One of the comics strips that I found interesting among all of these newspaper comics was the Buck Rogers comic. To me, it felt more like a page out of a comic book than something that belongs in a newspaper, which is why I think it stood out to me from the rest. There are a few key factors that made the comic feel less like it was from the newspaper and rather made it feel more like a comic book. I think the art direction, the panel diversity, and the thought-out story work together to make this comic strip stand out from the rest in newspaper comics. The art direction shows that the creators put a lot of time and care into the comic. There are a lot of unique designs for outfits, characters, and worlds. Additionally, the color choices, while very saturated in some cases, help to differentiate the background and foreground well. The panel diversity also assists the comic to feel different from the rest. Few panels in the comic break themselves from the traditional square column-row format that most newspaper comics follow. Some panels jump in and out of others, while others are rectangular and do not follow a strict line of where to begin and where to end the sides of the panel. Furthermore, the story in Buck Rodgers is more than just a jump to the punchline. Many of the other comics in the collection rely on quick wit and humor or offensive dialogue in order to attract the attention of their audience. Buck Rodgers, however, relies on world building and in-depth story telling to captivate their audience. Additionally, it does not seem to fall into the sexists tropes, but rather it gives the women in the comic intelligence and authority.
I read American Born Chinese about two years ago for the Asian and Asian American Diaspora LMST Class, but I did not quite remember everything that happened, so I decided to read it again. While there are seemingly three story lines, they all merge into one at the end, which caught me off guard again the second time reading it. I definitely think this fits into the category of literary comics. Not only does it have great writing, it tells a compelling story that really makes the reader stop to think. While I cannot say that I relate to this story in the same way, I can see how this story could be relatable. I feel like this is an important novel that everyone should take a second and read. I also really enjoyed the pacing of this novel, both in the sense of the three stories coming together as one and in the panel by panel framing of the scenes. The writer understands well how to use blank panels and pages.
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