It seems that the issue of ownership and personal associations with 9/11, as echoed in the works and brought up by Josh will be a sure preoccupation in reading and talking about this week’s text. While the “where were you when” phenomenon permeates some of our understanding of the events, another aspect of dealing with the aftermath is the question of “what did you do after?” One response, in the case of Art Spiegelman, is to create a series of comix. (Oh, and if anyone can please explain to me the use of the word “comix” as opposed to “comics” I would be very grateful) Continuing in this vein, I am also interested in the coupling of visuals and text to create a tone, one that is at once very somber and serious, and on the other hand is inextricably linked to previous understanding and associations with comics- playful, fantastic, funny, other-worldly. How does one approach the reading of a text such as In the Shadow of No Towers? How did the media response to 9/11 affect our understanding of what happened? What were the implications of the inability and the purposeful holding back of humor and laughter in the wake of the tragedy in popular culture mediums? Art Spiegelman, in his text, has found a way to approach the issue. His introduction to In the Shadow of No Towers may suggest that the impetus for this was personal catharsis, but then, as a public figure, one that sought out a venue for publication, how can this not be viewed as a joint experience with the reader? Don DeLillo’s “In the Ruins of the Future” seemed to me to oddly echo some of the same sentiments, perhaps more having to do with his jumpy, breathy writings style, which is how I tended to read Spiegelman’s text. And again, perhaps this is a fitting assessment- a hurried, emotion-ridden reaction (even the word reaction has some unintended weight to it), an attempt to vocalize our reactions to something that we still have a hard time comprehending.