A comic is simply pictures associated with words, but in
society it is viewed so differently. Comics are usually paired up with children
and the younger generation. In reality, comics are for men, women, young, and
old. Society doesn’t really fully accept that concept though because it’s been
imprinted into our minds that comics are pictures, and pictures are for
children.
To test this, I interviewed my dad on his views on comics
and what kind of people he associated it with.
I asked, “Do
you think comics are for children?”
He replied, “Yes, of
course.” He said yes because he thinks that since children are still
developing, they need assistance with comprehension so the pictures, attached with
the words, help them with understanding what is going on.
“Then do you think adults can read these
comics?”
Unsurprisingly, he said no. I asked why and he said since
adult brains are more developed, they don’t need pictures to go along with the
words. They are able to understand what the sentences are trying to portray
without the need of any visual assistance. After his response, I thought back
to the time in middle school where I bought my first Calvin and Hobbes comic
and I remembered how my dad looked at it a bit of a disapproving look. Now I know
why he had that look.
To some degree, it is true. As the brain develops, we
develop better critical thinking and comprehension skills. As a little kid,
words overwhelmed me and I couldn’t understand without having pictures to help
tell the story. Also, while working with the kindergarteners at an elementary school,
I was given a book to read to them. I opened it and just saw just about every
page had pictures and there was only a sentence of words per two pages.
As Michelle Lebbos said in 1st hour on Friday (I’m
pretty sure), it’s ironic that the pictures used in comics or picture book are
used in the same purpose for adults but in text. Why use 1000 words to describe
something that you can just show in a picture?* Michelle made a very good
point. I think that comics can be just as meaningful and complex as a paragraph
long detailed description. Comics are beautifully crafted in a way that
pictures and words coexist in harmony. So go out there and read a comic or more
specifically, have fun reading Maus. J
*If you are reading this Michelle, I'm sorry if I botched up your explanation.
Hi Angela,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog post very interesting, especially the point about the effectiveness of pictures. I must disagree with one point, however. Comics are indeed very fun; I read them often. They are not for everyone, however. Some people just don't like comics. I feel the real idea is that people should not judge whether they like comics based on pre considered connotations society has placed on them.