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Review: the Watchmen GN
22/6/09 22:20I finished Watchmen this past weekend. Everything spoilery is behind a cut.
( Plot musings... )
In regards to art and design, Watchmen did nothing for me but increase my appreciation of manga esthetics. Each panel in Watchmen was dedicated to telling the story with no attempt to make the overall page visually appealing on its own. Of course, it seems NA-style comics have to cram as much story as possible into a scant 30 pages, and design has to take a back seat to reaching Point B in the plot by the end of the issue. In NA style's defense, not every mangaka has the luxury of an eye-pleasing layout either, but those who have earned a long print run and can spread out their story over thousands of pages can at least try to do so. (In my experience, you're more likely to find page layout design in shoujo than shounen. Yazawa Ai is a master of the page layout.)
I found myself having to really study the artwork so I could pick up on people's emotions. Part of that was how small the characters were drawn, but it was also two other things. First, the realistic art style. The anti-manga brigade can scream all they want about the huge eyes, vein marks, sweat drops, and chibis found in manga, but those conventions are all excellent and clear portrayers of emotion. When I was stuck was studying busy lines in a face the size of a nickel with eyes the size of half a grain of rice, trying to figure out if the person was jealous, angry, frightened, or nervous, I couldn't help but think how lovely a nice, clear chibi would have been. :P Second, the characters vanished into the uber-detailed OMG white space is the enemy!!!1! backgrounds. Sure, the slapped-on flat coloring helped some, but yeeesh. You don't have to draw every crack in the sidewalk, people!
Oh yes--no sound effects. Not a single one. =O
One thing about Watchmen did impress me--the use of the supplemental articles and interviews at the end of each chapter/issue. Those offered very intriguing insights into the characters.
( The ending, with slight sarcasm... )
I read Watchmen for the same reason I read the first volume of Dragonball: pop culture homework. And like Dragonball v1, I'm glad I read it, but I have no desire to do so again. (Or in the case of DB, read any more.) I think I'll pass on the movie as well. I have many other things to watch in my precious spare time. Thank cheese that's over. Whew!
( Plot musings... )
In regards to art and design, Watchmen did nothing for me but increase my appreciation of manga esthetics. Each panel in Watchmen was dedicated to telling the story with no attempt to make the overall page visually appealing on its own. Of course, it seems NA-style comics have to cram as much story as possible into a scant 30 pages, and design has to take a back seat to reaching Point B in the plot by the end of the issue. In NA style's defense, not every mangaka has the luxury of an eye-pleasing layout either, but those who have earned a long print run and can spread out their story over thousands of pages can at least try to do so. (In my experience, you're more likely to find page layout design in shoujo than shounen. Yazawa Ai is a master of the page layout.)
I found myself having to really study the artwork so I could pick up on people's emotions. Part of that was how small the characters were drawn, but it was also two other things. First, the realistic art style. The anti-manga brigade can scream all they want about the huge eyes, vein marks, sweat drops, and chibis found in manga, but those conventions are all excellent and clear portrayers of emotion. When I was stuck was studying busy lines in a face the size of a nickel with eyes the size of half a grain of rice, trying to figure out if the person was jealous, angry, frightened, or nervous, I couldn't help but think how lovely a nice, clear chibi would have been. :P Second, the characters vanished into the uber-detailed OMG white space is the enemy!!!1! backgrounds. Sure, the slapped-on flat coloring helped some, but yeeesh. You don't have to draw every crack in the sidewalk, people!
Oh yes--no sound effects. Not a single one. =O
One thing about Watchmen did impress me--the use of the supplemental articles and interviews at the end of each chapter/issue. Those offered very intriguing insights into the characters.
( The ending, with slight sarcasm... )
I read Watchmen for the same reason I read the first volume of Dragonball: pop culture homework. And like Dragonball v1, I'm glad I read it, but I have no desire to do so again. (Or in the case of DB, read any more.) I think I'll pass on the movie as well. I have many other things to watch in my precious spare time. Thank cheese that's over. Whew!
