comic book review

comic book review

Comic Book Review

1. Introduction

I remember when I was a child, I would anxiously await the weekend so I could go buy a stack of comics. But there was a problem. I did not have an allowance and thus my purchases were limited to whatever I could convince an adult to buy for me. These were hit or miss purchases as I had no real guide to these decisions outside of the occasional advice from a friend. Out of the hundreds of comics I purchased in those years, only a select few still remain in my possession today. And those select few are soiled and beaten from being read so many times. I sometimes wonder if I had a more concise guide to picking those comics, would I still have only a few in my possession today? So many have I forgotten; perhaps they were easily dismissed or just too forgettable. The point is that children today mass purchase comics with no second thought. The ratio of what they actually enjoy to what is forgotten is likely similar to my youth. This is a wasted effort and is also not economically feasible for some children. So they could benefit from a means of deciding what is worth buying. This again is where comic book reviews come in. With the simple accessibility of the internet, there are numerous reviews for nearly every comic. So how are these written and are they an effective means to guide purchases? This is what I have aimed to address.

Comic strips and comic books play an essential role in the forming of the American youth’s literary identity. While many other forms of fiction have been addressing more adult issues, comics have stayed a primary endeavor of influential literature for children. In spite of the decrease in comics’ reputation, this classic art form is still winning a solid place in the hearts of today’s youth. This is in part due to the availability of such comics as those printed in newspapers, as well as those more recently created in magazine form. But how do children know what is worth reading? With the wide selection of comics available, choices must be made. This is where comic book reviews come in.

2. Plot Summary

Meanwhile, Jimmy Olsen, another reporter for the Daily Planet, has tracked down Rob and Tommy. He has a great meeting with them as they become good friends. During work, he asks his friends if he should be helping Superman fight evil, to which they tell him yes. He takes the news back to the Man of Steel, and they figure they could perhaps make Superman an “honorary Chinese man,” and together with help from the Lee family, Superman takes the Lee family’s last name, and Superman Smashes the Klan takes full swing.

After they both get settled back on the ground, they discuss their situation and Roberta’s attack, and Clark decides that with the help of his parents, they will try to organize the Chinese American community against the Klan, and he will take the role of The Blue Streak. He gets a blue and red suit made for him by his mother and puts on a red and blue night behind his glasses, showing nothing but the whites of his eyes to his father’s amazement.

Lois and Clark’s plane gets hijacked as it’s flying back from a mission in Washington. The pilot, apparently a member of the hate group, demands that Lois not publish a big scoop on the hate group, alerting the hate group to the article’s existence. The plane starts giving a falling motion, and Lois’s helpless screams make Clark angry and terrified. They both jump out, and Clark is able to save Lois and reveal himself to her as Superman.

Superman Smashes the Klan is a story about the Lees, a Chinese American family that moves to Metropolis at the request of Dr. Lee. They suffer a lot of prejudice because they are different. This is happening at the same time the Daily Planet is being taunted and ridiculed by a hate group called the Clan of the Fiery Cross. This hate group has set its sights on destroying the Lees and everything they have built. While the destruction of a Klan family coincides with a fall by one of its higher-ups, things really start to get intense when one of the children, Roberta, nearly dies at the hands of a cross on fire and some fireworks.

3. Character Analysis

The characters of the vegetation possess a peculiar status since they exhibit the features of human beings. But the most interesting character of all is Kumaraswami, who is formerly a senior officer and a partner in a government office. He is an amazingly experienced person, and his advice to Rukmani on various matters exhibits how depth in knowledge. These characters appear to have come to guide the human beings.

Eva and Tej are friendly neighbors who have a close relationship with Nandini. In order to console her, Eva had given a set of earrings with precious stones and a matching necklace as a gift. These were got from a Canadian diamond company, which was one of the clients of Dev’s firm. This set of jewelry has significance in the story. Vasu, who runs a grocery shop, gives Nandini home remedies every now and then to cure her illness. He is an innocent yet curious villager who is interested in Ayurveda. Step by step analysis of characters shows that each one holds importance and is connected to the main theme.

Nandini is a very homely character who finds it very hard to adjust to the life in an alien country, especially because she has to quit her job. It gives her a lot of spare time to think about the unborn child. The exile has frustrated her to the maximum. It is quite evident her frustration was due to Ashwin and uppermost when she miscarriages the child; she became mentally unstable at this juncture.

All the characters have distinct behavior patterns. Ashwin’s character is the most controversial one. He is selfish, very ambitious, and cares more for his career than anyone else. His character in certain situations is shown to be very rude, especially when he talks to his wife. Actually, Nandini is forced to leave for work due to Ashwin’s over-ambitious attitude. How selfish he is can be seen when Nandini faints and he doesn’t take her to the hospital since his manuscript was not complete. He is much self-centered yet still an understandable character.

4. Artwork and Visuals

In broad terms, cunningly visualized comics are most highly appreciated by this reviewer. Consistency in the artist’s work is paramount. Angular dimensional figures are as glaring a mistake as facial attributes alternating from panel to panel. While cartoonish characters can at times add visual depth, rarely is this an asset to an aesthetically serious comic. Light sourcing and the subsequent shading should adhere to strict principles in order to achieve a believable reality. For example, an inconsistent light source will confuse the location of an object and its distance from the ground. Movement can sometimes be lost with an overuse of colour or shading; Gunduz’s work is a particular example of this, having incredibly detailed pencil work but losing a sense of movement. Visualizing movement can be a difficult task, and when restructured can improve a comic without altering the layout. Additional lines denoting vibration and leaving gaps in the motion trail have proven effective. In the pursuit of setting an intended atmosphere, the appropriate use of colour is crucial. A monotone or oversaturated comic can be the downfall of an entertaining story, impeding its intention onto the reader. A work of art with a limited palette can be effective, but without monochrome. Remembering that vibrancy equals life; one needs only to consider visually bleak comics to whether they would have popular appeal – generally, they do not. Backgrounds, when done, can extensively add to a story’s believability. Although time-consuming and irksome, it is a recommended practice to never skip backgrounds. With enough practice, speed and creativity can generate rich and detailed backgrounds. An acceptable shortcut demonstrates itself through the use of blurs or stepping down opacity to separate where a character stands in a composition.

5. Overall Evaluation

Overall, the X-Men is an influential series that has had a big impact on not only comics but American culture and has a big following today. It brought up many controversial issues at the time, such as the war in Vietnam and civil rights for African Americans. Claremont believed in delivering a solid message in every story, and it was this vision that made the comic such a hit. The stories are easy to read and enjoyable. This, combined with the excellent character development, makes it a must-read for comic fans. However, some people may find the stories a little simple and too similar in nature. The series has won a record 14 Eagle Awards, has been an important cornerstone in the Marvel comics line, and has served as a major focus for Marvel in a series of successful films. The X-Men’s popularity gave American comic books an opportunity to increase their sales in the UK and other countries. Sales for the X-Men peaked at about 8 million US sales in 1991 when its standard issue was selling nearly a million copies. It is fair to give this comic an A star rating and it is a great read.