Essays on Comic Books

4 Immigrants Manga is written by the Japanese author Henry Yoshitaka Kiyama. Manga is the name given to Japanese comic books that focus on adults and children. 4 Immigrants Manga revolves around the experiences of the author and his three friends who arrive in San Francisco as immigrants. “It is one of the first modern-format comic books ever published in the United States, especially with all-new material and a documentary, autobiographical theme” (L, 2013).

Section1: Context

Born on January 9, 1885, in a little village called Neu, in Western Japan, Henry Yoshitaka Kiyama was a good artist and a story teller. ...

Issue 1 - Ethics and Legal Environment 2

Issue 2 - Organizational Environment 4 Issue 3 - Critical Thinking 7 Issue 4 – Business Associations and Torts 8

Issue 1 - Ethics and Legal Environment

As an agent of her employer, Monique has legal obligations of obedience, loyalty, accounting and performance to her principal. The duty of loyalty involves a fiduciary obligation where the agent is required to serve one principal at a time and shun from conflicts of interest, inform the principal about any material information, and keeping away from actions that would adversely affect the interest of the principal (Hartigan, 2014:272). Additionally, Monique has the duty of obedience towards her principal. The obligation ...

Introduction

Japan is known as a leading nation in the production of comic books, graphic narrations and video games. There are numerous categories of such publications and productions available on the market. This presentation will examine Manga, which involve a set of comics that conforms to a style of comics which became popular in Japan in the late 19th Century. This is a period known as the Meiji period where the Japanese were defining their self-expression and formulating a culture that could be used to preserve their national identity and also tell their stories in different forms. This presentation will ...

American pulp fiction is iconic; it influenced the development of American culture for decades and maintains a lasting influence to this day in the form of comic books, movies, and current literature. Pulp fiction was printed on cheap pulp paper during the 1930s and 1940s, though they were first created in 1896, and was hugely successful because of the rising literacy rates of the American population and the cheapness and proliferation of the products themselves. Pulp fiction eventually lost its popularity during World War II when paper rationing affected the population and movies, television, comic books, and normal paperbacks ( ...

Introduction

Superhero is a term that is socially accepted and widely revered in today’s society. We are fed with information about their supreme powers and ability to save humanity from evil. Every popular media form has been used to ensure our society fantasizes about their presence and accept their critically maligned narratives (King 167). Vigilante, it’s a word taken from Spanish and it was first introduced to America in the mid-19th century. A vigilante is someone who operates alone or in a group, “takes the law into their own hands” (Butler 1). These people are not endorsed as ...

Compare and Contrast

Compare and Contrast

For a better part of 19th century, various expressive art forms such as orchestral music, Shakespearean drama, sculptures, paintings, and opera enjoyed mass popularity and high-cultural status. However, in America, people shared a culture that was less organized (hierarchically), and less divided into rigid adjectival categories. With time, American arts became increasingly renowned for a growing chasm of “high” and ‘low” culture. Specifically, highbrow culture appeals to the affluent sections of the society who have enough disposable incomes to spend on services and goods that are more expensive and of higher quality. It requires a culture ...

When someone hears the word hero, it brings a feeling of respect. Each country has its heroes and honors them, perpetuating their names in books, movies and memorials, composing songs about them and their idealized images. But there are some heroes that are unreal and were composed by people with certain purposes and during a certain period of time. One of them is World War II that brought not only destruction, but also creation. It is a turning point it the world of comics, as many of the iconic heroes began in WWII period and are still popular with ...

Final Reflective Portfolio

This paper is a reflection of the skills I have gained in this class. It focuses on four texts and analyses them as indicators of my development as a reader and creator of literary and cultural texts. Three of the analyzed texts were created for this class while the fourth was written for a math class.

Part 1: Texts

The Ultimate Book of Martial Arts Fay Goodman's book entitled The Ultimate Book of Martial Arts is already an entertaining read by itself. However, different parts of the book contain paratextual elements that give it a new meaning and make it a more ...

Introduction

Superhero movies have in the recent years dominated the box office with an increasing number of viewers willing to embrace the films. The recent advancements in technology could be possibly attributed to the phenomenon since film makers have been able to apply the required super hero effects on the movie casts and pull the effects off in the appropriate way. The unique cinematic techniques attract the attention of most viewers who are then influenced by the message passed across by the films. The massive surge of comic book lovers could also be attributed to the growing demand for superhero ...

We live in a world where there is good and evil. Since time immemorial, stories told by humans have always had heroes and villains. Human culture has always been rife with tales of heroism, both real and fictional, wherein awe-inspiring individuals faced immense adversity only to overcome it and accomplish good in the end. In the last century, these stories have taken a new turn in introducing fictional characters that are superhuman. The heroes in such storylines who’re more commonly referred to as superheroes are capable of feats that, by any standard, far exceed human capabilities. It is ...

Introduction

Pop Art or Popular Art originated in the Great Britain around 1950s. The word pop was first used to define popular culture existing but as the artist started using popular culture in their artwork the Pop art was created. Although the Pop art movement started in Britain, it achieved its full expression in U.S. American soil nurtured the movement providing a solid base for Pop art. It flourished so much in America that it became an integral part of American everyday life. The art found its way into things like newspaper photographs, Advertisements, Coco cola bottles, used car parts ...

The definition of the Western Canon is always changing, according to literary critic and Yale professor Harold Bloom: but is that mutability a good thing? Bloom, a rather conservative literary critic, believes that there should be literary standards that outlive the fashionable theories of the day. In our times, these literary theories include ideas borrow from Marx, Foucault, New Historicism, and ethnocentric and gender perspectives, among other lenses through which to view the production of literature. Amidst these ever-changing standards and definitions of a “classic,” Bloom believes the study of literature and good reading habits—to read well and ...

The Drowning Girl is a major artistic work done by Roy Lichtenstein in 1963. The painting is sometimes referred to as “Secret Hearts” or simply “I Don’t Care. I’d Rather Sink.” It’s an oil painting done on canvas to depict some artistic information (Lobel 118). The painting in itself passes on a lot of information in regards to women’s emotions. Nonetheless, the book is ordinary as it uses the universally accepted conventions of comic books. Due to its uniqueness, it’s regarded as an iconic work and continues to play a crucial role in the ...

Comic books are a part of every society in the world. They represent ideas that the young minds who read them, can understand. In essence, comic books play a huge role in depicting what the society. In many comic books, there are always the protagonists and the antagonist, while they can be seen as villains and heroes fighting for an individual cause, these characters often represent the forces of good and evil in the modern contemporary world. The essays describe America as it is seen, through examining the cultural artifact – Comic Books and American Cultural History anthology – Arguments within ...

Comic books are a part of every society in the world. They represent ideas that the young minds who read them, can understand. In essence, comic books play a huge role in depicting what the society. In many comic books, there are always the protagonists and the antagonist, while they can be seen as villains and heroes fighting for an individual cause, these characters often represent the forces of good and evil in the modern contemporary world. The essays describe America as it is seen, through examining the cultural artifact – Comic Books and American Cultural History anthology – Arguments within ...

Ethnography: Fans of “The Walking Dead”

In order to fully understand the scale of the phenomenon that is “The Walking Dead”, the critically acclaimed and widely beloved television series that continues to break rating records with each new season, one would have to conduct a bit of a research on the very people, who keep tuning into the show and supporting it over the years. The fans of “The Walking Dead” are made up of quite a diverse crowd, encompassing television lovers of all ages, genders, ethnicities, races, and sexualities represented in the U.S. Therefore, researching them gives one insight not only into the intricacies ...

If one tries to figure out the first illustrations on the planet, they will be taken back all the way to the cave paintings by ancient men. Illustrations in books surfaced only after the invention of the printing press. Traditionally speaking, illustrations have always been part of books. They should not be looked as mere decoration of the books became of the greater amount of information the reader can derive from those drawings. In the past centuries, examples of illustrations have included books illustrated by copper engraving, woodcuts and wood engraving (Eshragh 9).Diagrams were essential in a mathematical ...

Passionate Journey is a wordless graphic novel written by Belgian graphic artist Frans Masereel. Unlike other general comic books, Passionate Journey is composed by images with no colors, hence, offering readers a greater chance to expand their interpretation and give them several variations of the plot. Published after the World War I, the book represents the experiences of an early 20th-century ordinary citizen in a modern city. The book intends to present the ups and downs of common people living int those days, specifically showing their life style in post-war period. In order to highlight the trends of that ...

In early June of the 2010, author and New York Times writer, Steven Pinker, wrote an article titled “Mind over Mass Media”. The article itself is a personal favorite of mine, and captures my attention at all angles. In essence, Steven Pinker is making the argument that mass media doesn’t have a negative effect on our brain, as so many people believe. Throughout the article he uses examples of comic books in the 50’s, as well as video game exposure in the 90’s. During the time period of the 1950’s, people believed that comic books made your ...

In his article “Violent Media is Good for Kids”, Gerard Jones argues that violent media has a positive impact on young people (57). The reason I chose this article is because Gerard uses his own childhood experiences to explain why violent media has a positive impact on young minds. The author tells his story from his own experiences and not from another person’s experience.

Gerard organizes his thoughts systematically. Jones uses the elements of diction, tone and organization and example. He uses words that are conversational. His positive attitude throughout the article makes his readers think equally as he ...

In his argument about the film “American Splendor,” Hight (2007) seems to propose that adaptation of the comic into a film overcame most of the challenges and barriers that face such an attempt. In order to prove that Hight brought about this argument, there is a need to look into arguments by other writers with regard to adaptation of comics into films. This paper does so by looking at arguments by two film analysts. It will first look at the challenges associated with adapting a comic into a film. With this background, the paper will then look at how the producers ...

Introduction

During the 1940’s and the 1950’s, the people had various opinions about the purpose of comic books. While a section of the society believed that comics had a huge negative impact on the children as they instigate criminal behavior, yet a larger section of the society asserted that the comics had a positive impact on children and worked as a source of education. In the articles, Why 100,000,000 Americans Read Comics and Seduction of the Innocent, the authors have put forward various ways in which the comics can contribute towards educating children or polluting their minds. Wertham, the author of ...

Introduction

Art has over the years been used as a form of expression. It is through art that various artists have been able to present their thoughts and feelings regarding various events, peoples, cultures, and occurrences to their audiences. In Preble’s Art forms Chapter 5, the author builds on the idea that arts are based on various objectives and motives by their artists. The Chapter argues that there are three theories upon which the creation of art is based. This paper will first of all discuss these three theories and apply these theories to the artwork Violet faces Red Side ...

The superhero comic book genre, as it has existed for the past few decades, is rife with a variety of stories, many of which involve virtuous heroes who stand for Truth, Justice and the American Way while saving innocent children from a burning building while non-lethally taking down some robbers. However, as comic book audiences have matured, comic books themselves have matured with them, leading to characters that are far more unscrupulous and ambiguous in their morality. Central to this line of morally-grey antiheroes is Marvel Comics’ the Punisher (aka Frank Castle), a man with no superpowers – just an arsenal of ...

The influence media has on society is often underestimated because it contains subliminal messages that are, by definition, absorbed unconsciously. The media, including magazines and television commercials, normalize attitudes toward sexually explicit images, gender roles and unrealistic body expectations. In particular, the article "Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt," the author, Jean Kilbourne argues that advertising has acquired an important role in portraying females as objects and normalizing overall attitudes toward the female body. In contrast, Susan Bordo's story "Beauty (Re) Discovers the Male Body" focuses on the distorted image of the male body. In spite of describing the ...

For my narrative reflection and journey into a visual experience I chose to visit the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. It exhibited many pieces I was able to connect to McCloud’s theories about closure and visual literacy (6). Certain pieces stood out more than others, inanimately, but somehow speaking to me. Collections spoke, punctuated, and ended themselves as comics do with direction, icons, and framework. McCloud’s philosophy on our sense of self in relation to what we see around us was also very present during my excursion (10). I saw myself differently depending on what exhibit I ...

Typically when we think of comics we think of children. Their excitement mounts as superheroes defeat villains or save damsels in distress. Comic books are one dimensional and transparent with little to offer the adult world other than nostalgia. Or is there something more to them? It would be difficult for the average person to open a comic book and understand that there are a multitude of communication devices at work on the vibrant pages of Batman or X-Men. It would be equally difficult to ponder of comic books were actually more relatable because they were drawn as cartoons, than if ...

Is a Picture Really Worth a Thousand Words

In Art Speigelman’s graphic novel Maus I and II we get many actions illustrated in pictures instead of words. The novel portrays his father holocaust survival story and relationship with Vladeks. The comic book style pages show a powerful message through symbolism and the mimics. The novel begins with generalizing the Jews, the Polish, and the Germans with different animal characters. The Jews as mice, the Germans as cats, and the Polish as pigs. His novel depicts cat and mouse gaming struggles. The Jews were suffering, when were closed in this circle being sent into concentrations camps by the ...

Superman is an unadulterated example of a contemporary legendary hero. Superman was made by American author Jerry Siegel and Canadian-conceived American craftsman Joe Shuster in 1933. In opposition to his current incarnation, he initially showed up as an uncovered, clairvoyant lowlife determined to overwhelm the world. He was called "Super-Man" in the short sci-fi fanzine "The Reign of the Super-Man" that was distributed by the pair in 1933. Siegel and Shuster chose to re-compose the character as a legend and took out the hyphen, renaming him Superman and reconsidering him with no likeness to his prior incarnation. Super Man was ...

English: Research Paper

Film and literature industries show the men as Superman, Spiderman, Xman and many other types of superhuman characters, however, same has not been the case with the women. The movies which depicted women as superhuman did not achieve much success at the box-office. In this research paper, an analysis of success of men as superhuman and failure of women as superhuman has been carried out to identify the reasons to make it even for both genders. Also, depiction of women as superhuman in the movies and comic books will critically be looked at, with some examples from some prominent ...

Dear Executives of Marvel Comics,

I feel immensely pleased in writing to you as Marvel has been one of the best publishers of comic books and continue to entertain its readers from the time it came into existence, which was in 1939. Since the beginning of your company, you have delivered great entertainment to the people through excellence and strong commitment to your work. Your company has undoubtedly given us some of the most gripping superhero stories which have kept the readers amused and wanting for more, every time they read it. The introduction of new teen superheroes and the existing list of many ...

For my narrative reflection and journey into a visual experience I chose to visit the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. It exhibited many pieces I was able to connect to McCloud’s theories about closure and visual literacy (6). Certain pieces stood out more than others, inanimately, but somehow speaking to me. Collections spoke, punctuated, and ended themselves as comics do with direction, icons, and framework. McCloud’s philosophy on our sense of self in relation to what we see around us was also very present during my excursion (10). I saw myself differently depending on what exhibit I ...

Who is an ordinary person? This is a question that has numerous answers depending on various circumstances. Some of the conditions may include; the environment, the culture that surrounds the individual or what the person or society at large has been led to believe by their doctrines and each other’s expectation. One of the many definitions of an ordinary person is a person who often settles for expectations of the society and does whatever it takes for that approval. They put their wishes and desires aside fearing that changes may occur. They settle for less than what they deserve, but ...

Opportunities

Marvel has various opportunities which it should take advantage of to enhance its performance. The first opportunity is online services. Lately, investing on use of online is one of the factors that are making a big difference when it comes to competitiveness. The company should focus on online marketing and distribution to expand its market globally. The second opportunity is associated with innovation. With innovation, it means that the company would be in a position to produce products that addresses the needs of the customers, which keep on changing from time to time. The third opportunity is venturing into financial markets. ...

Introduction

A friend, an ideal, a hero Back when I was a kid, like most of the kids I know, I dreamed of being Superman, or his buddy in actions. It turned out that I was not Superman, or his pal, but Mike Towry, Co – Founder of Comic Con International and this experience has been pretty exciting for me so far and I have the hope that it has been a fun experience for you also, as devoted readers of Comic Con. I would like to thank you all for coming here today for honoring the statue dedicated to Superman, this famous ...

In the two decades leading up to World War II, there was considerable criticism leveled against the genre of the comic book, because there was the fear that the multicolored magazines would lead to the erosion of conventional literacy, including such competencies as the ability to focus on plain text, read sequentially from left to right, as well as the misguided notion that conventional literature dealt with acceptable subject matter that steered clear of controversy, while comic books had edgier content (anyone who had read James Joyce, for example, knew that this last claim simply was not true). Once ...

World War II and the time immediately following World War II was a strange, uncomfortable, and uncertain time for the United States. There were many forces at work, particularly during the early years of America’s involvement in World War II, that threatened the very fabric of American society as it had existed up until that point in history. The world underwent so many vast and rapid changes that the governments had to work very hard to ensure that they kept their populations under control. During World War II, most Americans were just becoming familiar with the idea of ...

Analysis of Volar by Judith Ortiz Coffer

Introduction Volar embodies a story of freedom from the confinements of human life. The author of the nonfiction story narrates of a life imagined in a dream where she was able to live life devoid of the inhibitions brought about by living life as a human being. Throughout the story, various aspects of the language and emotion employed in narrating the story helps the readers steal glances and sneak previews into the author’s desired life. In the analysis of the tone in the story, the paper will highlight the different ways that the personality of the author manifests in the story ...

This is a book report on Lunch Money written by Andrew Clement, illustrated by Brian Selznick Simon and Schuster. The book is about a sixth grader who is obsessed with making money. The main character in the book is twelve-year-old boy who realizes that school is s good place to make money. He has made money mowing lawns, washing cars and even loaning money to his brother and charging interest (Clement 12). By the end of fifth grade, he discovers that he has saved $5,000 in his bank account. He soon realizes that students have extra money for lunch and ...

Book Review - Persepolis

In the graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, the reader follows the author through an autobiographical look at her own life, though interestingly, this is done through the use of the comic book format. Growing up in Iran, Satrapi had to remain innocent and dignified, despite the horrors that were happening around her. Due to the enigmatic, strange, quirky and often outrageous directions her life had taken her, Satrapi decided to use the comic book format in order to tell her childhood story. This lent it a heightened, visually intriguing spin that turned the horrific and out-of-control world of her ...