Comics, while not an active read of mine, always provide a sense of humor and lightheartedness. It was not always a respected median; I know back when comics first started out, parents were very disapproving and thought they would have a bad effect on their children (And look how far we’ve come! We let preteens watch shows like Jersey Shore!). Reading this interview with the comic creator Chris Ware reveals that comics deserve more credit than they typically get. Ware states, “I think that writing is a means of thinking and of creating. I couldn’t plan anything piece by piece in script form before I drew it. The drawing is as much the writing, if not more the writing, as the actual words themselves.” He has an artistic process; just like any other artist would have one.
I really enjoy the description Ware provides about the development of his characters: they start as merely jokes and then he becomes sympathetic towards them. He begins to portray them in a way that is relatable to the reader’s own emotional memories. It made me really happy that he mentions Charles Schultz because he is a comic legend. I’ve always loved Peanuts and Charlie Brown; they’re my favorite characters. I also always think of my grandma because she is big Peanuts fan and introduced me to those comics.
I think it's really interesting that some parents and teachers used to not allow their kids to read comic books. It seems like now, we will do anything to get kids to read! I think it's kind of stupid too, because, like you said, comic books contain well-developed plots and emotionally deep characters. Why is it that much less of a book just because it has pictures?
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed Ware's take on exemplifying his thoughts, in that he must draw them before he writes them out to accurately depict them. This is a very interesting take and I really respect it. As long as you can relay your thoughts to someone else, the means for doing so is up to the creator.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciated that Ware established that comics are an artistic process! Have you ever sat down to draw a comic? I imagine it would be tough! It's a story told through picture and very little writing, which Ware also touched on a bit. And I also liked that Ware talked about wanting to make the comics relatable. In my opinion, that's what makes comics more enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI also liked how Ware conducted himself and talked about his work. He seems to have a very interesting life which is a part of his artwork. It is a very interesting approach which is different from every other artist we have viewed. I think he tries to make a statement with as minimal texts as possible. This is very unlike other artists, some who even only use text.
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