Week Fourteen

I read JTHM in high school but when I saw it on the reading for this week I decided to go back and read it all over again to look for anything new that popped out at me. It really is one of the most graphic (gory) comics out there today. The gore factor reminds me somewhat of underground comics and how violent they could be. But JTHM is really something else, Ive never seen another comic that focused and delved so deeply into the conscious of a homicidal maniac. It seems like it should disturb a lot more people than it does. Perhaps this is because people are always entertained and fascinated by violence, blood and sex.

I also read the online comic "The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal". It was surprisingly good. The chapters werent that long but they moved the story forward. It was also nice to see some of the panels without any text and have them slowly lead to panels with them talking. The title fits perfectly, although theres nothing "epic" about what they are doing, the reader is pulled into the story because of the characters themselves. this comic doesnt need fancy drawing or action at every turn. It has its own quiet charm.

Week Thirteen

This week I re-read Watchmen. Its one of my favorites, especially because of the ending. Alan Moore is a genius he takes the generic super heros found in comics and turns them into relatable characters. The ending is amazing because everything up until that point seems like it could happen in actual life, then the ending comes and completely changes all of it. I like the art work, it is a reminder of the older comics with heavy lines and shadows. The paneling is easy to follow, it really helps the flow of the story.

Week Eleven

I read Bones a little bit in high school but I decided to revisit it this week. Bones is probably one of my favorite graphic novels. The characters are all iconic, its hard to forget them one you "get to know" them. Bones is done so well that even though a bug is represented by a triangle, its character and personality are so well done that the reader can easily skip over the fact the it doesn't look like a bug at all. All of the main characters are relatable in one way or another. Bones is simply a good comic to read, I haven't met a person that doesn't enjoy reading it.