Welcome Friends, I'm going to put all of the contents of my brain and sketchbook here for your entertainment......
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About Me
- Will O'Donnell
- I am currently posting the graphic novel I made in 2004-5 copyright 06
I truly enjoyed the "Rising Road." It was a great page turner. The protagonist emphasized Jack Kerouac's ideal person who is "mad to live." Even though the protagonist was dying, he lived his dream out in his last year. You could see the scenes play out as if they were movies. It was interesting to see the drama in the lives of the kind hearted African American guitarist and the spunky Beatnik daughter of Gambini.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see how the story plays out as the guitarist must fight to live on. You truly left us on a cliff hanger. It would also be interesting to see what other interesting characters make their way into to the book. The Irish pub scene was quite humorous.
-Ben Schaffer
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI really like "Rising Road." It captures the spirit of the Beat Generation well. I thought it was interesting how you applied the personalities of Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady to John and Robert, but changed the circumstances significantly. Robert is John's muse in his new, more adventrous life, as Cassady was to Kerouac. The story also made me wonder how much of John's experiences were real and what were hallucinations, which is probably how much of the Beat Generation lived their lives.
ReplyDeleteJohnna Menke
I actually really enjoyed reading "Rising Road". Reading this put the Beat Generation in a whole new light that made it quite interesting. It took me a little while to catch on that John and Robert resembled Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady but once I did it made a lot more sense. "Rising Road" showed the Beat Generation in a whole new perspective, such as a tumor causing hallucinations rather than it being an actual reality for them.
ReplyDeleteSydney Bertsch
I loved the colors and different designs that illustrated the hillousinations. One slide in particular reminded me of Van Gough's 'Starry Night' (I think i was round page 5.) I like how you put in the brain tumor to set up the frame of mind that the Beat Generation had about living in the moment. I don't think you would have achieved the direction you were headed towards if you had left that part out. The woman who's dad is forcing her to get married immediatly turns to drinking to cope with her emotions towards the situtation, which is what a lot of people during the Beat Generation did. The scene where John is in the nature and is greeted with a vision of the planets relates to when Ginsberg had a vision in which author William Blake came to him in person and he told his family that he had found God. Kerouac's 'Big Sur' displayed a disconnected soul and a human being lost in his own illusions. John was lost in his own illusions and felt disconnected from everyone. Kerouac tried to search in nature for a new begining, just like John did. Cassady also had the ability to charm strangers, just like the man with the missing eye playing the guitar did on the streets. I'm not sure who the devil is or who he represents, but it's very obvious that characteristics of writers during the Beat Generation influenced the characters in " the Rising Road".
ReplyDeleteStuart Valentine Bowers
Like Johnna mentioned, i saw resemblance between the Carter John an Kerouac and Robert and Cassidy.
ReplyDeleteJohn and Kerouac were a like because john was a man who didn't have long to live so he spent the rest of his life doing what he wanted and went places an saw things he lived in two worlds one in his mine.
Kerouac was the same way not caring and writing went on in his life.
Cassidy did not write but he helped lead the Beat generation by his way of living he din not wast time he lived a fearless life doing what he wanted to and Robert didn't live for anything he didn't care or worry about his soul being with the Devil to have fun for a short life and he did what he wanted to an had fame.
SEAN PENDARVIS
I think that "The Rising Road" really showed the characteristics of The Beat Generation. The Beat Generation was a time of experimenation with drugs, alcohol, and sexuality. Like Sean said, John knew he didn't have much time left to live so he lived each day like it was his last, doing whatever he pleased. I think the art of this story really expresses the emotions and experiences of The Beat Generation.
ReplyDeleteSarah
I liked this. I really like how u threw stuff in the story like the actual book was drawn in some of your thumbs and some names were mentioned. Like Sydney said I think it's neat how you substituted the way they were acting with a brain tumor. It's kind of sad to me though that today in order to explain why people are lving they're lives like it's their last day, we have to use the excuse if a brain tumor. Back during the beat poets era this wouldn't have been a problem. I'm curious about why you made the main charactor look like you though? Because the main charactor is obviously kerouac I was wondering if you felt similar to Hhim? Anyways it was pretty neat to take a book and make it your own. Nicole
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"The Rising Road" reminded me of the song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". The Characterisics of the modern day Beat Generation in "The Rising Road" realated alot to the past Beat Generation because both involed music and Poetry. This short story reminded me alot of "A Street Car named Desire" because both main Characters were on the run and they both went to citys with great amounts of cultures. The illustrations were great and the expressions on the Characters faces looked so realistic. Great Job!
ReplyDelete*~Caroline H. Gibson~*
I agree with caroline that "the rising road" reminded me of the song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". This also reminded me of the movie Ghostrider because the whole selling your soul to the devil thing. I also agree with Nicole and i think it's sad that in order for people to live their lives like today is their last day, a brain tumor has to be present. I feel like people should be doing that everyday because you never know when your going to die so everyday technically is your last. I really liked the art in this book. The overall story was very gripping to me, i would ketch myself getting very excited to go to the next page because it was so excited. In addition, i really liked how he used this modern way to resemble the beat generation. Overall, i really liked this.
ReplyDeleteJosh
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ReplyDeleteI really liked "The Rising Road."
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard the song, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", so I decided to look up the lyrics, and I agree with Caroline. Each part of the song resembles to parts of the story. For example: "He was lookin' for a soul to steal
He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind
And he was willin' to make a deal"
This is like the part when the fiddle player is telling his story to the protagonist about how he met the devil, and sold his soul for the skills.
I enjoyed how John highlighted the personality of Jack Kerouack. Just like John was the protagonist in this story it resembled to Jack Kerouack in a way because Jack was spokesman for the Beat Generation. Reading this helped me understand the whole meaning of the Beat Generation more.
- Jenny
I enjoyed reading "Rising Road" more than I expected. I knew I was going to like it bcuz of the way it was set up (comic), but the storyline was great and captivating. Like Sydney mentioned before, I think it was pretty neat how John Robert seemed like John Kerouac and Neal Cassady although it also did take me a while to realize that. Robert selling his soul to the devil inorder to be able to play a mean guitar reminded me of "oh brother where art thou". There is also a young black male who is picked up at a crossroads who as well sold his soul to the devil for his guitar skills. I finally see where that came from :).
ReplyDeleteFlor Salcedo
I’m starting to really enjoy your work more and more as the story and characters begin to develop. After taking another look through the work, I have started to see these characters in a different light. Rather than looking at them as parts of a story, which is what I would normally do, I have been trying to see them as representations of some aspect of the beat generation.
ReplyDeleteJohn’s character does bear some resemblance to Kerouac, but his attraction to Sue makes him less than an exact representation of him. I just don’t see Kerouac falling head over heels for a woman the way John has for Sue. Sue on the other hand seems to be less of a representation of a specific individual but rather a stereotypical beatnik. She certainly dresses for the part and she has the same troubled background that many of the more famous beat poets had. Because of this, I am interested to see what happens when John and her actually meet, and if she introduces him to the world of the Beat Generation. As everyone else said, Robert is a representation of Cassaday. This wasn’t something to terribly obvious for me, because Cassaday seemed to be more of a Muse than a teacher to the beat poets, as opposed to Robert who directly taught John how to play the guitar. Out of all these characters the one that was most puzzling to me was the pill pushing Doctor that appears in John’s hallucinations. It was intriguing to me that, while he made frequent appearances earlier in the comic, he hasn’t shown up recently. I wonder if this was done on purpose to show how normal society was steadily losing its grip on John, as he became closer to the Beatnik world.
Overall, it seems like I enjoy the story more and more as it progresses, and I am excited to find out what happens to John after Roberts death, and if he will begin to turn to drugs, alcohol, etc. to help him deal with his loss like many of the beats and if he will start seeing the world as hopeless and meaningless because of his death.
-Tyler Swain
Mr. OD I am very impressed with your work on the Rising Road. It really shows your great artistic abililty and goes along with what we learned in the beat generation very well. While reading and viewing the Rising Road, i felt that there was a sense of your life being shown in the story. I felt like i was actually living the life of Mr. OD himself. You can relate this to the beat generation in many ways. We had artist in the beat generation taking aspects of their life and putting them into poems and stories. I like to go back to what Johnna said above about you using Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady to John and Robert. I thought that was great how you incorperated them into your story. Overall this story seemed to be straight out of the beat generation and had the feel of it. i enjoyed it tramendously.
ReplyDeleteThis novel is truly astonishing, better than some published graphic novels I have skimmed, seriously. I thought it was so cool that you were able to translate your inspiration from one novel into another realm of creativity without completely copying the novel. I noticed similarities between "On the Road" and "Rising Road" like living life to the fullest, having no regrets, and following the flow of your destiny. Something that I did remain confused about was the frustration that was so prevalent in the beatnik generation. John was frustrated with his job and his boring life, but what about after his revelation, what frustrations is he dealing with then? Are those frustrations going the be revealed at the end of the story? It'll be interesting to see if this story ends hopelessly or with a happy ending. I would think that it would end badly because it seems that in the tradition of authors like Ginsberg and Kerouac this should end with the realization that none of it matters. Right now I can imagine "Rising Road" having a happily ever after...... I guess I'll have to check back and see. Characterization in this novel has been so enjoyable, I feel like a can take one look at the drawings and some what have the character figured out, and then be shocked by what they bring to the story. With these characters I wonder how much of characters in "On the Road" and characters from your own mind have been put together in "RIsing Road." Perhaps John represents the feelings of the beatnik generation, but I would guess that there are also parts of you that are in John. Maybe? I maybe a million miles away from where your train of thought was when you were creating this graphic novel, but I still appreciate the amazing art, the meticulous details, and page turning plot line. Thank you for sharing this with us!
ReplyDelete-Laney Miller
I agree to what Johnna and Sydney said. John does resemble Kerouac in the story. John followed the two guys to New York City. He lives everyday like his last. In New York, he discovers the beat generation. Playing the guitar is something that he likes to do. There is where he finds the place where he belongs. Even though he has cancer, that didn't stop him from doing what he liked. I really enjoy reading this story. I can wait to see what happens next.
ReplyDelete-Shan
i find it sad that you had to use a tumor to make people understand why John was living that way. the beat gen lived that way not because they had a time limit on there life but liked to live that way.
ReplyDeleteI loved all of the different drawings they were all very interesting. The selling your soul to the devil as you see with robert gave the story an interesting plot twist also. And with john you made him have hallucinations and dreams which foreshadowed later events in the story, i thought that was very cool. I have enjoyed reading this i hope you make more comics.
ReplyDeleteJamey
"The Rising Road" is the first comic novel I have read. Before I wasn't a huge fan on comic's, but this definately made me become more interested in them. I really like all the pictures, your artistic really made the story a lot interesting. Just like many students have said before. This was an interesting way how you brought out the beat generation in this way. Just how Nicole and Sydney said of how you had to subsitute the brain tumor in order to bring out the story, and show people that this has to do something with the beat generation. If I hadn't known about the beat generation I definately wouldn't have known that this had to do with. Event though the beat generation was a long time ago we are kind of seeing those same characteristics now a days, with everything that has been going on with the economy, and other issues. Overall, this was a very good, and I would be very interested to read what would happen next.
ReplyDelete-Angelic
This story showed a resemblence between John and Keruac and their lifestyle. John had to buy a guitar and slowly started just like how Kerouac worte "On the Road" and waited seven years until it became recognized. "The Rising Road" was a fun story to read. The artwork was awesome and helped me follow the story.
ReplyDelete-Stuart Barickman-
Well....I am QUITE honored that you all have come along this amazing journey with me. Each and every comment is uncanny it it's accuracy!
ReplyDeleteAt the time of the book's creation I was like John. I had quit my Corporate manager job with Fed Ex prematurely and fled Savannah for Charleston "mad to live" so to speak :). You could say I was in a very Kerouac frame of mind when I decided to pick the "Rising Road" back up and finish it here in Charleston.
I had nothing to lose and was going to do some living. John, in a way is me, or at least the way I felt. Charleston was a brand new adventure.
Robert is based on an amalgamation of Neil C and Robert Johnson (famous blues artist that supposedly sold his soul) GOOD JOB Flor for picking up on the "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" reference. I wanted to make this story like a Cohen Brothers movie. I'm still waiting for them to direct their own "On The Road" flick. :)
Laney hit on some very interesting points and I think she won't be disappointed by the ending.
You all really are the first readers of this graphic novel and if it ever does anything you have a claim to fame! Your writing and the ability to synthesize and formulate your own opinions will serve you well in the future! Keep it up!
Kerouac made it cool to go out and explore the world and live every day like it was your last. What a lot of the Beat Generation Writers found, unfortunately, was that the party has to end sometime. Enjoy youth because it is the one gift that cannot be given back.
Thank you again and keep reading there are more characters and plenty of twists and surprises along the "Rising Road"
O'D
I just wanted to leave a comment here and tell you that I have been searching for months for a design for my next tattoo, and last night a friend and I stumbled upon this picture. Today I went back and searched for it again to try to find its owner and creator. This is the perfect set of hands for what I feel completes my idea, and I can't describe how happy it made me to find this. It's a beautiful drawing, and inspiring as well. So, thank you for putting it out for the world to see. It was very much appreciated.
ReplyDelete- Jaden
(P.S. I live about two hours from Charleston, and it is indeed a gorgeous place to be. =))