comics
State of the Union
By Tom Tomorrow, via The New Yorker
7 March 2015 | A Brief History of the Umbrella Movement
There have been some fantastic graphics coming out of Occupy Central in Hong Kong, but this brief chronology of the Umbrella Movement in comics is one of my favorites thus far. It was drawn by Dolly for Passion Teens Weekly.
On Culture its Consequences
From an interview with Molly Crabapple:
“Art can change the world, but seldom in the way it intends, and seldom the art that people think would have that effect.
I keep thinking of the Guy Fawkes mask Dave Gibbons drew. In discussions of what art is radical, mainstream comics are seldom brought up. And yet… I also think of an interview I read with Greenwald where he said that what convinced him of Snowden’s sincerity about bringing forward his revelations was when Snowden told him he was inspired by video games and comic books.
There is radical, explicit art, but there’s also art that worms into the culture and decades or centuries later bursts forward in unimagined effects.”
Corporate State
Mimi and Eunice are on the case.
In Action Comics #900, Superman considers renouncing his US citizenship: “I’m tired of having my actions construed as instruments of US policy,” the character says in a story that sees him flying to a Tehran protest. “‘Truth, justice and the American way’ — it’s not enough anymore. The world is too small, too connected.” It’s an interesting marketing move laying the groundwork for stories to come, though is less critical of American policy than it seems — after all, the US sends its brigades abroad under a self-proclaimed banner of truth and justice. (And isn’t supporting Iranian protesters the US position?)My Stories
In July 2009, I noted a study concluding that Brazil’s telenovelas have inspired both a drop in birth rate and rise in divorce. Via the Communication Initiative Network, I found a a few other items on soap operas and public health:
- A German report looks at TV soap operas in Kyrgyzstan, the Dominican Republic, and Côte d’Ivoire as vehicles for HIV/AIDS education.
- A radio soap opera in Vietnam reached millions of farmers changing their attitudes and practices managing rice pests, fertilisers, and seeds.
- Authors of a 2006 paper on a radio soap opera in Bihar, India document how it spurred fundamental, sustainable shifts in people’s values and beliefs.
- A May 2008 Master’s thesis looks at the effect of two Ethiopian radio dramas on attitutde towards reproductive health and spousal abuse.
- Fans of a radio drama in Sudan learned about, or were reinforced in, the importance of abandoning female circumcision, giving girls more control of their reproductive health, having a small family, and staying away from drugs and alcohol.
And though I couldn’t find a study on its impact, straphangers in New York City may remember Julio and Marisol: Decision, an episodic comic strip soap opera dealing with AIDS that ran in English and Spanish in NYC subway cars from 1989 through 2001.
