"MEKA" - Ryan Stevens

1. Analyze: Event - Primary

The Event is primary to this graphic novel. If the event never occured the story would never have been or it would have been extremely different. The event is a epic giant robot battle that takes place in a seemingly quiet and safe coastal metropolis. If this enormous battle never occured the narration would mostly likely be about what life is like in this busy port city. The event, the robotic battle, is central to the entire book. Every other part of the novel relates to, or is a consequence of that battle. Without the battle we would never see the pilots' struggles to survive and be rescued from the mechanical monolith, endure conflict with each other personally, and find a way to escape back into the natural world. These struggles help us to relate to the characters. It helps us care about them and want to know more about what they are experiencing. But without the event, the battle, we would not have the same opportunity to do so.

2. Rating: PG-13

I believe this graphic novel deserves a PG-13 rating because of the intense robotic battles scenes, bloody depiction of people being killed and dead, and the partial nudity. The nudity is not pervasive however, and is a result of the characters trying to survive and be rescued. I believe it was needed.

3. Springboard:

Jean David Morvan would likely need at least basic knowledge of mechanics and mechanical devices to create this book. Even though the robots are very stylized and it is sometimes difficult to understand exactly how they are moving mechanically, they are still very believable and readable to the viewer in my opinion. He also must know the anatomy of the human body and how it moves to accurately simulate those movements and actions in a humanoid robotic machine.
I wanted to know more about the similarities between human joints and robotic joints. As you can probably assume they are very similar and move and react in the same matter. Where as humans have cartilage and tendons to support the joint structure, robot similarly have thick rubber bands and interlocking hydraulics and or pulley systems to make the required movements and actions. But where humans are restricted by their physical form, robotics and machinery are only prohibited by the laws of mechanics and the creators imaginations.

4. Apply:

I am learning that everything in a good or great narrative or story are interlocked and balanced by each other. If you don't have an important central event then your characters and the ideas you are trying to portray will be less successful. Similarly if you do not have a strong or plausible idea then it makes it more difficult to understand what the central event is. I need to make sure to apply the appropriate importance to the event in my own treatment. Otherwise my characters, ideas and entire story will suffer and my narrative will not be as successful.