Week 4: The comic book

This week we looked at the natural next step after the comic strip, the comic book. The development of the comic book took form with the creation of serial episodes of strips the were sold as a pamphlet of combined strips with continuity that could be taken in all in one sitting as opposed to having to wait for the sunday newspaper.

I chose to read Tin Tin this week, the first time I was exposed to Tin Tin was when I watched the animated film. I knew it was a comic prior to watching, but I never had the opportunity to read it did not read it then, but when I read it now, I could see why Tin Tin was so popular. Everything about the Tin Tin series, whether design, characters, or story, is very appealing. Visually, Herge illustrates the comic linearly and cel-shades the color. It is bright, simple, and lends to a lot of visual clarity. Personally, I found it a relief after reading render-heavy comics that utilized lots of blacks and cross-hatch rendering. The stores were very exciting and adventurous as well, i could see why it appealed to a younger audience but just like the peanuts and little Nemo, it stayed relevant after all these years because it had such rich and relatable characters, with meaningful lessons.