Assessment

1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?

It was much darker and more serious than I anticipated, but after having just watched and learned about Alan Moore, I can see a lot of his influence in the comic's style and thematic elements. Overall I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, probably because it was more sinister and interesting than I would expect. After reading this, my interest has been piqued and makes me want to look more into this style of superhero comic.

2. What connections did you make with the story you just read? Discuss the elements of the work with which you were able to connect. 

Ideas of revenge are prevalent in this story, another theme that Alan Moore discussed. There is revenge from the villain's perspective, as well as revenge from the hero's perspective -- each is motivated by something different, but it connects the two despite their differences of "good" and "evil." They also both face tragedies that motivate this revenge, though each deals with their grief differently. Bigger themes like this are what make the comic relevant to real life even if there are wacky or supernatural elements. This idea of duality is prevalent in many works of fiction, but this comic is especially effective in that it is able to use this theme to directly translate fantasy to the real world. This connection to reality despite its fictional elements are perhaps what makes the story more frightening and compelling.

3.  What changes would you make to adapt this story to another medium? What medium would you use, what changes would you make?

I can very easily picture this story as a live action film thanks to its highly cinematic nature. Though there are elements that are most successful in comic format, I think with modern movie-making techniques much of the story's feeling would still be conveyed. In terms of changes to fit the new format, I'd probably make the transitions between times, places, etc. much less subtle so as not to be jarring or disconcerting to the audience. I think the change in colors that is already used in the comic to differentiate between the past and the present is already effective in this way, but I'd probably add more elements like this so as not to interrupt the story or make it confusing. In terms of theme, dialogue, etc., I don't think there is anything to change. The themes in the story are timeless and relatable no matter the setting -- a specific time period doesn't even necessarily have to be specified, though if it were specifically stated to be modern day, it might make the story even more relatable to the audience. 

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