Lesson 2.  Not Quite Art? 

Host :  1. Do you enjoy reading comics?   2. Many of us / read comics, // but We don't know / much / about comics / as an art form.  3. Today / We have a special guest, Jin Yu, the author of the famous comic book, "The White Tiger."  4. Please / welcome him / to our show. 5. Jin, thank you / for joining us today.

Jin :  6. Thanks for inviting me.  7. Let me ask you / a question / first.  8. Mark Twain ( once ) said / that classics / are the books [ that / everybody praises // but / nobody reads. ]  9. What are some of the books that everybody reads or once read in the past, but nobody praises?

Host :  10. Well, I would guess comics // since that's our topic for today.

Jin :  11. Good guess.  12. Yes, the answer is comics.  13. Comics / have been one / of the most popular, // yet / least / appreciated art forms / for centuries.  14. I bet / you likes comic books / and have read a lot of them / in your spare time. 15. Am I right?

Host :  16. ( laughing ) How did you know that?

Jin :  17. I'm good at guessing, too.  18. When you were young, // did your parents like it / when you were reading comic books?

Host :  19. Not really.  20. My Parents / weren't enthusiastic / about comic books.  21. I felt embarrassed / when they said, "You're wasting your time."

Jin :  22. Well, reading comic books / is not something to be embarrassed about, though.  23. Did you know / the word "comics" has a fancy origin? 24. It came from a Greek word "komikos"  / meaning 'of or relevant to comedy.' 25. For this reason, / a comic book is ( sometimes ) called / a funny book.  26. In fact, / comic strips in Sunday newspapers in the United States / are ( still ) called / " the funnies."  27. Despite the name, / a comic book isn't necessarily always humorous. 28. Modern comic books tell stories / in a variety of genres, // including comedy, adventure, romance, and even tragedy.  29. In the United States, // the superhero adventure genre / has dominated / the market. 30. Do you know any comic book superheroes?

Host :  31. I know a lot.  32. Let me see ... Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, the X-Men, the Incredible Hulk.  33. Do you want / me / to name / some more?

Jin :  34. Wow! That'll do.  35. You really like comics, don't you?  36. Yes, they are all superheroes. 37. Lately, / their popularity / has (somewhat) declined // due to the changing culture.  38. As you know, / so many other forms of entertainment these days, such as movies and games, / distract / people / from reading books / including superhero comics.  39. In addition, / some readers / find / the violence and destruction [ depicted / in superhero comics ] / unpleasant and uneducational. 40. As a result, / our superheroes / are undergoing some changes / to get people's attention.

Host :  41. Such as?

Jin :  42. Many superhero comics / have begun to be more socially and environmentally conscious.  43. In the past, / the superheroes / were (mostly) white. 44. However, / the new Spider-Man, [ created / in 2011 / by Brian M. Bendis, ] / is / an African-American teenager.  45. He is part Hispanic, too. 46. This new Spider-Man series / challenges / racism / by presenting a social and racial minority superhero. 47. In addition, / some superheroes these days / place more value / on being family-oriented and eco-friendly / rather than being macho and muscular.

Host :  48. You mean, / many superhero comics these days / show / social consciousness and environmental sensitivity // while entertaining the readers / at the same time?

Jin :  49. Exactly!  50. You can see the same trend / in many Japanese fantasy comics, too.  51. You often find socially and environmentally conscious messages / in Japanese comics.  52. Hayao Miyazaki / is at the center of this trend. 53. He is a famous Japanese manga artist and film director / of fantasy animation feature films / such as "My Neighbor Totoro", "Howl's Moving Castle", and "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind."  54. The last is based on his manga of the same name [ that has sold / millions of copies / worldwide. ]

Host :  55. I saw "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" a while ago.  56. Yet, // I didn't know that the film was based / on his comic book.  57, Isn't it true / that most of his works explore the same themes?

Jin :  58. You are right!  59. Almost all of his books and movies / deal with the relationship between humans and nature and technology.  60. Anti-war and feminist themes / are other major themes [ found / on his works. ] 61. Many of his characters / are strong, independent girls or young women [ who have / a healthy relationship with nature. ]

Host :  62. That's interesting.  63. Now, / let's talk about what's happening in Korea.  64. These days, / educational comics / are quite popular / in Korea.  65. I read in an article [ that approximately 40% of the comic book market / in Korea / is accounted for by educational comic books.  66. They cover almost every possible subject [ one / can think of, ] such as mathematics, foreign languages, history, mythology, and even philosophy.  67. What do you think about that?

Jin :  68. It's definitely a good phenomenon.  69. Comics can explain / difficult and abstract concepts / more effectively / than just words alone.  70. Like the proverb says, "A picture is worth / a thousand words." 71. Comics offer / an excellent way to educate the reader.  72. Since comics / are full / of illustrations, // they can easily attract / the reader's attention. 73. Thus, / they can convey moral and intellectual messages / without making the reader [ bored / boring ].

Host :  74. I see.  75, Another interesting phenomenon in Korea / is / the wide popularity of web cartoons.  76. Could you tell us briefly / about web cartoons?

Jin :  77. Web cartoons are comic strips [ that are distributed / via the Internet, mostly for free. ]  78. Since they are easily accessible / through computers and smartphones, // they often have significant influence / on the reader.  79. Updated almost daily or weekly, // they tend to reflect / current social issues. 80. That is one / of their strengths.

Host :  81. Could you give us / one example / of your favorite web cartoons [ that deal with current social issues? ]

Jin :  82. Kang Pool's "Late Blossoms" deals with the elderly and the aging society.  83. It depicts poverty, diseases, romance, devotion, and death / of the elderly / with care and sensitivity.  84. Describing the realities of growing old and the problems [ the elderly / face ] is quite unusual / in comic books.

Host :  85. I see.  86. It seems / comics are playing / important roles / in our society.

Jin :  87. Absolutely.  88. Comics are not just silly humorous works.  89. They can be educational and inspiring. 90. They can also enhance / our understanding / of social issues.

Host :  91. Okay, I'm afraid / We are running out of time.  92. Any last words you want to say to our viewers?

Jin :  93. I started my talk / with a question.  94. Now, I'm going to close it / with a quotation.  95. One famous comic book critic said, "Certain books, paintings, films, plays, or pieces of music / can come into your life / at just the right place and time, // so that they help / you / see the world / in a different light / and (perhaps) affect / how you think and feel.  96. I've found / that the same can (also) be true / of the very best comics."

Host :  97. That's a great quote / to wrap up our show.  98. Thank you for your time and insightful comments.