Jarod- Exploring Visual Literature

As per the assignment, I am improving one of my previous blog posts, Week 12's "Women in Comics," for my final assignment for week 15.  The comic, "Ms Marvel," is a title that many familiar to Marvel comics already know, but none quite like this more modern take upon the IDEA of a Ms Marvel, by Sana Amanat, Stephen Wacker, G. Willow Wilson, and Adrian Alphona.  It is made obvious numerous times that this is NOT the "actual" Ms. Marvel, or even any variant of the character in previous versions, (there is a quite enjoyable sequence in the first/second comic that shows her transforming into various previous variants of the character). This story is incredibly powerful for being not only a super-hero action and comedic story, but also one of an empowerment fantasy, and assimilation. We see the character struggle not just physically with the challenges she faces, but on a deep psychological level.  One of her most powerful lines of dialogue includes,...

For the purposes of this assignment I will be reviewing, (shortly) several web comics I consider to be worthy of a person's time, and listing my reasons for doing so.     Series Comic: Imperial Entanglements Link to web comic: http://imperialentanglements.thecomicseries.com/archive/ This is an interesting parody comic based in the Star Wars universe, more specifically, during the time of "The Old Republic," a time period that has received numerous GREAT games and official comics, (of which this story is set in the MMO video game, "The Old Republic") but no movie or animation releases like the more famous Clone and Galactic Civil Wars, (Episodes 1-6). Focusing in on an unapologetic Imperial point of view, (typically considered the "Bad guys" in every other media) this story follows a Sith and an Imperial Agent in their comedic centered adventures through "The Old Republic."     Series Comic: The Daily Planet Files Link to web comic: ...

1. My initial reaction to the text I read was sadness followed by acceptance, while certainly a MUCH darker overall tone that ANY golden age Superman story, this joint collaboration by Alan Moore, Curt Swan, George Perez, and Kurt Schaffenberger, is a damn near perfect end to this "run" of the Superman story. Focusing on the dramatic end of Superman, the story throws all of his most, and a few of his lesser, memorable villains and allies at him at once, a sort of collage of the entire Alan Moore run with the character. As Batman later describes it, "like walking through fragments of a legend." This comic celebrates everything that built Superman, from his allies and backstory, to his bitter enemies and emotional struggles; it ties up and ends practically every loose end previously left open in previous issues of the Superman story, while also providing one massive, yet satisfying cliffhanger at the story's end. 2. I grew up loosely following various versions ...

The reinventing of superhero has been an almost routine process throughout the past few decades, from iconic symbols of ideals to relatable "every-men" to representations of diversity to psychological explorations, the "super" hero has been put through many a test to stand as its own archetype of a character. Still closely tied to their classical variants of the characters, modern superheroes often dip into both comedy and tragedy, while including moments of action and moments of stillness/tenseness. While one exploration of the superhero, “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” might be more closely associated with the explosive, over the top fantasy of the superhero persona, the gritty “realism,” and psychopathic ideology of “Arkham Asylum,” shift the focus away from action focused into almost purely abstract character narration and exploration. But comics don’t have to be one or the other, “The Dark Knight Returns” by Frank Miller serves as a combination of the two extreme...

For this week I read the surprisingly enjoyable and approachable visual novel, "Ms. Marvel," a modern take on a modern Marvel fan. It is made obvious numerous times that this is NOT the "actual" Ms. Marvel, or even any variant of the character in previous versions, (there is a quite enjoyable sequence in the first/second comic that shows her transforming into various previous variants of the character). The bulk of the story centers around Kamala Khan, a girl with strong heritage and close family ties that feels like a freak/outsider in nearly every scenario in her life. One of her most powerful lines of dialogue probably includes, "Why does everyone get to be normal but me." While not the most original story or concept, (the storyline of someone feeling alienated, lonely, or unsure of what to do with their powers has been seen many, many times a la Superman, Spiderman, etc) its defining characteristic is the execution of these aspects...