Week Nine: Wide World of Comics

The European comics scene is one that I wish so hard that I could have been more aware of by now. There's a huge world of comics (for instance, Hergé's works) that I have no idea about, because they don't have as much of a place in American comics culture, like Japanese comics do, for instance. I want to learn French essentially so that I can read French comics, and also talk to French cartoonists about their work. There are even a ton of French cartoonists who put their work on their blogs that are just astounding. Many people say that America is the comics capital but I would argue that the French comic industry is on par or even better on a national scale.

This week I chose to revisit a comic I read a little while ago, and still sticks with me today: Notes for a War Story, by the Italian cartoonist Gipi. What jumped out at me first about this comic was how different it is from the typical American war comic. Notes for a War Story is definitely a war comic, no doubt about it, it's right there in the title. But not only did it capture my attention for more than a few pages, if at all (something that near never happens with American war comics), but I loved it. As I said before, it stays with me to this day as a go-to recommendation I will give people who are looking for this kind of comic. I still think of it when thinking of writing great graphic novels of my own.

There are a few reasons I think that this story means so much more to me than a typical American war comic. I respect American war comics hugely and what they mean to the demographics they are made for. Many of these comics act as healing stories for people who went through similar experiences and act as a way to document, in a personal format, the way that life was back then. Accurate documentation is incredibly important, especially of war stories.

But I think in general, European comics tend to strike a more passive, emotional chord than the American stories do. There's no doubt that American war comics feature lots of action, lots of explosions, lots of violence, and a gritty realistic style meant to make you feel like you're watching a live action film. European comics however, also tend to contain more passive stories as well as aggressive ones. Notes for a War Story is a great example of this. For a graphic novel about war, you never once see a typical war scene in the entire book. There's still a lot of action and violence-- but what makes the book memorable comes from the very personal experiences of these characters and the way their personality develops through their war. Many of the conflicts are internal as well as external, and the art style is thoughtful and quiet-- and furthers the tone of the story in a visual way.

From what I've seen, European comics often stray from the beaten path much more so than American comics tend to. I'm sad that there are not more European comics translated and available in America than there are currently, but luckily they are getting more popular and we're headed in the right direction.