Stereotype and the ethics of representation

Stereotype and the ethics of representation

Talking about the stereotype, it is always a huge topic in the literature. I personally think the stereotype is born from a great idea that really works. Take heroic story as an example, we all like to see the hero with his three plays: Setting up the problem, Conflict and the resolution. It is classic and simple, everyone would easily understand and like it. However, the issue is when the same structure happens, again and again, it becomes repetitive and boring.

When I was younger and hate story with stereotypes. I don’t understand why should the author make repeatedly work and set the bar low. Shouldn't literature be more artistic at least commercial? Therefore I tend to refuse to see commercial works. When I get into Ringling and major in film, I slowly get in touch with the production of the story. I realize that how important commercial work drives the industry. Many of the audience just want a simple entertainment! Commercial works is what makes the industry exist. I also read lots of books on how to makes the screenplay. Take Save The Cat as example, in this books the author teaches the reader to use the structure to makes a screenplay. When I am senior and take screenwriting as my senior thesis. I realize how hard to write a whole story. My teacher gave me a advise: if you are stuck in your story, use stereotypes to get through it. I then realize a stereotype is a tool of storytelling, it exists because we need it.

A great idea born from an old idea. This is what I learn in my senior story writing. I always want to write something new and special. But, it can only exist by looking back to the old story. The stereotype is a great teacher who can help you and teach you, but we should rely on it. I believe it works on every kind of story type, whatever it is film, comic, novel or even art. We have to always learn from the back and walks forward!

World of Comics

World of Comics

This is an illustration I got inspired by Daniel Torres—Rocco Vargas. I try to show a man take his action from his desire. He is trying to have sex with his girl even she doesn't want to.
I love the imaginary monster in the work, it represents the emotion deep inside people's mind.
I feel like it is an amazing way to represent mind, which only comics can do the best!

Comics as Contemporary Literature

Comics as Contemporary Literature

I read Asterios Polyp, it is a amazing experianse!

Before I join this calss I have no idea about the style of graphic novel. I do read a lot of manga and some comic. So, I always consider myself familier with this photo and words sylte of reading. However, when the calss bring up the reading list of the graphic novel, it is like a whole new world for me. I love reading both novel and comic, but I always thought they are two different styles. For me, the comic is more an intertaiment they novel. When I am reading novel I tends to be more serious in the story. When I read comic teds to be more chill and relax. When I get in touch with the graphic novel in class, I rejected at the beginning. I don’t think novel and literature can perfectly combined together.Novel should be more serious and that is what comic can’t be. This old idea was bugging in my mind. Then, I changed my mind when I read Asterios Polyp.

Asterios Polyp has a pretty simple story line. We follow this cool professor. When his house had burn into ashes he started his travel. I aways like this kind of travel and self improve story. But, what made me in love with the Asterios Polyp is the style. Art, story, and narrator, all the element need to be combided together that makes how this work it is. If it is not because of the use of art, I won’t feel the beuty when I read the story. If it is not because of the narrator telling the story I win’t feel the humuer and realistic. All the element cominde and make Asterios Polyp a great work!

If movie is consider as a type of art, then I think graphic novel should be too!  

This one summer

This one summer

I read half of the story of This one summer. It is a great story! Although it is an English comic, I feel like reading a novel half of the times. The reading experience is fun, time pass it so fast while I was reading. There are not much “big” things happen in so far. However, I feel the life and the characters are really alive. The author did a great job of building characters, each of them is so real to me. I think it is because of how do they react to each other and how to do the talking. Also, I like to read about what the main character is thinking.

The story itself is soft and comfortable. Through a summer trip to see a teenager girl growing up. As a girl perspective story, it is so interesting for a boy like me to read. Boy and girls are really two different species, I see so many differences in between.  How does she react to the world, how does girl thinking in this age, how does she react to her family and friends? It is all fun and different. I feel like only a girl writer can really write out a realistic girl perspective story. If it is from a man’s hand, then it would be more like a fantasy.

The art of the comic is also great. Every page is like an illustration. The image move sloe along with the storytelling. It stays on the faces of character and the body moment, so as an audience I feel like standing aside watching the story happen. The experience is great!

This is a story I really would want to finish it when I have time and also it brings me a new category of reading. I would like to read more story from girls perspective and stories between girls. I feel this kind of story is softer then story between men. It brings me the feeling of sweet and peaceful while reading it!

CYANIDE & HAPPINESS

CYANIDE & HAPPINESS

I chose CYANIDE & HAPPINESS for the reading this week. To be honest, because it is the easiest and fun reading comic I thought online. Before I found it on the reading this list on the blog, I had seen a lot of online picture of CYANIDE & HAPPINESS. In other words, there are tons of mem of CYANIDE & HAPPINESS.

I would like to talks about meme here. What is a meme? A meme is like a gene in the world of culture. Just like a gene can transform and improve. Once a meme is born, it will find it’s way to survive. It will improve itself to become more complicated or transfer itself to get into other cultures. So what it a meme actually? There is really no limit of it. It can be simple as a picture, a joke, a story, or complicated like a theory.

Today, online media is the biggest way people communicated and entertainment. Between the media and communication, tons and tons of meme had born and grow.  CYANIDE & HAPPINESS is really one of the successful memes that live in the world. With the simplest shape character and 4 frames a story. The comic spread at an incredible speed. You can see it everywhere on the internet and different languages. I had once read this theory, the most simple idea of meme can survive the most condition. CYANIDE & HAPPINESS is a great example of it.

This work actually reminds me of some old classic comic with a simple shape and easy story. The purpose is just to talks a joke and makes people laugh. Thorugh the comic history go on, comic become more complicated in both story and art style. There are tons of incredible works today, but back in the original, the comic is one of the most simple and easy going media entertainment. CYANIDE & HAPPINESS finds itself back into the simple and original idea of the comic. With the train of internet meme and it’s special humor. CYANIDE & HAPPINESS finds its own audience and builds up the success.

Watchmen

Watchmen

I watch watchman this week and I am very surprised how deep a superhero comic can be. I am now in the 4^th vol, and can’t wait to read more. The story starts with an unheroic hero, with his investigation the audience slowly get to know the team of watchman and even the world. I love the characters design in this story. The entire teams of hero are all just normal people. They have every emotion that we can find on the humans and each of them has there faults and desire. Sometimes I even feel like their personality is just like a criminal, but doing the job of a superhero.

I really love the character of Rorschach, the narrator of the story. He has a really cool design of outfit, but what makes him interesting is the personality. He is persistent, even all the team turn their back away he is still fighting. Then audience slowly gets to know the reason, we get to see why he is the way he is. He grew up within the lowest level of the society, watched the darkest side of the human society. There are millions of reason to makes him a criminal, but he turns out living under the shadow of superhero. When the wold is no longer allow superhero, he still cant walks out of it. He has to live under his mask, otherwise, he is just a homeless with nothing else.

Doctor Manhattan is also an interesting character. He is barely a human. I feel like in the story he is just like a super weapon used by the nation. His existent become a force to counter the enemy, just like an atomic boom. This actually brings the question up, when the deadliest power gets into the hand of humankind. How would human control and do with it?

I love the world building in this story. The setting of the superhero is so realistic and alive. When kind of group really exist, what eould it react with the society and the politic. The time setting is at the civil war, which bring the istory seeting into this fatasy story. I feeling like reading a novel with well design and setting in the etire part. I can’t wait to finish it! 

Osamu Tezuka, god of manga

Osamu Tezuka, God of manga

Osamu Tezuka is one of my favorite manga artists. Although he might be in the earliest era of manga history, to read his work today it is still fascinating. When I was a child, I had read through all of the series of Black Jack. It is also my childhood nightmare. Many of the series of the story was so terrifying to me that I am afraid to go to bed. However, it didn’t stop me reading it. The story itself is short but intriguing. The information of medical also brings me a lot of knowledge. When I was a bit older and reread some of the stories, I felt like there is much deeper information behind the series. 

There is one story talking about the doctor save a death row. In the beginning, he refuses to gets save. He thinks he is going to die anyway why bother to save him now. Dr, Black Jack doesn’t care and save his life. After, bringing him back alive once, he changes his mind. The desire of surviving is back into his mind. However, in the end, he still got killed by the law. Dr, Balck Jack feel so sad but there is not much he can do. I didn’t get the story when I was young, however, this story is always in my mind. The idea of desire to survive is so strong and interesting. Every time I rethink it, I feel the story a bit more. There is another story that I love. There is another doctor who believing euthanasia,  he is always against Black Jack. But, when his sister got sick, he begs Black Jack to save her life. This story really made me rethink the idea of euthanasia again and again.

I also like Osamu Tezuka ’s other series, Buddha. Buddhism is already part of the culture in Asia, however, the knowledge of Buddism is unbelievable low. Most people don’t actually know the story and history of Buddhism. Osamu Tezuka brings the story of Buddha, it brings the religion and story together, into a legendary adventure. It is so interesting while reading it and also gets to know the culture a little bit better.

Osamu Tezuka as the god of Manga really is one of the most important artists in the modern culture. I feel so many of his work is interesting and combined with meaning. He likes to put the idea of anti-war, philosophy, love, and environmental issue in his work. Teach people with a story and let the audience get the idea by ourselves. It is a lesson every once I read his work. A master of manga without a doubt.