Understanding Comix

Before even starting to read this I had a very good sense in that I wanted to write and compose a graphic novel of my own. It had always been one of my dreams to have a full story laid out in front of me and giving it life and body to which would be entertainment for readers. This book was defiantly an eye opening experience to get an inside scoop into how the graphic novel and comics work. It gave me more of a sense on the perception and physiological aspect into how a comic is made rather than a step by step guide onto how to create frames and dialog. It didn't talk so much about the styles and graphic nature but more of how to get feeling and emotion across, at least that is what I think.

I really enjoyed the way McCloud talked about the difference between eastern and western comics in the stylistic quality and difference in the graphic nature of both hemispheres. The way he compares and contrasts the way that eastern comics are more visually striking with the background and yet simple in the character stylization. Also in the fact that western comic creators rejected the eastern style, such as manga and anime type comics, and how the two are very different from one another. This is something that I had never actually thought about, seeing as I had never really wanted or cared to read manga or anime. I was always put off by the way they were depicted and stylized. Though I had never stopped to think why it was so different from western cultured comics.

Another note that McCloud touched on that I thought was very interesting was the way he touched on the stylization of graphical comics compared to more realistic comics. I seemed to get the feeling that he liked the more stylized versions, the flat more graphical in nature comics, as opposed to the life like and detailed comics. In my own personal opinion I would normally pick up a comic or graphic novel that strived more towards being realistic than graphic and stylized. For example, I would rather get one of those Wolverine graphic novels over a manga or a flatter, graphic type comic. They just appeal more to me and my style of art that I want to pursue if I were to make a graphic novel. Although I can get what McCloud is trying to say about how some artists would go a little too life like and it seems to lack in personality over getting that right type of style that fits right in between graphic and realism. If you get too realistic it almost seems to lose its allure of being a comic or graphic novel. That perfect in between suits me just fine though, if anything the more graphic quality that comes in a lot of comic books and graphic novels doesn't hold my attention as well as the more realistic types.