Class Overview
At the start of class went over the respondents blogs about the course books and their ranking with the class. We also went over the final paper. For details see the Final Project Guildlines. The prof. also announced that he might create a digital drop box on Blackboard to turn in the projects.
Then we went into the "show and tell" about the comics the class brought in. We discussed books for 10 minutes with the other fellow classmates. Those who presented their books the brought in has to try to convice the professor why he could put them as a possible reading for the next time he taught the course. The comics were as follows:
1) Seth told us about Judge Dreed and how overboard it goes. it was also a British comic that looked very busy.
2) Sin City: the Hard Goodbye, with Frank Millers drawings, and the stories within it. The speech with Marv was a nice one that related back to the movie (which was good). Then we went over the messy deaths in the comics and the execution.
3) Sky doll (2006) comic from Marvel adapted from an Italian comic. The novel follows an android prostitute. It’s set in a world where TV indoctrinates people into some twisted form of Christianity. The novel follows Noa, she is a metaphor for the virgin mary as she has something growing inside her.
4) The Last Christmas is Santa fighting zombies. Zombies attacked Santa’s house and kill Miss Claus, he grows a drunkard and tries to light himself on fire. Santa then goes back to kill the zombies, smashing them with his sleigh. If you’re gonna root for anyone why not Santa. There are still children out there, so Santa can’t kill himself as the Christmas spirit keeps him alive.
5) Calvin and Hobbes was shown to us. With each comic in the book they come with a little blurp. It was a little insight onto Sunday morning comics.
There was another comic about a hitman who travels back in time to kill Hitler. It was like a fusion of Jimmy Corrigan’s art and Maus’s ideas. The author was born in Norway. Then he could talk to a cat, winter filled the room. Then he could see the ocean.
6) I Killed Aldof Hitler. This was about a guy that was paid to go back in time to kill Hitler but of course nothing goes according to plan.The class commeted it looked like it could be a spinoff to Maus since it had animal characters.
7) Lenore, a cute little dead girl. It’s a black and white comic, about a little dead girl. She’s real popular in Hot Topic. A lot of the comedy occurs without words. Lenore somehow always ends up killing her per horribly.
8) Coraline. It’s sort of like Uzumaki where something weird and terrifying will come alone. The comic came out after the movie, yet the book was quite different. There are a few versions of this story which all show the same thing with different forms.
9) A Heart Breaking Work of a Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. Although it wasn't a comic, it was almost like a novel form of Jimmy Corrigan.
10) xxxHolic vol. 14, a manga published by Clamp. The artwork has an elegant style to it, and keeps the mood going on through it. They were trying to replicate the Japanese wood carvings. Smoke seems to pop up around them. The story follows a witch, she owns a shop full of wishes. A man comes there to wish that she’ll get rid of the spirits following him. For payment he becomes her part time worker. Clamp is famous for shojo manga (manga aimed at young girls) and the two series (xxxHolic and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles) which are interlinked.
11) Welcome to Lovecraft. Lovecraft himself was an inspiration to Junji Ito. This is a fairly grewsome comic about a boy who find keys and depending on the key, it opens certain doors that lead to something it.
Class Highlights
Before ending class the prof. discussed a little about the graphic novel that would be used for the spring 2010 community textbook and will be used in the ENGL 325 course. The graphic novel is called Nat Turner by Kyle Baker. The novel is about Nat Turner and his ordeals while in slavery.
Key Words
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