Gilchrist v. Ebert

Both Gilchrist and Ebert seemed to enjoy Spiderman 2. They both seemed to think it followed the plot of the comic very well. Ebert loved the movie as a whole.  He said he loved how the movie focused more on the human aspect of Spiderman and his personal relationships rather than his superpowers.  He felt that the action of the movie stayed interesting the whole time and kept his attention throughout.  Like Ebert, Gilchrist also enjoyed the movie, just not as much.  He felt that the plots labored on too heavily and often times were not resolved. For example, he felt Aunt May's speech slowed down the plot of the film and did not really contribute to it. Nevertheless, he felt that the movie was enjoyable and definitely had moments of greatness.  Both critics seemed to enjoy the film but came away with different views on it.  

Persepolis Book and Movie

I really enjoyed watching the movie Persepolis after reading the book. I was very surprised by how true to the comic the movie stayed.  First, the characters in the movie looked exactly like the ones from the comic. They were cartoon characters as well but came to life somewhat more in the movie because they could move around. This was one difference I noticed between the two.  For example, in the movie, one character could just look at another in a certain way to display the emotion they were feeling. This could not happen in the comic.  Another difference I noticed in terms of plot line was the emission of the maid character in Marjane's home.  This was a somewhat important character in the comic I believe because it helped Marjane see the social caste system in Iran first hand in her home.  She saw the way her maid was treated in her home and did not like the social differences she and her maid experienced.  Another thing that was different from the comic experience and the movie experience was that we saw much more of Marjane's story in the movie because it continued past the first book we read.  I enjoyed both the movie and the comic.  

Blacksburg Weather

A common topic students at Virginia Tech often discuss is that of the weather.  It's crazy here! Some days the weather can range from sun to rain to snow in a matter of hours.  This makes dressing in the morning for the day quite the challenge.  Personally, I have found the best solution is layers.  Being cold all the time, I tend to err on the side of more layers.  On a cold morning, I usually dress in wool socks, leggings, jeans, snow boots, a long sleeve shirt, multiple sweaters and jackets, gloves, and a hat.  However, as I make the trek to class, usually hurrying because I am late, I tend to get very warm. This is when the layers come in handy because I can just shed one off.  Sometimes when my morning classes are done, I will walk outside to find a cold morning has turned very pretty and sunny.  And sometimes a sunny day will turn into a snow storm in the matter of an hour.  Like I said, Blacksburg weather is very unpredictable.  The only advice I really have is be prepared for anything!

Chapter 1 Exercise 1

1. A number of recent experimenters have suggested that there are dangerous levels of Chemical X in the Ohio groundwater. 

2. Some view the novel to have certain flaws.

3. Some people believe football is very boring.

4. Some suggest that male students dominate class discussions.

5. One view is that the film is really about the problems of romantic relationships.

6. A common fear is that templates like the ones in this book will stifle individuals creativity.

Eisner/McClaud

I thought that both Eisner and McCloud did a good job at describing the techniques used in successful comic book writing.  However, personally, I found McCloud's description much more entertaining.  I liked how he described the art of comic books through a comic book. And i would have to say I feel much like he once felt about comic books, not really understanding them and thinking they are somewhat silly.  However, after I got a better explanation on the goal of comics according to McCloud and how we as readers can see ourselves in the comics, I feel like I may enjoy comics more after all.  Eisner also did a good job at explaining the world of comics, just in a much more dull way.  However, using an actual word/paper format helped Eisner get his point across clear and dry.  And was easy to understand.  It was cool how Eisner explained that the reader must use skills to understand and interpret comics.