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TinTin in America Revised

For the fourth week I read some of TinTin in America. This comic actually made me laugh out loud in some parts and is quite entertaining. The sequential action panels and comedic approach when incorporating strong subject matter such as gangs and guns, make this comic a treat for the reader. The moment in particular where I found hilarious was when TinTin and two police officers catch a goon and he's about to spill the beans about the whole mission, when all of a sudden he is taken out by another goon with a boomerang instead of a gun. There are many guns in this comic but this guy used a boomerang of all things. I can put together that TinTin is a reflection of the child friendly standards that many comics at the time had to abide by, although still exploring serious subject matters such as gangs and violence. Even Police brutality is shown against TinTin although it's turned into comedic relief. Exaggeration of violence to the point of abstraction is a way that creators are a
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Asessment

1. What is your reaction to the text you just read? I am very pleased with the story. knowing a little bit about superman and the justice league helps to connect with the characters. There were twists in the story that made it surprising and engaging. I know a little more about Brainiac and Lex Luthor than the villain from the 5th dimension but it made sense in explaining how everything was happening. I was fooled into thinking that Super Man would have been defeated the whole time but it was a great twist when he chose his own fate in the end. 2. What connections did you make to the story? discuss the elements of the story which you were able to connect. I was able to connect with Clark's struggle to choose one person over the other, being Lois and Lana. I've had many similar situations and also experience with self sacrifice for the sake of morals and ideas. Super Man's sense of justice even in punishing himself is something that is vital in idolizing his character as
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Asterios Polyp

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Asterios Polyp is a sort nonlinear story that cuts back and forth from past to present. Asterios is an old man who was a professor until some event happened that led him into his current situation living in some mechanics home working at an auto-repair shop. The story is told by Asterios' dead twin brother, Ignazio. He has visions of his brother throughout the story.
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Astro Boy

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Astro boy by Osamu Tezuka is the story of Astro boy/ Atom who is a robot boy who a genius scientist designed after his deceased son , Tobio. Atom knows that he is a robot and he fights against his father's other creations, Although atom fights against robots, he is torn between them and humans. This manga is so interesting because it serves deep messages and storylines that children are able to comprehend, but are not obnoxiously censored from reality. Robots are damaged beyond repair and so the consequence of death is explored. Atom himself is a replica of a dead boy, showing the loss that the scientist felt and the symbolism in his pure hearted son becoming the symbol of justice.
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Ranxerox

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Ranxerox is a scifi themed comic. Interestingly it is set in the 3000s but there is older technology like a large boombox and a pay phone, both of which Ranxerox uses to kill  people. Ranx himself is an Android who like most androids in scientific has a range of human emotion. There are many graphic themes to this comic such as nudity and violence, and drugs. All of these themes are heightened in effect by highly detailed drawings with details such as bulging veins and unsettling facial expressions. Overall there is some effective humor here and the comic is visually compelling, especially being that it is in full color.
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Character Stereotypes

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Stereotypes in modern entertainment are usually seen as bland or boring, but I believe this is only the case if there is not at least one unique quality about the character on top of their archetype. Sure we have plenty of teenage male protagonists who go to highschool and are kind of nerdy, but how many of those are also photographers, while also have been bitten by a radioactive spider that gave them spider like abilities, and now they wear a red and blue uniform with a web like black pattern mixed with the red. Some might argue that spiderman isn't as interesting as he's made out to be because of the stereotype, but it is important to remember that most protagonists are characters that a substantial percentage of people can relate to in someway or wish to be more like themselves. Stereotypes in characters are not a bad thing. And with great twists and complexities they become a unique product full of story potential.
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Underground Comics

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For the underground comics I read one called Cracking Jokes. This comic is a guide for successfully making jokes out of human suffering. A quote The author used goes like this, "Everything human is pathetic. The secret source of humor itself is not joy, but sorrow. There is no humor in Heaven."- Mark Twain. The comic uses a mascot jester with penises in place for his bells.  There is one panel where the jester explains that we must disguise hostility when making jokes or else we get uncomfortable. To prove this point he shows a clown slipping and is in mid fall, but right next to it is a clown that's shouting "I have cancer!". There is no attempt to relieve discomfort in the reader. This was a very interesting read and this author actually had something to say with this comic, although some may find the work offensive.
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