Monday, October 28, 2013

It's a Bird Section 5

Fate vs. Free Will

In this graphic novel, Steven is obviously fated by Huntinton's Chorea. Although he is unaware as to whether or not he will get it, he still feels fated. I believe that is where the fate stops. It is his choice to become a recluse and refuse to answer calls. It is his choice to tell Lisa that he does not want children. However he does so because he feels like there is nothing left for him to do. He is haunted by the words his father said "...because if we'd known about the goddamn disease we'd never have had David and Steven in the first place!" Steven lets this hit him close to home and when he tells Lisa he doesn't want children I think he is turning into his father a little bit. Steven is battling anger for what his father said and for feeling the same way. Much like Oedipus, Steven was born and after his father learned about Huntington's Chorea, he realized he should not have children. Much like when Oedipus' father learns about what his son is supposed to do, he tries to get rid of him.

It's a Bird Section 4

Will the Stephen Seagle Please Stand Up?

The beginning of section 4 starts with a large frame of Steven punching the writer Joe Allen in the face over a fight about super man. I think this frame in itself shows how even at this point in his life Steven is still haunted by that day at the hospital. I think that by jumping back to his childhood and that day at the hospital specifically we get a sense of how important it is to him. As a reader I notice the contrast between how innocent Steven is and how ignorant he is to the situation around him. As an adult, Steven knows a lot. He knows almost too much about Huntington's and I think that make's him ignorant in a different way. He is living in a world of his own, thinking about Huntington's and the affect it may have on his life. He is being very closed and rude to people around him.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

It's a Bird Section 3

Words, words, words...

A couple of frames that stick out are on page 32 when Steven's boss mentions that everybody has secret identities. He tells Steven that everyone has secret identities and then asks "don't you" very casually as if he knows the answer. We then get a great shot of half of Steven's face. This is a point where we don't get any words just a picture. I think the pictur answers the question of "don't you" perfectley. By hiding half of his face we are meant to belive that Steven does have some secret identities that we don't yet know about. I think these secrets will be very important to his story and his superman.

It's a Bird Section 2

Frames

In the second section of the graphic novel, I began to notice the frames were all similarly shaped when in present time. However, when he goes back in time to something he remembers, the frames get bigger, they lose their borders. I think this is meant to make the past occurences stick out more because they are obviously very important to the narrator. Another thing to notice is at the beginning of a scene or section, the frames tend to be bigger. However, once the scene has been established the frames all become the same size. When Steven first goes to his mother's house the frames are very big. Once they begin to have casual conversation the frames get smaller. I think this is meant to introduce the reader to the new scene and characters. 

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

"It's a Bird" Section 1

Images
The opening few pages of "It's a Bird" are what the narrator remembers of a visit to the hospital. In these opening sequences the only people shown in focus are the narrator and his brother (and occasionally his parents). Everything else is just simple representations of what one might see in a hospital. In the background we get to see a doctor pushing a hospital bed around and really not much else other than the waiting room. I think this is meant to focus on the narrator and the situation he is in. His family is not happy and he is not happy to be in the hospital. At the end of the hospital scene the only thing that really jumps at you is the Superman comic and the superman like S on a paper from the hospital. it is the only thing in color here. This as we learn later is a very important comic to him. It reminds him of this time in the hospital.