For this week I read Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Kid on Earth. I must say at first I was really confused, I didn't realize that Ware was taking us to all different time periods of Jimmy's life. It's not the the style or the content really changed, I think the character just didn't register as the same person to me. The comic was okay, the content left you feeling kind of isolated and alone. Which I suppose it the intent of the comic itself. You feel like this world that Jimmy lives in is pretty lonely. He's always doing things alone or with his mom, his interactions with other people seems very limited. Ware makes sure to never show anyone else's face (thoughhh you do see the his mom's face in the very beginning and "Super - Man"s masked face at the end). Not only that but he also draws Jimmy different from the other characters. He's made Jimmy into this kind of soft cartoony guy while the world around him tends to be feel harder and more realistic. I guess that also play into all the strange things that he'll do that aren't possible (like shooting himself, shrinking, or digging a fork into his arm). The title is also interesting, "The Smartest Kind on Earth"... ? Jimmy doesn't really do anything. He's always alone. He doesn't have any friends. And he's extremely awkward. I suppose it's either a sarcastic title or a comment on who we see as smart in our world today. I think it's just to be stupid and add to the strange/awkward quality of the comic holds to. Ware artistically approaches Jimmy's world in a isolated/lonely way but just having flat color everywhere.
I think my favorite panels are the ones of the outside of Jimmy's house over a day or so, where you see the light change and his light being on, and his neighbor's lights being off (I think those are the only colored panels with more line work too? so they really stand out. Interesting choice).
The story was hard to follow. I didn't always understand what was happening, if he was dreaming? or just flashing back, or just day dreaming.
Overall it was okay, not something I'd invest a lot of time into reading.
