Riley- lit of comics

Week three: the comic strip Gasoline Alley  Created by Frank King, distributed by Tribune Content Agency  Defining characteristics and personal interpretation  This comic is sophisticated yet simple with its content and visuals. There are occasionally full page spreads with a complete scene that is broken up into separate panels. Another one of the many things that makes this particular comic interesting is how the characters age in real time with its audience. This allows the reader to mature along with the characters, making it more relatable throughout the continuous story. The art and character design is very charming, which is what originally attracted me to the comic. There is a wide variety of scenery and backgrounds, which are explored through either travel or the imaginations of the characters. The whimsical and sweet style continues beyond the art and into the personality of the adventurous characters. While reading this comic, I focused mainly o...

Week two: understanding comics Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud  Brief review/interpretation:  I found this comic to be less interesting than expected. It is very instructional, as its intention is to be informative, which is not personally appealing to me as a reader. One detail that I specifically disagree with is McCloud's claims that generic characters are successful because of their basic relatability. I usually find the most interesting characters to be unique, allowing the reader to find deeper qualities within the character to relate to. One appealing and creative detail is its structure and how it relates to the subject matter. Its format is meant to look like a comic book, complete with sequenced panels speech bubbles. 

Week one: the graphic narrative The Arrival By Shaun Tan  Brief analysis:  The Arrival tells a vague (therefore widely relatable) story of immigration to a new place. The feeling of unfamiliarity is visually portrayed by the somewhat abstract and surreal art of the backgrounds. The characters, however, have an almost photo-realistic quality to them. This, along with the dulled and aged look of the panels, gives this graphic novel the appearance of an antique photo album.