Week 9: Wide World of Comics

For week 9 I had read the 1st issue of Young Blueberry. 

Learning this was written by a French author from the 1960s was surprising. Moebius wrote about topics specifically towards American culture and history, telling a story during the times of the American civil war. The origin story and portrayal of the outfits and scenery was believable for 1860s America and the author did  a good job creating a convincing story for an adult audience to read. Comparing this to American comics coming out during the same time, Moebius's work deals with more serious topics and the color palettes differ from the bright colored superhero comics of America. I think, overall, comics in Europe specifically France have always appreciated the comic medium and is held with a greater respect from adults than in the United States. 

The comics released in Europe during the same time as America have considerably more mature content and was created for adults to enjoy. The perceptions of comics in America were that they could be only enjoyed by youth during this time, and this reminds me of the perceptions of animation in America today. I feel there is a wider acceptance of the potential and appeal for animation towards for everywhere other than America. Ringling is even taking away their traditional animation courses soon. Of course this doesn't mean the animation industry is slowing, but it makes me sad to see these techniques be rarely taught in America.  In France, there is an animation school called Gobelins where traditional 2-D animation is still appreciated and taught. Their student thesis films are fantastic, and I think the culture there is generally more accepting of drawn media.