4 / Spirals Become Viscious Cirlces, Again / Anjuli
I think I’m trying to put too much into this comic, making it “more serious” than my previous works, probably as an attempt to overcompensate for the feelings of stagnation, doubt and failure that have been eating me away for the past few years. That being said, I finally figured out what I want to do for the covers of the chapters. There are six chapters and each is framed like a pin-up for one of the characters, whose conflict will be the main feature of the chapter (…ish). To make this even more convoluted, the characters will be interacting with water symbolically, showcasing the conflict of theirs and underlining the different water metaphors I work with in the story.
I think this could be really, really lame, if not pretentious (and therefore lame) if I don’t pull it off well enough, and if the story does not surpass the covers. “Surpass” in the sense of “is good enough to warrant,” I think.
So far, I’ve only really figured out the cover for chapter four, which shows Anjuli performing “anjuli” (ritual offering with both hands–I couldn’t resist, even though I hate when the meaning of names seems fateful in plots). Water, in this case, symbolizes purity, more so purification. Its ability to transcend physical boundaries reminds us of our own fetters: our physicality, and our impurity.
The more this cover idea is reified, the more lame it seems. I may just trash it. It sounded so cool in my head.
My head is pretty lame.
In other news, Charles Burns is more of an inspiration to me than I had ever imagined, not really having read his work until a month or two ago. I just saw him speak in promotion of his new graphic novel, X’ed Out, and I have to say, I was really impressed with the level and the eloquence of the introspection he was able to spell out for us.
I wish I had asked a good question, but all I could think about was how I am not, and probably will never be, as good as he is.
How selfish.
