Design Concepts Portfolio J210

This a photo I took from a bridge located in Elkhart overlooking the river that demonstrates the concept of atmospheric perspective. The photo was taken from a higher ground and shot from above.

This is a photo of my nephew playing at the Elkhart Water Park. The photo demonstrates apparent movement as my nephew appears to be moving in the photo but he is in fact stationary.

This is a photo of a birdhouse located in my backyard. The photo demonstrates the concepts of cool colors as the birdhouse itself is made up of various hues of blue, which is a cool color by definition.

This is a photo of a recycle bin that I took. The photo represents the concept of a symbolic sign. Words or lettering are symbols themselves but the photo also highlights the recycling symbol in the middle that is universally recognized and accepted to mean recycling.

This is a photo I took of a tree located in Elkhart that demonstrates the concept of warm colors. The reds and yellows, which are warms colors,  are bright and pop more so than the greens or browns of the photo.

This photo demonstrates the concept of asymmetrical balance and is of a statue/sculpture located in Elkhart's Island Park. The statues face occupies half of the photo and gives the photo a feeling of imbalance in terms of weight since there is nothing occupying the space to the left of the statue.

This is a photo I took of M&M's that demonstrates the concept of gestalt, mainly the concept of proximity. The M&M's are placed in groups close together and are perceived as being together in 3 distinct categories.

This is a photo I took demonstrating the concept of chiaroscuro lighting. The photo was taken outside my front porch and is of a solar powered light, the photo has a stark contrast of light, darkness, and shadow.

This is a piece done by Max C. Escher titled Plane-filling Motif with Birds 1949. This demonstrates the concept of figure ground relationship as the birds fill both the positive and negative space and there is no separation between the foreground and background .

This is a photo I took of my two Harry Potter books that demonstrate the concept of an analogic code. This photo demonstrates that concept because it contains two like items, both are books and are the same title, but there are distinct noticeable differences between them, one is more worn and smaller, that becomes apparent as the viewer of the photo will begin to compare and contrast them.

Design Portfolio S336

Women and Comic Books in the Modern Age:Objectification, Sexism, and Violence.

Beauman, Ned. "Superheroes need rescuing from sexism". 30 July 2007. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2007/jul/30/superheroesneedrescuingfrom 

In this article Ned Beauman bluntly states that superhero comic books are sexist. He points out a potentially troubling theme that has plagued comics in the modern age, objectification. Women in comics have always been drawn to represent the ideal i.e. curvy, tall, and full-chested. But when characters like DC's Power Girl are drawn with a Beauman writes “impossible curves, skimpy costumes, and stripper poses” the argument of sexual objectification becomes too loud to ignore. This article is essentially the jumping off point for this study, which is if the portrayal of women in comics has actually held the medium back more than the portrayal of women forty years ago. Based on the arguments made here, I’d say yes.

Donnely, Shannon."The New Wonder Women of Comics". 2010. http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-04-07/the-new-wonder-women-of-comics/ 

This particular article focuses on the possible future of women in comics and wonders if new readers will follow. The article is optimistic that modern comics feature strong role models and the influx of talented female writers will incite a change in the often viewed misogynistic angle that comics reportedly have. The article also cites Simone and her “Women in Refrigerators” syndrome and she, Simone, sounds optimistic that comics are moving in the right direction. The article is important as it presents a needed counterpoint to the more critical articles among my research list.

Jehanzeb. "The Objectification of Women in Graphic Novels". http://www.fantasy-magazine.com/2008/08/the-objectification-of-women-in-graphic-novels/ 

This article has breaks down the female character in distinct archetypes that exist in the superhero comic book world. From the damsel in distress, sex object, to exploitation and sexism, the role of the male gaze, and the future of female heroines. The importance of this article is the inclusion of the concept of women as sex objects. Women in sex objects is important to focus on since it really is an umbrella concept that many other concepts fall into, like the scantily clad costume and the sexual violence that plagues women in comics. It also factors in the male gaze which is also an important factor when discussing women in comics.

Madrid, Mike. "Comic book heroines: Sex, Violence, Objectification". http://sciencestage.com/v/32586/comic-book-heroines:-sex,-violence-and-objectification.html 

This a video clip in which writer Mike Madrid examines the role of super heroines in comics. The video is important because it further drives the point that the violence in superhero comics have always and will always exist but the difference is that the violence with women is often sexualized. Much like the “women in refrigerators” essay the video demonstrates the contrast that exists between male heroes and women heroes when it comes to way they handle conflict. Whereas violence between male characters is often brutal and bloody, male on female violence often goes the route of humiliation, specifically when the character at the heart of the tale is female. The video also examines the costume of heroines and the impracticality of their fashion and ties it into real world concepts.

"Mary Jane, the other white meat". 2007. http://thatsmyskull.blogspot.com/2007/05/mary-jane-other-white-meat.htm

In this blog post the writer weighs in on the controversy that surrounded a collectible statue made in the vein of Spiderman’s long time girlfriend Mary Jane Watson. The statue features the character in a suggestive post and scantily clad doing Spiderman’s laundry. The blogger points out an important issue that is integral to the research I am doing which is the distinction that modern comic book portrayals of women are not getting better from the portrayals in the 60’s but has gotten worse. Women are no longer viewed as damsels in distress but as sex objects, this obviously key for my research.

Pratl, Christopher. "Comic book women: Empowered or sex objects?". 2009. http://www.examiner.com/comic-books-in-chicago/comic-book-women-empowered-or-sex-objects 

The writer of this article tries to defend the criticism that women are objectified in comics by bringing up the important aspect of the male demographic. As mentioned earlier the overwhelmingly male demographic creates a playing field where women are going to be viewed in a specific light, the argument can also be made for the male physical representations as well. The writer also makes the argument that artists are embracing female sexuality is empowering and that characters who are suggestively drawn are not weak or incapable heroes but powerful as well.

Robinson, Jessica. "Women in Comic Books" 2001. http://www.viciousgrin.com/writings/womencomic.html

In this article Robinson delves into one of the most controversial debates and the centerpiece for this research, comic book women and the way they dress. Robinson herself struggles with the difficulty of accepting scantily clad heroines as role models but argues an important point on the other side of the issue, the readers of comic books. With the comic book reading population being overwhelmingly male, this article states that men make up 92.9% of readers; it’s hard not to realize where the heart of this issue began. The publishers of comics wish to sell, and like any other good marketer knows where their core audience lies. Just like romance novels feature overly buffed and bronzed men on their covers to attract their female driven audience comic books respond to what their readers want.

Simone, Gail."Women in Refrigerators". 1999 http://www.unheardtaunts.com/wir/ 

Possibly the most important article is this one written by Gail Simone. Simone herself is a well known and respected female writer for comic books. Simone coined the phrase and concept “women in refrigerators” that explains the phenomenon of the severe mistreatment of female characters in superhero comic books. The term is important to this research as it encompasses the driving force behind it, female character’s brutal demises have been used as plot points to further a story. The most well known example is the death of Gwen Stacy and the list, which this website has, goes on and on. With so many characters being mistreated and being used as mere plot devices only further drives home that superhero comics have a problem with the way they handle these said characters.

"Women, characterisation, comics and sex". http://innerbrat.livejournal.com/277507.html 

This particular article tries to examine the role of women in comics and examine both sides of the argument. The article points out the character of Stephanie Brown, a supporting character in the Batman universe, who unfortunately has joined the list of Gail Simone’s “women in refrigerators” syndrome. The article does try to argue the point that scantily clad heroes are not weak or sexual but powerful. The article is flawed but does make interesting points that allows for further examination of the proposed misogynistic tones in comics. Much like the other articles sourced here there seems to be a growing rebuttal against the “comics treat women like crap” critique, the argument of female empowerment is one that is being used to further justify the current situation comics find themselves in.

"Women in Comics"http://www.comicvine.com/women-in-comics/12-43357/ 

This particular article is full of history, themes, and concepts that surround women in comics. The article boasts an extensive amount of information and is incredibly resourceful as a baseline for my particular research. The importance of this particular article is that also examines the history of women in comics. Although my focus is on the modern age portrayal, knowing the one’s past is often detrimental in understanding it’s present and important in predicating its future.