Integrating 3D and 2D computer generated imagery for the comics medium

Advances in 3D computer technology have led to aesthetic experimentation within the comics medium. Comic creators have produced comic books done entirely with 3D models that are then assembled digitally for the printed page. However, in using these 3D objects in a comic format, the creators have developed art styles that do not adhere to the paradigms established by this traditionally 2D medium. More successful results can be achieved by integrating 3D computer generated imagery with traditional 2D imagery, rather than replacing it. This thesis develops a method of combining rendered 3D models with 2D vector graphics to create a comic book art style that is consistent with the traditional medium, while still taking advantage of the new technology

The (Counter) Politics of Digital Comics in India: Reading Literature of the Digital Space

In her 1984 essay, “A Cyborg Manifesto,” Donna Haraway envisioned that digital technology would introduce a utopian space which would liberate women from gendered power dynamics. Despite such optimism shown by third and fourth wave feminists in India, political inertia and juridical failure to implement laws and justice for victims of gender violence, be they domestic violence or sexual assault, have manifested how the digital sphere has failed to become a post-gender space. On the other hand, the pervasiveness of online gender-based violence in social media and other interactive web platforms exacerbates women’s exclusion from the public political sphere. Against representations of gender violence and injustices online, Indian female comic artists have created counterpublics as a way of countering mainstream politics and the technologies of governance that have othered, ostracized, and discarded gendered victims of violence. Using the theoretical frameworks of Foucault’s biopolitics, Mbembe’s necropolitics, and Fraser’s “counterpublics,” this article aims to examine the representations of sexual violence, stalking, and gender discrimination within cyberspace. It focuses on how the feminist webcomic format in India is challenging female subjugation and advocating against the lasting physical and psychological trauma of gender violence through web comics such as Doddlerama, Sanitary Panels, and Priya’s Shakti. The article also analyses how the digital space in India has become a male-dominated, brahmanical space of surveillance, control, and discipline that offers limited agency and voice to women in India, and how female illustrators are reclaiming the digital space by creating their own counterpublic spheres of resistance

Anime for Architects: A new Perspective on Architecture

The primary argument of this study is that the medium of anime and manga, Japanese cartoons and comics, has the potential to offer a new perspective on the representation of architectural space. This might come as a surprise due to a preconceived notion that cartoons and comics are an immature art form without any value outside of the entertainment realm. Hence it is the goal of this dissertation to reveal how the methodology of manga, in particular, has the ability to enhance architectural representations in terms of the multi-sensory and space-time perception of architecture through characteristics of manga, such as narrative, portrayal of the invisible realm and the expression of both space and time by panel arrangements. To do this, a foundation with the beginnings, development, and basic visual vocabulary and grammar of comics is described and compared to other art forms. Through this comparison, the communicative power of comics is assessed by its combination of picture and word, ability to make visible the invisible through iconic images, and closure, which creates sequencing and narrative. Next, a comparison is made to show how manga is unique and visually distinctive from Western comics. Manga is found to make more use of the “masking” effect, aspectto- aspect and moment-to-moment panel transitions, length, hyper-stylization, and minimalist art. In order to argue that these manga differences have a better relationship in representing architectural space, important characteristics of architectural space are identified. These characteristics are the built environments presence in a multi-sensory world, space-time, and its association with experiential and lived space. These are then examined in relationship to the ability manga methodology has in representing these three characteristics. Finally, manga is compared to the current methods of representing architectural space such as conventional architectural drawings and writings, 3d architectural animations, virtual reality, and film. It can be concluded that manga is a more complete way of representing architectural space. As a demonstration of this, a sample manga that focuses on one particular area in Tokyo, Ikebukuro, is drawn to illustrate how this method can work utilizing the characteristics of manga, such as narrative, portrayal of the invisible realm and expression of both space and time by panel arrangements

How Comics Travel

Engages with comics as sites of struggle over representation by developing a new methodology of reading for difference in transnational contexts

Manga Vision

Manga Vision examines cultural and communicative aspects of Japanese comics, drawing together scholars from Japan, Australia and Europe working in areas as diverse as cultural studies, linguistics, education, music, art, anthropology, and translation, to explore the influence of manga in Japan and worldwide via translation, OEL manga and fan engagement. This volume includes a mix of theoretical, methodological, empirical and professional practice-based chapters, examining manga from both academic and artistic perspectives. Manga Vision also provides the reader with a multimedia experience, featuring original artwork by Australian manga artist Queenie Chan, cosplay photographs, and an online supplement offering musical compositions inspired by manga, and downloadable manga-related teaching resources

USE OF GRAPHIC NARRATIVES WITH PRESERVICE TEACHERS AS A MEDIATED LEARNING TOOL

Despite the use of comics in education as a tool for reading or language learning, little is known about its potential as a mediated learning tool in Higher Education settings. This paper presents a preliminary study, part of a bigger project conducted as an action-research approach which aims to gain knowledge on the use of comics in higher education as a tool to develop comprehension and thinking skills. The study was carried out at one of the Spanish universities located in the Madrid region. The study involved 71 student teachers of an undergraduate course who were trained on how to read and create comics: use of diverse types of software, composition basis, communication elements and conventions of comics’ design. Students had the freedom to create their comics choosing the software they felt most comfortable with since the purpose of the study was to analyse the composition of their stories and the way they gave meaning to learning through them. Comics were analysed and categorised according to the story they told, feelings and emotions they showed, complexity and originality. Even the comics' design was well achieved, students were focused on their graphic composition rather than on the educational problems the comics should have conveyed. Findings suggest that even though comic’s creation encouraged students’ creativity and critical reflection, developing visual thinking skills takes time and needs to be practised as it is a scaffolding process. Future studies will be focused on developing preliminary visual thinking skills before asking students to express their subject knowledge creating their graphic narratives