When you think of comic books, what do you think of? If you were to ask your parents they would probably tell you Superman or Spiderman, maybe even Batman or Wonder Woman. Some might mention something more, something that appears to be a comic book, but once opened is revealed to be a work of literary genius; a comic such as Watchmen, or perhaps even V for Vendetta. An author and artist of renowned recognition and admiration wrote both masterpieces.
At first Alan Moore began his career as an artist for a detective story called Roscoe Moscow in 1979. (Camper, 1997-2008) He drew under the name Curt Vile, but eventually gave it up because he thought of himself as poor artist (Camper, 1997-2008). He focused more on writing from there on out. Moore began writing for DC Comics to begin his author career. There he began Marvelman (known as Miracleman in the US) and V for Vendetta. In 1986 the greatest comic book of all time, Watchmen, was created. It was the first graphic novel to receive the Hugo Award, which is a fantastic honor. During his time in DC, he also wrote stories for Batman, The Green Lantern, and redefined the character of Swamp Thing. Soon after the completion of Swamp Thing and the V for Vendetta storyline, Alan Moore left DC because he did like that he did not own the rights to his comic Watchmen.
Furthermore, when he began his career as an artist he used many pen names. His first name was used in the 1970’s, while he was still working as a cartoonist. He used the name Curt Vile, which is a pun for the name Kurt Weill, a well-known German composer from the 1920’s until his death in the 1950’s. After that he became Jill de Ray, which Wapedia states, “is an alternate spelling of the serial killer “Gilles de Rais”. He u...
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Khoury, G. (1995-2003). The Supreme Writer: Alan Moore. Retrieved February 18, 2010, from twomorrows.com: http://www.twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/30moore.html
Méalóid, P. Ó. (2009, May 6). Talking to an Extraordinary Gentleman of letters part one – Pádraig chats with Alan Moore. Retrieved February 18, 2010, from forbiddenplanet.co.uk: http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2009/talking-to-an-extraordinary-gentleman-of-letters-part-one-padraig-chats-with-alan-moore/
Pappu, S. (2000, October 18). We Need Another Hero. Retrieved February 18, 2010, from dir.salon.com: http://dir.salon.com/people/feature/2000/10/18/moore/index.html
Skidmore, M., Whitaker, S., & Gerome, F. (1988, March). JohnCoulthart.com. Retrieved February 18, 2010, from Watchmen: http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/2006/06/24/watchmen/
Brown, Ray B. and Marshall W. Fishwick. "Hero with 2,000 Faces." The Hero in Transition
McQuade, Donald, ed. The Harper American Literature. Harper & Row Publishers: New York, 1987, pp. 1308-1311. This paper is the property of NetEssays.Net Copyright © 1999-2002
His first work as an illustrator was with a famous author named Bill Martin Jr. Martin asked Carle to illustrate his book after he saw an advertising piece he’d done of a red lobster (“Eric Carle”). This is when his illustrating career truly began. Over the years he has not only had numerous successes in his artwork but has even written his own books. He’s most well-known for his book The Very Hungry Caterpillar where bright colors, odd shapes, and unique cutouts are used throughout the pages.
Watchmen is not just a graphic novel, but also a unique representation of American idealism as expressed through character image. Although the characters are portrayed as "superheroes," each is psychologically complex in that they become symbols for the flaws of American culture. Together, the characters of Watchmen reflect an unflattering image of American identity. We sacrifice morals to defend principles, rather than saving people. We sacrifice ourselves for commercial gain and for the fame that comes from the worship of strangers.
In 1941, Stan Lee, the creator of the Marvel universe, released his firs comic book about the patriotic hero Captain America. This comic was released during World War 2 to give the Americans a sense of hope and to let people know that we’re not alone. Marvel does a good job with its comics because they want to show you that even when times get tough, as long as you have hope things will get better. A good example of this would be Spiderman. When his Uncle Ben died, his last words to Peter were, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” Spiderman goes on to
In 1904, he received his bachelor's degree at the university of California. Soon he designed sewer pipes for the San Francisco sewer department. He became a cartoonist and sportswriter for the San Francisco Chronicle (1904-07), San Francisco Bulletin, and New York Evening Mail(1907-21). That is where made three long running comic strips. His comics impacted cartooning in the nineteen hundreds by creating difficult machines for simple tasks. Such as wiping your mouth or waking you up. These machines could involve thirteen or more components
Moore, Wes. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2010. Print.
Every child in the United States has heard or read the Marvel and DC comics books. If you have not then you have probably have heard of their characters like the famous star spangled hero, Captain America, or the Dark Knight himself, Batman. Both Marvel and DC has influenced the children and adults of American in its darkest times. The great wars affected many by its poisonous grasps, and its victims sought comfort with the antidote provided by the marvelous illustrators and writers of comic books. Now their cinematic counterparts are here to inspire the 21st century. The Marvel and DC cinematic universes have similar content, they both have unique characteristics that set them apart.
Norman, Vera. "Four Conceptions of the Heroic." Fellowship of Reason. N.p., 2005. Web. 29 May 2014.
To conclude, the graphic novel Watchmen presents the non-fantastic representation of a superhero, implying that not all heroes are like Superman. This notion is explored within the novel by mentioning the realistic motives of the characters choosing to become superheroes, by Rorschach’s representation and through the heroic reactions of the New Yorkers to a street crime. These elements all contribute to Watchmen’s uniqueness and complexity as a superhero comic.
and Other Greats : Lessons from the All-star Writer's Workshop. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006. Print.
Dietrich, B.D. “The human stain: chaos and the rage for order in Watchmen”. Extrapolation 50.1
“Ralph Ellison.” Survey of American Literature. 1992. atu.edu. Arkansas Tech University, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.
The Golden Age of Comics was perhaps the greatest era in comic book history. Many people loved the comics during this time period because they were all stories about good triumphing over evil. Many of these stories reflected over historical events over the time period. “Pro-American characters were popular due to the time period occuring mostly during World War II.” (PBS)
Most people believe that graphic novels are just an art book with minimal text. They believe it is just for entertainment for kids or young adults. They think that graphic novels are just like comics. But to get to the point, graphic novels are just like all the other novels. They are a piece of literature that tells a story and pulls out the reader’s imagination, so that they feel that they are a part of the story or can even relate to the story. Graphic novels have changed and developed into such remarkable pieces of literature and should be accepted by all scholars to be placed in that category. According to John Ridley, “There are still some people out there who believe comic books are nothing more than, well, comic books. But the true cognoscenti know graphic novels are-at their best-an amazing blend of art, literature and the theater of the mind”.