Week 8 : Stereotypes

There are different types of stereotypes. Race, age, cultural, professional, and gender stereotypes. This week, I decided to look into gender stereotypes, hence I read the Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. The mainstream media in general tends to portray gay and lesbian people in silly and disrespectful ways. How many times have they associated gays with pink, flamboyant outfits? And lesbians with super short haircuts and punk outfit? In reality, the physical distinctions are almost not noticeable (unless they choose to show it, of course!).

Fun Home offers a blunt approach in portraying gays and lesbians. The author, Alison Bechdel, is lesbian, and her dad is gay. At a glance, both of them looked very unassuming and act just like everyone. Alright, maybe not really. Her father was crazy about antiques, was a control freak, and had many affairs with young men throughout his marriage. He was also cold towards his children, arrogant, and very selfish in general. I loathed him for almost the entire book, but Alison's more sympathetic portrayal of him near the end redeemed him a little. Despite his harshness and aloofness, he respected Alison's interest in literature, and bonded surprisingly well with her later on. Alison's attempt at illustrating her rather unusual family brings an interesting perspective to how it might feel like to have a gay father.

On the other hand, Alison experienced a rather disturbing childhood. The absence of her father during his affairs, the tension between her father and mother, and Alison's own sexuality was a lot to take in for her younger self. Worse still, her father's sudden death meant that many loose strings were left; no closure regarding her father's wrongdoings and the loss of a close bond that she painstakingly built with him. I personally find it hard to understand what exactly was Alison's impressions about her father, since her descriptions of him swung from cynicism to respect. Throughout the book, I sense that she disapproved of her father's affairs, yet at the very last page of the book, as her child self is jumping into her father's arms, it's obvious that she still loved him. This very page also almost brought me to tears because of how evocative and sincere it was. After all the troubles her father brought upon himself (having multiple affairs, buying alcohol for an underage kid, etc....) she showed us that he was indeed still a father.

So, to tie this up with how the mainstream media portrays sexual stereotypes, Fun Home gives more depth and reasoning behind people's sexual orientations. It does not glamorize or condemn, it simply states that the absence of a father, paternal tension, and family divide are painful. Seeing her mother suffer through her husband's affairs, having her father die suddenly, and feeling isolated from the rest of the family probably drove Alison to write the book.

Admittedly, I didn't get most of the literally references found throughout the book, and nobody in the book is very like able. Most of them have that grumpy and dead-eyed look constantly, and Alison's narration feels aloof. Shocking revelations were stated in a matter-of-factly fashion, leaving little impact. I did have to force myself to finish reading this graphic novel. However, what helped motivate me was a desire for a sense of closure that Alison was searching for ever since her father's sudden demise. And the book did just that on the final page, and I am happy.

Week 7: Maus

 

I kept hearing good things about a graphic novel called Maus, by Art Spiegelman, and it always slipped my mind to read it. Thankfully, this class reminded me of Maus once again, and I finally got around to reading it! Well, all I can say now is that I am really grateful for the experience, and Maus is very well deserving of its praise.

Maus is a pivotal work that not only highlighted the struggles of the Jews during the Holocaust, but also showed the negative mental implications among the survivors long after the WW2 was over. Maus stood out because it neither tried to sugar-coat the tragedies of war, nor glorify the survivors of the Holocaust. As we can see, though Vladek was extremely resourceful and resilient, the major reason for his survival was through bribery and trickery. He bribed people with food or gold, and tricked his way through his temporary jobs as a shoe-repairer and tin-worker. In addition, Art didn't paint a very favorable depiction of Vladek even after the war was over, showing him to be anal retentive, racist, and stingy. But not all is lost here, as Vladek clearly cherished his son, Art, and still treasured Anja (albeit at the expense of Mala's sanity). In short, Art was not trying to say that his father survived the Holocaust because he was a good person. Yes, Vladek was very intelligent and strong, but he also had many flaws. He debunked many people's belief that only truly good people that deserve it survive the war. Nobody really knows.

What I appreciate about Maus is how it lets the readers be their own judge when it comes to deciding who is right or wrong. Although our impression will undoubtedly be affected by Art's portrayal of the characters as different animals (that Art admittedly, was pretty confused about), the effect is counter-balanced by how similar their bodies are. All of them have human bodies, roughly similar in size. Though the Germans looked more menacing, they did not tower over the Jews too much (this contrasts with how many artists tend to depict the bad guys as very large beings, physically). Art did not force his opinions; he tries to be as objective as possible by carefully stating the facts. And this allows us to reflect and connect with the story on a deeper level without being influenced too much by the narrator's personal opinions.

And that brings me to the next point: Art's choice of simplifying his drawing actually enhanced the readers' relationship with the characters. The art at a glance, looks minimalist and cute (I really, really think that the mouse and dog characters look adorable!) (Okay, maybe not everything in this book is cute, such as the scenes depicting massacre). Most of the time, the characters' faces were depicted with mere dots for the eyes, and simple mouths (The mouse characters don't even have mouths!) Yet, their emotions are clear and resonated with me. This reminds me of what McCloud said in his book "Understanding Comics" about simple looking characters. The simpler the characters are, the easier it is for the readers to relate and project themselves into the characters. That is probably why I felt Anja's despair as her face contorted in pain upon realizing that everyone from her family died. The same can be said when they were smiling with their eyes. I also believe that the simplified art made it more accessible to wider age range of audience. The book deals with very heavy subject matter about mass murder, cruelty and racism, and the approachable art helps acts as a balance. (This reminded me of how Persepolis presented heavy and sensitive topics through simplified art too).

Lastly, I learned in class that Maus was one of the first few graphic novels that was widely acclaimed and accepted by the academics. It proved that comics are for adults too, and really, any kind of stories can be told in that form. Growing up reading manga (many are obviously not kiddie friendly), I always found the misconception about comics being only for kids to be flabbergasting and downright sad. As such, I am grateful of Maus' widespread success (despite the artist's guilt about reaping success from the sacrifice of the millions of Holocaust victims) and hope to see more comic books/ graphic novels/ mangas in the schools' reading list and treated with less prejudice.

Week 6: Underground Comics

Wow! So, we read a bunch of bold and daring underground comics this week. As the name suggests, many of them were rampant with racism, sexism, and other politically inappropriate stuffs.... But they were fun anyway! I am kind of reminded of the Gekiga movement, because those artists wanted to differentiate adult comics from mainstream family-friendly ones. These underground comics pretty much tell us that anything really goes. We can tell any kind of stories in the form of comics because..... why not?

Anyway, I read  Girl Fight Comics, and (pardon my language) Tits and Clits. Both of them have female protagonists and both of them are about women doing whatever they want. Girl-and-girl relationships are common, and men are often portrayed as immoral and perverse, sometimes no more than a thing for sex. Moreover, they often portray single women finding ways to deal with their sexual needs. While the snippets of stories appeared to be rather nonsensical and self-indulgent, they are strangely liberating. I can only imagine that in those days, women had even less rights compared to now, and were expected to adhere to even more strict social conventions. As such, these kinds of underground comics that depict free-spirited women must have raised quite a lot of eyebrows back then. Maybe, it will still do the same even now, considering how regulated publications and medias are.

Back to the comics, while they are crudely drawn and direct, I enjoyed their honesty and sarcasm. These women are not modest nor righteous. They want money and sex, lots of them, sometimes while balancing their role as a mother and wife. Of course, I am not saying that all women are sex-crazed, money-hungry, and scheming people. It's just that it is generally more frowned upon when females display such behavior, as opposed to men doing the same. These strong sense of anger and hunger for freedom are probably the driving force behind many underground comics artists. They want people to listen, and one way to do that is to amp up the shock value.

Though to be fair, as I read other underground comics, some of them appear to be crude for the sake of being crude. No real statement or message, just to shock and offend people with blatant sexism and racism. But then again, there is really nothing wrong with that because the readers have the choice to either not read them, or to be offended. The important thing is how underground comics created more diversity in the area, and how it dispelled many people's assumption that comics are for kids. Without the underground comics movement, it is hard to imagine the existence of edgier and grittier graphic novels that we get to enjoy now.

Week 5: Blankets by Craig Thompson

Hi! I read Blankets today, and yeah... it was a fun!

First of all, I really love Craig Thompson's spontaneous art. He drew the characters' body, face, and clothing tightly and neatly, yet he depicted their hair with rougher brush strokes (especially when the characters are in motion). The background art is equally expressive and atmospheric. The snow and wind, and trees, for example, seem to have a life of their own. My favorite panes are from the moment when Craig and his girlfriend are laying on the snow, and watching the snow flakes fall.

He captured the visual sensation of being overwhelmed by the millions of falling snow flakes perfectly, and created a surreal and serene atmosphere. Cool! It's as if I was there, up in the snowy hill!

Moving on to the content, the story feels very slice-of-life and coming to age. The events surrounding Craig's traumatizing childhood and painful adolescence periods crisscross one another, similar to the way our memories jump from one scene to another. This allows for a more unique pacing and helps us to understand the real implications behind his childhood memories. Moreover, some events are revisited (such as the ones about the caretaker and the scary dark room that his brother was forced to sleep in). They appeared to be a one-off type of event, however, they turned out to have influenced Craig's perception of growing up and deepened his sense of guilt.

Speaking of guilt, religion is a major theme in Blankets. Craig grew in a strictly religious town and household that condemned sex and being "different." He was guilt-ridden by his desire for Raina's body, for drawing a nude woman as a child, and for disobeying much of the religion's teachings. Though he didn't really find much closure at the end of the book (he couldn't tell his parents that he was no longer religious), he sounded pretty comfortable about himself. I believe that he was trying to say that one doesn't have to be imposed by religion, especially if he/she doesn't agree with the teachings. Being a devout follower in the said religion also does not automatically turn people into saints. After all, he witnessed so much ugliness and contradictions from the so-called religious people; many of whom have a mightier-than-thou attitude. 

Lastly, he portrayed his short-lived relationship with Raina wonderfully. There is a sense of visual rhythm during his happier moments with her; the generous use of curves, decorative designs, and nonrestrictive panels that flow like music. His life felt whole as he was embraced by her presence, and yes, we can tell that he was really happy. All of this contrasted nicely with the more angular panels and desolate background art after his breakup. He was lonely.

I can go on about this wonderfully illustrated graphic novel that is full of feels, but I guess I will have to go back to do work!

Extra Reading 2: A Drifting Life by Yoshihiro Tatsumi

 

I finally finished reading this massive autobiography of influential artist, Yoshihiro Tatsumi, and I am left with a tinge of sadness at how it ended. In a very Japanese-like fashion, the book wrapped up quietly without overstating things. Yet I feel strangely encouraged as he showed us that while dreams and passion fade over time, not all hope is lost if one continues to struggle and make sacrifices. Something is bound to come out from it, and in Tatsumi's case, he became the man who started the Gekiga moevement.  

I haven't read many Gekigas, the only ones I read are Drifting Life, The Push Man, MW and a few chapters of Samurai Executioner. However, I have read many adult-oriented mangas out there, which aren't strictly labelled as Gekiga, but were influenced by the Gekiga movement. What I enjoy about those mangas is how they don't pretend that life is full of roses. Yes, it is unpleasant, but as I see the characters struggle to see the light at the end of the tunnel, my heart burns with excitement. That being said, I don't always relate to stories that revolve around male angst, or extremely gritty art style. Thankfully, A Drifting Life is easy to read, thanks to Tatsumi's approachable and appealing art. 

Perhaps, the most enjoyable portion of this emotional autobiography is around the beginning, where we get a peek of Tatsumi's family dynamics and his tireless pursuit of his dream. Tatsumi's brother, Okimasa, who hurt Tatsumi several times in fit of jealousy, grew to become the most supportive of Tatsumi's career as a manga artist. Their seemingly unfriendly mother turned out to be just like many other mothers, worrying about their children's well-being. Even their grumpy father, who had affairs and got himself in deep trouble financially, learned to carry on with life and supported the family. These human aspects connected with me the most, as compared to the hectic days of Tatsumi's adulthood later on in the book. 

Despite that, I did learn about how Gekiga came to be, how the events in Japan after WW2 influenced ordinary people, and how much Disney, American comics and films gave inspiration to the manga artists. Most importantly, I was mind-blown by the amount of work he and his friends churned out every month in order to meet the demands from several publishers. It puts my productivity to shame....but at the same time, that shows what it takes to be truly good at something.

That being said, A Drifting Life is an engrossing read (I could not stop reading it even while working on Thesis!) and one is bound to be reminded of their dreams and ambitions as he/she trudges along with Tatsumi through his struggle.

Extra Reading 1: The Sandman 1 by Neil Gaiman

 

I am pretty late into the game, but I finally read The Sandman (the first book)! My, it was dark, disturbing, yet enjoyable. At this point, I still barely know anything about Dream as a character. All I know is he is the one bringing dreams to people, and has immense power that goes beyond realms. Oh, he also has very stylish hair. Yet he spent most of the first book trying to retrieve the very power he was robbed of, and we learn the ugliness of humanity in the process.

This edgy graphic novel doesn't skimp on depicting human's carnal desires and sense of hopelessness. The wife of a seemingly happy couple desired to once again sleep with a dead body, as she once did at a mortuary under the influence of alcohol. A maniac on the run gained his hostage and the readers' trust, leading us to believe that he had been wrongfully prosecuted, only to betray us by shooting his kindhearted hostage at point-blank range once she served her purpose. A comatose girl who was asleep for decades finally woke up, never knowing that she had been violated and lost her baby in the process. Reading these shocking and dreadful portrayals made me pause and wonder if all hope is lost in humanity. Yet the story carried on, leaving me little time to despair. What I learned from this is that everyone have deep-dark desires that are usually not apparent when viewed from the surface.

Despite the dark overtone, there are some lighthearted moments too. My favorite example being Dream's showdown with Chronzon. In this battle of wits, Dream won by stating that hope is the most powerful of all, even more so than the end of the worlds. After all, what is life without hope? People dream of their ideal lives, and it is their hope of fulfilling those dreams that gives them purpose of life. To hope is to dream. 

I will definitely continue to read The Sandman, and see how the story develops! 

Week 4: Comic Books

Hi!! We finally reached a point where comics strips become comic books! Who doesn't love reading comics in the book form? It definitely helps with the flow of the story, and allows for longer and more epic tales. Anyway, I read two titles, one of them is from the Uncle Scrooge series, and the other one is "Barbie and Ken (1962)" (I didn't expect to find this one there!). 

"Uncle Scrooge, Land of the Pygmy Indians" is a blast from the past. I used to read Uncle Scrooge during elementary school (albeit the newer editions), and am pretty surprised that nothing much really changed. Uncle Scrooge is still despicably greedy, while Donald, Louie, Dewey, and Huey are still being dragged into Uncle Scrooge's quest for more riches. However, the newer ones have more dynamic paneling. Land of the Pygmy Indians has standard rectangular panels and pretty even pacing. Despite that, the art is appealing and expressive (the animals are really cute too!). A fun read overall.

Now, what really blew my mind is Barbie and Ken. I was mind blown by how idealized Barbie and Ken were, in terms of appearance, career, and lifestyle. Those little girls in the story boasted excitedly about how lucky and thrilling it was to spend their time with Barbie and Ken. They gushed over their perfect appearance, glamorous lifestyle, and well, just how flawless they are. While I am aware that this books is obviously meant to promote the dolls, suggesting to young girls and boys that buying the dolls is the coolest thing ever, I wonder if the same method will still work today.....(It is very probable that they will rise the ire of feminists all over the world).

However, I guess, the power of suggestion is still very apparent in today's advertisement, albeit repackaged in different ways. Toy companies like Hasbro commission studios to make cartoons, films, and game adaptations of their characters. They put the characters in engaging tales, suggesting that buying their merchandise is akin to experiencing those adventures. Children's brain is rich with imagination, hence it is logical for toy companies to use that as a bridge between the children and their products. What's more, that's how advertisements work for almost everything else, including those targeted for adults. Japan is especially good with personifying their products into cute/handsome characters and giving them relate able backstories so as to entice the customers into buying them. (Read about it here!)