"Even if you don't read comics, you should know the comic-like chronicle"

Comic Stereotypes

Comics are a product of culture and also a synonym for subculture.

The term subculture itself is neutral, but it contains the keyword "sub".

And the content is mostly written from a negative and realistic standpoint, which has formed a negative label of "bad reading material" over time.

From the government's perspective, the cartoon seems to be challenging authority and walking on the edge of the law.

From the perspective of educational institutions and parents, comics should be banned or regulated consumer goods.

For young students whose minds are not yet mature, these overly dark and realistic works cannot be properly understood by readers.

It is easy to become a scapegoat for young people's bad habits, which is also the best reason for the public to label comics negatively.

Under the strong consensus of many official positions, comics have finally become prisoners of control, stigmatization, and labeling.

But despite this, why hasn’t comic culture disappeared? Still not eliminated by the times?

The true expression of comics

If we change our perspective, the comics will present a completely different picture.

The so-called "aesthetics of violence" is, after all, just a way to release pressure. The biggest focus comes from the realistic story content.

For those who are not good at expressing themselves, the plot of comics magnifies the reality to some extent, and reflects the hardship and the most realistic psychological state of the general working class. They can substitute any scene into their lives, and even get inspiration from certain choices and behaviors of the characters. That may be the turning point in the reader's life. A comic, a chapter, a character can also change a person's life.

This is the reason why comics are labeled negatively, but it is also the reason why comics will not disappear from the world but instead inspire people to create and read.

How do we examine a work from an objective perspective?

When you pick up a comic and prepare to read it, we can try to understand the work with the following 3 points:

1. Historical background, 2. Object of appeal, 3. For whom to speak

Point 1

The choice of "era background" is to evoke readers' resonance. The era background does not necessarily have to be the era in which the author lived. He can use any era to set the background of the work. As long as the audience has some knowledge and connection with that era, he can successfully evoke readers' resonance.

Take Dragon Tiger Gate as an example: the historical setting clearly chooses the 1970s in Hong Kong, which is also the era when the author lived. Not only is the work created against the background he is most familiar with, the audience outline also appears to be larger and more accurate. At this time, as long as the author's depiction of the era is realistic enough, resonance will arise.

Point 2

"Appeal to the object"

The story is based on the audience's perspective. Who does the audience want to appeal to? It can be a person, an organization, or a situation. The most important thing for the author is to express it. How should the expression be presented? How to express it in a more objective and comprehensive way, and at the same time be able to deeply root in people's hearts, this requires the author to exert his or her creative skills.

The audience of Dragon Tiger Gate lived in a turbulent era. The greatest fear in the hearts of the people was that evil forces were everywhere in the streets. In an era when villains were in power, there was nowhere to turn to, no one could express their grievances, and justice could not be upheld. People were eager to find someone to appeal to on their behalf.

The advent of Dragon Tiger Gate met all of these requirements, including the presentation of content, the painting style, and the arrangement of the plot. Not to mention the negative labels that society attached to it at the time, at least in terms of speaking for the people and appealing to them, Dragon Tiger Gate was very successful.

Point 3

Who should I speak for?

This will be the key to whether the comic can become well-known. Is the voice being expressed by one person? An ethnic group? An issue? All of them can be potential targets for the creator to choose "who to speak for", and the larger the number of participants in these potential targets, the more likely your work will be widely circulated after it is created (the premise is that there is good content), and the author's choice of point 3 also implies whether the comic can be successful after it is created (if sales and popularity are used as the premise for the definition of success)

Summarize

As mentioned in the first paragraph of the article, comics have always been a product of culture. Wherever there are people, there will be culture, and wherever there is culture, there will be comics. It has been advancing in the long river of history, growing and evolving with people of different eras, speaking on behalf of those who were not recognized by mainstream culture in the past, and going through all kinds of setbacks with those who struggled and fought. Finally, it rose up under the test of time and became a leisure reading material for people today after dinner.

We can easily learn about history from comics, gain insights into human nature from the portrayal of characters, find interest in different story themes, and even be inspired by the most criticized dark realistic content in the past, which explains why comics will never disappear.

Because comics are an extension of human nature and a loudspeaker for people to express their inner thoughts. Regardless of whether its way of expression is in line with your values, the essence of comic content is actually neutral. It depends on the angle from which you deconstruct and analyze it, and the mentality with which you face new things that impact your values.

I believe that as long as you look carefully and examine objectively, there must be a comic somewhere in this world that can resonate with you and inspire you. When you find the comic that changed you, remember to leave a message to let us know.

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