Sunday, October 12, 2008
Oh, and...
I wanted to add, that I feel completely renewed as an artist, I feel like I remember why I want to be an artist, why I have quit many things, but never art. Thank God, I thought that the muse had completely left me...
"...and I'll whisper no."
If you had asked me two days ago, what was my favorite comic book, I probably would've responded "Probably the first appearance of Venom, or maybe an issue of The Darkness." I am by no means saying that I do not love these comics, they rank among my favorites, especially Spider-Man. I love all types of comic books, ranging from dark and depressing, to campy and eccentric. However, nothing, and I do mean NOTHING, could prepare me for what I got myself into when I went to Borders today and grabbed what might end up being the single most influential piece of art that I have in my possession. If you don't know by now, I'm speaking of Watchmen.
From the second that I picked it up, I could not put it down(you can ask my roommate, I literally only took a break from reading to eat and do a little homework.). I have not been this emotionally attached to characters in quite some time. When I reached the final page, my I had been run through the emotional gamut. I had been nearly brought to tears multiple times, clenched my fists so hard that they hurt, and sat in disbelief, mouth simply agape. The entire time, I was fully enveloped by the world I was reading about. I had a chill run down my spine on more than one occasion because I felt as though events in the book were happening right outside my window.
I remember when it was announced that they were making a movie of Watchmen, I had heard that it was a great graphic novel, and I saw the immediate mix of fear and excitement that lit up in the eyes of its fans. I appreciated it, but I didn't get it, not yet. Every time I walked into a Borders or Barnes and Noble, I thought to myself" I really should pick up Watchmen...", but the thought was always overshadowed by a book I needed to get for class, or by the beckoning of friends. If I had known how this book would blow my mind into little pieces and re-attach them as it saw fit, I might have been more scared than excited to buy it. It was by chance that I even went into Borders yesterday, due to the fact that my Dad was visiting, he mentioned that he wanted to stop by one the way home, so I suggested that we go to the Borders on Broad St. Once we arrived, he set off to find the book he was looking for, and I walked around aimlessly. Then I saw it, under a pile of "Buy One, Get One Half Off" books, its bright yellow cover called to me. I picked it up and examined it, immediately interested in a book with a blood covered smiley face on the cover. It was at this point that my Dad asked "What's that?" I proceeded to tell him of all the things I had heard about it, and he seemed genuinely interested, something I am always grateful of(I am lucky in the fact that my Dad has a genuine interest in the things I am interested in, especially when discussing art). "It's buy one get one half off, go ahead and grab it, Ill find one in here and get it for myself." My Dad may have very well affected my life in a much greater way than he might have thought when he bought me the graphic novel with the bloody smiley face on the cover.
I've already stated that I was glued to Watchmen from the minute I opened it, and that it took all of the things I thought I felt, and turned them on their ear. But I don't think any words can explain to you how this book made me feel. Once I finally closed it(I took my time over a few hours and read it, trying to soak everything in.) I felt a new sense of purpose as an artist. I have always admired those who used their art as a way to change peoples notions of what art can be, but felt as though it wasn't what I was meant to do. Not anymore. I want my art to do to someone what this did to me. I want someone to see an animation I've created, or a comic book I've illustrated, and to have their emotions simply take over. I want to use all of the things that have shaped me into the person I have become, and plaster them on a page for all to see, for all to judge and discuss. I want people to finish looking at what I've done, and spend longer than it took to view it thinking about it, analyzing it and feeling inspired or changed. There are some quotes in that book that I know will never leave my mind, they are most definately part of who I am now.
Everyone feels as though they can relate to a superhero, whether it be Batman, Spider-Man, whoever. We all feel like we have a bit of superhero in us. Throughout my life, I have always had a strong pull towards a number of heroes. When I was younger, I believed I was going to be Spider-Man when I grew up, my smart mouth was simply meant to be used to swing around New York in red spandex. As I got older, the always conflicted emotions of The Hulk seemed a bit better suited to me, a teenager who felt as though his anger could envelope him at any moment. When my life started taking some very unexpected and unpleasant turns, I felt as though I related to the motives of The Punisher a bit more, someone who believed that those who perform evil should be punished for the pain they cause, plain and simple.
Well, now I can add one more hero to that list, and his name is Rorschach. Like the punisher, he believes that evil must be punished, there is no other way to deal with it. However, his inner turmoil and pain extend to a level not seen in Frank Castle. A man so disconnected with reality that he refers to his mask as "his face", someone whose convictions are so strong that he would sooner die than compromise...now that is a man that truly makes me sit in awe. He is such a beautifully crafter character that he almost seems real, I feel like I could look out my window and see him giving some piece of scum their due in an alleyway. I wish that someone like him did exist, somone to give the wicked their just desert, someone who had convictions, and wasn't ruled by the almighty dollar. Of course, I find the other characters in Watchmen fascinating, but whenever I think about the book, he is the character that dominates my mind.
I'm not saying that I want to give up loving humor and turn into a dark writer of comics of death and despair, I simply want to expand what I believe that I can accomplish. If this book could touch me the way it did, maybe I could inspire a new generation of artists and writers to challenge what they believe an established genre to be.
"The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout 'Save us!'...
...and I'll look down and whisper 'no.'"
From the second that I picked it up, I could not put it down(you can ask my roommate, I literally only took a break from reading to eat and do a little homework.). I have not been this emotionally attached to characters in quite some time. When I reached the final page, my I had been run through the emotional gamut. I had been nearly brought to tears multiple times, clenched my fists so hard that they hurt, and sat in disbelief, mouth simply agape. The entire time, I was fully enveloped by the world I was reading about. I had a chill run down my spine on more than one occasion because I felt as though events in the book were happening right outside my window.
I remember when it was announced that they were making a movie of Watchmen, I had heard that it was a great graphic novel, and I saw the immediate mix of fear and excitement that lit up in the eyes of its fans. I appreciated it, but I didn't get it, not yet. Every time I walked into a Borders or Barnes and Noble, I thought to myself" I really should pick up Watchmen...", but the thought was always overshadowed by a book I needed to get for class, or by the beckoning of friends. If I had known how this book would blow my mind into little pieces and re-attach them as it saw fit, I might have been more scared than excited to buy it. It was by chance that I even went into Borders yesterday, due to the fact that my Dad was visiting, he mentioned that he wanted to stop by one the way home, so I suggested that we go to the Borders on Broad St. Once we arrived, he set off to find the book he was looking for, and I walked around aimlessly. Then I saw it, under a pile of "Buy One, Get One Half Off" books, its bright yellow cover called to me. I picked it up and examined it, immediately interested in a book with a blood covered smiley face on the cover. It was at this point that my Dad asked "What's that?" I proceeded to tell him of all the things I had heard about it, and he seemed genuinely interested, something I am always grateful of(I am lucky in the fact that my Dad has a genuine interest in the things I am interested in, especially when discussing art). "It's buy one get one half off, go ahead and grab it, Ill find one in here and get it for myself." My Dad may have very well affected my life in a much greater way than he might have thought when he bought me the graphic novel with the bloody smiley face on the cover.
I've already stated that I was glued to Watchmen from the minute I opened it, and that it took all of the things I thought I felt, and turned them on their ear. But I don't think any words can explain to you how this book made me feel. Once I finally closed it(I took my time over a few hours and read it, trying to soak everything in.) I felt a new sense of purpose as an artist. I have always admired those who used their art as a way to change peoples notions of what art can be, but felt as though it wasn't what I was meant to do. Not anymore. I want my art to do to someone what this did to me. I want someone to see an animation I've created, or a comic book I've illustrated, and to have their emotions simply take over. I want to use all of the things that have shaped me into the person I have become, and plaster them on a page for all to see, for all to judge and discuss. I want people to finish looking at what I've done, and spend longer than it took to view it thinking about it, analyzing it and feeling inspired or changed. There are some quotes in that book that I know will never leave my mind, they are most definately part of who I am now.
Everyone feels as though they can relate to a superhero, whether it be Batman, Spider-Man, whoever. We all feel like we have a bit of superhero in us. Throughout my life, I have always had a strong pull towards a number of heroes. When I was younger, I believed I was going to be Spider-Man when I grew up, my smart mouth was simply meant to be used to swing around New York in red spandex. As I got older, the always conflicted emotions of The Hulk seemed a bit better suited to me, a teenager who felt as though his anger could envelope him at any moment. When my life started taking some very unexpected and unpleasant turns, I felt as though I related to the motives of The Punisher a bit more, someone who believed that those who perform evil should be punished for the pain they cause, plain and simple.
Well, now I can add one more hero to that list, and his name is Rorschach. Like the punisher, he believes that evil must be punished, there is no other way to deal with it. However, his inner turmoil and pain extend to a level not seen in Frank Castle. A man so disconnected with reality that he refers to his mask as "his face", someone whose convictions are so strong that he would sooner die than compromise...now that is a man that truly makes me sit in awe. He is such a beautifully crafter character that he almost seems real, I feel like I could look out my window and see him giving some piece of scum their due in an alleyway. I wish that someone like him did exist, somone to give the wicked their just desert, someone who had convictions, and wasn't ruled by the almighty dollar. Of course, I find the other characters in Watchmen fascinating, but whenever I think about the book, he is the character that dominates my mind.
I'm not saying that I want to give up loving humor and turn into a dark writer of comics of death and despair, I simply want to expand what I believe that I can accomplish. If this book could touch me the way it did, maybe I could inspire a new generation of artists and writers to challenge what they believe an established genre to be.
"The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout 'Save us!'...
...and I'll look down and whisper 'no.'"
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