stumble

I was using Stumble Upon to try and get some inspiration and since I know we'll be looking at online comics soon I figured I'd share it.
Unfortunately it didn't quite inspire me like i'd hope for my photo class or native american class, but at least it got me reading some more comics and blogging.

Daddy's Girl

I went to the library to pick out some comics for the week of women writers. I picked La Perdida - to get some practice on my spanish reading, and Daddy's Girl, cause I figured, I love my dad!

Well, I got caught up with other class work and work-work,and didn't even want to try reading in spanish, so I haven't looked at it yet. And Daddy's Girl.. I should have probably at least open the book before I check it out. I did not know that was the kind of daddy's girl the story was about. I was pretty shocked to see the father do his thing to his daughter right in the first few pages of the book!
I felt bad for the girl, having to deal with her father like that all those years, and even later on in high school with the other guys that raped her. I can't actually relate, but that fucking sucks.

However, I do still plan on reading La Perdida since its in Mexico and my family's Mexican!

The Photographer

I bought this book at the beginning of the semester, since I'm a photographer, I figured this would be a good choice.
I liked the combination of drawings with photography, and also the combination of selected images and the contact sheet / film strips. Documentary photography really inspires me, it's always been my favorite type of photography. The Photographer was more than documentary photography because it was supplemented by drawings that had more information than what normally would be in just photos.

Ben Goossens

I found this photograph online and I immediately thought back to Shaun Tan's The Arrival. I had to share it.
Its this pretty awesome surrealist photographer.I wish I could come up with surrealistic things to photograph but I can't. So heres Ben Goossens photo Big town exodus

Buddha

I just checked out Buddha from the library. So we'll see how that goes.
I wasn't really sure what to expect at the beginning before I even read it. Since I knew nothing about comics or graphic novels before this course, I especially didn't know what to expect when I saw I'd have to read manga. I'm not sure exactly when in my life I even heard the term manga, but I know I was young, and I guess then I heard it was like anime porn or something. I never looked into it, I assume since that's what my knowledge was about it, I never even went to learn about it because not only did anime never really interest me but why would i want to read or look at anime porn.

Anyways, I suppose I still had that idea in my head, so when I went to check out some book for this section of my reading I decided to go with the title that seemed less threatening? I've been getting into buddhism a bit anyways so I figured I'd give it a shot. There was some nudity in it, but nothing really too bad as I had imagined. (Not that I was imagining anything in specific!haha) I've only read the first volume so far, so the second could possibly prove my preconceived ideas!

I got through it pretty quick, not that there was that much to read anyways, but I found myself wanting to continue reading till I finished - at least the section. I liked the drawings in them but the way they spoke surprised me at times. I didn't find some of the dialogue believable, if you will, but seeing that it was published in the early 2000's, I understand the authors choices, but at times I didn't see it too fitting.

I'm looking forward to reading volume two, and finding out about the baby that was just born, Siddhartha.

back to the underground

Just read the Tijuana Bible. In all honesty I usually get uncomfortable and don't want to read things like that, but I’m not sure why this one didn’t really bother me as much. I suppose when I read it my mind read it as a joke pretty much. I guess spending most of my time around guys that kind of already talk like that I read it in a joking/playful way. Perhaps I get offended by it in the past, because why would people talk to each other that way. I thought Tillie The Fire Woman was pretty funny, I didn’t even see that ending coming.
I remember growing up, my dad always had joke books around the house — he used to have a radio show where he’d say jokes for 4 hours every weekend – and he had some sexy spanish joke books if you will. The illustrations in Tijuana Bible kind of reminded me of the drawings that they had in the joke books, and I feel like Tillie, or something similar to ir probably would have been in a joke book like that.

Happy Birthday

I saw this on Google this morning as the main Google name image for the day. I remembered The Spirit, and immediately knew it was about Will Eisner. There would have been absolutely no chance I would have known that last year. I knew nothing about comics before taking this class other than Charles Shultz did Peanuts so I was pretty impressed when I clicked on it and saw I was right. so, today is Will Eisners 94th birthday so, Happy Birthday to him.

That's all for this blog, I just wanted to share it.
I'm looking forward to reading some more comics and writing about it over break.