The Response Template and Instructions for Tuesday

For Tuesday, all you need to do is watch the video in the post below and respond to Blog Question #2. Be sure to watch the videos, since they will help you write about the comics, and prepare your presentation in Week 2! 

I also want you to start reading Superman: American Alien as soon as possible for Wednesday's class. For each comic you read, you will turn in a RESPONSE TEMPLATE which is a series of 4 questions (always the same) to help you examine the comic in question. The Template is below, and you can e-mail me these questions as soon as you finish the book--but it can be whenever you finish it. So if you don't finish the book for two days, you can e-mail it to me in two days. Or you can e-mail it to me on Wednesday; or Friday, etc. Just be sure that I get all the templates before the class ends! However, don't save them all for the last minute, or you'll have a LOT of writing to do. 

THE RESPONSE TEMPLATE (answer all 4 questions for each comic we read):

Q1: Describe the artistic style of the comic. Be specific: would you characterize it as sketchy, realistic, cartoony, artistic, ornate, spare, expressionistic, tight, loose, etc.?  What is the overall feel of the artwork, and what kind of tone does it create for the reader?  Do you feel it is the uniquely suited to the story being told?  Or is supposed to go against the grain of the story? In the case of a work with more than one artist (i.e. Superman: American Alien), choose one of the chapters to discuss. 

Q2: What would this story lose if it was a traditional novel (no images)? How do the images help tell the story for you, and what wouldn't you know or understand or appreciate without them? In other words, why does this particular story make more sense as a comic than any other form of literature? Be specific and try to discuss a particular passage or moment that would be untranslatable without the images. 

Q3: How does this comic address the ethics of being a superhero, or someone with unique powers and abilities? According to this comic, what does it mean to be a “hero” and a “villain”? Do the heroes ever cross ethical boundaries in their quest to save humanity? Also, does a superhero always play by the same rules, or does one’s age, sex, race, or religion also play a role?

Q4: Connect some passage or idea of the book to one of the lecture videos. You don't have to quote anything I say necessarily, but show how some of the ideas I raise in one of the lecture videos is 'echoed' by the comic itself. This could be something about the form, the style, the history, the themes, the characters, the creators, etc. I just want to see that you can connect the background content to the works themselves (and I want to make sure you're watching the videos, too!).