Real people and choices in contemporary graphic novels

¶ … Portrayed in Sequential Arts

Us vs. Them?

Common sense should tell us that reading is the ultimate weapon - destroying ignorance, poverty and despair before they can destroy us.

A nation that doesn't read much doesn't know much.

And a nation that doesn't know much is more likely to make poor choices in the home, the marketplace, the jury box and the voting booth

The challenge, therefore, is to convince future generations of children that carrying a book is more rewarding than carrying guns."

Jim Trelease (20th century), U.S. educator (Columbia)

Real People" Choices in Comic-Books

In the past, cartoons and comic books basically dealt with strange scenarios, childlike circumstances and the supernatural, rather than real life situations. Today, however, some independent graphic novels, such as: Summer Blonde by Adrian Tomine; Stray Bullets Vol.1: "Innocence of Nihilism" by David Lapham; and Tiny Giants by Nate Powell depict individual stories that portray "real people" making choices that lead them down different paths in life. "The word 'thesis' is derived from the Greek tithenai, which generally means a position advanced for argument." (Burton and Steane 125) During the course of the "path" chosen for this thesis, this researcher relates examples of common and uncommon sense stores in comic-books, along with "choices" "real people" make. Also, throughout this thesis, this researcher explores the thought of "us vs. them," but primarily focusing, however on the concept of choices portrayed in comic-book scenarios and considers answers to the following two questions:

Do choices of individuals reflected in comic-books potentially influence choices readers make in life?

What works to impact choices?

Comic-book Character Considerations

In Revealing the Art of Toons by Alex Ross, according to Paul Cole, a staff writer for the Sunday Mercury (Birmingham, England), the days when DC Comics characters were strictly kids' stuff no longer exist. Contemporary "Graphic novels have elevated cartoon capers to an art form now dominated by artist Alex Ross, whose life-like airbrush paintings portray the crimefighters (sic) as middle-aged men and women." ("REVEALING the ART of" 7) Ross credits his father Clark, a minister, for instilling the moral framework that allowed him to appreciate the good deeds Superman, Spider-Man and other positive comic-book characters routinely perform. ("REVEALING the ART of" 7) Choices which contribute to actions that consider individuals, other than one's self, as noted by Ross, reported by Cole, will similarly impact future generations. Cole points out that throughout Ross's work more than first meets the eye appears. "The minister caught up in the superhero civil war of Kingdom Come, for example, is clearly the artist's father." ("REVEALING the ART of" 7) Seeing more than the superficial story proves to be beneficial for comic book fans and art students as choices depicted in the storyline, as well as the artwork, offer "an eye-opening glimpse at a modern art form too often taken for granted." ("REVEALING the ART of" 7) Kearns (2005), who relates points about X-Men and Spider-Man comic-books, points out choices portrayed by the primary characters:

X-Men: "It's OK to be different."

Spider-Man:

With great power comes great responsibility."

This researcher purports this study focusing on choices portrayed in comic-books may be deemed by some to be different, but that's OK. In addition, this researcher understands that research, as writing, possess "power," and consequently also holds the responsibility to make choices that will ultimately result in a paper that will increase understanding regarding choices "real people" in comics, as well as in the real world make. Hopefully, in turn, this information will encourage readers that rather than reading of superheroes in tight underwear destroying city property and causing collateral damage in pursuant of heroic activities, readers would benefit more by reading comic-books relating "real people" stories.

II. Us vs. Them Superheroes aren't heroes because they're strong, they're heroes because they perform acts that look beyond themselves."

REVEALING the ART of" 7)

Literature Notes

Dunford (46) states that ideally: "Most prescriptions for the research process describe it as a series of sequential steps, beginning with the identification of a research problem or question, then moving (via a review of the existing literature)...." J.S. Mill, cited by Burton and Steane (124) contend that a person can never consider him/her self to be educated unless he/she only examines the best arguments of his/her own side, but makes a point to study the best arguments of his/her opponents as well. As the research questions are identified in the first segment of this paper, this section includes the review existing complementary and challenging literature. Ned Denny, a staff writer for the Daily Mail (London, England), reports in "The Comic-Book Heroes with a Touch of Genius," that contemporary comic-book artists tackle the same real-life, gritty subjects and thorny issues novelists write about ("The Comic-Book Heroes with" 64) He supports his claim by pointing out:

Salvador Dali's prediction that 'comics will be the culture of the year 3794' located the genre's geniuses in a vague future world rather than the present day.

All this began to change with the appearance in 1978 of Will Eisner's a Contract With God (the trilogy is published by W.W. Norton.

The 60-year-old Eisner was a veteran of the comics business, his cult newspaper strip the Spirit having run throughout the Forties.

Inspired by the glossy, book length collections he saw on an honorary visit to a French comic festival, Eisner sat down and produced what Gravett describes as 'a quartet of sad, moving and disarmingly unglamorous' vignettes of Jewish life in the Bronx of the Thirties.

To an industry whose mainstay was the exploits of glamorous superheroes - in other words, escapism - it was an untouchable curiosity.

Eventually released by a small independent publisher, a Contract With God showed that comic-book artists could tackle the same gritty subjects and thorny issues as novelists. 'I can't claim to have invented the wheel,' Eisner later remarked, 'but I felt I was in a position to change the direction of comics.' Almost 30 years on, Eisner's brave example has spawned countless graphic novels on every subject imaginable. Take Persepolis (Cape,... Marjane Satrapi's wholly enthralling account of growing up in Iran after the 1979 revolution. ("The Comic-Book Heroes with" 64)

In Dragon Slippers (Harper Press), Rosalind B. Penfold uses the comic script to depict choices related to the emotional trauma of life with a violent and manipulative man. Although the approach may seem to contradict itself, the light comic-strip tone balances the weighty theme of emotional trauma and ultimately depicts choices that lend to a liberating effect.

In a similar sense, Marisa Acocella Marchetto in Cancer Vixen (4th Estate) and Brian Fies in Mom's Cancer (Image) portray choices leading from the bleakest of situations to redemptive lightness. Even choices regarding travel destinations are presented in comic-strip form. Guy Delisle does this in Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea (Cape) in a subtle satirical style. Forty years after the creation of the X-Men, comic book heroes designed to act as a potent reminder of "the ultimate silliness" of divisions like race and religion, Kearns (2005) posits, some individuals continue to divide humanity into "us" and "them." "... from Kashmir to Northern Ireland to South Africa, many societies continue, if only informally, to segregate their neighbors based on arbitrary measures." (Kearns, 2005)

Stray Bullets... Stray Bullets Volume 1, "The Innocence of Nihilism," by David Lapham, follows "the lost lives of people who are savagely torn apart by events beyond their control." Stories in this issue and ensuring works by Lapham focus on: ("Stray Bullets")

An imaginative little girl's "innocent' world being shattered as she witnesses a brutal double murder.

An introverted young boy, approaching manhood, learns a lesson regarding "...just how far is too far" as he falls for a needy woman living life in the fast lane.

Two low-rent hoods who live to "party" and learn what is matters most in life.

Amy Racecar, the infamous gangster, eats lunch with the president, and talks to God. ("Stray Bullets")

The following figure (1) portrays the cover of Stray Bullets, written and illustrated by David Lapham.

A www.comicstore.com.au/Purchase~id~455964753.aspx"

Figure 1: Copy of Cover of Stray Bullets by David Lapham ("Stray Bullets")

Adrian Tomine's Work From the early 1990s, Zushi reports, Adrian Tomine qualifies as: "...the uncontested boy wonder of the 'alternative comix' scene." Tomine started his Optic Nerve series when still in high school, yet he continues to stand as a high-water mark of the confessional mini-comics genre.

Tomine deliberately avoids the typical epic American preoccupations, and instead chooses to focus on small curiosities of day-to-day life. Figure (2) portrays the cover of Shortcomings, written and illustrated by Adrian Tomine.

Figure (2): Copy of Cover of Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine (Hoffman)

An example of Tomine's work, which characteristic for him, romanticizes loneliness, may initially appear simple. Shortcomings, however, shares an intricate, poignant, true-to-life story in comic-strip panels, as it permits readers to follow Ben Tanaka' choices as he struggles to make sense of his crumbling personal life. After Ben's girlfriend, Miko, leaves him, Ben fumbles with various women. Consequences of these choices only compound his deep-seated insecurities. (Zushi)

Both Ben and Miko are Japanese-Americans, and their shared ethnic background impacts on their lives in significantly different ways. Miko is proactive and politicised -- she is the assistant organiser of a film festival showcasing Asian-American talent. Ben, meanwhile, is a depressive manager of a local cinema, seemingly content in his life of slow-burning frustration and -- not surprisingly -- covert masturbation.

Sexual stereotyping is at the heart of the story. The title itself is a reference to Ben's feeling of inadequacy in the trousers department (underneath the dust jacket, the book cover bears a life-size image of a ruler). At one point, Ben recalls a "stupid joke": "What's the difference between Asian men and Caucasian men?" The punchline -- "the cauc" -- is both funny and deeply uncomfortable. "I actually heard a girl tell that joke in college! I was standing right there."

When Miko discovers Ben's stash of pornographic DVDs, what could have been played for laughs develops into something far more interesting. It isn't the fact that he needs them at all that offends her, so much as that "all the girls are white." Later, he finds himself in bed with Sasha Lenz, a Caucasian woman. Intimately sketched in close-up images, it's a perceptive, faintly sad scene. Ben feels he is losing a second virginity, drawn along racial lines: "It's just... This is the first time I've ever been with..."

The many supporting players are equally well developed. The lasting impression is one of real cities, populated by real people. It is to Tomine's credit that he is able to create believable characters out of what, in less subtle hands, could have felt contrived or cliched. So we have Alice, a South Korean lesbian academic with an irrepressible libido and racist parents; Autumn, an attractive "punk weirdo" in a performance art collective; and Leon, who Ben dismisses as a white "Steven Segal dip*****." (Zushi)

Shortcoming relates a sense of humanity to individuals consistently stereotyped. Summer Blonde, another popular publication by Tomine and reportedly his 2002 masterpiece, focuses on stalkers, phone pranksters and other emotionally atomized outsiders. In this work, as in many of Tomine's stories, he depicts characters as: "...ordinary people who find themselves turning into stalkers and creeps." (Hoffman) in Summer Blonde's title story, a timid man starts to follow a girl he meets in a greeting card store, who, not thinking as usual, tells him one of her closest secrets. In time, his following changes to stalking.

Tiny Giants Tiny Giants, a collection of Nate Powell's work from 1998 to 2003, includes stories focusing on subjects which range from bad teeth to dangerous dolls to a person longing for moments in his/her youth that may not have ever occurred. Farrelly suggests Powell used too few superlatives exist to describe thie particular book and that some new readers "will be bowled over by the beauty and grace of Powell's style."

Powell mixes wry political and social commentary into his work. In one story, a beating taken by one character could be the result of homophobia, or just another link in a chain of beatings for this young man. In another short piece, the sum total fears of the population end up taking the form of "sexy defense contracts for everyone at Boeing!" it's not done with the ham-handedness of all those 9-11 tribute books, but rather with a subtle jab here and there. Powell has a point, but he is not going to make it at the expense of the story and art. (Farrelly)

The following figure (3) portrays the cover of Tiny Giants.

Figure (2): Copy of Cover of Tiny Giants. By Nate Powell (Farrelly)

Farrelly presents tiny moments of life that are lived between times of great adventures or giant days noted when lives end, begin, or change forever. The tiny or small days, tiny moments of life, Powell contends, constitute a person's consciousness.

Powell relates moments when a character spends hours "picking at foul food or staring into a mirror to look at a deformity of...[his/her] (real or imagined) or even staring into the darkness of... [his/her] bedroom trying to make out a shape just outside the light."

Powell poignantly combines those moments and poignantly presents them into Tiny Giants. (Farrelly)

Books that Reveal the World in the fantasy comic-book novel, Neverwhere (Avon; 1998), noted by Frommer's Staff as one of the Editor's Choice of books that make readers see the world, Neil Gaiman, comic-book writer, tells the story of Richard Mayhew. Mayhew, a businessman, crosses over into a different plane of existence after he helps a woman he finds bleeding on a London street. He is then "trapped in 'London Below,' a world that exists in the London Undergound...." As Mayhew struggles to regain his normal life, he, as a real-life character, "travels" through a maze of London Underground stops. In the surreal world in the shadows of London, the reader experiences Mayhew's choices alongside him. (Rivera)

Choices' Theories a number of interventions based on an economic theory contend that people, "including students and their parents, will make rational choices, such as choosing to work hard, if opportunities are offered and rewards are available...." A smaller, yet increasing number of individuals, however, support the counter-economic theory that argues consumers make choices based on things other than rational economics. These "things" include social norms, behaviors and multiple other factors. Researchers who experimented with monetary incentives subsequently placed this intervention idea in the "does not work" category. (Lewis)

Tough Choices Really, really, really tough choices, according to Kidder (18), do not always center on right vs. wrong.

Sometimes, they involve right vs. right. "They are genuine dilemmas precisely because each side is firmly rooted in one of our basic, core values." (Kidder 18) the following four "justice vs. mercy" dilemmas may be called "law vs. love, or equity vs. compassion, or fairness vs. affection" (Kidder 18). These common dilemmas which depict models or paradigms include:

Truth vs. loyalty

Individual vs. community

Short-term vs. long-term

Choices

When considering the research question: "What works to impact choices?," the introductory quote for this section reflects the concept that a person's perception of who they are impacts how he/she perceives things. Similarly, this researcher purports, how a person perceives him/her self impacts the choices he/she makes.

For those who choose to segregate their neighbors based on chance measures, Kearns (2005) recommends that consideration of tales of the X-Men, Spider-Man and other comic-book characters could serve as anecdotes to misguided perceptions. Kearns (2005), however, this researcher contends, misguides readers as he chooses to use his article analyzing life lessons to blast President Bush, completely contradicting considerations he presents.

This researcher challenges Kearn's contention that President Bush possesses unrivaled power or that he is displaying gross lack of responsibility. Kearn's contention and admonishment: "Just start reading Spider-Man, Mr. President, and things will fall into place," this researcher purports, does not rightly reflect show "life lessons" one can learn from comic-book characters, the title of his article. Kearn's article could be considered an application of "bait and switch" tactics, as it appears to intend to show "life lessons" one can learn from comic-book characters, but in reality appears to serve as a soundboard for expressing personal political, unsubstantiated opinions.

Conclusion Sometimes, contrary to Kearns' (2005) proposition, a line may have to be drawn between "us" and "them." Considerations of religion or some other component contributing to an individual or group, may, in a sense, even contribute to choices that have to be made.

What if, for example, as noted in 911 or in scenarios similar to Jim Jones, where untimely deaths were promoted in the name of "religion" Individuals need to include lessons they have learned not only from comic books, but also from a number of other sources, including spiritual leaders; personal experiences; classes; etc. To make the best choices in life situations. In view of the knowledge one possesses, this researcher suggests, when one makes what he/she considers the best choice, results of that decision, as depicted in the comic-books, will bring consequences and opportunities: some good; some worse than expected. Whatever the consequences, albeit, as depicted in comic-books that depict opportunities for characters to learn and live out their choices and consequences, another opportunity to choose will be given.

The world would be a vastly better place if people heeded the lessons espoused in comics." (Kearns, 2005)