Week 11: Comics as Contemporary Literature

This week, I read three literary works: Alice in Sunderland by Bryan Talbot, The Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot, and Channel Zero by Brian Wood. All three of these publications are unique and great in their own regard, and I believe them to all be true examples of literary works. Although these aren't readings that would normally be assigned to me in a high school English class, I feel that they are literary in the messages they tell. I also think that literary works can still center around illustrations; a comic is no less of a literary work to me than a novel is.

Starting with Alice in Sunderland, I really enjoyed how illustrative it was. Every page reminded me of scrapbooks and collages; it was really interesting to see in a comic.

I haven't read anything in this class that resembles the appearance of Alice in Sunderland, so it is refreshing to see this kind of style of illustration.

Tale of One Bad Rat is not as striking artwork-wise as Alice in Sunderland is, but it is my favorite reading from the three listed. I was invested in the story and struggle of the protagonist, Helen. I also found myself caring a lot for her rat companion. 

Something I noticed while reading this work is the similarity between the rat and Helen. Both of them are perceived negatively by society due to incorrect perceptions of them. For example, although the rat is cute, just because it is titled "rat" makes people afraid of it. A mother was about to let her child pet Helen's friend until she learned it was a rat, causing her to run in fear. Helen is also perceived as being weak, unstable, and "bad." However, no one understands that it is due to the intense trauma she underwent as a child.

Channel Zero has its own special style to it. It is very dark, which reminds me of Battle Angel Alita. However, the style is also really confusing. It was hard for me to read because of how it is laid out.

Despite it being confusing to read, I am a major fan of it featuring only silhouettes to tell the story. It is fascinating how something can be understood by just using two values.

Overall, I really enjoyed this week's readings. Everything was distinctive in its own way, and it was nice to see something so different.