The Future of Comics

This week I read Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack from the course resource page.  This seems to be a collection of different comics from one artist, most of them being more comedic.  The also seem to be more on the adult and dark humor side of comedy, but nothing too graphic which is appreciated.  Most of the art styles are simple and easy to read, with flat colors and simple linework.  Most of the comics are also very short, being three to five panels at the most.  I really enjoyed reading these as they are easy to take in and almost stress relieving.  It kind of reminds me of instagram artists who make the really short-winded comics about things that are very easy to relate to. 

Upon reading about the author, Nicolas Gurewitch, it is said that these comics are intended to be a juxtaposition between whimsical imagery and morbid and dark imagery, which is presented pretty well in my opinion.  A lot of the comics have themes about love, religion, sexuality, war, etc.  Some of the comics I didn't completely understand, I'll admit.  Im assuming there is a button for the joke on each but maybe not. 

Specifically these were the ones that I didn't really get the joke.  But they were still fun to read regardless.



This one is one of my favorites though:


It's more light-hearted then the other more sexualized and morbid stuff but I still found myself laughing.  All three of these comics side by side also show off how off-the-rails the art style is, showing how Nicolas can change it depending on what he needs for that specific strip.

Reconsidering the Superhero

I decided to read Arkham asylum (1989) this week and I can say that this comic has probably the creepiest art style out of everything I have read this week.  It was really enjoyable to look at and I liked this interesting take on the already pretty dark art style of the batman comics.  The comic is written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Dave Mckean.  The story follows Batman as he is called to handle a riot taking place in Arkham Asylum, an infamous psychiactric hospital that houses the most dangerous and iconic supervillains in the Batman pantheon.  This includes, but isnt limited to Joker, Two-Face, Killer Croc, Harley Quinn, etc.  As Batman ventures into the building he discovers how the building was created and the history of the man who built it.  The building itself seems to have a darker backstory then the reader would see coming.  I really enjoyed this comic and the beautiful artwork helped engage me in the creepy, dark theme of the story as Batman discovers the mystery of Arkham Asylum.  This story also has a very different vibe in comparison to other Batman comics, which usually come off as a little more classical (minus the Killing Joke.)

This comic really caught my eye because when I was younger I had the playstation video game Arkham Asylum, which is based on this comic.  The art-style for this game wasn't nearly as dark and disturbing, but the gameplay really brings you into the mystery and creepiness of the original 1989 comic.  I think it pays a pretty accurate portrayal to Grant Morrison and Dave Mckean's original work.