Maus

After having read Maus i couldn't register one particular feeling. It was such a powerful and moving story of WWII and the current time of a son trying to reconnect or live in harmony with his father who lived it. Instantly Tears ran down my face when i read the last panel because i was expecting some grand finale or something jaw dropping but instead it took a different turn and not for the worst. 

It just subtly faded with the rathe, Vladek, saying no more stories and was tired and at the bottom a grave showing the dates of the author's mother and father. As subtly as it was it so powerful that everything I had just read came crashing back in a flood. A jumble of memories mostly of how Vladek died anything to keep him and Anja together and then after the war Anja later committed suicide. The whiplash alone with the Past's happy ending my mind wander to her suicide later and instantly tears fell down my face. 

His direction and attempt to bring nothing but the truth of what he was told was nothing short of spectacular. His work in creating different animals for each country and story play at when the mice, Jews, put on masks of Pigs, Poland, to disguise and evade capture. All the while going back and forth to the present and past. 

I had a great Grandfather who served in Germany during WWII and as told as a child that he didn't want to fight or kill anyone but was forced to or they would kill him. My mother's side was a Jewish family that came to America to escape Poland. Dwelling on what it must have been like, I can't even imagine and feel so privileged to live the way I do. I highly recommend those who haven't read Maus to do so. It is a grand read that will leave you breathless. 

Ravine

Stjepan Šejić is perhaps one of my most favorite comic artists of today's age. He is an artist employed at Top Cow and has worked on several titles such as Witchblade, Artifacts and recently Rat Queens.  His constant drive to develop his own stories and share them is nothing short of miraculous as he shares his triumph of a comic book he has developed in his own time: Ravine 

Having Ron Marz as his editor and writer Stjepan illustrates the tale through both Adobe Photoshop and Zbrush modeling in a epic tale of a young man traveling in search of riches and a life made easy for him. However there is more then he reveals and powers within the world work their own plots and he and unlikely companions are swept up in the crossfire. 

In a world of dragons, half breeds and magic, wanderers are epic warriors who harness fate and by unspoken law have power to change the course of history. No matter what happens Fate always selects this champions to work on some mysterious plan. But in today's time the new Wanderers are thrown into something that even the gods fear of what might happen when things come full circle.

Currently there are two published volumes and his work on the title has slowed but he has promised his fans and readers that he will publish this tale. 

Ava's Demon

Recently a friend of mine outside of Ringling pointed me in the direction of a Webcomic called Ava's Demon, which can be found here: http://www.avasdemon.com. It's artist and writer is  Michelle Czajkowski and has devoted most of her time to creating this tale. I remember sometime ago where this started as a kickstarter and got funded but i never paid attention. However taking a second look I browsed the panels in the simple click scroll though option on the site and loved how the story unfolded in both a high fantasy and sci-fi way. Also the use of color and simple composition of each character/panel is quite unique and draws the eye to the initial focus then to its surroundings creating a dynamic mood and sense of drama in the story. 

The story takes place of a girl named Ava Ire and has a nasty "demon" in her head constantly causing trouble. However its seems to be more then that and it involves revenge, love, loss and life that has yet to be with a second chance. danger lurks about in every corner and Ava is set on a path that intertwines her fate with others like her. Perhaps destiny? or is this a bigger scene then we can see only more can be revealed as the comic continues and i look eager to it. Currently the comic is on it's kickstarter for book to and the webpage updates every monday and thursday. 

Superior Spiderman

As an avid Spiderman fan I have quite a collection of The Amazing Spiderman comics since i was a kid. Recently I fell out of the touch with the comics and when i returned I found that Doc Ock had taken Peter's mind and killed his old body, with Peter's mind in it died. Thus the audience was shock the arc over spiderman was over and we were turned over to a new arc called the Superior Spiderman where Doc Ock now was Spiderman and proved to show the world that he was the better spiderman. 

The story was written by Dan Slott and goes through a 6 volume series where this new spiderman faces all Peter had to go through. The brilliant artwork and driven story leads to an interesting tale that is a must read! 

I will admit I was pissed when this happened but as I read the arc I was quickly hooked, definitely a must have in any collection of comics a spiderman lover needs! 

Dawngate Chronicles

During the week I read a webcomic called Dawngate Chronicles which can be found here: http://www.dawngate.com/chronicles/prologue/1/

It's an amazing comic set in fantasy about the world that revolves around the spirits of vitality and people that can get chosen to use these powers at the heart of the world called the Dawngate. In the world it's a mad scramble to control this place and 4 regions battle with their Shapers (the people who have the powers) from the South, the West, the North and the East. Each region has its own customs and cultures and the prologue follows the the story of a man called Eidolus.

Further more the control of color, mood and storyline how their are hidden gems within each panel which become apparent in later panels. The colors are a rich saturation and draw my eye and the characters each have their own unique backstory and relationships with other shapers. All in all its an amazing comic to read.

Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics

In reading Scott Mcloud's Understanding Comics, which can be read here online http://www.uic.edu.hk/~amyzhang/teaching/COMP3050/readings/McCloud_Understanding_Comics.pdf, I began to delve into the book and understand in Scott's attempt to explain to his audience to the medium and subject that is comics. 

I was immediately hooked onto the but to with what grasped me the most was his talk in Chapter 3 "Blood in the gutter" where he explained the space between panels and how it affects our thought process. In each space of the panel we allow our minds to create and time elapse into what we think is happening before the next panel. In a previous page Scott says "In an incomplete world, we must depend on closure for our very survival." In my mind it means that while reading each panel we must complete the action or have our minds find a way to understanding give sense to what is happening. such as the panel he showcases where a man exclaims to another man that he will die now swing an axe at him and the next panel is a scream with a shot of a city.  Anything could've happened between the space of those panels. We don't know if the man who swung the axe killed the other man or if something else entirely happened. The axe man could have tripped and hit his head on the curb while trying to kill the man but that is the point Scott explains.

Our minds come up with what happens in order to give us closure. and goes with all comics. From X-men to Naruto the space between the panels of the comic have a certain magic that makes comics it's own thing, different from movies or whatever. The space makes our minds give meaning to what we are reading and there are 6 different types a way a comic acts in that makes our mind process the comic:

1. Moment to Moment - requires very little closure to understand what happens. Ex: two panels showcasing a women with her eyes open then closing them.

2. Action to Action - a sudden transfer in which our minds give meaning to what happened. Ex: a car speeding in one panel and the next panel it misshapen on a tree, possibly crashed.

3. Subject to Subject - a way of a comic staying within a scene or idea. Ex: the axe wielding guy then the shot of the city.

4. Scene to Scene - a way where it transitions us through space and time. Ex: a panel of a man stating someone can't hide forever then moving to a panel with a house and a text box which reads "ten years later".

5. Aspect to Aspect - this sets an wandering eye on difference aspects of a place, idea or mood. Ex: one panel depicting a living room in festive decorations and the next panel of Santa Claus. 

6. Non-Sequitur - which offers no logical relationship between panels whatsoever so your mind is left to grasp what your are seeing to its own free will with no limitations! 

All of these ways and thus the space between the panels helps define in our brains what this means for us as readers!. 

Max Ernest: A Week of Kindness or Seven Deadly Elements Interpretation

1/ 13/ 15 Class #1

Review each panel and interpret

Thursday

Element: Blackness

Examples: Rooster's Laughter

1. A women in dark clothes, possibly sick, presented herself to a rooster in front of her.

2. A human like figure wearing a rooster costume hovering over the body of a dead women, possibly the same one, grieving? 

3. The human like figure in the rooster costume now converses with a Satyr it appears over the still open grave of the fallen women. 

4. It looks as though the rooster costumed man made a pact with another dark figure to perform some dark ritual of the fallen women and results in him becoming an actual humanoid rooster monster. 

5. The humanoid Rooster looks as though he has killed a women he possibly was involved in. Maybe time has passed in his life?

6. A women in dark garbs, presents herself in a unnatural way that has her fellow women aghast, who is in light clothes while the humanoid rooster peers from behind a door.

7.