Understanding Comics - Scott Mcloud

Understanding comics was fascinating to me because it made me rethink about cartoons and really figure out why they have such an iconic impact on people. The interesting thing was how he explained that the simpler the drawing the more we relate to it and envision ourselves through it. This is because we also see ourselves in a reduced simpler visual form, kind of like a cartoon. Another thing that was interesting to me was the process of making comic books. This was good for me because i' not a big comic book reader but learning the process makes me wanna jump into it more now and even make my own.

A week of kindness Max Ernst

The first panel displays a woman wearing a black robe standing on one foot with her arms extended to the sides. On the floor next to her there is a chicken and an egg. The darkness and mystery of the panel makes me think of some kind of ritual being performed.
The second panel shows a large chicken-man standing next to a woman, that could be dead or sleeping, in a room. He
The third panel is about the woman in the last panel being lowered in a casket somewhere underground. Another naked woman stands naked on the side while the chicken-man and now another creature look at her suspiciously. In the back there is an upside down cross hanging which might indicate that this is a human sacrifice being performed on the women by these creatures.
Fourth panel- She is laying half-naked on a rectangular slab of concrete. The creatures are talking and plotting what to do with her. The situation looks bleak, it looks like another step of the ritual is about to take place.
Panel 5- Woman on the floor appears to be dead and there is blood splattered on the floor.
There are important elements to this work that we know are the basic elements of traditional comic books. The only difference is that this work is more surreal and even though the panels are in order its more up to the reader to interpret the story as he or she wishes.

Shaun Tan's The Arrival

Wordless graphic novels like The Arrival by Shaun Tan prove that a story can successfully be presented with just images. The Arrival is the tale of a man who immigrates to a distant and foreign land in search of money, prosperity, and a better future for his family which he leaves behind. He is forced to leave his country because of a menacing presence symbolized as a shadow of a monster's tail.
 The story is very similar to many immigrants's stories and to their struggles and confusions in reaching a foreign land for the first time. The indecipherable and weird symbols Tan presents to the reader are his attempt to show how an immigrant feels and sees the world.
The Arrival works well because the sequence of events are clear and captivating. Every single square is so interesting and well drawn that it keeps you glued to the book and makes you wonder what is going to happen next. I think the lack of words adds an extra element to the book because it makes the reader use his imagination and play the story out in his/her mind.