Spotlight: Reality Check

[Eclipse]

Wake Up to the Potential of Computer Generated Art in Manga
By Matt Segale

Title: Reality Check
Writer/Painter: Rikki Simons
Illustrator: Tavisha Wolfgarth-Simons
Genre: Sci-fi, Comedy
Publisher: Studio Tavicat/Tokyopop
Volumes: 2

One glance at Studio Tavicat’s original English language manga “Reality Check” reveals a love affair with technology: people send packages by rocket ship; computer programs write sit-coms; and teenagers can finish high school at an accelerated rate through the internet. The creators of “Reality Check,” Rikki and Tavisha Simmons, demonstrate their love for technology not only through their sci-fi story, but also through an inventive use of computer-generated effects that complement the manga’s artwork.

Computer-generated art is still finding its place in modern comic storytelling. In the early 80’s, Western comic creators experimented with comics made completely on the computer. The most famous product of these experimentations was “Shatter” by Peter Gillis and Mike Saenz. Although it was revolutionary at the time, comics like “Shatter” were not aesthetically pleasing, as computer-generated art commonly suffered from pixelation, making it look both rough and fuzzy. Graphics technology at the time could not compete with hand drawing, and computer-generated art was largely ignored for almost a decade.

In the late 90’s, Marvel Comics began experimenting with computer-generated art on a variety of titles, such as “Thunderbolts” and “The Avengers.” While most of the comic art was still hand-drawn, computers were used to create minor effects, such as blurring art to create a “realistic” sense of movement. These effects were visually impressive and creative uses of existing technology, but computer-generated art never achieved any kind of widespread use in Marvel Comics. Quite possibly this is because Marvel never used computer-generated art to do anything that hand drawing could not, or possibly because Marvel never wove computer-generated art into the larger artistic vision of the comic, as “Reality Check” does. The consequence of any careless combination of computer-generated art with hand-drawn art is that the two art styles clash and the computer-generated art stands out in garish ways, distracting from the hand-drawn art. This is the most likely reason computer-generated art is not used more widely in manga today.

What makes “Reality Check” so amazing is the way it incorporates sophisticated computer-generated art into its overall storytelling design. Although “Reality Check” may appear to be nothing more than a simple story about a cat going online and creating problems for its owner, the manga manages to use this premise to explore the ways in which people use technology and the ways technology uses people. When characters visualize computer-generated images of outer space, readers feel as if they are being tossed into a virtual encyclopedia, a dizzying effect that matches the underlying theme of how technology infiltrates our lives. Computer-generated 3-D images of rocket ships are visual metaphors for characters’ technolust. Multi-colored radial gradient backgrounds express character emotion in ways that traditional color schemes never could. “Reality Check” utilizes one of the most inventive and sophisticated applications of computer-generated art in manga to date. It’s only a matter of time before more artists take notice and follow Studio Tavicat’s example.

The only downside to “Reality Check” is that it’s a bit difficult to enjoy as it is published now. While Tokyopop has collected it into two convenient volumes, the art has been reduced and converted into black and white. It’s handy to have the entire series in two books, but you’ll find yourself squinting a bit to completely enjoy all the miniature rocket ships. If you have the time and money, track down the originals put out by Sirius Press, and enjoy “Reality Check” in all its technologically-enhanced glory. The opportunity to experience realistic images of outer space, or to see a cat sing “These Are a Few of My Favorite Fonts” in vibrant colors, makes the search easily worth the effort.



Written by: Matt Segale
Proofed by: RainyFrog
Edited by: Presea