How Comics can Exercise Your Brain

I love pulling apart the meaning and the metaphors of poetry and fiction. It’s just how my mind works, so literature always exercises my very very active brain. I search for the layers in a text, and I love hunting down the ones I can’t find. Now, I’m going to take a leap and say that if you’re reading this, you like comics, and if you like comics, then I know your brain works at least a little bit like mine. Your brain is crazy active, and you’ve got to keep it engaged!

So how you do you keep your brain in shape? More importantly how do you use comics to exercise your active mind? Easy. Use literary analysis. Well, how do you do that? Easy again. Simply ask one question.

Ask why.

Ask why

The root of all literary analysis is the question-why. Why did the author use that perspective, setting, imagery, tone, typography, book cover, etc? There are lists of different types of lit. analysis, and at the heart of each one is this question of why.

Now to ask this question, you have to assume one thing. You assume that everything (I mean everything) in the work is specific. Trust me, James Joyce didn’t leave even a punctuation mark on the page unless it was specific and meaningful. With high art, there are no accidents.

And comic creators are extremely specific. There is nothing on the page that isn’t infused with meaning. Read “Maus” or “Persepolis.” There isn’t a single mark that isn’t intentional. Think about it: the author spends hours and hours and hours working on the book. If you worked that hard, would you just throw stuff together? Of course not!

So, in a nutshell, with high art, everything has meaning, everything demands a “why” and an “answer.”

The “whys” of Supreme Blue Rose

Now, let’s put this into practice. Let’s look at a brand new title from Image. Let’s look at “Supreme: Blue Rose.” First off, there’s a lot going in this book.

There is a massive backstory for all of the characters because this entire series is a reboot of the old Image title “Supreme.”
There is a really complicated Sci-Fi time-travel concept driving the entire plot.
There is an intricate art style with layers and layers of scratchy lines and bustling colors.

Since there’s so much in this book. Let’s look at just one aspect.

Let’s ask why…

they use that art style.

The bustling art of Supreme: Blue Rose

Before we track down our answers, let’s look at the real art of the series.

Here’s some examples from the book:

Find the answers

So our question is: why do they use that art style.

We’ve seen the art. Now, we’ve just got to figure out what it means.

Analysis always seems so intellectual and obtuse, but actually, it’s really easy. To find the meaning, go with your gut.

How does this art make you feel?

For me, it makes me feel:

confused
calm
intigured

Ok, now what are the qualities of the art?

For me, I think the art is:

cool (as in it feels like winter not summer)
chaotic
soft

Your answers might be a little bit different than mine, and that’s A-OK. I’m going to take a leap though and say that your response will be in the same ballpark as mine.

The “answers” of Supreme: Blue Rose

So, the art of “Supreme: Blue Rose” is:

soft and calm
chaotic and intriguing

Why?

Why would the artist make the art this way? How does this softness and chaos fit with the other elements of the book? How does it fit with the storyline, setting, and characters?

Without giving away much from the book, I can say that the chaotic art fits with:

the chaotic Sci-Fi concepts in the book
and the chaotic mental states of the characters.

Honestly, besides those two things, I don’t know exactly why (I know, talk about anti-climatic). This book is pretty new. It’s only on issue number four. I don’t have all of the puzzle pieces. I haven’t read the whole story yet.

But now I have a clue. I have a framework. As I read, I can keep my eyes peeled for more clues on how the art intersects with the other parts of the book.

I am really ok with not knowing the full answers right now. The best comics and the best literature is a mystery at first. This mystery is what makes literature and comics so exciting, and it’s what keeps my active mind humming.

With comics and literature, even if you can’t pin down all of the answers right away,

it’s the hunt that’s the fun part.