Comics as Contemporary Literature: Asterios Polyp, Eightball, and Acme Novelty Library

I read a collection of titles this week, and they ended up being some of my favorites from the whole semester. Asterios Poylp in particular was fascinating, and relatable as an artist who has difficulty communicating with a couple people in my life who aren't so "right-brained". I loved the overall style of the art, but I always paid special attention when Asterios was in a scene with his wife and they were drawn with contrasting shapes to represent their worldviews: Asterios, with angular, geometric shapes and his wife with loose, sketchy and dissipating lines. I always enjoy a nonlinear narrative, as it takes a little extra work from the reader to piece together what the creators hand you, bit-by-bit, and the Mazzuccelli executes this perfectly. The ending shocked me as I think it's supposed to, though maybe I should've recognized the foreshadowing from earlier in the story.

Eightball by Daniel Clowes intrigued me from the start, though not necessarily because of what it contains (though that is mystical in a way that reminds me of Hotel California), but because I learned it was created by the old roommate of one of my current professors, George Pratt. He always talks about his time at Pratt Institute and the sort of underground comic revolution that he and his buddies helped to lead there, but I'd never really taken the time to examine the work that came out of that particular period. Now that I've seen it in Eightball, I can see why the authorities opposed it, but the "Uncanny Valley" vibe this work has is so telling of the times, and the attitudes of the artists who strived to put ther uniqueness out there. I especially enjoyed the "Devil Doll" narrative and the quick turns the girl's worldview keeps taking, comparing her no-worries satanic lifestyle with the evangelical motivational speaker that she ultimately becomes.

 The third title I read for this week was Chris Ware's Acme Novelty Library: The Smartest Kid on Earth. Honestly, I hate to bring it up, and I know I'm not the first, but the main character of this comic, Jimmy, just looks a whole lot like Stewie Griffin. I'm not sure which one came first, but the similarities, physical and mental, are uncanny. Moving on. I thought this work was really interesting, because it played off of traditional comic strips like Peanuts and their heartwarming moral values, but turned all that on its head. Jimmy is an asshole who thinks his mother is an idiot and schemes against her throughout childhood, but in adulthood he continues to live with her while silently loathing her the entire time. He's a little too real to be comfortable, since he never really does what he wants and lives his life having little fantasies of acting out maliciously or harming himself. Acme is another title which isn't really a fun read, but it is intriguing in the way it is done, especially considering the masterful panel work. Ware's style is similar to that of an airplane safety pamphlet: simple, bold lines, flat colors, and sometimes arrows showing you where to look next. He uses lots of "windows" and zoom-ins to transition to the next scene, which comes off seamlessly and keeps your eyes moving across the pages.