Megillat Esther

This blog is dedicated to the first half of Megillat Ester, by J.T. Waldman. This graphic novel is complex to say the least, I guess I will start where I usually do, the art, the art of Megillat Ester is in a word, oppressive. It is that the art is heavily inked with dark borders. It feels incredibly contained; this combined with the dark stylistic Hebrew makes the whole piece appear heavy and oppressive.
This is interesting though because the stylization of the panels as well as the Hebrew letters, also break it free of the normal flow and pattern of the standard comic book. The layout of the pages is not the set standard pattern that most comics use in their approach to storytelling, but rather it changes flowing differently on almost each page. Then why does the author included what appears to be a contradiction, and oppressive art style with a truly free layout?
I think the best approach here is to see that the art, once again, is a continuation of the narrative, while this is no surprise in something that is called a graphic novel, I think it is important to distinguish the fact that these images are different. The characters within the panels are heavily inked and they have about them a gravity that is usually ignored in comics. I believe the author does this as a way to show that while they may appear free they are being controlled. The King is being manipulated by his advisors, the women are being taken from their homes, and the Judeans’’ are marked for slaughter. The first half of the narrative is very heavy a dark and the art style really reflect that. I think the heavy borders also reflect the confinement of the characters. In the first half of the narrative it’s not often that the frame of a panel is broken. The only time that specifically comes to mind is the hanging. The hanging image in which two men are hanged from a tree, the boarder fades into words. This, I think, is supposed to mean that in death they are free unlimited by the bonds of earth, of course this is without taking in to account any afterworld punishment, or the fact that they were attempted assassins. So the borders create an oppressive atmosphere while reading the text, however there is a sort of freedom in the panels.
The panels in this graphic novel do not often flow in the standard pattern of left to right then down, that most comics books have, instead the images flow freely (and not to jump the gun early but the book also flips completely at one point to be read more in the manga style). This is evident in the tear drop image as well as the image where the advisor throws the dice (a d20 by the way), these images show a lack of conformity to the genres style as a whole. It is like opening Paradise Lost and finding someone twisting the sentences in to shapes of various kinds, it’s disconcerting.
Why have the paradox, why mix stylistic freedom with stylistic oppression? Mayhap it is because the author wishes to show the state in which Ester is in, both controlled and yet she may have anything up to half the kingdom so it’s hard to call that subjugated.

Justice

It is a simple philosophical question (that statement feels oxymoronic), is justice righteous, and ethically sound cause, or is it a vendetta, a seeking of vengeance which none ought to condone. Compound that question with wondering if vengeance is really a bad thing, then again by wondering where the dichotomy lies if vendettas are ethically appropriate, it all becomes very murky very fast. Well this theme is what I’m going to explore in the research paper, I will be examining the idea of justice in graphic novels and in Jewish mythology and I want to see what comes out, whether they agree, disagree, or have varying narratives.
To that end I will be employing Alan Moore’s Watchmen, and V for Vendetta, as well as a few essays on justice in the Dark Knight run of Batman. While this appears to be a limited sample I think it will provide ample evidence. It might also be argued that in my selection for graphic novels I am being too narrow in that I am only selecting graphic novels that show the darker grittier side of graphic novels. To which I completely agree, this selection, I think, captures the “id” of humanity better than others. Superman would be like holding up a fun house mirror to society and saying that is what it is. To understand the human ideas of justice you must look at both authors who are not afraid to use more dark and realistic material, as well as flawed characters. It is important that the every shade of black be apparent in the relative darkness of humanity. That each step that is taken to understand the worst parts of humanity help us better understand the whole (I also might be a bit bias against humanity being as I view it as a pretty awful collective). I also think these ideas are supported in Jewish mythology.
The crux of my essay will also center heavily on Jewish mythology, both in the Hebrew Bible as well as mythology outside of sacred texts. These will serve primarily as references to divine justice, or justice approved by God. Which I think will also pull in to light that justice is little more than a more palatable word for revenge, and vendetta. I will focus mostly on the rich mythological text, but infused with some writing on the actual philosophical approach to justice with in Jewish text.
By the end of my paper I will show that there is an agreeance in Jewish mythology and graphic novels as to what justice truly is an act of revenge. While there is often a vial of righteous agenda, what is truly present is rage and vendetta, whether it is V, Rorschach, Moses, or Bruce Wayne they all were a mask ( three of the four literally) of valor.