The point
that I found to be most profound in the work was his discussion on the human
imagination, and how it bridges the “gap” between comic panels, and in effect
interprets everything that happens over the course of a comic. The human mind’s
ability to interpret a collection of ink as a symbol of an apple or religious
institution or even the IDEA of a symbol is amazing; going far beyond basic
visual association. Taking something so relatively basic as seeing a recognizable
symbol, (which in itself already relies heavily on the user’s ability to connect
symbols to themes established) and creating a character we often project
ourselves onto becomes more fascinating the more thought you put into it! All
visual narrative is meant to provoke some sort of response, be it deep psychological
inquiry about the nature of humanity or a quick joke about a dated, modern
issue, sequential art like comics take this to extreme levels. Whether a simple
strip or hundreds of pages, comics of varying sizes, backgrounds, characters
and purposes have captured the imagination and used it as both its source of
power, and main deposit for sharing their own imaginative thinking. These
characters and ideals start out in a creation that, regardless of it being
based in reality or not, is not reality, and yet have influenced so many people
in reality it’s impossible to deny their collective effect on a person’s mind.
How many people have taken an interest in other cultures because of manga or other
international comics? How many teens remember sharing their problems with the
likes of Peter Parker as the "Spiderman," or feeling a sense of national patriotism
with "Captain America" DURING the Nazi threat? And when life was dreary, it’s
impossible to ignore the comedic relief the likes of "Archie," "Garfield,""Popeye," and so many more had on our lives to take us out of reality. Comics have, are,
and will always be just that, ways to escape reality; though many times simultaneously
influencing it heavily.
For this week, I decided on reading “Death Note,” written by Osamu Tezuka, and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. A chilling murderous mystery based around Japanese folk lore and dark magic, specifically about the Shinigami Ryuk, a dark spirit/god that drops magic into the human world out of boredom. Following the ensuing chaos that results from a young man and woman trying to use the murderous artifact known as the “Death Note,” the story has been very highly respected for decades, being translated into numerous other languages, has acquired world-wide publication, and even been reimagined as several live action films, an anime television series, and even a musical. While trying to rid the world of it’s villains, our main character, “Light” ends up being corrupted by his newfound power and even declares himself a “God of this New World,” prior to being betrayed, (once again, out of boredom) by the same Shinigami, Ryuk. Showing very dark results of good intentions creates an interest...
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