Watchmen

WATCHMEN:
 Since I have already read the comic and watched the film, I thought I would do something more interesting in lieu of a response to the reading.

The Adaptation of Comic Book to Film:

"I'm never going to watch this fucking thing" Alan Moore once said about the upcoming adaptation of the beloved graphic novel to film. When I first read that in some magazine in High School, I felt hurt because I loved the comic and I was very excited to watch the film. I thought Alan Moore was just being cold and heartless, like "no one can recreate my masterpiece because I'm a fucking genius hahahahaha" but I realized later that is not actually the case.

His problem was the same one that the Fans have. The Same that the Fans Always Have.
As Terry Gilliam once said about creating a film adaptation of Watchmen:

"Fans are terrifying. I have always hated fans, because they have such high expectations … I thought 'Fuck off, just fuck off. Let me fuck it up on my own. I can’t put the weight of you people on my back!'"

This is a reaction to what happens every time a film is released when a movie is based on a comic book, or a novel, or video game, or any other medium for that matter. Fans knock it because its not EXACTLY what the original source was. "Its not even close to the (insert source type here)" "They changed way too much." "Why wasn't Dobby in the movies between 2 and 7 Part 1?" "Why wasn't Tom Bombadil in the movie? Peter Jackson is retarded!"

Fans have issues because they always expect the same thing, and God damn the consequences. Who cares if Lord of the Rings is 20 hours long, at least it got every single syllable translated seamlessly into a film exactly the way I and I alone imagined it. Alan Moore's opinion is at least rooted in logic.


"It’s simply because they weren’t ever designed to be films. This is what I’ve been trying to explain to these stupid bastards for the past 20 years...This assumption that if something works in one medium it will work as well or better in another, I’ve got no idea where that comes from." says Alan Moore.
I believe later, Moore did in fact watch Watchmen, although retains that the above statement rings true, and that the screenplay was "as close as I could imagine anyone getting to Watchmen."

If an adaptation cannot ever compare to the original, than why make an adaptation? I'm sure its partially due to marketing and money-making, but partially due to the legitimization of the source. I feel like we believe that once something is a Major Motion Picture, its somehow accepted as being real or at least relevant.

So what were some things I liked better between Adaptation and Comic Watchmen?
(The adaptation I'm using is the Directors Cut, as it is more complete, and the additional scenes were just Icing on the already delicious cake. The Ultimate Edition, while it included some interesting scenes revolving around the Black Freighter, the actual Black Freighter animation itself was hard to watch)

In terms of the Comic, I liked how the characters seemed more complete. Because of its length we could go into more detail with what the characters were doing and why. The stories within stories seemed bonus and ancillary, but they added tons to the story in terms of allegory and background. Under The Hood, and Black Freighter were little additions to the overall world that were really cool.

I didn't like the Squid Alien though... I thought that seemed a little out of no where, and really a weird addition to the story. I get that a paradigm shift like a sledgehammer to the skull is necessary to get us all to stop murdering each other, which of course was Ozymandias' point, but that becomes moot once we see the ending, that Rorschach left his journal in the mailbox of the newspaper. Once everyone knows that Veidt was behind the alien attack, no one will say "Well, since we survived so long working together as a species without threat of annihilation, maybe we can continue." Nope. Clock strikes Midnight. Humanity is gone.

That's one of the main things about the movie that I actually enjoyed better. Dr. Manhattan going nuts and destroying the world seems far better integrated into the actual story rather than a random squid monster. If you remove all the scenes about the squid monsters design and creation from the comic and then just drop the thing in the middle of times square, everyone would hate that comic book. If you remove the squid entirely and then say Manhattan now hates us all and tried to blow us all up, then it makes more sense in the context. After learning that his powers may cause cancer, he removes himself to Mars and waits there. No one knows he returned after that, he could have been plotting destruction the whole time. The story itself on the whole does not inevitably lead up to a squid monster. Just the scenes that actually lead up to it.

The Movie also did a very good job of Dr. Manhattans back story flash back on Mars seem interesting. In the comic book, it just kind of dragged on for far to long, but in the quick edits and audio of the film, it actually was a dramatic and interesting scene. Also, the opening credits sequence is probably one of my more favorite sequences in movie history.



As for things I didn't like about the movie, I liked how Walter Kovacs became Rorschach a lot better in the comic, when he handcuffed the guy and burned him alive as opposed to just killing him outright. Also, the movie has forever ruined a good song and sequence from the animated movie Shrek with its use of the Hallelujah song during a rather explicit sex scene. That was just really uncomfortable for everyone in the audience when I went...

So what can we learn from all this? We need to stop expecting Adaptations to be Recreations. There is a major difference. Once we stop expecting perfection, we can begin to understand the differences, and enjoy each individually for the new qualities that they bring to the table.

As a send off to this extremely long-winded and possibly tangential post, I leave with some wisdom from Louis CK. He explains in the special Talking Funny that when he was younger he would do an Encore as an afterthought if the audience actually wants it. He would then ask the audience to call out their favorite bits that he would then perform. Now when creating his act, he completely throws out his material every year and never repeats it. He explains this madness by saying if people watch your HBO special and love it then come see it live, they will be truly happy, but they'll never buy tickets again. If they watch the special, come see the show when you're in town and its completely different, they're less happy but will return, because they know there is much more for you to offer.

March: Book 1

MARCH: BOOK ONE

March: Book One tells the beginning of the story of John Lewis and his influence on the Civil Rights Movement.

I like these kinds of books that tell a commonly known story through the eyes of someone who was there, and from their perspective. It really personalizes the story and makes you feel the emotions of the events.

The story is framed in the present day, the day of President Barack Obama's Inauguration as the First Black President. The story is told through a flash back, as a woman's sons are asking the Older John Lewis questions about how he became part of the Civil Rights movement. In the flashback sequence of answering questions, John Lewis as a child started noticing changes happening in his world. As he visited his Uncle Otis in Buffalo he realized that Segregation wasn't a mandatory thing when he saw that his Uncle lived next to White People on both sides. This made John realize that things are going to be different very soon.

I find it amazing how much Civil Rights history John Lewis lived through is simply amazing. When I read history books, I feel like I have no concept of time. When I think about my own life, I remember a time when the internet didn't even exist. I remember learning about Google for the first time, back when it had that hideous logo. I remember when my parents got their first Motorola StarTAC phone. Now I'm writing this online without the use of any kind of word processor or typewriter to be posted online and then viewed by anyone in the entire world with the click of a button, and at the same time streaming High Definition Video across a fiber optic wire right to my computer. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we don't really appreciate time unless we're experiencing it.

When I think about all the Civil Rights History John Lewis has lived through, such as the death of Emmett Till, or the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and being a speaker at Martin Luther King's famous "I have a Dream" speech. When I remember our history, I don't really think that those things could have all happened in one persons lifetime. But I guess Time really flies.

MAUS

MAUS:

 Art Spiegelman's MAUS is a really interesting take on how to convey the history of the holocaust. As comics are sometimes considered to be something for children(something we've talked about in this class), this is definitely and absolutely more heavy than most comics(although not the ones I've read in the class)

One of the unique and somewhat profound storytelling elements in this comic is the way Spiegelman portrays different races. It almost plays into the Nazi propaganda of depicting Jewish people as vermin, i.e. mice. The German Nazi's are therefore Cats, since they are "cunning, predators of Jewish people."

What I liked about MAUS is the way that it incorporates "gallows humor" into the comic. The reasoning behind this is that by incorporating little dark humor quips into the story, it lightens the mood a little bit. Its like the joke in the film Se7en directed by David Fincher, when Detective Mills and Detective Somerset(Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, respectively) are preparing to take John Doe in the car at the end, they are shaving their chests to attach microphones, Mills jokes about whether or not cutting off his nipple would be covered by workman's compensation since its technically an on-the-job injury. This not only has the effect of lightening the mood, but by contrast affects the darkness in the rest of the movie. The dark comedy has a similar effect in MAUS. These are little anecdotes from the father about how he survived living in the concentration camps and prisoner of war camps. One instance is where Vladek was in a prison camp waiting to be released, and when he went outside to urinate a guard started shooting at him, and instead just went ahead and peed in his tent.

The heaviness of the subject matter is a fit for the style of art. Art Spiegelman was influenced by Wood Block Prints and it shows. It almost looks as though it was desperately carved into the page. Its stark black and white palette is a very graphic way of depicting the dark subject matter.

The Arrival

THE ARRIVAL - SHAUN TAN:

 I thought The Arrival by Shaun Tan was a very successful way to portray the way that we feel when we move someplace new. While it seems to exist in some sort of alternative fantasy universe, perhaps not even on our same planet, its concept is one that is relateable to many people, especially people here at Ringling.

To those who don't speak the language of the new place they move, words and typography can seem like illegible and alien symbols, which is how the language of the world in The Arrival is represented. This kind of paradigm shift can be completely overwhelming to most people. It really portrays a sense of loneliness, and the overcoming of that loneliness.

I remember when I was first moving to Florida, I wasn't used to living in this state, I didn't know what the people were like here, and I also didn't know what the people were like here at the school. I realized quickly that the people here were also in the same boat and didn't know anyone here. We all came from different places, different parts of the world, but were all connected by a mutual interest in Art, and in my case Technology. This is similar to the way immigrants to a new world/country feel i think, coming here looking for opportunity, a new life, a better life. We were all very similar. As time moved on, cliques developed within our community which I feel is a lost opportunity. We are all so different, not just at Ringling but all over the world, and to contain yourself within groups that match your personal ideas, ideologies, aesthetics, etc. is a shame.

Anya's Ghost

ANYA'S GHOST:

I have to say, this surprised me. I decided to read it because of the cover, which is a cool and kind of perfect descriptor of the story. It seems to be a perfect match for the story.

In terms of the art, its a little basic. The drawings don't stand out as being overly complex, like Arkham Asylum, but not quite as simplified as Persepolis. The designs are indeed appealing though. The palette is by far one of my favorite things about the art. The dark blueish-purple that's almost just greys may be an artifact of black and white printing on the glossy paper, but it seems too deliberate to be that way. It matches the tone too well to be accidental.

In terms of the story, I can see why Neil Gaiman got a cover blurb. It seems to be very heavily influenced by his work. The story is that Anya falls down a well and finds at the bottom a ghost of a girl who died in 1918. This ghost girl helps Anya in her classes(though not gym, thumbs up for the Pacer Test), helps her to socialize at a party, and generally gives a lot, for the reason that "she never got to experience anything like that."One thing I really liked about the story telling is the way the twist happened. The character Dima, who we learn is having trouble speaking English, finds information relating to Emily(the ghost) in old newspapers at the library(thumbs up for the microfilm readers!) and when he confirms that that is what Anya was looking for, she dismisses him thinking he mixed up words or didn't understand her properly. That is a really clever way to reveal something, especially since I had to go back like Anya did and reread what he said, which is quite engaging.
 
In terms of the process used to create, as we have talked in class about the future of comics and what that may look like, Vera Brosgol has a very interesting process which I found on her website. She seems to work back and forth between Computer and Traditional. For some pages, she maintains a completely digital process. For some pages she "roughs out" on a computer, prints it, then traces in ink only to scan it back in. When I think about the effort to do this, I think that its kind of wasteful. If it was like the in-between chapters in Sandman, which are very collage-y, I could see the point of working back and forth. In her case, if she wanted some quality that only traditional mediums could create, or some sort of different style she would have been unable to achieve via computer. But, for the life of me, I looked at the pages and didn't notice any major difference. The only thing that stood out was a different panel layout.

Sandman Vol. 5: A Game of You

Sandman Vol. 5: A Game of You

 I find it amazing how well Neil Gaiman's writing style has been able to transfer over to several mediums. His TV show Neverwhere, this comic Sandman, the books Coraline and The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and of course the film based on the former.

I don't exactly know why, but I really enjoy not starting at the beginning of a story. I feel like there is so much build up and exposition necessary, and origin stories are just kind of boring. Like with the Sam Raimi Spiderman movies, the first one kind of drags on because we are forced to introduce the unknowing audience to a concept they don't know. In Television, I always find that the first few seasons kind of struggle since they try to find their footing. This is true of Futurama, its true of Warehouse 13, etc. Once they find their footing, there is a nice little plateau that contains the best material the show has to offer(hopefully the shows feel when they start to fall off this plateau and end the series there, lest they continue for far to long like The Office, USA version).

I bring this up because normally I feel I should start at the beginning of a story so I don't miss anything. In the case of Sandman Vol. 5 I felt like my not understanding the story actually aided in my enjoyment of the comic. Like Barbara, I was pulled out of my reality and thrust into this world I had no idea about and was forced to learn about the world as I went along. Things that are explained to me are given in small amounts, and things that are not explained are now left up to my imagination.

I felt more intrigued by the story not knowing who Morpheus was, or his significance in the world. I felt more attached to the character because I was literally going through the same thing she was. I didn't know the characters, I didn't know who to trust, I don't know why Maise Hill doesn't like dogs, I don't know what Barbara's ex-husband was really like, etc. I don't know so much but I can fill in the blanks. This lack of understanding really added, for me at least, to the feel of the dream world.

Dreams have always interested me as they seem to have no beginning and no end. We only become aware of the dream when we are in the middle of it, and when we wake up the dream kind of abruptly ends. This story has a clear beginning and end, but its part of a much more vast story I don't know anything about yet(because I'm definitely buying the rest of this comic). 

What I think Neil Gaiman did the best with the writing was the way in which Barbara reacts to this world. We get to peek into her mind when she narrates over what's happening. She describes her urges to reach out and grab the guards who walk past them in the snow. She doesn't seem completely fazed at all by the death of her friends, at least not in the long run. A few pages turn and she's not upset too much that they died for her. She just sort of floats around in this world, her emotions being dictated by whatever the situation currently calls for. This comes across in the writing very well, and it seems all the "real people" have the same kind of feeling to their words. The characters in the dreams all have a purpose. 

Its sort of like in the remake Alice in Wonderland, Alice doesn't seem to emote at all(which could be attributed to the actress not acting) but to her the world is a dream, she doesn't seem to care about the world and is sort of just a third person to the action. All the characters in the movie besides her have definite purpose with what they do, as in their minds, the world persists after Alice wakes up.

Overall, yet again does Neil Gaiman write an intriguing fantasy that halfway takes place in the real world, and half way in our own. The Dream-King's world seems to be just a dream, but it has effects on reality. It seems our fantasies and our realities are deeply connected.

Yukiko's Spinach

YUKIKO'S SPINACH:

Yukiko's Spinach tells the story of the unnamed narrator and his relationship with a girl named Yukiko while he is in Japan. They have a sort of wabi-sabi relationship, which is a aesthetic principle of acceptance of transience and impermanence. I bring this up because a lot of Japanese movies and culture revolves around this concept. 

This story has a more adult sense of a romantic story, with elements of comedy. Most Romantic Comedies I've seen, which I admit is only a few, have a more "fairytale " kind of romance. In Yukiko's Spinach, they accept a relationship based more in the physical realm, with the knowledge that it can never continue further. Yukiko will leave him eventually, but they choose to continue to see each other and enjoy their time together while they have it.

I like how the comic uses the main character's mispronunciation of the Japanese language and misunderstandings of Japanese Culture as a way to incorporate comedy into the story. The self deprecation of a French man admitting and making humorous his own short comings creates a fun atmosphere. My favorite jokes are the ones directed at his French accent getting in the way of pronouncing Japanese correctly, probably because I (slightly) learned French in high school(and by slightly I mean I took 3 years, so naturally I don't speak a word of French) and am learning Japanese currently.

This love story seems to cross cultural boundaries within Asia as well. Films made in Asian countries tend to reflect this concept in way of the relationships depicted. Its manifestation in John Woo's film "The Killer" sees our protagonist die after protecting his main love interest in the movie. The scene that exemplifies this is the scene when the Love Interest, who is blind, crawls past his body screaming his name looking for him. 

In the Thai Martial Arts film ช็อคโกแต(Chocolate, not the Johnny Depp Movie), Zen's motivation is to collect on her mothers mafia debts, which ends up causing her mothers former boss to murder her. Zen then loses her mother, yet gains her Japanese father as a caretaker.

Even in American/Western movies that revolve around a central Japanese or Asian theme its prevailant. Its very similar to the relationship in the movie Lost in Translation. Both parties know the relationship will not last, but they will enjoy the time shared while they have it. In the case of the film Lost in Translation, Bob Harris(Bill Murray) and Charlotte(Scarlett Johanssen) share a similar, although more platonic, relationship upon crossing paths in Tokyo. Charlotte is married, so both characters know the relationship will not last long. In Yukiko's Spinach, Yukiko is interested in someone who is not the narrator, but she accepts the short term nature of their relationship.
In the Spanish film Map of the Sounds of Tokyo, Ryu(Rinko Kikuchi) is hired to kill David(Sergi Lopez) by a man whose daughter committed suicide, which the man blames on David. Rather than kill him, they form a mostly sexual relationship, although its clear that feelings for one another are developing. The man that hired Ryu to kill David becomes upset at her lack of follow through on her task. When the client comes to kill David himself, Ryu sacrifices herself to save David and dies in his arms.

Even the film The Wolverine, based on a comic series in the X-Men universe with a similar story, has a hint at this kind of romantic relationship. Logan and Mariko share this kind of relationship. It doesn't end quite as disastrously as some aforementioned movies, but it still follows the same formula of the impersistant quality of the relationships. Its clear that they love each other, but they both have differing destinies.