November 30, 2008

This last week I attempted writing my own comic book. Well, that’s not accurate, I didn’t attempt, I did write my own comic.

And let me just say this about it.

It was hard.

I didn’t walk into this whole comic writing thing thinking it would be a breeze by any means. But I guess I just didn’t realize the amount of time, effort, and most of all planning that goes into writing a comic book.

Oh yes, it’s all about the planning.

You don’t just have to write the dialogue and internal thoughts of the character, you have to direct. You have to plan out each panel. You have to describe exactly what you want the artist to draw in those panels. And, most of all, you have to place and position those panels in such a way (in conjunction with the dialogue and thoughts of the characters) so that they visually convey the story.

It’s writing a story with pictures. Really, the words are only there to add detail, to aid in understanding, the real story lies in the visuals.

You have to ask yourself, is the reader going to understand what the hell I’m talking about if I show them this and then this? Or should I show them this instead?

Even if you can’t draw you have to inhabit the mind of the artist. Does what I’m doing here visually convey a message? And is that picture strong enough to guide the reader to some deeper meaning?

Now, that said, it was also a lot of fun. Yes, I had to do a large amount of research for it. (I’m not sure if that’s typical or not, but for what I wanted to write about, the research needed to be done.) But, in the end, it just made the overall product better. And I was proud of myself for putting forth so much effort.

Also, any cool thing you’ve ever wanted to see being done in a comic is a possibility because you are the one doing the writing.  Any character that you wanted to see, any event, any dialogue is right there at your fingertips. You just have to put it down on paper.

I don’t know if anything will ever come of my comic. But i loved doing it. And, let me tell ya, I’ve got plenty of ideas for following issues.

Watchmen: Part 2 November 24, 2008

Okay, so I read the rest of Watchmen.

It has, overall, left me with conflicting feelings.

I think that the only way I can determine exactly what I think of this graphic novel is to weigh the pros against the cons. (Yes, I actually do this on a regular basis. Perhaps it is a bit too anal, but honestly it just makes me feel better. What can I say, lists give me a secure feeling. They are structured and to the point.)

So, here are the pros:

The story was more interesting as it reached the end. This could be attributed to the fact that more action was taking place at the end of the comic.

I liked how the story was developed. The themes and characters intertwined nicely. The presentation of art panels was thoughtful and well planned.

It was somewhat historically influenced. Although, history was skewed to give it a fictional flavor (or, to give it that “we’re all going to die” or “it’s the end of the world” viewpoint.

There were recurring references to certain people (Veidt), objects (nostalgia, the anti-rape poster), diners (Gunga something… Gunga Diner?). It was kind of fun to see these things hidden in the back ground. Or to recognize that Rorschach was referencing a line from the pirate comic (the one the kid at the newsstand was reading) when he was on the owlship.

I liked the pirate comic and that it occurred simultaneously with the actual comic. It’s dark theme of a man who becomes the very thing/person/monster that destroyed his world is almost poetic, in a masochistic kind of way. It also reflects the overall theme of what’s going on with some of the Watchmen. Rorschach, Veidt, the Comedian, in the end they all become the monsters they used to strive to fight and destroy.

And then the Cons:

The story was more interesting as it reached the end. This may have been because of the fact that I was almost to the end of the comic.

Slow-paced.

Depressing. There is no upside. Moore gives you a glimmer of hope that things may turn out alright and then snatches it away again.

The characters. I didn’t like or connect with any of them. Perhaps, this is what the writer was trying to achieve. Perhaps, he wanted us to not like the characters in order to point out how messed up the human race is, and how worthless/unlikeable/despicable we all really are.

Here are some of my own character descriptions. (You may see why I don’t like these characters).

Laurie is bitter. She never stops bitching and whining until the end, when she’s a blond (Is there a correlation… I don’t know:)

Dr. Manhattan is apathetic. Why should we care about him if he doesn’t care about us? Yes, he has that moment at the end when he’s like “Ya know, I think there’s something nice about the human race,” but then, after Veidt’s stunt, he’s just like “Ah well, it’s only a million lives lost… Oooh, is that neutron about to bond with that atom?”

The owl guy just lets everybody push him around. This is great for Laurie since she clearly has control issues and needs a man she can push around, but it’s not so interesting for the reader.

I might actually like Rorschach. . . if he wasn’t a right wing extremist murderer. Although he is the obvious crazy in the bunch, he is also the only one who tries to do what’s right at the end of the comic. The only person who wants justice for the all the people who were killed is a crazed killer; now that’s irony.

I don’t really understand Veidt’s personality. I didn’t realize that “geniuses” and “intellectuals” were so prone to moral fanaticism that is more similar to some sort of religious quest than to the pursuit of a world which values knowledge.

The Comedian is just afraid. He’d rather kill or rape to get what he wants then actually have to deal with people.

So, basically, people are all scum.

The world is a horrible place.

People should hate everything and everybody because of these previous two principles.

So, those are the pros and cons. Now, here is my opinion. I thought the comic was well-written and well-planned. However, I disliked the characters and I thought the storyline dragged. Really, did it have to go on for that long? I understand what was going on in the story. I understand the point the author is trying to make, or at least, I think I understand his point; that apathy, not caring, can be just as bad as having a hand in the hurt and destruction; that everything needs checks and balances. Who watches the Watchmen? Someone has to, because heroes are just as messed up as we are. And I like that point. I think it’s important. But I didn’t enjoy reading the story. I think, since other comics have made a similar statement (although I don’t know if they did it so dramatically), that there may have been a more interesting way to say this message.

And that’s all I’m saying about that.

Watchmen: Part 1 November 9, 2008

Yes, I did it.

I finally gave in.

I’m reading that well-known, bright yellow, bound pulp. You know the one, the one that you can actually smell the scum and garbage oozing from the pages. The one where you can actually see the despair radiating from the ink like sonic waves. The one that quietly invites you in, while all the time whispering “no.”

Yup, you guessed it (and if you didn’t just reread the title smart one) this week I’m reading Moore’s Watchmen. (I probably didn’t have to preface the title with Moore, I just thought the guy should have his due)

Yes, I repeat, I’m reading Watchmen, like everybody else. . . Everybody.

Since the movie is coming out everyone, not just comic fans, is reading this book.

But I can’t help that. I have to read it if I am ever to be that courageous comic connosiuer, even if I’m not too thrilled about it.

I know, I know, I’ve heard what you people are saying. You’re saying, “It’s the Mecca of comic books!”
You’re saying, “You have to read Watchmen!” You’re saying, “Man, I forgot just how good this is, you should read it too.”

Alright, alright, I heard you, and I’m reading it.

But, let me tell you, it is a drawn out process. Usually I can pick up a graphic novel and have it finished in a couple hours (if it’s long, if it’s not then less). I like to take my time, absorb the visuals and such.

But, for some reason, I am having a really difficult time doing that with this comic.

It’s not that it isn’t interesting, I think I’m just used to a faster paced comic.

Pretty much all that has happened so far is some ex-heroes have been killed, physically, and then other heroes are in the process of dying mentally and spiritually. Yippee.

Sure, who wouldn’t want to read about heroes who have given up? Who wouldn’t want to read about the heroes who haven’t given up, the crazy red-headed ones, the ones who like cold beans and ink stained masks? Yes, that’s how I like my heroes, screwy, scary and smelly. I mean, it’s either that or the pot-bellied owl, the bitter ex-girlfriend, or the atom man who looks like the lovechild of Starman and Smurfette.

Of course, I shouldn’t be so judgemental as I’m only about half way through it. So maybe the heroes grab a hold of some gumption, some real resolve. Otherwise Moore has painted (or written. . . whatever) another clear depiction of the attrocities cradled by a sad mother earth. Thank you Mr. Moore for reminding us of the horrible things we, as humans, are capable of us. We appreciate your honesty, for telling us why we are really dying (and I don’t mean physically), for informing us that we are destroying ourselves.

Superman’s Not as Super as I Thought (And I Like It) November 3, 2008

What I never thought would happen has finally occurred.

Never in my wildest of comic dreams did I think that me, I, the lover of dark heroes, the pursuer of complex characters with deep inner turmoil, would be interested in the man who is the opposite of dark. That I would be interested in knowing more about the man who is all about light.

I’m talking, of course, about the guy who gets his power from the sun itself, Superman.

So, I guess what I’m saying is, that I like him. I like Superman. Which is strange, because I never thought of myself as a Superman fan.

For some reason, maybe because he is damn near indestructible and almost all powerful, I thought Superman just had it too easy. I thought to myself, “What could this near perfect person have to offer me? There’s no way I can relate to this guy.”

But I was wrong in these assumptions. Superman has difficulties of his own. Being perfect is not all it’s cracked up to be. And, interestingly enough, it is exactly these “perfections” (this is actually a misnomer, but I’ll use it for articulation’s sake) that cause problems for him.

Geoff Johns, in his comic Superman: Legion of Superheroes, illustrates these difficulties. He shows that because he was strange (Superman is an alien after all, and what can be more “alienating,” pardon the pun, than that?) he often had problems fitting in. He had to hide who he was from everyone around him.

There is, actually, this great quote from Kill Bill (I know I’m such a nerd) that talks about how Superman has to pretend to be like everyone else.

[Kill Bill Vol. 2, Bill's trying to make some crappy philosophical point to Beatrix. Although he's pretty much full of it, what he says right here is actually interesting.]

“Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there’s the superhero and there’s the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he’s Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone. Superman didn’t become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he’s Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red “S”, that’s the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears – the glasses, the business suit – that’s the costume. That’s the costume Superman wears to blend in with us.”

When you think about Superman this way, you actually have to feel kind of sorry for the guy. Yes, he gained this loving family when he reached earth, but he’s also experienced loss. He basically lost his entire planet, his race, his family (Although they have brought back his cousin Supergirl, and more recently a whole slew of Kryptonians, but that’s been a long time in coming). That’s hard stuff right there. Yes, he’s still this wheat field Kansan boy, but he’s also this powerful and intelligent outsider. He will never quite belong, but he will always try to even if it is futile.

This is why I really liked Johns comic. It started out by pointing out what an outsider Superman was. It stated point blank that Superman only really felt at home among aliens, but also that he could never live anywhere but on his adopted home, Earth. This is a contradiction… and frankly, it’s what makes me like Superman more. A hero must have his/her weaknesses. Without them, how can we, the readers, relate? When I’m reading a comic book, I want to feel like I could have an actual conversation with the character portrayed. I’ve got to be interested enough to want to ask questions.

I feel like now I have questions for Superman.