Week One - Filip

Hello everyone :]


Starting with the more personal question of whether comics are for children or adults, my heart shouts a simple answer; adults are just big kids!



A 'rock solid' grounding in reality is how Farr (1991) justifies Tintin's appeal to readers across generations. Farr also cites Herge on the strength of the comic's characters; 'words would come directly out of the characters' mouths' and as Herge seemed to live vicariously through Tintin 'rather than becoming a reporter himself', he'd have felt more genuine to readers.

Putting more of the real world and himself into his work made it all the more relatable.
'The main newspaper's circulation quickly doubled on Thursdays when the supplement appeared with its latest installment of Tintin, it subsequently tripled, then sextupled.'
Following the feat of fuelling sales of its debut newspaper alone, his first publisher for the comics couldn't keep up with the demand. That's amazing; the proof is in the pudding!

Authenticity helps the credbility of a story and is something Herge took seriously.
'Every motorcar was an exact model, revolvers were copied from arms manufacturers' catalogues...'
(I sure feel better about keeping my personal archives of pictures now :3 )
'He was almost obsessive about keeping material that could on some occasion be of possible use.'
I see this obsession in minor details from my reading of 'Tintin and the Blue Lotus'; like giving insight to how the blades of Chinese swords would be sharpened such that even finer objects like paper or hair would cut themselves against the blade with the lightest touch.
The details are also used to supplement the element of mystery, as in a case where the character of Tintin deduces a scenario following the clue of a car's presence evidenced by a fresh patch of oil on the street.



Encouraged by a priest who worked with Chinese students, Herge sought to develop the authenticity of his work further and improve its quality by looking beyond cliches of his comics' topical cultures.
In 1934, he met with Chang Chon-chen, a student studying sculpture. The two got along well, and Chen gave Herge great insight into Chinese culture. Chen's name is given to a character in The Blue Lotus whom Tintin bonds with, providing an analogous relationship which dealt, in Herge's words, 'the sweeping away of prejudices.'

Herge began to take his research even more seriously when concerning cultures at this time, sketching activities and dresses of the culture he was studying.
This synergized with his journalistic edge in a political accuracy which was very sensitive to current events, notably the threats of world war.



Edward W. Said (1978) looks at Orientalism specifically not as the glorification or demonizing of a culture, but the integration of the culture -'It is, rather than expresses, a certain will or intention to understand' (p 90)
While Tintin has its subversion of stereotypes, Herge's geopolitical awareness extends beyond that; seeking to understand and not just merely sympathize.



Varnum (2001) gives two key differences between images and words.
Drawing support from Plato's Cratylus, Varnum reasons images can stand the test of time, while words 'are useful only insofar as their signification is commonly understood.'

I wonder about classical literature and the language aged just a couple of hundred years which can dilute a reader's understanding, whereas a cave painting has little trouble in delivering its message across thousands of years.
Varnum then cites Gotthold Lessing's eighteenth century works. 'It is that while words must be spoken or written one after the other in time and are apprehended sequentially, the elements of an image are arranged side by side in space and are apprehended all at once.'
There's little doubt in my mind this plays a large part in the success of visual media Varnum describes early in his text.
Varnum considers comics a hybrid, '(blurring) the distinction between literature and the visual arts.'
And with regard to controversy surrounding comics -'...no combination of the two could be made without compromising the integrity of both.'

Comics should be regarded as a literary genre, though with the distinction of being a hybrid medium.
They are becoming more accepted as more literary purists are bred out over the generations.



Anyone else notice more of a stigma against comics from literary critics than visual art critics?
It makes me wonder :]