, this is where you'll be posting your thoughts on the various subjects we'll be studying this spring. Since your classmates will be doing the same, it will also be where you'll learn and exchange new ideas outside of the classroom. I'll also be posting from time to time with helpful links, important notices, and anything interesting I might find (click the link to see the kinds of stuff I've posted for past classes). On the right, I've already begun collecting links to other interesting bloggers, whose ideas might inspire or guide you in your ongoing research for this class. You'll also periodically find a poll, which I'll use to get your anonymous feedback on the course.

Even if you're just visiting our site, feel free to read and comment on our posts. Students have been asked to summarize the most important points of a reading and then "free think" about the piece. I'll be taking the best written/well thought out post of each week and re-posting it on my own blog, The Daily Pugle, and your feedback will be very helpful.

And whether you're visiting or not, here's our course syllabus:

Open publication - Free publishing - More comics

You'll also find the "Labels" I use to organize the subject of our posts on the right. Simply click one you might be interested in, and every post on the subject will appear for your review. In any event, I hope you will find our class blog interesting and useful.

And now, a funny comic about blogging from XKCD. For bonus points, would David Kunzle classify this a comic? Scott McCloud?

Questions? Quibbles? Controversies?

The Amazing Spider-man

2011-04-19T23:03:00.002-06:00

In the 2002, American classic Spider-man, a young man named Peter Parker, who’s just a normal, nerdy teenage boy, lives in New York, next to his longtime neighbor, and crush, Mary Jane Watson. On a school field trip, when Peter is taking pictures of his heartthrob a genetically altered spider bites him on the hand. Later he returns home and rushes to his room as he passes out on the floor. Meanwhile Norman Osborne, the father of Peter’s best friend Harry, volunteers himself for his company’s science experiment, when it goes wrong and he kills his assistant. The next morning, Peter wakes up and he notices he is different. He no longer needs his glasses to see and he goes from skinny to a very athletic build. Later that day at school, Peter gets in a fight with Flash Thompson. During, he notices that he has a “spidey-sense”, he’s super strong, and can shoot webs from his wrists. After the fight, he runs out of the school, and in an empty alley-way, he notices that he can also climb walls. He signs up for a wrestling contest in an attempt to win money and buy a car to impress Mary Jane. He does so, except the person in charge didn’t pay him all his money. So when that same guy is being robbed, Peter lets him get away. Though the robber steals Peter’s uncle’s car, and kills his uncle, Ben Parker. Peter comes to realize that with the powers he has, he has a responsibility to help the people of New York. Norman Osborne becomes the Green Goblin, Peter Parker/Spider-man’s first major enemy. After battle, after battle between the two, the Norman Osborne/Green Goblin dies on an attempt to kill Spider-man. Peter then realizes that he cannot juggle a relationship and being Spider-man, and he chooses the responsibility of having power.

This movie is a really good one, as it portrays the origin of one of my favorite superheroes. This movie started the popularity of superheroes in Hollywood. Also the 9/11 tragedy helped this spark as people can find hope through these themes of someone saving the day.

We'll Meet Again, Spider-Man!

2011-04-19T21:38:00.001-06:00

Spider-Man is a timeless heroic tale of a normal teenage nerdy boy named Peter Parker who is passionately in love with his neighbor Mary Jane Watson. One day, while on a class trip to a science lab Peter is bitten by a radioactive spider. Overnight, he acquires super clear vision, big muscles, the ability to crawl on walls, and shoot webs from his wrists. At first, Peter wished to use his skills to impress Mary Jane. But this led up to the death of his uncle who was shot by a thief. This tragic incident deeply influenced Peter to decide that he will use his gift to help the citizens of New York. The crime saving hero Spider-Man is enjoying his experience in saving others all while receiving admiration from the public. Then, a villain is created. Norman Osborn is a millionaire scientists who is also the father of Peter's best friend. He undergoes an experiment that brings out an insane ego known as the Green Goblin. The Goblin creates dangerous mischief and Spider-Man cleans it up. They begin a battle of good and evil. The Goblin discovers the true identity of Spider-Man and begins to harm Mary Jane and his aunt May. Eventually, Spider-Man's and the Goblin's battle leads to the death of the villain. Spider-Man continues to be the superhero because, “With great power comes great responsibility”.

Re-watching Spider-Man opened my eyes to realize how awesome he is. He was not one of my favorite hero's, but the fact that Peter Parker is only a teenager makes him appear like a person who anyone can relate too. With his goofy and kind personality while masked and unmasked, we feel comfortable to like him. Spider-Man is an important superhero to society because Peter is just a normal guy in heart. He did what a typical teenager would do, use his gift to impress a girl, but he choose to use his gift as good, not evil. He is not this perfect man who acts arrogant with the strength he obtains, he is someone who makes mistakes and always tries to correct them. We admire Spider-Man for his unwillingness to give up and his undying attempt to be the hero. We are all kind of like Peter Parker, just dorks who continue to chase dreams and try our best to be the perfect persona of good.

I Hate Spiders!... But Love Spiderman!

2011-04-19T20:25:00.003-06:00

The movie Spiderman, is about a teenage boy named Peter Parker that is nerdy and does not have very man friends. He has a crush on this girl named Mary Jane. He lives with his aunt and uncle. One day while visiting a laboratory where spiders are being experimented on, Peter gets bitten by one spider. When he returns home he begins to feel sick. The next morning Peter notices some changes in his body. He obtained some very incredible powers from the spider that bit him. Peter Park goes on and becomes a superhero that calls himself Spiderman.

One day Peter Parkers uncle is murdered, and Peter had the chance to stop the guy that murdered his uncle. Once Peter Parker found out who the guy that shot his uncle was, he proceeded to chance the guy with his new spider senses. He was able to find the guy. And he beats him up. Peter Parker becomes the town hero and is always saving the day. Peter Parker ends up fighting the Green Goblin. One day the Green Goblin proposes to Spiderman that they should get together become unstoppable. Spiderman rejects his offer and makes the Green Goblin upset. After that the Green Goblin tries to get rid of Spiderman, by harming the ones that he loves most. First the Green Goblin tries to kill Peters aunt, then he tries to kill the girl that Peter has loved for like ever, Mary Jane. In the end Spiderman ends up saving the girl he loves as well as defeating the Green Goblin

I really enjoyed this movie. I had not seen it in a while, but I did watch the second one about a couple weeks ago. These movies are kind of cheesy, and very dramatic. But anyway, I like all of the Spiderman movies, they are very enjoyable.

My spidey sences are tingling!

2011-04-19T18:11:00.004-06:00

Peter Parker is just your average nerd who's interests involve science, studying and fantasizing about his neighbor, Mary Jane. One day while on a field trip with his school at a spider museum Peter attempts to flirt with Mary Jane but fails miserably. While taking her picture a lose spider bites Peter Parker and despite the discomfort he tells no one. Within the next few days Peter Parker begins to notice changes about himself. He now can see without his glasses, becomes stronger but most importantly he now can shoot webs out of his wrist and climb up walls. At first it is a struggle for him to control his new powers and to create a new image for himself but then he transforms himself into the super hero Spider Man. Spider Man becomes the town hero by fighting crimes and saving lives until a super villain the green goblin comes into the picture. The green goblin comes into the city attempting to the kill the innocent including Peter Parker's family and his love Mary Jane. He saves their lives multiple times winning the hearts of the city and Mary Jane. In the final battle between the hero and the villain, Green Goblin attempts to kill Spider Man but ends up killing himself instead. While at his funeral Mary Jane confesses her love for Peter Parker then realizes he is Super Man when she kisses him.

I really enjoyed watching this movie. I like how Peter Parker is young when he discovers his powers because the viewers don't know if he is going to do good or bad with them. I also like the love story between Peter Parker and Mary Jane. I just wish the actors did a better job in the movie and didn't "over act" every scene.

Peter Parker vs. Spiderman

2011-04-19T16:43:00.006-06:00

The 2002 movie Spiderman is about the life of a teenager named Peter Parker who goes from being a less than ordinary teen, to an extraordinary superhero. Since Parker has just graduated from high school and is still young, he has a hard time contemplating what to do with his new found "superpowers." He is stuck between using them to bedazzle his dream girl, Mary Jane Watson, or to protect his city and community from crime and the treacherous villain named the "Green Goblin." As the movie plays out, Peter Parker begins to understand that "with great power, comes great responsibility", as Parker's grandfather once told him before he was shot to death by a burglar.

Peter Parker first obtained his "spider" powers in high school when he visited a laboratory where spiders were being tested on. A new species of spider was loose in the lab and bit Parker on the hand. Parker went home not feeling well, but after a long nap, he woke up to his new muscular body, and perfect vision. After experimenting with his new body, he then finds out he has a new "spider sense", can climb walls, and that he can now shoot out web from his wrist. All of this is very new and amazing to Peter Parker.

In no time, Parker is out fighting crime under the secret superhero name "Spiderman." While this is going on, an evil is stirring inside Oscorp Industries founder, Norman Osborn. Dr. Obsborn is tired of waiting for his new performance-enhancing chemical to be approved, so to prove that it is safe to use, he decides to use it on himself. The test goes extremely wrong, and Dr. Osborn turns into a super villain with extreme strength and power. With anger and hatred towards Oscorp staff and military leaders, Dr. Osborn is ready to fight under the name, "Green Goblin."

The Green Goblin then decides to kill and destroy all those who betrayed him in his business activity. The only person he sees that is standing in his way is Spiderman. The Green Goblin offers a proposal to Spiderman to join him in his activity, but when Spiderman neglects his offer, things get messy. Green Goblin makes Spiderman his main target, while putting civilian lives in danger. This goes on until the Green Goblin makes Spiderman choose, either to save a tramway full of children, or to save his beloved Mary Jane. As things turn out, Spiderman is able to save both, but does not escape the wrath of the Green Goblin.

The conclusion of the battle ends with Spiderman dodging the Green Goblin's glider, which stabs and kills the Green Goblin. After the battle, Spiderman takes Dr. Osborn's dead body back to the Osborn's house, where Dr. Osborn's son, Harry, sees Spiderman. Before Harry can reach for his gun, Spiderman flees. This leads to Dr. Osborn's funeral. Here, Harry promises to revenge his father's death. Peter Parker knows that this is not over, especially since Harry will take his fathers footsteps.

I enjoyed watching this movie. I have only seen this movie once, but the second time around I thought was better. I caught some parts I missed before, and understood more after the class discussion we had. I did not know that the Twin Towers were taken out of the setting because of 9/11. This was interesting to me. All of this new information presented made the movie more meaningful to me. Before, I just watched the movie with no background information on how this movie was made.

A Mouse's Tragic Tale

2011-04-18T23:57:00.002-06:00

Chapter five of Maus, entitled Mouse Holes, is about a mouse named Artie. At the start of the chapter, Artie gets a phone call from his father very early in the morning. His father, Vladek, wants him to go over to the house to help him fix the roof. He declines this idea and tells him he should just get the help from the neighbor. Artie goes over to his father’s house a week later and see’s Vladek in the garage rearranging things and he notices his father seems a little upset. So Artie goes into the house and has a conversation with Vladek’s current wife, Mala. He asks her why he may be upset, and she said it wasn’t due to his inability to help his father. He was upset because he had read a comic that Artie had written many years before. The comic was about his mother’s suicide and how he dealt with it after.

So Artie and his father take a walk down to the bank. As they’re walking, Vladek is telling his son the about his tragic past in Europe in 1943. He tells him of how he had to always be cautious as they were hiding from the Germans. Vladek and Artie’s mother, Anja, stayed together as they went from their home, to the ghetto, to small bunkers, to a camp run by the Nazis. They were eventually able to make it from the camp to another bunker, where they were able to be free once everyone had left the town.

I enjoyed this comic as it gave a different change of pace. It wasn’t about a superhero like most comics do. I think comics like these will allow people to broaden their horizons with graphic novels.

The Sad Tale of a Mouse

2011-04-18T22:46:00.003-06:00

In this chapter of Maus, tells the story of a mouse Artie. He is an artist. And when he was younger he made a comic about his mothers death. In this comic he took the blame for the death. The comic that he wrote was very personal, he did not ever expect for his father to read it. One day his father found this comic. And it made him began to think about the death of his wife. After talking about his discovery of the comic to his son Vladek asks for his son to join him for a walk to the bank. On the way to the bank he tells him stories of being a Jew in the 1940's. He tells him about all the time that he spent with his mother Anja. Vladek tells Artie about how his mother's family was killed. When they finally arrive to the bank Vladek shows Artie some valuable pieces that belonged to Anja. He wants for Artie to have these items when he passes. After Vladek shows Artie these he begins to cry. He wishes to be back with his beloved wife Anja.

I really enjoyed this piece. It was kind of nice to be away from the classic superhero comic. This was a change just because it wasn't a happy story or about someone saving the day. This comic was different just because the art work in it seemed very different. You could tell that it was a lot older. As well as the writing. But overall i enjoyed this reading.

Mouse Story!

2011-04-18T21:25:00.002-06:00

Chapter 5 of Maus is about a young mouse named Artie learning stories about his father being a Jew in the 1940's and the troubles he had to go through to stay alive. While Artie was visiting his father Vladek, he learns that his father read a comic he wrote about his dead mother. In his comic he shows that he blames himself for his mother's death. His now distressed father decides that they should go on a walk to the bank. On the way to the bank, Vladek begins to tell Artie stories about the times he spent hiding from the Nazi's with Artie's mother Anja and her family. He explains to Artie that they had to hide in small bunkers where they lived until the Nazi's found them. After they were discovered by the Nazi's they were taken to a camp where Anja's family was immediately killed. In response to that they hide in another bunker to stay free from the Nazi's. After everyone leaves the town they were in they got to be free. When they arrive to the bank, Vladek shows his son important belongings for Artie to have once he is dead. The comic ends with Vladek crying for his once wife Anja to be there with him.

I really enjoyed reading this comic. Believe it or not I actually think comics are beginning to grow on me. I really liked this because it was not about super hero's but it still had good moral content. I really liked how the comic was realistic and on a true event in history.

A Mouse's Tragic Struggle

2011-04-18T20:56:00.002-06:00

Mouse Holes is about a young mouse reconnecting with his father over old stories pertaining to Nazi's and what it was like to be a Jew during the 1940s. Vladek is a remarried out of work Jewish handyman. One day while visiting, Artie discovers that his father has read one of his comics about his deceased mother. In the comic, it portrays his father completely falling apart over his wife's suicide and it portrays Artie blaming himself for her death. Vladek admits to have been extremely sadden and brought to tears after reading about Anja. Both father and son take a walk to the bank, all the while Vladek is vividly discussing his time in many German camps with Anja. It all begin in Strodula where the Jews were forced to live, Vladek, Anja, their first son, and Anja's family lived in a small cottage. One day, they sent their son Richieu and Anja's little sisters to a safer place protected under the Jewish Council. It was not until later they discovered Richieu and the other children were given poison rather than face death by the Germans. To stay safe from being recruited to a camp, they all hid in a bunker until a Jewish man informed the Germans of their location. They were all sent to a camp and there Anja also lost her parents to the gas chamber. Anja felt hopeless of the lost of her loved ones, but Vladek kept her on her feet. Vladek took his wife to live in another village for a while before Jews were rounded up again. So, they retreated to hiding in a bunker once more where they endured intense hunger. When everything seemed to clear, Vladek and Anja roamed around with no where to go or no one to turn too. Now, father and son have reached the bank. Vladek wants Artie to have a key to his saving just in case something happens and to keep his money from his present wife. In the end, Vladek shreds tears and cries out for his beloved first wife Anja, wishing she was still alive to continue this struggle with him.

Wow. I very much enjoyed this reading. It was heart breaking to read about individuals who constantly struggle to live and suffer unbearable lost. The fact that mice were used to portray people made the story more sympathetic because they appear so small and helpless. Even though Anja is gone, the memories of her still bring Vladek and Artie closer.

A Father's Story

2011-04-18T17:45:00.006-06:00

Art Spiegleman's Maus begins by telling the story of how young Artie breaks one of his skates and his friends leave him. His father makes the comment, "If you lock them together in a room with no food for a week... then you could see what it is, friends"(6)! This comment foreshadows the story Artie's father, Vladek, tells. Artie begins to learn of his fathers past, and how he survived the Holocaust. His fathers story strengthens their relationship.

Chapter five takes off years later, with an older Artie who gets a call from his step mom, Mala, complaining about Vladek being on the roof of their house trying to fix a leak. At first, Artie refuses to help his father, but after hanging up the phone, he decides to go see his father. When Artie arrives, his father is upset about Artie not wanting to help him. While Artie and Mala discuss Vladek's behavior and how he read Artie's comic titled, "Prisoner of the Hell Planet" , Vladek wants Artie to take a walk with him to the bank. Artie agrees to go and Vladek begins to tell Artie of his Holocaust story.

Vladek begins by telling his son of how in 1943, all Jews had to go live in ghettos. Vladek worked in a woodwork shop while his wife, Anja, worked in a clothing factory. Guards would walk them to work, and walk them back everyday. Since times were dangerous in these ghettos, Vladek started talking to a man named Haskell. Vladek talked to him about moving to Zawiercic because he had some influence with the Germans there. This would be safer for the kids as well. Vladek told his son of how he survived the Holocaust by hiding in bunkers.

When Artie and his father arrived at the bank, Vladek gave him a key to his safe box. Vladek wanted to make sure Artie had a key so his second wife, Mala, would not take all his money. Mala was just after Vladek's money. After one of his heart attacks, Mala would ask Vladek about his money and how she wanted it. Vladek wanted to make sure his son got to his belongings first. In the safe were many valuables that Vladek had managed to save during the Holocaust.

Chapter five was very interesting and full of a lot of detail. It was kind of hard to remember all the names of the people Vladek talks about. Also, some of the sentences in this reading are hard to read. The German words also make it difficult to understand as well. This chapter was interesting though. Vladek's was interesting and showed me what difficulties Jew faced at this time in history.

The Owl's Legacy

2011-04-11T23:53:00.000-06:00

Watchmen is an autobiography of the costumed hero of the late 1930's and 1940's named Hollis Wordsworth Mason, but also known as the Night Owl. A writer once told Mason to open with a sad story in order for the audience to sympathize with him. Mason's sad story occurred at his father's work in an auto shop. Moe Vernon was the boss. One day crazy Moe was wearing fake, foam, and pink breasts as a joke. He received a letter from his wife claiming she was having an affair with his head mechanic and leaving with all his money to Tijuana. Crying, holding the letter, still wearing the fake breasts, and listening to The Ride of the Valkyries Moe informed his workers of his wife's adultery. They all laughed at the sight of him! That night Moe committed suicide by inhaling carbon monoxide fumes. This incident will always remind Mason of The Ride to the Valkyries song and how it makes him feel sadness.
Now, in 1939 Mason is a New York police officer who at night becomes a costumed hero. The desire for adventure began in 1938 when the Superhero's were created, like Superman. Secretly Mason was fantasizing about becoming a hero himself. Then a masked man with a noose around his neck begins saving citizens from crime, which further influenced Mason to choose his vocation. Soon he began working out non stop, creating a name, and a costume. His name was the most difficult, but it was inspired by a work buddy that once called him a night owl. Finally, Mason began fighting crime, but there were seven other individuals who fought crime as well. Over time all superhero's came together to create the Minutemen, which is a gang of costumed hero's fighting crime to make their country safer. All is well for a while, but some superhero's left, some were murdered, crime lost it's excitement for others, and most importantly there were no costumed bad guys to fight against. And in 1949 the league ended. These superhero's were all human, they suffered downfalls and endured much pain, but they removed their costumes and stopped playing the savor. In the end, Mason the Night Owl retired from his police work and went back to mending vehicles because that was the last time he truly felt real happiness.
I very much enjoyed this reading compared to the others. It seemed so believable and extremely vivid. Mason is a person one can relate to, he is a normal person who achieved superhero status by working hard and being determined. Even though he took off his mask in the end, he did not stop being a hero. He left behind a legacy that influenced younger generations of costumed hero's. Mason's story portrays that anyone can change or make something better in this world.

The First Masked Heroes!

2011-04-11T23:20:00.003-06:00

Watchmen, is about Hollis Mason's autobiography. It talks about how Mason became a "masked adventurer". He starts the story by gaining the sympathy of his audience. He learns this technique from a woman who works at a grocery store. Her name is Denise. Mason talks about his years in the police force and how he got into this fad of superheroes. After he read Action Comics is when he became a "masked adventurer". After being on his own he joined a group of these early superheroes. They were called the "Minutemen". The Silhoutte, Silk Spectre, Comedian, Hooded Justice, Captain Metropolis, Nite Owl, and Dollar Bill were all the heroes in this group. They didn't last long as a group. They all went their separate ways and decided not to fight crime. In the later years a new breed of superheroes was born. These superheroes actually had super powers unlike the Minutemen. This elite band of heroes also fought crime for the good of the people. I really liked this reading and it talks about comics in the 1930s. Even in books it talks about how comics have had an influence in American society. I too thought this was a real life autobiography. I have never seen the movie Watchmen, but I really want to see it now!

Heroes Never Die

2011-04-11T22:13:00.002-06:00

This reading is talks about how the Minutemen came to be, ascended up the popularity ladder, and later faded away almost all together. The reading starts off by talking about the writer's saddest memory, intended to capture the reader and introduce his story. Later, he writes about how the story of Superman was the most inspirational comic to convince him to become a superhero and how after that, it took him almost three months to decide that he was really going to do it. After he became the "Night Owl" several other people became masked heroes as well. Later, the few of these masked heroes united and became what is known as the Minutemen.

Throughout the 1940's everything seemed to be going real well for the group. Once the 1950's came around, the group slowly started falling apart starting with the leaving of The Comedian. After, The Dollar Bill was gunned down and the Silhouette was tracked down and killed with her lover by one of her enemies. Toward the end of the 1950's the "villians" that the Minutemen were fighting became regular criminals and the Minutemen themselves started to become more of a joke. Shortly after, Night Owl retired to go do what he enjoyed most, fixing cars. After that, a young man wrote Night Owl asking if he could borrow his name since he retired and thats when Night Owl realized that superheroes had become American life.

I thought this story was an actual true story. However, toward the end of the reading I got a little confused when Dr. Manhattan came into the picture. Then I wasn't sure if the writer was talking about something he actually saw, or read about or that it wasn't even real at all. Either way this seems very similar to a movie I've seen. And no its not Watchmen! Anyways, the reading showed me what it would actually be like dressing up as a hero and trying to fight crime. Somethings are not as easy as they seem but they are definitely not out of grasp. The heroes that all of us love may fade and be forgotten, but they seem to never die.

I need your sympathy...

2011-04-11T21:16:00.008-06:00

....BECAUSE THIS BLOG ISN'T GOING TO BE A WALK. Under the Hood is an autobiography by Hollis Mason. His autobiography consists of five chapters that explains the super-hero the Nite Owl. The first chapter is about how Hollis Mason knows Denise, a store clerk and novelist. Denise explains to Mason that in order to receive the audiences full attention he first must receive sympathy from them. Hollis Mason goes on to tell us the saddest story he knows about a man named Moe Vernon, his artificial boob and his cheating wife. Now that he had the audiences attention he was able to start his autobiography. Throughout the second chapter Hollis Mason tells how he became the Nite Owl and why he did it. He explains how he was worked for the New York City Police when he had the idea to become the Nite Owl. He said he liked the idea of super-hero's because "I like the idea of adventure, and I feel bad unless I'm doing good". In a sense Hollis Mason liked that super-hero's had great morals, so he wanted to be one. He also explains that it would be great to be a super-hero because they get all the girls, fantasies become real and he would be a hero to his community. In the third chapter he creates his super-hero character. He fantasized on becoming a costumed adventurer. He wanted his name to be full of drama and excitement like the "Hooded Justice". While working out and training to become a super-hero he receives the name "Nite Owl" by one of his coworkers. That is how he decided what his super-hero name will be. Soon after he became the Nite Owl many other super-hero's presented themselves. He then explains what other people thought of these new super-heroes. The forth chapter explains how the Minutemen first got together. Captain Metrropolis wrote Sally Jupiter about forming a group of masked adventurers. Then one by one the eight of them came together to form a group. In the final chapter of his autobiography he explains the problems the group had. Sally had a husband, child then divorce. The Comedian chose the political rout. Eventually the whole group had to testify before "House of UnAmerican Activities Committee" where they were forced to show their identities. This is when the Hooded Justice had chosen to retire instead of showing his real identity. Everyone chose a different life after being a super-hero. Hollis Mason chose to turn back to cars. To me this blog was difficult to write. But I actually for once enjoyed reading about super-heroes. This reading made me want to watch the movie Watchmen.

The Beginning of The Superhero Fad!

2011-04-11T20:48:00.005-06:00

Watchman a book containing excerpts from Hollis Morison's autobiography. These excerpts tell the story of how during Mason's time in New York superhero's were the in thing. Mason is also know as the 'Nite Owl'. Mason writes about all his time in New York. Before Mason starts writing about his life he tells the story of how he got started. He asked a writer he knew about how to go about writing a book. She first tells him to start off with a sad story. This was to get the sympathy of the reader. He later goes on to tell a sad story about Moe Vernon, the guy that employed her father.

After the sad introduction Morison talks about his time as a police officer. For Morison it all began in 1938 when the first issue of Action Comics came out. He goes on to talk about how he was too old to read them. But he was really interested in them. This first issue brought back memories from his teen years when he would dream about being a superhero. They gave him the idea to actually become one. Morison goes on to talk about how he trained to become a superhero. He would train in the police gym. He first became the "Nite Owl" in 1939. After the Nite Owl many other superhero's began to appear. In the few chapters Morison talks about the success and failure of all the superhero's that were around. They went from preventing crime to not doing anything. Some turned to crime.

This has been the toughest piece to blog about. I have no idea why, but it was. I like the movie watchman and I liked this reading. I thought it was interesting. It showed how big superhero's became after the first Action Comics. It gave people the idea to actually become superhero's or "masked adventurers". This book goes into some detail while describing these superhero's. This blog is not very good. Just saying!

Welcome to the Costume Party

2011-04-11T11:22:00.000-06:00

The beginning of Alan Moore's Watchmen begins with the young personal life of narrator Hollis Mason. Mason describes how Denise, who works on a corner grocery store, is a very good writer and explains to her his trouble of not knowing how to write a book. Her response is "start with the saddest thing you can think of and get the audience's sympathy" (1). Mason takes her advise and begins his story with Moe Vernon and "The Ride of the Valkyries." Moe Vernon was the man Mason's dad worked for, who owned a car repair shop named "Vernon's Auto Repairs." Hollis Mason at this time is age twelve living in Montana with his family. Mason would often help his dad while working and grew fond of Mr. Vernon. Mason described Mr. Vernon as a New York faced man with three chins around the age fifty. Vernon loved opera. He also loved strange toys, owned a large collection of novels, and had a weird sense of humor. One day while Mr. Vernon and his staff are at work, he decides to put on a set of artificial women's bosoms. This explains his weird sense of humor. While getting ready to make his crew laugh, Mr. Vernon opens a letter from his wife. His wife writes that she has been having a two year affair with Vernon's most trusted mechanic, Fred Motz. At this time, Motz is not at work, and Vernon's wife has taken all the money out of their shared bank account to depart to Tijuana with Fred Motz. This upsets Mr. Vernon and he bursts out of his office with his fake bosoms still on throwing the novel "The Ride of the Valkyries" while screaming words of disgust. The crew thinks this is a joke, and burst into laughter. Later that night, Vernon runs a tube from his exhaust to his car window, killing himself. This is the sad story Hollis Mason gets our attention with. The story fast forwards to 1939, where Hollis Mason is twenty three years old, and has taken a job with the New York City police force. Mason explains is decision why he became a cop by telling us the things he has seen including rapists, pimps, and rude landlords. Mason wants to help people, and fight crime. With life being unfair, Mason turns to comics. Mason likes comics because the good always triumph over evil. Mason wishes he could be a superhero, until his dreams come true when he reads of a real life superhero named "Hooded Justice." This opens the door for Hollis Mason's identity as the "Nite Owl." Mason gets the name "Nite Owl" from a mutual cop who periodically asked him to go to the bar. Mason repeatedly turned him down to go to bed early to work out in the morning. Out of sarcasm, the cop calls him the "Nite Owl." After describing how he got his name, Mason describes how he made his costume. Mason starts to fight crime and discovers others who are doing the same such as "Silhouette" and "Captain Metropolis." This is a good time for Mason. All these masked adventurers eventually agree to form an alliance known as the "Minutemen." At this time, the year is 1939, and things are still on the upside. The alliance is great, but things begin to fall apart. In 1940, one of the members named the "Comedian" is accused of attempting to sexually assault another member. Along with this incident, other things go wrong. The group finally broke up in 1949. Mason blames the fact that villains were now pursuing other crimes that did not involve the help of masked adventurers to his and other adventurers downfall. With this sad ending to his career, there is an upside.New superheros came alive in the 1950's. With Mason's retirement, a young man asked Mason if he could obtain the name "Nite Owl" at keep his legend alive. Mason explains that "The superhero has become part of American life" (14). He believes that there will always be superheros as long as there is crime to fight. I really enjoyed this reading. This was a new twist to the comics we have been reading in class. The book explained the story of a normal person, trying to be a superhero. I thought that was pretty cool and the reading was interesting. The way this book is written makes you think that something like this can really happen. I would like to read more of this.

Equality in Comics?

2011-03-31T00:30:00.002-06:00

Scott McCloud’s chapter Big World the Battle for Diversity from his book, Reinventing Comics, concentrates on three of the twelve revolutions. These revolutions in comics are gender balance, minority representation, and diversity of genre. First, McCloud discusses females in the comic world. He claims, “The history of gender imbalance in comics is one of the most striking examples of comic’s squandered potential” (100). It is difficult for females to break out into the comic industry, and they usually work way more and harder than everyone else. What many do not know is that females have been a part of comics for a long time, but they were not mainstream. For example, women created comics during the 50s when the men went to fight in World War II. McCloud believes that in order to achieve gender balance there must be more female comic creators, more comics read by females, and more female comic characters. Second, McCloud discusses ethnicity, class, religion, and sexual orientation. McCloud claims, “Clearly it’s foolish to say that no member of one “group” should ever write about another. Fiction positively requires us to venture beyond the world of our experiences” (106). Most creators and characters in comics are white males. Writing about other ethnicity's or sexual orientation’s is not common because the creator does not have appropriate credibility and experience. Minority representation is in worse shape than gender balance. Third, McCloud discusses the over popularity of superhero comics over other genres. Crime fiction comics have outstanding work, but they just do not gain market presence. Romance comics face hostile market presence and have a difficult time to reach the audience. The impact World War II made on comics is still going strong. Since then, superhero comics remain the dominate genre. Also, the sales in superhero comics are higher than any other genre, which keeps them popular to the public. McCloud claims, “A conscious examination of these tendencies can help artists break out of their box, but the greatest progress will come from the same sources it always has; the individuals efforts of artists with a vision too strong to be contained” (124). A solution for the diversity of genre in comics will be up to the creators and artists solve.

I very much enjoyed reading this chapter. Realizing how much discrimination against genders and prejudice towards other ethnicity's are involved in comics is just shocking! As a female, I consider it extremely offensive for women to not be given equal rights as men in the comic work place. World War II portrays that females are fully capable being creatively successful in the comic industry. Seeing more color in comics would be more appealing, there are just as much people of color than average white males in the world. I truthfully feel that solving diversity of genre is too far in the future, I once had this perception that comics and superhero’s go together. So, when comics can expect other one for who they are, then maybe the public will openly welcome comics a whole lot more.

The Bigger the Better

2011-03-28T23:35:00.003-06:00

There are three big topics here in this reading. These three range from Diversity of Genre to Minority Representation and Gender Balance. For starters, Minority Representation talks about all the different races that help to influence comics. When comics first came out a lot of the white writers would try to come up with interesting storylines for their characters but found it rather difficult. So, they looked into the current "problems" that diverse groups like minorities were having because it seemed to be something that more people could connect with. Gender Balance is what the different genders have brought to the world of comics. It first started as something that only the men or boys would do and very often, people didn't talk or even mention women comic artists. And now, they're bringing a whole different perspective on their work which allows for complete different audience. More women can now read comics than before due to the fact that they can have similar ways of thinking, situations, interests etc. Women help to bring the female readers out of the shadows and into the light. Diversity of Genre is pretty self explanatory. Different types of Genres sell better than other types. Some people may like one more type than another and therefore that genre will sell more than the others.

It seems like McCloud keeps bringing in new subjects to talk about when discussing comics. Nothing really seems to get past him like everyone else. I would never really even thought of women being comic book writers. This isn't because I'm sexist or I discriminate against a different type of people but because its something that really isn't what I've come to think about. And this is what McCloud wants to do. He wants to show the world that everyone can become part of the comic industry and part of a comic themselves. One thing about this, it has lead me to want to research the women behind the scenes of comics.

...And The World Just Got BIGGER! The World of Comics That Is!

2011-03-28T22:47:00.002-06:00

Big World The Battle for Diversity one of the many chapters in Scott McClouds book Reinventing Comics The Twelve Revolutions. In this chapter three of revolutions are the main focus, and they all have the same theme; diversity. Diversity is one of the main focuses in this chapter. It talks about diversity within comics. And how it expands the boundaries of comics. The three revolutions discussed are Gender Balance, Minority Representation, and Diversity of Genre. The first one is all about women and how they have changed comics. McCloud talks about when he was younger he didn't even know about women comic artists. He also discusses the fact that the comic world was like an all boys club. But now and then woman have changed comics by adding different styles and also come out with some common traits of comics. Gender balance also goes with the consumer. The balance of men and women reading comics. If both sexes read comics, then that means that comics will expand and become more popular.

Minority representation is all about the different races that are getting involved in comics. And how all races are represented in comics. This part of the chapter is about how back in the day white writers would try and make comics that had to do with issues in the black community. In this time they also started coming out with superhero's that were of different ethnicity's. This isn't only about race...but about sexuality. Back when comics were first being established it was not really common for people to write about people of color or about someone who was gay. McCloud writes "when writing about a social or physical condition which is a minority experience, members of that minority will have an advantage to portraying it." By writing comics about problems within a minority it makes things easier for other people to understand. It also gives comics a more diverse group of readers.

Diversity of Genre is the key to the other previous revolutions discussed. In this definition McCloud uses genre to define a broad category of fiction or nonfiction. He discusses the different genres that can be established through comics. He also discusses how some genres sell better than others or how they are more popular. Genres are all different when it comes to comics. This is why the potential for comics is limitless. These three revolutions show how comics can expand and become big! They all go hand and hand. And with one another they allow expansion of the comic community. Their are so many possibilities.

I think that this chapter in Reinventing Comics was very informative. It really made me see how the involvement of everyone and anyone is important to the expansion of comics. Without getting noticed by different people then comics will stay sheltered. Diversity allows comics to expand in all directions. I also liked this chapter because, it is important to recognize woman and their contribution to comics. It isn't just an "boys club"! Woman have different ideas and able to throw out some new ideas about styles of comics. They change things up. Without diversity comics will never become popular. I think that is why McCloud makes it the main theme of this chapter.

The Big Bad World of Comics

2011-03-28T21:25:00.005-06:00

It is all about variance in Scott McCloud's Big World: The Battle for Diversity. McCloud focuses on three of the "twelve revolutions" in which he sees have the most potential to expand comics. These three revolutions are: 7) Gender Balance, 8) Minority Representation, and 9) Diversity of genre. These revolutions stem from the similar idea of trying develop comics to reach out to more readers. Broadening comics using these three revolutions would "Expand the boundaries of the medium in all directions"(McCloud 96). Diversity is hard for comics to obtain because "active readers of comics in North America is below 500,000 people"(McCloud 97). McCloud assumes that diversity will change this issue. McCloud believes that "if comics could successfully deliver a more diverse product, then its chances of earning a more diverse audience would be improved"(98). McCloud then goes on the to explain what issues are holding back his revolutions. McCloud begins by explaining the issues facing revolution number seven (Gender Balance). The comic industry has an imbalance in gender because females have had limited job opportunity. Even if females did get an opportunity to write comics, there opportunities stayed small. Also, in order for women to make a leap in comics, peoples mind set has to change. In the 70's, the idea of a female making comics was bizarre. Even comics made for girls were produced by men. Even though when have been oppressed, females have been making comics for a long time. Women made comics during World War II, but when soldiers came back home, women lost their jobs. Even by this oppression, women have been able to pass on their traditional ideas to future generations of female writers. The eighth revolution McCloud assumes will lead to diversity is minority representation. A big issue surrounding this topic is prejudice. McCloud explains that "white men" have been trying to represent minorities in comics, but McCloud feels that minority writers have an advantage in portraying their own experiences. Through the 70's, white writers have tried to give a voice to African-Americans, but have come up with mixed results. McCloud explains how minority writers broke past the "Superhero" stereotype of comics and introduced works such as Ho Che Anderson's King, Love and Rockets by The Hernandez Brothers, and Maus by Art Spiegelman. McCloud then explains the ninth revolution which he says is the "key result of our two previous revolutions" (111). The ninth revolution is the diversity of genre. McCloud explains that the only way to get diversity of genre is to have diversity of gender and minority. One of the main issues holding back diversity of genre are writers dwelling on superheros. This has changed in the early 90's when genres such as autobiographical and naturalistic fiction became popular. Even genres including erotic comics, crime fiction, and romance fly under the radar. McCloud then uses the example of Batman in 1939 to show how popular genres change because in 1939, the detective genre Batman represented was popular. McCloud does a good job of explaining how these three revolutions are key to diversity. McCloud also give a good interpretation of how selling comics works. McCloud explains that "Only buyers of comic A will see comic B, thus this is when the market for comic B begins"(116). The only warning he says that comic B should not try to mimic comic A. McCloud also gives his opinion on how comics seem destined to write about superheros. McCloud gives a good example of how superheros are already represented better in movies and video games, so comics need to move to different genres to "move forward." McCloud has good reasoning to believe that diversity is the key for comics to grow.

2011-03-28T16:00:00.002-06:00

Can anyone open the reading?? When I try to open mine it opens Adobe but when I push "ok" it is blank and if I push refresh it goes back to the list of readings. Is anyone else having any problems?

Future Readings and Library Research

2011-03-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

Hey Class! Here's some important information about the library before you all head off on Spring Break.

Plan on spending lots of time here after break!

Our next readings will be from E-Reserves. E-Reserves is a service that our library provides by which you can download texts and print them or read them on your computer. That link should take you to the page, as well. I'll give out the password in class. Most of our future readings will come from here. Note: If you choose not to print them, I expect you to take notes as you read to help you participate in class discussions. If I find class is unusually quiet on days that E-Reserves readings are due because no one "remembers" the reading, there will be consequences!

In any event, I hope you all are considering registering for April Kent's Library Research class! As I've said since day one, this course will require you to do outside research; what better way to do it than getting credit at the same time! Of course, you don't have to register for her section (there are three others), but Ms. Kent does have the most experience with helping my students.

Questions? Quibbles? Controversies?

Ubermensch

2011-03-02T23:58:00.003-07:00

Many popular storylines in entertainment relate to the times of the 1930s and 1940s, one of which being Star Wars, and another, ubermensch, or its English translation, Superman. Ubermensch, the Hebrew word for superman, was used by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche had believed that religion and traditional values are what make men weak. “Only by overcoming such influences and determining values of his own,” he said,” could man realize his full potential.” These ideals are usually linked to those of Hitler’s “master race.”

It turns out, Superman, was created by two friends, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the sons of Jewish immigrants in 1938, a time when the Jewish culture was distraught due to the Nazi impact. They created an alter-ego for this character, Clark Kent, an “all-American” name. The alien from the planet Krypton with the name of Kal-El, landed on Earth and take the name we recognize as Superman. This “alien” name can be linked to the Biblical names of those ending in the suffix “el”. Also, just like the world ending on his home planet, those of Jewish descent were being destroyed as well, and so have they once before. Just like the Biblical story of Moses, as he was sent down the Nile River in a basket by his mother to escape from his homeland.

I do believe this idea as many things in the comic relate to Jewish culture. So get a Superman comic, preferably one of the older publishing’s, and see for yourself. I can only plant the seed, you must grow the tree.

It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's a Nazi Fighting Superhero!!

2011-03-02T23:31:00.001-07:00

Simcha Weinstein discusses the heroic icon Superman as actually being of Jewish decent in his book Up, Up, and Oy Vey! To introduce this assumption, Weinstein explains in the introduction how Jewish stories from the Bible influenced the creation of Superman. The discrimination against Jews during World War II further influenced Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to create Superman because a modern day hero was needed in order to portray that good prevails over evil. Siegel and Shuster were two Jewish men who struggled with discrimination in the 1930s and made a heroic character that secretly was the solution for their social acceptance. The men may have subconsciously linked a lot of Jewish beliefs and stories into Superman’s life. For example, he was sent into outer space by his parents for his life to be saved just like the story of Moses. Superman’s name from Krypton, Kal-El, holds some biblical significance, such as “El” being some of the names of prophets. The extraordinary strength of Superman can be related to the stories of Samson, both also have a weakness. Weinstein continues to connect Jewish beliefs, stories, and morals with Superman. Weinstein discusses frequent comics that involve Superman fighting against Nazism. For example, on the 60th anniversary of Superman, an issue was published where the American icon faces Nazis and claims that he will not tolerate being considered “ubermensh”. The Jewish contribution of comics was not fully recognized until now.

Superman is actually Jewish, who would have thought? Weinstein brought up many interesting arguments throughout his little book, most made a lot of sense to me. I must say, I totally agree that Superman is Jewish and it was not just a coincidence that he was created during a rough era. I think it is amazing how Siegel and Shuster created this hero who has created a sense of hope in different ethnicities throughout the world. The reading was extremely entertaining and fun. Superman never appealed to me like other superhero’s have, but now this 73-year-old supposedly Jewish man has made quite an impact.

Superman: The Samsonized Moses...!?

2011-03-02T22:14:00.002-07:00

The introduction to Up, Up, and It Vey! says Jewish Americans are the creators of the comic book. Accordingly it is not a coincidence that the superheros names in comic books end with the word "man", many Jewish names end with the word "man" as well; Good"man", Kurt""man", and Gold"man" are just a few examples. Superman: From Cleveland to Krypton takes readers back to 1934 when two Jewish American boys created Americas superhero. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster worked together to create a phenomenon. After creating Superman it took four years to get published. And because publishers at the time were not accepting work from Jews they created a new name for themselves, Brandon J. Kenton. After the publishing of Superman came speculation of him being Jewish. He was compared to the biblical figures Moses and Samson.
Superman is said to be like Moses because in both stories their parents had to make the choice between life and death, both children are able to live and are adopted. In both stories Superman and Moses have the power to do good, and that's what they do. Superman is compared to Samson based on his strength, he has been quoted, "A guy named Samson once had this idea!" Another biblical reference is Superman's real name Kal-El as well as his fathers name Jor-El. El is used in the bible as another name for God. El is also in names of great prophets such as, Isra"el", Samu"el", and Dani"el", also the angles Micha"el" and Gavri"el". In the bible Michael is the great combatant who fights Satan, which could easily make him Superman's flying biblical alter ego.
When I think of superheros, especially Superman I never used to think of any type of religion. I just used to think of a brave man in tights who saves the day. But after reading this I realize that there is a great possibility he is Jewish. His creators were Jewish, giving him more reason to be Jewish as well. After reading this with the biblical similarities it makes be believe he is Jewish. Superman came around the time when the Jewish people were being killed off just cause the simple fact they were Jewish. So why wouldn't two young boys create secret Jewish character for all of America to love!? Superman defeating the Nazis is another sign...yes he is Jewish!

Sent from my HTC on the Now Network from Sprint!

Up up and JEWISH!? What? Really?

2011-03-02T21:47:00.009-07:00

In the introduction of Up, Up and Oy Vey they explain some of the small connections that comics have to things like the bible. Did Jewish beliefs really influence comics? The introduction talks about the amazing stories told on Jewish holy days, "Good prevailing over evil." This is exactly what comics are about. The introduction it also point out how the comic book hero's personify a theme or themes from Jewish traditions. The book Up, Up, and Oh Vey shows all comic readers the connections that comics have with things such as the bible and Jewish traditions.

Chapter one basically gives you all the evidence to show you that comics and the bible do have some similarities. The most popular superhero today was created by two Jewish boys. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. They based him off of what they were like and how they wanted to be. They made superman very patriotic. Superman was first introduced in Action Comics #1. The first issue featuring Superman sold out. Throughout Up, Up and Oy Vey they show how every comic with superman had something to do with Jewish values. And how it took place during World War II. They also make some connections with the bible. When describing how Superman was sent here by his father who put him in a little space ship and sent him to Earth. This goes along with how they sent Moses in a reed basket to a better place. There are many connections like this throughout the Superman comics.

Comics really are connected to the bible and Jewish traditions. This piece really has me believing. There are so many small similarities that I don't think people really notice. But they are there and now that I have read this piece I can see it. Comics are all about super hero's doing good and over coming evil. This is the same thing as the bible the stories that they tell are all similar. Coincidence? I think not! Up, Up, and Oy Vey gives you all the evidence to convince you that comics have some Jewish traditions tied in.

Super Jewish!

2011-03-02T20:41:00.008-07:00

I bet it has never occurred to you that Superman was created from Jewish beliefs and culture. Not only was it made with these intentions, but made by Jewish men as well. These two Jewish men who created the character Superman were Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Simcha Weinstein is informing us that Superman as well as other superheroes come from Jewish beliefs in his book Up, Up, and Oy Vey: How Jewish History, Culture, and Values Shaped The Comic Book Superhero. Weinstein uses the Bible and Nazi Germany to explain to the reader how the Superman comics have ties to Jewish culture.

Superman can first be identified with Jewish culture through the Bible. The Bible is a main focus in the Jewish religion, so there is no surprise that Siegel and Shuster relate Superman's personality to heroic figures in the Bible such as Moses and David. The connection between Superman and these biblical figures is that they all yield courage at one time or another, and have supernatural powers to serve their people. When European Jewish immigrants first came to the United States, they brought these biblical stories with them and passed them down to their children.

Superman's childhood is also related to the way Jews were treated in Nazi Germany during World War II. In 1939, Hitler persecuted Jews horribly in Germany. Jews could not hold government jobs or even own radios. Jewish parents would send their children to England to seek safety. Superman's childhood has the same background as these Jewish youth. Superman was sent away from Krypton to avoid the mass destruction of his native planet. Just like these Jewish parents, Superman's parents made the choice to send him away to avoid death.

When European Jews first came to America in the early 1900's, they were persecuted by many. It was hard to get a job at this time if you were a Jew. This was when Jewish children and teenagers began creating supernatural characters who came to protect the innocent and fight evil. Siegel and Shuster were just two of many Jewish teens who lived in America at this time. With them included the creators of Batman (Bob Kane and Bill Finger), and many other Jewish comic artists who migrated to America.

With all these Jewish creators of comics, comics became a multi-million dollar business. The public began to accept comics, and the comic industry grew. Comics were eventually studied within the highest levels of academia, and not just seen as cheap child's play. 2002 proved to be a good year for comics. In 2002, actor Nicholas Cage sold his comic collection for $1.68 million. This same year, the New York City Comic Museum released C.O.M.I.C.S. (Challenging Objective Minds: an Instructional Comic book Series), which was a curriculum for k-12 used in many schools. These can be considered milestones that show the progression comics have had.

I do agree with Weinstein's belief that superheroes come from Jewish culture. Weinstein gives great examples that explain the code behind the Superman comic. From showing how Superman's personality is related to biblical characters, to relating Superman's childhood to those children from Nazi German, it is hard to argue Weinstein's claim. The fact that many famous comic artists are Jewish helps his claim. I think the main reason comics such as Superman, that are written by people of Jewish ancestry have such a great appeal to Americans is that America is a Christian nation. Since many people have christian values, Superman appeals to them because the Jewish values of the authors are very closely related. This is why I think superheroes come from Jewish beliefs.

Up, Up, And Oy Vey: Is Superman Jewish

2011-03-02T19:38:00.002-07:00

In November 1938 Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster gave birth to the first superhero comics book. This marked the birth of many's favorite: Superman. In the book Up, UP, And Oy Vey Simcha Weinstein takes the readers on a trip down memory lane. on that provides information on the origin of this phenomenal figure in society. the main idea brought forward was the belief that the character is actually Jewish. The writer began by taking her readers back in time to the biblical days where she made reference to the fact that there were super patriarchs and super matriarchs that existed in that period. These existed in the form of Moses, Davis and Sampson. it is believed that superman was created in a time when the Jews needed an intervention. this was in 1938 when the Nazi's launched a great attack on the Jews. The creators of the character were bot Jews themselves. The master minds gave the super hero an identity, a human reporter called Clark Kent. The Writer Siegel admitted that there were aspects of the character's characteristics that mirrored his own lifestyle. The most common being the level of shyness displayed especially when it relates to females.
There was an actual scene in the comic where Lois was placed before a firing squad during the Nazi attack on the Jew and predictably she was rescued by her lover Superman. The Author reveals the original name of Superman which is Kal-El. he made reference to the fact that most great biblical characters name ended with suffix El. Isra-el, Dani-el, Samu-el, Micha-el, Gabri-el. he also stated that the suffix "Kal" meant "with lightness", "swiftness", "vessel" and "voice". This the author believes directs us towards the ethnicity of the character. Finally, the author made reference to the birth of Moses which he mirrored to that of Superman. They were bot placed in vessels by their parents with the hope of them surviving and not having to face the pending destruction upon their lives. Both Moses and Superman were entrusted wit special powers and capabilities to save other from the hands of evil men forces that lurked around. In the end of the article superman defeated the Nazi and reminisces on his childhood that took place in the 1920's.
As a reader that has recently been introduced to the value of comics. I must admit that it was very intriguing reading the introduction and first chapter of the book. Based on the evidence and logic provide I am favored to agree wit the notion that Superman is indeed Jewish. Firstly, the creators of the characters are Jewish decent and this I believe will factor into the characteristics and ethnicity of the character. Most writer transports their experiences, beliefs and own characteristics in their characters. Secondly, the origin of the original name made perfect sense whether it was deliberate or coincidental. The writer supported her arguments with good and solid proofs, which I found hard to disregard and refute. Finally, the similarity that was identified in the birth and purpose of both Moses and Superman made the claim more believable and provided a convincing story. Now I might be wrong along with the author. However, based on the facts provided I am left to agree with the argument and belief: Superman is Jewish

You can't get anymore Jewish

2011-03-02T19:14:00.004-07:00

In the beginning of the introduction of Up, Up, and Oy Vey! it is said that Jewish Americans invented the comic book. It says that it’s not coincidental that most superhero names end in the word “man”. If you look at many Jewish names, Goldman, Kurtzman, Goodman, and many more, they all end in the word “man”. Another thing said is that they related the Superheroes that they came up with, to the Bible. We can see the many traits that superheroes have which are connected with the Bible: Integrity, Justice, Values, Honor, etc.

In chapter one it talks about some of the ties that Superman comics have with the Bible. The comic says that Superman is a man who has the strength of a dozen Samsons. Samson was the Biblical man who had extraordinary strength and crushed the building of the Philistine chiefs. In episode #81 Superman goes undercover as a shtetl resident. Shtetl is the Yiddish term for a heavily populated Jewish town. In the same episode Superman meats Moishe and Baruch and accompanies them to their house. There, while Baruch is drawing in the corner on a brown piece of paper, Moishe tells superman that Baruch is drawing their angel again and that he, Moishe, makes up the stories while Baruch draws up the pictures.” This represents Siegel and Shuster when Shuster would draw on brown wrapping paper back when they were just young boys. Clearly Jewish religion has strong connections with those superheroes in comic books.

I never really thought about where the inspiration for these characters came. I was on the line of believing and disbelieving that superheroes descended from Jewish beliefs, but was shortly convinced. After I read the part about Moishe and Baruch drawing the pictures and making up the storyline for their “angel”, then I knew that it was true. Superman wasn’t just someone with extraordinary powers who could fly; he was Siegel and Shuster’s angel who they based their entire beliefs off of. Now that makes me wonder if all superheroes are really Jewish underneath.

Debatable Definition Causes a Ruckus in the Comic World

2011-02-23T23:01:00.002-07:00

A response was made by Dylan Horrocks called Inventing Comics: Scott McCloud’s Definition of Comics and it focuses on Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics: the Invisible Art. Horrocks considers Understanding Comics to be an important book of comic theory and a manifesto to the comic community. Horrocks claims McCloud’s definition truly justifies what comics should or should not be and what we should value less or more about comics.

Horrocks goes on to claim that McCloud does not justify why Eisner’s definition of “Sequential Art” is definitive in comics, and he chose it based on his personal likings. McCloud takes the concept of “Sequential Art” in order to rewrite it and rename it as comics. Horrocks claims that the definition is a metaphoric system made from other related metaphors, such as, “Comics are a literary genre”. McCloud’s definition is broad and based on visual mediums that he considers and reconsiders children’s picture books to be comics. But since McCloud decided that pictures must tell a whole story, Horrocks feels that McCloud should add an amendment to his definition stating, “Comics must not only contain pictorial narrative; they must be dominated by it”. Overall, the definition provides some closure. McCloud erases the history of comics to focus our attention mainly on media. But then in his book, he returns to the history once more to reclaim cultural artifacts that have been incorporated by other art forms. With the easel of the marginal status of comics as well makes Horrocks believes that McCloud is less concerned about the past than the future of comics. Horrocks suggests that McCloud created a myth in his book that claims pictures gave birth to writing. Horrocks believes, “…with the invention of comics, pictures have finally won the war with language and replaced words altogether”. Horrocks claims that McCloud’s Understanding Comics has helped build the comic nation.

With complete honesty, this response was highly dense and long just like Mr. Ben warned. I do not know how many times I read over it, but it still manages to get me stumped. I did not enjoy the reading very much nor can I agree with Horrocks. The fact that McCloud’s book helped me become more open minded towards comics, I cannot stray far from his opinions. I suppose I will remain a sheep in McCloud’s flock.

McCloud: Still a Comic Genius!

2011-02-23T22:55:00.003-07:00

Dylan Horrak writes in his article, Inventing Comics, about Scott McClouds definition on comic books and the world they revolve around. According to Horrak, McClouds definition is too broad and isn't very good. Horrak shows a few comic panels from McClouds book and talks about how McClouds definition is too broad. Horrack states: "Nowhere in Understanding Comics does Scott attempt to justify why ‘Sequential Art’ should be seen as the one definitive element in comics to the exclusion of all others"(Horrak 2). I don't think McCloud attempts this because he is trying to make is own definition about comics and not use Eisners'. Horrak then states:"His textual vocabulary, too, is often built on these geographical metaphors"(3). He then quotes some of these "metaphores" that McCloud uses. At the end of his article Horrak then says good things about McClouds book.'Reading Understanding Comics brought those two ways of loving comics together for me - in that sense it helped me to write my own book Hicksville. Part of me has been in a dialogue with Scott’s book for the past six years - and will be for some time yet."(6)

To me it seems like Horrak is trying to 'out do' McCloud and say that McClouds definition isn't a fit one. For someone to write a whole book about comics in comic form isn't easy. McCloud really knows what he is talking about and it all makes sense. The whole purpose of this book was to shed a positive light on comic books not to go into such depth about the definition. Sure the definition is kind of broad but after reading this book most will look at comics differently. And if so... Mission Accomplished by Scott McCloud!

Comic Superstition

2011-02-23T22:28:00.000-07:00

In Dylan Horrock's Inventing Comics: Scott McCloud' s definition of comics, Horrock explains hows McClould's work is theory. Horrock says that the only reason people take McCloud's argument as truth is because they share McCloud's ideas. McCloud uses his definition to establish limits, but like all definitions, it is an expression of values and assumptions.

Horrock explains that the main value McCloud establishes is closure. Closure allows pictures to transcend the traditional limitaitons of the single image, becoming narrative. Even though McCloud values closure, many people see the problem of comics as crude, poorly drawn pictures while their real problem is the reason people see them this way. What holds comics back are people's attitudes.

Along with comics problems, McCloud writes that comics problems are associated with not what they could be, but what they have been. In order to advance, comics need to get rid of their history. McCloud talks of a division of form vs. content. He also explains the phrase "form as vessel." Form as vessel can hold any number of ideas and images. Even if you do not like comics, you should be able to admire the form. The form McCloud talks about focuses the readers attention on the pure shiny form. This makes comics an equal medium in the eyes of the public.

Horrock also writes of how McCloud uses Eisner's term because it is useful. The term highlights the things McCloud values most about comics. Horrock explains how McCloud basically just uses Eisner's term and makes it into a dictionary style definition and renames it comics. The new meaning just colonizes the old meaning. This is why Scott McCloud's book is arguable because he bases his book off a definition that he just renamed.

Another argument Horrock brings up is McCloud's fear of words or Logo phobia. McCloud thinks a comic should be dominated by pictures and have little dialogue, but my McCloud's definition, as long as their is two pictures somewhere in a book and they tell a narrative, then that book is a comic. McCloud also does not attempt to define the border between words and pictures. There is no rule stated to as how much text and pictures can be in a comic.

This reading was somewhat hard to read, but had a lot of valuable information to make the reader think twice about some of McCloud's ideas. The summary was to show the reader that McCloud's book should not be taken as fact, but as an arguable opinion. The reader can argue the statements McCloud makes. Horrock does a good job of making his arguments of issues he disagrees with McCloud. We now have good reason to be superstitious about the definition of comics.

Does McCloud Really Do A Good Job At Defining Comics? Some Think Otherwise!

2011-02-23T20:36:00.008-07:00

Is Scott McClouds definition really a good definition of comics? Well Inventing Comics by Dylan Horrack is all about McCloud’s definition of comics and why it isn’t that good of a definition. In McCloud’s book Understanding Comics he tries to define comics and make people think of comics in a different light. Horrack’s piece is all about how McCloud doesn’t do a good job defining comics. In Horrack’s second paragraph he states “When you’re preaching to the converted, its easy to convince them that you’re speaking the Truth- rationally rather than rhetorically. (Horrack page 1)” Harrack starts off by explaining McCloud’s book and how he goes about explaining comics. Horrack explains how McCloud came up with the definition that he came up. The term ‘Sequential Art’ actually came from Eisner who used it in his when he was defining the art of comics. Throughout Horrack’s piece he talks about how McCloud’s definition is not very good, because he just uses a term that someone else used and just said it was the definition of comics. Scott McCloud makes his definition look like a dictionary style so the he pulls the reader into believing that his definition is correct. Horrack mentions in his piece that McClouds doesn't say anything about the style or the content of comics. He merely defines comics as sequential art. Another big part about McCloud's definition is closure. Horrack just writes about all the bad aspects of McClouds definition.

I think that Horrack's piece on McClouds book is good. I like it because he really talks about why McCloud's definition is not good, or accurate. I agree with Horrack just because McCloud doesn't ever talk about what makes up comics and i think that is important. Before I read this piece i really liked McClouds definition, but now i think that it is to broad. McClouds definition can include some stuff that I do not think are comics. But everyone has their own view on comics. Comics can include a lot of things but i think that McClouds definition is too broad. And Harrock just shows all the bad things about McClouds book and definition

Is McCloud's Definition Still Great?

2011-02-23T16:48:00.010-07:00

Dylan Horrocks wrote a response to Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art called Inventing Comics: Scott McCloud's Definition of Comics. He believes Understanding Comics is the most important book of comic theory. He states that McCloud's definition of comics is saying this is what comics should be and should not be. In his response to Scott McCloud's book he takes a look at McCloud's definition.

He goes over chapter one by summarizing and paraphrasing selected panels in the chapter. He paraphrases that in page 3, panels 7-9 Scott McCloud come up with a solution to change people's perceptions of what they think comics really are. Dylan Horrocks explains that McCloud's metaphor of himself spitting out the comic drink because he does not acquire the taste for that specific comic; McCloud is implying that if a person does not like most comics they still can admire the form (genre, style, publishing and history) of comics.

Dylan Horrocks then begins to go over Scott McCloud's definition. He says sequential art is where Scott's search for a definition begins and ends. He believes that part of McCloud's definition "sequential art" is the "hidden power" because it makes the readers think of closure. According to Dylan Horrocks, McCloud does not try to prove that his definition is right but that McCloud is showing what he admires and appreciates most about comics. He shows that McCloud expands on his idea of sequential art and turns it in to a standard dictionary definition. He states that McCloud's definition is great because it includes so many things but it also has its limitations stating that comics are not single panel cartoons.

Although Dylan Herrocks believes Scott McCloud's definition is great, he also states that Scott McCloud is unable to define it all. When McCloud was asked if his definition included children literature his answer was "not if the prose is independent of the pictures..". Herrocks find his answer reviling because you would think that from Scott McCloud's definition, children's books would be considered comics too. He believes McCloud would be willing to include picture books because he included photo booth pictures and stained glass windows as sequential art. But why not children's books?

I agree with Dylan Herrocks that McCloud struggles to qualify his definition. I think McCloud should fully include children books or fully exclude children's books. After reading his response I wondered if McCloud's definition was as great to me as it originally was. I came to the conclusion that his definition is now "OK". Even though he did not specify everything his definition is broad yet it still excludes things such as a children's book.

Time to Rip McCloud a New One!

2011-02-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

I kid. We're not going to tear him apart. But my buddy Dylan Horrocks is going to do that for us!

Dylan Horrocks' article Inventing Comics: Scott McCloud's Definition of Comics is kind of like our Rhetorical Analysis essay on steroids. It was first published in The Comics Journal, an academic periodical about comics, in 2001--ten years after Understanding Comics. It's an important piece because while our class (and McCloud's readership as a whole) takes his ideas at face value, Horrocks shows us why we shouldn't. And it's in that that we can truly see the brilliance of McCloud's rhetoric.

This is your reading for Thursday. But be warned, it's pretty long, somewhat dense, and I want you to blog about it! This is not a Wednesday-at-10pm assignment! You need to spend some time with this text before your write about it, and then give yourself some time to draft a strong. coherent post. As this essay will feature heavily in our Contextual Analysis essay, you'll want to make sure you have a good grasp on it before we discuss it in class and clear up the difficult bits.

Your blog will begin with your typical summary (which will be very helpful when it's time to start our second essay), and end with your response to Horrocks' thesis. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Lastly, because of how important it will be to look at this piece as a class, you need to come to class with notes on the article! You can even just print up your blog post on it if you want. But you need to come to class prepared to discuss his ideas, and you can't do that from memory!

Questions? Quibbles? Controversies?

All Hail the Six Steps!

2011-02-14T23:22:00.000-07:00

Chapter seven of Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics clarifies that comics are an art. But comics must undergo a path that consists of six steps, which are idea/purpose, form, idiom, structure, craft, and surface. The first step involves the emotions, purposes, and content. The second step is basically what type of form the material will be. The third step involves vocabulary, styles, and genre. The fourth step basically is deciding what to include or leave out and how to arrange the material. Step five is basically finishing the work and applying such skills as problem solving or practical knowledge. Finally, step six involves the production and exposure. These six steps are used in any medium, for any work, and by any artists.

The almighty six steps can be found in the rhetorical analysis for Mr. Ben’s class. The first step would be the purpose of the essay, which is to prove whether McCloud proves the values of comics. The second step is the fact that the analysis is written in an essay structure, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The third step is the vocabulary we decide to use and explaining the genres of McCloud’s book. The fourth step would be the rough draft of the essay, which is where we decide what is good enough to make the final draft. The fifth step is finalizing the final draft and making sure is almost perfect. Of course, the sixth step of the rhetorical analysis is turning the final draft into Mr. Ben.

In my opinion chapter seven is beneficially. When it comes to writing, we are all the students and should be open to learn more because there is so much more to learn. The six steps helped me understand how I can improve my rhetorical analysis a little more. I also found how McCloud portrayed pre-historic humans to be extremely humorous. Again, chapter seven was enjoyable.

Step To It!

2011-02-14T23:17:00.000-07:00

Chapter seven of Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is about McCloud's definition of art and his six steps in creating art. McCloud describes art as any human activity besides sex and the will to survive. This is a very broad definition, but McCloud seems to give well thought out evidence in supporting this claim. Under this claim, dancing, singing, drawing, and many other hobbies fall under. We also learn later in this chapter that there are also factors that affect art. One factor is money. Some art can be influenced by greed. This is why McCloud places six steps on art to avoid making art just for money.

Instead of making art for money, McCloud explains how people use art to represent their individual identity. McCloud writes of three ways art is used to help people express themselves. The first is through exercise. Many play sports or games to relieve stress. Art also helps people with emotions. Art is good if someone has emotional imbalance. The last example of how art effects humanity is through invention. Art inspires creativity and new discoveries.

After explaining these three ways art helps humans express themselves, McCloud reveals his six steps to making art. Here is a bullet of the six steps to make it as clear as possible:

Idea/Purpose-before you can start your work, you need to reflect on why you are doing what your doing. The purpose of your work.
Form-This is where you decide what genre your art will take. Example include a book, chalk drawing, sculpture, or comic book.
Idiom-Idiom can be described as your vocabulary and subject matter. Style of the genre is included.
Structure-This is where you decided how to arrange your project. Composing your work.
Craft-I could describe this as constructing your work and applying your art skills on you project.
Surface-This is how your work looks when finished. Representation of the work.

It is very hard for everyone to walk step to step with these six rules. Many viewers of art do not see all six steps when looking at art. Many just see the finishing product or surface. Idea, form, idiom, structure, and craft are sometimes not fully recognized.

Sex or Food?: The Debate Continues

2011-02-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

Chapter seven in Understanding Comics: the Invisible Art Scott McCloud tells us, “Art, as I see it, is any human activity which doesn’t grow out of either of our species’ two basic instincts: survival and reproduction.” He then gives us a short tale about a prehistoric male, and how it applies. He talks about how everything in our lives as humans that we do, is due to the instincts of survival and reproduction, whether it’s with a job/career or the “dating game”.

Then he introduces to us, a path consisting of six steps. The six steps being: idea/purpose, form, idiom, structure, craft, and surface. Without all of these six steps, the comic doesn’t really live up to its full potential. If it looks nice and appealing to the eye, it may catch the reader’s attention, but they will surely lose it if the comic is lacking in any other aspect, such as the storyline. There may be many people out there that think they have what it takes to create the next big comic, but in reality only few truly do.

In chapter seven in Understanding Comics, McCloud goes deeper into what a comic truly is. This time he explains the structure part of it more. He uses six steps: idea/purpose, form, idiom, structure, craft, and surface; all to combine in what we know as a legendary comic such as Spider-man. Although, if one of these key steps is missing from the staircase we call a comic, it will fall and you’ll be stuck in the basement with just doodles.

Comics are Art!? Come Step Through the Six Layers of Any Art!

2011-02-14T22:08:00.008-07:00

Are comics really art? Well of course comics are art. They may not be the most common type of art, but they are art. In Chapter Seven of Understanding Comics Scott McCloud explains how comics are art, and the six steps that all artists use when creating art. Art is a broad subject, as are comics. McCloud describes how mother nature has a role in the creation of art. McCloud uses the example of cave people and how they would create art without really know it. Art is the discovery of important things and it shows truth, while being explored. Art is the foundation of many things such as language, science, and philosophy. Artists do what they do because they love art. To decide what you might want out of aren't you first must discover the purpose. There must always be a path when creating any kind of art. The six steps that many artists follow are; idea/purpose-this just shows the purpose of the work or the content that is going into the art, form- basically how it is going to be created, it can be a book, painting, dance, or sculpture, idiom- this is the genre that the art form belongs to, structure- what composes the art and brings it all together as one, craft-skills that help to make the art, and last is surface- this is the final product, the surface of the work that is exposed. All of these six steps go into creating any art form. What people see and understand the most is the surface... it is easier for a person to see the surface and understand that then it is for them to see what really goes into making that surface possible. All the steps that come before the surface are what make up art. McCloud describes how it takes much practice to become good at creating comics, and how you may think you have mastered it all. But you can leave out some important part. You may get the drawing part right but you might not have any story line. The six steps are followed by all artists, whether they know it or not. There is an idea or purpose behind everything, there has to be some kind of form and structure to help get the point or purpose across, the craft is something that differs from artist to artist, and the surface is what everyone gets to enjoy!

Chapter Seven really showed me what all it takes to make some good art. McCloud makes comics that much more understandable in this chapter by describing what it really takes to create a comic. Every comic has a purpose, a structure/ form, a certain genre and a surface. The artist making the art might have a different craft. He or She may do things different than other artists. The craft is what makes every art form so much different.

The six steps are applied when doing any paper. But in regard to the rhetorical analysis they are used because the purpose is to decide what definition about comics is the best, when looking at the genre and discourse community. The form of the paper is in MLA and the structure would be an essay. The idiom of the rhetorical analysis essay would be anyone looking to gain a better understanding of the definition of comics. The craft of every paper is different, depending on the writer. The structure is everything that makes up the essay, the other steps along with grammar and sentence structure. This is all stuff that will catch the readers eye, and either attract them and make them want more, or push them away.

Awesome Comic about the Gutter!

2011-02-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

Questions? Quibbles? Controversies?

Don't Judge By the Cover Alone

2011-02-14T18:55:00.005-07:00

In chapter 7 McCloud decides to throw some more information at his reader. McCloud explains that the creation of any work in art will always follow a certain path. This path that he talks about consists of six different steps. These six steps include Idea/Purpose, Form, Idiom, Structure, Craft, and Surface. The first step, Idea, is really just the purpose of everything that you're creating. The second, Form, is the literally the form of art that you choose to go into. This can include anything from comics to sculpting. The third step is Idiom. Idiom is actually like the genre that you'll use in the art that you choose to pursue. Structure is the forth step. The structure step is how you decide to put everything all together so that each piece or picture agree with one another. The fifth and sixth steps are Craft and Surface. Craft is the understanding and invention that you put into your art while Surface is the exposure to your work. McCloud says that any form of art will always come go through these six stages. Each one is needed for any form of art that you create. So, if you look deep enough into any form of art, you'll find these six steps at the very core.

At the end of this chapter McCloud talks about what happens after our art has undergone all six of the stages. He focuses on several different artists but finally narrows it down to the last. McCloud says that this artist has a difficult decision to make about his art: "Does this artist want to say something about life through his art or does he want to say something about art itself?" For this decision, the artist must go back and choose between the first or the second step. If he chooses Form, it could lead him to become a revolutionist. However, if he chooses Idea/Purpose, he can speak to the world through his work. And then, eventually the world comes back around and starts back at square one.

In all honesty I wasn't looking forward to reading this chapter at all. The first few pages didn't spark an interest. I did become interested once it started getting to where McCloud started describing each artist and the steps that he/she went through. Then I started thinking about all the work that I had been doing for each of my classes along with previous classes. Even when writing our rhetorical analysis paper do we use these steps. Idea and purpose were used for the content of our papers. Our form was the paper itself. Idiom is our vocabulary and subject matter along with structure being MLA format. Craft is used for our papers just by our will to "get the job done." Now surface in our paper is harder to put my thumb on. I don't really see how surface comes into a rhetorical analysis paper but I'm thinking that maybe it has to do with the way that the essay itself is presented. But, this chapter actually contains some valuable points in the pursuit of the understanding of comic value.

Six steps are NEEDED

2011-02-14T15:58:00.002-07:00

In chpt 7, Scott McCloud talks about the six steps that are used in art today. He argues whether comics can be considered art, and yes they are forms of art. By his defention, art "is any human activity which doesnt grow out of either of our species' two basic instincts: survival and reproduction!"to me comics fit that defenition very well. He tells the importance of these six steps (Idea/Purpose, Form, Idiom, Structure, Craft, and Surface) and why every comic artist or any artist depends on these steps. McClouds says that an artist needs all six steps to create a great piece of art and gives examples of 5 different comic book artists and the outcome each experienced while using each of the six steps. The fifth artist used all the steps and was the most succesful artist. All 6 steps are needed!

If artists didnt use these six steps, alot of art wouldnt have meaning that it does. If they only use Surface the piece of art would only be appealing to the eye. It wouldnt have "The impulses, the ideas, the emotions, the philosophies, the purposes of the work... the works content" no one would ever know the artists feelings or why they did this piece of art. When you draw a picture you might use these steps, maybe some or even all of them.

Scott McCloud's book, Understanding Comics The Invisible Art, is a comic book written on understanding comics an to show their deeper meaning. McCloud uses all six steps in creating this comic book. Number One, Idea/Purpose: His purpose is to shed a different light on comic books, a posistive one. Number Two, Form: it takes the form of a book. Number Three, Idiom: this book is a comic that talks about comics. Number Four, Structure: He talks about important things about comics which helps the reader understand his goal. Number Five, Craft: He made this whole book himself, wrote it and drew it. Number Six, This book is great!

Is it art? YES!

2011-02-14T14:01:00.008-07:00

In chapter seven of Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, Scott McCloud asks the question "is it art?". The answer to that question is yes, comics are art! Scott McCloud explains that art can provide three simple things for us. The first thing that art can provide is "exercise for minds and bodies not receiving outside stimulus". An example of this would be sports because in sports we use our mind and body as the art. The second thing art provides is "an outlet for emotional imbalances, aiding in the race's metal survival". An example of this rule would be using art as a self expression. The last thing art provides us with is that there is a potential for useful discoveries and exploration through art. McCloud also states that art is everywhere, from assembly lines, to signing checks and even the way a person rides a bike is considered art.

Creating art requires six steps which are the idea/purpose, form, idiom, structure, craft and the surface. The first step, idea/purpose is the content of the art. The second step, form is the type of art it will be. The third step is idiom which is the genre the art will be. The fourth step is structure, in this step you will be composing the work. The fifth step is craft, which means constructing the work. The final step is the surface which means to finish and prefect the work. Scott McCloud explains that every step are important because "whats a good surface without a great core". Each step should help the final project be great from the core to the surface.

I used all of the these steps for writing our rhetorical analysis essay without even realizing it. I used "idea/purpose" for the content of my paper. I used the step "form" when I wrote the essay in MLA format. I used "idiom" when I did the genre of the work. I used the step of "structure" when I put my paper together. An example of this would be that I had to rearrange my paper multiple times to get my point across correctly. I also used "craft" while writing my paper. I had to apply all of my writing skills such as sentence structure, vocabulary and organization in order to complete the essay. I also used the sixth step which is "surface" to finish my work. To do this I went back to my paper and made sure everything was appealing the eye. I edited the paper again and made sure my paper was in MLA format.

Showing is Telling....Sometimes words need pictures!!!!

2011-02-09T23:47:00.000-07:00

“Show and Tell”, Chapter six in Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics is summed up excellent. It starts off with a little story about who we all as kids used to take things in to show and tell and not really know the correct terms for what we were showing! He explains how it is normal for children to associate pictures and words, thats why children’s books have more pictures than they have words, however its a phase we need to “grow” out of! As we mature so should our books, therefore the amount of pictures should decrease to none. However we are a world obsessed with moving pictures and words, so how is this really different? Pictures and words go back to ancient times, when pictures were used to represent words because no such thing as an alphabet was created. Pictures have slowly evolved there way into letters or symbols we used everyday to create words. Pictures these days have become more specific as to what they represent, they don’t always need words to tell the story they are portraying. There are many different combinations of words and pictures; word specific, picture specific, duo-specific, additive, parallel, montage, and inter-dependent. Each is a very unique way in creating comics and story lines for comics. If you only want pictures to tell the story there are “specific” ways to do so! And so on and so fourth with any way you want your story to be told.

McCloud has a great way of explaining everything in detail for this chapter. He takes the time to make a sequence of pictures into a story then just a sequence of text boxes. Then when you put them together things make more sense, however they are both able to stand alone and have the same concept. Showing and telling are both very specific things, and they can both easily stand alone, however I believe that they work best when they are together. It makes things easier for everyone around them to understand. Take a cook book for example, anyone can follow a recipe, however if you can see the steps in picture form you feel more confident with the outcome if it looks exactly like the picture step by step.

Sequencial Comic Analysis

2011-02-09T23:01:00.000-07:00

Chapter six in Scott McCloud’s book Understanding Comics: the Invisible Art basically tells how the use of words and text together help impact the telling of a story. In other words, there’s the use of both words and pictures or images in every single area of subjects such as art and lecture. McCloud then details the stages of how we read throughout our lives. Starting with children, and how every page is mostly pictures and a low amount of words because it’s “easier”. Then as we grow older we begin to separate each subject, to just art, or just literature, with each being a lot more complex of course.

McCloud then tells us that about 15,000 years ago, human communication began to take its course. He describes the fact that these ancient cave paintings were more symbolic than anything else. It carried on through to the Egyptian lifestyle and also that of the Mayans. Although when the printing process was introduced, there were more expectations of words. Then further and further on through the decades, the separation grows more and more. McCloud tells how in the 19^th century the two of these subjects started to come together in what today we call “comics.” He then goes on to detail how much art and literature impacts the quality of the comic. The two may combine harmoniously.

In my opinion comics are a great way to get information. It helps both types of people, those who learn better through words and speaking, and those that favor the pictures and examples to learn. As for me, I am the latter, so words with pictures help with the retaining of info, and I do like to read comics. Scott McCloud’s detailing really impresses me because it shows how deep a comic actually is.

Show Me, Tell Me

2011-02-09T23:00:00.000-07:00

Chapter six gave great information and appraisal to a great duo, which are words and pictures. Hundreds of years ago people used words and pictures to tell a story, especially on cave walls. Then over time people separated the duo. Pictures became more specific, concentrating more on an object or a person. Like pictures, words became more specific and direct. It mainly concentrated on providing information. Eventually, pictures and words worked together to create a story. Like children, comics tell stories using words and pictures interchangeably and how they tell a story is unlimited. Sometimes, the duos either lead one another or work together. At times a picture tends to tell a story in more detail than words, but the words assist the images by providing a simple soundtrack for sounds. Other times words elaborate or describe a picture more in depth so it can be understood. Also, both words and pictures portray or send the same message. Many people will always misunderstand words or pictures, but creators will continue to combine words and pictures to produce good quality art.

I considered chapter six to be extremely informative and effective. Sometimes, a person does not realize how strong words and pictures can be when combined. They create an indestructible force to help the reading audience obtain the information a whole lot more than just simply reading or looking at a picture alone. McCloud opens our eyes to see and appreciate words and pictures in comics. I very much enjoyed reading this chapter.

Bring On Chapter 6!

2011-02-09T22:45:00.002-07:00

So from chapter six McCloud starts off by telling us what we probably don't pay attention to as children. He explains that as kids, we use less precise words to get our point across and more words as we get older. Gradually he moves into talking about the importance of having words combined with your pictures in comics. He gives us different types of these combinations in the book. These include everything from word specific combinations, which allow the picture to do the majority of the explanation but does not actually add completely to the text, to interdependent combinations which both pictures and words work together to "convey an idea that neither could convey alone." He explains that there are all of these different types of combinations that get twisted around and changed every so often to create a new way producing comics.

The thing that frustrates me about McCloud is that every time I think I'm beginning to understand everything there is to know about comics, he shoots another fact at me. Then, I go rethinking everything that I know about comics and in what ways I've changed my mind about them. However, I do like the fact that he brought up the show-and-tell strip. It never came to my attention that we lose the art of pictures as we get older. Even now, writing this blog I see no pictures or with any real art on it. It kind of makes me feel bad for growing up. So, here's a picture for everyone that's tired of just seeing words all the time as college students.

Hurray for Show and Tell! The Balance of Pictures and Words.

2011-02-09T22:29:00.011-07:00

Chapter six in the book Understanding Comics is all about "show and tell". Show and tell you may ask? Isn't that something that kindergartners do? Well no, Scott McCloud explains in chapter six how comics are all about show and tell. But first he explains the history of both words and pictures. When he is talking about the history he shows how they have both evolved. After explaining the history he goes into how they have come together to create comics. The pictures show whats going on and the words explain in depth whats happening. There are different types of show and tell when it comes to comics. The different ones are word specific-which have pictures to show but need text to complete it, picture specific-words do more they are like a "soundtrack", duo specific-words and pictures do the same thing, additive- words or pictures "amplify" or "elaborate", parallel- the words and pictures follow different paths, montage- the words are literally apart of the picture, interdependent- the words and pictures go "hand in hand" they both need each other. Pictures and words work together when it comes to comics. They are a team and have to work together to accomplish a goal. There needs to be balance when it comes to comics. Words and pictures both can't lead. Pictures usually take the lead when it comes to comics, but the words can be used to explore or go more into depth and expand on an idea.

Chapter six was very informative, it showed how words and pictures really come together to create this great piece of work we call comics. I liked how it explained the evolution of both. How they have both changed over the years. And how they have come together. In this chapter i got a better understanding of how the words and the images of comics work together. Words and pictures simply add to one another. They enhance each other and ensure that the meaning will be clear to the reader. The use of words and images really does make comics limitless. Comics can do just about anything the options are endless when it comes to comics.

Speaking Comic

2011-02-09T20:59:00.004-07:00

In Chapter six of the book Understanding Comisc, Scott McCloud takes his reader through a brief historical passage educating them on the advent of words and and pictures. He begins his lesson by stating that pictures predated the written word back in the Golden Age. He later sataed that words in that period was represented by and words, thus highlighting the the precedence and value that pictures and symbols had in that period. He continued his lesson by showing the birth of written words which by that time had become more abstarct and looked less like pictures. In the interim pictures on the other hand looked less like symbols and were more representational and more specific. The comparison was made and the conclusion was drafted that these two mediums were completely opposite and would not yeild positive results if mixed in the same genre. McCloud made reference to a great twist in the story line which occured in moden history. This is where pictutres once again became abstract and language began to convey meaning like picture. this gave account for the amalgamation of both features and which is explored in the world of comics. This has been proven to be very adnavtageous in the rhetoric of comic as both features have become partners and compliment each other well, resulting in enjoyable but comprehensible comics.
Once again McCloud succeeded in efficiently delivering the message that is embedded in the topic. He cleverly creates an interesting yet captivating story line that had the reader's athention from the very beginning. I particularly like the way how McCloud supports his aruments with historical fact along the time line. He demonstates his intelligence, knowledege about the subject matter throughout this chapter and also the preceding chapters. I particularly enjoyed reading this chapter because I received valuable information that are taught in other subject areas such as History, Visual Art and English Literature. Reading the book has helped me developed an indebt understanding of comics and has also heightened my appreciation for the genre as i now realize that there is more to it that the typical stereotypes. I look froward to reading the subsequent chapters to see what other values are embedded in this genre that is commomly and fequently taken for granted.

Masters Of Art And Literature

2011-02-09T20:34:00.002-07:00

Chapter six of Scott McCloud’s book Understanding Comics the Invisible Art is a debate of the use of words and text together in the use of telling a story or the use of both words and pictures in every aspect of art and lecture. Such as McCloud’s first example of when we are kids the use of little words and examples of pictures like kids in show and tell trying to describe what they brought while trying to show it off. But through our lives we are expected to grow out of it onto more complex text and books with pictures to books with no pictures. That’s why that most people believe only great works of arts and literature are only great when words and pictures are keep separate.

The start of our communication began 15,000 years ago with the cave paintings that were detailed but more symbolic than anything. This influence kept its traditions through the years with the Egyptians and the Mynas but was taken away from tradition and more expectations of words not pictures more implicated when printing began. As art and words became more separate art became more symbolic and representative in later years. In the years of the 1800 the combination of the use of words began to be combined again to start a whole new use of the two. With the two combining comics became well known to people and the creators of the comics thought great art and great writing will combine harmoniously by virtue of quality alone. Such uses like word specific where pictures illustrate, but don’t significantly add to a largely complete text. Another is picture specific combinations where words do little more than add a soundtrack to a visually told sequence. And of course duo-specific panels in which both words and pictures send essentially the same message just to name a few styles that are used to manipulate the two. But when you find the right combination the way they are expressed together are great works of art. Although how the two are used are really up to the author of the selection and that is what really makes or breaks a comic strip.

My opinion the use of words and pictures together is a great way of showing and explaining a story or situation because you need the image in your head of what you are reading so you can understand it along with the text to tell what is happening so the selection will last longer in your mind. So in Scott McCloud’s ides in this chapter really influences me and makes me believe that what he is saying is true. So tell me and show me.

Reading Pictures

2011-02-09T20:17:00.004-07:00

Chapter six of Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics explains the relationship between pictures and words in a comic. McCloud tells about the history and evolution of words and pictures and how they have been used together to create different works. McCloud explains that the first words were actually pictures! Pictures have predated the written word by a large margin. As thousands of years have passed, words have grown farther away from their ancestor, pictures.

It did not take long until ancient pictures started becoming more abstract. In time, words began losing their ancient visual resemblance and started to represent only sound. With the help of the printing press, written word took a leap and took humanity with it. Eventually, pictures and words grew farther apart in the opposite corners of the iconic abstraction chart. With both pictures and words in the corner, both had room to grow.

Pictures expanded up the abstraction chart into categories such as expressionism, futurism, Dada, and surrealism. At the same time, written words were also changing. Poetry turned away from elusive abstraction and became more direct in style. Both began moving to the left in the abstraction chart. Pictures and written word were headed for a collision.

In this collision, the comic was formed! Unfortunately for comics at this time, modern art was incomprehensible to many viewers. People did not appreciate the comic. The comic suffered the curse of new media, and the curse of being judged by old standards. Even though comics were born in this misunderstood time for modern art, comics had potential in the art of storytelling. The comic could combine words and pictures in unlimited ways.

McCloud covers a lot of history and the perspective on comics in this chapter. He explains that comics can combine words and pictures in many different combinations. Of word specific and picture specific combinations, there is additive, parallel, montage, and interdependent. These combinations help the writer tell the story in unlimited ways, making the comic ever changing. Words can carry the weight in a comic, which allows pictures to take off and vice versa. The mixing of pictures and words in comics is a beautiful thing. This is when you show and tell.

It's Show and Tell Time!

2011-02-09T14:03:00.003-07:00

The sixth chapter of Understanding Comics is called "Show and Tell" and that is exactly what author Scott McCloud does in this chapter. He explains the importance and the effects of words and pictures in comics through a comic itself. In the beginning of chapter one, Scott McCloud stated that "words and pictures are as popular as ever.." Words and pictures are used in our everyday life. From commercials to books they are everywhere we look. Scott McCloud refers back to chapter five in Understanding Comics stating that "the earliest words were, in fact, stylized pictures." The earliest comics also had words and pictures but they were not combined like today's comics.

Scott McCloud believed that pictures were going to expand and become more modern. He stated that pictures were going to become more expressive, futuristic, full of Dada, surrealism, fauvism, cubism, abstract expressionism, neo-plasticism and constructivism. Pictures also ended up resembling words which is used in comics, called montage. There are many different ways that pictures can be used in comics such as word specific which means that the pictures illustrate what is going on but there is not complete text in the panel. Duo-specific is another style which means that both the words and the pictures in the comic send the same message to the reader. The additive style means that the words in the comic elaborate and explain the picture. The picture specific style in comics is using the picture to tell the main part of the story. Finally, the interdependent style means that the words and pictures need each other to convey the idea.

I believe that Scott McCloud did a great job explaining the importance of words and pictures in chapter six. I had no clue that there were so many ways that pictures and words could be put together in a comic! The examples McCloud uses while explaining the different ways that words and pictures can be used, helped me to understand what he was saying. I think that this book would not be as effective if it was not in a comic book form. Reading Understanding Comics has actually made me appreciate and understand comics.

What is this, an early Spring Break?!

2011-02-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

So we have now missed 2 days of class due to "weather related issues." Since I hardly consider no heat a good reason to cancel classes, I'm understandably perturbed by this--but that's a separate issue.

As I wrote a couple of days ago, despite a week of no class, I expect you to continue the work scheduled on our syllabus. Since today was going to be a work day in which I had asked you to bring your rough drafts, we're really not all that badly off. I still expect you to turn in rough drafts on Tuesday, and as it's a workshop day, I'd like you to bring in at least 3 copies.

I apologize if it seems unfair to hold to our essay schedule when we have not been able to meet to discuss it. But remember that it's only the rough draft that's due, and I don't plan on failing you if it isn't perfect, because it won't be. That's why we draft and revise. Also, if you really have dire concerns regarding your essay, you can always e-mail them to me. Lastly, as I explained in the first week of classes, falling behind before Spring Break means less time to work on the Research Project after Spring Break. And trust me, you will want all the time you can get for that!

So we will soldier on!

Questions? Quibbles? Controversies?

Comprehending Comics

2011-02-01T09:34:00.002-07:00

Chapters three and four are about how comics use something called closure and time and space and the to help the reader understand everything that is going on inside and out of a panel. By using time and space Mc. Cloud can actually get you to feel the amount of time that happens from one panel to the next. Also, using closure, Mc. Cloud also helps you to understand the material as a whole instead of just one picture at a time.

According to Mc. Cloud, closure is when your mind works in order to understand what has just happened and that something actually did happen. He expresses this in his panel about the man being killed and says that he never actually killed the guy but, as the reader, you end up filling in the space however your mind desires it to happen. There is Moment-to-moment closure, Action-to-action, Subject-to-subject, Scene-to-scene and Aspect-to-Aspect closure/transition. What these different types of transitions or closures do are different ways in which our mind make sense of the things in order to understand all the panels of a comic book.

Using time and space Mc. Cloud gives us a sense of the amount of time it takes for one panel to transfer to the next panel. He goes into talking about in some comics or styles its harder to understand do to the pictures, what's going on in each panel, and even about the panel shapes themselves. He talks about the long picture with seemingly everything happening at once. As you look through it though it all takes time to get to each person talking which gives it a sense of time and space. This allows us to comprehend that the panel isn't actually happening in just one instance but over about 30-45 seconds.

How Mc. Cloud describes both time and closure gave me a different look on how I understand comics. I always knew that my own mind did fill in the blanks or I did understand how long each comic was between panels but I never completely comprehended or even thought about it. This wasn't the most exciting chapter or anything but it does give the reader a type of new light to look at comics through. After reading these two chapters, I would agree with Mc. Cloud on the idea that comics are more of an art than anything

Timing is Everything

2011-01-31T23:40:00.006-07:00

Chapters three and four were mainly about closure and how comics use time to help the reader understand panels. McCloud explains that closure is the space that separates each panel. Panels can be separated by different amounts of space, long or short. Between panels, the reader uses his/her imagination in decided what is happening, and what the action taking place looks like between panels. McCloud explains that the readers participation is a powerful force in comics.

McCloud breaks down closure into six categorizes. There is moment-to-moment, action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene, aspect-to-aspect, and non-sequitur. McCloud goes on to examine the two most used categories used in making comics. They are action-to-action and subject-to-subject. He also goes on to explain that comics from Japan use many of these categories.

Using these six categories of closure, a comic can tell a story in many different ways. The story can be in much detail, or have very simple detail. McCloud uses a very big panel to show a family in a room. There is a picture being taken, people on the sofa, and two gentlemen playing chess. McCloud explains that the panel is always read from left to right, and that time flows through this panel so it will make sense when you read it. Word bubbles are placed in left to right order in which the author wants you to read them in. Timing between panels can create a dramatic effect when needed. The two main concepts McCloud wants us to understand are timing and closure between panels.

Comic Science 101

2011-01-31T23:40:00.002-07:00

Scott McCloud in chapters 3 and 4 in Understanding Comics, really gives a deep look into the basic science behind comics. What I mean by this is he really talks about what’s going on mentally for the reader through each picture, and in between as well. He describes how when we read a comic, we use our imagination in each individual box to inspire thoughts that go beyond what’s being told in the box.

It’s just like a young child playing peek-a-boo, they can’t see you, hear you, taste you, or touch you, so they think it isn’t even there, inexistent. He calls it an act of faith. So from panel to panel when you read, and use your imagination, that’s what he describes as closure. So our minds have to piece together the comic using our imagination, which means our own mind can unravel a story that is unlike the story in the imagination of another’s mind. Comics have six different translations through the sequential panels to help closure. One panel can represent more than one specific moment in time. Size really does matter as for the value of the comic. Bigger gaps between panels, signify a bigger pause, yet when there are no “boundaries” on the panel, it can show a timeless value. Motion can be influenced in many different ways but most use lines to move it through the given sequence or just even the single given background.

Over the two chapters in Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud talks about the exact sciences of what it means to be reading a comic. The use of imagination makes it so unique to each individual, to how they might think of what may be going on in the comic. Also the use of these panels and how they affect the time of the comic.

How We Understand Panels and Time....

2011-01-31T22:09:00.000-07:00

Chapter 3 of Understanding Comics starts off with a young boy trying to determine the meaning of his daydream that he believed was about the world being a figment of his imagination put on for his benefit. Then McCloud goes on to introduce the term closure which takes us from moment to moment of a comic and how we are able to make different panels become one scene. McCloud he gives us an in-depth look at what the “gutter” is between panels. The gutter is basically the change in scene from one panel to the next. Its our mind working from one panel taking in the scene and developing it to the next scene. McCloud then goes on to elaborate on the six different types of transitions that panels can have: Moment-to-moment, action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene, aspect-to-aspect, and lastly non-sequential.

Chapter 4 of Understanding Comics is explaining how important time and space are between panels of comic books. The size of panels also plays an important role in how we view the amount of time in the scene. Larger panels may allow us to assume a longer amount of time the same goes for smaller panels and a shorter amount of time. Also a single panel in a comic does not only represent a moment but it can also be an entire scene. The size of the space between panels can increase the pause we get out of each scene or moment.

In my opinion McCloud did a very good job at explaining and helping me “understand” both closure and time frames in both these chapters. I really like how this entire book is in comic book style. I am able to grasp the simplicity of reading a comic in an educational manner and i really think thats great. McCloud makes things much easier to understand while giving us examples of everything he’s trying to teach. This book so far actually has me interested! However I really want to color this book.

Imagination and Time! Chapters 3 & 4

2011-01-31T20:55:00.003-07:00

In Scott McClouds book Understanding Comics he shows that it is possible to learn from comics and that they are not just for certain people. Comics can be used to get any point or story across. They can be for any age group! Scott McCloud accomplishes his goal of helping people understand comics through the use of comics. In chapter three and four he goes over how people use their imagination when reading comics, and how frames are used to help with the timing of the art that is used in comics.

Chapter three in Understanding Comics is all about the closure of comics. What I got from McClouds explanation of closure is that it is just like imagination. McCloud explains how closure is used to "produce suspense or challenge the reader" they want the reader to think one thing so that they can be surprised by the actual outcome. Closure comes in many forms, some of which may be simple or complex. Images such as black and white pictures can be turned into reality with the use of imagination. The mind can make a simple image come to life. The gutter of a comic it the blank space that is between two frames. It is where the person has time to see both images and make them become one. The panels of a comic are used to show time and space and closure is what allows someone to connect all the images and construct them into reality. There are six categories of transitions that are used in comics, they are moment-to-moment, action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene, aspect-to-aspect, and non-sequiter. The transition having to do with moment requires very little closure, action transitions have to do with progression, the progression of a certain action being performed. Subject transitions requires involvement from the reader and scene transitions which carry the reader on a journey through time and space. Aspect transitions go past time and make the reader imagine new things, and non-sequiter transitions are just something that is random and has no real meaning.

Chapter four is all about time. And how frames help to show the timing of the events being shown in a comic. Frames are the rectangular boxes that surround a certain scene in a comic. One large frame may contain many other smaller frames. In the frames are what actually get the points across they show whats going on and the frame is just like the time keeper. By having spaces in between the frames that can show how long something is going on. They can also prolong time by showing multiples of the same image. The shape of a panel can also make a difference in the time. Example is a smaller square box can represent a short time, where as a longer rectangular box shows a longer time, the time is more spread out. If the images in comics did not contain frames they could make things seem timeless. Another thing that does that is the images used they can have a timeless affect. The frames also help show motion or actions of the characters that are present in the comic.

In these chapters three and four we learned about all the timing and transitions that are present in comics to make them become realistic to any person that may be reading them. Without any time limit, comics would not be able to become realistic in ones imagination. They would not know when to stop the mind from adding on to the images that are put forth. Both these chapters have showed me how much work and thought that the writer must put in comics. How they must think things through and decide how to make time period long or short. Timing is something that is very important within the genre of comics. Frames and transitions help with timing.