For my blog post, I wanted to explore McCloud’s analysis of icons and cartoons and since McCloud used comics to convey his point I thought I would use an image from the comic Justice League: Kingdom Come as the basis for my analysis. This image unlike much of what McCloud discusses does not leave many gaps for the mind to fill in to understand what the image is attempting to convey. The icon in question is very clearly a group of colorful individuals drawn very realistically. Because of this, it is very simple for our minds to immediately establish what is happening in this picture: a group of superheroes looking very forlorn due to some assumed tragedy. The reason for this identification is because of an extension of self that we can attribute to this group of heroes that we create subconsciously.
I feel that this semi-realistic portrayal also tows the line between the realm of the senses and the realm of the concept that McCloud discusses. As this is not so much a cartoon as it is an accurate portrayal of humanity, both in the physical and emotional sense, there
This appearance, as opposed to the much less detailed and cartoonish aesthetic of its contemporaries seeks to establish not only a different tone but a different idea in the mind of the viewer. Without knowing the context behind this image, the viewer can establish the gravitas of the situation just by the art style and the conflicting mood emphasized by the emotions and the colorful costumes of its subjects.
The background also works to emphasize the meaning of this image, which is not what one would initially assume considering the seeming lack thereof. The pronounced blankness of it gives more definition to the characters that are encompassed within it, drawing forth a slew of new emotions. It conveys a despair to the characters which the viewer then can experience vicariously, which I feel is one of the more powerful aspects of this image. It seems like such a simple detail, almost as if the artist just left it out due to time constraints, but on reflection there are many interpretations that can be made of this simple omission.
It should also be noted for the cultural aspect that the characters portrayed are relevant to most potential audiences. Most people would look at this cover and see a despondent Superman or The Flash and connect with it in the sense of the public conscience, allowing the reader to mask themselves and enter this image in a metaphysical sense.
So that begs the question of what meaning can be obtained from this one image. To add a little more context, Kingdom Come is a story about the end of the era of the Justice League and the rise of new, more extreme and violent heroes. Based on that fact alone, we can make connections about what the image represents with all of these moving parts. Using the writer’s perspective on this image, we can even further begin to understand all the emotions associated and conveyed. By combining the language of word and image, we can more fully begin to understand what we are seeing and connect with the image on a more personal level.
Thinking Rhetorically at GCSU 