Post Comics Class Opinions

I took this class in hopes of discovering some sort of deep hidden love for comic books I didn't know existed. Sadly this did not happen! I knew I wasn't a fan of them from what I'd seen but I was hoping to be swayed. I kept an open mind and read most of everything that was assigned. I will say I did find a few comics I do like a lot, but the majority of them I didn't. I did find out that I really love autobiographical graphic novels though! I guess that shouldn't have come as a surprise since my favorite genre of books is the same, just without art. I do not like comics having to do with superheroes and I still despise Manga.

My favorite comics from the class are (in no particular order):

Blankets

The Arrival

Diary of a Teenage Girl

JTHM

Peanuts

Persepolis

Maus I and II

So I guess it was a bit successful? At least I tried..

Diary of a Teenage Girl revisited

Diary of a Teenage Girl was a devastating and touching memoir and I really enjoyed this book. Maybe it is because I am a sucker for memoirs, especially ones about growing up and drug use but there was something about this book that kept drawing me in. It was really nice to have a female perspective on growing up, as most of the memoirs I've read that deal with drugs and sex are told by males. It is not often women novelists are so honest and open about their sexuality and opinions. I do think my generation is a lot more accepting of these issues, but the time that she was writing these things were very different, especially for girls.

What was so fascinating about Minnie was her "rawness." She was so free and honest. She wasn't embarrassed or ashamed of her desires, but rather acted on them quite frequently without apology or remorse. I really appreciated this novel because it wasn't censored or colorfully painted over. It is hard to believe Minnie was barely 16 years old when she was involved in this type of "adult" behavior. It is even harder to believe she was only 16 when she wrote most of the diary. She writes with a sense of maturity and sounds a lot older than she really is which is funny because I think she thought of herself as an adult to begin with. But really a lot of her actions are very immature even though her vernacular wasn't.

Her relationship with Monroe disgusted me, as it would most people with ideas about morality. Most of the men in this book seemed a bit corrupt, probably because her Mother tended to draw these types of men in. Monroe used her purely for his own sick fetishes and lead Minnie on. The poor girl was in love with him and was deeply tormented by his lack of affection outside the bedroom, which is what irked me so much. It is appalling how her Mother reacted to the situation. Any non doped up Mother would have kicked Monroe out of her life or worse, turned him into the police if she found out what he was doing with her underage daughter. It is sick how emotionless some of the people in her life were, especially her Mother. She was unsupportive and aloof. Minnie needed structure and affection and since her Mother wasn't proving any of that, she turned to men for it. It really is heartbreaking because you see how the Mother's actions, or lack thereof, affected Minnie and her sister Gretel in different ways. Minnie used sex as her outlet, Gretel used food. Both are dangerous and unfortunate.

I am so glad she grew up and was able to redeem herself and live a successful life despite her dysfunctional childhood. Minnie was easy to love and to side with. I really didn't want the book to end, especially how abruptly it did. It is interesting that the author, Phoebe denies the book being autobiographical even though it really is. I guess she doesn't want to admit it to herself, or she isn't ready to yet. I really wish there were a sequel though. I wonder if she continued writing in a new diary? It would be interesting to see her progression from teenager into adulthood and see how she overcomes her issues, or if she ever really does.

Johnny the Homicidal Maniac

I absolutely LOVED this graphic novel. After I gave up on Watchmen, I immediately started reading this book and it was a very different experience. I was reading it fast and comprehending what was going on. My only complaint about the novel is the font they used. It was very hard to read and I found myself smashing the book against my face to try to see it. But other than that it was great. I usually am not fond of violent books or ones dealing with torture, but this one was done in such a way that it was more comical than gruesome. I loved Johnny's character and personality. He was so ridiculous it was hard not to sympathize with him and care for him.

And of course I loved Squee! I remember seeing that Squee has comic books too? I will have to check those out. Johnny's relationship with Squee was one of my favorite parts of the novel. It was so one sided, but it was funny to see Johnny's affections towards him in contrast to his hatred of humanity. I had the director's cut so I'm not sure if there were different things in mine than other books, but I loved the addition of Happy Noodle Boy comics. They were so absurd! They reminded me of a video on Youtube called "Rejected Commercials" by Don Hertzfeldt. I wonder if

Herzfeldt was inspired by Johnny? I'd really like to read more if there are any.

The comic was so twisted and ridiculous it was hard not to like. He never got caught and I guess it is because he was killing "unmemorable people." He was killing people people probably hated anyway. People others wish they could kill themselves. Johnny was a bit insane though, moreso schizophrenic I think. Talking to a nail

bunny and doughboys.. painting the wall with blood so that giant monster wouldn't come out. The poor guy needed some serious help! But he was too funny to fix, it would be a shame to waste such perfect insanity.

Watchmen

Even though I hate comics about "superheroes" and "crime fighting" I thought I would give Watchmen a try. It reminded me why I hate them so much. I just could not get into this comic no matter how hard I tried.
I barely made it to 50 pages and I'd spent hours trying to like it. I don't know what it is but I just cannot get myself to like these types of books. They are tolerable in the theaters, but when written down
something happens.

I found this book to be very confusing and hard to follow. I had to look up characters several times on the internet to
figure out what was going on and who they were talking about. I spent more time going back in the book and searching for plot explanations online than actually reading. It was a painful experience to say the least. Granted the art was really catchy and the colors were vivd, but the story was not for me. I found the dialogue to be very corny and
irritating. Maybe if I had read this before all the major superhero movies came out I could appreciate it for being original, but after being bombarded with movies of the same genre, it just came off as trying too hard. I would like to see the movie, as I hear it is amazing but for now I am putting the book down before it is rewarded with anymore of my disdain. I think I will just have to accept that these types of comics are not for me, which is a shame because I love Sin City and 300 so much. Maybe those are different?

Daddy's Girl

This book was beyond disturbing. I had no idea it was going to be about incest and sexual abuse when I picked it up. Besides being disturbing, I was bothered by how short the story was. I felt the author could have gone deeper and really put together a great story but maybe she wasn't ready to. I believe I read this was autobiographical, which is just depressing. It was very hard to read and the imagery was definitely graphic. It is deceiving because it looks like a children's book at first glance, but if a child ever got a hold of it they would be scarred for life.

It was a moving story but I must say I had a hard time reading it and not just because of the content, but because all the sisters looked the same and I had no idea what was going on at certain points. I just could not follow the story
line with the sisters. Did the father only molest Lilly or the others as well? And why was the Mother so morose and uncaring? The entire book was upsetting and I have no idea how Debbie Dreschler dealt with that growing up. It is sick. I read some interviews with her and she used the book as therapy. She is very brave to put her story out there
for everyone to see, I know a lot of victims of sexual abuse keep it internalized but it is good that she let it out. I do wonder what her family members and close friends think about her work, as I wonder that about many authors' families and friends. I think I will have to re read this story to fully understand it because when I first sat
down I didn't even know what to brace myself for.

Diary of a Teenage Girl

I bought this book a few years ago for Contemporary Literature but never got a chance to read it, so I was excited when I saw it on thelist for this class. Despite the abrupt ending I really enjoyed this book. Maybe it is because I am a sucker for memoirs, especially onesabout growing up and drug use but there was something about this book that kept drawing me in. It was really nice to have a female perspective on growing up, as most of the memoirs I've read that deal with drugs and sex are told by males. What was so fascinating about Minnie was her honestly and openness about her sexuality. She wasn't embarrassed or ashamed of her desires, but rather acted on them quite frequently.

Of course Monroe disgusted me, as he would most people with ideas about morality. Most of the men in this book seemed a bit corrupt, probably because her Mother tended to draw these types of men in. Monroe used her purely for his own sick fetishes and lead Minnie on. The poor girl was in love with him and was deeply tormented by his lack of affection outside the bedroom, which is what irked me so much. It is appalling how her Mother reacted to the situation. Any non doped up Mother would have kicked Monroe out of her life or worse, turned him into the police if she found out what he was doing with her underage daughter. It is sick how emotionless some of the people in
her life were.

I am so glad she grew up and was able to redeem herself and live a successful life despite her dysfunctional childhood. I love how she never apologized for anything, then again it was her diary. Minnie was easy to love and to side with. I really didn't want the book to end, especially how it did. It is interesting that the author, Phoebe denies the book being autobiographical even though it really

is. I guess she doesn't want to admit it to herself. I really wish there were a sequel though. I will have to check out some of her other works and in the mean time continue reading her blog.

Persepolis

I had always wanted to read Persepolis, so when I saw it on the reading list I was excited. It started out a little slow for me. I wasn't expecting it to be so historical and it kind of turned me off at first. I probably should have read what the actual book was about before starting because it caught me off guard how political it was. Once I got over that the book was politically serious I really started to enjoy it. I had a hard time because I'm used to loving the main characters but this experience was different for me.

I found Marji extremely obnoxious and shallow in the beginning. She was sort of a follower and a know-it-all. I had to keep reminding myself how young she was because it was hard to relate to her. As she grew up and became more rebellious and non conformist I started to truly care for her.

Persepolis opened my eyes to a world I had known nothing of. I knew nothing of the Islamic Revolution before and I assumed the women had always been veiled. It made me feel ignorant but it was a good realization because the novel educated me on the people or Iran, not just the leaders. I was surprised how incredibly modern everything was. I really had no idea how westernized everything was. I loved how daring Marji was in showing off her denim jacket and Michael Jackson accessories. She stood up for herself and it was hilarious when she slapped her teacher! Her and her family were very lucky to not be harmed because they were close so many times. I was sad when the book ended but I am glad to know there is a Persepolis 2 AND a movie! I will check them both out.