Friday, March 15, 2013

Majoring in Comics as Literature, Dragons and the Graphic-Novel Trend

Cellphones make for a difficult challenge in dramatic irony anymore. You see them in almost everything, as information is instantly forwarded from one agency to another as the pace of a narrative rockets along. In fact, watching old films where characters stand around a rotary phone, or check in at a hotel desk to receive their "messages" seems so clunky and awkward now.

But cellphones have changed storytelling forever. Writers have had to adapt.

In the world of cellphones, it's hard to delay characters from interacting with each other - so often as soon as someone learns something new or dangerous, they go to inform the protagonist, but are stopped - and then viewers just watch as we know full well the hero is diving head-first into peril. Cellphones basically eliminate the possibilities of this - unless you get creative about why a cellphone isn't working.

And those scenes (where a nemesis is removing of disabling a cellphone) always seem a bit contrived - HOWEVER, I'm certainly not above it. Do you think anything will happen to Casey's cellphone while he's chatting with Barney? (probably!) Think this will be the last time it happens in the script? (probably not!)


Struggling with jet lag and his professional relationship with Howard,
Casey looks to make necessary changes in Why'd you do it?
See more by following the links:
Graphic novels and webcomics
Check out Accursed Dragon, and see some of the other neat stuff that's being said about graphic novels at the academic level now! You can find them in the classroom as a learning aide, but you're also able to MAJOR in the style, as well.

Accursed Dragon
Ryan Smith

Accursed Dragon.com
Accursed Dragon

This week I've started reading Accursed Dragon by Ryan Smith, and I'm liking it a lot. I've had this on my reading list for ages - and now I'm mowing through it. What I'm especially impressed with is that each page tells a little gag - which is great writing. It's a constant pleasure to see the narrative continuously propped up with pleasant breaks, while the pacing and serial story telling flow together seamlessly. It's definitely worth checking out!
Click to read more.

The Graphic Novel Trend
Harper Academic

Harper Academic.Blogspot



The Alchemist


Reading the review of The Cartoon Guide to Genetics got me thinking about a huge trend we’ve noticed in the academic department: graphic novels. In fact, most of the books that teachers were really excited about (especially teachers of boys) at the National Council of Teachers of English Conference were graphic originals or adaptations. So I thought I’d share a few of our graphic books that the teachers I’ve met seem to really love.
Click to read more.

Yes You Can Now Major In Comics Literature
Rich Johnston
Bleeding Cool.com



Major in comic literature


As an English professor (Professor Jeremy Larance)at a relatively small public university in West Virginia, West Liberty University, I often try to find ways to sneak comics and graphic novels into my courses. For several years now, for example, I’ve used V for Vendetta as the culminating text in my British Literature course, because—let’s be honest—there just isn’t a better example of a modern-day Byronic Hero than Alan Moore’s V. Some scoffed, but my decision was ultimately validated by the fact that The Longman Anthology of British Literature now includes an excerpt from that graphic novel in its section of contemporary British fiction, just a few hundred pages after James Joyce’s Ulysses.
Click to read more.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Commemorating Will Eisner and Tarzan and the Top 100

After the completion of the second act, I've decided to complete the storyboards for the third act before I begin. So far it's going well, but of course it's taking a little while. I think the third act has been a bit of a challenge, but so far it's turning out pretty nicely. I hope everyone will enjoy it.


Struggling with jet lag and his professional relationship with Howard, Casey looks to make necessary changes in Why'd you do it?
See more by following the links:

Graphic novel and Webcomic news
This week I've got the top 100 comic blogs to follow, the Lost Tarzan stories that will be coming out and an announcement on the theme for Will Eisner week. Check it out!

TOP 100 COMIC BLOGS TO FOLLOW IN 2013
Nikki Jeske
SnailBird.com



SnailBird lists the top 100 web comic blogs to follow, placing themselves at 60, which is very modest of them. Starting off the list is Webcomic Resources, which I've linked to a lot in the past. Check out the rest of the list.
To read more click here.

Lost Tarzan stories featured in new graphic novel

Michael Sangiacomo
Cleveland.com


Tarzan


I read these stories as a kid and was knocked out by the raw power and majesty of Burroughs' writing. The books are far superior to the simpler Tarzan movies. Powell has written hundreds of science fiction, mystery, and horror stories. He has worked in the comic book industry since 1986, writing for Marvel, DC, Malibu, Caliber, Moonstone, and Disney, among others, and has been nominated for the coveted Eisner Award.
Click to read more.

Will Eisner Week To Celebrate the Graphic Novel
Calvin Reid

Publishers Weekly.com




The theme for this year’s Will Eisner Week is “Read a Graphic Novel," Danny Fingeroth, said Will Eisner Week Organizing Committee Chair, “This year, we will be having Will Eisner Week celebrations in more places than ever before. The people doing the events are planning some amazing happenings that will spread the word about how cool graphic novels are, and that celebrate Will Eisner’s astonishing body of work done over a career that spanned seven decades.”
Click to read more.