The visual form of comic books, what we as readers see splashed across the funny pages and beyond, is something very unique. It is something that has been experimented with during its infancy and is still tampered with today. One thing that made comic books so accessible to readers and the general public was a formula. The “Funny Pages” in the local newspapers, especially when the paper was the only way to read a comic, was seen as something cheap and repetitive in form. Sure, there are some that appear to be content with the four frames of content and the switch in appearance for a Sunday, but there are many special exceptions.
Take Winsor McCay for example. There are many words that can describe what McCay did to influence the comic world, but he can surely be agreed to embody the definition of genius. McCay’s Little Nemo in Slumberland is incredible.
Take Winsor McCay for example. There are many words that can describe what McCay did to influence the comic world, but he can surely be agreed to embody the definition of genius. McCay’s Little Nemo in Slumberland is incredible.
- 10/5/2014
- by Anthony Spataro
- SoundOnSight
I didn’t read comics as a kid. At all. Ever. Then, one year, someone gave my brother a copy of The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes. I remember picking it up, idly, when I was bored, and getting hooked. The transmogrifier, the red wagon rides, the school scenes… Calvin was something I saw within myself, and something I wanted to be, and something that showed me a whole universe of possibilities waiting for me.
Dear Mr. Watterson, a documentary by Joel Allen Schroeder, plumbs the depths of the influence Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes, has had on readers, comic writers, and comic book publishers. Watterson does not appear in the documentary. He is famously unfriendly to the media. Instead, Schroeder mostly uses talking head interviews with fans and industry professionals to explore what Calvin and Hobbes meant and what the man behind it had to tell us. He...
Dear Mr. Watterson, a documentary by Joel Allen Schroeder, plumbs the depths of the influence Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes, has had on readers, comic writers, and comic book publishers. Watterson does not appear in the documentary. He is famously unfriendly to the media. Instead, Schroeder mostly uses talking head interviews with fans and industry professionals to explore what Calvin and Hobbes meant and what the man behind it had to tell us. He...
- 11/14/2013
- by Mily Dunbar
- GeekTyrant
Catwoman is the ultimate cat lady in this fantastically fun Batman fan art created by Deviant Art artist caanantheartboy. It features Catwoman surrounded by a bunch of other famous cats. The artist lists all of the cats included in the illustration in the following note...
Behind the couch: Krazy Kat, Azrael (Smurfs), Bill the Cat, Felix, Mad Cat (with a Hello Kitty doll), Top Cat and Snowball II. On (and above) the couch: Streaky (who is orange, yes. My bad!) Mooch (Mutts), Stimpy, Mr Kat (Kid vs Kat), Sylvester, Puss in Boots, Figaro. The rest: Tom, Simon's Cat, Nermal, Garfield, Penelope, O'Malley, Marie (I wasn't gonna do All the Aristocats!), Horse (Footrot Flats), the Cheshire Cat, and Bucky and Scratchy behind Batman. The posters are That Darn Cat and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. (I also could have done The Cat from Outer Space, Le Chat Noir, and many others.
Behind the couch: Krazy Kat, Azrael (Smurfs), Bill the Cat, Felix, Mad Cat (with a Hello Kitty doll), Top Cat and Snowball II. On (and above) the couch: Streaky (who is orange, yes. My bad!) Mooch (Mutts), Stimpy, Mr Kat (Kid vs Kat), Sylvester, Puss in Boots, Figaro. The rest: Tom, Simon's Cat, Nermal, Garfield, Penelope, O'Malley, Marie (I wasn't gonna do All the Aristocats!), Horse (Footrot Flats), the Cheshire Cat, and Bucky and Scratchy behind Batman. The posters are That Darn Cat and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. (I also could have done The Cat from Outer Space, Le Chat Noir, and many others.
- 4/18/2013
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
My passing familiarity with the work of Walerian Borowczyk (or "Boro" as he calls himself in the film I'm about to mention) did not extend to Theater of Mr. and Mrs. Kabal (1967), which stands as a sort of missing link between the early short animations and the later erotic live action feature films.
This animated feature (with live-action bits dropped in as Pov shots for the flat cut-out characters), self-described as "A Film Drawn for Adults," is a perfect bridge, making sense of Boro's unusual career arc while resolutely refusing to make sense in and of itself. Though the overt erotic content is minimal (live action: a few frames of a fleeing nude, some 60s dolly birds posing), it could be argued that the film is entirely about sex, and that would make as much sense as anything. It might also be about the threat of nuclear annihilation, or art,...
This animated feature (with live-action bits dropped in as Pov shots for the flat cut-out characters), self-described as "A Film Drawn for Adults," is a perfect bridge, making sense of Boro's unusual career arc while resolutely refusing to make sense in and of itself. Though the overt erotic content is minimal (live action: a few frames of a fleeing nude, some 60s dolly birds posing), it could be argued that the film is entirely about sex, and that would make as much sense as anything. It might also be about the threat of nuclear annihilation, or art,...
- 5/24/2012
- MUBI
“The secret to Nancy’s success,” the classic story goes, “is that it takes as long to read it as it does to decide not to read it.”
When I heard that gag back in the 1970s, it was attributed to the great artist Wallace Wood. Chillingly, it’s possible it predates Woody’s career by decades. What somehow became synonymous with the bland and the banal started off as the offspring of a cheesecake girlie strip, Fritzi Ritz. It turns out Fritzi had this niece named Nancy who came to live with her. Being a gag strip, I do not believe the details of the demise of the spiky-haired girl’s parents were ever revealed, but it would be uncharitable to assume the spunky, independent girl murdered them in their sleep.
Nancy’s best friend was a Dead End Kids wannabe named Sluggo. Had Nancy shaved off her hair,...
When I heard that gag back in the 1970s, it was attributed to the great artist Wallace Wood. Chillingly, it’s possible it predates Woody’s career by decades. What somehow became synonymous with the bland and the banal started off as the offspring of a cheesecake girlie strip, Fritzi Ritz. It turns out Fritzi had this niece named Nancy who came to live with her. Being a gag strip, I do not believe the details of the demise of the spiky-haired girl’s parents were ever revealed, but it would be uncharitable to assume the spunky, independent girl murdered them in their sleep.
Nancy’s best friend was a Dead End Kids wannabe named Sluggo. Had Nancy shaved off her hair,...
- 5/9/2012
- by Mike Gold
- Comicmix.com
Vicki Sher: Yes/No frosh&portmann Through April 15, 2012
Vicki Sher has been using a reduced visual vocabulary in her drawings for many years, combining simple line and color drawings with text to create oblique narratives. In her recent exhibition, Yes/No, she elaborates on this strategy, weaving a story, both personal and symbolic, of her Grandmother Pearl's post-stroke search for a descriptive language, based on her diminished capacity for speech. Sher integrates Pearl's story with one of the great modernist tropes in both painting and literature: the ability to describe and illustrate complex thinking through limited means.
The history of this type of art making is long: Malevich's "Black Square" (1915), James Joyce's Molly Bloom ("yesyesyes"), and, in music, Satie and Schoenberg. Gerhard Richter, no stranger to taking the personal out of painting, wrote, "The making of pictures consists of a large number of yes and no decisions and...
Vicki Sher has been using a reduced visual vocabulary in her drawings for many years, combining simple line and color drawings with text to create oblique narratives. In her recent exhibition, Yes/No, she elaborates on this strategy, weaving a story, both personal and symbolic, of her Grandmother Pearl's post-stroke search for a descriptive language, based on her diminished capacity for speech. Sher integrates Pearl's story with one of the great modernist tropes in both painting and literature: the ability to describe and illustrate complex thinking through limited means.
The history of this type of art making is long: Malevich's "Black Square" (1915), James Joyce's Molly Bloom ("yesyesyes"), and, in music, Satie and Schoenberg. Gerhard Richter, no stranger to taking the personal out of painting, wrote, "The making of pictures consists of a large number of yes and no decisions and...
- 3/15/2012
- by bradleyrubenstein
- www.culturecatch.com
Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 22 February 1935
Mickey Mouse, aged seven years, is the first film star to have repertory weeks. He has made cartoon films so popular that it is difficult to remember that the first animated cartoon was in 1911. In 1913 J. R. Bray drew a series which became highly popular and continued for five years.
By that time there were other animated pictures on the screen. Of these by far the most famous was Felix. He was rivalled by another feline hero, Krazy Kat, but he remained secure in the affections of the public until the appearance of Mickey Mouse. His downfall was caused not so much by the appearance of Walt Disney's character as by the arrival of sound. Mickey Mouse had appeared in two silent films, of which scant notice was taken. But when his pictures were synchronised with sound he had immediate success. Felix...
Mickey Mouse, aged seven years, is the first film star to have repertory weeks. He has made cartoon films so popular that it is difficult to remember that the first animated cartoon was in 1911. In 1913 J. R. Bray drew a series which became highly popular and continued for five years.
By that time there were other animated pictures on the screen. Of these by far the most famous was Felix. He was rivalled by another feline hero, Krazy Kat, but he remained secure in the affections of the public until the appearance of Mickey Mouse. His downfall was caused not so much by the appearance of Walt Disney's character as by the arrival of sound. Mickey Mouse had appeared in two silent films, of which scant notice was taken. But when his pictures were synchronised with sound he had immediate success. Felix...
- 2/22/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
The latest entry in Fox's Animation Domination block, Allen Gregory, opens at a party hosted by Richard DeLongpre and his life partner Jeremy. After introducing and disrespecting their adopted Cambodian daughter Julie (having adopted her to save her from “being turned into glue”) they turn their attention to their 7-year-old son, Allen Gregory, to celebrate his Tony nomination.
Allen makes a pretentious speech (he makes so many, reviewers/recappers should make that phrase a macro) and then Richard and Jeremy call him out on the balcony. They tell him they have some news, which Allen Gregory guesses is “Jeremy has AIDS? Full-blownsies?”
Delightful.
No, the announcement is that Jeremy is going to be re-entering the workforce and will no longer be able to home-school him. Allen Gregory will have to start attending public school. Also? The Tony nomination is a lie.
The next day Allen Gregory attends his first day of school.
Allen makes a pretentious speech (he makes so many, reviewers/recappers should make that phrase a macro) and then Richard and Jeremy call him out on the balcony. They tell him they have some news, which Allen Gregory guesses is “Jeremy has AIDS? Full-blownsies?”
Delightful.
No, the announcement is that Jeremy is going to be re-entering the workforce and will no longer be able to home-school him. Allen Gregory will have to start attending public school. Also? The Tony nomination is a lie.
The next day Allen Gregory attends his first day of school.
- 10/31/2011
- by John
- The Backlot
Hilary Knight, the illustrator of the legendary “Eloise” books, has illustrated a new work for children, “Nina in That Makes Me Mad,” (Toon Books) written by Steven Kroll. In “Nina,” Knight wields his pen to create a new kind of illustration than anything he’s drawn before: a comic strip.
“Eloise had been around since 1955, so I tended not ever to do books after the fame of Eloise,” Knight said in an interview. “I got a lot of offers to...
“Eloise had been around since 1955, so I tended not ever to do books after the fame of Eloise,” Knight said in an interview. “I got a lot of offers to...
- 9/28/2011
- by Barbara Chai
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Krazy Kat & The Art of George Herriman A Celebration
By Craig Yoe
176 pages, Abrams ComicArts, U.S. $29.95/Can. $35.95
As a kid, my first exposure to Krazy Kat were the 50 animated shorts that were produced between 1962-1964 and ran with Beetle Bailey and Snuffy Smith cartoons in a thirty minute block. I found the cartoons charming if a little odd and it was years later before I finally saw some of George Herriman’s wonderful comic strip work. While a comic genius, I knew little about him or how the world perceived his amazing creation.
Thankfully, Craig Yoe, a man with a keen eye for pop art and culture, has assembled a work dedicated to Herriman’s art but also serves as a biography. I now know that the Herriman was born as a light-skinned, Creole African-American in Louisiana before moving west where he did his professional work. In California, he...
By Craig Yoe
176 pages, Abrams ComicArts, U.S. $29.95/Can. $35.95
As a kid, my first exposure to Krazy Kat were the 50 animated shorts that were produced between 1962-1964 and ran with Beetle Bailey and Snuffy Smith cartoons in a thirty minute block. I found the cartoons charming if a little odd and it was years later before I finally saw some of George Herriman’s wonderful comic strip work. While a comic genius, I knew little about him or how the world perceived his amazing creation.
Thankfully, Craig Yoe, a man with a keen eye for pop art and culture, has assembled a work dedicated to Herriman’s art but also serves as a biography. I now know that the Herriman was born as a light-skinned, Creole African-American in Louisiana before moving west where he did his professional work. In California, he...
- 7/28/2011
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
2:40: And that’s the way to end the show! Enjoy the after parties, everybody!
2:35: Best Graphic Album-New: Tie! Return of the Dapper Men, by Jim McCann and Janet Lee (Archaia); Wilson, by Daniel Clowes (Drawn & Quarterly)
2:31: Best Graphic Album-Reprint: Wednesday Comics, edited by Mark Chiarello (DC)
2:28: Best Adaptation from Another Work: The Marvelous Land of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, adapted by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young (Marvel)
2:18: Best Continuing Series: Chew, by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image)
2:13: Best Limited Series: Daytripper, by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá (Vertigo/DC)
2:11: That King fella on American Vampire has talent. Of course, he’s no Joe Hill…
2:08: Best New Series: American Vampire, by Scott Snyder, Stephen King, and Rafael Albuquerque (Vertigo/DC)
2:06: Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award: Nate Simpson for...
2:35: Best Graphic Album-New: Tie! Return of the Dapper Men, by Jim McCann and Janet Lee (Archaia); Wilson, by Daniel Clowes (Drawn & Quarterly)
2:31: Best Graphic Album-Reprint: Wednesday Comics, edited by Mark Chiarello (DC)
2:28: Best Adaptation from Another Work: The Marvelous Land of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, adapted by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young (Marvel)
2:18: Best Continuing Series: Chew, by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image)
2:13: Best Limited Series: Daytripper, by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá (Vertigo/DC)
2:11: That King fella on American Vampire has talent. Of course, he’s no Joe Hill…
2:08: Best New Series: American Vampire, by Scott Snyder, Stephen King, and Rafael Albuquerque (Vertigo/DC)
2:06: Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award: Nate Simpson for...
- 7/23/2011
- by Glenn Hauman
- Comicmix.com
The nominations for the Eisner Awards were announced yesterday at Wondercon, and publisher DC Comics cleaned house recieving 14 nominations — the most of any publisher. Here is the complete list of nominations. If you’ve been away from comics for a while, or want to try a new addiction, then these are (some of) the best of the best out there right now:
Best Short Story
“Bart on the Fourth of July,” by Peter Kuper, in Bart Simpson #54 (Bongo) “Batman, in Trick for the Scarecrow,” by Billy Tucci, in Dcu Halloween Special 2010 (DC) “Cinderella,” by Nick Spencer and Rodin Esquejo, in Fractured Fables(Silverline Books/Image) “Hamburgers for One,” by Frank Stockton, in Popgun vol. 4 (Image) “Little Red Riding Hood,” by Bryan Talbot and Camilla d’Errico, inFractured Fables (Silverline Books/Image) “Post Mortem,” by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark, in I Am an Avenger#2 (Marvel)
Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
The Cape,...
Best Short Story
“Bart on the Fourth of July,” by Peter Kuper, in Bart Simpson #54 (Bongo) “Batman, in Trick for the Scarecrow,” by Billy Tucci, in Dcu Halloween Special 2010 (DC) “Cinderella,” by Nick Spencer and Rodin Esquejo, in Fractured Fables(Silverline Books/Image) “Hamburgers for One,” by Frank Stockton, in Popgun vol. 4 (Image) “Little Red Riding Hood,” by Bryan Talbot and Camilla d’Errico, inFractured Fables (Silverline Books/Image) “Post Mortem,” by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark, in I Am an Avenger#2 (Marvel)
Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
The Cape,...
- 4/8/2011
- by Brandon Johnston
- ScifiMafia
The 2011 Eisner Award nominations have just been announced.
Heading the 2011 nominees with five nominations is Return of the Dapper Men, a fantasy hardcover by writer Jim McCann and artist Janet Lee and published by Archaia, with nominations for Best Publication for Teens, Best Graphic Album–New, Best Writer, Best Artist, and Best Publication Design. Two comics series have four nominations: Morning Glories by Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma (published by Shadowline/Image) and Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (published by Idw). A variety of titles have received three nominations, including the manga Wilson (Drawn & Quarterly), and Mike Mignola’s Hellboy titles (Dark Horse).
The creator with the most nominations is Mignola with five (including cover artist), followed by Spencer and Hill, each with four. Several creators received three nominations: McCann & Lee, Rodriquez, Urasawa, and Clowes, plus writer Ian Boothy (for Comic Book Guy: The Comic Book and...
Heading the 2011 nominees with five nominations is Return of the Dapper Men, a fantasy hardcover by writer Jim McCann and artist Janet Lee and published by Archaia, with nominations for Best Publication for Teens, Best Graphic Album–New, Best Writer, Best Artist, and Best Publication Design. Two comics series have four nominations: Morning Glories by Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma (published by Shadowline/Image) and Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (published by Idw). A variety of titles have received three nominations, including the manga Wilson (Drawn & Quarterly), and Mike Mignola’s Hellboy titles (Dark Horse).
The creator with the most nominations is Mignola with five (including cover artist), followed by Spencer and Hill, each with four. Several creators received three nominations: McCann & Lee, Rodriquez, Urasawa, and Clowes, plus writer Ian Boothy (for Comic Book Guy: The Comic Book and...
- 4/8/2011
- by Glenn Hauman
- Comicmix.com
Hey Gang! Comic-Con International has unveiled the full schedule for Saturday July 24th! If you thought Thursday and Friday were insanely awesome and crazy, wait until you see what's planned for Saturday! There is a ton of great stuff going on that you're going to want to see! We've got all Marvel film panel with Thor, Captain America and The Avengers. There's also Green Lantern, Cowboys & Aliens, Sucker Punch, Harry Potter, Paul, and a ton of other great stuff! And if you aren't able to make it out to Comic-Con this year don't worry we got your back, and will be covering everything we possibly can. I've highlighted all the events we hope to cover. If you're going to comic-con we will be having a little meet up. The details for that will be revealed soon. Now check out the full schedule below and start planning out your Comic-Con geekdom.
- 7/10/2010
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
Bill Watterson breaks a 15-year silence to joke about the death of newspapers. No word on whether he has an iPad.
Bill Watterson gave his first interview in 15 years to the Cleveland Plain Dealer yesterday. The reclusive creator of Calvin & Hobbes grew up near Cleveland and has been living there quietly ever since (you might remember the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's stegosaurus statue from Calvin's dinosaur visits).
The interview is a bit awkward--poor Bill seems like he didn't want to be bothered and he answers the interviewer's questions with the same kind of snarky humor that made Calvin & Hobbes so special. When asked when he'll use his first commemorative Calvin & Hobbes postage stamp (to be released in July, along with far panels from lesser strips like Archie and Garfield...yawn), Watterson says:
"Immediately. I'm going to get in my horse and buggy and snail-mail a check for my newspaper subscription.
Bill Watterson gave his first interview in 15 years to the Cleveland Plain Dealer yesterday. The reclusive creator of Calvin & Hobbes grew up near Cleveland and has been living there quietly ever since (you might remember the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's stegosaurus statue from Calvin's dinosaur visits).
The interview is a bit awkward--poor Bill seems like he didn't want to be bothered and he answers the interviewer's questions with the same kind of snarky humor that made Calvin & Hobbes so special. When asked when he'll use his first commemorative Calvin & Hobbes postage stamp (to be released in July, along with far panels from lesser strips like Archie and Garfield...yawn), Watterson says:
"Immediately. I'm going to get in my horse and buggy and snail-mail a check for my newspaper subscription.
- 2/3/2010
- by William Bostwick
- Fast Company
The Ignatz Awards were presented last night at the Small Press Expo. Named for George Herriman’s classic comic strip character from Krazy Kat, the festival prize recognizes outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning. The winners:
Outstanding Artist
Laura Park, Do Not Disturb My Waking Dream (self-published)
Outstanding Anthology or Collection
Papercutter #7, edited by Greg Means (Tugboat Press)
Outstanding Graphic Novel
Skim, Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood Books)
Outstanding Story
The Thing About Madeleine, Lilli Carre (self-published)
Promising New Talent
Sarah Glidden, How To Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less (self-published)
Outstanding Series
Snake Oil, Chuck Forsman (self-published)
Outstanding Comic
Snake Oil #1, Chuck Forsman (self-published)
Outstanding Mini-Comic
Bluefuzz, Jesse Reklaw
Outstanding Online Comic
Achewood, Chris Onstad...
Outstanding Artist
Laura Park, Do Not Disturb My Waking Dream (self-published)
Outstanding Anthology or Collection
Papercutter #7, edited by Greg Means (Tugboat Press)
Outstanding Graphic Novel
Skim, Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood Books)
Outstanding Story
The Thing About Madeleine, Lilli Carre (self-published)
Promising New Talent
Sarah Glidden, How To Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less (self-published)
Outstanding Series
Snake Oil, Chuck Forsman (self-published)
Outstanding Comic
Snake Oil #1, Chuck Forsman (self-published)
Outstanding Mini-Comic
Bluefuzz, Jesse Reklaw
Outstanding Online Comic
Achewood, Chris Onstad...
- 10/5/2008
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
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