Megg and Mogg by Simon Hanselman

Megg and Mogg by Simon Hanselman, ok where the fuck do I begin. This web-comic is out of control. No. This comic never had control to start. I have seen some pretty degrading things in my day but this glorifies them. I'm not saying I hate this web-comic, but I don't necessarily enjoy it. I don't mind crude humor, and sex jokes. The very first spread I saw was of Megg and Mogg just macking on each other. So, I thought immediately, this is going to be some weird shit. Mogg is a fucking cat. Of course that meant they were going to ball in some future strip. Which turns out to be in an Ikea of all places. Very early into reading this web-comic I realized that these characters aren't really a which, cat, werewolf, or owl. Instead I saw them as regular people. These are pretty scummy people, but people nonetheless. Once I started to look at them not as fantasy archetypes this web-comic got way more real. I definitely saw regular human behavior and mannerisms, although very terrible ways of living. These characters read to me as people that aren't ambitious. People who don't want to be someone important. Instead, they just want to get as high as they can, ball around, and repeat. I wish that these characters were completely fictitious, unfortunately, they aren't. I have met people like these characters. I don't particularly hate those people, and I understand there must have been some circumstances they had issues with that lead them down shady paths. Seeing these types of personalities in this comic reminded me that there are definitely limits to what I would consider regular behavior. These personalities are so involved in immediate pleasure and don't care about consequences. I may like to get drunk and ball, but there's a point where you have to wake up and make something of yourself. Or you can just let your life spiral out of control and you end up like Werewolf Jones high off some weird shit, bare balls naked playing Zelda and threatening to kill yourself.

HellBoy and Savage Dragon by Erik Larsen

 

These are the comics I wish someone had shown me when I was a young lad. They break all the conventions of regular super hero comics. These comics are, in my opinion, more outlandish when they're explained out loud. Still, while you're reading them they pretty much make perfect sense. They are like those weird dreams where your left shoe is actually two bananas taped together but you don't question it. Just like this story of Savage Dragon and Hellboy fighting each other because a giant ape with Hitler's brain is mind-controlling them both and making them fight against their will. Yeah, that all checks out just fine. That's what’s so awesome about it. I regret not getting into these titles sooner. I know when I was a kid I didn't like many new and different concepts. For example, I never liked ugly or misshaped characters. I thought that what characters looked like on the outside was all that mattered and if something didn't look good then it wasn't worth my time. Well, I wasn't a very smart kid. I learned over the years that the characters that aren't perfect are the most interesting. Hellboy is a demon that carries the key to annihilation of the human race as an arm. That would probably be considered the biggest of red flags for a hero character. Instead, Hellboy showed me that no matter where you come from, you can decide to be your own person. You aren't tied down to your roots just because you were born there. Now when I read these stories I don't mind at all that there's a monkey with Hitler's brain. It’s there for the plot and that's fine by me.

Diary of a Dominatrix by Molly Kiely

Diary of a Dominatrix by Molly Kiely was actually quite enjoyable. I didn't really know what to expect when I chose to read this selection for woman's comics. I felt like it would be more of a "how to" rather than an actual character telling me about her life. I found the comic was really well made, the illustrations are nothing crazy or out of this world but they really fit with the mood of the story. Which is a very relaxed and informal story. I didn't know anything about the dominatrix and slave lifestyle. I was very amazed that some people actually enjoy being mistreated with no real break in character. It seemed like these relationships focus on keeping the illusion of control consistent and being friendly or compassionate would destroy the fun. This just seems so unorthodox to me. I have always wanted to be treated nicely. But there are people out there that want the exact opposite, and they still find pleasure in it. I don't think that after reading this I will even consider that lifestyle. I’m not a man that wants anything shove up my butt Especially when they are carrots and other phallic veggies.

Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli

Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli was a very refreshing work of art. There are far too many comics that stick to old conventional ways to design pages. I really enjoyed the sections where he would illustrate each character in their own style. (as pictured above) We can tell that the woman is much more open and free spirited. Represented by the overall loose use of lines and crosshatching. Where as the man on the right is stern and rigid in personality. We see that even his body is separated into sections and there are methodically straight lines everywhere with very little rendering clutter.  Mazzucchelli really has a way of capturing the characters' essence with each different style. The story itself was pretty interesting, but it wasn't something compelled me to keep reading. I read about half of the whole novel and I was interested in knowing what happened in the story, but there wasn't a need to finish it in one go. For me it is very hard for me to stop reading a good graphic novel and pick it up again later. There is this disconnect for me when I leave a story half finished.  I will probably go back and finish this novel but it's not my top priority.

Battle Angel Alita: Last Order by Yukito Kishiro

Dai Panic!!! Super Dynamic!! This manga is definitely full of energy. The main difference between western comics and manga, in my opinion, is how dynamic everything is in manga. I have read a lot of manga in my day, and some of them are really hard to keep up with. There is also this running theme to designing a manga. The panels only show what is necessary for the story to feel consistent. There are way more shots of a character with some lines radiating out to show some type of dramatic emotion or reaction. Nevertheless it works, because it adds to the reader's experience. Where in western comics a lot of action in portrayed almost statically.  In manga they break down a lot of shots but they all flow together in a sequence. Personally, I really enjoy manga. There just feels like there is so much more substance to the characters. Maybe it’s because of what Scott McCloud said in understanding cartoons. It is easier to connect with a more stylized character design. The majority of anime and manga have the same simplified approach to characters. I believe that's why younger audiences have such an affinity for anime and manga now.

RanXerox by Tanino Liberatore

RanXerox by Tanino Liberatore. Fuck me this novel was some messed up shit. Sorry for the language but that is just how this novel hit me. This thing was a none stop fever dream. I felt like I was over caffeinated while on a roller coaster, where everything was calm for about ten seconds and then what do you know Ranx just fucking smashed a dude’s face in after balling some floozy. Honestly the underground comics were tame compared to this. There were sections were I felt like the writer was fetishizing cruel human behavior. There’s one point were some lady is trying to ball Ranx and then she finds out he’s a robot so he fucking tapes her to a toilet and lets some dude pretty much rape her. She ends up liking it but just what the hell. If its one thing that completely ignites my rage is anything that has to do with rape. To an extent I figure that the writer was intentionally trying to make the reader feel uncomfortable. But there were very few calm moments in RanXerox. Even with the art style they chose to use. There are big bold black lines on everything. The colors are very vibrant but washed out almost, and the rendering of realistic anatomy was just jarring. I feel like this was a revisit to underground comics, but someone turned the volume up to 11 and broke the fucking nob off. If you want to make someone recoil at your story then I recommend doing it within the plot, and let the reader breath once in a while.

March Book One by John Lewis & Andew Aydin

 

March by John Lewis & Andrew Aydin was not my favorite read so far. This is not because of the actual story or the way its told. I just don't particularly like the style in which the artist rendered the panels. However I will acknowledge the design of the pages as a whole. The art style is just not for me. I completely love the design of most of the actual panel layouts, and the story is again something that must be told. Maus by Art Spiegelman is the other example, which I believe, needs to be taught to the masses multiple times. March does not portray as much of the incredibly violent scenes as Maus did. However the events that March covers are just as horrifying. There is a difference between knowing that there is racism in the world, and knowing exactly how it manifests. Anyone rational person can tell you that racism is out there but not many people can provide exact examples, and scenarios. March was much easier for me to read that Maus. Mainly because of the overall better design of the panels. Also, because the story was a bit easier to digest. Where Maus made me feel nauseous at some points March made me feel anger. The factor of passing the horrible treatment of events through a person's recounting makes it somehow easier to connect with the literature. Maus was very blunt in its delivery. These stories do remind me of how terrible masses could become. I absolutely hate when anyone is targeted because of something so nebulous as race. Race does not determine a person, or any group of people. Unless the entire race were clones of one really messed up person, but that is not possible. There are very few reads that can ignite my passionate hatred for terrible flaws in humanity and both of these novels hit the mark.