Week Two - Filip

Here are my answers to the questions posed throughout the course based on the notes I've compiled. I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I've enjoyed studying for them.


According to Horricks (2004), how have perceptions of comics as a media changed?

Distrust of comics, with campaigns made against them by concerned members of the public and politicians.
Curious that ‘in fact, some of the most active anti-comics crusaders were socialists and social liberals, shocked by the violence and jingoistic anti-Communism found in many American comics.’
It amazes me the conservatives were hating on the liberals and the liberals were hating on the conservative views and perhaps comics were something of a scapegoat?

Today comics are critically and publicly respected more. They are given formal reviews and awards. Academic courses exist. (Horricks 2004)



What does Baetons (2001) mean by ‘monstration’, ‘graphiation’ and the ‘graphiateur’?

Monstration – When the story is conveyed through suggestion; without drawing attention as per use of narration.

Graphiation – Stress on words or images

Graphiateur – Person creating the stresses

I found what Baetons says here quite poignant;
‘Graphiation is at its strongest in a drawing that is in the stage of a rough copy or sketch.’
Looking at some sketches by comic artist Bruce Timm, one can see how the sketches explore the manipulation of the character model.

http://www.comicvine.com/bruce-timm/26-7365/all-images/108-72298/timm1/105-474871/

In this case, the Graphiateur is Bruce Timm, the character’s variety of poses showing action and attitude are the graphiation. What gets across to the reader-spectator is the monstration, which is more apparent in a finished work which is generally given more direction than a sketch.

http://www.comicvine.com/bruce-timm/26-7365/all-images/108-72298/1987_harley_quinn_400/105-473202/

Here a story is suggested (quite suggestively so) between the characters present. It is up to the reader-spectator to interpret the green plant held above the head of one of the characters as mistletoe and to arrive at their own conclusion.

Images from
http://www.comicvine.com/bruce-timm/26-7365/
Retrieved 4/8/2010



What does Khordoc think the Asterix series does better than Herge’s Tintin?

Khordoc believes Asterix has better conveyance of sound, the use of speech bubbles in particular appeal to Khordoc’s value of deliberation. ‘The speech balloon in comics is effective as a “phonostyllistic element” because it is direct: there is no narrator acting as intermediary between the character’s “voice” and the reception of this “voice” by the reader.’