El Goonish Shive

 

I found this online comic strip series called El Goonish Shive done by Dan Shive and when I first looked at it I was thinking of just skipping it. I wanted to skip it at first mainly because I have been used to looking at other comics that have been done with more detail. But this is the style I tend to mostly do (in a way) and the amount of detail I put in. So I was still interested and I'm glad I kept reading it. It's a daily comic strip, but with a story which I believe it is important to read from the beginning or else one would probably just lose interest in it.

The thing that got me interested in it the most was how the comic started. Even though it was just simple drawings, the way the characters interacted with the readers and introduced "their" first comic was funny to me and I just wanted to keep reading.

    The first panel on the image above was one of my favorite. It was just funny to me the way they pointed out how the school was "possibly" drawn on. I still haven't figured out why some are in color. I thought the first few were just in black and white and the rest would start being in color, but after going back and forth through some of the ones I have already read, I notice the 3 to 4 panel ones are in black and white and the bigger paged with more panels, like the one above, are in color. Also, like most comic strips, the backgrounds are mostly blank unless the characters are in certain areas and background is needed to show the readers know where they are (the characters, not us. Of course we know where we are... Unless you don't... Then something may be wrong... Anyway...).

    I'm really glad I found this comic strip series and I believe others would enjoy reading them as well. The style is simple, but still entertaining. I think this comic was cleverly done and I'm sure it isn't the first time this has been done. 

Carciphona: vol. 1

    I came across Carciphona, done by Shilin Huang, and I just was very impressed by the cover art. Main reason why I like it is probably because I really like the manga art style. What I really also enjoyed was how the color and shading was done. I've colored in one of drawings before and it was difficult to get the shading and details done right but I still liked how it came out. This is something I wish I could do.

    When I went to the first and second page, the page was still in color and it read from right to left just like most manga. But because of the lack of panels and word bubbles, it was a bit hard to follow the text at first. but the art was still just as amazing. 

    I really thought the rest of this manga was going to be in color and just as detailed as the first two pages. I was a bit disappointed to see the the rest was in black and white but I am used to black and white more and still prefer over color at times. Plus I can see that it would be too much work and more funding needed to do the whole manga in color. 

    I still really enjoyed looking at the black and white pages. They were still really detailed. The shading and toning was well done. Since I still prefer to do my drawings in black and white, this is the way I wish I could tone and shade my drawings. When I was working on my comic, I found it difficult to tone it the way I wanted it to look. But I still liked how it came out and hope to get better at it.

    I really like how the panels were also done, especially with the thick lines making some panels pop out more. These type of panels make the comic/manga a bit more interesting to look at, but can be hard to follow at times depending on the size, angle, and positions of the panels. The panels on my comic were simple and boring, but I also didn't wan't to complex things for myself and wanted it to be read straight forward. There is also a lot of variation of thin and thick lines on the characters, and objects/buildings which I thought was great.

Making comic strips

     The main thing I think about a comic strip is that it has to be funny. I know that it doesn't have to be, but when I look at them and if a series of comic strips are not funny, I most likely wont ever bother reading them again or look for them for that matter. Unless of course it had a story, which most probably do, and is interesting. But I find it difficult to even think of something that could be funny without copying someone else. I know something can come from life experiences and of course there has to be funny that has happen to us or others, but a lot of the times some of those moments are either hard to explain and need a lot of detail, or just something you had to be there for. Also, a lot of jokes can be inside jokes and only found funny by those who were involved before.

     And then there is the case in which you need to limit yourself when it comes to certain jokes in order not to offend someone. I guess I have being trying too hard to think of something funny for a comic strip even though I know it doesn't HAVE to be. I am no comedian, but I like to make people laugh so I guess that is why I have been trying to think of something funny. I could also try to come up with a comic strip that had a good message or teach a lesson of some sort.

      I still really like how simplistic comic strips can be. And yet I still go and try adding more detail than there has to be or end up drawing a character more comic or manga style than cartoon. When we were working on the the comics we made up during class, I just couldn't come up of a style I wanted the characters to look like and just drew what I was used to and I just hated it. Especially after we had to pass them around to work on another page, I just liked how everyone else's characters were drawn and then wish I could have changed mine completely. But oh well, I know a bit better for next time hopefully.