Posted by Qin Chan, 6/3/04 at 11:59:04 PM.
Why comics?
Comics have always been an intimate part of my life, yet I still wonder, sometimes, why are comics so important to me? Each time I pass by a comic shop, there seems to be an invisible force that draws me towards it. It is more like a reflex than a decision when I walk into a comic shop to look at comics. I may not be looking for anything particular, but it just feels right to be in a place with comics. My comic collection hobby started with the classic Japanese comic, Dragonball. It was the first original comic series that I started reading while still in elementary school. I was always feeling restless on Wednesdays because the new issue would be on sale that day. And I would spend the rest of the day rereading the comic a few times before feeling satisfied.
Comics have literally been there and around me all the time. It has provided me an avenue to release my overly imaginative mind and let my thoughts run wild. Since I am a thinker, or should I say dreamer, it was not helpful to get distracted when I was supposed to be thinking or doing something important. Thus, reading comics was the time when I allowed my mind to wander free. It was like grazing cattle in the field everyday, and after the allocated time, I would gather them and lock them up. This was how I controlled my imagination. Since I could not stop my mind wandering, I had to make a compromise that would be the best for me. It gave me a chance to let my mind indulge in fantasies and fun stuff. In addition, I was less distracted and I could concentrate on my studies. Of course, things did not go as planned at the beginning, which resulted in the episodes of my parents feeling frustrated with me reading my comics. It was difficult to control at the beginning, but as time went on, I was able to keep it under control and balance work and play.
But why choose comics? There is TV, storybooks, computer games and sports. Each activity did manifest itself when I was a teenager, but, as time past, I had grown into reading comics as I never got tired of reading them. Sometimes it is not reading the new comics that make comics so interesting, but rereading the old ones which I have kept over the years. Comics are like a collection of good wines, the longer they are kept, the better they taste. One might ask how one can continue to read comics that have been read more than once. This is the part of the comic experience that most non-comic readers do not understand. Reading comics is similar but can also be very different from reading a book. You may be able to read a book once, twice or even thrice, but after a while it just does not seem plausible to read the book any more. But this is different for comics. I can read each comic book a dozen times, and get something new and different from the comic the next time I read it. Because a comic book is mostly composed of pictures, it is easy and quick to read, and each read could turn out different interpretation. While reading the Japanese comic GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka) for the sixth time in a month, I realize that there were three small drawings at the bottom left corner of a page which I had not notice before. It was a funny scene between the characters, and it gave me a glimpse into the personality of the student who the teacher, Onizuka, was trying to help. This is the beauty of reading comics, a comic’s lifespan is not only limited to be read once, but it is worth reading it over and over. This is the part of the comic reading culture which I love.
Reading comics seem nothing more than a pastime, a hobby which youngster indulge themselves in, but I feel its more than that. It is a culture and also can be a dialect which people use to communicate with each other. In the army, there were many instances when I had started a conversation with a complete stranger who I did not seem to have anytime in common with. But we would find ourselves sitting down and talk for an hour discussing about the different comics we enjoyed reading. The conversation often leads to both of us recommending comics to the other which we think would be great to read. Comics have created a common plane which I can converse with people with common interest. The ‘comic language’ we use includes comparisons between characters in comics, commenting on different drawings by comic artists and other comic specific details. I love the connection a group of avid comic readers makes when they come together and discuss the comics which they enjoy reading. At social gatherings with friends who have not met for a long, talking about new issues of a comic series is a great way to melt the ice and get things started. A unique connection is made between comic readers, and a common interest and topic makes socializing easier. Some might say comics is just a phrase young people go through, but I comics have been part of my life for the past ten years. Although I believe that I would eventually grow out of reading comics, it will be many more years before that will happen.
The obvious difference between a comic and a traditional book would be a comic has pictures, but another difference is the medium in how the story is told to its reader. It is important to note that the pictures tell most of the story, not the words. It is a practice for me to flip through a comic book before reading the text. In less than 5 minutes from looking at the pictures, I am able to postulate the story with my imagination and guess work from the previous episode which I had read. Comics are made up of closures, and the effectiveness of a comic depends on how each closure is positioned and drawn. Closures we see on TV are continuous, but it is far from continuous in comics. Since reading comics is a partnership between the artist and reader. The gaps between pictures are spaces given to the reader’s imagination. While I am flipping quickly through the comic book, the break between each closure is lengthened because there is less information given to me, but it also gives me a larger space for my imagination. Pictures, to me, speak louder than the words. And, personally, I love to be given the opportunity to stretch my imagination just by looking at snip bits in a comic.
Comics have also influenced me by exposing me to different cultures and materials which I had previously not been in contact with. Despite the majority of comics are devoted to science fiction materials, there are other comics that writes about non-fiction. Many well-respected comic artists have dedicated their works to portray the lives of the ordinary people living in society. This gives me, as a comic reader, glimpses into the social ideas and background of people who I have never met or interacted with. An example would be one of my favorite Japanese comics, GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka). It writes about how a school dropout who was a gangster chose the path to become a teacher in Japan’s education system. A private school principal hires him and assigns him to a class who has successfully landed two teachers in the psychiatric ward with their relentless pranks. The teacher, Onizuka, is unaffected by the horrible pranks the students play on him, and, instead of breaking down, he befriends and helps the students. He understands his role as an educator is not only to teach materials in the book, but also to teach the moral values and lessons of life to his students. Although the comic seems to be an idealized version of everyone's experience in high school, it does shed light on the reality which Japanese students face in school. Onizuka is the personification of the good natured but undisciplined and rowdy teenagers who are going through their school life. The other teachers and parents are depicted as the evil side of society who constantly pressurizes students to adhere to their wishes and follow instructions. One of the reasons the comic is so popular is because it reflects student’s everyday experience. And in doing so allows the readers to relate to the characters. In addition, the hero figure fulfills students’ dream of someone who is willing to go against all odds and opposition to do what is right, and not be intimidated by others. Onizuka doesn’t try to circumvent, or go around the corrupted educational system, but goes head strong into the matter, and solves the issues at hand with unorthodox methods. The comic shows the sides of students who are waiting for such a character to help them break out of the confined space they have been living all their life. I also had the opportunity to talk to my Japanese roommates about the validity and truth behind the education system they had experience, and they responded that the key themes shown in the comic are real. The comic does give an overly simplistic view, but I believe the artist was able to draw out the quintessence of the problems students face in Japan.
Comics are an indulgence for me to entertain and let my mind wander, but it still bears a certain level of educational value which helps me understand ideas and themes different artists are trying to convey. Comics, like books, use its own mythology to convey ideas and thoughts to its young readers. It is a different source of entertainment and a learning experience which I greatly value.
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