Week 5
The comic called "life force" was an interesting read. From the style of art, to the subject matter itself, it leaves the reader questioning their own life.
Through the art style specifically, Eisner was able to convey a strong sense of mood, emotion, and atmosphere. Some panels contained lots of detail to set the scene, while others were taken up by mostly the color black, minus the drawings of characters themselves. By doing this, Eisner varied to intensity of each panel. Something else I really enjoyed about the artistic style approach was that it wasn't in color. I feel that if it were in color, it would have taken away from the intensity of the emotion throughout the comic. More specifically, in moments where characters are having their "existential crisis," the simplicity of black and white allow for the reader to focus more on the emotions and words the character(s) are expressing. The overall atmosphere of the comic is one of confusion, sadness, longing, and love at the same time.
What I found most interesting through this comic were the themes of culture and life purpose. Very early on in the comic, the old man character expresses his desire for work. Though I'm sure part of it was monetary, his explanation for wanting to work was simply because he was creating something. It gave his life a purpose and meaning. He went on the express what separates humans from cockroaches. He also questioned whether our longing for a life purpose was because we thought up this concept ourselves, or if it was because we were designed this way from God. In the end when he leaves the cockroach to return to his home, so too, does the cockroach get up and return to a can - which I would assume is his home. It made me question if Eisner was making a point that every living thing finds a purpose for it's life. In the time period that this was created for, the purpose of many people's life was survival, so overall it was a very powerful thing to make the reader think about.
Through the art style specifically, Eisner was able to convey a strong sense of mood, emotion, and atmosphere. Some panels contained lots of detail to set the scene, while others were taken up by mostly the color black, minus the drawings of characters themselves. By doing this, Eisner varied to intensity of each panel. Something else I really enjoyed about the artistic style approach was that it wasn't in color. I feel that if it were in color, it would have taken away from the intensity of the emotion throughout the comic. More specifically, in moments where characters are having their "existential crisis," the simplicity of black and white allow for the reader to focus more on the emotions and words the character(s) are expressing. The overall atmosphere of the comic is one of confusion, sadness, longing, and love at the same time.
What I found most interesting through this comic were the themes of culture and life purpose. Very early on in the comic, the old man character expresses his desire for work. Though I'm sure part of it was monetary, his explanation for wanting to work was simply because he was creating something. It gave his life a purpose and meaning. He went on the express what separates humans from cockroaches. He also questioned whether our longing for a life purpose was because we thought up this concept ourselves, or if it was because we were designed this way from God. In the end when he leaves the cockroach to return to his home, so too, does the cockroach get up and return to a can - which I would assume is his home. It made me question if Eisner was making a point that every living thing finds a purpose for it's life. In the time period that this was created for, the purpose of many people's life was survival, so overall it was a very powerful thing to make the reader think about.
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