the writing on the walls: the use of background imagery in Maceration
So I'm a huge fucking nerd and put a lot of details into the environment of Maceration that may not be considered or thought about in much depth–but everything exists for a reason.
In order to draw attention to these details, I wanted to compile some of the background paintings/photos/overall details that play into the larger narrative (please note: this is not everything, as there are some details that head into spoiler territory that I'm choosing to keep hidden).
(Comic pages referenced are linked under "page ___" and any art pieces are linked in red. I may add in images later, but I hate how big they get in posts here, lol).
Page 12: "The Birth of Jesus" by Lu Hung-nien
Chris is catholic and has grown up in a catholic household–there will be religious art scattered around. This one, in particular, is in reference to the birth of Christ and is hanging in the entryway. This work was chosen and included for that aforementioned religious context and because, much like what is being depicted in the work, a mother (Mrs. Huang) is meeting her newborn son (post-transition Chris) for the first time. He, in a way, is mirroring the birth (and rebirth) of Christ by appearing before his mother in his way.
There are a few things on the fridge that are "naturally occurring" items, based on my own household + other households. There's a shopping list (written in Mandarin), a stack of receipts, two business-related magnets, and a photo of pre-transition Chris and his mom outside of their church. It's an early sign of Chris' own detachment from home and the feeling of not really belonging in a space you once did, as well as giving the first outright indication he's trans.
Pages 17–19: "The Virgin and the Child" by Chen Yuandu, Graduation, the cross, and the plate
Once again, religion is ever present in the house, as well as Mary and her newborn son. The art is also very explicitly from Chinese artists to hammer in some later points in the comic and to show that the faith of the Huang family does not exclude their Chinese heritage and identity. To contrast the newborn son, we see an older photo of Chris wearing his graduation attire, another reminder of his trans identity that looms in the foreground and a show of how recent his transition is. The plate and cross are both household items that provide a sense of familiarity that Chris is choosing to separate himself from in this moment.
Page 26: Spotted Lantern Fly
These are an invasive species. Not much more to be said about that.
Page 34: "Madonna at Prayer #2" by Sassoferrato
More religious imagery cropping up within this narrative space, but more importantly, through a western depiction. The archetypical Anglo-Saxon appearance is key here in looking into some later themes of Maceration pertaining to race as relating to identity.
I believe that's a good chunk of what I can discuss for now. I'll continue making nerd posts like this one int he future, too, about my work because yes. It is that deep.
I am here to single-handedly help bring back critical thinking by forcing you all to engage critically with my work–of which I'm really only half joking about.
