Graphic Novels are Books Too!

So this week on Literature of Comics, we were introduced to "Asterios Polyp," a graphic novel by David Mazzucchelli. The object of this reading is understanding the acceptance of graphic novels into literature.

One of the more interesting things I found while reading this graphic novel, was the specific art styles used for each character, which portrayed their personalities really well.

Oh Boy, Now It Gets Weird.

So would I be correct in saying Manga is to Comics, as Anime is to Cartoons? Depends on your definition of analogy I guess.

This time, on LITERATURE...OF...COMICS (dragon ball z reference), we dive into the world of manga, the beautiful Japanese version of comics. This week I began reading manga such as "Ranma 1/2" and "Astroboy." Although I've read a few modern manga, such as "One Punch Man", illustrated above, I gained a better understanding of the genre by reading this slightly older stories. Ranma 1/2 was slightly strange, having a main character turn into a girl whenever doused with cold water, and back into a boy with hot water, but the characters, conflicts, and overall tone of the comic was very enjoyable. Astroboy was also very likable, though I didn't have the same sense of joy or enjoyment as with Ranma 1/2, due to only reading the beginning, which seemed very dark for such a childlike character. It almost had a Pinocchio vibe to it, if Pinocchio was thrown away by Gepetto like yesterday's news.
These helped me understand the vast amount of genres that manga are allowed to dive into.

Stereotypes and the Ethics of Representation

I honestly think that the more we strive to distance ourselves from stereotypes, the more we begin to create new stereotypes of our own. I think that this is inevitable, and often helpful. I think stereotypes are created in the minds of the audience, as they draw their own conclusions and fit the characters into little boxes in order to more easily identify with them.