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after reading McCloud's explanations of comic book theory, it really made me understand of how creative and purposeful comic creators are. The intention behind everything in a single frame can be broken down layer by layer and be attributed to what they wanted to push for. To break things down it would have to go into politics, culture, society, current events etc. there's a lot more to a frame and to understand the messaging behind the comic this needs to be explored. but what's so great about it is that it does not take away the user friendliness that can make anyone pick up a comic book, enjoy the story and illustrations without having to go deep. Even at face value there is a lot to be enjoyed. - RJ (B)

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Kind of feel like I've been reading comics with my eyes closed

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Kind of feel like I've been reading comics with my eyes closed

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I had never thought about comics so deeply before. I had never realized how everything—from the gutters to the art style—was deliberate and intentional. There are things I never really thought about because they went over my head, such as the playfulness of speech bubbles and the simplification of characters. (On this note, I had never realized how important the balance between simple and realistic images was, so it was truly an eye-opener when they mentioned that too realistic images can produce stagnancy instead of a seamless narrative!!!)

I am convinced that my brain has been subconsciously consuming and understanding these icons and texts so to have McCloud explain it in the way that they did really opened my eyes.

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After reading McCloud's dissection of the comics genre, I can say that with confidence. I knew that making comics took a lot, but I never realized just how much really went into it. Writing a story and making the art is hard enough, but thinking about the layout, the presentation, and even the aspect of the page-turn—it adds so much. Not to mention the fact that even what is left out of the comic can greatly change things, too. It was my first time learning about the gutter, and needless to say, I'm floored.

Knowing all of this, I'm a bit intimidated now to start working on my own comic with my groupmates for the final project, but I'm internalizing as much as I can. It's given me so much to think about, and McCloud articulates such complex theories and aspects of comic-making in such digestible, easy to understand ways. It helps to see it all illustrated alongside the textual explanation. Funny, but it makes sense that the best way to explain comics is through a comic. - Billie Asuncion (B)

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I've always been enamoured with visual art. though most of my experience has been thru Manga and webtoon. Its a love that has ebbed and flowed throughout my life. This has definitely sparked the excitement for the medium back into my life.

What used to be pure entertainment has ascended into a new level and I am excited for where it takes me! :) Looking at it at a deeper level is fascinating to me as well. Analyzing not just hte plot, but the composition and the aesthetic choices, as well as what is the overarching narrative in the piece, what the biases of the author is, etc. etc.

JIN BUENAVENTURA (B)

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It's fascinating to understand just how much thought goes into making a graphic novel. Just seeing how every piece of dialogue, art, and even the way we're supposed to read it are intentional blows my mind.

McCloud really hit it on the nail when talking about closure and the importance of the gutter. It's always exciting to read something like Flashpoint and have your imagination make The Flash jump off the pages and really convince you of just how fast he's going. It's very much a relationship between the reader and the book.

You get more out of the comic if you put more of yourself in it.

- CDG

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As a child, I wasn't really interested in reading comics since I wasn't really a fan of the more well-known ones that were proliferated with superheroes and villains or even the more casual ones like Archie. It is only recently that I really started to get into reading comics and mangas since the depth and storytelling that many have truly captivate me.

McCloud gives me a better appreciation for these works and leaves me wanting to read more and more. The explanations given prove the technicality, skill and intention behind each and every stroke that enamours the reader since it leaves them feeling like they are in a secret.

-Kym

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There's definitely a lot of content to digest and new concepts to process, but I think it's cool how it helped me reflect on the ideas that I already have based on intuition.

For instance, I realized that maybe my fascination toward Vault Boy (Fallout) and the character's relatability is because of the lack of detail and definition on his face -- an idea from McCloud readings.

- Noah

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As someone who see comics from time to time and just read them out of the blue, I'm amazed by the amount of types and rules pertaining to comics out there in the open. Sure, I recognize some of the comics mentioned, but I didn't realize that there are more comics out there that discuss different topics and use different elements of art as well.

I am mindblown in a good way, and I liked how the history and elements of art in comics are presented in the form of comics as well. I may be a bit overwhelmed with the concepts though, but I'll try my best to put my thoughts in one place and work from there.

-KC Paderes (A)

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McCloud's assertion that the proportion of panel-to-panel transitions reflecting the culture from which the comic book or its writers drew inspiration from was very interesting to me. Namely, Western comics primarily consisted of action-to-action storytelling because of their goal-oriented culture. Meanwhile, Japanese comic books use a lot of aspect-to-aspect transitions. They emphasize more of "being there" instead of "getting there". That was really eye-opening for me since it made me realize that the same can be applied to movies. Namely, what makes Studio Ghibli films special is that it emphasizes the scenery and allows you to really experience what it's like to be in that setting. Meanwhile, superhero movies often go from one battle to the next, finishing up a plot point before going into a new one (apart from maybe Snyder's JL which had A LOT of slow motion sequences introducing the setting).

Lastly, McCloud's realization made me think about how Filipino comics reflect our own culture. And judging by Pugad Baboy (admittedly the only Filipino comic I've read), I believe it's a mixture of both. One one hand, Pugad Baboy still relies on action-to-action transitions to get to its punchline at the end, but there are still panels allotted to encapsulate the Filipino provincial setting. It goes to show that as the Philippine culture is a hodge-podge of the cultures of our colonizers, so too are our comics. - Adrian Cortes

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As someone that has only read a few comics in her lifetime, Kukkonen and McCloud have done a wonderful job of delving into its elements and subtleties — highlighting how each play a role in building a storyworld, fostering relations amongst characters, and conveying certain messages. Not only did I gain a newfound appreciation for the art of comics, I am genuinely in awe of the intentionality and effort that goes behind each panel. As readers, our only task is to fill in the blanks and create our own interpretations whereas the artists and writers uphold the task of producing an entire picture. In fact, it's more than just a picture, it's a whole parallel universe! It's also interesting to me that despite it being a completely different world, comics still integrate reality in more ways than one such as through portraying social cues, emotions, expressions, and body language among other facets of human nature. And yet, amid its complexities, it packages stories in a way that is more digestible. This leads me to believe that comics can serve purposes beyond entertainment. In this digital age where visual storytelling has become more important and in-demand than ever, there is a place for comics in the academia, journalism, and other fields.

- Herrera, Amanda Beatrice M. (4-AB Comm)

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I am coming into the class a complete noob when it comes to graphic novels & comic books 😅 After the fun readings, I realized that I've been missing out! There's so much intricacy in creating comics and consuming them. More than the texts & pictures, what I found interesting is the reader's active role in these graphic novels. It empowers audiences to perceive what is on the panel and contribute to building the story world in a personalized & engaging way.

While I enjoy the movie & TV adaptations of famous comics, the readings piqued my interest, specifically with the origin stories, similarities, and differences that motion pictures & comics offer. I am looking forward to putting my learnings in practice by reading more comics in class 😆🤌🏽 - Dosado, Wira

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I find it intriguing how much process and science there is in making comics or graphic novels. Comics are more than just texts and pictures. There is so much thought and effort that goes into it especially in arranging the texts and pictures to be able to give a logical, beautiful and interesting story. One thing that stuck in my head is that comics, in a sense, are dynamic. This pops into my head because of the thought that whatever is placed or written, those are just guides on how a reader would understand the story. And since each reader has different contexts or a single reader may be reading in different contexts, then there is a possibility that these understandings may vary from one person to another. I think that this dynamism is what gives comics its beauty.

Honestly, comics and graphic novels are still something new to me so I am looking forward to learning more about it in this class. - K :)

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One thing the readings made me realize is the synthetical relationship between the text and visual aspect of comics in its narrative. I always saw them be separate entities altogether. The text is the main way the narrative is pushed. And the graphic part of the graphic novel is only meant to aid in the narrative rather than be its main driving force.  I never realized that what makes comics unique is the synthesis of language and art, that both are equally utilized to push the narrative. Not to mention the many different ways language and art can be shown, it just goes to show the flexibility of comics.

Another thing McCloud made me realize is the idea of comics being a medium of closure. It never really occurred to me that I'm the one filling in the blanks between the panel. It becomes a sort of active participation from the reader to interpret the implications of what's happening outside the panels themselves. It would also seem then that to an extent, different people would have different interpretations of what's happening in the gutter. Of course, everyone will read what's in the panel. However, the closure I will create in between the panel can be different from the closure others would imagine.

-Luis

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The thing that really struck me with the readings was the idea that comics are the way that the reader plays an active role in creating the story world of the piece. It never occurred to me that the gutters were placed there as a way for the readers to decipher the text in their own way. Readers are only given clues on how the story unfolds.

It is also very amusing for me to think that we are accepting of its abstractions. This reminds me of the idea of the uncanny valley wherein too much realism may make people uneasy

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I never really thought much about graphic novels, but the readings were really insightful that my appreciation for the art just grew ten-fold. I particularly enjoyed learning about the technical aspects of making comics, and how so much attention to detail is truly needed in order to be able to convey a message by merely guiding the reader and not imposing on them.

I just think that it's amazing how comics is able to reimagine a storyworld that unfolds through a reader's imagination with the guidance of the artist. I feel that reading comics finds a sweet spot between reading books and watching a movie because it provides you the leisure of using your imagination to visualize what's happening beyond the panels, but also it gives you enough visual cues so as to make your experience more attune to the storyworld being constructed.

Although I am a newbie to all of this, I am really looking forward to learning more about comics through this class.  - Kyla

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it's so fascinating to see comics being broken down to an almost scientific level, and being close-read the same way other forms of literature are. what really got me was how the types of transitions between frames had their own purpose in the manner of storytelling within a comic, and the scene setting in japanese comics is something i noticed too and found it very interesting to see it pointed out in comparison to western comics. interesting stuff :0

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At first, reading comics was simply a means for "enjoyment." After reading these 3 chapters, I realized that comics is like a marriage between language and art in which icons are used to convey the author's imagination or message to its audience. Its also amazing me that there is a spectrum of how these iconic comic characters are specifically drawn to place an emphasis on the story