Reaction to The Walking Dead Comic

I, like many others in this class I'm sure, watched The Walking Dead TV series! (Only through season 3) So I was pretty familiar with the characters already when I opened the comic. To be completely honest, I am tired of the zombie franchise, the over done concept has been exhausted by so many movie directors and TV producers it's hard to come across something fresh and different.  Zombies aren't that scary to me, especially how they are depicted in this comic.. Slow, flesh eating, moaning dead people. Personally, I like my monsters to be scary. I know the author makes a statement about this right away, but come on... It's zombies. Give me some thrills. If you've seen the movie World War Z- now those are some scary zombies! None the less The Walking Dead has a great story line, which is what makes it different. I like how the focus isn't really on the zombies, but the characters, their stories and how they survive together. The Walking Dead comic was very interesting to read AFTER watching the show, I expected to see more differences in translating from paper to on-screen, but it is flawlessly similar. I feel like the art work really tied together the over-all tone to the story, it wouldn't have been as successful in conveying Rick's character and attitude without the visuals.

Week 1

Landon Matneny

MACC Fall 2014 Comp.

Mr. Darr

I really enjoyed the different points of view given from the different writers in these articles. My personal favorite was Tarantino's. I feel like he has got the media figured out and understands that there is not a problem with movies or television, but a problem with the media that follows.

In Tarantino's responses he constantly repeats the fact that he is just a film maker. He makes movies for a living. The media should understand that. If there was a problem with comedy in America, I'm sure that the media would look into people like Mel Brooks or Judd Apatow. However, since there isn't aproblem with comedy they look to people like Tarantino as they believe there is a "violence" problem in America. Tarantino makes violent movies, always has. However we cant blame one person for the violence brought on by people that feel like killing others.

As for the LaSalle article, I understand where he comes from. LaSalle talks about the violence that media brings to the table opposed to the movies themselves. I like the point of view he offers and how he points the finger at the media instead of at the cinema itself. I disagree with the fact that LaSalle believes there is a gun problem in America. If guns were a problem, then why are they an issue now? Why didnt the term "gun problem" come up when Bonnie and Clyde made their way across the U.S. wielding Tommy guns, shooting up banks? I believe the answer is because there was no cinema or media to bring about the carnage they brought. In my opinion, we don't have any problems with guns, movies, or media, we have a problem with people.

Manson's point of view doesn't point any fingers anywhere, except for maybe at the parents of the kids that massacre people. He believes that it is the way that a person is brought up that makes them who they are. If they are brought up in a strict home where there are punishments for wrong-doing, those kids probably wont end up shooting up schools, movie theaters, or anywhere. He believes that it is the media that points the finger at people like himself and not the people. The people may listen to the media and base their opinion on what it has to say, but that is the work of the media. America doesn't want to take responsibility for it's actions, and therefore has to direct the blame for these events of figures like Manson.

vampire gentleman and zombie beasts

I found this article very interesting. The article described vampires as "good looking, sophisticated, preserving cultural memory and being fully invested in the past". On the other hand the article describes the zombie as a "mindless, emotionalist corpse un aware of borders". As the vampire has become more civilized and more humanized, the zombie has taken its place on the horror scale. The vampire longs for love and invests in his own business endeavors all while maintaining his cultural beliefs. He knows his borders and doesn't cross the ones he's knows he's not suppose to. All while keeping his unique self.  The zombie however isn't unique, knows no borders, and doesn't know of any borders. All the zombie knows is to eat on flesh and keep eating on flesh, there is no humanization at all. Both "monsters" have evolved into what they are today over time. I think was very interesting how they compared the zombie to humans in a overall capitalist world. We as present day humans are being brain washed into being consumers and helping create more consumers. Pretty soon nobody will be unique. We will forget our past and we will be nothing but consumers trying to do nothing but consume. Like the zombie doing nothing but consuming flesh. The article is very interesting. I think we are headed for a very capitalist world and I hope it doesn't destroy us. We must channel our inter vampire. Stay unique and think for our selves not just consume because everyone else is.

Reaction to "The Walking Dead" comic

In response to The Walking Dead comic.

                I am one of the many people who are obsessed with zombies and anything that has to do with them.  The Walking Dead comic vol. 1 was a very well-illustrated, entertaining comic that kept me engaged the entire time.

                Rick was a police officer that got shot and went into a coma just before a zombie apocalypse occurred. He awoke, very confused, to an abandoned town and no wife or kid at home. I would be very devastated to find my wife and kid missing after waking up from a month long coma. After finding a man and his son that told him everyone had traveled to Atlanta, Rick grabbed some gear and headed off to the city. He was surprised to be unable to find gas (which he could have syphoned from other vehicles). I am not in his situation, nor have I ever been, so I feel I cannot accurately assume what I would do.

                After he found a survivor in the city, who took him to a camp with others, Rick found his wife and kid there. His co-worker had brought them to the city and assured their safety. I saw this as a stretch and in some ways unrealistic but I keep in mind that it is a comic and it makes for an interesting storyline. Rick continues to try and get the camp moved due to safety hazards because they are so close to the city. His co-worker Shane refuses but I agree with Rick that it would be safer further from the city, with the exception of getting supplies.

                This volume ends in Rick’s son shooting Shane to protect Rick, which was an un-expected turn of events for me. I found it to be very interesting and a good way to end the issue. The entire issue was enticing and I look forward to reading more of these interesting comics in the future. 

Reaction to “Vampire Gentlemen and Zombie Beasts”

In response to “Vampire Gentlemen and Zombie Beasts” by Angela Tenga and Elizabeth Zimmerman.

                In this article the author’s had a very interesting discussion about the changes vampires and zombies have occurred over the years and the difference between the two. They also explained the representation of each monster compared to today’s society.

 I thought it was interesting to see the comparison of the vampires from earlier times with the sympathetic vampires of Twilight. Vampires seem to have a less threatening appearance than they did in earlier times. For example, the vampires in The Lost Boys from the 1980’s had a much more intimidating feel but at the same time still had individuality and did not age just as they discussed in the article. I do agree that today’s vampires, like those in Twilight, are a poster for celebrity lifestyles but that is all modern day media. Vampires have gone through a drastic change and are now just a small print in modern day horror movies.

Zombies are now a national phenomenon due to their current status in the horror industry. As they talked about in the article, zombies have taken over vampires place in the horror film genre. They also described that zombies remind us that we’ll soon be rotting flesh. Zombies have taken on many forms throughout the years and everyone has their own take on them. There is a fascination with the zombies, giving people the feel of surviving.

The authors touch on the representation of people and society through these monsters. They discussed that the Twilight vampires live a fantasy life and show a higher social status than those in the past. Today’s vampires’ work is rarely shown but their rewards are capitalized. On the other side, zombies represent the poor man in today’s society. Zombies’ work for feeding and continuing on is focused on but they have no rewards to show for it. Zombies have taken the spotlight for modern day horror films. 

Homework part 2

Article 1:

I believe that Tarantino is in the right about the subject. I feel that its not his blame for the violence in America. I think that just because you watch a violent movie doesn't mean you'll become a violent person. Its the way you are raised that makes you who you are, movies can be a outlet for violence and a escape for some people not a reason to go out and hurt somebody.

Article 2:

In this article Mark LaSalle thinks that media and movies are to blame for all the violence in America and that when a kid watches a violent film they over a period of time will get distant from what is right and wrong and think that violence is the right thing. I think that is not true because as a kid I watched all kinds of movies for entertainment purposes but my parents always reminded me that its not real and its just for entertainment and excitement.

Marilyn Manson:

Marilyn Manson was blamed for the violence in the Columbine shooting because the media needed somebody to point a finger at when they couldn't find a reasonable cause why the kids did it. They couldn't just drop the story and not say why they did it so they pointed a finger at somebody who made "violent" music. I personally do not think that his music made these kids violent he even states that the kids hated his music. My dad when I was growing up would listen to his music and so I would hear it too and I actually enjoyed it and if you look at me now I would have to say it did not influence me in any way. Like Manson stated I think news is to blame in most cases the way they idolize and make the people who do bad things "famous" but its also in human nature to be somewhat violent and you don't have to grow up watching violent movies to become such a person.

Week 1

In the article written by Mark LaSalle, is about the numbing of the outcome of violence in our culture. Kids see a death of a person, their body gored, mangled, and guts everywhere, they become senseless to the entire ordeal. To me i still see a body in the movie as a real life body and still freak out. I can't even see a bird being killed in the 6th Harry Potter movie... But in the article he explains that today's media and movies they glorify the death scene in any movie.

The second article of  Quentin Tarantino he explains that there needs to be a defined line between movie violence and real life violence. Fight scenes in movies are a staple to everyone!! so he believes that there is no real connection to the real life violence and movie magic. I grew up playing playing video games and watching cage fighting through my ATA taekwondo academy and I didn't want to punch or even cause injury. But, some people are easily swayed.

Marylin Manson explains that his music is just music, that he as a single person shouldn't be blamed for the killings at the Columbine Shooting. The two teenagers who did the shooting were really a product of bullying. I was living in Colorado at the time of the shooting too, the state acted amazingly to the crisis. But plastering their faces everywhere. Some shooting that I know of have began as a way to get noticed.