Do you think comics are children or adult genre/media?
Comics. Are they children or adult genre? The first thing that comes to mind when someone speaks of ‘comics’ is a book full of pictures and fictional characters suitable for younger readers. We think of heroes such as Superman and X-Men, and the many times that they always win the battle. However, comics are a fascination and as Rizwana stated below “they cater to a wide range of audiences...” The genre of the comic depends on the readers preference and interest, but we also need to realise that as a reader we interpret our own way of understanding the storyline and that opinions may differ in regards of whether the context of the story was appropriate or not.
In Herge’s production of the Tintin series; Tintin in the Congo, he received some criticism with characters and racial context he used. Characters are imitated with childlike natives. The colour of skin stands out (used pitch black colours as skin tone), facial details such as big noses or lips have also been used and cultural background is also depicted through the themes in its story. (NZ Herald, 19 July 2007). Although young readers may not interpret such a meaning, where as an adult reader could clearly see how racial themes have been used throughout the story.
Herge tries to correct racial stereotypes of Chinese among Europeans in Tintin and the Blue Lotus. Tintin explains to his dear friend Chang that not all ‘White’ men are wicked or conniving people and that we shouldn’t judge people based on what others perceive them to be. So to finally answer the topic question, comics are both children and adult media as this media considers all its potential readers.
How might Herge’s The Blue Lotus address or relate to what Said (1977) terms ‘orientalism’?
Tintin and The Blue Lotus has by far been Herge’s best work out of all the Tintin series, The Blue Lotus has been carefully well thought out as it is portrayed through the Chinese culture and art applied in Herge’s work. Herge’s cultural inspiration comes from a Chinese art student Chang Chong-chen (Farr, 1991) who’s name ‘Chang’ of Tintin’s Chinese companion in The Blue Lotus. Chang Chong-chen’s contribution, lead Herge into his oriental state, where he could research and elaborate the Chinese culture and portray this through the images and context we read and see in The Blue Lotus.
According to Said (1977) he describes the Orient being a European invention as it represents “material civilization and culture” (pg. 88). Also to take in consideration, Herge was Westerner and his views or ideas about China, is what Said (1977) suggests as ‘orientalism’, the idea that a Westerner establishes ‘the East’. Herge has done this through The Blue Lotus, as he expresses Chinese culture through images, colonial themes, and characteristics of certain characters.
Definitely, in Herge’s attempts to remedy a hackneyed Orientalism he’s perhaps only perpetuated false impressions of the East, purely from having to exaggerate his depictions because his media of choice is the comic book, and though ‘heavily researched’ his work may be, his ‘younger’ audience and the type of illustration/narrative expected thereof necessitates (minor?) distortion. Though I’m not from the East and maybe Herge’s representation is as accurate as a comic-portrait can get; then again, his polemic against collective presuppositions concerning the Orient are set in a cartoon world, so he’s almost defeated his own purposes. Maybe he should have opted for a photography book if the nearest distillation of a cultural reality was his objective.
ReplyDeleteThen again, he’s perhaps rabble-rousing younger generations who are as yet supple to new impressions of the East, piquing their curiosity so that when of age they might go out and chronicle the East for him, in ways which circumstances might have deprived him of.
Herge manages to explore and deconstruct stereotypes well enough that his stories (Following and including The Blue Lotus) don't really give off much of a feeling of bias.
ReplyDeleteI think that surely would've been helpful to his success. Readers would get to meet both good and bad people from different cultures and be encouraged to judge the individual, not the stereotype.
Hi Harri,
ReplyDeleteThis is much better!
Do you think that an adult 'misses out' on anything in reading a comic such as Tintin, which clearly does aim to attract adult readers, but also aims to attract child readership as well?
Do you think Herge does a good job with Chinese culture in theb text? Do you think he destroys stereotypes? Are any other cultural group stereotyped?
Esther :)