Chapter 5 Page 06
Abt_Nihil on July 11, 2012
Oh look, it's a Wednesday update! I'm quite embarrassed that I'm having such a hard time getting back to a steady update schedule. I just… really have a lot to do. I'm doing my best, I promise…
Now, this page comment will be a bit longer than usual, but please bear with me - it's an important point for me, and one that's close to my heart.
It's probably obvious that I'm channelling my own experience as a comic-maker here. It's not so much that my primary goal is establishing comics as high art, it's that I'm tired of the whole discussion. I really don't see why comics should even try to meet some criteria that are completely external to the craft. I don't see why comics should try to be like any other medium - but that's what's so often implied when evaluating comics. The art world has little to do with what comics are or have the potential to be, and I don't think it would do comics any good to try to be like “high art” - or “high literature”, for that matter. (My aversion to the term “graphic novel” is no secret.) Comics are comics. And specifically in this comic, I've been intentionally referencing genres that are deemed trivial. Because I think the stories we can tell in these genres can be just as engaging, as “deep” and as relevant as any work of “high art”. I feel like I owe that to the many masters of the medium, who have created miracles, and who still continue to do so, and to the readers, whose life has been made better by being filled with the wonders those comics have brought into them, and to my fellow webcomic makers, who continue to work solely for their ideals!
Holon is a lot of things, and one of these is a love letter to the medium. And in order to accomplish this, I am not just referencing genres that are associated with classic comics, but I am also constructing characters who endorse making and reading comics, and on whose life comics have made a positive impact. It was important to me to show that one central interest Kel and Kano have in common is that they're both familiar with the same comics (those that I'm using as short stories inbetween chapters), and also to show that comics have a lasting, positive cultural impact. They're reading comics from before the great catastrophe that has destroyed the earth; in the previous chapter, I have revealed that on the earth's last day, one person's favorite comics have been preserved for coming generations, and that preservation was an act of love. Now, starting with the previous page, we are introduced to this person: Someone who has a love for comics, and who makes comics herself.
Sorry for rambling, but I had to get that off my chest at some point, considering it's such a central point at the heart of this story! ^_^
Aaaanyway, thanks for reading and commenting, and for your patience. By the way, voting for Holon in the dd awards would be greatly appreciated!
REPLIES:
Tantz Aerine: Thank you, I'm glad you did! And I agree. Generally, I think that being able to express oneself creatively is a skill that should be taught and encouraged.
Nepath: I was the same. Some teachers tolerated it, some didn't :-)
Lemniskate: Everywhere… starting 2311! :3
Stig Hemmer at 4:08PM, Oct. 20, 2012
So many people have closed minds when it comes to comics. It is hard enough explaining people why an adult like myself still reads comics, I can't imagine how much harder it must be a creator of comics. Thank you, Abt_Nihil and everybody else who persist in creating these wonderful artworks.
Lemniskate at 10:54AM, July 16, 2012
So, where can I get a floating kitty-phone?
Nepath at 2:04PM, July 12, 2012
I totally agree. Back when i was in school i persisted with completing all my art coursework using comic art, against the wishes of my art teacher.
Tantz_Aerine at 10:31AM, July 11, 2012
I really enjoyed that author's note! As much as I enjoyed the page itself. I do believe that aside stylistic finetunings and objective corrections in elements of art's infrastructure (like anatomy or perspective or layouts for the images and plot/dialogue elements, tone and style for the writing), to tell a person what to focus on and what not, what is cool and what isn't, is culling that person's potential development, like pruning a tree to keep it being a bush. So, I can't wait to meet this girl :D I like it she's determined to keep doing what she does in terms of content at least :)