At uni we're having lectures on 'the history of illustration' ... its actually pretty depressing. (we started with the invention of print - altho there are older examples I think our lecturer thinks that the past couple hundred years in depth is more useful to us)
illustrators (and I assume this term includes cartoonists) have always been socially considered below artists. there was a bunch of artists who would've been great illustrators ... it just didn't pay well enough. and I think the attitude towards illustration and comics today has a similarity. one of the 'theory's being that we're ONLY there to for fill briefs. (lol we looked at rosetti last week ... with that ego of his and doing his own weird interpretation of a poem)
but yeh ... interesting and depressing stuff.
I used to only read manga ... but not because I had a burning hatred of other comics ... I just thought 'I know what I like' ..... but yes ... I think many people my age got to a point where manga looked repetative. (partly because of the publishers not willing to gamble on translating anything out of the usual genres which apear in manga) but I think this is also due to manga series being so lllooonnnggg (11 volumes of xxxholic and I'm not sure I can look at the characters again - its always so consistent in the way things look)
but now that I've started reading 'indie comics' (lol vertigo style stuff, maus style important graphic novels AND weird zine style self published comics) ... I enjoy the exploration of many different styles and stories. reading something fresh each time I personally read a book. but I don't think its right to start saying things like "I hate manga - its so generic and unoriginal" ... (I have heard other people who have the same reading 'tastes' say this sort of stuff) they do really look down on it ....
but everyones reasons for reading are different.
At the same time ... I think I enjoy a variety of stuff ... I DON'T think that everyone should read the same stuff as me.
like how there was a forum ... about 'what would you recommend me reading - I'm TRYING to get into reading western comics?' (something like that) .. and its like ... I don't think its nessesary to force someone into reading something they're just not interested in (I'm not saying these people in particular where doing this ... it just sounded like a ok example)
and the thread was weird (now I think back) because it was filled with basically manga drawn by people in america. (so what was the point? they ended up reading the same stuff)
sorry ... I'm just kind of writing down a trail of thoughts. but hopefully interesting ones.
altho this situation is overall annoying and frustrating ... its sad to admit theres not a lot we can do ... just accept it happens. :(
unnn, i have thesame exprience from people who read the indie stuff (and yes i read 'indie' too- but it's interesting because recently i got into an argument with a few people over indie it turned out their idea of indie was totally not what i was thinking of! i see indie as everything you described, where as they saw it as the in-jokey comics you get at expos- i am not sure if theyve even heard of any of the comics i consider indie...it's odd)
no no, it's an interesting opinion/thoguht you jsut wrote! i'm surosued by this thread on 'reccomend me western writing' i agree it is somehwat ironic that everything that was suggested to this person was bascually an infleunce of what they always read *laugh* i suppose it might be different though if it has a western influence?
i remember when i decided to try and get into something that wasn't manga, at the time it was like *shock horror* for me xD anywya i toomka little step by buying 'american born chinese' which to me was a god step forward haha!
illustrators (and I assume this term includes cartoonists) have always been socially considered below artists. there was a bunch of artists who would've been great illustrators ... it just didn't pay well enough. and I think the attitude towards illustration and comics today has a similarity. one of the 'theory's being that we're ONLY there to for fill briefs. (lol we looked at rosetti last week ... with that ego of his and doing his own weird interpretation of a poem)
but yeh ... interesting and depressing stuff.
I used to only read manga ... but not because I had a burning hatred of other comics ... I just thought 'I know what I like' ..... but yes ... I think many people my age got to a point where manga looked repetative. (partly because of the publishers not willing to gamble on translating anything out of the usual genres which apear in manga) but I think this is also due to manga series being so lllooonnnggg (11 volumes of xxxholic and I'm not sure I can look at the characters again - its always so consistent in the way things look)
but now that I've started reading 'indie comics' (lol vertigo style stuff, maus style important graphic novels AND weird zine style self published comics) ... I enjoy the exploration of many different styles and stories. reading something fresh each time I personally read a book. but I don't think its right to start saying things like "I hate manga - its so generic and unoriginal" ... (I have heard other people who have the same reading 'tastes' say this sort of stuff) they do really look down on it ....
but everyones reasons for reading are different.
At the same time ... I think I enjoy a variety of stuff ... I DON'T think that everyone should read the same stuff as me.
like how there was a forum ... about 'what would you recommend me reading - I'm TRYING to get into reading western comics?' (something like that) .. and its like ... I don't think its nessesary to force someone into reading something they're just not interested in (I'm not saying these people in particular where doing this ... it just sounded like a ok example)
and the thread was weird (now I think back) because it was filled with basically manga drawn by people in america. (so what was the point? they ended up reading the same stuff)
sorry ... I'm just kind of writing down a trail of thoughts. but hopefully interesting ones.
altho this situation is overall annoying and frustrating ... its sad to admit theres not a lot we can do ... just accept it happens. :(
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no no, it's an interesting opinion/thoguht you jsut wrote! i'm surosued by this thread on 'reccomend me western writing' i agree it is somehwat ironic that everything that was suggested to this person was bascually an infleunce of what they always read *laugh* i suppose it might be different though if it has a western influence?
i remember when i decided to try and get into something that wasn't manga, at the time it was like *shock horror* for me xD anywya i toomka little step by buying 'american born chinese' which to me was a god step forward haha!
thanks for your input, it was useful =)
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