Mobius and Metal Hurlant

In all the vast tales and lore that is visualized through the comic medium there have been few artists have been able to intertwine science and fantasy in such a captivating way as Moebius.  It's not easy to find someone who walks the line between mythical lands and advanced technological cities.  The plane Moebius usually sets these wild visual journeys on what feels like a dream in some instances and in others a tap into our subconscious with the choice of psychedelic visual effects that he masterfully portrays.  A character could be falling down from a serene landscape into a new reality all in one page instantly.  From his work in the Incal series to his one-shot Heavy Metal comics I've never felt so entranced into an imaginary world like his.  Reading through Moebius feels inspiring every time no matter how much I've read his books.  There's so much mystery and atmosphere in his storytelling that leaves me fascinated with how he world builds and tells his stories.  It's fun to see how many other artists draw influence from Moebius as well with being able to see the foundation he's established that others go back to for reference and ideas.  In Miyazaki you can see the influence of Moebius with the reliance more on watercolor and pencil as opposed to heavy ink usage.

Looking through the Heavy Metal magazine gives me a somewhat somber feeling, as even with our current culture bringing zines and comics into the public eye I feel that there's not much out there that can compare to a magazine devoted to sci-fi comics such as Heavy Metal.  The magazine industry now is not too far away from extinction, but who knows I'm sure there will be a new site that highlights new sci-fi comics exclusively if it doesn't exist already.

Promethea

1. Are there any prominent symbols?  If so what are they and how are they used?

You see a heavy usage of egyptian and greek symbols in this book, the main character Promethea uses a Caduceus, a symbol for medicine as a weapon against her enemies.  In the main villains chamber he has a huge pentagram decked out on the bottom of his floor in his room with his henchmen, with candles on so he's fully prepared to cast a spell.  There's a large usage of egyptian gods as characters such as the owl or the conjoined Prometheans with one that looks very similiar to Ra that the main character sees in different visions.

2.  Discuss elements of the story you were able to connect with.

I'm very much interested in the influence behind the choice in theme for the visuals. Seeing the ancient Egyptian and Greek being fused with futurist elements in this fashion is not something regularly done.  It's a very peculiar mix of science fiction and mythology that leaves me wondering where Alan Moore is going to take us.  I can't say I directly connect with anything in this story but it's very intriguing.

3.  What would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use?
What changes would you make?

This would probably work decently as a 2D animation mini-series, I wouldn't want to get rid of the gore/ R-rating potential of the comic so I would push it towards Adult Swim.  I think I would flesh out more of the main characters back story earlier on instead of dropping her into some interview with some (seemingly) random woman.  This story is very much more tailored for a comic and I'm not sure if there's another medium I would try to immediately shift it towards.

Stereotyping in Comics

Admittedly, stereotyping in modern comics is not something that I had felt as exposed to in comparison to stereotyping in other entertainment industries.  Small issues would come up when I would read certain superhero comics like Ultimate Spiderman for instance when I noticed a good portion of the thugs and robbers he would beat down were usually black or non-white.  Even with those occasional glimpses of stereotyping I still feel like comics weren't ever popular enough to really have a retrospect into the way artists represented certain races. This could be due to the choices I've made in what comics I've decided to read, but I usually don't try to gravitate towards comics that delve heavily into stereotypes.  In another light it could be due to the recent politically correct movement in the entertainment industry that has tried to clean up the negative stereotyping. Most of my recent exposure when it comes to traditional/direct stereotyping are older comics like Little Nemo with the characteristics of Flip and other seemingly African-dressed tribesmen.  One stereotypical trope that has been ingrained is the white savior complex, that is definitely a theme you'll find amongst many of the older comics back in the pulp fiction days. I felt like I saw plenty of stereotyping in the Underground phase, but that's when every social taboo or 'forbidden fruits' of social discussion began pouring out.  The majority of those comics were usually looking at the stereotyping of race and culture in a satirical tone like Ron Crumb's Mr. Whiteman.  I definitely do not believe stereotyping is a necessary strategy, there are quality written characters from comics who don't rely on stereotypes.  I'd feel different if instead of seeing cultures be simplified and not looked at in depth were highlighted for their differences and given a voice.  That's something that's happened now with the imprint that Maus and Persepolis have had on the comic story, where genuine care is taken by the writers to explain a culture and it's history.

Persepolis

I never had much of an education about the lives that people in Iran and the Middle East in general lead, so reading this comic was a really amazing view behind the veil in regards to how they behave.  The majority of the revolutionaries she discussed are ones I largely have not heard of.  The transition from Iran's culture in the 70's to the current religious regime is something I knew about, but the depth Marji goes into explaining what really happened is fascinating. It's very intimate in a way seeing it in this perspective as I feel bonded to how she and her family are doing, much like in Maus. There's actually quite a connection to Maus when it comes to the tone of the story and a similarity in design where simplicity is what carries the panel design.  One of the similarities you see is in how the characters are portrayed; there's usually one important physical trait that each character is identified with, making it a quick read to figure out who is who.  So despite most characters having non-descriptive faces or specific emotions, you can tell the difference between Marji and her fellow classmates by the swoop of her hair as opposed to theirs. An important thing to note also is that almost every character introduced in Persepolis leaves some kind of impression upon Marji.  You see a lot of different point of views and stories told from other characters that come into Marji's life and you get to see the impact they leave on her.  Marji's uncle Anoosh for example is someone she idolizes greatly for his heroism as a Russian spy, wishing her father was more of a hero like him.  Most of the minor characters each had their own quick bio as well even when they don't get much dialogue.  Overall this is an excellent story, it's heartfelt and tragic but I feel oddly proud of Marji in a way, like watching a distant family member make it out of struggling times.  Seeing her relay people's struggles from a very recent past gave me a new perspective on Iran and the endless conflicts happening in the Middle East.