Our next work is by artist Gene Yang. Take a few minutes to peruse some of this background information about the author to help flesh out your conversations!
Check out this great interview with Gene Yang on the Millions.
You might also be interested in this NPR radio talk with the author.
ALSO: One aspect of the comic to think about is its use of color and the fact that the color was provided by another cartoonist, Lark Pien. How does this "graphic novel"'s color scheme affect your reading? How does it contrast with the mainly black and white works we've read? How do color comics invoke some of the issues about emotion that McCloud writes about in his sections on color in Understanding Comics?
Over time I have come to appreciate black and white comics and tend to prefer them over colored comics. While it all depends on the comic, I generally prefer works that showcase detail and style over colors. As McCloud said in his book the biggest reason that comics are black and white are due to budget concerns, however just because you can color in your art does not mean that it improves your art.
ReplyDeleteLooking through some of Yang's work it seems that he uses a fairly monochrome color palette. Most of his color has a "washed-out" feel to it that I actually like. While his art style is extremely cartoony, it is kind of offset by the bland coloring. Plus I'm not really a fan of high contrasting color as you would typically see in golden-age comics.
In all honesty, I don't focus that much on color when reading, but I agree with Taylor that I tend to appreciate black and white comics. I think for me, it's easy to get distracted by flashy colors, which is how I feel about Yang's work. However, I do feel that it's more visually appealing. There are pros and cons to his style, but I do think it's nice for something different despite the inherent distraction.
ReplyDeleteI feel the overall tone of this comic is "Warmer" compared to the previous comics that we have read this far in class. Despite American Born Chinese attacking serious stereotypes that exist in our world. I like to think that despite McCloud saying that comics usually are printed in black and white due to budget concerns that its actually an artistic choice. I feel the choice to make this novel in color was chosen to illustrate the over the top caricatures of asians better.
ReplyDeleteI feel the overall tone of this comic is "Warmer" compared to the previous comics that we have read this far in class. Despite American Born Chinese attacking serious stereotypes that exist in our world. I like to think that despite McCloud saying that comics usually are printed in black and white due to budget concerns that its actually an artistic choice. I feel the choice to make this novel in color was chosen to illustrate the over the top caricatures of asians better.
ReplyDelete