Week 2 Response
Are Comic Book For Adults or Children?
I believe that it depends on the intention of the author. However, in a
comic such as The Blue Lotus, the range of age of the audience is very
wide, and the comic is able to enjoyed by many readers. The comic has
cartoon drawings, and this is appealing to children. The adventurous
attitude of Tintin is also appealing to kids because they are also new
to the world, and curious, so they are able to relate to him in that
sense. Tintin is also a good role model to children, he shows
characteristics that are appealing to the younger audience and this
makes the comics addictive. Children are always left hanging on waiting
to see how Tintin will get out of trouble and be the hero, possibly in
hope that they will also be able to fight crime one day and be good
citizens. The reason i believe that a comic like The Blue Lotus is also
appealing to adults is because of its fictionalisation of real events.
There are historical events that have been portrayed that are appealing
to an older audience because adults have probably heard of the events on
the news, and the fact that the events have been exaggerated and made
into fiction makes the comic entertaining. Other than Tintin, other
comics are usually directed at a target audience, and so they aren't
appealing to all age groups. Comics such as "Sin City" are gory, and
contain adult only themes such as sex, drugs, and graphic violence, so
it's obvious that parents wouldn't feel comfortable showing their
children such books. On the other hand, comics such as "Superman" are
directed at a younger audience, and contain unrealistic themes such as
superpowers, and villains that want to take over the universe. Parents
are more comfortable showing their children these books because there is
nothing that will "corrupt" the minds of their children.
Hello.I read your work and I thought you did good work. I also want to add my ideas with your opinion. Please read it and give me your comment:)
ReplyDeleteAlthough Hergés Tintin comics were originally intended for Belgium children, its’ popularity has not only grown globally but across all age groups. Its appeal to adults lies not only with the comics’ “high quality drawing and compelling narrative,” (pg5) but its attention to detail.
Tintin comics are unique in that environments and objects depicted are factual and detailed. Hergé would hire artists with specialized talents in different fields, such as aircraft, to enable the illustrations to be accurate. While children can enjoy the farfetched antics of Tintin and his trusty dog Snowy, adults can appreciate a sense of realism that this imagery offers. An example is the half-page image on pg26 of the Japanese barricade. This picture is rich with detail, which offers the child the excitement of getting into trouble in a foreign land and the adult a topical thought into current events of the time.
Another insight into the appeal to adults is the fact that when Tintin first appeared in newspapers the story was depicted as comic strips. At the time this was seen as a new technology as “the words come directly out of the characters mouths,” (pg4). This alone would be enough to arouse any age groups’ curiosity.
I agree with you when you say that it depends on the intention of the author. Like you mentioned, Tintin is obviously directed at both kids and adults, with Hergé making no secret of the propoganda ever present in his work. On the flip side, adults will not want to watch Dora the Explorer! However, I also think that in academia, people do like to "read between the lines" and disect texts to find things the author may have unintentionally written in there (whether it is for the good or the bad).
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