From Saleah--“The Amazing Life of Onion Jack” by Joel Priddy, may seem like a wacky comedy about the life and time of a superhero, but it in fact embodies the very real dilemmas the people encounter in their lives. Jack makes his grand entrance into the world almost like Oedipus Rex did, miraculously escaping death and falling into the arms of loving family that raises him as their own. Nevertheless Jack’s mysterious beginnings only foreshadow his awesome power that he will gain and use fighting the evils of our world. Like most superheros, Jack finds himself involuntarily thrown into this world where “with great power comes great responsibility”; Jack accepts this when he exclaims to the world, “alright already,I won’t be a chef” (Priddy 1). Poor Jack, drenched in chemical waste, hit by a lightning bolt and showered by cosmic rays when all he wanted to do was cook Christmas dinner and embrace his true passion: cooking. Onion Jack, as he was came to be known, lived a life of adventure and excitement, however only in the last fifteen years of his life did he pursue his dream to open a bistro and cook for the public. The comic succeeds in portraying to the reader the rapidity of life and how life can move by just as quickly as it takes to turn a page of a book. Jack spent forty-seven years in forced employment using his powers to fight for the U.S military, and yet upon his death the newscaster rattles on a long list of culinary accomplishments and ends by saying, “prior to his stellar cooking career, Jack served in law enforcement” (10). Jack’s lasting memory he leaves people with is an ideal one, Priddy leaves readers optimistic that even if life takes you down a different path that we should not give up hope and that destiny will kick in and we will all be given the opportunity to fulfill our dreams, even if it is at the old age of seventy-five.
Terrance wrote: The Amazing Life of Onion Jack portrays the amazing life of a superhero. I believe the title is somewhat misleading because at the very end of the comic, Joel Priddy wants everyone to know that Onion Jack was not known for his accomplishments in battle and war. He was not known for his super powers. Jack spent his entire life not capable of having a mediocre job because he was so far beyond mediocre himself. Only when Onion Jack grew so old that his powers were weak compared to new heroes, did he feel normal enough to enjoy his dream job of becoming a chef. Onion Jack became the world's greatest chef. I Like the end of the comic because i believe the author is trying to say that it's never too late to do what you love. In 1989 in the comic with Onion Jack and his other old super friends, he looks old. Onion jack was intentionally made to look very old to show that even years after 1989 he was able to do what he loved, and was the best at it. Saving the world was a nuisaince to Onion Jack because there was always the thought of cooking in the back of his mind. When it came down to it, the greatest thing he did for the world was becomming the greatest chef and winning a nobel prize. It is my opinion that the only amazing part of Onion Jack's life was cooking. He didnt want to be a hero and was never praised for it. Dont give up on your dreams because you can end up like Onion Jack, dead. I mean a successful chef.
“The Amazing Life of Onion Jack” is an excellent parody of the stereotypical superhero story, as well as an interesting interpretation on how comic books and superheroes have developed over time. Unlike traditional heroes, Jack has no desire to use his powers and instead aspires to a rather ordinary profession: cooking. But after seventeen years of radioactive spider bites, magic rings, legendary swords, toxic chemicals, lightning strikes, and cosmic rays Jack finally gives into his fate, more likely than not just to get a little peace! The years that follow are filled with adventures that would not look out of place in any other superhero’s story. Jack begins by fighting small time criminals and has points where he attempts to get back to what he really dreamed of doing- being a chef. But in the end his duty to protect the people forces him to abandon his dream yet again. Though my knowledge of superhero comics is skimpy at best, I feel like this is a plot arc that has been used and reused multiple times. The example that comes most readily to mind is Peter Parker from Spiderman, who has tried several times to give up his superhero career only to be drawn back into it by his duty to protect the people. Jack’s involvement with the United States military and World War II is another reference to an idea used quite often in older superhero comics. At some point in their careers, many superheroes found themselves fighting Nazis. But not just normal Nazis, these were Nazis with unheard of technology and power on their side- oftentimes superheroes of their own. When you really look at it, the stories are quite ludicrous. Jack’s “Nazi Period” is similarly ridiculous- with all that supernatural power on their side the US should win the war in no time … except Germany seems to have the technology to create giant fighting robots. Jack ages as most superheroes aged in society, retaining his original powers, but becoming weak and outdated in comparison to the new generation of heroes. For a while he tries to keep up, as many older comic book heroes did, but eventually he is no match for the younger generation. When they were young, all a hero had to worry about was run of the mill bad guys and Nazis (with their giant fighting robots), while now everything is extremely complicated and scientific. At one point, Jack comments that he’s been declining since World War II, the forties, the Golden Age of comic books. Finally, Jack tells his friends (one of whom bears a striking resemblance to Superman, who has yet to retire from the comic book scene) that he is going to retire, despite their assurances that he will be back since he has nothing else to do that will keep him interested. The final scene of the comic book, Jack’s funeral, leaves the reader with several interesting things to ponder over. A newscaster lists off the Jack’s great accomplishments, all of which take place after his retirement and have absolutely nothing to do with being a superhero. Almost as an afterthought, the newscaster tells the audience that Jack served in law enforcement. In my opinion, this could mean two things. Reading this comic as a parody of a superhero’s story, this comment asks readers to question what the purpose is. A superhero dedicates most of their life to defending the people, yet he is overshadowed by the exploits of a comparatively normal person. So what was the point in his becoming a superhero in the first place? Or, if one is to look at this as an interpretation of how comic books and superheroes have developed, this could be a commentary on how, when they were in their prime, comic books were considered to be an art form of their own, but in more recent times the great exploits of comic book heroes have been reduced to a footnote. Is this a comment on how trivial comic books and the stories they tell are? That they will eventually die off and be eclipsed by reality? Or is it a lament for a former art form that is slowly dying because people have forced it to the outskirts of what is acceptable in society?
At its most basic level, "The Amazing Life of Onion Jack" is a great pastiche/parody of most classic superhero stories: A baby is found in a rocket, proceeds to grow up as a human, when some cataclysmic event (or in Jack's case, several) alter his destiny forever. He realizes that he should uses these powers for the greater good, and proceeds to fight evil for quite some time.
However, on another level, I feel that "Onion Jack" is an examination of doing what a person feels he or she needs to do, as opposed to what they want to do. Onion Jack had access to superpowers, and yet, he always felt saving the world was not the life for him. He was always thinking about becoming a chef. The newsman at the end of the comic described Jack as "[cooking's] Mozart", and that prior to becoming a chef, he served in law enforcement. This final quote shows that to the rest of the world, Jack's heroic deeds were not as impactful as his impact on the culinary world. Jack had a long tenure as a superhero, but his deeds went unnoticed by the general public. Conversely, as a chef, Jack received one of mankind's highest honors in the Nobel Prize. This juxtaposition of amazing feats with the seemingly ordinary life of a chef could describe the life of any human: Our actions could mean nothing to the rest of the world if we are not pursuing something we are truly passionate about.
When I think of comics, the first thing that comes to mind is the classic superhero story. For example, Spiderman or Superman. But the story of "Onion Jack" is a complete contrast to that idea. It focuses on the concept that being a superhero isn't all its cut out to be. While it would seem that being a superhero would result in fame and fortune, in Onion Jack's case it appears to result in his unhappiness and misfortune. Jack's crime fighting career starts off good as he is the young guy who is able to fight off any bad guy that he comes across. However as he gets older it seems as though his notoriety as a superhero dwindles and he is surpassed by the flaming skull and serpentina to name a couple. At the end of the comic the news reporter says that "Prior... Jack served in law enforcement." This type of recognition seems unnatural for a superhero where usually someone like Jack would be praised and remembered for his ability to fight off evil. I feel like the fact that Jack becomes a chef, just as he had dreamed as a child, and becomes known as the "mozart" of food, rounds out the story to an extent. It still follows the idea that the main character in a superhero comic becomes the center of attention in the end, Jack just got to this point a much different way then the Spidermans and Supermans of the world. If Jack had never become a chef and gone on to "revolutionize everything from fine dining to frozen dinners." then I wonder if he would have ever been recognized as a crime fighter and he would have just died with no headline story.
Onion Jack's amazing life beings with what the reader perceives as "amazing." He seems to be a combination of several different superheros rolled up into one indistinguishable ball of awesomeness. The extraordinary circumstances surrounding the first 17 years of his life certainly makes it seem that it is Jack's fate to be a superhero. Although we as readers think that a life of fighting crime and saving saving the world from giant robotic Nazis is definitely awesome, Jack does not. He has resigned himself to being a superhero, though this is not what he truly wants. This can be seen in his exasperated, "Alright already, I won't be a chef!" (Priddy 1), and in his hesitancy to attempt to fly. He feels obligated to be a superhero when what he really wants to do is cook. He finally is able to get this opportunity when he is too old to fight crime anymore and opens up his bistro near the end of his life and. For Jack, the "amazing" part of his life is the end, when his dream of being a chef is finally realized. For him, opening a restaurant was his "Greatest Adventure." This juxtaposition of the reader's idea of what makes Jack's life amazing versus what Jack thought made his life amazing makes for an interesting contrast. Which one is the title referring to? I believe the title refers to Jack's interpretation of his own life. I think this becomes apparent in the last frame of the story, which recognizes Jack as the famous chef, not the superhero, which is probably how he wanted to be remembered. Although the story ends on this seemingly happy note, it also seems pessimistic to me. If Jack had never pursued his dream to become a chef, he wouldn't be remembered as anyone amazing at all. Priddy is commenting that the ordinary man, not the superhero, is the amazing one.
One aspect I love about “The Amazing Life of Onion Jack” is that it shows how effective storytelling can be accomplished in a simple way. At first glance, the characters in the comic appear to be crudely drawn. Even where there is more detail, such as in the the glowing light in the “1923” panel or in the cave in the “1927” one, the texture is created by only a few lines. Over the next few pages, the panels are sparse, especially in the full-page "1938" segment. Priddy, however, demonstrates that much can be shown with little drawing--in this case, we see Jack’s position on the ledge change in each panel, and we know that he is trying everything he possibly can to fly. In the first three panels at the bottom, we are able to deduce that he is running by having Jack occupy the far left space in the first panel, then the middle, and then the far right. As we will see later, demonstrating time in this way is one of the great abilities of comics. Another instance in which Priddy uses slight detail to convey meaning is in the “1974” bit, where he draws three small lines across Jack’s cheeks to indicate his advanced age. Less is more when telling the story in this comic, and the simplistic style Priddy chooses echoes the simple message of the story.
My favorite part of the comic, however, is the ending. The newscaster’s announcement in the final panel that Onion Jack served in “law enforcement” prior to taking on his cooking career is both ironic and sweet. As Tracy said in her post, the ordinary man is praised in this comic. One does not have to be a superhero to make an impact on peoples’ lives. The reduction of Jack’s superhero activities simply to “law enforcement” reflects this. I also enjoy this last statement because it serves as sort of a twist ending to the plot of the comic--we have been reading all about Jack’s exploits as a superhero over the past several pages, and we are not expecting all of that to be categorized as merely “law enforcement.” The placement of this final statement is powerful.
From Saleah--“The Amazing Life of Onion Jack” by Joel Priddy, may seem like a wacky comedy about the life and time of a superhero, but it in fact embodies the very real dilemmas the people encounter in their lives. Jack makes his grand entrance into the world almost like Oedipus Rex did, miraculously escaping death and falling into the arms of loving family that raises him as their own. Nevertheless Jack’s mysterious beginnings only foreshadow his awesome power that he will gain and use fighting the evils of our world. Like most superheros, Jack finds himself involuntarily thrown into this world where “with great power comes great responsibility”; Jack accepts this when he exclaims to the world, “alright already,I won’t be a chef” (Priddy 1). Poor Jack, drenched in chemical waste, hit by a lightning bolt and showered by cosmic rays when all he wanted to do was cook Christmas dinner and embrace his true passion: cooking. Onion Jack, as he was came to be known, lived a life of adventure and excitement, however only in the last fifteen years of his life did he pursue his dream to open a bistro and cook for the public. The comic succeeds in portraying to the reader the rapidity of life and how life can move by just as quickly as it takes to turn a page of a book. Jack spent forty-seven years in forced employment using his powers to fight for the U.S military, and yet upon his death the newscaster rattles on a long list of culinary accomplishments and ends by saying, “prior to his stellar cooking career, Jack served in law enforcement” (10). Jack’s lasting memory he leaves people with is an ideal one, Priddy leaves readers optimistic that even if life takes you down a different path that we should not give up hope and that destiny will kick in and we will all be given the opportunity to fulfill our dreams, even if it is at the old age of seventy-five.
ReplyDeleteTerrance wrote: The Amazing Life of Onion Jack portrays the amazing life of a superhero. I believe the title is somewhat misleading because at the very end of the comic, Joel Priddy wants everyone to know that Onion Jack was not known for his accomplishments in battle and war. He was not known for his super powers. Jack spent his entire life not capable of having a mediocre job because he was so far beyond mediocre himself. Only when Onion Jack grew so old that his powers were weak compared to new heroes, did he feel normal enough to enjoy his dream job of becoming a chef. Onion Jack became the world's greatest chef. I Like the end of the comic because i believe the author is trying to say that it's never too late to do what you love. In 1989 in the comic with Onion Jack and his other old super friends, he looks old. Onion jack was intentionally made to look very old to show that even years after 1989 he was able to do what he loved, and was the best at it. Saving the world was a nuisaince to Onion Jack because there was always the thought of cooking in the back of his mind. When it came down to it, the greatest thing he did for the world was becomming the greatest chef and winning a nobel prize. It is my opinion that the only amazing part of Onion Jack's life was cooking. He didnt want to be a hero and was never praised for it. Dont give up on your dreams because you can end up like Onion Jack, dead. I mean a successful chef.
ReplyDelete“The Amazing Life of Onion Jack” is an excellent parody of the stereotypical superhero story, as well as an interesting interpretation on how comic books and superheroes have developed over time. Unlike traditional heroes, Jack has no desire to use his powers and instead aspires to a rather ordinary profession: cooking. But after seventeen years of radioactive spider bites, magic rings, legendary swords, toxic chemicals, lightning strikes, and cosmic rays Jack finally gives into his fate, more likely than not just to get a little peace!
ReplyDeleteThe years that follow are filled with adventures that would not look out of place in any other superhero’s story. Jack begins by fighting small time criminals and has points where he attempts to get back to what he really dreamed of doing- being a chef. But in the end his duty to protect the people forces him to abandon his dream yet again. Though my knowledge of superhero comics is skimpy at best, I feel like this is a plot arc that has been used and reused multiple times. The example that comes most readily to mind is Peter Parker from Spiderman, who has tried several times to give up his superhero career only to be drawn back into it by his duty to protect the people.
Jack’s involvement with the United States military and World War II is another reference to an idea used quite often in older superhero comics. At some point in their careers, many superheroes found themselves fighting Nazis. But not just normal Nazis, these were Nazis with unheard of technology and power on their side- oftentimes superheroes of their own. When you really look at it, the stories are quite ludicrous. Jack’s “Nazi Period” is similarly ridiculous- with all that supernatural power on their side the US should win the war in no time … except Germany seems to have the technology to create giant fighting robots.
Jack ages as most superheroes aged in society, retaining his original powers, but becoming weak and outdated in comparison to the new generation of heroes. For a while he tries to keep up, as many older comic book heroes did, but eventually he is no match for the younger generation. When they were young, all a hero had to worry about was run of the mill bad guys and Nazis (with their giant fighting robots), while now everything is extremely complicated and scientific. At one point, Jack comments that he’s been declining since World War II, the forties, the Golden Age of comic books. Finally, Jack tells his friends (one of whom bears a striking resemblance to Superman, who has yet to retire from the comic book scene) that he is going to retire, despite their assurances that he will be back since he has nothing else to do that will keep him interested.
The final scene of the comic book, Jack’s funeral, leaves the reader with several interesting things to ponder over. A newscaster lists off the Jack’s great accomplishments, all of which take place after his retirement and have absolutely nothing to do with being a superhero. Almost as an afterthought, the newscaster tells the audience that Jack served in law enforcement. In my opinion, this could mean two things. Reading this comic as a parody of a superhero’s story, this comment asks readers to question what the purpose is. A superhero dedicates most of their life to defending the people, yet he is overshadowed by the exploits of a comparatively normal person. So what was the point in his becoming a superhero in the first place? Or, if one is to look at this as an interpretation of how comic books and superheroes have developed, this could be a commentary on how, when they were in their prime, comic books were considered to be an art form of their own, but in more recent times the great exploits of comic book heroes have been reduced to a footnote. Is this a comment on how trivial comic books and the stories they tell are? That they will eventually die off and be eclipsed by reality? Or is it a lament for a former art form that is slowly dying because people have forced it to the outskirts of what is acceptable in society?
At its most basic level, "The Amazing Life of Onion Jack" is a great pastiche/parody of most classic superhero stories: A baby is found in a rocket, proceeds to grow up as a human, when some cataclysmic event (or in Jack's case, several) alter his destiny forever. He realizes that he should uses these powers for the greater good, and proceeds to fight evil for quite some time.
ReplyDeleteHowever, on another level, I feel that "Onion Jack" is an examination of doing what a person feels he or she needs to do, as opposed to what they want to do. Onion Jack had access to superpowers, and yet, he always felt saving the world was not the life for him. He was always thinking about becoming a chef. The newsman at the end of the comic described Jack as "[cooking's] Mozart", and that prior to becoming a chef, he served in law enforcement. This final quote shows that to the rest of the world, Jack's heroic deeds were not as impactful as his impact on the culinary world. Jack had a long tenure as a superhero, but his deeds went unnoticed by the general public. Conversely, as a chef, Jack received one of mankind's highest honors in the Nobel Prize. This juxtaposition of amazing feats with the seemingly ordinary life of a chef could describe the life of any human: Our actions could mean nothing to the rest of the world if we are not pursuing something we are truly passionate about.
When I think of comics, the first thing that comes to mind is the classic superhero story. For example, Spiderman or Superman. But the story of "Onion Jack" is a complete contrast to that idea. It focuses on the concept that being a superhero isn't all its cut out to be. While it would seem that being a superhero would result in fame and fortune, in Onion Jack's case it appears to result in his unhappiness and misfortune. Jack's crime fighting career starts off good as he is the young guy who is able to fight off any bad guy that he comes across. However as he gets older it seems as though his notoriety as a superhero dwindles and he is surpassed by the flaming skull and serpentina to name a couple. At the end of the comic the news reporter says that "Prior... Jack served in law enforcement." This type of recognition seems unnatural for a superhero where usually someone like Jack would be praised and remembered for his ability to fight off evil.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the fact that Jack becomes a chef, just as he had dreamed as a child, and becomes known as the "mozart" of food, rounds out the story to an extent. It still follows the idea that the main character in a superhero comic becomes the center of attention in the end, Jack just got to this point a much different way then the Spidermans and Supermans of the world. If Jack had never become a chef and gone on to "revolutionize everything from fine dining to frozen dinners." then I wonder if he would have ever been recognized as a crime fighter and he would have just died with no headline story.
Onion Jack's amazing life beings with what the reader perceives as "amazing." He seems to be a combination of several different superheros rolled up into one indistinguishable ball of awesomeness. The extraordinary circumstances surrounding the first 17 years of his life certainly makes it seem that it is Jack's fate to be a superhero. Although we as readers think that a life of fighting crime and saving saving the world from giant robotic Nazis is definitely awesome, Jack does not. He has resigned himself to being a superhero, though this is not what he truly wants. This can be seen in his exasperated, "Alright already, I won't be a chef!" (Priddy 1), and in his hesitancy to attempt to fly. He feels obligated to be a superhero when what he really wants to do is cook. He finally is able to get this opportunity when he is too old to fight crime anymore and opens up his bistro near the end of his life and. For Jack, the "amazing" part of his life is the end, when his dream of being a chef is finally realized. For him, opening a restaurant was his "Greatest Adventure." This juxtaposition of the reader's idea of what makes Jack's life amazing versus what Jack thought made his life amazing makes for an interesting contrast. Which one is the title referring to? I believe the title refers to Jack's interpretation of his own life. I think this becomes apparent in the last frame of the story, which recognizes Jack as the famous chef, not the superhero, which is probably how he wanted to be remembered. Although the story ends on this seemingly happy note, it also seems pessimistic to me. If Jack had never pursued his dream to become a chef, he wouldn't be remembered as anyone amazing at all. Priddy is commenting that the ordinary man, not the superhero, is the amazing one.
ReplyDeleteOne aspect I love about “The Amazing Life of Onion Jack” is that it shows how effective storytelling can be accomplished in a simple way. At first glance, the characters in the comic appear to be crudely drawn. Even where there is more detail, such as in the the glowing light in the “1923” panel or in the cave in the “1927” one, the texture is created by only a few lines. Over the next few pages, the panels are sparse, especially in the full-page "1938" segment. Priddy, however, demonstrates that much can be shown with little drawing--in this case, we see Jack’s position on the ledge change in each panel, and we know that he is trying everything he possibly can to fly. In the first three panels at the bottom, we are able to deduce that he is running by having Jack occupy the far left space in the first panel, then the middle, and then the far right. As we will see later, demonstrating time in this way is one of the great abilities of comics. Another instance in which Priddy uses slight detail to convey meaning is in the “1974” bit, where he draws three small lines across Jack’s cheeks to indicate his advanced age. Less is more when telling the story in this comic, and the simplistic style Priddy chooses echoes the simple message of the story.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of the comic, however, is the ending. The newscaster’s announcement in the final panel that Onion Jack served in “law enforcement” prior to taking on his cooking career is both ironic and sweet. As Tracy said in her post, the ordinary man is praised in this comic. One does not have to be a superhero to make an impact on peoples’ lives. The reduction of Jack’s superhero activities simply to “law enforcement” reflects this. I also enjoy this last statement because it serves as sort of a twist ending to the plot of the comic--we have been reading all about Jack’s exploits as a superhero over the past several pages, and we are not expecting all of that to be categorized as merely “law enforcement.” The placement of this final statement is powerful.