Discover Top Posts Tagged with #warren pleece

Deadenders #2 - Stealing The Sun, Part 2 (April, 2000)

#Deadenders #Ed Brubaker #Warren Pleece #Richard Case #Bjarne Hansen #Heroic Age #John Costanza #DC Vertigo #Vertigo #Vertigo Comics #DC Comics

The Invisibles Vol. 3 #9 - Satanstorm, Four: Digging up Beryl (May 19, 1999) [AKA The Invisibles Vol. 3 #4]

#The Invisibles #Grant Morrison #Warren Pleece #Philip Bond #Daniel Vozzo #Todd Klein #Vertigo #Vertigo Comics #DC Vertigo #DC Comics #King Mob #Gideon Starorzewski

So I’ve had some Thoughts about Sunny Luna Travelling Oracle by Warren Pleece

You know, I picked this one up from the library thinking this would be my break. A little reading away from disappointment of... well, the world. But then you know the world happened, and well, I probably couldn't have timed reading this any better. Or worst. My feelings are still mixed on that.

But let me get something out of the way first. All art, including comics, are inherently political in some way or another. Yes, you can practice escapism through it, but there are still messages and beliefs in the art. And while I personally think Sunny Luna Travelling Oracle could be more subtle to be more effective, recent events have shown sometimes subtle is not the way to go. But what got me with Sunny Luna was the coloring. Most of the story is in a yellow gray tone, reminiscence of old film, or a constant dust storm. There are few exceptions to this. The start, and then a few places in the middle and end. I don't really want to spoil, as I am currently recommended people read this. But it's a visual cue to the readers that Esta, our protagonist, is going through something.

I'm not fond of how these experiences are explained in the book; it feels like the story runs out of time, but I do think there are enough hints to it that I'm not too annoyed by it. And the rushing does sort of work against the story, as Esta is racing against the clock to warn her mentor of something, but the mentor decides this is the best time for a lore dumb. That feels like a nitpick though, as I do think enough of the comic has good foreshadowing for it.

The dusty color over most of the story does a good job of lending to an atmosphere of disaster despite how everything seems to be generally fine in Esta's world. But what is interesting is the colored section has strange and disturbing imagery, but because it's in color, it feels more normal. This is all important to the theming of the story.

On that note, I will always be on board with a story that advocates for reading, especially a comic book. Comics hold a special place, as their combination of art and words can make them easier for some people learning the language. There is overlap between picture books and a comic, obviously. But the comic's value often gets a little diminished because of that accessibility. These are board statements, and not everyone is going to find a comic easier to read. Personally, audiobooks are the best for me in terms of comprehension. But setting back to Sunny Luna, it makes a few direct literary references, with those being the novels Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. And while I could love to go into the importance of these two stories about worth, morality, and identity being mentioned here, I also want to mention Charlotte Bronte's poem "The Wood". (There is a Keats poem too, but that is for another time)

Now poetry is not my strong suit, but I have a fascination with its twisting on the English language to convey themes (this mostly coming out of my love-hate relationship with Gertrude Stein), but what I love about who Sunny uses this poem is how it breaks up its stanzas. It only uses stanzas 2—4, with two and three each getting their own panel. 2 is accompanied by an outdoor shot, as the poem describes an outdoor seen. Stanza 3's panel cuts to Esta and Wanda, her sort of mentor, with it showing Esta is reading to want. Now here is what is interesting: Stanza 4 gets broken up with the first part being a close-up of Esta and Wanda, then second, As Esta gets to "The Knife of Treachery," there is a closeup of Esta looking around nervously. So the visual ties to the poem are delicious, and I find the new break in the poem interesting as it creates a new space in reading as the poem gets to the darker visuals.

There are also some more purely visual references, mostly to Alice in Wonderland. Sunny Luna uses all their references not for show but for it's theming of literature's importance for passing culture and messages. To learn and see outside our small personal worlds.

Art, reading, books, and comics are political because even when used for escapism, it is giving you a new experience. Away to broaden the horizons and think more critically about your world. Art has a story and a message, and Sunny Luna Travelling Oracle maybe wasn't the reminder of that I wanted at this time, but needed none the less.

#Sunny Luna Travelling Oracle #Warren Pleece #more batman next week