Salem Drago

Right away the comic sets up what it's going to be like simply by looking at the first page. It has a very unique set up and style to it. It almost reminds me of older cartoon shows like The Regular Show. The comic also returns to the basic format of older comics by using perfectly squared panels. The comic is drawn almost as if it's a children's comic. Though the contents of it clearly is aimed for an adult audience. One thing I really enjoyed about this comic is how it was created traditionally (or at least appears to be). It gives the paper a certain type of texture and almost nostalgic feel due to the texture of paper. Another thing that really stands out to me is how this artist uses mixed media to create the comic. For one short story it appears to be watercolor while the next is done in colored pencils then marker. Using mixed media in this type of way is a new thing I have never seen done in a comic before and changed the feeling of each story. This comic is also mo

"Astro City" is a beautifully done comic that looks no different from the modern comics we know of today. One thing I noticed in this comic compared to the previous weeks, is how saturated the colors are. In the previous comics there were some saturated elements however, in this one every color is very saturated. Another thing I noticed and really enjoyed about this comic is how in this one, it really plays with panels by breaking the outlines of them. This adds a dynamic spin to each panel causing them to be more impactful. It also really plays with onomatopoeia's to really push sounds and not leaving too much to the reader's imagination. Though to some readers, they want a little more imagination while reading. However for me personally, I like the story being self explanatory and really pushing the impact of something simply based on an illustration. "Astro City" makes you follow around a superhero-like character and immediately the reader gets attached t

One main thing I noticed is that everything is in black in white with touches of blue in each theme. However despite it having more black and white it still feels as if each panel is in full color. The panels are filled with fun shapes and so much movement that they never feel empty despite the lack of color. Another thing that really stuck out to me was the use of extreme angles. Many comics I have read at least, use only shots that are essential. However, in "Fun Home" she uses more interesting panels. For example when they are describing the father fixing the house, instead of using flat camera work, she uses very dynamic angles. After a few panels it reveals the father's dark secret. Which I personally love how this author set up the story and drew the father already as a controlling father. Making him this way from the beginning makes the readers already have a dislike for him but when the dark secret is mentioned, it's a shocking surprise that makes the readers

"Alice In Sunderland" - A lot of different media -To show history it uses collages of real pictures and places while the characters remain black and white -It uses horizontal lines to shade and dramatic lighting -Half way through it changes it's realistic style to a more free formed style to show a theater story "Blood on the Moon" -There are 3 panels per page and are the width of the entire page -Has a very realistic style -Well established background and atmosphere compared to other comics -Portrays the history of Native Americans and the war over the land with the whites "The Dream Hunters" -It's laid out in a picture book style. Instead of having comic strips with dialogue, it has a full page illustration then the next page in only text of the story. -Each illustration connecting with the story with it's own unique color schemes -Each illustrations comes across as surreal almost with fluidity while also changing the techni

One thing I thought that was very interesting about "Understanding Comics" is how the author said the more simplified a face is, the more we relate. I never thought of this before but it makes a lot of sense. Though hyper-realistic drawings are impressive, in the world of comics, they don't really belong. We may be able to have a connection with a character that is drawn in a very realistic style and admire them. However, when a character in a comic is more simplified, almost a simple circle with eyes, the reader cannot help but put themselves in that character's shoes. I also really liked how this book was written as an actual comic. Many books that start with "Understanding" or "The History of" tend to be very text heavy and often times boring. As soon as I simply saw the first page I knew this was nothing like an ordinary history book. Still being informative and educational but also a very fun read. Truly flipping the "history is boring&q

Right away I already really like that the people are draw as humanized mice. I also really like the style of it, using thick black lines to show shading. It makes every small panels seem like it is moving do to this way of shading.