PROJECT ONE
A little overview
This felt like a mammoth task for someone who doesn't have a huge amount of knowledge on comics, more so the history. It was exciting to get started but also slightly daunting. Naturally I want to know as much as I can about the subject, but feel this could be something I investigate further during my own time throughout this journey. I wanted to give an overview on the names listed in this task, and my thoughts when researching those I didn't know, and those I am familiar with.
I found myself giving one artist more of my time, Charles M Shulz. I could understand the longevity of his popularity and how he managed to stay above the noise for so many years. Being familiar of Snoopy (like million others) I did feel it was an opportunity to dive deeper as I have never followed the comics growing up. The bold simplicity of his work and direct narration for short comic strips are captivating. I love the line work, and seeing the original drawings in large with the pencil lines still visible in the book "Only What's Necessary" made me admire the work more so.
Another stand out from the list during this research task had been Marjane. I spent an evening reading Marjane Satrapi– ‘Persepolis’. I was instantly hooked. An incredibly moving story of real life experience illustrated in a simplistic way that gave enough details without it being too heavy, which the story could easily have been more difficult to read with graphic details like the style of a marvel comic. I've read a couple of comics in my time (not many, but a couple), this by far felt the most in depth and mature, with real historical importance. I appreciated the tone of the book, the blunt narrative that gave insight to the reality of the living conditions during war time and the general struggles one had to endure. With it being an experience through a child, and to see how the child mind processed incredibly difficult situations even for an adult, the sharpness in the narrative and biographical essence really felt, not only educational but a coming of age during extreme times. There was humour and there was definitely tear jerking moments that had me turning the page, eager to learn.
I had seen so much of Marvel and the DC Comics artwork that, again it felt as though I had read all the comics growing up. Of course, I hadn't. The artwork is incredible and the detail is unbelievable in such small panels, capturing explosive movements in still images, showing dynamics in the stretched perspectives to draw the viewers eyes one panel at a time. They truly are action packed, which understandably makes the perfect stories to be made into theatrical blockbusters that we all know of today. I find the character design to be most interesting through these comics, and how even today they can be still relevant. The backstory created for each is a complexity that I admire, and the way this is narrated through the illustrated panels is impressive. Would I pick up a marvel comic and read it? Not now, I feel the whole branding is an entire empire that has dominated the mainstream theatres, taking cinema experiences to a new level that instantly pushes the smaller budget movies to the back. That said, I do also admire the solid branding that has grown hugely over the years, and think Marvel have nailed the adaptation from comic to cinema, as have DC in some, but not all adaptions.
Before stepping in to the world of Graphic Fiction for this course, the comic that I had been most familiar with and enjoyed the cartoons of is The Adventures of Tintin. I'm very much a fan of animation, and connected with illustrated narratives more so in this form than comic strips as a child. The iconic spotlight on Tintin and Snowy running is very much engraved in the memory. This style in artwork definitely feels more nostalgic for me, having grown up around Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry and Scooby Doo, which follow a similar linear style. Like Snoopy, the imagery of Tintin is a very popular, mainstream image that can be seen almost everywhere. My local art shop, for example, has a wide collection of merchandise and prints available with characters from Tintin. I guess through this mainstream image, these characters like Snoopy and Tin Tin have become a part of our lives, even without needing to read a single comic.
It was interesting to research all of the artists in this task. I appreciated the different styles all carried, but certainly had my favourites, which will be interesting when choosing an artist for the next exercise.
Charles M Schulz - ‘Peanuts’ newspaper comic strip (1950-2000)
● How do they differ in terms of drawing style, page layout and the content
of the stories?
The majority of the comic strips from the early days were very black and white panels. In books such as Only What's Necessary: Charles M. Shulz and the Art of Peanuts, you see a variety of comics that show different finishes, such as printed in colour or the black and white ink. In some cases, the coloured prints are within the same realm as the simplistic black and white but offer more details. For example, this newspaper page where Charlie and Lucy fall from their comic strip in to Des Moines Register and Tribune. Honestly, I'm unsure whether this spread is created entirely by Charles M Shulz, or whether the characters were used, but this is very different to the typical styling of Peanuts.
● Are they drawn realistically, or more like children’s drawings or cartoons?
Peanuts is very much a cartoons cartoon, with an appearance that is aimed at children.
● Do they use a lot of black spaces or shading, or are they drawn in clean
lines?
Most part of Peanuts comics are clean lines only. You could see blocks of black colouring and shading was often in lines or scribbles.
● What about the way they are written? Is the story told in dialogue, or in
captions that describe the actions and motivations of the characters?
The stories are told through dialogue.
● When are they set?
I think Peanuts was set in the current times they were made. It is said that Shulz would include reference of other pop culture within his comics, giving time and place, suggesting that the characters are also part of our world.
● What are their stories about? Are they political, satirical, or fantastical?
Peanuts is described as being a representation of Charles M Shulz, each character being a personality of himself. The narration is
● What kind of world do they take place in? Is it our world, or an imaginary
world, or something in-between?
I would definitely say our world, albeit a very empty and simplistic version of this world.
Stan Lee & Jack Kirby– superhero comics ‘ The Fantastic Four’ and ‘Thor ’
(1960s)
● How do they differ in terms of drawing style, page layout and the content
of the stories?
Given that the subject matter of these comics are action packed, the format of the comics are a reflection of this with the dynamic panels and explosive movement that bursts from frame to frame. The drawing style is very detailed, characters are almost realistic in a fantastical way.
● Are they drawn realistically, or more like children’s drawings or cartoons?
Regardless of their realism, they are still cartoons. There's a difference in this style cartoon compared to those that designed purely for children, and that is the maturity in the design, be it character design or the environment. They are realistic, by which I mean, the anatomy is familiar and in line with how we perceive people in our world. The props and buildings are also realistic, which I suppose would balance out the fantastical theme in the narration. The fantasy of people with superpowers in a city is so unrealistic but made to believe it is real as we see them in familiar territory.
● Do they use a lot of black spaces or shading, or are they drawn in clean
lines?
The shading technique in superhero comics is very black heavy. There is no tonal shading, only a combination of lines and blocks of black ink. A style I find difficult to execute successfully due to the harshness of the black.
● What about the way they are written? Is the story told in dialogue, or in
captions that describe the actions and motivations of the characters?
I believe the story is written through dialogue and caption. In these comics we see speech bubbles and information boxes.
● When are they set?
I can't say I'm very certain of the origins in when they are based. They seem to be always current, regardless of the time they are read in. For example, Marvel movies continue to be produced based on storylines created years ago, though they always seem to be set in our time. They're modern with tech, but not too modern that is futuristic or unachievable. It is also hard to see that it is futuristic if they are sometimes set in different realms, realms that could be very advance in tech or with futuristic looking architect.
● What are their stories about? Are they political, satirical, or fantastical?
I would say fantastical, however within this fantasy, one could also say there is fantastical politics. Perhaps not the politics we would normally consider politics, but a version that is loosely based on realistic events, in a fantastical way. I might be wrong! But Captain America is set during War, featuring Hitler in some parts! designed to be a super soldier to save America, that, I would say, could touch on political topics through fantasy.
● What kind of world do they take place in? Is it our world, or an imaginary
world, or something in-between?
From my knowledge of superhero story lines (watched every Marvel movie), they are somewhere in between our world and imaginary. Thor, for example, born in another realm was banished to earth by his father.
Hergé– ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ series of 22 books (1946-1976)
● How do they differ in terms of drawing style, page layout and the content
of the stories?
The panels for these cartoons are very full in the page. they can differ in the sizes, but generally look very consistent. The stories are usually heroic adventures to solve crimes.
● Are they drawn realistically, or more like children’s drawings or cartoons?
These illustrations are somewhere in between realistic and children. The characters are mature, with some character touching on adult situations.
● Do they use a lot of black spaces or shading, or are they drawn in clean
lines?
These are often drawn in clean lines, though blocks of black are used in the original artworks before colour.
● What about the way they are written? Is the story told in dialogue, or in
captions that describe the actions and motivations of the characters?
The comics are very dialogue driven.
● When are they set?
They are set in the 20th Century.
● What are their stories about? Are they political, satirical, or fantastical?
Although they seem to be adventure stories, it is said that much of Herge's experience is hidden within, with personal messages that add meaning. They are said to be political.
● What kind of world do they take place in? Is it our world, or an imaginary
world, or something in-between?
Definitely our world! Tintin travels the world to seek answers to his investigations, like Tibet for example!
Marjane Satrapi– ‘Persepolis’ (2000) and ‘ Embroideries’ ( 2008) graphic novels
● How do they differ in terms of drawing style, page layout and the content
of the stories?
The panels are quite similar to that of Tintin, with clean panels fitting on a page. I looked at Persepolis for this exercise where the story follows a young girl during a war through to adulthood. Coping with suppression and war.
● Are they drawn realistically, or more like children’s drawings or cartoons?
The illustrations are very simple black and white, that look young in their design.
● Do they use a lot of black spaces or shading, or are they drawn in clean
lines?
The lines are this with varying weight in lines. Solid black blocking is used throughout but rarely as shading. It adds strong contrast in the white page, also highlighting the style in clothing that is forced on as the story progresses.
● What about the way they are written? Is the story told in dialogue, or in
captions that describe the actions and motivations of the characters?
Persepolis combines both dialogue and captions. The captions are often the main characters own thoughts that are shared with the viewer, giving more insight to a situation.
● When are they set?
Set between 1976 and 1994 during the Iranian Revolution
● What are their stories about? Are they political, satirical, or fantastical?
Political!
● What kind of world do they take place in? Is it our world, or an imaginary
world, or something in-between?
Our world.
Reading List / Links
Petersen, RS 2010, Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels : A History of Graphic Narratives, ABC-CLIO, LLC, Westport. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [25 October 2021].
Lambiek Comiclopedia, Charles M. Schulz, Sparky, Entry by Kjell Knudde (dedicated to my mother), https://www.lambiek.net/artists/s/schulz.htm [26 October 2021]
Lambiek Comiclopedia, Hergé, Georges Remi, Entry by Kjell Knudde, with additions by Bas Schuddeboom, https://www.lambiek.net/artists/h/herge.htm [26 October 2021]
Only What's Necessary : Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts
Chip Kidd, Geoff Spear, Jean Schulz, Jeff Kinney, Paige Braddock, and Karen Johnson [31st October 2021]
Adventures of Tin Tin - Tin Tin in Tibet Animation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4kjxIufj9w [31st October 2021]
https://www.tintin.com/en/herge [22nd November 2021 - 21:52]
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