Gabby's Blog

Underground comics are something I didn't really know about and didn't really read before until now. I read a comic called "Gay Comix" and enjoyed some of the stories for the portrayal of gay characters. The 1st story was a lesbian story but had a happy ending which I enjoyed. Most of the time when I read more gay stories, they usually ended in a sad way. I'm not sure why it was like this but I assume because during the time lesbians were more accepted then gay men and these stories sought out to illustrate that. it definitely made me feel bad for some of these characters because it showed a realistic way people like this would feel at the time because they weren't as accepted as they are today. I also got to look at "Four Sketchbooks" which is a bunch a funky sketches compiled together and some little stories done by different artists. I thought the styles were so wacky and weird, but I like how it was pushing the boundaries. I think it was cool t...

When reading "Contract with God" I thought it was done really interestingly with how the text is done and the style of the work. The text is sort of integrated with the design of each panel, and there's not really any text in a box type way that most comics usually use. Will Eisner really utilizes the space he has and he does it well with how things flow together. There is also a hatching style with pen and ink that really helps set the mood of the whole piece, and it really gives this vibe that the story is sad and depressing, and rather hopeless at times. I also really enjoyed the story overall and I like how each character was portrayed. I think though that the first part of the story was my favorite for the reasons that this man, Frimme Hersh, started out as a kind man and gave up himself because of the loss of his daughter. This part in itself is sad but I like the portrayal of how there are good people but can easily change because of a tragic event. Reading ...

This week in class, we were able to watch some older animations of Betty Boop whilst also being able to read comics like "The Secret Defenders" and "Spirit". I also was able to see Archie storyboards and the process of making a comic. Although overall I enjoyed the material for various reasons, there were some things I didn't enjoy mainly with Betty Boop. When the animations of Betty Boop first started, I enjoyed them but then as they went on I found myself not liking them because they had themes of sexual harassment and death, particularly by electric chair. I guess it definitely speaks more for the time but also I can't imagine children watching this. I think it was funny how the animations started because of the fun movement of characters and especially the circus one, I really liked how each character came in. But I found myself really disliking the ending because of the progression of events that happened. Personally, some of the animations became a l...

Reading a bunch of different comics in the library I discovered some new comics I've never heard of and what I like versus what I don't. Some of the ones I found I liked are "Calvin and Hobbes", "Peanuts", and "Archie" although I wasn't too fond of some like "Tarzan" or "The Phantom." I think the reason I didn't automatically fall in love with some of the comics is because I noticed that the older comics have humor that sometimes goes over my head. It could be because the humor suited the time and I don't personally find it as funny now, but I do appreciate the effort went in to make these comics. I really liked how detailed "Little Nemo" was and I think it's such a cute story that I can't believe all the text was handwritten by Winsor McCay because that was something so different from most comics. I realized I also like the comics more so when there is a little less dialogue or sometimes whe...