Week 2

According to Horricks (2004), how have perceptions of comics as a media changed?

Comics, like many new forms of media, has been criticised by those who wish to banish them for being a societal evil (Horricks, 2004). However, I don’t think the genre is the danger, but more the content which can be against a person’s moral or ethical or political or racial or cultural standpoint and so seen as dangerous to an existing way of thinking or style of living. However, comics are still proliferating. Horricks discusses the different perceptions of comics. Among these are:

• Comics are made up of a number of panels appearing one after the other in a specified order (Horricks, 2004). Each panel was considered as being “a unit of time and space” (McCloud as cited by Horricks, p. 5).

I think this perception can be clearly seen in ‘The Blue Lotus’, for example, on page five and six (Herge, 2002) where the panels cover a time span (great or small is not specified) in which Tintin is walking along a road - moving to another panel Gibbons passing Tintin in a car – moving to Gibbons driving into the law enforcement complex – moving to Gibbons talking to the authorities – moving to an armoured vehicle leaving the complex – moving back to Tintin walking along the road. From the first Tintin panel in this sequence to the last, there’s a span of time (and jumping of locations), but the comics form makes the events occur almost instantaneously.

Even when the comics panels show two people talking together, each panel is a time shot. This reminds me of photographic images from a high-speed camera where certain pictures (in this case drawn) have been chosen from a series, but the many shots in between are not shown. For example, take ‘The Blue Lotus’, page 57 (Herge, 2002) where Mr Mitsuhirato is talking with Tintin. We see Mr Mitsuhirato pulling a cigarette out of a cigarette box, with the next panel showing him placing a lit match to the cigarette which is now in his mouth, to another panel in which he is holding the lit cigarette and gesturing with his other hand.

So, what happened to the lit match and the cigarette box? It seems to me the panels are chosen with time very much pinpointing the major action points, which I also think instils movement into the comics. This can be seen again on page 57 with the sword. It is shown four times, but never in the same position, giving a sense of movement.

• Then “space has become the form of comics and time the content” (Horricks, 2004, p. 6). That is, the space on the page is the comics and the way it takes its shape on the page. The example given shows the idea that panels have been abandoned in the top part of the page (McCloud as cited in Horricks, p. 5), but in this perception content is still connected to time.

• Another perception of comics which developed from McCloud (as cited in Horricks, 2004) is that comics have a hidden story. (Those 'snap shots' that are not chosen, I suppose). This is when the reader creates the story link between the panels which is what is termed “invisible art” (Horricks, p. 11), a process McCloud states as actually happening on a sub-conscious level, hence taking the word “closure” (Horricks, p. 11) from psychology.

This story-linking is what I think makes comics a study of action. If the movement in the comics flow is adequate and sophisticated enough by displaying the important gestures, movements, etc, the story can easily be picked up in the next panel. If not, I presume the ‘reading’ of the comics would be interrupted and confusing.

• Then comics began to rely less on the framed panel (unlike, I note, ‘The Blue Lotus’ which relies on framed panels). Whereas comics had taken a sequential format, some people, such as Chris Ware, developed comics where reading the comic moved away from being sequential (Horricks, 2004). Then the panel, according to Horricks, takes on the importance of conveying something to the reader rather than incorporating time and space.

• The story in comics became of lesser importance for some cartoonists than the worlds they created (Kochalka, as cited in Horricks, 2004).

However, ‘The Blue Lotus’ and other comics do not create a world for me. This is because I am looking at someone else’s rendition of, for example, what the characters look like and what their world looks like. I’m not relying on my imagination for world building but a world presented by someone else’s imagination. This tends to put distance between me and the work: I become an observer, not a participate. Words alone would have meant the Tintin stories would have taken more paper, to give descriptive pieces of characters, actions and the like – there being no reliance on pictures - then my imagination would have created the world.

• Comics became seen as an art form in which both the creator and the reader actively participated through the comics (Horricks, 2004). That is, the reader is no longer viewed as a passive recipient.

But was he/she ever? Considering ‘The Blue Lotus’ and Herge’s prior works, they certainly roused people to pass their opinions, both positive and negative, so his audience certainly wasn’t passive.

What does Baetens (2001) mean by ‘monstration’, ‘graphiation’ and the ‘graphiateur’?

Monstration is where “the events are performed by the characters themselves in a situation in which the story seems to narrate itself, without any narrator’s intervention” (Baetens, 2001, p.149). The term monstration was first used by Andre Gaudreault when looking at storytelling in films which is the intertwining of different kinds of storytelling, from the storytelling interpretation of the film director; the novel that may have inspired the film; and the film script itself (Baetens).

However, Marion (as cited in Baetens, 2001) believes there is another aspect in comics apart from monstration which requires consideration. That is graphiation. By considering graphiation, comics analysis can then include “elements which are neither [1] narrated nor [2] shown (‘monstration’) but are [3] drawn (‘graphiated’)" (Baetens, p. 149).

A graphiateur is the person who creates the graphiation which is the “graphic and narrative” (Baetens, 2001, p. 147) elements of comics. Graphiation allows for the special features in the comics medium to be taken into consideration when analysing the medium, for example, layout.

Baetens (2001) wonders at the problematics of taking the monstration idea and applying it to comics, for example, props used in movies and props used in comics. I think that in ‘The Blue Lotus’ it is the ‘props’ which help to create an authentic environment, just as movie props would in a movie. Herge uses banners, Chinese lanterns, Chinese pottery, wall hangings, rickshaws and so on.

What does Khordoc think the Asterix series does better than Herge’s Tintin?

Khordoc (2001) thinks the Asterix series depicts sound to a wider extent than Herge’s Tintin by using more ‘noise’ techniques than Herge.

Examples of ‘noises’ in the Asterix series I notice that are not used by Herge’s ‘The Blue Lotus’ include:

· Coloured speech balloons to show the negative words spoken by a character which affect others when their balloons alter colour as well;

· The representation of sound through pictures (e.g. lightning bolts to represent verbal aggression) and tone (e.g. sarcasm) and as a way to represent censored words that would be improper to use (Khordoc, 2001).

However, one ‘noise’ I notice in ‘The Blue Lotus’ that is not mentioned specifically by Khordoc (2001) is the use of musical chords dispersed through speech to represent someone singing (examples: page three and 23, Herge, 2002). Also another ‘noise’ not mentioned by Khordoc is the use of fuzzy outlined capitals. This occurs in ‘The Blue Lotus’ when the guru sits on the soft couch and its softness hurts him (Herge, p. 2). This is more than the capital bold letters that Khordoc speaks of to show increase of volume. The fuzzy outline of the lettering also signals the guru’s tone when he shrieks of pain. But on page 41, the ringing telephone sound is also fuzzy to represent its brittle, vibrating tone (Herge).

References

Baetens, J. (2001). Revealing Traces: a new theory of graphic enunciation. In Varnum, R. & Gibbons, C. (Eds.), The Language of Comics: word and image (pp. 145-155). Jackson: U Press of Mississippi.

Herge. (2002; 1983). The adventures of Tintin: The Blue Lotus. London: Methuen.

Horricks, D. (2004). The Perfect Planet: Comics, games and world-building. In Williams, M. (Ed.), Writing at the Edge of the Universe. Christchurch: U of Canterbury Press.

Khordok, C. (2001). The Comics Book's Soundtrack: Visual Sound-effects in Asterix. In Varnum, R. & Gibbons, C. (Eds.), The Language of Comics: word and image, (pp. 156-173). Jackson: U Press of Mississippi.

Week two

Week Two
What does Baetons (2001) mean by ‘monstration’, graphiation’ and the ‘graphiateur?
My understanding of the word graphication is that it refers to the style of the author or graphiateur which I suppose answers the second question of what is graphiateur . On page 147, 2nd paragraph, 4th line Baetons (2001) discusses an artist’s individual graphic style or what is technically referred to as the “graphic enunciators” expression. Gaudreaut describes monstration as a hierarchical combination of several types of narration (as sited in Baetens, 2001, p. 148)
What does Khordoc think the Asterix series does better than Herge’s Tin Tin?
According to Khordic (2001) the asterix comics display a comprehensive assortment of sounds in graphic representation whereas Herge does not. Khordic (2001) explains the reason for Herge’s comics not being as audible as others is due to the fact that Tin Tin contains a rather complex plot and therefore is narrated to a higher degree.
Compare the relationship between images and words and how they differ in Herge (1993) and Spiegelmans (2004) works?
Well before this popular genres course I had never read a comic. I don’t know if this is a bad thing or not it is just that I have never been attracted to this genre. However in my own opinion Tin Tin appears to have a far more rigid structure and certainly does not look chaotic like Spiegelmans 2004 works. Spiegelman has frames that stretch from the top to the bottom of the page, eg (falling man with accompanying text on page 6). Spiegelman also has images that intrude or overlap into other frames of the comic strip and on top of this the frames tend to vary in size. Perhaps this is his own style or the style of the graphiateur of today or another way of putting forward the chaos he feels is going on in the world today. As for the words I feel that they are more connected with the images of the characters in Tin Tin whereas in Spiegelman’s (2004) works they are just expressing the graphiateur’s thoughts and emotions.

Week 1

According to the second Farr extract (p. 50-59), how did Herge research China for The Blue Lotus?

Motivated by correspondence from Father Goaset, the University of Louvain’s chaplain to Chinese pupils, Herge decided to carry out more in-depth research for The Blue Lotus instead of using generally held assumptions about foreign people and places as he had done on previous works (for example, Cigars of the Pharaoh) (Farr, 1991). According to Farr (1991), Herge carried out research for The Blue Lotus by:

· Gathering newspaper cuttings, for example, motorcycle and side-car, (Farr, p. 57) and photographs (for example, of the ship Leviathan, Farr, p. 59);

· Seeking out only authentic pictures of China, for example, “prisoners wearing block collars” (Farr, p. 53);

· Having discussions with a Chinese student, Chang Chong-chen;

· Educating himself on aspects of Chinese traditions, for example, painting, art and poetry;

· Gathering data beyond popularly held political opinions to obtain accuracy;

· Gathering information on modern trends, for example, Bauhaus furniture (Farr, p. 53);

· Engaging with books about China, for example, the Biasco Ibanez book of China (Farr, p. 56).

As Herge (as cited in Farr, 1991) stated, he carried out appropriate research “out of a sense of honesty to my readers” (Farr, p. 51). This would have endeared him to readers and future readers.

How might “The Blue Lotus” address or relate to what Said (1977) terms ‘Orientalism’?

Herge aimed for realism in “The Blue Lotus” in an attempt to dispel the usual Western misconceptions about the Orient (Farr, 1991). By doing so, The Blue Lotus challenges the Western view of Orientalism. Or what Said (1977) refers to as a particular “style of thought” (p. 88) regarding the Orient which has a developmental history that spans centuries. This way of thinking about the Orient, because of European supremacy, was never challenged and so burgeoned within the Occident (West) through, for example, educational programmes and literature (Said 1977).

One way The Blue Lotus departs from the usual Western ‘style of thought’ in through its pictures. The large picture (page 6 of the coloured version - Herge, 2002) shows Tintin in a rickshaw in Western clothes set in an unashamedly Chinese street scene. Tintin is surrounded by Chinese who are not unrealistic representations of another race to be ridiculed, but representations of human-beings worthy of respect. This has been achieved in the comic medium through how the characters were drawn. As Taylor (cited by Varnum & Gibbons, 2001) “argues . . . character credibility, is largely determined visually rather than through language” (p. xvi). This new drawing style went against Tintin’s earlier renditions in which the popular notions of a race were presented in caricature (Farr, 1991). Herge’s research into the Orient also ensured other aspects within the pictures were accurate, for example, the Chinese writing on the banners, as well as dress and architecture (Farr).

Said (1977) also states that Orientalism is “a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient” (p. 88). Said’s notion comes alive in The Blue Lotus through the character Gibbons who holds the stereotypical Western view of the Orient that is clearly racist. For example, he states “Dirty little China-man! To barge into a white man” (Herge, 2002, p. 6); “You did that on purpose, yellow scum!... I’ll teach you respect for your betters” (Herge, p. 7); and “Yes, our superb western civilisation” (Herge, p. 7). Gibbons is domineering, in China for his own ends and with a superior attitude in the way he considers himself and the West in relation to the local population which he treats in an appalling manner.

Said (1977) states that Orientalism also represents “anyone who teaches, writes about, or researches the Orient” (p. 88), this in an academic sense. Herge may be viewed as an amateur Orientalist in that he carried out research and went out of his way to learn about China and its people (Farr, 1991) to create realism in "The Blue Lotus". For me, Tintin, in "The Blue Lotus", seems to be the re-educated Herge. By contrast to Gibbons, through language and behaviour, the reader learns through Tintin that China is a great culture in its own right and nothing to be feared. This is shown, for example, during the scene where Tintin rescues his future Chinese friend. Here, Tintin (Herge) and Chang Chong-chen (name of Herge’s real life friend - Farr, 1991) discuss and dispel stereotypes just as the two friends must have done in real life through intercultural exchange (Herge, 2002).

Does Varnum (2001) define the difference between a cartoon, comics and graphic novel?

Varnum and Gibbons (2001) do not specifically state the differences between the three. However, Varnum and Gibbons place the three in the same grouping because they have similarities, although they don’t have any particular commonality between them.

According to Varnum, what distinguishes comics from other media?

Comics have special characteristics which sets them apart from other media (Varnum & Gibbons, 2001). These include: “word balloons, zip ribbons . . . panel frames which enclose scenes or segments of a narrative” (Varnum & Gibbons, p. ix).

To enlarge on Varnum and Gibbons (2001), McCloud (as cited in Varnum & Gibbons) states that comics has a unique language that is produced by the special relationship between pictures and words. According to Kannenberg and Perret (as cited in Varnum & Gibbons) the application of the traditional linear reading style becomes questionable in comics. That is, comics utilize pictures and words in such a way and layout that they become a unified form of communication that is special to itself.

The article shows the contention surrounding comics as to which is the more important, the pictures or the words (Varnum & Gibbons, 2001). Perhaps this comes down to one’s personal approach to reading comics. I don’t find myself tending to one or the other. It seems to depend on what stands out to the eye which can be different for different picture/word combinations.

Lecturer questions:

Do you think Herge’s aim for realism was successfully achieved in ‘The Blue Lotus’ (as you say it, by the ‘Re-educated Herge’) in a 2010 reading of the work?

When I read “The Blue Lotus” or any other work outside my time-frame, I automatically tend to compensate for the time in which it was written. So, I think ‘The Blue Lotus’ does achieve realism successfully by Herge who went out of his way to educate himself by gaining a better understanding of his subject (as per question 1 referencing above). There are still Gibbonses today, too, for example, who hold the same bigoted views and who still consider the West and all that it encompasses as being superior to other parts of the world. And Herge has not included images that are markedly incorrect, for example, an African elephant as part of the background. I read it for entertainment I do not read it for the political satire, etc. so will make no comment on realism concerning the politics involved. The Chinese are speaking English, not Chinese, so this would not be considered real (but, then, it is the English version of the work). The dog also speaks English, for example, on page 1, and this is not real. But I accept this in “The Blue Lotus” because this is a comics and this is the type of thing the comics genre incorporates.

However, Herge was influenced by his Chinese friend for ‘The Blue Lotus’ (Farr, 1991), but did Herge get the Japanese perspective? Perhaps this would give some balance and might even have created a different perspective or story again. Perhaps it is not real because it is from his Occidental/Chinese viewpoint. According to Farr (1991), the Japanese are avid readers of this work even today and they have not complained about its realism, or the way in which they have been depicted.

Do you think the genre works well for today’s readers?

Yes, for both adults and children because the work can be read on different levels. Light entertainment or, if aware of what the subject incorporates (Japan/China conflict, for example) the reader would appreciate it on a different level.

And how would a 2010 reading experience compare to one in the 1930s?

The majority of people nowadays would read ‘The Blue Lotus’ on a superficial level. Let’s face it: many people today don’t know anything about the Great War, so I’m sure they wouldn’t know anything about the 1930s (unless they know the history involved). So, not being aware of the political intrigue of that era, of sensibilities of that era, of the technological limitations of that era, of the power structures of that era, etc, they can't but take it as read and would still read it as a form of entertainment, as they would read probably any comic.

However, in the 1930s, the events were happening before or after being depicted by Herge. This work would, therefore, have contained an entirely different reading experience for its audience - generally adult, I should imagine in this case, who might even have read it to get Herge's perspective, especially since he had the ability to predict future events (Farr, 1991), whereas children would read it as entertainment and probably not be as interested in the political aspects).

References

Farr, M. (1991). The Blue Lotus. In Tintin: the complete companion (pp. 50-59). London: John Murray.

Herge. (2002; 1935). The Adventures of Tintin: the Blue Lotus. London: Methuen.

Said, E. (1977). Orientalism. In Ashcroft, B. Griffiths, G. & Tiffin, H. (Ed.), The Post-colonial Studies Reader (pp. 87-91). London: Routledge.

Varnum, R. & Gibbons, C. (Eds.). (2001). Introduction. In The Language of Comics: word and image (pp. ix-xix). Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.

Week 1

In regards to comics, I think that they are both a child’s and an adult’s genre. One reason I say this is because Farr (1991) mentions how the author of Tin Tin said “Tin Tin was for all young people aged from seven to seventy-seven. I have also noticed that in countries such as Japan it is often men in their forties who are in the bookstores coveting the comics. If anyone has watched the television series “The Big Bang Theory” they will know how popular the comic store is, among the main characters in this sitcom. The weeks power point mentions an article published by the New Zealand Herald on the 19th July 2007 in which the comic “ Tin Tin in the Congo” was deemed not suitable for the children’s section of a bookstore. Tin tin had to be displayed in the graphic section. This action tells us that comics are an adult genre as much as a children’s genre. There are likely adults out there who would not let their children near their comic collection, perhaps because some rare comics are very valuable today.
Farr (1991) mentions such things as political satire, foresight, and parody as elements of Tin tin that appeal to adults.
Herge’s The Blue Lotus has situations where the European characters see themselves as superior to the non European characters. While the Europeans may not be the majority they come across as authoritative, dominating and even condescending. Terms such as yellow skin and useless natives are perhaps related to Said (1977) ideas on orientalism?
Comics like other art forms have a history about them and tell a story and perhaps even inform us of the attitudes of different societies in different periods of time. We all have our own views on what we define as art so why not include comics. Perhaps comics are a literary genre in their own right but if not they have something to contribute and that is why they are included as part of literary studies in some universities.

GROUP 5 POP GENRES 2010

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