Understanding Comics Chapter 2

Chapter two 'The Vocabulary of Comics' talks about the difference in complexity within the artwork and storyline of a comic. McCloud gives us a detailed explanation on how pictures and icons play a huge role in telling the story, and how the text also does. yet they are totally different things, where one is recieved ( the artwork) and the other is persieved (the text).

After reading this chapter I have learnt a great deal more and now have a much better understanding to the art and text of comics. It has often made me curious, why artists would chose certain art styles, and how that would impact the reader. McCloud illustrates 'the Picture PLane'--> where there is a triangle. One corner represents reality, another language and the last, abstraction. the artists who chose to portray their comics in a more realistic way are attracted by a sense of the beaty of nature. Artists who chose to draw abstractly most likely perfer the beauty of art, and the artists who chose to portray theif comics with more literacy admire the beauty of ideas.

Spirited Away-- Studio Ghibli productions

This is very interesting, as some comic artists chose to use a wide range of different styles and techniques, using different parts of the triangle. This can be related to the anime we watched in the lecture last week, where we watched a whole heap of anime and went through the conventions and artwork. one of my personal favorites are all the 'Studio Ghibli' productions. the animation is crisp-- in its visual and audio qualities. it is very interesting how Studio Ghibli produce their anime's though. not like Disney--drawing every frame seperately and differently, Studio Ghibli use a much more simplified technique. they move one thing at a time, and use pauses and the same scenes for many shots, cutting their budget, yet also allowing them to have the uniqueness they hold.

Excel Saga...>____<"

but not all animes are like the Studi Ghibli productions. There are some CRAZY animes out there. Try watching "Excel Saga"!!!!!:S.....it is beyond weird, and me... the animation of the characters vary from realism to highly exagerated chibified characters!. Just like what McCloud shows in his triangle, except having all the different styles colaborated as one in one crazy anime!

the story line is also CRAZYY....none of it makes sense...:S

this just shows how diverse the world of comics can be....