An artist’s work is deliberate. I knew this as a fact… At
least, as it applied to writing and painting. In regards to comics? Well, I
knew this subconsciously. However, despite reading comics for years, it wasn’t
until after reading McCloud that I truly understood on a conscious level the
kind of deliberation and thought that goes into planning and creating a comic.
Case in point: In the our most recent reading (Astonishing
X-Men, issues 1-3), there were a few pages that really popped to me, but the
most salient page was this:
As you can see, the page is depicting a conversation between
the X-Men over the advent of a “cure” for the X-gene. In particular, panels
featuring Kitty, Logan, and McCoy have fairly light backgrounds, whereas the
panel with Emma has a dark background. Additionally, in the panel featuring the
four of them, hers is the only face covered in shadow.
I feel this is suggestive not only of Ms. Frost’s past as a
villain – one of Magneto’s followers – but also of her attitude in general.
This is supported by the cynicism of her dialogue on this page. She remains on
the darker side of the mutant debate.
Alternatively, the others – shrouded as they are in a dim
light – maintain a comparatively positive outlook on things. Which is to say
that their reactions aren’t quite as extreme and dark as Emma’s.
On the whole, the lighting in this scene says as much about the characters’ personalities as the text: Kitty, as upbeat and morally good as she is wont to be, remains primarily un-shadowed; Emma, ruined by her experiences, remains thoroughly in the dark; Logan, jaded by his past, tends to be partially obfuscated by slivers of shadow; and McCoy, contemplative as he is, is bathed in a neutral light.
But then there’s Scott.
Scott is all alone on the last panel, with a sort of yin and
yang balance going on with both the shading of his face and the background of
the panel. This design choice represents a crossroads. As the new leader of the
X-Men pushed into such a chaotic scenario, Scott finds himself having to make a
grand decision regarding the future of not only Xavier’s School for the Gifted,
but also for mutant-kind as a whole. In the face of potential “cure” and all
that entails, does he take on Emma’s darker outlook and rise to murder? Or does
he keep the teachings of Professor X and try to remain hopeful that humanity
will grow to accept them?
Reference:
[Whedon, Joss (w), Cassaday, John (a).] "Astonishing X-Men: Gifted." X-Men v1 #1-6 (2011), Marvel Entertainment.
Reference:
[Whedon, Joss (w), Cassaday, John (a).] "Astonishing X-Men: Gifted." X-Men v1 #1-6 (2011), Marvel Entertainment.
As somebody who had to take AP Art History in high school, visual analysis of images (of their various components and pieces) is still something that I like to do. There's always a lot to talk about when it comes to the art of comics - for example, what does Emma's placement in her panel reveal about her and the text? It could indicate that she is misaligned with the X-men (not in terms of loyalty, but in ideology), it could indicate that she is off of their moral center. It implies that the X-men, as a team, are not a cohesive unit. Notice how, in the second panel from the bottom, it appears that no one is looking directly at each other? The composition of the characters in that panel is what screams disunity.
ReplyDeleteYou both make great points and it was helpful to read. It's easy to see the difference in colors while you're reading but to have the correlation between color choice and dialogue (and training myself to look at those differences) was crucial for me in furthering my understanding of comics. I also think it's interesting that Scott is in the middle of dark and light, as if he's being pulled in two directions. I feel like his gut is telling him to keep to the light side, stay positive, and keep to Xavier’s teachings. Whereas, the influence of Emma, and subsequently Scott’s feelings for her, are making him consider the dark side in a way I don't think he necessarily would have if he wasn't as involved with Emma as he is. I guess time will tell which side he chooses.
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