Reading and Writing about Comics ala McCloud, pt. 1

I found a really cute comic on OnlineComics.net called Elf and Motorbelly.  Here is the description from the site: "Elf and Motorbelly are cats who were genetically enhanced by a secret society of evil scientists.  They were rescued from a life of testing by Frank.  Frank hides them from the outside world and encourages them to develop their potentials and take long naps."

Here is the URL: http://elfandmotorbelly.smackjeeves.com/

I primarily looked at the latest comic, titled "Catman."  This comic is of the simple cartoon type, and not the realistic picture type.  I personally like the cartoon type better, because as Scott McCloud says in his book Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, "[t]he ability of cartoons to focus our attention on an idea is, I think, an important part of their special power, both in comics and in drawing generally" (31).  There isn't a lot of background and everything looks cartoonish, so it is easier to focus on exactly what is going on.  Also, according to the book people can sometimes relate more to cartoon images.  

This book also mentions how important the blank space in between frames is, both in time and separation.  This comic has small space in between the frames, and the word bubbles lead us to believe that this is just a continuing dialogue.  As far as the transitions between frames, I would guess that this one is moment-to-moment (I'm not that good at differentiating sometimes).  It appears in the book that this type goes frame by frame, with no missing pieces or significant changes in time, and this comic seems to do that.  I don't know if there is much more for me to comment on. Overall, I chose this comic because of its humor and whimsical cartoon feel.       

    

Picturing Texts on the Web

One website that I've always liked the design of is the Apple site, www.apple.com.  The background and text color scheme is monochromatic with black, silver, and white, which lends itself well to the brighter colors of the products they are displaying.  The products stand out and become the focal point.  The site has balance with the navigation bar on top, a large section in the middle for the main featured products, and a smaller section at the bottom for more featured products.  The amount of white space is generous, so that the number of products doesn't become overwhelming.  

The Apple site looks very clean, which reflects their new, more environmentally friendly computers with simple and sleek lines.  Some of the computers they show on the side have bright green grass for a background, which puts the association with green products in people's heads, sometimes subconsciously.  I think that the site has a modern look that appeals to a wide group of people.