tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72921666968684533932024-03-14T01:36:09.871-07:00Left Me Wanting MoreShawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-64526798790922781832017-10-24T15:44:00.000-07:002017-11-13T17:53:15.723-08:00 Pile of Art #2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the majority of the art collection I've acquired since the last one of <a href="http://leftmewantingmore.blogspot.com/2015/10/piles-of-art.html">these posts</a>. <br />
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I think it shows a bit more of a focused arc than before, but that may just be me reading more into it and no one else will notice.<br />
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(If any artist who's work appears here wants me to take it down feel free to yell at me.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZEIeOl5hqOXZ-SZ9UQ0mDhDMZaVquWO9UNcz9PdJHr5svCIKAvbz4BzuFeDzmo3wTM3UmjGnwLFcIohq_-cqa4NhcYrueFC0QEqyp9jcPs6LX3UV-PJVyn8_XWz6x0gLhzFn-wJCoak/s1600/IMG_1324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZEIeOl5hqOXZ-SZ9UQ0mDhDMZaVquWO9UNcz9PdJHr5svCIKAvbz4BzuFeDzmo3wTM3UmjGnwLFcIohq_-cqa4NhcYrueFC0QEqyp9jcPs6LX3UV-PJVyn8_XWz6x0gLhzFn-wJCoak/s640/IMG_1324.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
By <a href="http://gilbertbetohernandez.blogspot.com/">Gilbert Hernandez</a><br />
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Beto does way to cheap commissions for an artist of his stature.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3lKXgHzoGKP-Yaj_X0xjO5oz1JWXyLaW3JR_YrEmn5nBJcy3TivENSUtwwVU4zTAZV7neaejjxlZUsxMbtE49Cibo8weMcGlGYy_s2KrwMXHvxQqGFcm3my6uALHuOHLuFNQM3yreYM/s1600/IMG_1309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3lKXgHzoGKP-Yaj_X0xjO5oz1JWXyLaW3JR_YrEmn5nBJcy3TivENSUtwwVU4zTAZV7neaejjxlZUsxMbtE49Cibo8weMcGlGYy_s2KrwMXHvxQqGFcm3my6uALHuOHLuFNQM3yreYM/s640/IMG_1309.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
By <a href="http://www.fantagraphics.com/artists/jaime-hernandez/">Jaime Hernandez</a><br />
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I got this from another Santoro auction. I like that the feet come across as weird, almost like a Barks drawing of Donald Ducks feet, but the faces have this sense of comfortably to them. Jaime's characters are so lived in that this drawing feels more like a photo you'd find in a random album in Maggie or Hopey's home than a commission. <br />
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By <a href="http://trumptrump.tumblr.com/">Warren Craghead </a><br />
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Warren's daily Trump drawings have been one of the saddest comics projects of the past year for me, not for an artistic reason, but for the now distant promise that Warren would end the project when Trump went unelected.<br />
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In continuing the project, from its intended (and in retrospect, hopeful) stopping point last November, Warren has created a series of artistic short hands and mannerisms that mutate and change on a daily basis in an attempt to try and capture the grotesqueness of the Trump presidency in real time.Warrens choices of symbols are not nuanced, they are bold and pronounced
in their meaning, but it is in their slow decay and transformation, from
week to week, and even day to day, that these strips become so unnerving to view. Trump transforms in real time; from a sketched off figure composed of a few sparse lines too a slug-like creature that has every bulge and pool of sludge he leaves behind detailed, the crowds that surround his podium give way to white hooded klan members dotting every environment, T's shift from gold infused marketing brands to burning crosses on the horizon.<br />
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This is a reproduction of an illustration Warren produced based on a Trump quote demeaning John Lewis. I think it remains the most hopeful of Warren's drawing's. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLALaN8xsLQC7yYJCJ7-m03-VmLYR15Ca-bXMi-a5Irkw1ZQPiIrzD-kyGAUhmE9WAskONcKPbPG4xKPKyoxHa75NNST8wRI5IJyGj51mellY89NafXIpUbLcB9r2y8nQbO_DMO92ufrE/s1600/IMG_1316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLALaN8xsLQC7yYJCJ7-m03-VmLYR15Ca-bXMi-a5Irkw1ZQPiIrzD-kyGAUhmE9WAskONcKPbPG4xKPKyoxHa75NNST8wRI5IJyGj51mellY89NafXIpUbLcB9r2y8nQbO_DMO92ufrE/s640/IMG_1316.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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By <a href="http://heatherbenjamin.bigcartel.com/">Heather Benjamin</a><br />
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I've been wanting to get something from Heather Benjamin forever. I think she was clearing out her studio and randomly put up a ton of originals, so i finally pulled the trigger on this one. I like that it checks off every Benjamin box, wild hair, menstruation, insects, eyes that pierce through you etc.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzv_3WCiW9GWWtvZyQ7SgFE2ahf1UtPsJG7ORxh61pCZQBTf0OxkaIatXqS3q5noOn-gC4y5IQZSQE28Ykie25scL1wo209J7xrwT1pzMAmaPAJVGNOyycLfuK8V0irhI1mQOZ7LAqSU/s1600/IMG_1325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzv_3WCiW9GWWtvZyQ7SgFE2ahf1UtPsJG7ORxh61pCZQBTf0OxkaIatXqS3q5noOn-gC4y5IQZSQE28Ykie25scL1wo209J7xrwT1pzMAmaPAJVGNOyycLfuK8V0irhI1mQOZ7LAqSU/s640/IMG_1325.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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By <a href="http://anyadavidson.com/">Anya Davidson </a><br />
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Anya was selling off the back stock of School Spirit she had purchased after Picture Box closed. She also added small drawings as a bonus item. <br />
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By <a href="https://www.instagram.com/boogerbrie/?hl=en">Booger Brie</a><br />
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When I went to TCAF in 2016 within 5minutes of meeting HTML Flowers for the first time he dragged me over to Brie's table and began explaining to me why she was the best new artist in the building.<br />
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I've been a fan of Brie's work every since that table side lecture.<br />
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One of the things i enjoy most about Brie's work is that fashion seems to take over her figures bodies, faces, and gestures. Acts of physicality seem to be more a conduit for the clothing to move and flow forth from than actions that these beings chose to do of their own fruition. <br />
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I just gave Brie a one word general theme for this piece, fashion, and this is what she sent me. I think it later appeared in an issue of Kus! with some slight modifications. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd52sSCrjpNYUktcYQg_NBbTUeADMF-zS8ztcbbrqovHRrb89YW-yWjAE07zH7HaOVe599NtMaN6N0nQW37uKDlZCREMM17RNgHhYT5QSIjPO9C1a3BPu2S3UoiLcEgMOUa-Scyoyy6Ro/s1600/IMG_1329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd52sSCrjpNYUktcYQg_NBbTUeADMF-zS8ztcbbrqovHRrb89YW-yWjAE07zH7HaOVe599NtMaN6N0nQW37uKDlZCREMM17RNgHhYT5QSIjPO9C1a3BPu2S3UoiLcEgMOUa-Scyoyy6Ro/s640/IMG_1329.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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By <a href="http://pricetapes.storenvy.com/">Mickey Z</a><br />
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Mickey Z was doing a weird kinetic twitter commission system where if you dm'd her a request, PayPal'd her $25(?) she'd knock out a color marker/crayon drawing that day. I went with Werewolf Jones because i thought he fit in with the frantic nature of the process as a whole. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPM0_O9YvTbnbzuE2B3UJl7QxEf0w_h0MQW7oBb-DuZ3oNs6FZe3s95IKjuDoHWvV_F9QvT51Q1cZ6l35n1tP_aNtoXHI0CmOY04OBq0x5dNe1RwtIKKCP27bRt8Kw1Th6QIF3OWIOGU/s1600/IMG_1330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPM0_O9YvTbnbzuE2B3UJl7QxEf0w_h0MQW7oBb-DuZ3oNs6FZe3s95IKjuDoHWvV_F9QvT51Q1cZ6l35n1tP_aNtoXHI0CmOY04OBq0x5dNe1RwtIKKCP27bRt8Kw1Th6QIF3OWIOGU/s640/IMG_1330.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
By <a href="http://www.fantagraphics.com/siralfred/">Tim Hensley</a><br />
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I'm infatuated with Tim Hensley's lettering.<br />
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By <a href="https://tictail.com/nsncv">Nou</a><br />
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I think i just told Nou to draw whatever they wanted at whatever size they wanted in color and this is what i got. I'm the worst person on earth at requesting commissions.<br />
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Nou might draw the best flowers in comics. She's definitely the best at drawing figures with piercing eyes. <br />
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By <a href="http://lalewestvind.storenvy.com/">Lale Westvind</a><br />
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This is a Lale Westvind drawing of Big Barda. It is probably the best drawing of Big Barda not drawn by Jack Kirby in existence.<br />
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Lale has a power to her line that i don't think many cartoonists can equal. It's something that forces Kirby down your throat, but doesn't exclude or ignore the shakiness of Karl Wirsum or Gary Panter's line.<br />
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I'm kind of in love with the glee Westvind draws Barda with, she's just jumping around punching the air so hard you can see thunder. <br />
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By <a href="https://twitter.com/CartaMonir?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Carta Monir</a><br />
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Carta, i think spurned on by the last one of these posts, adopted the $5 postcard drawing idea for a few months. They went above and beyond what i originally thought these kind of throw away art items could look like.<br />
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I've always loved the red triangles in this image. <br />
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By <a href="http://www.thorazos.net/">Julia Gfrörer</a><br />
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I bought this at MICE a few years ago. It was the first time i think i ever met Julia. It's a page from the anthology Bad Boyfriend.<br />
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I try to buy an original from Julia every year. It's a good system. Everyone should try it. <br />
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By <a href="http://connorwillumsen.com/">Connor Willumsen</a><br />
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This was a kickstarter reward for funding the comics rowhouse residency Frank Santoro did a few years ago. I think you can still actually get one through the site. <br />
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Connor gave a few prompts and general idea's of what he'd be into drawing and i went with Orion from New Gods. Connor is definitely someone who you should let draw what he's into if you ever get the chance to buy an original from him.<br />
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By <a href="http://jwcotter.bigcartel.com/">Joshua Cotter</a><br />
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Joshua had a box of loose pages at TCAF last year with a sign saying something along the lines of "priced to haggle". I payed whatever price he initially quoted me at though because im an awful haggler.<br />
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The bottom page is a set of instructions for preforming CPR. I don't know if it was for commercial work, or if Joshua made it on a lark, but every time i look at it i feel oddly relaxed. I have no idea why. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtHeMLDtnkhrvYNGR72zFIQAEF-nnrkzmpbH4_OBG8fZlWedEfNId8pCfZIGP3SZt3RACKvbxJzuEEEuIwf_PqbXyETPVhyEfi_ZvHkeGx9LJvbFmYnmZtlPADYlFIByIHTzWtieUX0E/s1600/IMG_1332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtHeMLDtnkhrvYNGR72zFIQAEF-nnrkzmpbH4_OBG8fZlWedEfNId8pCfZIGP3SZt3RACKvbxJzuEEEuIwf_PqbXyETPVhyEfi_ZvHkeGx9LJvbFmYnmZtlPADYlFIByIHTzWtieUX0E/s640/IMG_1332.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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By <a href="http://tommiparrish.storenvy.com/">Tommi Parrish</a><br />
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This is the (current) header image to Sequential State. Within 24 hours of Alex posting it to his site i was already in the process of purchasing it from Tommi. If anyone ever wondered what kind of person i am, i think that explains it pretty well. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiPiVj95ItYls6EP0ZbKbrhqftorSAHy0u7lI-eJG58107IGO_OfGUaSa4jGREdh-0NLz2m8TnwniqQ9vfYlOQpBtU4VUewF5Cj-IBP9efMWArfT6R55A_Q_E7VU_iPUN7cO8EoyHNm0/s1600/IMG_1333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiPiVj95ItYls6EP0ZbKbrhqftorSAHy0u7lI-eJG58107IGO_OfGUaSa4jGREdh-0NLz2m8TnwniqQ9vfYlOQpBtU4VUewF5Cj-IBP9efMWArfT6R55A_Q_E7VU_iPUN7cO8EoyHNm0/s640/IMG_1333.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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By <a href="http://www.patrickkyle.com/">Patrick Kyle</a><br />
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I like that this feels like a strange cover you'd find on a quarter bin sci-fi novel from the seventies.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bUYv0rxSJMF6fA0UVQX65EIZtu7Wf-Av12s_QfpFGuyAv4jxfIP1tofssCLVj_1Tzhb6LLOvzPJomqbAQGkyY68qtLYF8-gDyFITJ1vCRReRJdkgzHJ8RB7dlJ6Celb5AYxxr82uTHM/s1600/DCuVuE8XcAA7Gk1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bUYv0rxSJMF6fA0UVQX65EIZtu7Wf-Av12s_QfpFGuyAv4jxfIP1tofssCLVj_1Tzhb6LLOvzPJomqbAQGkyY68qtLYF8-gDyFITJ1vCRReRJdkgzHJ8RB7dlJ6Celb5AYxxr82uTHM/s640/DCuVuE8XcAA7Gk1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
By <a href="https://www.lauralannes.com/">Laura Lannes</a><br />
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These are the opening and final images from Lannes comic in the (self-edited) anthology Bad Boyfriend. Theirs a way that blacks and whites seep in and out of that comic, how the text erases itself and doubles over itself to explain the feelings it is searching for. It shows trauma through a rising and receding level of ink on the page, that i think these two panels capture quite well/<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdc12PWUa-j0GN7s2YwruMltuIWulnN96Hn2rS5azsqGT7_bm0qcreyZG8cFs3eWWstbFZDlbwNj2EuuXkwb3HhJcoBbaIyHzdLHGUiZuJCogfP3flhnEAyNMn52wcTs7K3J3p0MsuwUA/s1600/DDH6LNRWsAA20m0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdc12PWUa-j0GN7s2YwruMltuIWulnN96Hn2rS5azsqGT7_bm0qcreyZG8cFs3eWWstbFZDlbwNj2EuuXkwb3HhJcoBbaIyHzdLHGUiZuJCogfP3flhnEAyNMn52wcTs7K3J3p0MsuwUA/s640/DDH6LNRWsAA20m0.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
By <a href="http://glorusriverus.tumblr.com/">Gloria Rivera</a><br />
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Gloria's art captures an intimacy that escapes comics at large. Her work feels delicate and loving. The way Gloria draws the bare back in the top right panel, a girl walking her bike down the side of the road on the bottom, feel like distillations of fleeting moments. Like snapshots of a loving memory, rather than panels in a comic. Gloria's work has this way of dealing with the immediate, but also the infinite.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7qOsKFmG3brQIlbJnUK1dGy0NF8rmuw12LfE0HMHZt_JA0ey_DfiMvTL5zyTZ4HjNF9IMHGkjFWuFA2gBN8LxjdG3cEVTGDEXhtEuKJ6wuw0qXthxrtZeu_k8VyRI31MikFJJgv0ThA/s1600/DMcsqOXXkAEUSnB.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7qOsKFmG3brQIlbJnUK1dGy0NF8rmuw12LfE0HMHZt_JA0ey_DfiMvTL5zyTZ4HjNF9IMHGkjFWuFA2gBN8LxjdG3cEVTGDEXhtEuKJ6wuw0qXthxrtZeu_k8VyRI31MikFJJgv0ThA/s640/DMcsqOXXkAEUSnB.jpg" width="480" /></a> </div>
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By <a href="http://brianchippendale.storenvy.com/">Brian Chippendale </a></div>
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I've been going through the Picturebox back catalog a lot this year, and made a concerted effort to get all of Chippendale books i'd been missing. </div>
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I like how dense, but clear Chippendale's pages are. Theirs probably a dozen plus figures on this page but it's clear all the way through who's who and what's what. </div>
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<br />Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-88349989989762099042017-09-11T18:37:00.000-07:002017-09-11T18:37:03.577-07:00The Louvre<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-55818dc4-73b9-0071-2197-fc89edc08c2f" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What does a black ear, a curly q, and a jagged black line mean when they are all absorbed into the same entity? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ken Kagami’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Freak Dog and Freak Boy</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> takes the classic Peanut’s duo and explores how their iconography relates to both of them as independent bodies, but also as a singular being. Charlie Brown and Snoopy are linked for all eternity, from christmas specials to insurance conglomerate ads, they exists in the same breathe as each other. What separates Snoopy from Charlie seems to be at the heart of Kagami’s drawings, but as the leashed Charlie Brown on the cover makes clear, they are joined together for all eternity. They are one, but not one. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kagami’s lineweight never changes. It creates a deadness in style that refuses the idea of flair. In this refusal though, Kagami allows the iconic nature of Charlie and Snoopy to shine through his drawings. Charlies jagged line shirt permeates any amalgamation of bodies and shapes Kagami decides to place the duo within, from beaker to chess set, they are both individually identifiable but always inseparably together. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Snoopy and Charlie are bound. Every configuration Kagami places the duo in means something different, visually, but it is always the bond between the two that is being reinforced. An inversion and examination of Schultz’s repetitive gags, Kagami utilizes the iconography of Schultz’s line and figures to explore what the bodies surrounding these icons mean. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A monstrous shape reforming and deforming, but always keeping the same elements. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The footballs never pulled out, it is just absorbed alongside those playing with it. </span></div>
<br />Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-15386576384888985542017-05-28T15:11:00.000-07:002017-05-28T15:11:01.667-07:00Slippery<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhAK1vjEtDKQO_PxGFIvVGULbx7DNGCYpC5wDlUqWWXLcsQX8jJOPLZbgm9DXenUM3zgEmQCcMyHJUk9xjmxghvwDj6R-md36TCL5YyprD_bBbxeG2qbrRir5Zm6r8BfzTs0u8-QwjKc/s1600/14027234_582254771962598_1077499490_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhAK1vjEtDKQO_PxGFIvVGULbx7DNGCYpC5wDlUqWWXLcsQX8jJOPLZbgm9DXenUM3zgEmQCcMyHJUk9xjmxghvwDj6R-md36TCL5YyprD_bBbxeG2qbrRir5Zm6r8BfzTs0u8-QwjKc/s640/14027234_582254771962598_1077499490_n.jpg" width="640" /></a><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A Diary: Gold Bunny </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By Nou</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Gold Bunny is a sketchbook. Pictures of graffiti make up its limited page count. But it is the way in which these images interact, and react, to the surfaces they are being created on that is at the heart of Gold Bunny. There are two surfaces Nou’s art appears on, those created through physical mark making on public surfaces, and those created through the acquisition of public resources as a surface for mark making. Ink infused onto concrete, and stickers adhered to stop signs. It creates the question of a narrative. Texture as a form of appropriation and art. A condensed version of a city wide art project, a comic made up of photos of images being made, and of images already made. The thought of mass consumption made out of white out and stolen postal stickers. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Clean Sweep</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By CF </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lines printed on paper as delicate as capitalistic interests will allow the receipts of their transactions to exist on. The infinite scroll recreated within a finite number of inches, but requiring you to be careful at every moment of its unraveling or else it will tear from the sheer presence of your touch. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXGmD_dzpiimysfaUizzKOwaIBEkupQspR6XHNPRne_0Kl4TAukPThD1qdqs1vtvUuh9GystQ9lopq35P8e7MNZ91KxdLyx2Iq65-Q-P6LlUCqazju2NKUWtv6IvT3pzHQLtxZf3S5w_E/s1600/IMG_2325_400w.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXGmD_dzpiimysfaUizzKOwaIBEkupQspR6XHNPRne_0Kl4TAukPThD1qdqs1vtvUuh9GystQ9lopq35P8e7MNZ91KxdLyx2Iq65-Q-P6LlUCqazju2NKUWtv6IvT3pzHQLtxZf3S5w_E/s640/IMG_2325_400w.JPG" width="496" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Christmas In Prison </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">by Conor Stechschulte</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The binding of this book is so tight it seems to be trying to close itself in your hands. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Keeping the pages open becomes an active pursuit. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">///////////////////////////////</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A book of a dozen titles, Christmas In Prison is a disjointed work of obsession filtered through a collection of odds and ends. Every page of every story reads like the idea of someone trying to figure out what exactly comics are, and can be. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Future of Art 25 Years Hence </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">by Gary Panter</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Watercolors or film overlays. Otherworldly vehicles and art theory discussed by half wits and geniuses. Panter drops a gem of a comic between the advertisement filled pages of an art magazine that buried it in the back pages.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEA-MkH2K9hWXU2ZCliMEdVh0K19g8PPNY108GxoBlwminApwTSlUB7RjzZ5a9RcHWL0HvxkdtBzVsXGOtv8LLq9thMumXwVVEzo_XPmXkUjV9mzUxfYUvZU_TsIY_vliz9deEuNhSgOo/s1600/blaise-larmee-2001-486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEA-MkH2K9hWXU2ZCliMEdVh0K19g8PPNY108GxoBlwminApwTSlUB7RjzZ5a9RcHWL0HvxkdtBzVsXGOtv8LLq9thMumXwVVEzo_XPmXkUjV9mzUxfYUvZU_TsIY_vliz9deEuNhSgOo/s640/blaise-larmee-2001-486.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Blaise Larmee1 </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By Blaise Larmee</span></div>
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<a href="http://blaiselarmee.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://blaiselarmee.com/</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(You can no longer read this comic online)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Two pixels by two pixels, grey and white boxes show a screen loading as slow as a dial up connection. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A Slug traverses the entirety of this comic.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Not a figurative slug, or the metaphor of a slug, but a literal slug. Moving from the upper edge of the panel to the bottom. Sequenced through a series of photographs of a single repeating panel, Larmee reconfigures the way the reader interacts with a comics panel. Every second the slug inches towards the right side of the page a new photo is taken, creating a new way to interpret the the weather battered image. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Angles and rain damage. </span></div>
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Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-33596065347556505902017-03-28T12:09:00.000-07:002017-03-29T15:51:27.630-07:00Interview: HTML Flowers <br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKgZdo25fBfYeZTA6RatFQZo09vyMzEDfqitBcCEz_Ikip92OKKXBSwcYIeYLeCOqWEb7Y1svObVgF-Zubqh-w6U3-xwVi0tWNs7JzPRcHYnwphBgqWQPtzoWXh2Q1emmnNWerqDLn5U/s1600/tumblr_o01ph0vkda1qjedsco1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKgZdo25fBfYeZTA6RatFQZo09vyMzEDfqitBcCEz_Ikip92OKKXBSwcYIeYLeCOqWEb7Y1svObVgF-Zubqh-w6U3-xwVi0tWNs7JzPRcHYnwphBgqWQPtzoWXh2Q1emmnNWerqDLn5U/s640/tumblr_o01ph0vkda1qjedsco1_1280.jpg" width="640" /></a> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Corporate logos appear throughout No Visitors. How do you feel about medical care being used as a venue for advertisement?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">i grew up going to the ronald mcdonald house for sick kids, at some point when i was older i realised the conflict of interest there. Being a corporation that by many accounts does nothing to aid society and a lot to fuck it over for it's own interests... we're the band aids, sick kids are used to make these super powers seem socially responsible. I Was A Disabled Child Mascot For Ronald McDonald.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">it's a necessity for hospitals to accept corporate funding & collaborate with major conglomerates because we as a society have decided to say yes to governmental policy that believes there should be a limit to the funding afforded to medical industries and venues. i'm disgusted by the need for any charity at all. tax Mayor McCheese & free the sick.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Is drawing over medical paperwork an act of vandalism, an artistic gesture, or just the utilization of available resources?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">i guess it's like reclamation. forcing these little sterile documents that archive the maintenance of my rotting body to acknowledge me, who i am. cheesy i kno. also tho sometimes ur just bored waiting for a test or operation so u just start drawing on forms u find and shit. sometimes u gotta sit around waiting for up to four or five hours to get x-rays etc. and because of insurance reasons u can't leave the bed they have u in sitting in some fucking dank hallway with some orderly watching u so u borrow a pen and draw on whatevers around. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjop7DmQYsLSvQfxkXB01rzAqZ-AFOqCGETAlbpjMY27jwDM8nlj1IfTeYdBolpjuw68RXaBtCLWb1cb2C-EhDgFEKFOhXs-cP6-Y4TW0Dubd7Oua-8HvJY32WzTju8zNFGofaoO8cMhsE/s1600/tumblr_nxu9yizE6W1qjedsco1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjop7DmQYsLSvQfxkXB01rzAqZ-AFOqCGETAlbpjMY27jwDM8nlj1IfTeYdBolpjuw68RXaBtCLWb1cb2C-EhDgFEKFOhXs-cP6-Y4TW0Dubd7Oua-8HvJY32WzTju8zNFGofaoO8cMhsE/s640/tumblr_nxu9yizE6W1qjedsco1_1280.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In No Visitors and your work on Werewolf Jones and Sons their is a strong dislike exhibited towards institutions, but while Werewolf Jones is able trash the principal's office after he questions his ability to parent, Little seem unable to perform a similar act of catharsis when it comes to the hospital. How do you think these institutions play into these responses?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">lol strong dislike of institutions is my brand, my social worker says i have an oppositional defensive attitude towards all forms of authority. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Little doesn't have the same options as WWJ, if Little alienates the hospital staff too much or committed aggressive acts towards his "carers" he would receive substandard care, in the least, or worse be banned from the hospital altogether and it wouldn't stop there, wherever he went after that he would be marked as a violent, aggressive patient. also WWJ acts almost entirely on impulse and doesn't give a fuck about jaxxon & diesel's formal education. i exposed my drip and spit at a gang of fucks who were gonna beat me up when i was out for a walk near my hospital like 9 years ago (lol my hospital is in a bad neighbourhood) which is where that came from. it really worked lol.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There's a greater focus on storytelling in No Visitors #2 compared to your earlier work, has your thoughts on writing comics changed?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">i started trying to really talk about my life in a simple, non fantasy manner. i wanted to build something, see myself changed or change things about my life that i can't go back and change. show people how painful, rare & sometimes beautiful life with a chronic illness is. No Visitors #1 is basically just scraps and shorts that were all a part of the lead up to developing Little & his lifestyle, in fact i don't really consider the series properly starting until No Visitors 2. i've been working up to this for years, now i've arrived and i feel so much myself. i feel like i'm really making the work i'm supposed to have always made in a weird way. lol destiny.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYvqqrRdElegQpnjyi7xibaJR5HIVwy9Z_w_KdJuuBBmu-58f80nlhJ3JswFsSY5sXGLOzDnZO5vlYIiJX70JjRwXok5qn7Qkl99g1jeBXk-8YGiEPQxqPu2GkCwY8FHG6U3SVk_Aexs/s1600/tumblr_o1a1kgeLcL1qjedsco1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYvqqrRdElegQpnjyi7xibaJR5HIVwy9Z_w_KdJuuBBmu-58f80nlhJ3JswFsSY5sXGLOzDnZO5vlYIiJX70JjRwXok5qn7Qkl99g1jeBXk-8YGiEPQxqPu2GkCwY8FHG6U3SVk_Aexs/s640/tumblr_o1a1kgeLcL1qjedsco1_1280.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Is bluntness important to you? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">extremely. tell a good story in an easy way is what i try and stay true to whenever i write.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Who are your top three cartoonists who have also leaked their own nudes?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Charles Burns for his pioneering use of baby oil, Dan Clowes for his commitment to #nofilter nudes only & of course who could forget Johnny "The Mole Rat" Ryan for his immaculately hairless body hiding underneath all that flannel. </span></div>
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<a href="http://novisitors.bigcartel.com/">You can purchase No Visitors along with other work by HTML Flowers here. </a><br />
<br />Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-85533379202012178092016-11-15T07:22:00.000-08:002016-12-02T20:05:52.414-08:00No Sleep <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRLjodq_39uxkKTJlXZQtrHQQrr-tHo0i-KYAFK0eDHwkFAllzVuD5LMBr3nD1DkRVsyNRANSwo19zyMuttIEthvS0XcNQ_4g39OZI5U6e2h4IQWnNwlyaryyUzd8KxKo6XTR3ey3Z_0/s1600/no_visitors_issue_2_cover_preview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRLjodq_39uxkKTJlXZQtrHQQrr-tHo0i-KYAFK0eDHwkFAllzVuD5LMBr3nD1DkRVsyNRANSwo19zyMuttIEthvS0XcNQ_4g39OZI5U6e2h4IQWnNwlyaryyUzd8KxKo6XTR3ey3Z_0/s640/no_visitors_issue_2_cover_preview.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The first page of No Visitors #2 is an ad for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Starlight Foundation of Australia </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">with a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nike </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">logo superimposed over a child's forehead. The reverse page is a photocopy of a brochure asking patients to leave money to the hospitals in their wills. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This comic is littered with advertisements, but not funded by them. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsQ2EI3XUHs8_G-Of2XDe2BnMiv81eoWKN6aQtjiy0kbyt5prZtBd8qsAlQE7lvfI42iJygAOxCymxepEyVEruHm7GzSZchv59EW7i5hf0DqqOpoqr2qAsKwyxX0d0J3SHQPzgKwOkHA/s1600/.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsQ2EI3XUHs8_G-Of2XDe2BnMiv81eoWKN6aQtjiy0kbyt5prZtBd8qsAlQE7lvfI42iJygAOxCymxepEyVEruHm7GzSZchv59EW7i5hf0DqqOpoqr2qAsKwyxX0d0J3SHQPzgKwOkHA/s640/.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sickness is pervasive in No Visitors. Its existence becomes something that can be used, by medical companies as a source of producing profit, by advertising firms to create good will for their brands, and by shitty people in the mall who want to make fun of someone. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lost in each of these entities though is the person that is sick. That gap of humanity is at the heart of No Visitors #2. It makes that “object” a person and imbues them with a life, with thoughts and an attitude that just wants to tell them all to fuck off and die in a fire. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When Little pulls out his IV and sprays his food court bullies with his blood you see Little seizing the power back from the bullies in his life, from the doctors, nurses and everyone else who tries to tell him what to do. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At least in that moment...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvQJgTxoEXv2meIeaOXDLYiviCBNbaOJ9DRJYw84rSmhyphenhyphenOyQC6LLwtqRyGrfZyf1ClTWXU6GHHyYeXU6wjUEMsw8Xsqw5Zz_NJ26oOJ1jGXtfepCvRAWx6CU9MvRxGLcEOZZe5aKceaNU/s1600/art-therapy-todays-comic-by-html-flowers-body-image-1462299940-size_1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvQJgTxoEXv2meIeaOXDLYiviCBNbaOJ9DRJYw84rSmhyphenhyphenOyQC6LLwtqRyGrfZyf1ClTWXU6GHHyYeXU6wjUEMsw8Xsqw5Zz_NJ26oOJ1jGXtfepCvRAWx6CU9MvRxGLcEOZZe5aKceaNU/s640/art-therapy-todays-comic-by-html-flowers-body-image-1462299940-size_1000.jpg" width="450" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A KFC sponsored “art therapy” group opens the book and feels more like an ad campaign than an attempt at helping any of those involved. Little sits in a group circle feeling increasingly un-at ease with the show of corporate branding and overt racism on display, only to be told by a nurse “I don’t want to shame you…but you aren’t being very ‘recover committed’” for not appreciating KFC’s kindness.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOH9cheElXYczVp0KgmTRkl_6SEaVXQQYc00ED-wg0MvVDQot3drtzDUTjmsNrR66q4aa4aYw52lwvVUbJJyBFEMtMHpjSfJqCjc-HZI4GPeL2Dvw3ak7gl4UyV3uBwuqfXisZeBRmeE/s1600/art-therapy-todays-comic-by-html-flowers-body-image-1462299951-size_1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOH9cheElXYczVp0KgmTRkl_6SEaVXQQYc00ED-wg0MvVDQot3drtzDUTjmsNrR66q4aa4aYw52lwvVUbJJyBFEMtMHpjSfJqCjc-HZI4GPeL2Dvw3ak7gl4UyV3uBwuqfXisZeBRmeE/s640/art-therapy-todays-comic-by-html-flowers-body-image-1462299951-size_1000.jpg" width="450" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There are moments of silence in these comics that don’t even exist in the comics themselves. Pauses in the panel to panel transitions based on moments that make you ask yourself a question you have to contemplate the second after you experience it. You don’t need a panel with Little’s eyes rolling and a word balloon with an ellipsis in it to understand how uncomforting the words nurses and doctors speak to him are; it is an inherent fact.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3tUR3X8fjyCEebosheFfbaBcbSQUTdks46jgwtraNbw1SrpYD9MnIrMOva8Tzw3cvFIZJ14LKdCC0usFNeuZPd64I1c1bRhp8HohEuTd0c2J-BmeBxpRJK-sFXm3HIEOhe02c5ViB84/s1600/art-therapy-todays-comic-by-html-flowers-body-image-1462299977-size_1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3tUR3X8fjyCEebosheFfbaBcbSQUTdks46jgwtraNbw1SrpYD9MnIrMOva8Tzw3cvFIZJ14LKdCC0usFNeuZPd64I1c1bRhp8HohEuTd0c2J-BmeBxpRJK-sFXm3HIEOhe02c5ViB84/s640/art-therapy-todays-comic-by-html-flowers-body-image-1462299977-size_1000.jpg" width="450" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But it is a fact that HTML Flowers trusts the reader to understand without his explicit help, because he needs to tell you more and the page count isn’t long enough for him to explain it all to you. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnKoBYxQDfpI67AIBwJhi-UZ2XAr3lLqYt9FRuM80hgJIvqQXT5ziOJf71H6raS_s-jf9sDZGkCNfzX4-LW7l0QrX4r867n8UWfUWM5743pBN-yqroNdfxTiMehuuk9x9oVvDVKp3spI/s1600/tumblr_o2e0b0d5P11qjedsco1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnKoBYxQDfpI67AIBwJhi-UZ2XAr3lLqYt9FRuM80hgJIvqQXT5ziOJf71H6raS_s-jf9sDZGkCNfzX4-LW7l0QrX4r867n8UWfUWM5743pBN-yqroNdfxTiMehuuk9x9oVvDVKp3spI/s640/tumblr_o2e0b0d5P11qjedsco1_1280.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmucknMDk0VKTjnEHvPa5U01-wmoPvM-aa3NlFmSlsNONwkRl5jU12KaQFFRg7f0SRaOO8-I1gcMKJJVMqlCY3KspHo5QcvcxDaJMdKFZWpwBDIkMV9Qhn0WVm3-YFTbz2qXMulrpzL8w/s1600/diabetes-comic-html-flowers-body-image-1457468060-size_1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmucknMDk0VKTjnEHvPa5U01-wmoPvM-aa3NlFmSlsNONwkRl5jU12KaQFFRg7f0SRaOO8-I1gcMKJJVMqlCY3KspHo5QcvcxDaJMdKFZWpwBDIkMV9Qhn0WVm3-YFTbz2qXMulrpzL8w/s640/diabetes-comic-html-flowers-body-image-1457468060-size_1000.jpg" width="450" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HTML Flowers vibrant colors are washed away into grayness in No Visitors #2. A few of these comics first appeared on Vice, in full color, but in this collection those colors, and the brightness they brought to Little’s surroundings are drained of their power, institutionalized and made uniform. Made grey.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8vHwuYjvCo72z5q6TOHDmpH2H8NjA995D8j9T0iCiypHXlZUL4t_hjOcRaF01e3RK9O90De35W6sn18hst671ji6bG51vlfRURDII8nU6TmM8XOOPHTzt-CPzggb7dWQBdMgJw8Nk3Xg/s1600/diabetes-comic-html-flowers-body-image-1457468092-size_1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8vHwuYjvCo72z5q6TOHDmpH2H8NjA995D8j9T0iCiypHXlZUL4t_hjOcRaF01e3RK9O90De35W6sn18hst671ji6bG51vlfRURDII8nU6TmM8XOOPHTzt-CPzggb7dWQBdMgJw8Nk3Xg/s640/diabetes-comic-html-flowers-body-image-1457468092-size_1000.jpg" width="450" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">These stories centralize on Little moving outside of the hospital staff. Of him interacting with other patients and other individuals, but as the backgrounds turn into a mass of grey and individuals faces become difficult to make out due to the printing process you see these outside interactions sapped of their life. The hospital takes over everything, even while binge eating in a mall food court Little is reminded of his illness by those grey toned figures sitting across from him. The colors that brought the outside world into focus are made neutral and regulated back into the world of the hospital. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It isn’t until Little is dealing solely with the hospital staff that HTML Flowers allows his line to exist on its own. It is clean and uninhibited, to a degree that forces the reader to focus in on the staff and surroundings that make up the hospital. You can see the dots in the administrators eyes.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmaRcOYg534jQjjURbbb3x5RIt-ow6lWPkEqbUx1ObjMeyJ0D7IODVYiVRhbihLtSW-24v6J9Q5d15jc7X0blGOR1Ad-C2fb1ccXHxjU7_pEf6sCctNZpWG6dk-CDK8H5dD6pZqgouWs/s1600/tumblr_nxu9yizE6W1qjedsco1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmaRcOYg534jQjjURbbb3x5RIt-ow6lWPkEqbUx1ObjMeyJ0D7IODVYiVRhbihLtSW-24v6J9Q5d15jc7X0blGOR1Ad-C2fb1ccXHxjU7_pEf6sCctNZpWG6dk-CDK8H5dD6pZqgouWs/s640/tumblr_nxu9yizE6W1qjedsco1_1280.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nurses and doctors take on an almost adversarial role in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">No Visitors</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. They exist as workers at the impasse of interests groups; breathlessly referring to an art therapy group as “fingerlicking good” and shoving a nasal probe up Little’s nose with no regard for the violent convulsions he exhibits. That Little pops a boner during the probe only plays further into the power dynamics of these interactions, of a sub and dom existing in a seemingly care giving focused setting, that only the patient is able to fully experience and try to process.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I spilt a beer on No Visitors #2 a few weeks ago. This seems oddly prophetic since my copy of Werewolf Jones and Sons showed up with an apology drawing from Simon Hanselmann for spilling his own beer on it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlIAB8FiCPBb8MRukLxQz6LbFPKQsdhCAXz6AJAP7DVDs9RykmQyyQUPXR6vghbT_cPYC3Wo5mE-gh8GAbGq8Jn7aPlxhkL-jNRgn0bUbL5AN2hW7uN9B-ov01CCama77ynkyzCFCvxI/s1600/3r1142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlIAB8FiCPBb8MRukLxQz6LbFPKQsdhCAXz6AJAP7DVDs9RykmQyyQUPXR6vghbT_cPYC3Wo5mE-gh8GAbGq8Jn7aPlxhkL-jNRgn0bUbL5AN2hW7uN9B-ov01CCama77ynkyzCFCvxI/s640/3r1142.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There's a way doctors and nurses talk to Little that HTML Flowers builds up. Distanced phrasing and side comments create an all encompassing system of language that exist solely between patients and caregivers. Words that are never spoken are still communicated; through glances and touches, but the subtext is always that of power over the other. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The phrasing is reminiscent of adults talking about a child within their vicinity, acknowledging their presence but ignoring them through couched language. Nurses talk to patients as if they are objects needing to be moved around in a preselected order, and doctors talk to them as if they don’t exist at all, as if their every word is an automated response to a list that has to be checked off. Waivers and legalize surround these interactions so much that an apology for a botched surgery isn’t even capable of being given. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Scans of medical paperwork mark chapter breaks in No Visitors. You can see HTML Flowers medical records, the desensitized handwriting of someone else describing his treatments, and the illustrations he chooses to put on top of them. Hands and fingers manipulating faces. Instruction manuals littered with choke holds and fish hooks. Bodies being moved around space.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The third and final comic featured in No Visitors, Surgery, is guttural. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The way doctors talk in No Visitors takes on a new dimension when you watch Little’s eyes well up as the procedure goes on. The inhumanity of opening an interaction with asking a person to sign a waiver and ending it, after a botched surgery, with saying he legally can’t apologize stays with you after every reread. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Reaction shots of agony juxtaposed with word balloons of a doctor unwilling to acknowledge the pain he is inflicting, or that it is his fault it is being caused. A hand grasping a hospital bed sheet, a head moving left and right trying to not acknowledge the arm being torn apart by a doctor's blade, panels of a clock's hand ticking and toking as the surgery continues to move forward. Incompetence on a scale that only a close up of its victims face can convey.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The lingering silence, the sterilized smell and stillness in the air before the doctor leaves the room doesn’t seem enough punishment for the doctor, but Little doesn’t ask for an apology, just for his chart to be adjusted so it might not happen again.</span></div>
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Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-18908051735598650762016-09-20T08:01:00.001-07:002016-09-20T08:01:26.351-07:00Unleashed In The East: An Interview With Anna Haifisch<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr52GAbzkmywMql04gLIP2tRCywTJyOYq83mApwZSd6YvM6BnF7d2vdyiJOJk3ZNie-Ntmy3kf2M2WbbfgpFg48XoNdF175vZjqXDNRzRZkHfqkdmRciPy_3-aqrWNhnxVEMFS4NQiFrw/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr52GAbzkmywMql04gLIP2tRCywTJyOYq83mApwZSd6YvM6BnF7d2vdyiJOJk3ZNie-Ntmy3kf2M2WbbfgpFg48XoNdF175vZjqXDNRzRZkHfqkdmRciPy_3-aqrWNhnxVEMFS4NQiFrw/s640/3.jpg" width="484" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: transparent;">Anna
Haifisch was born in Leipzig, East Germany, in 1986, three years
before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Despite the Reunification of
1990, the former German Democratic Republic has not only lacked
prosperity in the aftermath of a socialist market economy, but also
an artistic vision. These shortcomings have led to a persistent
climate of economic and artistic inequality that is comparable to
current divisions in Germany's comics scene. Starting in the late
2000s as an initiative led by Berlin publishers Reprodukt and Avant,
pushing the term 'graphic novel' at the expense of 'comics' has
become an essential strategy to place their publications in
mainstream media and bookstores and achieve accolades and moderate
sales successes, as well as public and private funding. This
aggressive grab for respectability and subsidization has resulted in
a series of monotonously constructed, pseudo-literary comics, many of
them dealing with the GDR or Nazi Germany, to the exclusion of almost
everything else. Haifisch has managed to avoid these artistic
pitfalls, despite growing up, studying illustration and running her
studio in those parts of Germany still frequently considered to be
deprived or left behind. Departing considerably from the one-note
formula that dominates contemporary German comics, Haifisch places
herself in the role of 'The Artist,' outside and above these
conventions and therefore able to add invaluably to the slow change
within the German comics scene towards a new vision. It is a vision
that extends beyond the confines of German comics and beyond the
boundaries of the German language. Haifisch's series for Vice
magazine, 'The Artist,' is slated for a fall 2016 release by both
French publisher Editions Misma and England-based Breakdown Press. It
follows the joint French and German release of 'Von Spatz,' her first
long-form comic, in 2015. </span></i></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: transparent;">******************************************************************************* </span></i></span></span></span></span>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: transparent;">How
in the world did an East German end up with those usually reluctant
poseurs at Vice?</span></i></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">Alex
Schubert, who draws the 'Blobby Boys,' recommended my work to Nick
Gazin, Vice's art editor. As far as I know, it took him a while until
Nick was convinced. Thank you, Alex! Thank you, Nick, for trusting
me. I'm very thankful for that.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: transparent;">'The
Artist' exists as a naked, disheveled white void across the series.
Is this meant to show the impoverishment of the artist's life, as a
commentary on the artistic ego, or do you just not like drawing
clothes?</span></i></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">I
wanted him to look malnourished and pale. And yes, he is a nameless
white void. He
is THE Artist, he is AN artist and he is (never forget where you're
coming from) a bird.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">I
took notice of your use of </span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.calimero.com/"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Calimero</span></span></u></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">
in a </span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.vice.com/read/nobody-takes-me-seriously-todays-comic-by-anna-haifisch-and-nick-gazin"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">strip</span></span></u></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">
you recently did with Nick Gazin for Vice. Is placing Calimero next
to Robert Crumb in that strip a comment on the use of racist
stereotypes, i.e. </span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5gF7hFHZsM"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">whitewashing</span></span></u></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">?</span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span><br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: transparent;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">What?
I was four Coors in and Gazin was high. This comic is clearly about
hats or something.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Is
the beanie you're constantly wearing sort of a tribute to that
</span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="https://vice-images.vice.com/images/articles/meta/2016/01/06/the-birth-of-the-artist-comic-anna-haifisch-018-1452108173.png?resize=*:*&output-quality=75"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">cracked
eggshell</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">
of Calimero? Are there other looks from comics-related protagonists
you're sporting, like -uhm- </span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.hai-life.com/news/anna-haifisch4.jpg"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Andy
Capp</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">?
If not, could you name three of your favorite characters in comics?</span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Ooh,
I love the symbol of the broken eggshell so much. If Calimero didn't
already wear one, the Artist would. I like Woodstock, Owl and </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://twitter.com/jamesturek1/status/742690177752125441"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Widow
Douglas</span></span></u></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">
so much.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: transparent;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: transparent;">And
why would anybody label you as an '<a href="http://www.hai-life.com/news/anna-haifisch4.jpg">art-comics
darling'</a>?</span></i></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">Ask
yourself that, since you where the one calling me that.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://ventedspleen.com/blog/2009/06/15/download-art-school-scum-for-free/"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Art
school serves as a common punchline across American comics</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">.
Having experienced both American and German art scenes, is there a
universality of experience, or are Americans just more open for
mockery? Do you feel more connected to American cartoonists? Are
there German cartoonists who had an influence on your work?</span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">I
don't think I know both scenes very well. Just certain groups, people
whose work I like. My American friends are wilder cartoonists, more
reckless in their art. Maybe less happy, I don't know, maybe because
of the circumstances. I'm very grateful for my German comic mates
too. Excellent people. Max Baitinger, Jul Gordon, Sascha Hommer,
Aisha Franz, …</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: transparent;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">My
biggest influence is James Turek, my best friend, my studio mate, my
muse. He's American though. But besides James it's mostly German
painters and my friends who're doing graphic design, not comics.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">You
have left your former publishing house in Germany, </span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.rotopolpress.de/"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Rotopolpress</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">,
to work with </span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.reprodukt.com/"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Reprodukt</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">
now. The latter is known for pushing the term 'graphic novel' to get
its products into bookstores and receive favorable reviews from the
mainstream press. By doing so, Reprodukt tries to create a new,
'literary' reception which appears to be quite different from the
usual fandom. Any thoughts on that?</span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: transparent;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">I
didn't leave Rotopol. Reprodukt borrowed me for one book. I'm part of
a dreamy threesome, you don't know what you're talking about.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: transparent;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">I
still don't know what a graphic novel is, but I appreciate anything
that Reprodukt does to reach out for new audiences apart from sweaty
perverts with awful taste. The depiction of the typical German comic
reader still keeps me away from saying 'Ich zeichne Comics' ('I draw
comics') in public. It's fucking embarrassing.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: transparent;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">I
want my work to be in art galleries, feuilletons and libraries -
anywhere - just far away from these people. I'd call it 'graphic
novel' or whatever [else it takes].</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: transparent;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">Shout
out to Rotopol and Reprodukt! Fuck the mainstream! I don't care.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Do
other cartoonists' characters (Burkholder's </span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="http://images.bigcartel.com/product_images/163876711/Sexy_Frog_Promo.jpg?auto=format&fit=max&h=1000&w=1000"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Sexy
Frog</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">,
Schubert's </span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="http://66.media.tumblr.com/2736858b77f4121a910874e6aab75e82/tumblr_nqtpqh3CrO1r2arh7o1_1280.jpg"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Blobby
Boys</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">)
only exist in The Artist's drug addled mind, or do they all just
really like hanging out at the disco? Probably </span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.vice.com/read/health-club-todays-comic-by-simon-hanselmann"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">in
the shower</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">?</span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">Oh
yeah, they would be great in the shower together or playing cricket.
Stuff good friends would do. They can all come over to my house. It
would be so wonderful.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjStLPzaLEkkFwv_lzzm0OpRvAYwZWA2M44pqRdBHj14SasNc-XAYU6wBijKtmaI8jWZ-Jms9WH2zH2x5y_G8fv2MXnmJEy9-b5dDWoBE2GLJAeyv6y6d56uVR0pj2kWw5pw8_wVRSAGDU/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjStLPzaLEkkFwv_lzzm0OpRvAYwZWA2M44pqRdBHj14SasNc-XAYU6wBijKtmaI8jWZ-Jms9WH2zH2x5y_G8fv2MXnmJEy9-b5dDWoBE2GLJAeyv6y6d56uVR0pj2kWw5pw8_wVRSAGDU/s640/5.jpg" width="514" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Did
you intend to become rich by co-founding the </span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="http://themillionairesclub.tumblr.com/"><span lang="en-US">Millionaire</span></a><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">
</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span><a href="http://themillionairesclub.tumblr.com/"><span lang="en-US">Club</span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">?
If so, why did you publish stuff by Andy Burkholder or G.W. Duncanson
within your </span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="http://tinymasters.eu/?page_id=37"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Tiny
Masters</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">
series?</span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: transparent;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">We
are millionaires! Rich in visions, ca$hing in on red hats.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">Duncanson's
tumblr isn't named 'cash money cartoons' for nothing and Andy is the
mogul behind ITDN group and Oireau. They're gems and we are
visionaries.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: transparent;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Are
</span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="https://vice-images.vice.com/images/articles/meta/2015/12/30/the-artist-is-paranoid-anna-haifisch-017-1451509290.jpg"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">cobras</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">
The Artist's sunflower paintings, or just a reminder to not put on
pants?</span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">Everything
the Artist creates is a placeholder for contemporary art. No meaning
but this. It's my mission for him and his burden.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: transparent;">Are
your lines just erratic because of your hunger for success? C'mon, no
one's buying the stuff about paying homage to Saul Steinberg.</span></i></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">There's
so much I want: </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">I
want to be successful, I want my drawings to be read and shown. I
want to be influential, I want to be rich.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">But
the reason for my shaky lines is my nervous and impatient temper.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge034bPlWV4on7kh62zTxGT-gV5SkA7lRM_AUA-9hUcf2aLrTYMtN1QtCXQbwxczZMMzv1AtvCsGTvEhuHxTbet8Pm4g7Xe3HabIfB0-YXb4JUciAFkyw3T_BgChVVyecYuI4BZ9jAsPM/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge034bPlWV4on7kh62zTxGT-gV5SkA7lRM_AUA-9hUcf2aLrTYMtN1QtCXQbwxczZMMzv1AtvCsGTvEhuHxTbet8Pm4g7Xe3HabIfB0-YXb4JUciAFkyw3T_BgChVVyecYuI4BZ9jAsPM/s640/4.jpg" width="490" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">When
you shift to </span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.vice.com/read/the-artists-grandfather-todays-comic-by-anna-haifisch-027"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">a
documentary storytelling device</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">
in 'The Artist,' what do you think the narrator sounds like? These
sections also take on a more mythological tone from the rest of the
series. What do you find interesting about this particular
storytelling device?</span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">Patrick
Kyle should be the narrator. He has a beautiful deep voice.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">The
religious or mythological tone is my favorite part of writing 'The
Artist.' It's pure honesty. When I talk about artists as saviors and
saints, I really mean it (and every other word, too). It's me giving
a speech. I deeply believe that art is mankind's last straw before it
sinks into brutality and chaos. If we let go of art, the world is
lost and we will all die not soon after.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" lang="en-US" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Alright
then, please name three things you like about Blaise Larmee's Three
Books. Don't use the words </span></span></span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torah_in_Islam">Tawrāt</a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">,
</span></span></span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabur"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span lang="ar-SA"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Zabūr</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">
and ʾ</span></span></span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_in_Islam">Injīl</a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">
while trying to do it. Furthermore, please explain making use of him
</span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.vice.com/read/the-artists-parents-mean-well-009">as
a doctor</a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">
in “The Artist“. </span></span></span></span></i></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">I
really like Blaise's sense of design. The layout and the book itself
is beautiful. I like the pretentiousness of his alter egos, the
exaggeration behind each of the three books. It succeeded in
convincing me that Blaise is a thoughtful prince of comics.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">Blaise
is comics' family doctor. He is going to heal comics from monotony
and will eventually be the naked Icarus who's leading the medium
towards the sun where it will burn down to the core. A sigh of relief
will shake the forests and deserts and we can all move on to bigger
things. That's what the cameo meant.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" lang="en-US" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFXjQyAi7rXPaSjkEOZs_0jdkn1Vlu3sMjzatOW6lRC3_Cs84rf-cOJcLPq1HkqwYopiAY25JsQoQMAZnvekucvsMwxm-eQWxe65JNZpJJAjB7K7Ww7aGK151m8LPABb33F4Asjsx-oM/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFXjQyAi7rXPaSjkEOZs_0jdkn1Vlu3sMjzatOW6lRC3_Cs84rf-cOJcLPq1HkqwYopiAY25JsQoQMAZnvekucvsMwxm-eQWxe65JNZpJJAjB7K7Ww7aGK151m8LPABb33F4Asjsx-oM/s640/1.jpg" width="494" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Is
your rehab playlet '</span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="http://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/s480x480/e35/c79.0.540.540/12071159_182256918778712_301066538_n.jpg?ig_cache_key=MTA5NzcyOTIxMDg2NTcxMjIyMw==.2.c"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Von
Spatz</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">,'
which features Walt Disney at a breaking point, color-coded to
reference pink flamingos? If so, in a </span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sTPu4hjfHKg/maxresdefault.jpg"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Michael
Mann</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">
or in a </span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.weepeeple.com/images/johnwaterstranglingflamingo.jpg"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">John
Waters</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">
manner? Are you disneyfied? Ub Iwerks or Floyd Gottfredson?</span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: transparent;"> </span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">No,
not at all. I don't watch a lot of movies. I wouldn't reference any.
My colors are coming from my former days as a screen printer.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">I
am disneyfied like everybody else. Every child grew up with Disney's
characters. He's the most famous artist on this planet and therefore
I admire him. There's something about early photographs of the first
Disney Studios… they're really touching. Walt and his friends are
looking so happily into the camera. Full of hope and not afraid.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">As
someone </span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="https://twitter.com/anna_haifisch/status/749851403041050624"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">who
hates Nancy and Sluggo</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">,
do you see any relationship between the beats of a four-panel strip
and a four-page comic? Are repetition and structure important aspects
of comedy? </span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">I
think repetition is essential for comics. I don't know how many times
I'm drawing the same thing. From panel to panel, making sure the
reader can follow my thoughts. This turns drawing comics into a drag
sometimes. You can't be lazy, there are no shortcuts to repetition.
Right now I can't make a lot of sense of that, sorry. You better read
Andy Burkholder's comics for more information on repetition.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Final
music-related and blunt question: Do you think </span></span></i></span></span></span></span><a href="https://twitter.com/britney_spheres/status/733276897082281985"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><u><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">Blaise
Larmee and DJ Escrow</span></span></u></i></span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;">
are the same person?</span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: transparent;"> </span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: transparent;">I
like Blaise and Dean Blunt. I don’t know who DJ Escrow is.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgUhMANn_iqBsYNL6u294Gh17kkOBi9pM14SxoP_whi_lB_Y-z-Nn1k3QC_Yph9Dk1ZY_u9BvjmVC-HdGTpdKQLnE5iJSAoZJq3abmTjZuxBbeYiZlgcDg9WQtTAa5FzGHazikAeRolA/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgUhMANn_iqBsYNL6u294Gh17kkOBi9pM14SxoP_whi_lB_Y-z-Nn1k3QC_Yph9Dk1ZY_u9BvjmVC-HdGTpdKQLnE5iJSAoZJq3abmTjZuxBbeYiZlgcDg9WQtTAa5FzGHazikAeRolA/s640/2.jpg" width="452" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: transparent;">Interview
conducted by Shawn Starr and Oliver Ristau.</span></i></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: transparent;">Proofreading
by Marc-Oliver Frisch. </span></i></span></span></span></span>
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Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-35151553642285305312016-08-29T18:51:00.000-07:002016-08-31T17:54:01.516-07:00Cry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWjlU7usRSSF3RLBBGuXG_BACxC3Z_urCYOXTCCRXoTx23rKchREJ9_rfplTvF5cjN0RcXCNWsv_nTPIu1hV_TrRk9DhG_8u5ti96AUULmX8o1ge4Z1SA3mYv9nmxxNM2-kXQPgcQaqA/s1600/.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWjlU7usRSSF3RLBBGuXG_BACxC3Z_urCYOXTCCRXoTx23rKchREJ9_rfplTvF5cjN0RcXCNWsv_nTPIu1hV_TrRk9DhG_8u5ti96AUULmX8o1ge4Z1SA3mYv9nmxxNM2-kXQPgcQaqA/s640/.jpg" width="496" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-93813c89-d920-2d4b-2d23-dc1284bef31a" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Regarding Quicksand</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Michael DeForge</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There's this line in Julia Gfrorer and Sean T. Collins comic</span><a href="https://thenib.com/why-we-fear-the-ocean-27998318a313#.gv9hkx3vl" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">The Deep Ones</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">about humanity's fear of the ocean, “And in the deep, its expanse shielded from light and time, it is easy to believe ancient things linger, that the unseen, like a fish against the legs of childhood memory, can brush against us and bite, and contaminate and consume…”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That line always made me feel uneasy, anxious in a fearful way.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">DeForges </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Regarding Quicksand </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">creates a similar sensation of anxiety, but in a way i still can’t describe. The narrative centers around a dozen things you can’t see touching you simultaneously that you can’t stop. Told in a rigid six panel grid, the book exudes claustrophobia. Even while staying as precisely spaced as a computer program will allow, the gutters feel like they’re shrinking every page</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">*****************</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbzHkL7BNj5w9PmRDLDa06bD4vrvG0_12fCNLrEr_pYX4huhJDfbJsyhyphenhyphenhwRhMfrhRHUBoJZHCA9o8JZA35QooZlBWYR8s3KDmjJSVyZ0DIMKQetJ73RDUu3d1u6WMRQYMWWGe6QR0Ys/s1600/c79718fb45100de5b17e209c2e857d0e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbzHkL7BNj5w9PmRDLDa06bD4vrvG0_12fCNLrEr_pYX4huhJDfbJsyhyphenhyphenhwRhMfrhRHUBoJZHCA9o8JZA35QooZlBWYR8s3KDmjJSVyZ0DIMKQetJ73RDUu3d1u6WMRQYMWWGe6QR0Ys/s640/c79718fb45100de5b17e209c2e857d0e.jpg" width="498" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">*****************</span><br />
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<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Regarding Quicksand </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">opens on a wide shot of the sole character adrift in an unknown body of water, untouched. We only see the man's entire figure twice, once on the first page as an establishing shot, and then as the last panel of the story. He is alone, scared, and flaccid in that first shot and surrounded, contemplative and erect in the last. What surrounds him, and what causes these changes in his body, beneath the surface, is the crux of the comic. Told in a deadened </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="inflections"><span class="in-more"></span></span>tone DeForge explores each and every feeling the man encounters, but in a way that the images being shown and the words being said are taken to a fantastical extreme. Shifts in the current, floating debris and mud turn into slugs crawling into the man's ear and mermaids biting his neck like little vampires.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While it exists on the surface as an experiment between the two planes that comics exist on, words and images, a fairly well trodden idea, it brings those ideas around again to a discussion of a character's understanding of the seen and unseen. DeForge leaves these visual gaps not as a nod towards comics theory, but as a way to show the manic nature of un-knowing. What lurks beneath and what we think lurks beneath tend to be wildly different, and the differences only seem to amplify when water is added.</span></div>
Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-38899358251891315842016-08-23T15:36:00.001-07:002016-09-06T18:53:09.023-07:00Roll at the Rink<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFL8dMUZyAZETCc8eT06hjgFfCGuNtJLlZeHh60G2XS4dJ2x0gvk-8xbHvwW2El6d8JLv6sTXFZU0kTYlUQeGfX1cZoycugErq1XsBMxiDX0q5Y6Nik6qj0Xn2zP7hIRzDyjyz6rOBZF8/s1600/LateBloomerCover_original.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFL8dMUZyAZETCc8eT06hjgFfCGuNtJLlZeHh60G2XS4dJ2x0gvk-8xbHvwW2El6d8JLv6sTXFZU0kTYlUQeGfX1cZoycugErq1XsBMxiDX0q5Y6Nik6qj0Xn2zP7hIRzDyjyz6rOBZF8/s640/LateBloomerCover_original.png" width="446" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Late Bloomers </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">is a comic of smudges, false starts and moments of clarity.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The art flexes and reflexes. Its sole purpose seems to be to breathe in the absence of words. Thoughts, written and existing outside of the artwork are to weak for Odomo to allow to exist. Poems about insecurity perform self constructed suicides, crossing out the letters that make up their very existence before subjecting themselves to the readers eyes. The only words that are meant for the reader seem to be those that become infused into the artwork itself. Their importance to the composition precludes them from eraser. They bubble to the surface of the page, congregating between each other to create phrases and even, sometimes, sentences. If they are erased the page dies with them, and as the pages mount, the book itself. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVk76-eJ-Jzcufe8IPQlYop2XJKT3pEI_g90GMPLb4Q8y97U_tdTHuJyZpQZsymzoIfgqrw4M4lmXMTxhNor2TGNgRs3833rOXEXyjULFl-IO-Vh5wLwCyDm9x71VPYG1b9w3ZzFVrJg/s1600/IMG_9038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVk76-eJ-Jzcufe8IPQlYop2XJKT3pEI_g90GMPLb4Q8y97U_tdTHuJyZpQZsymzoIfgqrw4M4lmXMTxhNor2TGNgRs3833rOXEXyjULFl-IO-Vh5wLwCyDm9x71VPYG1b9w3ZzFVrJg/s640/IMG_9038.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By constantly self-sabotaging the narrative thrust of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Late Bloomers </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">you begin to sense a nervousness. A story of maturity that never seems to coalesce, let it be acknowledged as such. Odomo draws himself into the narrative at various ages, but it is only his past self that we are allowed to view in any detail. His identity is solidified in a pre-self, not a present, which is only ever depicted hidden under a baseball cap or in the expressionless outline of a figure viewed from a distance. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GDHBphyphenhyphengZPbZwJ62FMWLLg5iPjVvkN7nyK0lSjePVxPRn1mDEJWMQii6WpRrITHQNfNAOuE7bou0hjXM0ulZ89IQFcsgsvNsEkaU92MInturvybQHlQhj-1YATd_bcLoCB2i1F5qXyA/s1600/Cg6UOWZWIAAlSfW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GDHBphyphenhyphengZPbZwJ62FMWLLg5iPjVvkN7nyK0lSjePVxPRn1mDEJWMQii6WpRrITHQNfNAOuE7bou0hjXM0ulZ89IQFcsgsvNsEkaU92MInturvybQHlQhj-1YATd_bcLoCB2i1F5qXyA/s640/Cg6UOWZWIAAlSfW.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As the book moves past the halfway point flowers begin to bloom. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The narrative shifts from short memories of youth to pages filled with drawings of pigeons in the park. The pages are presented as photos from a sketchbook, rather than straight scans, creating a strange undercutting of artistic intimacy. To peek into an artist's sketchbook is to peek into their mind, so when you are given a unrequited look into the sketchbook of Odomo one expects a greater level of artistic intimacy, but while the rest of the book exists in a murky sense of indirectness, these sketchbook pages are straightforward in their actions. The maddening part though is that this level of closeness is given over to a section about pigeons and not any other aspect of Odomo’s.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The last words written in Late Bloomer is “Don’t Wanna Talk Abou It.... What...Ever!!!!” as a figure walks into a field of flowers and out of the reader's intrusive gaze. A photo of a notebook page with the numbers 27 scrawled across it follows these words, then a drawing of a cat becoming startled as the reader looks upon its face. Or maybe as it looks upon the reader.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I turn 27 in four months and i too, do not want to talk about it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTyyhoCXDNfkN_fXgp9Tue3R1xT9hPIERQj2KT0Io9ICOWEKNwZ8TgxJNCQmewiw_RppjjczLzeVp57lMBDvu97RVfcvgfqqvXvZEFSLLeJOfvqJNMQPlYZIQq3oABFS42iXIymdd7pk/s1600/Late_Bloomer4_original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTyyhoCXDNfkN_fXgp9Tue3R1xT9hPIERQj2KT0Io9ICOWEKNwZ8TgxJNCQmewiw_RppjjczLzeVp57lMBDvu97RVfcvgfqqvXvZEFSLLeJOfvqJNMQPlYZIQq3oABFS42iXIymdd7pk/s640/Late_Bloomer4_original.jpg" width="494" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://retrofit.storenvy.com/collections/29642-all-products/products/16195341-late-bloomer-by-mare-odomo">You can purchase Late Bloomers from Retrofit Comics. </a></div>
Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-57414734011703182372016-02-04T20:10:00.001-08:002016-03-17T00:07:46.757-07:00Let's Get Lost<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPBvGxMnJ18fkhikc6ciD-PYmDcvQsmslSLCuKofjnFzILouIK0Tcfo-2CMKPe8rBmVbsKri15XubQ-p-dt-54PjaRU1LNBLt4wYZIK4lOrWuW0yMU_eh0dBpfQ2QgMbZNAwKLbkw2kU/s1600/Ding%252BDong%252BCircus-COV.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPBvGxMnJ18fkhikc6ciD-PYmDcvQsmslSLCuKofjnFzILouIK0Tcfo-2CMKPe8rBmVbsKri15XubQ-p-dt-54PjaRU1LNBLt4wYZIK4lOrWuW0yMU_eh0dBpfQ2QgMbZNAwKLbkw2kU/s640/Ding%252BDong%252BCircus-COV.png" width="496" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ding Dong Circus</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">by Sasaki Maki </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I keep thinking about this book, even after putting it away over a month ago. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s the first Ryan Holmberg manga project i'm genuinely confused by, but that makes it even more interesting. Holmberg always digs up challenging work but </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ding Dong Circus </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">is something else, it is such an out-of-left-field take on comics that it immediately made me start to rethink what i believed the term to even mean.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Almost every panel in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ding Dong Circus </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">plays off each other to create a feeling, and every page plays off each other to create a theme, but at no point is a narrative, or anything that could be called a narrative, taking place. Even in the rare examples of panels that feature the same character you are left feeling like these are just threads left for the reader to attempt to hang the hope of story on, rather than an actual story devices. They exists as a trail of breadcrumbs left to nudge you along to the end. It undercuts the basic premise of comics, sequential panels, for something else. Panels that live and die on their own, but when collected form something greater than themselves. Not a story, but a thought that’s built on and undermined on every page. </span></div>
Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-62177271740875271402016-02-03T19:56:00.001-08:002016-02-03T19:58:02.623-08:00Thought It Was A Drought<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-79beb670-aa62-eb24-0419-f41e596670b7" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsDxeClxHQB1LV-yQ1tjtrlsZ3Hy-aZk_vcotPDQ8bV4ipa9-jkGhKhJnlHDr82owEYdEiR3YboaPSjEVxVEqt5858D9VRsOCM5NcGB5mfmahZF4Ir7m9AJxBt6LdfVLi-hiqPYZD5y0/s1600/jake-terrell-summer-carnival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsDxeClxHQB1LV-yQ1tjtrlsZ3Hy-aZk_vcotPDQ8bV4ipa9-jkGhKhJnlHDr82owEYdEiR3YboaPSjEVxVEqt5858D9VRsOCM5NcGB5mfmahZF4Ir7m9AJxBt6LdfVLi-hiqPYZD5y0/s640/jake-terrell-summer-carnival.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Summer Carnival </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By Jake Terrell </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Terrell cuts immediately to a problem I find in most stories centering around parties; the linearity of the narrative experience. A and B plot lines intermingle and culminate in a satisfactory resolution. I have never been to a party like this, nor has anyone else to my knowledge. Parties tend to fizzle out, or someone gets too drunk and everyone has to leave suddenly after they try and set the couch on fire. They are jumbled moments of great detail and waxy nothingness. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Summer Carnival </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">though breaks down the-party-of-the-year into a series of elliptical vignettes, re-creating the sensation of a blackout slowly coming back to you the day after. So that the reader begins to gather a sense of what the party was, in spirit, while keeping a wide breadth of ascribing to it any singular quality. It is a truer version of events, although one that doesn’t attempt to tell you what happened. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">*******</span> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Terrell’s line has a playfulness to it. It’s light and fragile, but equally energetic - like the party it is illustrating. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">*******</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjHXo0UvGlVvInYUGrXn4Upbf3jIZU95MJKqh3MlIZx6Y-PNG6HMe_gvpUUeds7SdBI1ksC-QVbLWp_3aB28D9LS5OyvBEUDJ8dYAMHObMQqQE3bbc-UfGmRxs28gDw6Dt1VmrooAN5U/s1600/jake-terrell-summer-carnival-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjHXo0UvGlVvInYUGrXn4Upbf3jIZU95MJKqh3MlIZx6Y-PNG6HMe_gvpUUeds7SdBI1ksC-QVbLWp_3aB28D9LS5OyvBEUDJ8dYAMHObMQqQE3bbc-UfGmRxs28gDw6Dt1VmrooAN5U/s640/jake-terrell-summer-carnival-01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">*******</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The grid is almost nonexistent in Summer Carnival, scenes are allowed to start and conclude within the time it takes Terrell to draw a stray hair. This overlapping of images creates a dizzying effect, as no cuts exist everything seems to be happening at once. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">*******</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What dialogue exists, after the party starts, is half heard and devoid of context. It reads almost like you’re eavesdropping on someone else's conversation, but one that you didn’t hear the beginning or end of. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCoENI9UTT0aOkVJZ0t7jvfgv-5G_EfXKn-FBqNMb_YL5xXvz8xpgrGrrSiATd7A47Wi6wCXDGCs60yDorrdWPekotlwItBWzaeePHQprr-2TDfT6uTZqK6W0QNPFd7dLjNdRA-sw9xU/s1600/tumblr_nx6q3tcwY61qkx3sfo4_400%252B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCoENI9UTT0aOkVJZ0t7jvfgv-5G_EfXKn-FBqNMb_YL5xXvz8xpgrGrrSiATd7A47Wi6wCXDGCs60yDorrdWPekotlwItBWzaeePHQprr-2TDfT6uTZqK6W0QNPFd7dLjNdRA-sw9xU/s640/tumblr_nx6q3tcwY61qkx3sfo4_400%252B%25281%2529.jpg" width="458" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HAX</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">by Lale Westvind </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I burnt my copy of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HAX</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Not completely, but after reading it for the fifth or sixth time since CAB i placed it on my nightstand next to a candle which promptly charred a bit of the upper right corner. Even looking at it a few weeks later, burn mark and all, i can’t help but laugh at the overt symbolism of burning a copy of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HAX</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVib47I1ZFaLj2RZxKby9wKz49HVUvLezzhnNQyvSbdR_FTx_2kRFkKtfWrbQ9LOlsPPiT5_15xDbnOK7ivBgO7i4OiCOT37NIYSZU6Uz-6OsJNgjBa14XMJpdZ_0vye6TT_Bp2xyw1Q/s1600/tumblr_nws9rbEHf61qjfymvo4_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVib47I1ZFaLj2RZxKby9wKz49HVUvLezzhnNQyvSbdR_FTx_2kRFkKtfWrbQ9LOlsPPiT5_15xDbnOK7ivBgO7i4OiCOT37NIYSZU6Uz-6OsJNgjBa14XMJpdZ_0vye6TT_Bp2xyw1Q/s640/tumblr_nws9rbEHf61qjfymvo4_1280.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HAX</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, a 24 page silent comic, follows a group of females moving against an opposing force. The narrative is still a bit jumbled to me, the panels form sequences at times, and at others exist as stand alone images. It reminds me a bit of reading bronze age Jack Kirby comics simply as images. The individual panels are strong enough to convey what is going on in them, but when sequenced they go from narrative delivery devices to abstractions of the shifting power dynamics between images. From right to left, and up to down, an equilibrium is formed, for every spark and surge in one panel the same is found in the next. The eye is drawn from one panel to the next, various laws of thermodynamics are upkept, but that doesn't always mean you know whats going on, or should. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This energy is
most evident in the weight Westvind gives her figures, even when they
don’t seem to be doing anything the power of her line still shines
through. So that when you see her characters move through space, panel
to panel, you can almost hear their feet stomping down on the ground as
lightning bolts of excess energy fill the air around them. For a comic
that lacks sound effects, you can still hear every panel. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With all the mark making going on in each panel the addition of color could easily overwhelm the whole comic, turning figures and shapes into blobs of nothingness, but, and what initially brought me to think about this comic in line with Kirby and the Bronze-Age, Westvind scales her color scheme back to just four (red/orange/blue/yellow). Of these four red and blue, the strongest contrasting colors, are given the job of being the primary colors for each character. This allows for the delineation of foreground and background figures by giving them to a consistent color scheme, the red group and the blue group can always be seen in relation to each other in space by the colors they are comprised of. Orange and Yellow, the two remaining colors, are then left the job of showing depth between objects and terrains, which, due to the similarities between them, allows for a great number of objects to be placed near each other in the panel, but still be read as far away by shifting between the two colors in quick succession. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While these color rules are subtle, and change at times, their continued use trains the eye to view each two dimensional image as three dimensional. Even while restricting itself to such a limited palette<i> Hax </i>bursts with color, but by leaving them few and flat, every packed image remains readable. </span>Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-58854399455111805752016-02-01T10:58:00.003-08:002016-09-06T18:56:52.851-07:00Laugh Now Cry Later <div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-79beb670-9e27-d1d4-82d1-385f890714fc" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWrxNPCrie_Ho4Y3iU78tPoovtbmjhHce6ssVhDm91gOJMpMKRoJg9QBZU9rX9TYnpormVQulj0623rO40ya2Lx_IeAM-Gy6YXrRB6TgbZo-gPO8nugd0a2Umsn_0Muh7sCWdSg0KqGI/s1600/tumblr_nvdyu32tnR1r635kuo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWrxNPCrie_Ho4Y3iU78tPoovtbmjhHce6ssVhDm91gOJMpMKRoJg9QBZU9rX9TYnpormVQulj0623rO40ya2Lx_IeAM-Gy6YXrRB6TgbZo-gPO8nugd0a2Umsn_0Muh7sCWdSg0KqGI/s640/tumblr_nvdyu32tnR1r635kuo1_500.jpg" width="428" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Werewolf Jones and Sons</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By Simon Hanselmann and HTML Flowers</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Werewolf Jones is the most depraved, disgusting and vile member of Simon Hanselmann’s stoner comedy Megg, Mogg and Owl. He is also the funniest. And while the best moments of Hanselmann’s comics are the exploration of the psychological roots that lead to each character's eccentricities, primarily those based in loss, depression, addiction and anxiety, Werewolf Jones exists outside of these moments of characterization. Even in flashbacks to high school the teenage Werewolf seems almost identical to the one currently slated to die of an overdose sometime next year. So that as fucked up as the rest of the cast is, they can always be judged against Werewolf. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Werewolf Jones and Sons </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">is the first prolonged narrative centering on Werewolf Jones, clocking in at 52 pages, it is an anthology of sorts, a series of five short stories drawn by either Hanselmann or HTMLFlowers. These long form stories tend to be platforms for Hanselmann to delve deeper into a character's persona, but in <i>Werewolf Jones and Sons </i>there doesn’t seem to be anything to delve into. In story after story you see Werewolf do the worst things imaginable, try to smuggle his children through airport security in garbage bags after giving them sleeping pills, trash a principal's office who questions his parenting skills, and again and again Werewolf learns no lesson. After his arrest in the first story he simply asks about his ETSY hat store. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Werewolf Jones and Sons </span>does not directly reference it, the lingering knowledge of Werewolf's death begins to take on more and more emotional weight as this book goes on. That this is by far one of the funniest books Hanselmann and HTML Flowers have produced so far seems almost secondary after the initial read, because the lack of any change in Werewolf Jones starts to burrow into your brain. You are seeing a character kill himself, slowly and over an ever diminishing number of pages.Every laugh is leading up to the call Megg and Mogg get while sitting on there couch next year...</span>Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-10766203051261413802016-01-03T17:51:00.002-08:002016-01-03T22:04:56.990-08:00Terrance Loves You<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-9fd1abcd-0a4a-3d1d-292e-ac54450713f6" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Time Capsules </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By Maggie Umber</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Vu9wi4pk01PYy3e0jWutYGiGU5xS4tPRTr4ZaBW-iU0pLjD34tfFeopNb9dISwWsti-9E_oC5YKN-RmjAdYu-2WLZ-cfj7GmbZrkCEhduyjCJ59AHvrR0BWrmNubZQLC8HSfhNYCp-0/s1600/maggie-umber-time-capsule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Vu9wi4pk01PYy3e0jWutYGiGU5xS4tPRTr4ZaBW-iU0pLjD34tfFeopNb9dISwWsti-9E_oC5YKN-RmjAdYu-2WLZ-cfj7GmbZrkCEhduyjCJ59AHvrR0BWrmNubZQLC8HSfhNYCp-0/s640/maggie-umber-time-capsule.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Time Capsules </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">opens with a bang and ends with a note of caution. Between those pages the entire ecosystem of the planet is shown, in painfully humanistic vignettes of the mundanity of every creature's existence. Snapshots of moments that would be filler in a nature documentary but that, when collected and cataloged together, delve into the intimacy of those moments and the complexity of animalistic relationships we can never fully understand. It is a work created of small moments that coalesces into a big one.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAglQw6M25wJYD3Iz9_m-s0Bud9pcZcBBT2vD5zyy6JACf3edeMP72TBk6u3DvbcZKCvNz7p_t5NfnsAouVI-yK25Lil9SM50_LKpFzfBa6sy53DxvLcGgcLAG-Vw9B3jk84bDNW6SrJY/s1600/image01-650x688.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAglQw6M25wJYD3Iz9_m-s0Bud9pcZcBBT2vD5zyy6JACf3edeMP72TBk6u3DvbcZKCvNz7p_t5NfnsAouVI-yK25Lil9SM50_LKpFzfBa6sy53DxvLcGgcLAG-Vw9B3jk84bDNW6SrJY/s640/image01-650x688.png" width="604" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Vu9wi4pk01PYy3e0jWutYGiGU5xS4tPRTr4ZaBW-iU0pLjD34tfFeopNb9dISwWsti-9E_oC5YKN-RmjAdYu-2WLZ-cfj7GmbZrkCEhduyjCJ59AHvrR0BWrmNubZQLC8HSfhNYCp-0/s1600/maggie-umber-time-capsule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The paper, a replication of a battered and aged moleskine, makes you feel like you are stumbling on a biologists notebook from the field.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">*</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The final passage has the last two instances of “i” crossed out and replaced with “that”. After the previous fifty pages spent on exploring nature in its infinite intimacies, Umber is trying to pull the reader back from these singular moments. To not just think of each organism simply on the biological/micro scale, but rather, as the passage alludes to, on a macro/planetary scale. The more you identify with the images in Time Capsule the more these crossed out “i”’s should worry you. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZOfwNDeg2d95_oJE9XnWV3IISBlLjWJzJ2-TevvvguYqLQR3qFdxdMKJzZ1wZTaGm16Js3ZwiSCVsJqpG2nrRkigirpaOL0iHtx2F_nL5yUnUKvpNq4Mr6xAWmYQ38zRM9AdaAgFEL0/s1600/maggie-umber-time-capsule-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZOfwNDeg2d95_oJE9XnWV3IISBlLjWJzJ2-TevvvguYqLQR3qFdxdMKJzZ1wZTaGm16Js3ZwiSCVsJqpG2nrRkigirpaOL0iHtx2F_nL5yUnUKvpNq4Mr6xAWmYQ38zRM9AdaAgFEL0/s640/maggie-umber-time-capsule-01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Which brings us back around again to ask a question about the collection's title, <i>Time Capsule</i>. Is this book a time capsule just being opened, or, more ominously, a capsule for future generations to look back upon and contemplate what has happened to the world as we as a species continue to march through the first man made extinction event. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Man killed the Dodo, is the rest of the planet next? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">)))))))))))))</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIFhLmpX6cXlUBbD2VYJS9gcCkR9r3dWG-47icbEsIIRMWAKJqkvBsQOi4sU3cf-8Lca9icktM76JTBEUOvK3VUfppED6RUcM5qKfYeHt1Xh9-9euFiR0PUHuGUl_cwnTMPhfeEsE2hc/s1600/68_shot-650x205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIFhLmpX6cXlUBbD2VYJS9gcCkR9r3dWG-47icbEsIIRMWAKJqkvBsQOi4sU3cf-8Lca9icktM76JTBEUOvK3VUfppED6RUcM5qKfYeHt1Xh9-9euFiR0PUHuGUl_cwnTMPhfeEsE2hc/s640/68_shot-650x205.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Configurations</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By Aidan Koch</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is one of Koch’s more playful comics. It reminds me a bit of Seth’s stamp comics from Palookaville #21 in that it is a series of comics based on re-using the same imagery over and over again, but while Seth used that to create a straightforward narrative about the mundanity of life, Koch’s is utilizing the tone of each image to create a distinct feeling with each strip. So that the same four drawings can be reorganized countless ways too create a different series of tones, each playing off one another, to provoke a new feeling in the reader. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A dialogue on Lala Alberts Alien Invasion 3</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By Alec Berry and Shawn Starr</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shawn: Okay, since I picked this I guess i’ll kick it off.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lala Albert has had a big year, or at least as big a year as someone can have in art comics. Her newest book</span><a href="http://www.breakdownpress.com/store/janus" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Janus</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">from</span><a href="http://www.breakdownpress.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Breakdown Press</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">was as close as any book got to being the “book of the show” at Comic Arts Brooklyn (CAB), and while I'm late to Albert’s party I’ve become mildly obsessed with tracking down her avaliable work.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Albert’s comics follow the recent trend toward body horror, but while much of that work feels cutsy, both in the art and story, Albert places the horror at the forefront, largely by setting her stories in an unfamiliar space and letting that seep into the things we recognize.</span><a href="http://plslala.storenvy.com/products/5074646-alien-invasion-3http://plslala.storenvy.com/products/5074646-alien-invasion-3" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Alien Invasion 3</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, a mini comic from 2013 collecting four short stories, is more liquid in its premise than you would think. Each story dissects the intent of an alien invasion, both the good and bad. And so we see stories that run the gamut of your typical alien crash site to explorations of Venus told through vacation slides.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So, Alec, is this your first interaction with an Albert comic? Because I’m wondering how you felt about this. I find that Albert and other body horror artists’ work tend to rise or fall based on how you feel emotionally after reading them, more than how well they work as a narrative piece. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XgO9djtxo2Sx3beHBoxHDh45YfhfkbdCOj1ZvEDB_HgM-hhwtvQTmTUHOz2qsUs7-jnraAbeOhw75P5NyoK2yWn4R_U1NC4S2NBzQcoDdp98F19lMix9hP9DbVEN_-892tvLibiBbKg/s1600/tumblr_n5qmlh34Xy1qhzgqno5_1280-620x958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XgO9djtxo2Sx3beHBoxHDh45YfhfkbdCOj1ZvEDB_HgM-hhwtvQTmTUHOz2qsUs7-jnraAbeOhw75P5NyoK2yWn4R_U1NC4S2NBzQcoDdp98F19lMix9hP9DbVEN_-892tvLibiBbKg/s640/tumblr_n5qmlh34Xy1qhzgqno5_1280-620x958.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Alec: I felt very little after reading this, though I’m not necessarily sure there’s less to it because of that. Part of my reaction comes from simply being uninterested in it. These shorts supply good ideas, but they’re just ideas with little else to specify them, so there’s less to contemplate and review.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Another part of it, though, is that Albert is such an image maker her stories, at least in this case, don’t matter, so the reaction to the work is a bit removed. Instead of tangling with a narrative to compartmentalize and connect it to other things (which is human), the reading experience is more so a delivery mechanism for a few of those “panels,” or more likely paintings, so she can stick at least one in your mind as the takeaway, rather than an abstract feeling you’d normally attain from a good story.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That’s fairly alien in my experience reading comics. It’s not necessarily bad. It’s just something with a delayed response, though I’m assuming that’s why Albert is spoken of so frequently. It is an experiment, one that seems to almost want to reverse the practiced comics reading process (where you’d normally want to connect images for a larger effect, this is working in the opposite direction). I’m not entirely sold on its success, but it is a thought.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As for reading into the images, the fucking on the train was disgusting and heartfelt. That dude’s spiral, tree-nub dick thrusting its way up in there turned my stomach because I could suddenly smell rotting tree bark, and I felt guilty for ever fucking anybody.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JeJsCDnjSS3b41R9b-2N1nmSv-9rmZoACi9q7Wr7BnTkb5z-8_-dWrh6OMZM1csQ7eftxJ2OpIQrPGXN-Ne4hC631k4Fjt8f0WwA7FOsGGsY95_RGkHrXGbV9_QqQKLIb-XBkpQBWmQ/s1600/tumblr_n4cnllVAZO1qhzgqno4_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JeJsCDnjSS3b41R9b-2N1nmSv-9rmZoACi9q7Wr7BnTkb5z-8_-dWrh6OMZM1csQ7eftxJ2OpIQrPGXN-Ne4hC631k4Fjt8f0WwA7FOsGGsY95_RGkHrXGbV9_QqQKLIb-XBkpQBWmQ/s640/tumblr_n4cnllVAZO1qhzgqno4_1280.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shawn: Albert’s style has this oddness about it. Her figures are recognizable as human, but their proportions are off. Her faces tend to involve chins and foreheads that protrude outwards, creating an almost jellybean-like side profile. Her aliens barely look any different sans an antenna or warping mask. I think this goes towards that idea of distancing, though. They’re humans/non-humans at the same time.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Distance is also at the heart of Sci-Fi and Sex. Dystopian futures are more about critiquing the present than the future, just as sex tells you more about the individuals’ relationships with one another than their ability to make each other cum. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Alien Invasion</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> combines these two acts, intertwining them under the umbrella title. Of the four stories in this collection, “12 On Venus”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and “34 Starlight Local”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">are the strongest, but the latter illustrates this idea most explicitly.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The basic plot of “34 Starlight Local” is that two individuals meet on an interstellar train. The male character is identified explicitly as alien (Albert draws him with an antenna, though the rest of his body seems anatomically human), while the female passenger is just like us.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Over the course of the trip, the two begin to have sex with each other, shown in varying detail. With every act we see a growing intimacy between the two, as scenes of sex are intercut with panels of them sleeping in each other's arms, holding hands while looking out at the stars and sharing coffee at breakfast. At the height of this intimacy the male asks, hesitantly, “hey do…i was thinking we’ve been hanging out for a while...do you want to have sex?”. This question takes both the reader and the female for surprise, since they already seem to be doing so. Though, the male’s definition of the act is something we learn by the comic’s conclusion, and it certainly echoes the idea of invasion.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4 Starlight Local”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">could easily translate to a non-sci fi setting, but by placing it in space there's enough distance to remove any sense of titillation and instead focus on the strangeness of the act as well as the female character’s discomfort. The smell of rotting tree bark seems apt, but it could be anything that unsettles you.</span></div>
Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-18121176348829913392015-11-16T11:58:00.000-08:002015-11-17T20:25:39.376-08:00Your Type <div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-d4892f71-11df-1682-2858-699f658f87da" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="http://heatherbenjamin.bigcartel.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Romance Story</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Heather Benjamin </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When you find old romance comics the covers, typically printed on newsprint or some other low grade paper, tend to be beaten up and falling apart in a vendor's quarter bin. The imagery across the board is that of idealized love, but the fatigue of time has battered the surface of these covers away to reveal the fetishism of love that lies beneath. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Romance Story </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">though has a gloss cover, it’s smooth and built to last in the modern world. The cover harkens back to the romance comics created by Kirby and Simon, but cuts directly to the point of their narrative underbelly, reveling in the inhibited nature of their origins. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The central character on the cover is shown masturbating to an image of nostalgic love (circa 1950). That Benjamin is confident enough in her own narrative to place a sticker, heart shaped and with an illustration of an eye, over the woman's exposed vagina shows her own playfulness with restraint. A kiss on the neck is okay, an exposed private part not so much. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">*********************</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sad Sex </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">was confused and raw, a book made by someone fighting with themselves. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Exorcise </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">was a series of drawings meant to reclaim the personal identity of one's sexuality and explore what that means. And now we have </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Romance Story</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, a collection of 24 drawings that no longer wishes to look inwards at one's own struggles, but rather place those self-discovered truths against those of nostalgia.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The myth created in the romance comics of the 1950’s, an idealization of love created by the post war middle class, is set in contrast to Benjamin's own mythology. Her figures appear no longer as just woman, but as half woman / half horses; Mythological creatures in their own right. These figures are depicted peaking through the small windows of brick buildings into the lives of these idealized 50’s lovers and surrounded by the constellations, moons, suns and symbols of several millennia of human existence. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By flanking these scenes in such deep mythology Benjamin is placing the images within the vast context of history, making the sequence taking place in their window frames seem all the more brief (and untrue) in comparison to the vast and ever expanding narrative taking place outside of it. </span></div>
<br />Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-79643444564931581322015-10-06T07:20:00.000-07:002015-10-06T09:56:30.954-07:00Interview: Blaise Larmee <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWi-OWe3KJUkIidpLmoNxmbk3ZV9REjCSDPGd0khdKPMkJin1XX2Eh1zGz1BHXlH_Ua03Wv1kwpOzDYKmBBxgCZqi-5Ugyqf6JDVxC8ge67i-0Skzk7WpADKwmdgGr64xog6SfXA6lJY/s1600/blaise-larmee-3-books-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWi-OWe3KJUkIidpLmoNxmbk3ZV9REjCSDPGd0khdKPMkJin1XX2Eh1zGz1BHXlH_Ua03Wv1kwpOzDYKmBBxgCZqi-5Ugyqf6JDVxC8ge67i-0Skzk7WpADKwmdgGr64xog6SfXA6lJY/s640/blaise-larmee-3-books-cover.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://davidhockney.tumblr.com/">Blaise Larmee is a cartoonist</a>.The most recent collection of his work, <i><a href="http://2dcloud.com/3-books/">3 Books</a></i>, was published by 2dcloud. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This Interview was conducted by <a href="https://twitter.com/britney_spheres">Oliver Ristau </a>and Shawn Starr. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You became the marketing director of 2dcloud this year. What are your thoughts on marketing, both as a marketer and as someone being marketed to?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Walking around downtown Toronto I was struck by the amount of signage that in a comparable American city would have been legible, with Patagonia meaning one thing and American Apparel meaning another, but here replaced with Canadian brands I'd never heard of. There is a typography underlying language that, once the meaning becomes monolithic, comes to the fore as characteristic of expression. Most of the typography is also monolithic but at least this arena is open to play.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Framing seems like an important aspect of 3 Books. The introductions create a specific "context" for the work, but also the way you frame the images on the page adds another aspect. How much do you think the frame affects the way we view the object being framed? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Installation shots are a display of power. Especially when the work itself seems unredeemable. It's a neat effect, a sort of sleight of hand, like when high fashion uses ugly models. We focus on the figure while the ground transforms it, leaving us disoriented, our sense of judgement suspended. That's one intent, at least. There's also the effects of circulation, how things move through different contexts, how that rubs off on the text. How the text can act as a sort of isotope we can track as it moves through various social bodies. Comics is in this inbetween place that gatekeepers of other scenes can't wrap their heads around. It's a weak position but, maybe as a result, it's horizontal. I can release my omnibus with 2dcloud and Leslie Weibeler can release her poetry book with Sonatina. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What are your thoughts on repetition? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It's the basis for any comprehension that unfolds through time.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What do you think of Terry Richardson?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What can you do ultimately? If you're qwoc you can participate in this representative system we have, liberalism. Your voice will channel many unheard voices. There is a moral demand for these voices to be heard. The need is tokenizing but you can play with this, use this platform and be used by it. It's not ideal but what would be better? There's a number of readings of anything but there's a certain default we are all aware of, that of clickbait, tabloids, reality TV, YouTube comments: women's bodies. And 'women' here being shorthand for young white women. It can be a woman with her back to us looking at an abstract painting, it doesn't matter. This is the currency. As I get older I feel less aware of reality as a state of flux. I look at how it exists, where it might be headed in the near future, when the next iPhone comes out. I've lost a sense of imagination. I've moved away from children as subjects because they skirt these issues. That's their main function really. There was some criticism of Amalia Ulman, like, is her work feminist or antifeminist? I could imagine an artist who works for decades in a feminist capacity that attracts little attention. And I could also imagine this same artist producing a single 'antifeminist' work that goes viral and everyone is asking, should we be paying attention to this? The allegations against Terry Richardson were reported as clickbait. Or at least this is how they circulated. Titillating copy packaged as moral outrage. It's just the same currency, in this case a sort of behind-the-scenes narrative aspect of its production, presented in a moral documentary framework. Assuming we're stuck with this currency, as we're stuck with patriarchy, all we can hope to do is redistribute it to those that have so far been exploited by it. But is that accomplished by authorship? At some point a sort of lesbian separatism seems to be the only way out. This is how I read Sophia Foster Domino's recent work. If there were men in these stories they just wouldn't work. That to me is an integral part of the fantasy. A group show of women curated by a woman exhibited in a gallery owned by a woman. That's getting somewhere. But as you can imagine, these things aren't airtight, there's always someone profiting, and men are in the best position to profit, so why wouldn't they? The question of what men should do isn't so compelling in a social justice sense. I don't really agree with any of the suggestions I've heard, other than basic ones like stop talking. Ultimately I don't believe change is possible. In terms of redistribution, wealth only begets more wealth. Giving it away is only going to give you moral wealth. Look at Germany. Your inheritance is all you ever have to work with. Melancholy is the basic political identity. But I don't really feel sad about it. It's more boring than anything.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do you think about being old sometimes?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Yeah. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What does the New York Public Library mean to you? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nothing in particular.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Is Mowgli, Kipling's colonial boy, a comment on cultural appropriation or the imbalance of power between the sexes?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I just feel such a strong affection for him. Brown boy who hates society. It's my favorite Disney movie.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="tumblr_ns59kq1e8p1r9wcfho1_1280.jpg" height="936px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/TAM7x_GjTFrTKOcqJ9o_YPNNW1X_aq3mo03HGKx6zexDFeXnRUmCHE_Zr4f1h9OIluSL0xupuDSyXUykcpZidljMAHRuqHNDGW7aW-cjiqeuxpRpHsBYhRrgyy84-S9YIw=s1600" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624px;" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do image overlays represent Blaise Larmee? Is Blaise Larmee your real name? Is Chateau Marmont the place where you live?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We’re all avatars for the public’s desires. There’s really no way around it. We can deconstruct and reassemble these desires in ways that seem more open, more inclusive, but it all adds up to the same thing. Inheritance. Privilege. We have these mechanisms for understanding but we still can’t do much with it, other than increase our empathetic capacities, possibly allowing pleasure to enter our lives in ways it otherwise wouldn’t, allowing for opportunities we wouldn’t otherwise notice, but always with that same underlying scheme in mind. I'm not saying this scheme rules our lives entirely but in the realm of the public it dominates. And publications are public, of course. It's the language I speak.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3 Books is described by your publisher as “a collection of drawings, a photo book, and a catalogue of paintings” but not a “comic.” Do you make comics ? How do you feel about 3 Books being read in the context of comics?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'll always make comics and I'll always be disappointed with its limits.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What do you see as the limits of “comics” as a term? </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Well, comics is a fan community. It's perhaps more about personal health than anything else. I'm beyond trashing it. There's a reason I'm a part of it. R.H Quaytman mentions how books allow one to create their own architecture in which to present their work. That degree of control is necessary on a health level for me. But then there's the architecture of spx. Tents set up in a hotel. These are fairs more than festivals. The festive element is like this awful weight attached, a sense that showing up is half the work. The best shows are the ones where no money is made. But where do you go from there?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bill Blackbeard’s collection lives on in libraries, TJC print editions are over,</span><a href="http://cometscomets.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Comets Comets</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is now a Russian tech site, and tumblr posts from years ago can suddenly reappear and become new again. How do you view art history, or more specifically comics history, in the post-net world?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The stage is certainly set in comics for a lot of history being made. That’s the message that’s been building and seems to have culminated in this last spx.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What aspect of tumblr is most interesting to you in relation to comics and/or art?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I think the notes are interesting.</span></div>
Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-85873565812030498272015-10-03T20:41:00.000-07:002017-10-24T15:49:49.232-07:00Pile of Art<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I always like looking at other peoples stuff so here's some of mine. </div>
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This is the majority of my art collection. It's in no particular order. </div>
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(Also if any artist who's work appears here wants me to take it down just yell at me.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXv2ubSKQrvYPYl2Nsqg-z7QvRK7XvpAIjD_fEIXjAnYojIamh_JP6NUEMrDuvNMx72IiS8JmMz1ikGS-gef7TvZd37V6Ub2b3pN59HHYJSTvU8I4woVkebnJF_ie70Ok5Pku5xtjCxI/s1600/IMG_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXv2ubSKQrvYPYl2Nsqg-z7QvRK7XvpAIjD_fEIXjAnYojIamh_JP6NUEMrDuvNMx72IiS8JmMz1ikGS-gef7TvZd37V6Ub2b3pN59HHYJSTvU8I4woVkebnJF_ie70Ok5Pku5xtjCxI/s640/IMG_0043.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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By <a href="http://cathyboy.tumblr.com/">Cathy G. Johnson</a><br />
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During the Baltimore protests over <span class="st">Freddie Gray's death Cathy offered free drawings to anyone that donated to a bail fund for protesters. I thought that was a good idea and so here is the drawing i got. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIjpzFUAcmS3yIIipOcMgOTpasw1iotDU4O3yL6fTUwp_x-2VHTwpzdlXaQudC8fgRgVLkSajDYp0yn6jdzcu8eDZFxf82acibecjpFpjRy_2NCgiqFQgRf1eHc90HQ2nNz14LyRT0hc/s1600/IMG_0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIjpzFUAcmS3yIIipOcMgOTpasw1iotDU4O3yL6fTUwp_x-2VHTwpzdlXaQudC8fgRgVLkSajDYp0yn6jdzcu8eDZFxf82acibecjpFpjRy_2NCgiqFQgRf1eHc90HQ2nNz14LyRT0hc/s640/IMG_0044.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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By <a href="http://www.bmfu.net/">Ben Urkowitz</a>.<br />
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This was a commission from a few months ago. Ben suggested using the "Gary Panter" short prompt for coming up with a piece, so i picked a quote from Godards <i>Masculine Feminine </i>"This film could be called The Children of Marx and Coca-Cola." My favorite part is that they're pepsi logo's and not coke.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIqp4ANgdhVWI5xjjCPZnKYCBv5IuLcYQb4lJXCg1sV0CCw5ht-GglZQ1-_mEcLhOnVRASKMRxlvxnAbLPi9d-9ONpCM0uJbol8R1WaFpib21FkP_w5R8J6TvDz9Uzd3nm1iQT0g2h4o/s1600/IMG_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIqp4ANgdhVWI5xjjCPZnKYCBv5IuLcYQb4lJXCg1sV0CCw5ht-GglZQ1-_mEcLhOnVRASKMRxlvxnAbLPi9d-9ONpCM0uJbol8R1WaFpib21FkP_w5R8J6TvDz9Uzd3nm1iQT0g2h4o/s640/IMG_0042.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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By <a href="http://sammyharkham.storenvy.com/">Sammy Harkham</a><br />
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This is the original pencils to the cover of <a href="http://www.copaceticcomics.com/comics/comics-comics-3">Comics Comics 3</a>. Comics Comics is pretty big for me, and Sammy Harkham is even bigger so this seemed like an ideal purchase. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-ic8RuV6ceBNkLDrxM08YlsnjjBV71IC2IR7FSOvH6vzE3tELhyphenhyphenIc0kVUuydafRovT26rvFVz2qF3WwPyhnx2K-G-yr8FTF0USXIW97NKRbgMSCZ6I2Gw67ffAej72NjichJnRLjSTs/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-ic8RuV6ceBNkLDrxM08YlsnjjBV71IC2IR7FSOvH6vzE3tELhyphenhyphenIc0kVUuydafRovT26rvFVz2qF3WwPyhnx2K-G-yr8FTF0USXIW97NKRbgMSCZ6I2Gw67ffAej72NjichJnRLjSTs/s640/IMG_0040.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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By <a href="http://www.seanphillips.co.uk/">Sean Phillips </a><br />
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I was really into The Invisibles in college.<br />
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By <a href="http://www.cliffchiang.com/">Cliff Chiang </a><br />
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This was bought before all that Brian Wood stuff came out...and also him working with Brian Scabby Scab Watchmen. I still enjoy Chaing's work, but he should really stop working with people named Brian.<br />
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By <a href="http://whitecomics.bigcartel.com/">Andrew White</a><br />
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I got one of these as an up-charge for buying <a href="http://whitecomics.bigcartel.com/product/this-is-a-brick-wall">This Is A Brick Wall </a>and the other for pre-ordering his book M. I enjoy how White is playing around with the overlaying of panels / symbols in his art. <br />
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By <a href="http://davidhockney.tumblr.com/">Blaise Larmee</a><br />
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This was one of the early rewards for pre-ordering <a href="http://2dcloud.com/">2DClouds </a>fall collection. There were about five or six different prints you could pick and this seemed like the one least likely to cause strange conversations when hung on a wall. <br />
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<a href="http://crepusculararchives.tumblr.com/"><br /></a>
<a href="http://crepusculararchives.tumblr.com/">By <span class="st">Conor </span><span class="st">Stechschulte </span></a><br />
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<span class="st">Conor posts these really beautiful water color paintings on Tumblr that he charges way to little for. This is one of them. </span><br />
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By <a href="http://lizprincepower.com/">Liz Prince</a><br />
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I *think* this is the first commission i ever got at a con. It's of Mad Man if you couldn't tell. <br />
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By <a href="http://joshuahallsimmons.blogspot.com/">Josh Simmons </a><br />
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This is from one of Josh Simmons mini's for Oily Comics. It's a quintessential Simmons page, meaning it's exploration of power dynamics scares the living shit out of me.<br />
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By <a href="http://joshuahallsimmons.blogspot.com/">Josh Simmons</a><br />
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I came home from classes one day to a random email from Josh Simmons asking if I'd be willing to trade a stack of Jack Kirby 2001 comics for a painting. If you couldn't guess i accepted the trade. <br />
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By <a href="http://www.thorazos.net/">Julia Gfrorer </a><br />
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This is one of Julia Gfrorer's very reasonably priced $40 "small" commissions. It's a still from <span class="_Xbe kno-fv">Carl Theodor Dreyer's <i>The Passion of Joan of Arc</i>. My favorite part of this piece is Julia's ability to capture the grace and underlining sorrow in Maria Falconetti's eyes. </span><br />
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By <a href="http://jasonoverby.tumblr.com/">Jason Overby </a><br />
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If you were one of the first 20 buyers of Jason's new book <a href="http://gridlords.storenvy.com/products/14356125-the-being-being">The Being Being </a>you got a small little drawing. The books good enough to buy without the added bonus of a drawing though. <br />
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By <a href="http://ryancecilsmith.com/">Ryan Cecil Smith </a><br />
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Random package filler. I like the colors. <br />
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By <a href="http://michelfiffe.com/">Michel Fiffe </a><br />
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Michel's been doing these pre-colored sketchcard/canvas's at cons recently that always look amazing. So when he offered a limited number on his website i snatched one up. It's of Lone Wolf. Although the eyes of Meifumado should have already given that away.<br />
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By <a href="http://charlesforsman.com/?page_id=37">Charles Forsman</a>.<br />
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Chucks one of my favorite cartoonists out there. Captain Easy's one of my favorite characters of all time. So yeah....<br />
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By <a href="http://www.garypanter.com/site/">Gary Panter</a><br />
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I got this from the <a href="http://comicscourse00.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2015-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2016-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=50&zx=79cdd29b0cd6ab90">Santoro silent auctions going on right now. </a>It was a "i doubt i'll win it but might as well try" bet that ended up going my way miraculously. <br />
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By <a href="http://joshbayer.com/">Josh Bayer</a><br />
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Josh Bayer will pretty much throw a giant ink drawing in with any purchase from his site. That dude's an art machine. This one came with his book on horror comics/horror cartoonists Birth of Horror. <br />
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By <a href="http://plslala.storenvy.com/">Lala Alberts</a><br />
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I like that Lala's work has an uncomfortable relationship towards identity and sex. <br />
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By John Pham <br />
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This is a print you got if you ordered Epoxy #4 from John through some weird paypal exchange i'm still not sure how i heard about. I think it was mentioned on Comic Books are Burning in Hell. <br />
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By <a href="http://franksantoro.tumblr.com/">Frank Santoro </a><br />
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Santoro comes from the <a href="http://www.copaceticcomics.com/comics">Copacetic Comics </a>tradition of being an excellent packer of postal goods. This was drawn on the cardboard surrounding the Brian Chippendale piece shown bellow. As a heads up to any cartoonists i will keep any postal item you doodle on. <br />
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By <a href="http://brianchippendale.storenvy.com/">Brian Chippendale </a><br />
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Another "i guess i might as well try and bet on it" item from the aforementioned Santoro auctions. Based on the description i guess it's a sketch of Frank bartering with people over old comics at SPX a few years ago. <br />
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By <a href="http://ryancecilsmith.com/">Ryan Cecil Smith</a><br />
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This was a t-shirt design for the band Shiggy Jr. I have no clue who the band is but i liked the art enough to buy it. <br />
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By <a href="http://gingerlandcomics.com/">Sam Alden </a><br />
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Sam has to be one of the top four people doing comics right now, and he's definitely the best person working in pencils. This is fan art of Sayoko Hagiwara. It's drawn on some kind of paper i've never felt before that's super light and fragile feeling. I'm grateful it survived the drawing process.<br />
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<a href="https://paom.com/products/0000000p-sayoko-hagiwara-2/">You can buy a sweater with the image on it to if you are so inclined</a>. <br />
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By <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/173143662/theodicy-postcard-with-original-drawing?ref=shop_home_feat_1">Julia Gfrorer </a><br />
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My blog refuses to let me invert this picture, but it's of Gfrorer's $10 surprise postcard drawings. I like how they just show up in your mailbox without the gravitas of packaging. They're just postcards.That's all.<br />
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By <a href="http://gatosaurio.com/shop.html">Ines Estrada </a><br />
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Ines kind of ripped of Julia Gfrorer's postcard idea, but it's a good idea so *shrugs*<br />
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by <a href="http://ohgigue.tumblr.com/">GG</a><br />
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This drawing was on a random card inserted into my first order from GG's <a href="http://ohgigue.tictail.com/">webstore</a>. I always love when artists do that. <br />
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By <a href="http://nsncv.tumblr.com/">Nou</a><br />
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This is an original drawing on a sticker. Like the postcard drawings i mentioned above, i kind of love the idea of original drawings on throw away objects. The sticker invokes the idea of a comics panel while relying solely on the reader to place it into a specific sequence among other objects. Also as an art object it implicitly creates the idea of the item being a "collectible" rather than a piece of "art" to be collected. It becomes a pog, not a Picasso. Whether or not it's left stuck or not.<br />
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By <a href="http://helllllen.org/">Helen Jo</a><br />
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Helen Jo draws the coolest people you never want to come across. This is a print of some of those people.<br />
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By <a href="http://unomoralez.com/">Uno Moralez</a>.<br />
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Man, what the fuck is Uno Moralez up too.<br />
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These are limited edition prints that were available with Frontier #1. As you move around the physical space of the print the image changes, replicating Moralez's gif artwork to a degree print will never be able to achieve.<br />
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They're as cool as you would think.<br />
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By Charles Forsman<br />
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These are my favorite two pages from possibly my favorite single issue ever. Forsman's line is so alive here that it just makes you feel like a teenager dancing the night away after drinking stolen vodka in a house you shouldn't be in. <br />
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By <a href="http://www.fantagraphics.com/artists/jason/">Jason </a><br />
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I have no clue how i came to own this. <br />
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By <a href="http://www.adrian-tomine.com/">Adrian Tomine </a><br />
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This sits 2ft away from my air conditioner. It reminds me of hot summers and clean sheets.<br />
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By <a href="http://www.free-cf.com/">CF</a><br />
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I got this print during the Picture-Box going out of business sale. I wish I'd bought more stuff during that...<br />
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Anyways the colors on this print are amazing. <br />
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By <a href="http://www.chrissamnee.com/">Chris Samnee </a><br />
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Samnee had a sketch blog a few years ago where he sold his warm up sketches. This one is of Guy Davis <i>The Marquis</i>. It's pretty awesome. <br />
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By <a href="http://seangordonmurphy.com/">Sean Murphy</a><br />
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I got this around the time <i>Punk Rock Jesus </i>was coming out at a convention. Murphy can draw, you gotta give him that. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTa5h2XSImeJ6ZXsp51j0Z1Dd85X5Qf1UaUUi94hDrFOirUHi7GlEzFTOfzUUi5yrQdvAwECJ3EYB7-TZhJtsHlZy94A4tTv9eqjqF9YJcqVgp4py3QrcFiZ3sQEAGkbfWBRIR-7RHlFM/s1600/IMG_0087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTa5h2XSImeJ6ZXsp51j0Z1Dd85X5Qf1UaUUi94hDrFOirUHi7GlEzFTOfzUUi5yrQdvAwECJ3EYB7-TZhJtsHlZy94A4tTv9eqjqF9YJcqVgp4py3QrcFiZ3sQEAGkbfWBRIR-7RHlFM/s640/IMG_0087.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
By <a href="http://www.benjaminmarra.com/">Benjamin Marra</a>.<br />
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Ben Marra drawing Dalton and Doc from Roadhouse. You're welcome for making this exist.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOftfx9jsscY8hcPKLWII6SPVFA3okNCibS9viEscCODD2hu7s1UCC8Pifza7bZI-M0eGOGOVVROha1DDgmL6NTaHOJLIfFW77_RlayJLUEu4zT9O4rWGjDyF9abCM9h1gTmv3KW6eKI/s1600/IMG_0088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOftfx9jsscY8hcPKLWII6SPVFA3okNCibS9viEscCODD2hu7s1UCC8Pifza7bZI-M0eGOGOVVROha1DDgmL6NTaHOJLIfFW77_RlayJLUEu4zT9O4rWGjDyF9abCM9h1gTmv3KW6eKI/s640/IMG_0088.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
By <a href="http://funrama.blogspot.com/">Ryan Kelly</a>.<br />
<br />
I have a soft spot for Ryan Kelly art. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlh1TZzTqtI6mXdxjbWiTIWFojVMO6wm9ai_vvzbrAHcmp-0MERZUm2558_KdPXJ1xhmremEf6EEDo8Pq-zZatlwPQDydj5O37fEvcfw48pp4sYAYXtdRm1ZgK3mgG6Q4hAyXIWYuPlPs/s1600/IMG_0089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlh1TZzTqtI6mXdxjbWiTIWFojVMO6wm9ai_vvzbrAHcmp-0MERZUm2558_KdPXJ1xhmremEf6EEDo8Pq-zZatlwPQDydj5O37fEvcfw48pp4sYAYXtdRm1ZgK3mgG6Q4hAyXIWYuPlPs/s640/IMG_0089.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
By <a href="http://jefflemire.blogspot.com/">Jeff Lemire </a><br />
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This is the first piece of original art i ever bought. It's also the first piece of original art most people comment upon seeing in my house.<br />
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Jeff Lemire was so good for a bit there. Remember Essex County and Lost Dogs...what happened.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXdMSLWZjtVMu_Im1hypEHdNsITEBYxrlZsHm4K5Nm6dzc9yeQm2enwB9-R5diZt_w7nSPlxfP1dgELu2D6jsPKGVyyexS9QdqJJByiOhQYGLmV_WBG9_8YolXl0wcDLu0-Q-AL9nYa0/s1600/IMG_0090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXdMSLWZjtVMu_Im1hypEHdNsITEBYxrlZsHm4K5Nm6dzc9yeQm2enwB9-R5diZt_w7nSPlxfP1dgELu2D6jsPKGVyyexS9QdqJJByiOhQYGLmV_WBG9_8YolXl0wcDLu0-Q-AL9nYa0/s640/IMG_0090.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
By <a href="http://mickeyz.org/">Mickey Z</a><br />
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This is the second page to Mickey Z's story in Thickness #2. Thickness #2 may be the best single issue of an anthology ever and this story is one of its highlights. I love that Z places her word balloons inside of her figures mouths, creating an almost breathless quality to their reading. This page is so dense and yet so readable. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEw888zyJi107NOJ83FA-LT-9hB3QUC_2aoSKF2zu46lX6CkX9poXDBXUs8eq5fr3xIal3bykHkwbH95qLezw-bGI1l0eBgM_he2vZF9_L3Q2iOTPIWQmQHVSaEYmA3URzt0SAhDvy4Cs/s1600/IMG_0091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEw888zyJi107NOJ83FA-LT-9hB3QUC_2aoSKF2zu46lX6CkX9poXDBXUs8eq5fr3xIal3bykHkwbH95qLezw-bGI1l0eBgM_he2vZF9_L3Q2iOTPIWQmQHVSaEYmA3URzt0SAhDvy4Cs/s640/IMG_0091.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
By <a href="http://comicbookalex.tumblr.com/">Alex Robinson </a><br />
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I read Box Office Poison at the perfect time to fall super in love with Box Office Poison. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFitxn3lS6j2RKHhZ8aPSKFNM_zyv2UlZiSFISPp5kWLdIZN1LczczoGIv2CBT_yzJcaAx2MHAhS8T8vYlKCW5W-jaZ_0-NjI0qjV1285pIPlw5KNq6eIGvCxq_GEo-YeclxIQl_5idCU/s1600/IMG_0092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFitxn3lS6j2RKHhZ8aPSKFNM_zyv2UlZiSFISPp5kWLdIZN1LczczoGIv2CBT_yzJcaAx2MHAhS8T8vYlKCW5W-jaZ_0-NjI0qjV1285pIPlw5KNq6eIGvCxq_GEo-YeclxIQl_5idCU/s640/IMG_0092.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
By <a href="http://www.aidankoch.com/">Aidan Koch </a><br />
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The way the shades of blue interact in this piece has always fascinated me. I don't think i have more to say than that. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2QezG7XKVR7zuiFTQyZ73i28h8QL6eO2qMDjeKaWRQMNTka97tfCpYTDAN3acdiHj8tFrQxMy8mwyTCWY30d3QiFzUhckbUWEVFaVvnh_Zat-26ui825sdTUJ021q2ZTLSLMaVY3_J8/s1600/IMG_0094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2QezG7XKVR7zuiFTQyZ73i28h8QL6eO2qMDjeKaWRQMNTka97tfCpYTDAN3acdiHj8tFrQxMy8mwyTCWY30d3QiFzUhckbUWEVFaVvnh_Zat-26ui825sdTUJ021q2ZTLSLMaVY3_J8/s640/IMG_0094.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
By <a href="http://jonnynegron.bigcartel.com/">Jonny Negron </a><br />
<br />
Just classic Jonny Negron. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRiXyNG3-028yPU8MGDwNnv4IdW9vibXr3xdiT7VDxbAnslinexyZ4sYGHenPM7QfeubOtxN5Vv2F2tIIXB-crTTHsVZPER9-HuVGEJ4Ywfc3oZxOw27S8pce5IfRspCokiBg1YiSP1E/s1600/IMG_0095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRiXyNG3-028yPU8MGDwNnv4IdW9vibXr3xdiT7VDxbAnslinexyZ4sYGHenPM7QfeubOtxN5Vv2F2tIIXB-crTTHsVZPER9-HuVGEJ4Ywfc3oZxOw27S8pce5IfRspCokiBg1YiSP1E/s640/IMG_0095.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
By Chuck Forsman.<br />
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I don't think I described this commission past James and Alyssa being in it and Chuck nailed everything i wanted out of it. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_Dpu0GZf-5F01vnMaRpzRuWZ3vW4hAZ0oJDpiTYLg0MV8GMURwT8XIp3b65n9LTyPuo4bN4hd0Tr4f0ITveMmCfDMPf822NJLCYdHZHC4FMpt-yfGS9EV0HwRm9dVfwpEwGUZQ2hOJQ/s1600/IMG_0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_Dpu0GZf-5F01vnMaRpzRuWZ3vW4hAZ0oJDpiTYLg0MV8GMURwT8XIp3b65n9LTyPuo4bN4hd0Tr4f0ITveMmCfDMPf822NJLCYdHZHC4FMpt-yfGS9EV0HwRm9dVfwpEwGUZQ2hOJQ/s640/IMG_0071.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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By <a href="http://www.beckycloonan.net/#about">Becky Cloonan </a></div>
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This is a con commission, i pretty much just said draw whatever you want. It turned out pretty well. </div>
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<br />Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-60731320642037033992015-08-27T20:58:00.002-07:002016-01-19T21:15:06.301-08:00Out Of Breath<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-764113f9-7273-8dc4-852f-d3b6ff5c94a0" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Ww0LszjaKEXStWUcpHBoNj0tMZFJzw2OqrdIGchZmoufbzfIUFNdLQVx5lk7XcHpndx4MzMSARuI9s-bKy-ayy8o73JL8vKdmIK5NluEpJhKCTg9pjeuHaSH-RelBftWHhqj8FyxHsQ/s1600/Cornella_MoxNox_Cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Ww0LszjaKEXStWUcpHBoNj0tMZFJzw2OqrdIGchZmoufbzfIUFNdLQVx5lk7XcHpndx4MzMSARuI9s-bKy-ayy8o73JL8vKdmIK5NluEpJhKCTg9pjeuHaSH-RelBftWHhqj8FyxHsQ/s640/Cornella_MoxNox_Cover.png" width="460" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.fantagraphics.com/moxnox/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Mox Nox </span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">by Joan Cornella </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is a hardcover with a soft spine. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Their is a metaphor at play in that statement, relying on Cornella’s bright and vibrant coloring, his smiling characters and the terrible events that befall them. They fail even when success dominates their existence. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mox Nox </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">is a collection of Cornella’s work, which is pretty easily describable as single page, wordless, gag strips with a mean / surrealist bend to them. You’ve probably seen a few of them floating around on the internet and laughed. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And that's what makes Mox Nox weird. The individual strips are, by and large, funny, but when set side by side with each other they never really move past their immediate nature. They even begin to become repetitious in a way they never seemed to occur when viewed on-line. The repetition of gag premises don’t work when the gags previous iteration is five pages ago, unlike on the web when they appear to show up months if not years apart.</span></div>
Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-81882482290032360322015-08-27T20:42:00.001-07:002017-12-30T20:20:52.391-08:00Find Your Love<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-f8b325b5-725a-9246-ffbb-c4b3be42fab9" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWnJ6JsczW26IIOvv5FZi-2WeBiAqsob0ytGw2f08Gdco7r0xMhTEDt-rCopGLoxKuF2oD_fHjHb8fw-lsct9o5k8QRy6-vQe9kkX_rnWIkGD1RLCpzh2xqaq3-6kaK4xDiEHrxBhnhMk/s1600/tumblr_nqflexdR4V1r9wcfho1_r3_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWnJ6JsczW26IIOvv5FZi-2WeBiAqsob0ytGw2f08Gdco7r0xMhTEDt-rCopGLoxKuF2oD_fHjHb8fw-lsct9o5k8QRy6-vQe9kkX_rnWIkGD1RLCpzh2xqaq3-6kaK4xDiEHrxBhnhMk/s640/tumblr_nqflexdR4V1r9wcfho1_r3_1280.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When you first open Blaise Larmee’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3 Books </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">you feel the spine crack. Adhesive separates and an unfamiliar noise from a new book is made. The cover and spine fold out as one single entity. You are left feeling like you broke your copy based on the first physical touch laid upon it. The thought that the book is so fragile an object of art that even opening it is enough to cause the book to self-destruct in your hands rings through your head, and then you look at the nakedness of the spine and sense that their is a purpose behind this break. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**************</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The inside front cover has a stamp that reads “The New York Public Library” and it makes you feel a sense of collective involvement. </span><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/webcam-model-streaming-sex-show-at-library-caught-in-act-1.2981531" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Like a streaming sex show in a public </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">library</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3 Books</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> keeps the reader at a distance, but begs them to actively participate in the intimacy of the moment. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**************</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[This book is dedicated to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">you</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.]</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**************</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The narrative of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3 Books </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">revolves around an art show that never came to be. Books are seized, people are blacklisted, artists flee to europe, fans have their virginity taken and and and… it doesn’t really matter. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**************</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nudes </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">opens the book. A series of quick sketches made with markers on photo-copy paper. The dialogue-less images are drawn from the artist's memories of the previous night spent with a fan/lover. That is if the intro is to believed. [It shouldn’t.] </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nudes </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">is the rawest of the book's three stories, but it sets the null-hypothesis of intimacy for the rest of the books to vary from. Its drawings are immediate and sensual.The figures, whether by themselves or together, seem at all times to be trying to pull themselves together. Struggling between themselves to become one single entity. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Both the front and back of each page in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nudes </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">is shown, so that the bleed through from the markers on the previous page create an inverse image on the page's back. The shapes on the front take on an almost abstract imagery in these bleed throughs. As lines drift and ink washes fade away there is no longer a beginning or end to these figures. Shapes are lost and figures are obscured, they become both the beast with two backs and the beast with a billion.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">They are one. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Finally.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**************</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[The further you make it the more you feel the spine slipping between your fingers.]</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**************</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipM9QzrNfzbqPoXR84HZsUtmuY7Czj3Ll_Hn6LgFa_toi-XmibeHIts0S2Dpa5kYzb7Z_o8ezwrGfH4f3FSasU2lky8hCosW70ZybxyKN-G6yZzvm9QYhvf8eOOmQKnGlUHpCJzutBMQ/s1600/tumblr_nqfow4plNU1r9wcfho2_r3_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipM9QzrNfzbqPoXR84HZsUtmuY7Czj3Ll_Hn6LgFa_toi-XmibeHIts0S2Dpa5kYzb7Z_o8ezwrGfH4f3FSasU2lky8hCosW70ZybxyKN-G6yZzvm9QYhvf8eOOmQKnGlUHpCJzutBMQ/s640/tumblr_nqfow4plNU1r9wcfho2_r3_1280.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Amateurs</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> revolves around a series of photos taken over a skype session between two partners that ends in mutual masturbation. This section is done solely in double page spreads of the skype session itself. Showing both the screen, an iMac, and the image on the desktop itself. The photos, which aren’t quite large enough to capture the whole screen, are piecemealed together though xerox printings to create single images. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Each page has a handwritten message written over the image. The intro says these are passages from a “detached letter” the book's original collected edition came with. Which means it was written after the moments displayed, but every inflection and moment of honestness in the letter is met with a reaction from the image. Each line reads like a love letter, and each reaction reads like the reaction someone being read a love letter makes. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5C6GoGjINVR29hwkMr2HbtX7EFjKQw1cz5iibwaTkTsPkO9ezkqi0fH-o5CDC3weM80IDx3lD-FWNZKbMGGEkF8Xxty0v1CgYiJ8WEzupLaTpYkwCB4nD2kNMicgWOv3cBOIlYdMGX4/s1600/tumblr_nqfiremApX1r9wcfho1_r10_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5C6GoGjINVR29hwkMr2HbtX7EFjKQw1cz5iibwaTkTsPkO9ezkqi0fH-o5CDC3weM80IDx3lD-FWNZKbMGGEkF8Xxty0v1CgYiJ8WEzupLaTpYkwCB4nD2kNMicgWOv3cBOIlYdMGX4/s640/tumblr_nqfiremApX1r9wcfho1_r10_1280.jpg" width="466" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The intersection of words and image are at the center of this section. While supposedly separated in time, the medium of comics creates only a now between image and word. They become a single moment in the reader's mind, not two separate strands operating at two separate times. A detachable letter may have accomplished this, but in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Amateurs </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">image and text become one. Comics are a medium of synthesis so, wanted or not, connections are made and time becomes one single entity within a panel.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There's something beautiful about that relation between words and images on the comics page. Words written impact images drawn and images drawn impact words written. So that words written in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Amateurs </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and the reactions of the woman displayed create their own level of sincerity for the reader to “read” into. Moments of possible truth are both met with smiles and laughs, an exchange is taking place too intimate for anyone not involved in it to understand, but Blaise allows us to try. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Even the lack of words is important, the awkward shift of a hip during a lapse in conversation. The raise of an eyebrow as a sentence lingers past the point a period should have appeared. The interplay never ends, written or not. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZAoKNXhH_k7EhYPoNMwFaOPNx4MEdq5gKq-hth_lcgBP6muSrwv9irZD8f523Q8EPK-Rzu0c86g6jVlV47xb5oM89Gf4aSsJTs2iv2BHDPT8u7Lh1CE_3MdMvjh2QYJt3v12Q6tSh-I/s1600/tumblr_nqfki3ZGPA1r9wcfho1_r1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZAoKNXhH_k7EhYPoNMwFaOPNx4MEdq5gKq-hth_lcgBP6muSrwv9irZD8f523Q8EPK-Rzu0c86g6jVlV47xb5oM89Gf4aSsJTs2iv2BHDPT8u7Lh1CE_3MdMvjh2QYJt3v12Q6tSh-I/s640/tumblr_nqfki3ZGPA1r9wcfho1_r1_1280.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3 Books </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">exists because of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ice Cream Kisses</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. 2D Cloud originally planned for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ice Cream Kisses </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">to be its own publication, it wasn’t until a delay that Larmee chose to change the project into a collection of work, rather than a solo book. But </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3 Books </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">isn’t a continuation on the idea of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ice Cream Kisses</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, it is a document of what led to the creation of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ice Cream Kisses</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Both a deconstruction and a reconstruction. Themes and ideas are explored, media is manipulated, strands of thought are let go of or extrapolated on to the nth degree. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nudes </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">is made up of simple sketches, wordless and based on the memories of the previous night. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Amateurs </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">is all words and no drawings. Photos capture the exact moments being referenced, not Larmee’s line. These two explorations of a theme coalesce in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ice Cream Kisses</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. You see both the passion and immediacy of Larmee’s line from <i>Amateurs </i>but also his ability to convey the intimacy of a moment through his words. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But while Larmee takes the strengths of his previous works he also zero’s in on other aspects of his work. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Amateurs </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">distances the reader by framing its images in an iMac screen, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ice Cream Kisses </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">inverts this idea, taking the digital and making it analogue. Photos followed paintings, and here paintings follow photos.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_7B-30xwG31fULfls55Bgq21KJ0PjCh2K0jQ0rIUfVhyphenhyphenKT29VNz8VCAtWrA_COXrf87iITYA4nCJVDkep7h-_cwkmqtwqL3z1ObK2GmYAayCtjvXdNPtT3UYy0nIf5N47cayrGIBin4/s1600/tumblr_nq82aiLhSe1r9wcfho1_r5_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_7B-30xwG31fULfls55Bgq21KJ0PjCh2K0jQ0rIUfVhyphenhyphenKT29VNz8VCAtWrA_COXrf87iITYA4nCJVDkep7h-_cwkmqtwqL3z1ObK2GmYAayCtjvXdNPtT3UYy0nIf5N47cayrGIBin4/s640/tumblr_nq82aiLhSe1r9wcfho1_r5_1280.jpg" width="476" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Every “painting” shown in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ice Cream Kisses </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">is displayed as if it was being shown in a gallery. This framing device forces the reader to "stand" a respectful distance from the art and to “view” each piece as a single entity. Randomly in the narrative you will come across a painting flanked on its right or left side by a blank page, it isn't until a few occurrences that you recognize these aren’t blank pages, but blank walls in the gallery that you are walking through. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The dialogue reads like a transcription of phone sex. (Or Skype sex.) Acts are stated in the form of directions, with body parts given precise descriptions of what will happen to them and in what order it will happen. It reads as clear, descriptive and moves with passion. You almost start skipping words so you can make it to the next one quicker. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What is shown though veers from the pure-abstraction of shapes and colors to the merly somewhat abstract. Toni Morrison, while talking about writing sex scenes in The Paris Review, stated: “Sex is difficult to write about because it’s just not sexy enough. The only way to write about it is not to write much. Let the reader bring his own sexuality into the text” By holding back on the representative nature of his art Larmee is allowing the reader to project their own ideas, under slight suggestions based on the dialogue, onto the images being shown. It turns you into an active participant in the narrative, rather than a passive observer. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**************</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3 Books </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">is
the most intimate comic i have ever read. It is also a comic in which every artistic choice is based on trying to undercut that intimacy. To
distance the reader from what's on the page and maybe even make a joke
of it. But it is never fully is capable of this. The love underlying
every word written and line drawn is too strong.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**************</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I have been thumbing through this book ever since i got it in the mail a few months ago and everytime i look at the primarily white cover i see new imperfections. The original indent a random post-worker made in its bottom right corner before it had even reached my suburban stope has become flanked with black marks of unknown origins. The white cover becomes blemished every second it exists outside of the immediate state of its creation. It becomes dirtier with every moment of human interaction. With every second on a dusty nightstand. For a book meant, in part, to distance itself</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span> every blemish its cover invites makes that all a little bit harder.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That or I have dirty fingers... </span></div>
Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-85145796850534492432015-08-27T19:52:00.000-07:002015-08-27T21:24:22.967-07:00Things I Do.<br id="docs-internal-guid-d884d290-7236-5d39-72ae-e01e44f59c09" />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9lKarvCLWFUNi6gv4hqylOGlepp8gfOiYgcxKXhmp3PM978W4DtXcUBlq3lXAe3Iwvl3YL2bGiQP03X5eaJrbymgq3SSp-8wxETj4ARF5Ky7mveDf06kRJcJPMyb0Hqeg_b6GaLKEKQ/s1600/DSC_2662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9lKarvCLWFUNi6gv4hqylOGlepp8gfOiYgcxKXhmp3PM978W4DtXcUBlq3lXAe3Iwvl3YL2bGiQP03X5eaJrbymgq3SSp-8wxETj4ARF5Ky7mveDf06kRJcJPMyb0Hqeg_b6GaLKEKQ/s640/DSC_2662.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.horizontal-press.com/shop/oh-fuck-this-weather-by-sophia-foster-dimino" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Oh, Fuck This Weather. </span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By <a href="http://www.hellophia.com/">Sophia Foster-Dimino </a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is a short comic. Spanning only eight pages and measuring in at a paltry 4” by 2.5”. A throwback to Tijuana Bibles, an early form of porn comics that are mostly known for their hacked out contents and a loose following of copyright law. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oh, Fuck This Weather </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">refines away all the crudeness of its historical predecessor though, and takes the formats limitations to the breaking point, but never suffers for it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The cover is actually the first page, and while there are five distinct actions taking place there is not a single panel border. Instead the eye is allowed to move freely from one gesture to the next, as the main character dresses and leaves her apartment. It isn’t until the final action that you refocus and realize the footprints across the bottom of the entire page belongs to the characters final action. This telegraphs the motion between her previous acts more clearly, putting on a shirt, boot’s, a jacket and opening the door that the reader had previously projected their own timing onto. By showing footprints under them though Foster-Dimino creates a second time stamp. Her own motion and timing that disrupts yours, steps instead of gestures. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In it’s economy of size Foster-Dimino refuses to create an economy of scale. Pages, layouts and moments feel as large as the broadsheets in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Building Stories, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and still as intimate as a handmade mini.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Like the format, the plot of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oh, Fuck This Weather </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">is small, a woman walks from her apartment to her girlfriends as the temperature outside nears zero. Foster-Dimino uses the woman's gripping about walking in the cold as a way of endearing the character to the reader. After a particularly nasty winter this year, it seems difficult that anyone would not feel a sense of connection with the main character. Even as the complaints mount, it’s clear she is going through with it because she cares for the person she is meeting. By joining these two thoughts, natural cold and the warmth of love (and a bath) the reader identifies immediately with the characters, it may be based on a small moment or thought, it is a universal small moment and thought. </span></div>
<br />Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-6294443373082616322015-08-10T18:54:00.000-07:002015-08-30T21:11:42.567-07:00Media Consumed In The Months Of June & July <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpY4DLXqI7fCiaaDOg7d1ymPLS6Q9XpbYSd2gkgeDy2Cztc_ISLpI0PheA0ap1_E3yYw1i2i019IxLzQHMeWa0pxG0sBV8ZHszayUVm_GhIk_NQKPQQ6oZI4a4rII7dTY5KOJoO2tJPa4/s1600/tumblr_lrs5gvvTmr1r3u23ro1_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpY4DLXqI7fCiaaDOg7d1ymPLS6Q9XpbYSd2gkgeDy2Cztc_ISLpI0PheA0ap1_E3yYw1i2i019IxLzQHMeWa0pxG0sBV8ZHszayUVm_GhIk_NQKPQQ6oZI4a4rII7dTY5KOJoO2tJPa4/s640/tumblr_lrs5gvvTmr1r3u23ro1_1280.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u><b>Film and Television</b></u><br />
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Tout Va Bien<br />
Tig<br />
Kickboxer<br />
Expendables 3<br />
Wet Hot American Summer <br />
Wet Hot American Summer - Season 1 <br />
Cleo From 5 to 7<br />
While We're Young<br />
Goodbye To Language <br />
Run All Night<br />
John Wick<br />
Mad Max: Fury Road<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pgDCkjzrDnglMZInidWR_B1RW4-8CI6X9MV4bTAY24vk0HvQh_ZKnkLbkD8TGHfgChShvZR5UJQomabHnWv-3g_NdT-R5SObGAR3-AY2a_I034mY6SZwF7z1ISBj62UQW2Xzo3jNhhA/s1600/tumblr_nruyjrIorC1u14cdbo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pgDCkjzrDnglMZInidWR_B1RW4-8CI6X9MV4bTAY24vk0HvQh_ZKnkLbkD8TGHfgChShvZR5UJQomabHnWv-3g_NdT-R5SObGAR3-AY2a_I034mY6SZwF7z1ISBj62UQW2Xzo3jNhhA/s640/tumblr_nruyjrIorC1u14cdbo1_500.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u><b>Comics</b></u><br />
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Those Goddamn Fuckers - Alec Berry & Andrew White<br />
Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus V1-5<br />
Men's Group - Ben Jones<br />
Pope Hat #4 - Ethan Riely<br />
Thickness #3 - Various<br />
Scenes From An Impending Marriage - Adrian Tomine<br />
Optic Nerve #14 - Adrian Tomine<br />
Lydian - Sam Alden<br />
Copra #21 & 22 - Michell Fiffe<br />
Worst Behavior - Simon Hanselmann<br />
Semi Vivi - GG<br />
Lovers Only - Micky Z, Cathy G. Johnson & Sophia Foster-Dimino <br />
Senin Crap #1-4 - Berlic<br />
Oh, Fuck This Weather - Sophia Foster-Dimino <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9KpDG8ZqNvLceG_uTQ1s1uKhHIoTqMvuYvO6yB1d0yHEUW5J6fO2Mkh2ZOxyWeiSrhA74IC9Jf0DMdkDIJBphqXyAHMB-Kd5EpEL-mSiNUtGCJ9AztEULO_ZV14x9DXCJtBRZo_mPBI/s1600/fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9KpDG8ZqNvLceG_uTQ1s1uKhHIoTqMvuYvO6yB1d0yHEUW5J6fO2Mkh2ZOxyWeiSrhA74IC9Jf0DMdkDIJBphqXyAHMB-Kd5EpEL-mSiNUtGCJ9AztEULO_ZV14x9DXCJtBRZo_mPBI/s640/fire.jpg" width="422" /></a></div>
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<u><b>Books</b></u><br />
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The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - Michael Chabon<br />
End Zone - Don Dellio<br />
The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin<br />
Between The World And Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates<br />
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(im missing stuff these months due to bad book keeping) Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-80236105836132363162015-07-28T23:08:00.001-07:002015-07-28T23:08:32.340-07:00Interview: Steve Blatchford <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Steve Blatchford is the co-founder of zco.mx. A comics sharing site focused on alt-comics.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What led you to starting zco.mx?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I gave a long-winded answer to a similar question in an interview with </span><a href="http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/06/30/bringing-cartoonists-together-build-audience-talking-zco-mx-creator-steve-blatchford/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Bleeding Cool </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. But in that interview I should have also mentioned a few other things that inspired the project:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I've read all of </span><a href="http://hotelfred.blogspot.ca/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Roger Langridge's</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> over the years, and there have been two or three that really stuck with me. Specifically, he talks about being grateful for the commercial work he's received, but also describes a feeling of frustration around his own work not being able to support him in the same way.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There was an Australian comics podcast called NonCanonical that ran for many years. One of the hosts, Joe Morris, got me into local Aussie cartoonists as well as </span><a href="http://studygroupcomics.com/main/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Zack Soto's site Study Group</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Zack's site had a huge impact on wanting to build a similar site.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I've listened to a number of interviews with </span><a href="http://koyamapress.com/about-2" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Annie Koyama </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">as well, and her proactive, down-to-earth attitude has definitely had a positive effect on me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After a couple of months of working on the site, I also read an interview with Bill Watterson, and one of his answers was particularly motivating at the time. It was in an </span><a href="http://library.osu.edu/blogs/cartoons/2014/03/20/new-interview-calvin-hobbes-creator-bill-watterson-and-cul-de-sac-creator-richard-thompson-talk-libraries-comics-and-the-creative-process-with-ohio-state/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">interview </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">he did with Jenny Robb of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library, where he wrote: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Anyone can publish now, and there are no restrictions of taste, approach, or subject matter. The gatekeepers are gone, so the prospect for new and different voices is exciting. Or at least it will be if anyone reads them. And it will be even more exciting if anyone pays for them. It's hard to charge admission without a gate.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I've seen a lot of criticism of Tumblr popping up recently from cartoonists, particularly over the lack of context Tumblr’s interface provides their work. zco.mx is very stripped down compared to other websites. Almost isolating-ly so. How intentional was this design choice?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Since the project is not-for-profit, we don't have to balance profitability with the design -- things like branding (eg., large logo, top left corner), placement of ads, etc. We decided to try and keep things simple and really let the comics take the center stage, along with any information about the cartoonists and their books.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At the end of each comic you provide the reader a way to directly contribute to the creator. As simple an addition as this is it was an odd reminder that you can give cartoonists money outside of the traditional print model. How important was that ability to directly contribute to creators for you, especially in such a simple way?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We showed an early version of the site to </span><a href="https://twitter.com/bkny" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Bill Kartalopoulos</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and he urged us to try and include proper book metadata on the site. We knew we'd need to include an indicia page for that, and the only nice spot for it to go was at the very end of each book. We decided to use the extra space to remind readers that they can give money to the cartoonist and link back to the cartoonist’s site to buy a physical copy of the book.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The design on that page might actually need more work -- we’re hoping it’s not overbearing for readers. It's difficult to know what needs to be changed or to gauge success at this point because there just aren't enough readers yet.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You allow the individual reader to choose if they want to read the comics on your site horizontally, but also as a single vertical scroll. Both of these modes, at least for me, change the way I read and view a comic. Was it important to you to implement both of these ways of reading?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The default is set by the cartoonists, so if you open a comic and it's set to scroll, that's how they intended it to be read. That said, it was important to give readers a choice. Some readers prefer one style of navigation over another. In general, up until recently, page-by-page style navigation online has been very clunky. For readers who prefer this type of navigation, we tried really hard to make it as smooth as the scrolling style. One feature of the slider we implemented (which isn't obvious) is that you can use the left/right arrow keys to turn the page.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How does zco.mx go about acquiring work, and, as a non-profit, do you pay your contributors?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Most of the time needed to create the site has been donated. </span><a href="https://zco.mx/z/expenses" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">We list our expenses on the site</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. When/if we have a surplus of money, we'd poll the cartoonists about how they would want it to be spent.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Just scrolling through the list of cartoonists I find myself being unaware of probably a third of them. Which is really impressive to me. Since zco.mx is curated by you and Jim Karsten, I wonder how you go about finding work.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Curation has been done by many people, knowingly and unknowingly. I think most people would agree that all cartoonists are underappreciated, but I asked </span><a href="http://whatthingsdo.com/authors/jordan-crane/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Jordan Crane </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and </span><a href="http://marcbelldept.blogspot.ca/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Marc Bell </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">who they felt were under-underappreciated, and they each gave me a list. They also contacted quite a few cartoonists themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">David from </span><a href="http://komikss.lv/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">kuš</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">! put me in touch with many European cartoonists. He's been very supportive of the project. Also, the blog posts that </span><a href="http://leftmewantingmore.blogspot.ca/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">you</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span><a href="http://www.sequentialstate.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Alex Hoffman</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span><a href="http://www.comicsandcola.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Zainab Akhar </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and </span><a href="http://www.brokenfrontier.com/author/andyo/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Andy Oliver </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">publish do have a big impact, and Tom's OTBP on </span><a href="http://www.comicsreporter.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Comics Reporter </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">posts always get a look. Podcasts like </span><a href="http://www.inkstuds.org/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Inkstuds</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span><a href="http://comicsforgrownups.tumblr.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Comics for Grownups</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span><a href="http://comicsinhell.libsyn.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Comic Books Are Burning In Hell</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and </span><a href="http://makeitthentelleverybody.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Make It Then Tell Everybody </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">are really important. I also ask the cartoonists themselves who they feel should be on the site.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Webcomics as a means of distribution has had varying levels of support from artists and publishers, as someone running a site dedicated to sharing comics on the web, what do you view as the particular benefits of the web as a distribution center compared to print, especially in the realm of small press comics.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I think both web and print are part of the same ecosystem. Some readers are only going to read work via one of these distribution methods, while others are going to be active in one or more -- Tumblr, curated sites (e.g., Study Group/zco.mx), cartoonists’ websites, self-published comics and platforms (including Kickstarter), micro-presses and small publishers (e.g., Fantagraphics, D&Q, Koyama, etc.).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The web is a great place for readers to become familiar with a cartoonist’s work. From a distribution point of view, it's also practically free and has the potential to reach billions of people. I think the past four or five years have shown us that higher demand for a work digitally means higher demand for it on paper as well.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">zco.mx seems to function as an advocate of open sourcing. You both allow for the torrenting of all the work you publish, but also facilitate artists in the creation of creative commons contracts for their work. How much do you see this freedom to share as an integral part of the internet as a platform, and what do you see as its role in the current state of art (and comics)?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Creative Commons (CC) licences are great in that they are a patch over a seriously broken copyright system. Cartoonists no longer have to take the time to grant people the same permissions over and over. All the CC licences allow people to distribute work as long as the creator's name is attached to it. </span><a href="http://kb.zco.mx/cc" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">A summary of these licences can be found here.</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Open-source software (OSS) has taught me a lot, not just with programming but its philosophy as well. Everyone can share and work on a project and then compete in how they use the software. One example is web servers. The vast majority of the Internet runs on either Apache or Nginx, both OSS. Hundreds of people, some from competing corporations, work together to make sure these two pieces of software are bug-free and secure. How we all use these web servers is where we can compete.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I think small presses and self-publishing cartoonists could follow in these footsteps -- present the work clearly and together to prospective readers and differentiate themselves through style, content and printing (e.g., riso vs litho, silk screen vs laser, paper grade, size, etc.).</span></div>
Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-14203909461312543272015-07-20T19:35:00.000-07:002015-07-20T19:35:38.750-07:00Interview: Alex Degen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2YKEQdB441WdXgV-ZC6XftfWn1qGtDnUb8UGzaN_BFEOaGz-4y01p6YllAMf8hkWtLccOfsdEvnQmhQKS2IaoDULTVhz36nRQ5vOeTIb5DZUPKum0OjG_0a4x136MFGnWKV3tufe9r0/s1600/tumblr_nnxfxhjdw71tyhqkfo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2YKEQdB441WdXgV-ZC6XftfWn1qGtDnUb8UGzaN_BFEOaGz-4y01p6YllAMf8hkWtLccOfsdEvnQmhQKS2IaoDULTVhz36nRQ5vOeTIb5DZUPKum0OjG_0a4x136MFGnWKV3tufe9r0/s640/tumblr_nnxfxhjdw71tyhqkfo1_1280.jpg" width="452" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://adactivity.tumblr.com/">Alex Degen is a cartoonist</a>. His most recent comic </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mighty Star: and the Castle of the Cancatervater </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">was published by Koyama Press. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This Interview was conducted by <a href="https://twitter.com/britney_spheres">Oliver Ristau </a>and Shawn Starr. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I finished reading </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Godard on Godard </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">a few months ago and in it, during an elongated interview with </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cahiers du Cinema</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, Godard speaks about how the shift from silent film to “talkies” resulted in a mass unlearning of several essential qualities of silent film. While comics never underwent such a major change (or any depending on what you define “as” comics) you’re one of the few artists I can think of who works primarily in “silent” comics. Recently though you have been introducing words to your work. Do you see any loss, or possibly gain, between silent and “dialogued” comics, both narratively and artistically. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don't want to reject the premise of the question outright but I'm not sure if I know or believe in any essential qualities of anything, that seems like it would turn into a conversation about labels or some kind of socratic dialogue where we figure out art has no feathers and casts two shadows.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I do like silent movies a lot. But the change from silent to talkies was based in technology. If I remember correctly people like Chaplin initially pushed back against the idea. The idea of the tramp having a voice, that would place him in a specific culture or place.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I read somewhere that silent films were very international and easy to localize and translate because the only thing that needed to be changed were the title and story cards. And in the silent age the idea of a movie was less formalized and the presentation and audience engagement was really different across cultures. Like how in Japan they had Benshi, who were a mixture of narrators and actors, an evolutionary offshoot of storytellers and kabuki chorus. Akira Kurosawa's older brother was a Benshi and was instrumental in Kurosawa's interest and understanding of film.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As long as we're talking movie stuff let me hit you back with this interview I read from from 1967, where Gerard Malanga asked the director Jack Smith (Flaming Creatures, etc.) "Do you ever worry about a particular subtlety in your films not being understood?" Smith responded "How can you not - you know- understand the movements and the gestures?" You could say that Smith was being cagey, maybe aggressively anti-academic or a-literate, but I respect the conviction he has in his work and the good faith he has in the viewer.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I think the above quote speaks to the reasons I like to make silent comics. I like jokes where you put the punchline together in your head, where it is not telegraphed. I like art with enough open space to allow me to inhabit it. Not a simple thing to read, look at, hear, and then move on knowing I have "got" it. Something to revisit. Something that isn't a delivery system to a simple idea, a slogan, a riddle. This is what I'm trying to do. Because it is narrative work it will have a form and a direction, a beginning and an end. But hopefully there is enough mystery, in the sense of satisfyingly un-answered and un-answerable questions, inconsistencies, parts that aim at something larger that exists off the page. If ideas exist in the work they exist alongside conflicting ideas, with doubt and distraction, the work itself is not a delivery system for these ideas, but an experience of them, if this makes sense? The stories I tell are simple ones anyway. They have to be, because I can't voice any external or internal words in and around the characters. But luckily sometimes I seem to pull it off and readers care about these characters, and understand the story, the themes, the feelings.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I believe in the power of this form, the silent comic, and am trying to get better at conveying complex feelings and concepts with it. Because when it connects it seems to connect with readers on a deep level. I was surprised just how invested people were in the first book-length silent comic I did, AREACC. That made me want to try to make more long-form silent work.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The most recent book-length comic I made with words in it is THE PHILOSOPHER </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://snakebombcomix.storenvy.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">(available from snakebomb, please read it)</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and it is a strange book. Because it is made up of two parts, which at first don't seem to be explicitly connected: a story about a 'garden' in reference to the pardes legend from ancient rabbinical texts and a story about a philosopher working on a thesis about human progress at the dawn of a 20th century-like age. Both are narrated, the first in stilted, possibly poorly translated religious language (with the words seeming to be the long shadows cast by older words in other languages) and the second as an almost clinical study or abstract in an encyclopedia. This book is a companion piece to Mighty Star, and focuses on the villain in mighty star, a character who is more of a presence than an actor in the story, the character called The Philosopher.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So I attempted to write this book in the same way that I would do a 'silent' comic. Meaning that I wanted to provide the pieces and the ideas, some of them hard to convey beyond just a feeling, as a creeping feeling and realization in the reader. The narration, literally the text on the page, is there as the thing that moves the story forward. But the actual questions and meanings are not outright telegraphed in the words. Not sure if any of this makes sense in description. I'm also not sure if this is a good way to make comics. But oh well. I think the book ended up being very good.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Because THE PHILOSOPHER has words on the page I can deal in concepts and ideas without having to literally stage and introduce and show them, unlike if it was a silent comic. I think that might be the main difference between silent comics and comics with words in them, for me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And as for Godard, I really like his early work up to "Two or Three Things I Know About Her". I remember seeing Alphaville as a teen and being surprised it was 4 decades old, it felt so alive and strange, so current even if the cars and hairstyles weren't.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mighty Star's uninterrupted flowing artwork reminded me conceptually of stuff done by Andreas (Germany) or Alex Niño (Philippines), so here's the annoying question about your favorite record (or file) and clothing label.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I think the flowing artwork and the constant action comes both from the fact that the work is silent and because I got really used to making short comics for anthologies with strict page limits. Hopefully in the future I can make longer comics with more quiet and static scenes. Though I hope I never make a comic with talking heads talking back and forth.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I like all types of music, same as everyone my age and older and younger. I like calypso. I like the Misfits. I like dancehall reggae of the late 80s early 90s. I like Wu-tang. I like the Talking Heads. I can't claim my authority or authenticity about my involvement in or appreciation of this music because I didn't make these songs, but I like having these songs, and hearing them.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I used to wear t-shirts with pictures and words on them but then I was at an event where everyone was wearing similar t-shirts. It was a sponsored event with ads on the DJ booths and monitors flashing words and pictures. Considering I was not being paid to be there or wear t-shirts with words and pictures on them I decided to stop wearing t-shirts with words and pictures on them. I started wearing 20 dollar button down shirts that were made in America, and black pants. This seemed to work for a good while though sometimes I got teased about it being my 'uniform'. Eventually the shirts got more expensive, and they were being made in Nicaragua (and this only bothered me because I doubt they were paying the Nicaraguans very well), and they slapped giant logos on the shirts for no reason. I looked on the internet and I could still get the shirts I liked, without logos, but they were sold by uniform companies, so I had to own up to it being a uniform. Also I was briefly dating a girl who was very fashionable and she said that she liked my clothes, but the colors sometimes made me look like a 'janitor'. Or I guess the word she used would be 'custodian', but that includes 'janitor'. So after all of this I just started wearing cheap black shirts and pants. I think I thought it would be some kind of negation, some choice that wasn't a choice or declaration. Now my friends tease me about how I wear all black. So there's no escape. Maybe next year I will dress like those NASCAR guys with all the logos and start from the beginning. Maybe I can get sponsored.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Superheroes, kid detectives, phantoms/mummies and self-improving automatons, what's your goal in life?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I'm sure I had a goal in life at one point but I don't remember what it was. I have a few, maybe, still. These goals are so simple putting them down in writing might jinx them. I don't know. Be a better person, make better art. Get paid. Quit smoking. Eat better. Fall in love again. etc.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_W0AOa-EWZFDSLdmrDBFaCjTCKQErjgwej9vu50ut51foTfgSn4fMCA2ie720gP-Jp6sOE9uhsGcB7keRyWggTUck7RdJynQhffYtpKspEhA-Qt8x0u0VfYLxbY9xCx4TfkcDFFci70/s1600/tumblr_noypiuBIAp1rwdxzqo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_W0AOa-EWZFDSLdmrDBFaCjTCKQErjgwej9vu50ut51foTfgSn4fMCA2ie720gP-Jp6sOE9uhsGcB7keRyWggTUck7RdJynQhffYtpKspEhA-Qt8x0u0VfYLxbY9xCx4TfkcDFFci70/s640/tumblr_noypiuBIAp1rwdxzqo1_1280.jpg" width="526" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Besides McCloud and smashing ancient monuments to pieces like ISIS, what does sculpting mean to you?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I work entirely in 2d and think of my pages as being 2d planes. I guess you're referring to how I draw a lot of broken statuary?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It's not just ISIS smashing monuments, it's something that's been going on my whole life. I was alive when the Taliban destroyed the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan, when the Soviet Union fell and we saw the wall come down and the statues of Lenin taken down. Later after the invasion of Iraq I saw the staged photo op where they tore down the statues of Saddam Hussein, and to make sure we didn't miss it, the commentators made the connection between the toppled Hussein statue and the fall of the Lenin statues with the fall of the Soviet Union, because in the illogic of that war, where our leaders forced a connection between Iraq and the September 11 attacks, why not make 'victory' in Iraq a decisive retroactive victory in the cold war? (The language surrounding America's invasion of Iraq was put in the terms of 'liberation', to echo the US' involvement in Europe in World War 2, and the people selling us that war evoked an image of Iraqis greeting US forces with flowers. Then there was the shitshow when Hussein himself was executed and his hanged body was torn down from the gallows like an idol) Three years ago in Ukraine I saw the Lenin statues torn down again. Last month in Donetsk, Russian backed separatists began destroying art spaces, smashing a large smokestack that was made to look like a tube of lipstick, burning books with naked pictures in them. The language the separatists use seem to echo Nazi sentiment, the destruction of perverse and unhealthy art made by people who on a racial and spiritual level are bankrupt of true spirit.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So I use a lot of statues in my work. A simple explanation comes from two poems I was made to read as a kid. </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.online-literature.com/shelley_percy/672/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Shelley's Ozymandias </span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and </span><a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/2046" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Sandburg's the Hammer</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There is the obvious 'mono no aware' and 'lacrimae rerum' aspect to depictions of old and broken things. But that's not the whole of it for me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I like statues and monuments because they are of an age, of that age's culture, of a time's logic, and because of this, of the present. Parts in an exhausting cycle of icons and iconoclasm, rise and fall, flowering and cataclysm. The way a culture and a time dreams itself and its world. I was lucky enough to be taken to museums a lot as a kid. And saw these statues in various levels of intact and broken. At the Brooklyn and Metropolitan museums I saw the treasures of the world at eye level in silent rooms, and I didn't have any context for them. Perseus naked and beautiful holding up Medusa's severed head, Akkadian Lamassu that looked both kind and frightening, suits of armor, Hopi Kachina that looked like robots or astronauts to me, rooms of sad looking saints with their eyeballs on plates or their skin flayed off, the benevolent smile of the Nyorai, beautiful roman statues intact, with limbs missing, just limbs and heads, broken jugs and plates with paintings on them, frightening warrior deities attending to a bodhisattva, cooking utensils, netsuke, giant scrolls of cloudy mountains in China, a saint praying in a sunbeam in the wilderness, etc. etc. etc.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don't want to make this answer to an abstract question in a comic-book interview into some book-length treatise on time, so I'll try to be brief. I do not think history is simple, nor do I trust the abstract and broad sequence of events we are given as an explanation of cause and effect. I do not trust arguments of authenticity, origination. Monuments and idols were made by people whose lives and reality is not always represented in them. Sometimes old ideas feel as new as if they belong to us now. Sometimes old ideas and images are as alien as an unknowable future. Do long buried ideas go senile? Does the logic of the world change and old images no longer make sense? Does the truth exist in authentic expressions of the past that we have strayed from in our modern age? I don't know. "What man is only history tells"(?)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Masks are interesting to me not because they are a false face that hides a true face, but because they are an exercise in the fundamental fragility of identity. The idea of the illusory nature of our world is interesting to me not because of the goal of breaking through the illusion to a real world, as much as illusion is how we perceive and understand the world; that perception is dealing in illusion. In this way monuments and idols are interesting to me because they mark time and thought, in an unending cycle. If you were a true believer and an iconoclast, the destruction of an existing idol would reduce all of your own beliefs to a competing idol. To try to make a thing, a thought, an idea, an emotion, into an expression, to give it life, is to immediately give it mortality. Maybe it will survive, maybe not. Neither quantity nor quality are invincibility.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In Mighty Star and THE PHILOSOPHER the idea of "the past" or "history" is shown in this broken statuary and I don't want to over-explain it. The past as something contentious and controlled, alive, dead. If we believe in an upward motion, a progress in the movement of mankind forward in time, what does that make the past? If with our ideals, our great works, our new art and technology we never break free of killing and destroying ourselves, does this say something about our fundamental nature no matter what the age?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sometimes the past is the tohu wabohu before the light of our current age's creation myth, sometimes it is the only legitimating and authentic expression of what is real now, the pure logic built into the creation of the world. I don't believe either of these cosmologies.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Anyway I'm going to stop writing now. I mentioned 'lacrimae rerum' earlier and decided to google it. Wikipedia tells me that the meaning I learned behind 'lacrimae rerum' could be a misreading. The phrase comes from Aeneas looking at a mural on a wall depicting all of his friends and illustrious enemies who died in the Trojan war. He cries, because there are 'tears for things', and because 'mortal things touch us'. This is how I learned it. The next line in the verse can either mean that the death of Aeneas' friends were worth it because with fame it has brought a kind of immortality, or, that because even here in this temple the sorrows of war are known, and that Aeneas doesn't need to fear for his safety among people who know sorrow.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What do I know? I can't read Latin. And anyone can edit Wikipedia.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7CzaNJ1yhSBh5Nw9Rz3Ol0D8V_iYz0Gq3Sab7QsbTJeOUqcIecVvRjop4nWLJJURXNefsorhswnynTXOocc0MYDeeZ5YV0mgPJAmDp4Vjt9cZdIJB4Fjq7GSnpmMTWS2Ifyk8hfIWM8/s1600/web_cover1a_400w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7CzaNJ1yhSBh5Nw9Rz3Ol0D8V_iYz0Gq3Sab7QsbTJeOUqcIecVvRjop4nWLJJURXNefsorhswnynTXOocc0MYDeeZ5YV0mgPJAmDp4Vjt9cZdIJB4Fjq7GSnpmMTWS2Ifyk8hfIWM8/s640/web_cover1a_400w.jpg" width="532" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Junior Detective Files feels like it is forcing the reader to create their own narrative. Mighty Star too, although in a much lesser extent. With your work primarily being wordless, do you find creating a strong narrative important, or is narrative something you use as a framework to hang the rest of the works ideas on.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">YES! Exactly. </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://sonatina.storenvy.com/#_=_" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Junior Detective Files, for the reader who may not have seen it, is a comic I made published by Scott Longo of Sonatina,</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> that I guess could be called an "illustration" book, because each page is a single image. It follows a bunch of kid detectives solving mysteries. There are no words other than the title and page that introduces the characters.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I wanted to cultivate that feeling of mystery in the reader, that need to put together clues and narrative, to make sense of what is being seen. It also, mainly, is about childhood. That feeling and freedom, fun and also total dread of discovery. I tried to capture what being a child felt like to me. Especially when trying to navigate the clues being given by the world of adults, the things adults are afraid of and have never really come to understand, and the scarecrows and boogeymen you find around death, identity, sex, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I was thinking about Ernst's Une semaine de bonté as a kind of mysterious object. A thing to look at and think about, a series of prompts, some mysterious treasure. I wanted the Junior Detective Files book to feel like an artifact, a clue, a mystery. So yes, though I don't know if I was 'forcing' the reader to create their own narrative as much as attempting to invite them to make one.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mighty Star is a simple pulpy superhero story on its face. I was attempting to make something that had the speed and pluck of an early Tezuka or Ishinomori Shotaro comic, as well as the dread and depth, joy and pain. The guts of the Mighty Star story is a lot of complex ideas that may or may not be apparent but are there quietly doing their job, like your liver or pancreas is right now. I don't actually remember what the pancreas does. </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://pathology.jhu.edu/pc/BasicOverview1.php?area=ba" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Probably something important</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Give it up for the pancreas everybody. The plan for Mighty Star, whether I continue it, which I hope to do, is to have each episode focus on some kind of philosophical idea as the setting for the action, as a stage for the drama. I have about six of them outlined in my mind. It would be interesting to continue Mighty Star as he grows up into an old man and the world changes around him, because of time and because of him.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So whether the narrative is a framework for the ideas to be hung on, or whether the narrative is more important than the ideas is a kind of 'chicken and the egg' style causality question I don't have an answer for. The answer is yes to both.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I always appreciated the idea of doing a Will Eisner's American Visuals Corporation kind of thing, only in your case it's about infectious birds instead of murderous weapons. Do you plan to reshape the "idea of graphic novels" too? ...I mean "paper jazz" and all that.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I had to google that. I haven't read a lot of Eisner but what I have I really liked. The Tenement book, Contract With God, those might be the only ones I read. For a long time I had Kurtzman and Eisner mixed up in my mind, I really like the early weird MAD Kurtzman stuff, but that has nothing to do with Eisner I guess.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The term 'Paperjazz' was actually coined by Tom Whalen (musician, artist, Canadian, bon vivant). It came out of a conversation me and </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://twitter.com/zachhazard" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Zach Hazard </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">were having about the term 'comics' on social media. Joking about using 'graphic novels' vs. 'comics' etc. Tom tweeted "Paper Jazz" and Zach removed the space between the words. It's a good term because it is pretentious, self-serious, and ridiculous, hilarious. I like Jazz. I like the word Jazz. It's such an abstract term that contains both rigid formalism and chaos.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I honestly don't care about defining comics, defining the term 'comics'. I never liked manifestos though I like a lot of art made by people who write manifestos. I care more about interacting with art than the PR campaigns around it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The only way I could hope to 'reshape' comics is by making them. Taxonomy as the ultimate defining aspect of art is a battlefield for bores and cowards. This morning I unthinkingly clicked a link in which someone wrote a bunch of words trying to attack Grant Morrison for calling early Heavy Metal magazine 'punk' (1977). I gave up after the first few paragraphs, I guess the thesis was that early Heavy Metal magazine was more prog-rock than punk? The future of art hangs in the balance. 2015.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I hate the discourse around comics, at least as it exists on the internet. I'm not sure why this is. Maybe because it comes out of a fan tradition and is based in preening, performative nerd-certainty? The urge to make rules and a wiki, to make an air-tight narrative of history and succession of ideas. All of the problems of academia with none of the gravitas or beauty of thought and language. On a fundamental level I cannot define art and I'm not interested in thinking a definition would be helpful in any way. I know that ideas and works of art are bigger and smarter than me, contain infinities, and trying to lock them down into definitions based in laws written about Joss Whedon and Bechdel is ridiculous. Like naming your penis after a greek hero and dressing normcore (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">note to editor</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: if babycore or thotgoth are finally bigger than normcore at the time of printing please substitute one of those). </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I used to take this personally. Reading comics websites and thinking about getting up from the computer, breaking one of the legs off my chair, and brandishing it, stepping out into the world to bust heads. This wouldn't help anyone though, not me, and not the unpaid people writing about comics. Ultimately I don't think the two or three comics websites that exist to serve alt-comics are for anyone at all. I don't think they reach new readers who would be open and interested. Both their language and range of topics is insular, designed for initiates and people who think there are sides and have already picked one. Maybe those people do want to read about and discuss the Fantagraphics bathing beauties of 1993 in 2015, do want to have an argument about just how racist or sexy Sexy Racist Batman '83 is in 2015. When I first joined twitter I saw an essay being passed around that people were calling 'genius'. It was about comics, and its premise was "Some people think the words in comics are the most important part, but think about it, the art is important too". I couldn't wrap my mind around it, thought it was some ironic joke. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is strange because at this moment in time there are so many people from so many different backgrounds all making comics. There is so much good stuff being made right now it is shocking. People are writing interesting reactions and art crit on their individual blogs. So who knows. Maybe there will never be a centralized place for good writing and ideas about comics on the internet.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So I'm not interested in definitions. Twice and with two different comics reviewer-people I engaged in arguments about the use of the word "manga" as a descriptor and twice I got shouted down. My argument was that "Manga" just means comics and describing a thing as "very manga" means nothing. Because both Naruto and Nejishiki are manga. Immediately after getting involved, both times, I regretted it. Because I had to question honestly why I was even arguing about it. Was I just doing it for ego-reasons, preening to show how much I know? Probably.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If I look honestly at why I hate the writing in the two or three comics sites that exist to talk about comics, partly I am just angry that my work and the work I care about, the work I think is the most interesting, being made by my peers, is not discussed. Though who knows, if interesting new work was discussed there it would probably be in wikitrope words and that would be annoying too.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Maybe it would be smart, commercially, to launch a pr campaign, make up some new words for comics, write a manifesto, spotlight myself as some hero or mascot for the New Comics.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The truth is I don't even know what 'comics' means, I am trying to figure that out by drawing them. I do know that all I can do is make the kind of comics I want to see. That's the goal. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Spanking, apples, puppies and disembodied former employees straight out of Silly Symphonies getting at each other's throats: Would you favor a remake of Disney's Fantasia by Hideshi Hino?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hideshi_Hino" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Hideshi Hino </span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">made a bunch of live action movies, you know that right? </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_Pig_%28film_series%29" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">The Guinea Pig series</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Schlocky video horror stuff, I've never been able to make it through one. I didn't know about those until Zach Hazard told me about them. Apparently someone gave a copy of one of them to Charlie Sheen who thought they were real snuff films and he called the FBI.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I like Hino's art but I don't like a lot of his comics. Misery and brutality without end becomes pretty tedious, which in and of itself is kind of horrifying. "No Beast is there without glimmer of infinity, no eye so vile nor abject that brushes not against lightning from on high, now tender, now fierce" etc.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I like Hino's 'Oninbo' because it seems like it was trying to be more of a crossover work, to reach kids and general audiences. To have some kind of 'normalcy' or good in between the trauma and horror. Which offsets the horror, and weirdly, makes even the supposedly nice and trustable authority figures like parents and teachers suspect because they exist in a world of endless blood and abandoned corpses.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While writing this I have figured out that I like Hideshi Hino's comics a lot. Thank you for this. I have been wrong for a long time.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHCBocu_3iTmg7yulUNTG7xFyuBxitfwTiMIkV4xQplevo9SDo7zyMePBcfTiydJAEOT3UTjuO53c1IIV3aZAwwqACpIt5W3XJgBcqA_20GB2TMDnE40REckZyC4yAJWzvINL2pmeIYk/s1600/tumblr_njiuuxgerO1rwdxzqo1_1280.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHCBocu_3iTmg7yulUNTG7xFyuBxitfwTiMIkV4xQplevo9SDo7zyMePBcfTiydJAEOT3UTjuO53c1IIV3aZAwwqACpIt5W3XJgBcqA_20GB2TMDnE40REckZyC4yAJWzvINL2pmeIYk/s640/tumblr_njiuuxgerO1rwdxzqo1_1280.gif" width="428" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The grid in Mighty Star changes on an almost page by page basis, but all within fairly well established layouts. Do you have a favorite grid, and what about it appeals to you. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm still trying to figure out what works. I guess the grid I use most regularly is three lines of panels. I arrived at that based mainly on how a page looks when I'm making it. Sometimes big splash panels at a dramatic turn or reveal in the story. I spend a lot of time thinking about this while making the work but it is hard for me to explain it afterward. Mainly because the work is 'silent' I want the narrative beats to resonate as images on the page, and the main control I have over this is pacing.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm not a very good artist but I think I'm getting better. I am trying to get better at composition and drawing in general. I'm trying to use composition and pacing to convey complex ideas and I am never sure if the amount of sweat and thought I put into the construction of a page comes through. Hopefully it does.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm working in color now and that is another interesting and rewarding aspect to constructing a page. I am trying to use the variance in color and the introduction of different colors to 'color' the emotion and narrative.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mighty Star's uninterrupted flowing artwork reminded me conceptually of stuff done by Andreas (Germany) or Alex Niño (Philippines), so here's the annoying question about your favorite record (or file) and clothing label. [Editor’s Note:Sorry. Copy/Paste is a bitch.]</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hey, I already answered this question. It looks like you asked it twice by accident. I don't want to leave this space blank. So here's a four line quotation from the last chapter of the </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_Sutra" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Diamond Sutra</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All phenomena</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Like dew, or again, like a flash of lightning</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And thus we shall perceive them</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I just re-read that this morning and I like it. Was reading about Zeami's writing on Noh play, and the Mugen school of Noh (plays that deal with a world with no distinct barrier between dream and reality, life and death, where ghosts, people, apparitions hang out and do whatever). Mugen, apparently, the word for dream/illusion「夢幻」 originates in the above sutra, according to this historian.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That's my fun fact for today. I thought this was very beautiful. Hopefully your readers enjoy it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mighty Star is your first long form work, did you find transitioning from short stories to longer narratives difficult. Also what was behind the decision to split Might Star into individual issues, and how do you think that process turned out? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The original plan was to have Mighty Star in individual episodes or chapters. I think a really long work with no breaks and no words might be really taxing on the reader. The length of Mighty Star grew organically. Initially it was going to be made up of three fifteen page chapters and be like a little 45 page book. Then I was putting it up on the internet so I didn't have to worry about space constraints. And each individual chapter grew longer as the story progressed. The published book, with the prologue and epilogue I made for the book comes in around 170-something pages.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Making longer comics is easier than making shorter comics for me. With shorter comics, especially shorter comics with no words, you really have to sweat an economy of space with no waste.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm trying to get better at this.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I think all of the early short comics I did for anthologies were good practice. And at first I hated the work I made in 2011-2012 but enough time has passed that I can look at them and see good stuff in them. Most of the anthologies they appeared in are out of print though.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The comic I am currently working on is made up of chapters that serve as stand alone vignettes but also as points in a story. I am not setting any formula length for the chapters so there are stories that are 30 something pages long and stories that are 8 pages long. I think it really works when you read them together, too.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.copaceticcomics.com/comics/comics-workbook-magazine-4" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">In your interview with Graham Sigurdson for Comics Workbook </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">you mention reading foreign language comics without actually being able to read the text, but later, when you could, finding that you understood the story more or less the first time. I’m intrigued if you still continue this practice, or if you’ve ever done it with works you can read. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don't remember what I was talking about there, I think I meant specifically Tezuka's Phoenix, the first book of it. That happened a lot when I was in Japan and learning the language, learning to read.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I can think of a lot of counter-examples where I looked at a bunch of comics I couldn't read and tried to figure them out, and was wrong. My friend Kei gave me a whole set of Shiriagari Kotobuki's Yaji/Kita in Deep because he thought that I would like both the story and the art, and he was right. But I remember poring over it but having no idea what was going on until I could read it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Comics were instrumental in me learning to read Japanese, because if I couldn't place or understand a word or phrase in the text there were accompanying pictures.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I try not to skip over words or ignore them. But I have a bunch of comics in languages I can't read and sometimes there's no other recourse. I like David B. and most of his books don't come out over here. So I've bought his books and read them with a pocket dictionary before, or used the internet. Which is not an ideal way to read things except when you have no other choice.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Despite your social media chatterbox performance there's a conspicuous absence of words/dialogue in your work, though I noticed a recurring use of the letters N, H and K. Knowing that you did spend some time in Japan, did you just watch a lot of TV or is this an almost unidentifiable Hikikomori joke?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Yeah, the fact that the letters N, H, and K are involved has nothing to do with the broadcasting company.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It came from a dream I had where everything was written in numbers and a combination of N, K, H, R, and T. It was either a recurring dream I had or a single dream powerful enough to feel like a series of dreams. I don't remember any of the details other than frustration over not being able to read anything. I had this dream while living in Japan, so who knows if it wasn't influenced by the difficulty of reading a foreign language?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The first few comics I had ever made and completed, my first comics to be published were with </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.mashcomix.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Mashcomix </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">in Japan. They weren't silent comics, they had dialogue. I remember using the NTKH language for sound effects and writing in the background but I can't remember any conscious reason why. My Japanese penmanship is bad enough that I didn't want to write out sound effects in Japanese, at least.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> It makes sense that I use that language in silent comics because because actual words on the page would be jarring and given the weight of the written word, would throw the whole narrative out of balance. (though there are a bunch of actual words hidden in my work)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I remember in the initial dream(s) the letter K was kind of threatening, especially if seen by itself. So I used it as the sound effect for any violent action in the work. For whatever reason I don't use the letter T as much and the letter R seems to have dropped out of use all together. Hey, I just work here.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Coincidentally my brother also started making a lot of paintings that had scrambled letters and numbers replacing words in them, at about the same time I started using the scrambled language in my comics. We hadn't even talked about it, it just showed up in what both of us were working on.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGAfmLVHXj1n8sgFck9AByAmau2hFMzN9wZ_HEPMSFFupaayf0-s5zLla0RZDqQzj4Vkh8sfqTOcD4uzBsTaVbopZMyuApeYWkist1dEWpH8P5zWkpVaHGyaX2q0nBtavvE-Jz7XdK-FQ/s1600/tumblr_nq9g75Wf1h1qgf8eko1_500.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="592" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGAfmLVHXj1n8sgFck9AByAmau2hFMzN9wZ_HEPMSFFupaayf0-s5zLla0RZDqQzj4Vkh8sfqTOcD4uzBsTaVbopZMyuApeYWkist1dEWpH8P5zWkpVaHGyaX2q0nBtavvE-Jz7XdK-FQ/s640/tumblr_nq9g75Wf1h1qgf8eko1_500.png" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The nutcracker army, a masked society, a group of investigators...your stance on mass appeal?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oof, I don't even know what mass appeal is. I've read interviews with artists who say that they don't even care if their work is seen or read and my gut instinct is to not believe them. I want my work to be seen and read by as many people as possible. This would be nice for obvious commercial reasons, but also because I don't know if my art is anything without an audience. I don't want to talk unless there is someone to hear it and respond.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That said I don't know what mass appeal means in 2015. Something old with a fresh coat of photoshop? Some kind of toy that is sold back to you again as your childhood? Some sterile mashup of two known things that won't birth a third new thing?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I can't see anything in nerd culture, our current dominant mainstream culture, as anything but servile devotion to giant corporations. That's fine, maybe it has always been like this. But I can't shake the feeling that advertising and hype have been internalized and is now how we talk and it effects our art.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Generating meaning, community, identity on passive consumption scares the hell out of me. The accepted truism that now as an artist you have a 'brand' and that you have to constantly be selling and self-promoting scares the hell out of me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don't know. I don't want to sell people ideas of who they are, I don't want to make advertisements. I don't believe in an automat style world of art where you know what you want, push a button and pay, and get it. And the audience is given what it wants. I am a member of the audience more than I am not, and I don't know what I want. Ideally the familiar should be a starting point, to jump off into the unfamiliar. But instead we get movies based on childhood board-games, reboots, safe and soulless monstrosities, formulaic entertainment that makes us feel sophisticated when we internalize and understand the formula, big cgi apocalypse spectacles, etc..</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So who knows. Maybe this is the only game in town and I should get the fuck on it if I want to feed and clothe myself through art in the future. Support my kickstarter. </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popples" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">The popples are back. Remember the popples?</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The popples but dadbod, the popples but libertarian, the popples ronpaul vaping 2016. True videogames ethics popples, for you and your gamerz (livestream). Scott Walker Wisconsin 7-day work week popples. Remember how popples felt in your childhood? Is your popple felt? Would you like it to be? New $20,000 stretch goal, felt popples. At $30,000 the popples can stretch. Join in, we're doing this, we're making the numbers get bigger together. Thinkpiece: popples are feminism, where occupy wallstreet failed popples work. What mankind can learn from popples. What color popple you yourself are and always have been, how to choose your popple and ultimately choose yourself. Post-colonialism and popples. Hey remember popples? They're back, and 20 reasons why this is better than you could ever imagine. You won't believe how this awesome boy sewed himself into a giant popple and was never heard from again.</span></span></div>
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<br />Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-28204299068287433962015-06-24T18:42:00.002-07:002015-07-29T21:40:08.568-07:00Jump Off The Roof <div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-9664dffa-285a-1115-6f10-fc163f5e14f4" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYKotRE-rvQK00RAvPw-1pHr3Vs01KpWZ8m8yG_Uyq1l-ozedG2bjnQZy9tVQ6TvyiLgy2o_Kg_6Qxk2XV0cdtcwVkInqttb-q7dBatkn1opmz-gK9a5StSa5qgCdDpfzNYis5d5E7n0/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYKotRE-rvQK00RAvPw-1pHr3Vs01KpWZ8m8yG_Uyq1l-ozedG2bjnQZy9tVQ6TvyiLgy2o_Kg_6Qxk2XV0cdtcwVkInqttb-q7dBatkn1opmz-gK9a5StSa5qgCdDpfzNYis5d5E7n0/s640/1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This Is A Brick Wall</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Andrew White</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">White seems to relish in narratives with an infinite number of possibilities for the reader that suddenly narrow down to one the second the book is opened. Comics seem so set in stone and White is lashing out at this idea. He is not even relying on his readers ability to read their own meaning into his work, but rather physically forcing them to have a different reading experience from one another. By the way he packages his books. By the way he draws his books. By the way he writes his books. They all go towards this goal, whether the reader knows about them or not.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Before you open up </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This Is A Brick Wall </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">there are two possible ways of reading it. One with a pencil in your hand and the intention of following the instructions given to a tee. The other minus the pencil and simply a want to read this mini-comic as its own thing. While both choices are valid it should be noted that once you make one of these choices the other option is gone for ever. At least in its purest form of expression. Even if you reread it again without the other choice in mind the feeling of immediacy the instructions impart on you has lost some indescribably amount of meaning. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You are no longer simply following directions on blind faith, you know where those directions lead. And however small a change that sounds it is monumental when experienced. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Either way the choice is yours. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I hope it's as rewarding as mine.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">********************</span></div>
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<a href="http://whitecomics.bigcartel.com/product/this-is-a-brick-wall" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">You can purchase This Is A Brick Wall on Andrew Whites website. It i Free or for $5 you can also purchase an original drawing. </span></a></div>
Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-4040762676791886682015-06-22T21:11:00.000-07:002015-06-23T09:05:44.419-07:00Summertime <div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-b94c8b4c-1e8d-c85e-65a7-ab2df9463aae" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7Dlw91GTGQk-vUZILuBMHeaj1A1vq4jRO_7Dgavz4e-kBTLqzomULtTS_puylsXJFse4G24L5uRhvVxyna_DWQc7NTdHqYSf-jHQvAam2PJwBOdCT1eqHY4XFOHEQT_O0IeMLebGmrM/s1600/lydian_cover_1024x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7Dlw91GTGQk-vUZILuBMHeaj1A1vq4jRO_7Dgavz4e-kBTLqzomULtTS_puylsXJFse4G24L5uRhvVxyna_DWQc7NTdHqYSf-jHQvAam2PJwBOdCT1eqHY4XFOHEQT_O0IeMLebGmrM/s640/lydian_cover_1024x1024.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lydian (2015)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sam Alden </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Another Alden book, another new Alden trick. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Created on a jacked up version of MS Paint that limits the number of colors to something that would probably cause most digital colorist to crawl up into the fetal position, Alden created the most interestingly colored comic since Dash Shaw’s <i>New School. </i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbn2bwZsexIgulnEsXGEgFWTiW4m7IXbjfEO4RhDVDScuScD6HcsK_HBH9LiZSI3HC9ougukKGmyUi7_mnG-IjmAERs_kuW7DXbtv_kwiG8VVtuQRRsTyGZfCW88UfB6uOr4IiZGJAnc/s1600/IMG_2138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbn2bwZsexIgulnEsXGEgFWTiW4m7IXbjfEO4RhDVDScuScD6HcsK_HBH9LiZSI3HC9ougukKGmyUi7_mnG-IjmAERs_kuW7DXbtv_kwiG8VVtuQRRsTyGZfCW88UfB6uOr4IiZGJAnc/s640/IMG_2138.JPG" width="608" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There are no lines in this comic. Only square pixels. This places the entire burden of the pages readability on the shifting of color from one pixel to the next. The foreground is solely distinguishable from the background by the change in color between them. Because of this, Alden chooses to depict his narratives characters in brighter colors and his backgrounds in slightly darker ones. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Alden’s shifting from foreground to background creates an almost impressionistic aspect to the images in Lydian. As the eye attempts to focus on small clusters of color to discern what is happening in the image, you are left with just an eyeful of nonsense. It isn’t until you refocus and take the image in as a whole that you can see what is happening. An optical illusion that takes almost the entirety of the book for your eye to learn.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbCQBZO63ykGPgIfVwlGOHNNy8OdtAaRkWFTJM8CqNjaBCtWrL0RZo9jjjOktd65865SWqFjbWes93gd1NvoXZj8WvGm9346N9sK1uV-YSrtJs2yFtCzuvm6p6LTyg5sLjG57Mj8r6ig/s1600/IMG_2137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbCQBZO63ykGPgIfVwlGOHNNy8OdtAaRkWFTJM8CqNjaBCtWrL0RZo9jjjOktd65865SWqFjbWes93gd1NvoXZj8WvGm9346N9sK1uV-YSrtJs2yFtCzuvm6p6LTyg5sLjG57Mj8r6ig/s640/IMG_2137.JPG" width="628" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This effect is best illustrated by a page towards the end of the book. Lydian (the narratives main character) sits on top of a mountain and looks out at the view, the caption next to her reads “this would be pretty in a movie”. Because of the caption you are forced to keep looking at various aspects of the image waiting to see what Lydian sees, until, eventually, you just settle into the image and are overcome by it. Of course It would look pretty in a movie, but it probably looks prettier here.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The ability to read 2-D images as 3-D is a well established artistic trick. In <i>Lydian </i>though Alden, by intentionally limiting himself to such a small amount of colors, in addition to the pixels inherent blockiness, is forced to rely heavily on the readers learned reading abilities from 8 & 16-bit gaming. The narrative largely exists as a pastiche of these early video games, a group of light shooting characters is attacking another group of light shooting characters*. This, if not consciously, then subconsciously puts the reader in a place of basic understanding and gives them a starting point in how to read the work. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">*While Alden is using the general trope of Atari-era games, like all good genre work, it is merely window dressing for his story and characters. </span></div>
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<a href="http://spacefacebooks.com/products/lydian-by-sam-alden" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">You can purchase Lydian from Space Face Books</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://gingerlandcomics.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Sam Alden’s Website</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://samaldencomics.tumblr.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Sam Alden’s Tumblr</span></a></div>
Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292166696868453393.post-24841848333555119962015-06-22T20:03:00.001-07:002015-06-23T09:06:30.759-07:00These Walls<br id="docs-internal-guid-47be6e11-1e4b-4ff6-8857-8e533fecf436" />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Elsa </i>(2014)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sarah Ferrick</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“The Snow Queen” are the first words uttered in <i>Elsa</i>. A female figure with a long and overlapping black robe takes up the majority of the page. The line, half boxed in, reads as a narrative caption explaining to the reader who this person is, which seems like a bit of a joke. Elsa is of course the protagonist of one of Disney’s biggest films of the decade <i>Frozen</i>. The next line is a sample from Kendrick Lamar’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZW7et3tPuQ">Backstreet Freestyle </a>“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Seem like the whole city go against me, every time i’m in the street i hear:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” For anyone who’s heard Backstreet Freestyle the next line is an aggressively loud and visceral noise, but in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Elsa </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ferrick subverts your expectations and puts a ¾ shot of Elsa’s face as the sole image on the next page. Utilizing Disney’s “big eye” princess design, Ferrick creates a deeply resonating and soulful view of Elsa, as she places both hands on the collar of her robe you feel everything tightening around her as her mournful eyes draw you in. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXz7KMXzf6CTmmAGCF0fLyqXG_SvbEeVMprnI0EAN-e8ItptaPPYfpqkqC6yiuBCAtfi6BFpPCSCnLhRtMXGnNYu2_lvJASc58mPy1tQm0WcYzu988DeFLyyDdVLtyI_-Dqa1PCusCfg/s1600/book_page.image.b09fcd2f8bbc9a24.30332e706e67.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXz7KMXzf6CTmmAGCF0fLyqXG_SvbEeVMprnI0EAN-e8ItptaPPYfpqkqC6yiuBCAtfi6BFpPCSCnLhRtMXGnNYu2_lvJASc58mPy1tQm0WcYzu988DeFLyyDdVLtyI_-Dqa1PCusCfg/s640/book_page.image.b09fcd2f8bbc9a24.30332e706e67.png" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The next page in the spread is almost completely black, with white scratches that seem more to repel your eye then draw it towards the next page, forcing you to linger on Elsa and her robe. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When you eventually get the nerve to flip the page the answer to the question of what Elsa and Kendrick hear is loudly declared. A two page spread of A’s and H’s overlapping and stepping over each other to gain further visibility. It’s deafening.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And for the remainder of the book Elsa seems to be trying to overcome that deafening noise, that defining blackness, the never ending winter of her psychological imprisonment. Words and phrases reappear, commingle with one another, questions asked fall away into the white nothingness of the blank page only to reappear a dozen pages later with a completely new meaning. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The most important of these phrase, which started out as a question but through its repetition and the actions of Elsa shifts in context to become a deceleration of intent: “Now’s The Winter When You Come Out.” </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfnm3kcNr8KfEMEyt2vHD3QvwWAlYGanHp39JatHVsdh5vBisVK-OHS03wxq6Dr-ekRTe7EDicdakXY4EleZ5oG48rlQmfPYFrA6a5zXVgRFBXFZp111NbrC2hT7MvDIgHC6DLGg5dtE/s1600/book_page.image.81ec8d8a65fef587.31372e706e67.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoIBFk6KSaAQZyQlZUZ306-9MDO1NmALQeOEJga87PKVTjNvnnhp1J_HOhYHx95YI87TKQkkG29ZWJFPD6dVf9xkjT52vTLBJk-2yDwUkv-IVlEAya9kuC78qBGKoQpL_njB_g56sZVg/s1600/book_page.image.b38786517e805baf.30392e706e67.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoIBFk6KSaAQZyQlZUZ306-9MDO1NmALQeOEJga87PKVTjNvnnhp1J_HOhYHx95YI87TKQkkG29ZWJFPD6dVf9xkjT52vTLBJk-2yDwUkv-IVlEAya9kuC78qBGKoQpL_njB_g56sZVg/s640/book_page.image.b38786517e805baf.30392e706e67.png" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This shift comes when Elsa drops the heavy black robe she wore on the first page. The originally stationary Elsa begins to express motion on every page, with her hands, with her hair, with her clothes. Everything is in a state of movement the second that cloak hits the floor.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As a ice castle created by her hands jettisons upwards from the earth a few of the short phrases from the start of the story begin to reappear. But they are all washed away by the addition of a short phrase onto one of them. “I’m The Snow Princess… & That's Okay.” </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.esseff.aestival.net/index.html/"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sarah Ferrick's Website</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://butterstory.tumblr.com./"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sarah Ferrick's Tumblr</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://zco.mx/SarahFerrick/Elsa/001?reader=scroller">You can read <i>Elsa </i>on ZComx. </a></span></div>
Shawn Starrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642935498147383891noreply@blogger.com0