Monday, August 8, 2016

THE GRAPHIC NOVEL

Students MUST post reactions (minimum 250 words) to the assigned viewing/reading(s) linked below. Students should select one of the following groupings. Students are encouraged (but not required) to additionally respond to other student reactions.

Click HERE to read the article,"The Refreshingly Murky, Mysterious, Mist-Shrouded Sailor Twain," by Glen Weldon. Click HERE to read an excerpt from Mark Siegel's graphic novel, Sailor Twain. Click HERE to watch to an interview with Mark Siegel.

OR

Click HERE to read the interview, "The In Between World of the Graphic Novelist," by Francois Mouly and Mina Kaniko. Click HERE to listen to "Growing Up Chinese, Graphically." Click HERE to read an excerpt from Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese. .

OR

Click HERE to read an excerpt from the graphic novel by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang, In Real Life. Click HERE to read an excerpt from Cory Doctorow's "Anda's Game," the story on which the graphic novel was based (read at least the equivalent of a few pages). Click HERE to read an interview with Cory Doctorow.

11 comments:

  1. First of all, I feel bad for any mermaid swimming in the Hudson. I have the real impression that the river is absolutely disgusting and not fir for any life, never mind any humanoid life. I already feel bad for a mermaid caught and potentially exposed to the media, but the sympathy I feel for a man unable to securely grasp a fish-woman is new. When it comes to mermaid stories, I’ve evolved in taste. The Little Mermaid used to be fine, but it has become the archetype for all modern mer-person stories. Falling in love after saving a sailor is so…pedestrian. And, honestly, kind of sketchy when you think about it. Give me some mermaid lesbians. Give me some mermen. Give me a grumpy old merlady who’s constantly followed around by her tadpole grandkids. The point is, if this becomes another story where the mermaid/sea-lady inexplicably falls in love with her bland captor, I will throw my shoe at some innocent wall. At least this main character seems like a real person, and not just some every-man caricature purely designed to fill a romantic role. He has some goal (although only alluded to in the first fourteen pages), flaws, and accidents. The art style of the comic is soft and watery; it works well with the setting and overall mood. I can’t tell if the art style used charcoal or watercolors to achieve that effect (or both). I’m curious whether the art was created digitally or traditionally, although practicality makes me think that it’s probably digital. I wonder how much say the writer has over the illustration of the graphic novel; who acts as the director over them both, or the mediator between them?

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  2. I read Gene Luen Yang's interview in The New Yorker as well as an excerpt from his comics, American Born Chinese. I chose to read this one because I could tell from the title that it would have something to do with growing up in America as an immigrant, or as a first generation kid. Being first generation myself, I really loved how Gene Luen Yang compared the dual identities of a multi-cultural kid with the dual identities of a superhero. He said this is maybe why he related so much with the popular super-hero comics of his childhood, and I enjoyed how he made that connection. Many Americans do not realize how truly different it is to grow up here to immigrant parents. It is not the typical "American life" or "American upbringing" and being a first generation kid means never QUITE feeling as though you "fit in". He did an excellent job of portraying this in his comic. I really enjoyed reading it. Like most comics, there aren't elaborate sentences or insanely complex ideas, he just features simple sentences with simple illustrations and simple messages. It was a very comforting read. The eastern/western civilization contrast was cool.

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  3. I read the suite of Anda's Game documents. My first reaction is that the graphic novel held my attention much more than the story that it is based off of--the illustrations of people and the world helped me to become immersed in the story. My second reaction is that it gets confusing! This is a fictional graphic novel about real life and its relation to gaming life. I was sometimes lost as to what world I was in. In the interview, he explained that the graphic novel is about a real-life social issue: that people in other countries are exploited by being forced to work getting “stuff” in virtual reality. I.E. people in developing countries are basically pimped out to get “gold” and other video game “stuff” so that people with disposable income and too much time on their hands can buy this stuff and bask in the screen-glow of having the appearance of having accomplished something in a virtual world. My reaction to this is that it's wrong and also pathetic and also just...why? Ah, let's see, in the graphic novel, I noticed that the only text is dialogue; characterization is accomplished through how the character is illustrated (as well as their actions); objects are described the same way; the action is accomplished by having multiple frames; and there was not really any narration in this piece. This piece accomplishes raising awareness of a social issue as well as raising awareness of the strong females that make up a minority of gamers.

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  4. Sailor Twain introduced me to Graphic Novels officially. I have seen this kind of work but didn't know it had a name. I feel like I should write LOL here. I also never knew there was a Sea Monster Week-Who knew?
    The comic strip readings remind me of the Sunday Dick Tracy comics I read with my dad as a child. Reading the different panels build suspense. I experienced this in my reading of Sailor Twain.
    Imagining anything being able to be rescued alive from the Hudson River is an intriguing, but perhaps 100 years ago the river was in better shape, but then again she did have a pungent smell and slimey skin. This is make believe so I need to not take this so literally. The story did suck me in and made me want to read the story. I need answers, who was singing? Who is Benton Lassiter? Interesting, before the Captain thought love he thought money, sell her to the circus. He also contemplated throwing her back in the river, who needs the grief of trying to take care of and explain what this half woman, (bare chested), half fish came to be on this ship. Will they be the couple in love? I suppose they could be one of the love stories. My other question is who is the woman on the pier holding the umbrella?
    I really liked that he did his own interview and just gave us information. I like historical readings, so I appreciate that Mr. Siegel considered the events of 1887 when writing the story, this makes me want to read the novel even more. It is interesting that he allowed his audience to take part in his creation. Readers correcting his drawings and sending in pictures so they could feel a part of the story is a unique touch for me. I think a great idea. This certainly proved fruitful for him since the publicity opened doors at the museum and the wine company for him.
    It is encouraging to know that you can work on a project for so long, in this case 9 years and though you come out a little neurotic, you still love what you do.
    I think i'll read this novel.

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  5. The Graphic Novel

    First off, by reading the article, “The Refreshingly Murky, Mysterious, Mist-Shrouded Sailor Twain,” by Glen Weldon and the excerpt from Mark Siegel’s graphic novel, Sailor Twain as well as the interview with Mark Siegel himself. I realized that I have previously read a graphic novel called Persepolis, specifically and I genuinely enjoyed it and I actually was not aware that a “Graphic Novel” was even such a thing. Back when I first read this graphic novel it was assigned to me and I automatically assumed it was some type of comic book but I ended up realizing that this “graphic novel” encompassed so much more than even in my opinion. Furthermore to relate this back to Sailor Twain, as for the comic excerpt by just reading the first fourteen pages it truly engaged me as a reader from the visuals provided and even the very few words manage to entice me to want to continue reading this graphic novel. I think Mark Siegel does an amazing job at evoking emotion through the eyes of the representation of the Sailor, as well as the different facial expressions and he’s able to evoke and express his emotions even with very few words. Additionally, in his interview he mentions that Sailor Twain takes place in 1887 at a time in American History where the “ early feminist movement is fighting for its life and inseparable of the black freedom”, Siegel mentions in his interview and this is truly a time that genuinely intrigues me and I find it interesting that this novel takes place at this time because with a plot of this kind where a sailor finds a mermaid in the Hudson river, I find it pretty awesome in a way where it would be nice to see how the story develops within this time and within these specific circumstances. With that said after reading this article, excerpt and watching this video I am definitely interested in reading this graphic novel.
    - Julissa Peralta




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  6. The first thing that popped into my head when I read the word sailor Twain was Mark Twain. What is creative though, is that he finds a way to create a picture for the readers (literarily) through different means. Like what Hannah wrote, this character is more every day and normal, something people can compare to and admire and like. Unlike the usual male characters that are depicted as handsome and have bulky muscles, which shuns and causes many people to flee away from them. The novel allows for people to understand the idea that a person’s prince doesn’t have to be handsome and a person’s princess doesn’t have to be beautiful as a mermaid. They are given real life scenarios. The book allows people to understand the theme not only by words but also through visuals as well.

    The idea of the graphic novel is pretty amazing. I mean, I thought at first to disregard it because it looked so much like comic books. I thought this was going to be like the Amazing Spiderman or Superman, filled with robust phases like: BAM! SMASH! But for a comic, it certainly didn’t have any of that. It instead showed the reaction of everyday people and how they would react through the eyes of an everyday person. I mean, I’m pretty sure lots of people would freak out if they saw a person unconscious and would probably freak out further if that person wasn’t actually a person.

    I guess the other theme would be that you are your own hero and that you don’t need to look up to figures like Superman and Batman. You just need to look up to yourself.

    Posted by Mena

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  7. Now this is something of a mystery the kinds of things I like to read. It made me wonder if he kept the mermaid and tried to revive her and make her his own, or did he throw her back as he thought he should in the first place. She was very pretty, but what would he do with her. I've never read a graphic novel but if this is what its called them I guess the Archie comics that I love also is a graphic novel also..lol I really like these types of readings because it makes me use my imagination beyond what the author already tries to put into your head, just like Mr. Chapman with his impromptu of the book, he was very animated and made you start to think about the little girl and what became of her, just as this makes me wonder about the mermaid.

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  8. “The moody charcoal drawings capture both the oppressive haze of soot and fog that chokes the upper world…”
    This is very interesting to me. I assumed all graphic novels/comics books had a similar art style. Almost like a video game, graphic novelists can choose the style that will bring the most life to their world.
    Looking at the 14 page excerpt for Sailor Twain it is amazing how the author can do so much with so few words. The pictures create such definitive emersion into tge scenery and characters, the text and speech bubbles feel like the cherry on top rounding everything together. I see now the effectiveness that the charcoal illustration brings to the story. It kind of reminds me of an old movie, like an old sherlock holmes film.
    Mark Siegel, in his interview, states the story is set in the year 1887. He goes further, and describes the national landscape at that time; post civil-war, beginning of women's suffrage, civil rights movement. I love the time period and the research he seems to have done on the it, and integrating it into the story.
    Siegel talks about setting up his work for web comics, I had no idea that these even existed, but now that I think about it, they must have had to exist. Cable tv subscriptions are going down in favor of web live streams, so it only makes sense that literature would change over to electronic. In fact, drawing those charcoal illustrations using art applications is probably infinitely easier and cleaner than using paper. There’s always a niche for everyone online, and it seems like people created one for this graphic novel. People on the internet are crazy.

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  9. “The moody charcoal drawings capture both the oppressive haze of soot and fog that chokes the upper world…”
    This is very interesting to me. I assumed all graphic novels/comics books had a similar art style. Almost like a video game, graphic novelists can choose the style that will bring the most life to their world.
    Looking at the 14 page excerpt for Sailor Twain it is amazing how the author can do so much with so few words. The pictures create such definitive emersion into tge scenery and characters, the text and speech bubbles feel like the cherry on top rounding everything together. I see now the effectiveness that the charcoal illustration brings to the story. It kind of reminds me of an old movie, like an old sherlock holmes film.
    Mark Siegel, in his interview, states the story is set in the year 1887. He goes further, and describes the national landscape at that time; post civil-war, beginning of women's suffrage, civil rights movement. I love the time period and the research he seems to have done on the it, and integrating it into the story.
    Siegel talks about setting up his work for web comics, I had no idea that these even existed, but now that I think about it, they must have had to exist. Cable tv subscriptions are going down in favor of web live streams, so it only makes sense that literature would change over to electronic. In fact, drawing those charcoal illustrations using art applications is probably infinitely easier and cleaner than using paper. There’s always a niche for everyone online, and it seems like people created one for this graphic novel. People on the internet are crazy.

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  10. In my youth I have dabbled with reading graphic novels, but nothing like my brother who was a manga aficionado. I guess I never really thought about the work and effort it to to develop a graphic novel. I was intrigued to see that the graphic novel “In Real Life” was based off a short story and then adapted. In Cory Doctorow’s interview he describes the difference of writing comics and short stories. I think the biggest difference is the fact of illustration, in a short story everything must be described in order to “own the character,” so without the sentences revolving around creating a fictional world or developing how a character looks the whole story must be based on dialogue. Doctorow said he first wrote the short story, and when it was time to turn it into a GN he developed it into a script and then from there it became a GN. I think thats a smart way to go about it, turning the story into a script to really focus on the work and action more than a character’s inner dialogue. Illustrations are really able to convey a lot about how a character feels and their work, although it is cliche a picture does speak a thousand words. Reading the two stories I breezed through the GN version in a matter of minutes, but read the actual short story afterwards and it was less fun to read in my opinion. Similar thoughts with reading a book turned to a movie I always think it is better to read the book before the adaption, so one can create the universe in their mind and make thoughts and opinions of the characters before being exposed to someone else’s version of something.

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  11. In tenth grade i never went to lunch. i just wandered through the hallways instead as i was tired of people throwing shit at me. Concepts at the core of comics like the X-men that Gene mentions, such as the feeling of other or of the outsider were pretty much how i grew up. My father was not sociable in any way and i was stuck like that myself. I didn't belong anywhere with anyone for a rather long time. that in my mind the idea that people get ostracized from society always baffled me. The stories that Gene puts fourth of how integration works tend to speak volumes to me, especially my inner child. As a kid I’d turn on the tv and almost always watch something superhero oriented. TMNT, JLU, hell, I even watched an episode or two of the power puff girls. Mojo-jojo is an awesome name fyi. I gravitated towards the characters who always for one reason or another felt as though they were apart from the rest of the surrounding society and had to find where they fit in, which is exactly what I was constantly going through in my childhood years. In more recent years I’ve become a fan of naruto for the exact same reason. On a lighter note while I was reading I noticed that one of the comics had image of a Chinese man saying “herro Amellica’ which I found disgraceful as I laughed my ass off.

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