Old Gold & Black | Life
Page 16 | Thursday, March 24, 2022
CULTURE
Selinna Tran / Old Gold & Black
O N R E P E AT
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
As we turn to spring, there is no better time to enjoy some light, uptempo tunes. "Another Sunny Day" by Belle and Sebastian feels like the soundtrack to a montage of a perfect date — with a romp through meadows, picnics at sunset and anything else you could want. As its title suggests, the entire track feels drenched in sunlight, with a burst of solar power in each verse that follows the relaxing instrumental breaks. Try putting this on when you are walking across campus to your favorite class.
MUSIC
FA S H I O N
Last week was such an exciting week for music. In the same stretch, Charli XCX, Sweet Trip, Blade and Ecco 2k, ROSALIA and GAYLE all released major projects. Perhaps the most shocking release was Sweet Trip's three-hour album, which seems to serve as a farewell soundtrack, now that the band has broken up. I am not someone who typically listens to draingang music — mainly because of the amount of grief that fans receive on the Internet—butIfoundmyselfenjoyingvarious moments on "Crest", like the penultimate track, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". My favorite projects of the week were "MOTOMAMI" and "CRASH". While I have just recently discovered ROSALIA's music, I find her and Charli XCX to be fresh, invigorating figures in pop music, who drew on the hyperpop genre to create gigantic sounds. Finally,Weatherday and Asian Glow — two of the most experimental figures in the music industry right now — dropped a six-track EP on bandcamp, titled "Weatherglow".
Coming off of his latest performance as the title character in Matt Reeves' "The Batman" and a sure-to-be iconic GQ cover, Robert Pattinson celebrated his recent success during a party thrown for him by GQ and Dior. Maintaining the dark, angsty aura of his on-screen character, Pattinson donned an all-black Dior suit with a black sweater underneath. On the guest list were stars from various backgrounds, like Quavo, Phoebe Bridgers, Andrew Garfield, Awol Erizku and Taylour Paige. The dinner party highlighted some of the best artists and designers today, but I think Angus Cloud — known as Fez from "Euphoria" — stole the show with his vibrant sweater vest and baggy cargo pants.
More than anything, though, "Tokyo Ueno Station" is a wonderful feat of art. The novel flows seamlessly through time and space, opting for a more relished form over a typical linear format, because "life is nothing like a story in a book... There may be an ending, but there is no end." I recommend this book for those readers who care more about discovering a character than witnessing a gigantic plot. Kazu is a protagonist who is going to be difficult to forget.
L I T E R AT U R E
"Tokyo Ueno Station" by Yu Miri is a novel that refuses to let a single word go to waste. Only 193 pages, it won the National Book Award for Translated Literature in 2020 and continues to gain popularity in the west for its blend of the surreal and the painstakingly real. It tells the story of a disenfranchised ghost reflecting on his own disappointment with the afterlife, which he expected would bring him comfort if not peace. It brings to life social issues of contemporary Japan while also unearthing major historical events. By focusing on the tragic story of a man born into poverty, Miri's work gives us a special glimpse of a relatively unnoticed By Selinna Tran via @ogbcartoons on Instagram aspect of Japan.
Adam Coil / Old Gold & Black
FROM ADAM, My hope with this section is to curate a biome every week which highlights stories that might otherwise go unrecorded. This section is not for those moments which will go down in history books for posterity, but instead, it is meant to illuminate the microoccurrences which shape and influence the culture from the outside in. Of course, not everything can be covered, but I aim to present you, my wonderful readers, with paths that are exciting to explore. May this section serve not only as a rundown of special events, but a starting point for discovering your next niche.
Exploring the success of 'The Sandman' Neil Gaiman's experiment in genre-melding became a cult classic in comics JOSIE SCRATCHARD Life Editor
Neil Gaiman — an author known for “Coraline” (2002), “The Graveyard Book” (2008) and “American Gods” (2001) — has been a sensation in the comic book industry with his award-winning series “The Sandman” (1989), first published over 30 years ago. However, “The Sandman” is now more mainstream than ever because it is being released as a Netflix show this year. DC Comics originally confronted Gaiman after publishing his short comic series “Black Orchid” (1987) to reinvent Gardner Fox’s original “Sandman” (1939) series. Fox’s “Sandman” included a typical superhero origin story in which the main character, Wesley Dodds, used a gas mask with scientifically-advanced elements to pursue enemies in his nightmares. Gaiman altered the stereotypical hero story by flipping the trope of the superhero on its head, reinventing the original story and characters. In his version, the protagonist of the comic — called Morpheus, Sandman and Dream, among other names — is the personification of dreams coupled with darkness that creates layers of mysteries and secrets waiting to be unfolded. He acts as a common thread that connects to the storyline, winding the seemingly-disjointed story around his presence. Morpheus is an enthralling protagonist because readers are not given his origin sto-
ry. As the comic progresses, Morpheus’ traits and past are introduced through secondary characters’ experiences rather than his own. Due to this stylistic decision, his identity remains largely concealed to the reader. Gaiman’s character choices create depth within the story and allow the vast abyss of possibilities to remain open for Morpheus’ character arc, simultaneously formulating an ominous air around the character. Hot off the press, “The Sandman” became a resounding success that paved the way for a new form of visual storytelling despite the altered relations between Gaiman and his
Photo courtesy of Flickr
illustrators throughout the first several issues. “The Sandman” story itself was an experiment in narration, as Gaiman used the elements of comics to his advantage. Pages and strips were organized to draw the reader’s eye to specific aspects of the story that added profundity to the story and characters. For instance, a continuous image would travel across the bottom of two adjacent pages, adding a linear dimension to the storyline and implying an ongoing sense of motion in the tale’s background events. What makes “The Sandman” so successful in the art of storytelling is its brilliant weaving of vignettes which function within reinventions of comic genres. Each issue may feel like a disconnected and inconclusive tale, but the conclusion of a volume of issues ties each story together. In doing so, aspects of Morpheus’ character are revealed, and the greater motive of the story comes to light. Gaiman’s ability to execute this method of storytelling in collaboration with his illustrators improves over the course of the comic, constantly refining and developing the narrative. Not to mention the fact that the addition of interwoven genres among these vignettes carries the reader through the explorative journey that Gaiman himself is experiencing as he creates. The writing and presentation of “The Sandman” propelled comics beyond the status quo — literary storytelling became a plausible goal for authors who were only
ever regarded as comic writers rather than anything more. Gaiman’s work inspired a new generation of literary fiction in comics like “The Walking Dead” (2003). Additionally, his choice to intertwine horror, dark fantasy and thriller excursions placed Gaiman’s tales at the helm of a brand new ecosystem of literature in both comics and graphic novels. It is no wonder that “The Sandman” is being adapted into a Netflix series with high hopes for success. Netflix is the perfect platform to flesh out stories told in the fashion that Gaiman has adopted — especially those functioning within the comic landscape. Each episode can be dedicated to an issue with an emphasis on subtle details that may have been overlooked in the comics, allowing for an enhanced understanding of the tale. Gaiman’s fantastical and horror elements can really shine in the silver screen format — the opportunities for added mysticism in this medium are abundant. Alas, “The Sandman” concluded years ago, despite the wishes of many fans who would have liked to follow Morpheus for eternity. However, it was essential that the comic end with the bang with which it commenced; otherwise, its integrity may not have prevailed. Netflix has the opportunity to rejuvenate the comic in the social strata — I and others simply hope that justice is delivered to our beloved Morpheus. Contact Josie Scratchard at scraja20@wfu.edu
