To The Time of Comics

 

 

As one of the most important comic artists in America, Scott McCloud has a such unique and valuable vision towards comics. After all these years and the golden age for comics has long passed, the world of comics never dies, and has left so many legacies.

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Comics have been my childhood when I was a little kid. They can also be considered as a reason I chose to learn drawing & painting and eventually became an art student. One thing I found particularly sounding in McCloud's book was when he wrote that our mind is imagining, exploring more than it actually is, when viewing a cartoon - especially a human face. In terms of using imaginary, I think this trait of comics really gives a more 'limitless imaginary & more possibilities' experience, compared with movies or more 'real' paintings.

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When I grew up, the comic did not just leave; our generation was grown up with Japanese animas and Manga. As a very developed industry, it has built a complete chain, and both drawing technique & narrative technique are brought to a new level. However, after reading McCloud's book Understanding Comics, surprisingly we can see that all the things about comics are still the same after 30 years. In another word, the core of comics has never changed.

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It also does not mean that we don't need comics anymore. Comics should reflect more of an era, use its valuable trait of giving people ability to always imagine, and it will shine at any age.

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We are at the age when the methods of entertainment are much more than ever. That's why it seems that the comics are no longer that popular than before. However, the core of comics is the core of stories, and as the stories of humans still exist, the spirit of comics long lives.

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Behind all the theories and techniques Scott McCloud brought in, I see the stories, I see the imaginations: the starting point of art and creativity of mankind.

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Here I want to use a quote from the greatest comic artist of al time in my mind, Hirohiko Araki, as an ending:

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[Rather than believing in God, I believe something exists. It's difficult to say it concretely, but it includes destiny. Because of that, if the basis of my works doesn't have that kind of thing, they become something scary. "Why am I drawing manga?", stuff like that. Am I doing it in order to earn money or to impress women? In time, they become terrible things to feel. But if I have fairness and humanity, I persevere. You reach this question when you draw about things like destiny - "Why is this person here?". If you're attached to the protagonist,the question gets even more important.]

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- Hirohiko Araki