Josh Neufeld’s A.D. chronicles
the lives of seven New Orleans natives in the weeks leading up to and after
Hurricane Katrina. Based on real individuals, each with their own story line,
Neufeld uses the common themes of determination and hope to tie them all
together. The book is sectioned off into chapters and the story lines are split
into sections. However, in order to
visually portray the way that the individual stories connect and overlap,
Neufeld makes the pages of the book monochromatic- entirely in different shades
of one color, and uses a different color for each section of the book. He in
addition, draws each person unlike traditional cartoon characters, making use
of extremely detailed and less cartoony images. Neufeld makes decisions about
both color and the drawing style of characters that will ultimately trigger certain
emotions in a reader.
Scott McCloud in Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art provides
a detailed analysis of what he considers to be the key aspects that make up a
comic book, such as those used by Neufeld- character design and color. McCloud
makes the claim that colors have the ability to completely affect the way an
image is received, and A.D.
exemplifies this assertion of McCloud’s, as it includes an interesting use of
color. On character design, McCloud makes the claim that simplicity in comic
books is crucial. He asserts that abstract images are most effective in
creating reader identity with such images, where in Josh Neufeld’s A.D. the opposite is true of how the
pictures of drawn and how they are received by the viewer. While A.D. enforces McCloud’s theory about the
use of color in comic books, it refutes McCloud’s idea about the way comic book
characters should be drawn.
McCloud asserts that we
as humans unconsciously simplify images in our minds, endlessly reducing what
is realistic to what is not- to icons or cartoons. We respond to cartoons much
better than realistic images, because cartoons amplify an image’s meaning in a
way that realistic images cannot. “The 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,” (McCloud 31) he claims. McCloud makes use
of what he calls ‘The Picture Plane’- a triangle where each of the 3 vertices
presents a different style of image. The
top corner is made up of very basic symbols such as circles and triangles, the
right hand corner a simple cartoon face with only a circle, dots and a line,
and the left hand corner as close to reality as possible.
He argues that the right
hand corner- a cartoon face or only a circle, a line and two dots- is more
easily identified with, because one’s mind allows them to see and imagine what
they which to see, and not simply what is shown to them as in a photo or more
realistic image. Ideally, one would look at such an image and ultimately be
able to see themself. “When you look at a photo or realistic drawing of a face,
you see it as the face of another. But when you enter the world of the cartoon,
you see yourself.” (McCloud 36) Contrarily,
upon seeing an image from the left hand corner more like a realistic photo, one
sees other people. To McCloud, humans
are more inclined to listen and pay attention to a cartoon face, rather than a
realistic face. Such claims as are rooted in the concept of identity, where one can identify with
and put themselves in the shoes of a cartoon more easily than an image that
closely resembles a photo or an actual person.
McCloud however, ignores
the idea that one may be drawn to more realistic images and cartoons because
they are just that- realistic. Humans tend to personally identify with what
they know, and what is familiar; what is concrete as opposed to what is
abstract. Specifically in a comic book where such serious issues and topics are
addressed as those in A.D. by Josh
Neufeld, having a realistic image to identify with may be more efficient and
crucial. A.D. addresses issues such
as racism and economics, and as a piece that demands the reader’s undivided
attention and care, the graphics would be what most stands out to the reader.
That said, the images should have a lasting effect; an effect that draws the
reader in and forces a connection upon them with what they have seen. This is
something that cannot be accomplished with a cartoon because they are
impersonal and detached- far removed from what is real.
Yet, it is exemplified in A.D. where each of the characters are drawn with such vivid detail
that they appear realistic falling into the category of images in the left hand
corner of McCloud’s plane. A.D. commands
your undivided attention partly because the characters and backgrounds are so
realistic; identifiable in the sense they are still drawn cartoons in a comic
book, but still resemble humans much more than typical cartoons. One feels as though you are
actually looking at a person with feelings rather than an inanimate cartoon. Visible on each
character’s face are details such as wrinkle lines and mouth creases that allow
the viewer to see and sense the exact emotions of the character and what they
are feeling, as if connecting with a real person.
In order to extend such
an idea of connecting and invoking certain emotions, McCloud uses color. He
states that they have the ability to set the tone and describe the mood in a
comic, as well as amplify the message of the comic, in a way that
black-and-white comics cannot. “Through more expressive colors, comics can become
an intoxicating environment of sensations that only color can give.” (McCloud 192) In other words, a
black-and-white photo given color becomes something completely different than
its original because of the effect that color has on a person.
McCloud uses the
example of an image of a boy hitting a ball; its black-and-white version is a
ball in air, where the color version is a game in motion. “The differences
between black-and-white and color comics are vast and profound, affecting every
level of the reading experience. In black and white, the ideas behind the art
are communicated more directly. Meaning transcends form. Art approaches
language. In flat colors forms themselves take on more significance. The world
becomes a playground of shapes and space.” (McCloud 192)
A.D. is written in a
chronological order, and separated into five different chapters; The Storm, The
City, The Flood, The Diaspora, and The Return. Interestingly enough, as the
chapters progress in the book, the colors follow their lead, transitioning as
the story transitions. Each of the colors are also monochromatic; from mint
green, orange, yellow, burgundy, to pink, each of the pages consists of only
different shades of one color. Colors are commonly associated with moods and
emotions,- “Colors can express a dominant mood.” (McCloud 190)
For example, the
pages of the first chapter of the book- The Storm- are in a light blue color.
As the chapter itself only includes pictures of New Orleans under water and
damaged after Hurricane Katrina hit, it is fitting that blue is used because
the color blue is primarily associated with sadness and gloom. In another
chapter- The Storm- is placed in the days after Hurricane Katrina first hit,
where families are just beginning the process of recovering from shock and
attempting to remain hopeful at an extremely difficult time. This chapter is a
deep red- red is commonly associated with strength, power and determination.
Josh Neufeld’s ‘job’ in
creating A.D. was to make it the most
visually appealing and thus effective in relaying the overall message of the
book; informing those who were unaware of the truths about Hurricane Katrina.
The most crucial aspect of a comic book is its images and the relationship that
images form with words on a page, but nonetheless its images. Neufeld’s
approach was to make images that would almost fall in between two corners of
the image triangle that McCloud created in his book- in between being an
extremely simple cartoon, and a complex picture that would almost mirror its
actual originator. His experimental uses of color made the book as a whole
extremely untraditional and stand out amongst its peers. In A.D. image and come color ultimately come
together to influence the viewer’s experience upon reading the book, and strike
in them, certain emotions.
References
McCloud, Scott. Understanding
Comics: The Invisible Art. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers,
1994. Print.
Neufeld, Josh. A.D.
New Orleans After the Deluge. New York, New York: Pantheon Books, 2009.
Print.
