ughhh NERD ESSAYS???
oh my god seriously this sounds like I'm writing an essay for school I'm so sorry guys I don't want to be That Guy
Excuse me while I nerdboner, but I am going to tell all you jokesters why you should be reading every single thing of Urasawa's that is being released right now. (I mean I guess you could read Yawara too but I have no idea how that is because I never looked at it)
I know I'm probably pretty slow on the uptake on this since a lot of people have already read or seen Monster, but Urasawa came to my attention only very recently. Of all things, I came across him because his work has become incredibly vogue within the American comics community-- which is pretty big, because there's such a rift between the western comics sensibility and the japanese comics sensibility. Urasawa is an artist with crossover appeal; his designs are informed by manga style but with a definite western influence, and his storytelling is straightforward, but incredibly strong.
Yesterday, I finally sat down and read the first two volumes of Pluto. If you don't know, Pluto is Urasawa's remake of one of the most acclaimed Astro Boy stories, "The Greatest Robot on Earth," handled largely from a different perspective. I should probably hold off to write anything until I read the original (I'm a butt :( what can I say) - although I'm almost hesitant to pick it up and spoil myself on Urasawa's version (seeing how he's the "MASTER OF SUSPSENSE" and all). I'm gonna have to get back to the differences in style of storytelling after I do, but from the interviews I've read with Urasawa and Macoto Tezuka, it sounds pretty hugely different.
ANYWAY, I'm having trouble picking the examples I wanted to show, but in particular I wanted to put up a scene that I think was handled beyond beautifully. As setup, this is the protagonist, Geischt, going to tell a robot that her husband has been killed in the line of duty:
WHAT a beautiful use of subtle, but strong storytelling! I want to point out that in this entire scene, there is almost no use of facial expressions to convey emotion (hell, one of the characters has a face that can't change at all), and very little to no body language. The characters and their faces are very static, which aids to the pregnant tension of the scene, which is almost entirely carried by the pacing. See the repeated panels on the first page, the use of composition to make a character with a goofy robot face seem to be in mourning. Unghh the composition on the second to last panel on the third page (with both figures standing) and the heavy black shape that draws your eye from one figure to another, used again on the next page to create a shape that links but also separates the two as they stand in tense silence.
The scene changes halfway through the last page so I cropped the last bit off, but it was too important to leave out. Geischt is a character who CAN emote, but doesn't often, so when he looks down like that it really stands out.
Urasawa's character designs aren't flashy, but they are rock solid in their foundation. He clearly knows the human face and body, which is how he's able to convey a scene like this without falling into the manga shorthand language, like the omnipresent "side view where the eyes are shadowed over" panel that often gets (over)used in a scene like this.
I was horrified once to see two artists who I respect and admire calling Urasawa's work "unremarkable" or "not very good," because I can't stop staring at how strong, clean and deliberate it is. I like to think Urasawa is an artist's artist- he may seem a little plain to some, but he doesn't need to feel around with unnecessary lines or detail. He knows exactly what he wants, and how to do it.
I'm also amazed at his ability to draw more than one type of person. Both western and asian comics suffer from artists who only have one or two body and face types (believe me, I'm one of them), but Urasawa's characters are all so distinct you will never mistake a character for someone else.
Also, Urasawa's Astro Boy is freakin' adorable:
There are a lot of other little things that I stopped to admire, but I really am getting longwinded enough as it is and I'm sure nobody here is really that interested anyway, so I should stop while I'm ahead.
ADDING: DC, Marvel, this is how you take a story or cast of characters made originally for children and make it "for grown-ups." Pluto doesn't have to fall back on excessive gore or sex to feel "mature" and "dark;" it's both of those, but it's classy about it. Take notice, western comics!
Excuse me while I nerdboner, but I am going to tell all you jokesters why you should be reading every single thing of Urasawa's that is being released right now. (I mean I guess you could read Yawara too but I have no idea how that is because I never looked at it)
I know I'm probably pretty slow on the uptake on this since a lot of people have already read or seen Monster, but Urasawa came to my attention only very recently. Of all things, I came across him because his work has become incredibly vogue within the American comics community-- which is pretty big, because there's such a rift between the western comics sensibility and the japanese comics sensibility. Urasawa is an artist with crossover appeal; his designs are informed by manga style but with a definite western influence, and his storytelling is straightforward, but incredibly strong.
Yesterday, I finally sat down and read the first two volumes of Pluto. If you don't know, Pluto is Urasawa's remake of one of the most acclaimed Astro Boy stories, "The Greatest Robot on Earth," handled largely from a different perspective. I should probably hold off to write anything until I read the original (I'm a butt :( what can I say) - although I'm almost hesitant to pick it up and spoil myself on Urasawa's version (seeing how he's the "MASTER OF SUSPSENSE" and all). I'm gonna have to get back to the differences in style of storytelling after I do, but from the interviews I've read with Urasawa and Macoto Tezuka, it sounds pretty hugely different.
ANYWAY, I'm having trouble picking the examples I wanted to show, but in particular I wanted to put up a scene that I think was handled beyond beautifully. As setup, this is the protagonist, Geischt, going to tell a robot that her husband has been killed in the line of duty:
WHAT a beautiful use of subtle, but strong storytelling! I want to point out that in this entire scene, there is almost no use of facial expressions to convey emotion (hell, one of the characters has a face that can't change at all), and very little to no body language. The characters and their faces are very static, which aids to the pregnant tension of the scene, which is almost entirely carried by the pacing. See the repeated panels on the first page, the use of composition to make a character with a goofy robot face seem to be in mourning. Unghh the composition on the second to last panel on the third page (with both figures standing) and the heavy black shape that draws your eye from one figure to another, used again on the next page to create a shape that links but also separates the two as they stand in tense silence.
The scene changes halfway through the last page so I cropped the last bit off, but it was too important to leave out. Geischt is a character who CAN emote, but doesn't often, so when he looks down like that it really stands out.
Urasawa's character designs aren't flashy, but they are rock solid in their foundation. He clearly knows the human face and body, which is how he's able to convey a scene like this without falling into the manga shorthand language, like the omnipresent "side view where the eyes are shadowed over" panel that often gets (over)used in a scene like this.
I was horrified once to see two artists who I respect and admire calling Urasawa's work "unremarkable" or "not very good," because I can't stop staring at how strong, clean and deliberate it is. I like to think Urasawa is an artist's artist- he may seem a little plain to some, but he doesn't need to feel around with unnecessary lines or detail. He knows exactly what he wants, and how to do it.
I'm also amazed at his ability to draw more than one type of person. Both western and asian comics suffer from artists who only have one or two body and face types (believe me, I'm one of them), but Urasawa's characters are all so distinct you will never mistake a character for someone else.
Also, Urasawa's Astro Boy is freakin' adorable:
There are a lot of other little things that I stopped to admire, but I really am getting longwinded enough as it is and I'm sure nobody here is really that interested anyway, so I should stop while I'm ahead.
ADDING: DC, Marvel, this is how you take a story or cast of characters made originally for children and make it "for grown-ups." Pluto doesn't have to fall back on excessive gore or sex to feel "mature" and "dark;" it's both of those, but it's classy about it. Take notice, western comics!