Stacy Moon

There is a huge audience for web comics nowadays, which made me feel that they were appropriate to discuss for this week’s blogpost. In South Korea especially, there is a whole sub-culture of webtoon artists and readers. Some become insanely popular, which often lead to big hit television remakes of the comic (also true in Japan). What’s interesting about online comics is the amount of variety for me, as I can easily switch from a very emotional, dramatic story to slice-of-life comedic one shots. Websites like Line Webtoon, Lehzin, or Comico make it extremely easy and convenient to jump from one series to the next. It also brings an opportunity for aspiring comic artists to showcase their talents, and possibly gain a huge following. I wanted to highlight three different web comics today: “Lore Olympus” by Rachel Smythe, “Ghost Teller” by QTT, and “Sarah’s Scribbles” by Sarah Andersen. These select three are extremely different from each other, but they are al...

1. What is your reaction to the text you just read? I've actually been wanting to read The Killing Joke  for a long time, so I'm glad that I was finally to. People have raved over this comic for being completely original and a unique take on the Joker. I would say the same after reading through it. The story was really captivating and kept me interested the whole way. Especially after watching the Joker  film that recently came out, there is this strange limbo feeling of wanting to be sympathetic but also morally correct. Nevertheless, I felt like I understood the Joker more as a character with a troubled past, rather than just a tacky villain. This comic allowed the reader to step inside the madness that drove him to be where he stands today. I also love a good backstory, so that was a plus for me. The only thing that put me off was the part about Barbara. I am aware that the criticism for this subject has been made constantly, and even Alan Moore himself regrets the story ...

For this week I read a bunch of “The Magnificent Ms. Marvel” series from Marvel. Overall, it was a pretty fun and quick read (I could only find 9 issues). Typically, I don’t go for this category, meaning I don’t really read or watch a lot of superhero comics/ films. I know that it is one of the biggest fandoms out there and with the current trends of DC and Marvel, I can’t see that fandom dying down anytime soon. I believe that it doesn’t really appeal to my taste because it feels very formulaic and repetitive in terms of story and character archetypes. I definitely appreciate the creativity of the designs and super powers, but after a while I find myself feeling kind of immune to the same situations and storylines. I did find Ms. Marvel to be interesting though, and I loved the specificity to the culture. Kamala could just say mom and dad, but calling them “abu and ammi” made her feel more genuine. I also enjoyed reading the little light-hearted moments, like the “flirting” betwe...

I have seen this comic at B&N multiple times and considered picking it up, but I was never able to sit down and read through it. Considering how much I loved reading “Blankets,” I had a feeling that I was going to like this week’s reading a lot. I think that “This One Summer” by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki is like a sweet love letter to our prepubescent years. I enjoyed the topics that were highlighted in the story, like the pregnancy and random girl talks between Rose and Windy. It’s nice to see someone out there starting the conversation about these “taboo topics,” and to use comics as a form of communication is engaging for all ages. The story had a good pacing throughout, and I liked how it didn’t feel like a fictional piece of work. It felt more like a summertime memoir, and the art complemented that feeling wonderfully. Jillian’s art style was simply beautiful; the lines were very organic and clean, making the whole page cohesive. Though the comic was al...