exploring comics as an artistic medium

exploring comics as an artistic medium

Tara Alexander

INTRODUCTION

Lit Mag is a class that involves both art and writing, and uses both elements to start conversations, tell epics, or simply just make a person think. This year, as I started thinking more and more about the elements colliding with each other to enhance a story or theme, I wondered about a medium of art that uses both elements in a unique, flexible way: comics.
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Instead of magazines pages that have a prose and a piece of art that are separate story wise, a comic has to always be consistent, and it takes not only artistic talent but also talent with writing literature. But, with a concept so foreign to Lit Mag, the questions start to appear:

HOW DOES ONE MAKE A COMIC?
WHAT IS THE PROCESS BEHIND MAKING A COMIC?
WHERE DOES ONE START?

PART ONE:  HOW MAKING A COMIC WORKS

PART TWO: AN INTERVIEW OF A FELLOW COMIC MAKER

Now that we have learned how to make a comic, we should learn why comics are so important. But instead of me telling you why comics are unique and significant as a medium, why don't we indulge in a fellow comic maker, Ethan Charles!

What made you want to create a comic, and how long have you been into illustrative literature?

I’ve loved stories and storytelling for as long as I can remember. It’s nice to create fun characters and interesting worlds that people can get attached to. I created this comic as a satirical take on the mean girls cliche. I wanted to see how boys of culturally diverse backgrounds would react in a realistic high school setting, with some fun slices of life aspects thrown throughout.​

​When making a comic, how much time and dedication does it take to work on it?

I’ve been planning this story since freshman year and started the actual drawing process during quarantine. Funny enough, I wanted to base the characters on people I knew, so I named all three of the main characters after myself, half of which was inspired by Heather’s and half inspired by the fact that there were actually three people named Ethan in my AP Lang class, which I found too funny.

​What do you think make comics special?

​​I like comics because they let you walk a line between written storytelling and visual storytelling, allowing for a great bridge of the two mediums!

Prepped by Ethan Charles

MY EXPERIENCE:

Comics are special. They bind writing and art together in the most beautiful way. The amount of patience and effort that is needed to make a comic is huge. It took me 3 months to complete my comic, and though I was agitated at times and very, very stuck at certain points, I always kept my head up and pushed through it.
Working on a comic has also made me see my improvement in my art. In 3 months, I found myself growing and expanding my writing and art skills at an exponential rate. If there is one thing I have learned from this experience, it's that comics are extremely underrated. Many people believe that comics are for kids, but that simply is not true. Comics can tell exquisite stories, with complex themes and characters. They are a beautiful medium of art--one that definitely has changed my life for the better.

Web Page Redesign by SARA HSU