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| V for Vendetta [Color] |
It's not just the color that bothers me; the art of the novel is a little too sketchy for my tastes. Many of V for Vendetta's panels blend together as I read/view them and I feel as if I don't experience the novel to the same extent that I have with other graphic novels. Also, the speech bubbles kind of blend into each panel and don't stand out. As such, I occasionally find myself skipping over them...
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| American Born Chinese [Color] |
I don't just have a boilerplate dislike of graphic novels in color; American Born Chinese is a graphic novel that I've enjoyed each time that I've read through it. In this novel, the colors are solid and the lines are uniform and definite. Also, the speech bubbles are clearly defined in thicker black lines. I believe that the simplicity of the colors makes my reading experience more clear and I am able to absorb the panel in its entirety.
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| Persepolis [Black & White] |
Graphic novels such as Persepolis appeal to me because of how simple, yet effective, the art appears. The characters do not require immense detailing or shading to convey the necessary emotions and tone. Would it be interesting to experience the book in color? Yes, definitely! But, I feel the novel is much more 'readable' in its current format.
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| The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye [Black & White |
I'm also not saying that simpler is better as a rule. An artist, like Tony Moore, can draw a detailed panel/comic [in gray-scale or cyanotype or whatever] and still have it be incredibly 'readable'. I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that I think art in graphic novels/comics needs to be effective and direct. In V for Vendetta I think I experience something like a sensory overload with each page I read/view. Unfortunately, I have just moved the towering pile of graphic novels off of my desk to discover that it is well past four in the morning. As such, I should probably stop blogging and get some sleep :)
I think that different layouts appeal to different people. It just depends on your level of attentiveness. I've read Vendetta many times and I notice different things each time I do because, like you said, the way the speech bubbles and panels seem to smash together distracts you and makes it harder to read. In many of the panels there is also too much going on for the amount of words that correspond with it. Your brain is trying to take in everything at once and it's difficult when the page is so busy. Stick with it though. It's a really great read.
ReplyDeleteHey Nicole, as stated in our literature circle last Wednesday, I agree with your theory on the colors, shaped, and designs of each graphic novel. I appreciate that you associated "V for Vendetta" (Sorry, no underline tool so I had to use quotes :\) with water colors. I felt that it was lacking depth in the pictures because the colors were so bland and dark with a mixture of even darker lines and small fonts. It seemed as though I was struggling to read the words because they were so small and it took me a lot longer to get through this graphic novel then expected. With graphic novels like "The American-Born Chinese" I was enticed by enriching pictures and text that worked so well together. I agree that "V For Vendetta" had a good plot; yet, I think it would have worked better if the pictures were more appropriate. I like the pictures you took of each graphic novel by the way! Personally, I think certain graphic novels work well with certain formats. In just so happens that "V For Vendetta" is a graphic novel that doesn't work well.
ReplyDeleteI ran into much the same issue when I read Watchmen a year or so ago. the massive amounts of color in the medium sort of derailed my site and I had to put it down for few minutes so my retinas could calm down. I think at the time when V for Vendetta and Watchmen were published the technology was limited to those simple plate designs. (I have a friend who works in graphics and he assures me many of the digital inks and art publishing methods we enjoy today were developed in the last decade and a half.) it does lead one to wonder if comics like V or Watchmen would lose some of their appeal should they lose their color. its points to the possibility of digitally remastered editions of some of our old favorite books. makes me long to see Winnie Pooh in high def. :)
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