WEEK 14: Trash Mountain

 Trash Mountain (An experience)

A comic that is primarily gifs. It was an interesting experience, compared to the past comics we've read this semester. I wasn't sure what to expect. It was very abstract since the story was shown not told. There was dialogue but no words were written. It took me to a strange universe that had familiar places like the statue, in the beginning, looked like the Statue of Liberty. It was interesting how they used mixed media photographic backgrounds, items, or hands to rotoscoping movement. They even utilized music where the graphics would move at the same time as the rhythm. Each panel is like a collage but placed in this comic tells an interesting story. Even though it’s very short there are parts where I wish had more explanation. For instance, what was up with the weird meditative configurations coming from? When he appears at the mountain, did his mind transport him there? Or is that representative of him finding likeminded people that were kicked out? Again, there was a lot of abstract things going on. It even breaks the fourth wall in a sense when the background would bleed through the panels and the characters interact beyond the panels.

The premise is very creative, breaking the boundaries of the typical comic. Before it was changing the way, you use panels, instead of a box it can be circles, overlapping or a full page or the materials used were ink and paper. Now, the format and medium of comics can expand even further with the use of the internet and computers. Using movement can help expand the audience's experience by providing the in-betweens that you would otherwise imagine. Overall, this provides future comic artists a way to differentiate themselves or another method they can tell their stories. Making the story come to life through movement.