Adventures of Tin Tin (Revised)

I don't ever remember reading the tin tin comic books growing up I only new about the weekday cartoons that  played on tv. I do remember enjoy them for the action and adventure that always seemed to happen in each episode. At first I had no idea what the name of tin tin was or any of the other characters.It was probably around the time the tin tin movie was coming to theaters it was then I started to take a look at the comic books. I really enjoyed all of them for there simplistic art style and stories.

Going with the cartoon each episode of Tin Tin was centered around each comic that was published. I remember watching it after school and enjoying it. What was enjoyable about the show was that it reminded of those old adventure movie serials where it would take the viewer to exotic locations and go on these mysteries and discover ancient treasures as well. Another thing that the Tin Tin cartoon reminded me of was the Indiana Jones movies. The reason why is that it Tin Tin and Indiana were always put into some strange or sticky situations or having to deal with some evil organization or cult. 

Out of all the books I think my favorite one Would have to be Tin TIn Goes to the Moon. I enjoyed this book because it was not about going to another country, and it deals with what was going on in those times. The other thing that I enjoy about the tin tin novels is that the level of action, drama and character development is played so well that sometimes the action takes the reader by surprise and that is how I felt from reading these books. One thing I don't understand is that Tin TIn is journalist and he never writes anything for his articles while on his adventures; I find that unusual but that is just my opinion. I hope to read more of tin tin cause they were very interesting reads.

Female Comic Authors and Artists

Female artists and writers seem to be hitting the mainstream in comic books these days. In the early days of comics their was not that many female artists or writers that showed up in the comics. It was probably not until world war two was when we see some female artists and writers working on comics while the men went out to war. It was probably around the 70's is when we see a mix of male and female demographics in the comic book industry. Today we usually see female comics found in indy comics and underground comics, but are still popular.

For the reading it's another manga Fullmetal Alchemist written and drawn by Hiromu Arakawa. I got into this manga because of the hit anime that was on Adult Swim, I found that the manga was much more interesting than the anime. What I enjoy about the story is that it focuses on the nature of humanity and the psychological aspect of how far a human would go to save the person he or she cared about. I feel as though those types of stories and how it's all about humanity, but even though it's set in in a science fiction- fantasy world it works within the world. I think any person who wants to get into comics or writing should look at this gem and take it as an inspiration for telling a great story.

Superheroes and mythology

In ancient times it was the myths of heroes and adventures that were kinda of like the comic books of today. They were made from stories told as songs or what I consider early comics (pottery, plates and tapestries). Today our heroes are in comics and are considered the ancient heroes of our time. I think with superheroes today they take us on these grand adventures and images that take our imaginations to a different level. I guess with superheroes can make us want to be or inspires the reader as well.

With some of the comics I have read the most relatable superheroes that revolve around ancient hero mythology would have to be Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. With Superman It kind of reminds me of the story of Moses and the myth of Hercules. Batman represents the great tragedy stories such as Hamlet, and Wonder Woman in some ways reminds me of Joan of Arc, combined with some of the heroines/ goddesses of greek mythology. It's kind of ironic how that some of these superheroes have similar qualities to these great myths and stories from long ago.   

Graphic Novels

In the late 80's early 90's is when we actually see the beginning of the graphic novel coming to the scene. What is interesting about graphic novels is that they are one stories and can be non cannon to the main weekly issues. What I like about graphic novels is that I could just jump into the story and will not get confused with the situation in the plot. I think that with graphic novels you can relate with the character's and to the events or situations that happen in the stories.

One of the graphic novels that I read was Watchmen by Alan Moore. Not only that it had great visual movie it centers around with politics and the re-imagining the mythos of the superhero. What I enjoy about the story is that the superheroes are not all super, more psychotic and I find that to be a nice change of pace for those who are use to the traditional superheroes. It also dives into politics and and to some of the current events that have been happening in the world. A definite recommend to anyone.

European Comics

As a fan of comics I only knew about the mainstream comics like Marvel and D.C comics. It never crossed my mind that their were other comics from across the pond and that other countries had their own stories. I think it wasn't until I started college is when I actually started to research about euro comics. I think it's interesting on how some of the writing is so much different than the writing in american comics. I feel that british writing seems more elegant and has some much more depth in character development than in american comics.

I really got into the sci-fi comics for example 2000 A.D. magazine. My favorite would have to be the Judge Dredd series, probably because I saw the 2012 reboot and it somehow sparked my interest in reading the comics. It is interesting to see a character that does not have a secret identity and is one of the most feared judges in megacity one. What I like about the comics is how vast the world of Dredd is from being centered in one city to fighting robots, and facing the dark judges. The thing that makes the character dredd relevant is that he one of the only comic book character to age over the years.

Webcomics

With the use off printed comics declining web comics have become more and more popular in recent years. Printed comics to me feel as though they are still popular are for the sake of nostalgia or collector's items. I think with web comics its a good way for ammeter artists and writers to show their work. With web comics they also are more accessible to tablets, computers, and cellphones. I think that web comics are not a temporary phase but in my opinion I still prefer printed comics.

The web comic series that I have been reading, and have been reading for a while is Megatokyo by Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston. The comic started in 2000 and continues today with merchandise, and huge fanbase. What I like about this series is that it was relatable to what my interests were growing up. I also enjoyed how the two main characters were based off the creators and putting the characters in these crazy adventures that the creators always fantasized. Definitely recommend This web comic series to anyone.

Manga

Manga Has become such a culture phenomenon from being a comic media in japan. At first when Manga was introduced in the united states it had a little fan base in the early years but blew up into the mainstream audience in the late 90's and continues to gain a wide fan base. In my honest opinion I feel that with manga the stories and artwork seem to be more original and have a lot of symbolism behind them. When reading manga you feel as though you are watching a afternoon drama. Sometimes with manga their are whole list of genres and styles of art.

The Manga that I read was Deadman Wonderland written by Jinsei Kataoka and illustrated by Kazuma  Kondou, and boy might I say this is one intense series. Imagine if the SAW franchise was mixed with an amusement park, the story itself is interesting but it has that traditional conspiracy with torture horror. Throughout the series it goes from horror to a complete left turn into a battle manga and I find it to be a great change of pace to the story. I would recommend Deadman Wonderland to anyone who is into horror stories and gore.

Underground Comics

When growing up with comic books I only knew about the Marvel and DC comic books. It was considered to my knowledge that those were the only two comic book companies that existed. It was not until high school and the first few years of college where I started to get more into manga, and independent comics with titles that the mainstream audience have never heard of. Now that we start looking through some of the underground comics I was actually surprised to see the different styles of art and story telling.

I think with underground comics they seem to create stories and art that I think you need to be high or something. The authors and artists were probably on something when making these unusual stories. I do like the use of line work that is used in the character designs and the character designs feel out of whack and make no sense to me. I feel when reading these stories I can't relate to the situations that are happening to the characters, probably because the situations turn out to be hallucinations.  I think if your going to make a song to relate to the audience you got to have some relevance to the situation just make something that doesn't make sense can't appeal to readers.

Herge Adventures of Tin Tin

I don't ever remember reading the tin tin comic books growing up I only new about the weekday cartoons that  played on tv. I do remember enjoy them for the action and adventure that always seemed to happen in each episode. At first I had no idea what the name of tin tin was or any of the other characters.It was probably around the time the tin tin movie was coming to theaters it was then I started to take a look at the comic books. I really enjoyed all of them for there simplistic art style and stories.

Out of all the books I think my favorite one Would have to be Tin TIn Goes to the Moon. I enjoyed this book because it was not about going to another country, and it deals with what was going on in those times. The other thing that I enjoy about the tin tin novels is that the level of action, drama and character development is played so well that sometimes the action takes the reader by surprise and that is how I felt from reading these books. One thing I don't understand is that Tin TIn is journalist and he never writes anything for his articles while on his adventures; I find that unusual but that is just my opinion. I hope to read more of tin tin cause they were very interesting reads.

Frank In the River

Ok I'm gonna try and be as blunt as I can be about this comic. Frank In The River by Jim Woodring to me feels like a crossover of disney's Alice In Wonderland with Felix The Cat and other classic fairy tales. I thought that the story had the same aspects of the film but with the art style of felix. I think it tries to be original, though creative it seems to lack originality; though I enjoy the artwork for its simplicity and style. I would like to go into more detail with the story and artwork themselves.

The art is very simplistic with simple line drawings. The colors themselves are bright but not over-saturated. In another perspective it does have that old walt disney animation style to itself which i find nostalgic. The character design for Frank is simple, and it fits well to the environment that the artist Jim Woodring depicts. The entire comic itself has no dialog in it which really works for it because it gives the reader an idea of what the situation is and makes the reader wonder what the characters were thinking.

It's only a one shot comic but I would like to read more of this and see what new adventures that Frank would go on.  

Understanding Comics By Scott McCloud

As a kid growing up I never understood the process to creating a comic book. I always thought that the story and characters were all done at once and that the writer and illustrator just winged it and took a day to make a comic book. Alas as the years came and went I started to understand about the time, process and designs that makes a good comic book. The book Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud put the details of comics and its process in a better perspective than what I have known. The way that it describes on art style from a cartoon to a realistic style in order give the story a look is fascinating.

 I find it interesting that the book explains on how comics is more than a story book but also it is an art form as well. I love how it explains how the word balloons flow together in one motion. Through all the process, art and line stroke styles Understanding Comics brings out all the technicalities and secrets of making a comic book.

The Arrival By: Shaun Tan

Most comics and graphic novels usually would have words to help the reader understand the scene or situation in the panel; sometimes we as readers are so use to this that we forget to take the time to appreciate the artwork and style of the artist. In the novel The Arrival by Shaun Tan, he delivers the reader a new perspective and way of storytelling in comics, without the use of words or thought bubbles gives this book artist approach. Looking at the artwork in the novel it give a reminder of two different art styles, the penciling reminds me of Chris Van Allsburg and the styling of the characters and environments and character designs remind me of the concept art from the disney movie James and the Giant Peach, Both are two completely opposite styles but both seem to work well. I think out of all the art and direction the one thing that really holds this together is the story, looking through the prospective of immigration, coming to a new country and adding different plus strange characters makes the book more intriguing.