Literature of Comics & The Graphic Narrative

I had no idea what to expect going into this having no prior knowledge of the underground comics movement. When I received this particular comic to read, I must say I was a little disappointed looking at the cover. I guess I expected the cover to look more mature- like it really did have offensive content inside. But of course, as they say, don't judge a book by its cover so I dived into it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Left-Field Funnies didn't seem to be offensive just for the sake of it. It seemed to present some genuine insights and criticisms about the 'hippie' movement and the intellectualization of the escapist ideologies in a satirical and crass manner. Not that I agree with everything being said, I do think it is an interesting perspective because I usually only come across a romanticized version of the movement in recent media. Especially because, from what I've gathered from today's class, underground comics culminated out of the movement

In reading Will Eisner’s A Contract With God and Craig Thompson’s Blankets , there are several similarities between their approaches to graphic storytelling that make themselves apparent; the most obvious one being, their autobiographical nature, and dealing with the themes of spirituality and God. A Contract With God presents a cultural memory and the harsh reality of the tenements in New York during the 1930s. Blankets is an intricate and earnest account of its creator’s coming of age. Both are not only beautiful works of art but also complex pieces of literature that don’t shy away from serious subject matter. Both Eisner and Thompson take a non-linear approach to the narrative but maintain clear sense continuity through emotions and actions, its almost cinematic. Thompson makes interesting use of transitional devices often used in film editing. That combined with his expressive use of brushstrokes to create flow and movement really makes the pacing in Blankets stand out.