Happy New Year!

Still No Sound, i.e. I, Ben Cohen am slowly producing new comic work and updating the old website. A number of comic work is being contemplated, the format and which project to do first is still being debated. In addition some prints and novelty design ideas are being knocked around. I am currently producing an album cover for a Jordan Cohen (my brother, San Francisco guitarist) project. Then perhaps a number of murals in a collaborative effort with my studio partner, Jeweler E.E. Crandall. I will have visual updates of both, as they are finished. This should prove to be a productive year as time allows. I am returning to school, acceptance pending, to study Art Education in the hopes of landing a gig as a full time High School Art teacher to compliment my Cartoonist and College Professor carriers. I know it sounds impossible, even lame, but it will make me a better artist and teacher to focus equally on all three. These are my callings in life.

It is also time for the annual Ben Cohen Ten Best of Last Years lists.

Comics
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes- Bill Watterson
ACME Novelty Library # 16:“Rusty Brown” –Chris Ware
Why Are You Doing This? –Jason
Los Hernades Brothers-
Krazy and Ignatz-Design by Chris Ware
JLA Animated Series (Hay It’s Cartooning)

…Read some other’s even a few super titles, but nothing top ten.

Movies

40 Year-old Virgin… great pacing, story, character development… fucking funny as hell.
Family Stone… one of the great family comedies of all time… I hate sex in the City bitches. Coach gives the performance of his carrier.
Batman Begins… Should have been number one.
Elizabethtown… second place for family films.
Serenity… better story then star wars… fun if you have seen Firefly.
March of the Penguins… who knew?
Walk the Line… Interesting, enlightening and amazing acting.
Brokeback Mountain… pure…not best movie, but pure movie.
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith… take out the NOOOOO! And you almost forget about episode 1 and 2.

Not seen but could have made the list I suspect at 10 or higher.
FireCracker… best movie I was unable to see… on DVD this spring through Amazon… Co-Stars Mike Patton… YES THAT MIKE PATTON. Probably better then 40 Year old Vergin.
Capote… Oh I love Phillip.
Shopgirl… Steve Martin… you go banjo player.
North Country…maybe I like?
Paradise Now… best foreign film?
2046… preview was perfect.
Syriana… not sure?
Munich… really that good?
Match Point… my in-laws loved it…surprisingly.

Worst movie of the year:

King Kong… ok there were others, but this one really deserves it, the big Ape.


Music

Mezmerize/Harmonize – System of a Down
Lullabies To Paralyze- Queens of the Stone Age
Crazy Price- Messer Chups
Church Gone Wild / Chirpin Hard- Hella
Demon Days- Garillaz
The Desert Sessions, Vols. 9 & 10- Desert Sessions
General Patton vs The X-ecutioners- General Patton vs The X-ecutioners

I am sure there are others but I gatta go…

Hay Folks,

Just wanted to let y'all know I am still alive. I have been revamping a number of things and working on developing a few projects... the biggest is our new studio. Finished the dry wall and spackling. Next painting and moving in... this should lead to some big things for 2006 and beyond.

Here is something to tide you over.

As promised here are last years SnS Top Ten lists.

2004 Top Ten Comics

Eightball #23-Daniel Clowes
You Can't Get There From Here-Jason
Lost Buildings-Chris Ware & Ira Glass
Love & Rockets #12-Los Bros Hernandez
Optic Nerve #9-Adrian Tomine
McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern #13-Edited by Chris Ware
The Complete Penuts-Shultz/Seth 1950-54
In the Shadow of No Towers-Art Spiegleman
Be A Man-Jeffy Brown
Clyde Fan-Seth

2004 Top Ten Music

Peace Love Death Metal-Eagles of Death Metal
Book of Horizons-Secret Chiefs 3
Delìrium Cordìa-Fantômas
Margarine Eclipse- Stereolab
Franz Ferdinand-Franz Ferdinand
Sister Phantom Owl Fish-Trevor Dunn's Trio Convulsant
Antics-Interpol
Madulla-Bjork
Pressure Chief-Cake
Virginal Co Ordinates-Eyvind Kang


2004 Top Ten Movies

Sideways
The Incredibles
Elf
Spider-Man 2
Kill Bill, Volume 2
Fahrenheit 9/11
Hellboy
The Girl Next Door
Meet the Fockers
In Good Company

Some brief notes on recently consumed items AKA what I recall since the election.


Royal Tenembalms is one of my favorite films, simply for the dialogue. But it is truly great because of all other aspects as well. You name the element and I will express love for it. With Bill coming off another favorite, Lost in Translation I had high hopes. Oh the disappointment, oh poor poor Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. It was all glitz and glamer. It was a Swiss cheese. I spent the whole time waiting to be convinced it was good… I am still waiting.

Sin City an excellent experiment in what would happen if we actually were faithful to the original in another medium. It highlighted the different elements between comics and film. I never laughed that hard while reading the comic. Over all it was a success. I would how ever like to express that it did not need the final chapter… it was done before the end. It was done before the sequels, which are coming down the pike as I write this.


Thank GOD AKA Lucas. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith was all I needed to have faith in the Force once more. For those who have known me since my first film watching experience Star Wars at Frank Londies Theater in Jackson Hole just before the age of 2, Star Wars was my primary interest till comics and music forced the trident of obsession. It was my childhood’s first true mythos. I played Star Wars before anything else. This film while flawed and easy to pick apart, does all that needs to be done to suspend disbelief and find that joy we all had before a more cynical time and before the horrors that were episode I and II. It answers questions and applies humor and violence in equal portion to reveal truths from a galaxy far, far away and deliver memorable lines we want to remember. I will view again and again without hesitation.

Mezmorize-System of a Down. With a highlight like B.Y.O.B. you can’t go wrong. Ironically, but guilt free dance in the desert to this album at Burning Man and bring your own beer.

Lullabies to Paralyze-Queens of the Stone Age. I was not sure what I thought of this album at first. Until the single Little Sister came on the radio and I said to Erin, “All I know is I need more Cow Bell.” She laughed. And the fallowing night as predicted Will Ferrow hosting SNL jump on stage with QOTSA and jammed with the Cow Bell just as he had obtusely and dangerously enthusiastically in one of SNL’s greatest moments the Christopher Walken “Cow Bell” demanding produced Blue Oyster Cult. A classic SNL moment. I have since been drawing to Lullabies almost the same way I did QOTSA’s second and third albums. I no longer care about the drama the band went through to make it.

General Patton vs The X-executioners is one of Mike Pattons best albums. As for the X-Men it is one of their greatest as well. Get Up Punk and L.O.L. are two of Patton’s greatest pop songs. The majority of the rest delivers diversity to its fullest. Go and enjoy this as much as you can.

Romances- Kaada / Patton did nothing for my romantic side. It may grow on me like Patton’s second solo album about food. But only time will tell. It is nice and all, but not something I would put at the top of the list if I was trying to showcase Patton to my friends.

I had barley any time to hear Fantômas- Suspended Animation when I was suddenly at the Fillmore watching Trevor Dunn’s Trio with my Brother guitarist Jordan Cohen and a friend. The guitarist, drummer and Trevor shredded on the Jazz riffs like no one I had seen since seeing Massada back in 1996. The Drummers kit was falling all over the place as he hammered with his scrawny Indy mop flying chaotically. He would reach over the top of the ride smashing the backside in precise craze. The guitarist an ordinary red head girl just stood there her arms shredding with such control that a picture would depict neither the jazz precision of the metal ethics of her playing, because you would see only an Indy girl playing without a care for anything, barley noticing her own skill. Trevor struggled to reach over the top of his base, his bow and base showed the eternal battle he has had with the mammoth. The set refined the vision of their album for me and that it is why it is one of last years best. It truly is solid progressive Jazz to be noted. Then came Hella a band I had little knowledge of, there for I was suspicious. In the end there was a cross over between rage against the machine and various 80’s elements that was being preformed by Jesus on guitar, a hairy AC/DC guitarist on drums and some nerdy Jewish afro kid in my sequential art class on keys and vocals. I think there was a bassist. This drummer was so fucking out there that he actually turned his Ride inside out. Jesus just raped his guitar the hole time. I don’t know if I liked a single song, but I was entertained and in awe most of the time. Then a drum off between the two other drummers and Dave Lambardo (Slayer, Fantomas) Wholly shit!!! Then Fantomas. Which was clearly the best part of the show. I truly enjoyed the album now, because of the show. It is short hard, fast, with small high lights of songs. Mixed in with every sound you loved as a kid.


Next to see: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I am lecturing for a high school drawing class in Colchester a week from Friday on cartooning. I will tell you about it after the event. It will give me taste of what I am getting myself into when I return to school to get my Art Education degree in a year plus. I am excited.

Shalom!

STILL NO SOUND the website has been UPDATED! Hoorah!

My web site has been retooled, so enjoy. I sifted through nearly 30 years of art, some were around 500 pieces, and the result is 125 pieces dating back to 1982 when I was the spirited age of 7. The site is set up in a time progression, organized in reverse by page number. It is like reading a book backwards, but in chronological order. The oldest page link is a thumbnail in the lower right hand corner on all pages; this will connect you with page one. Page two is to the left ect… The most resent update will always be the top left thumbnail. Once you have perused page 1-125 in order you should find this more convenient should you check back regularly (say once a month).

The premise of the site as a piece of art and a historical/sociological document is to show the humble progression of a cartoonist (lil’ ol’ me). At its most basic level I thought this could be most public I could be about an essential principle hinted at in a quote at the bottom of the page from a former teacher of mine, with out taking away to much of the mystery and magic of the PROCESS one persons art.

There are some basic but very minor changes to all the pages still to be made and I am aware of a few kinks already, if you notice any problems feel free to let me know here and I will try and take care of it the next time I update.

You can always reach the blog by clicking on the STILL NO SOUND logo at the top of stillnosound.com comes pages. You may also click on my face to reach me by e-mail in the same place.

I look forward to your feedback and I will try to keep the blog and website updated more often then once every six months.



Now in other news…

In illustration news I have again joined up with Mojotown on their new non-profit organization The Mojotown Project. It is a non-profit that donates a whole package approach of promotional and web survices to other non-profits. I have created their logo as seen at stillnosound and their site. You will see more of my work there in the future. Please if you have the time or money contribute to this needed service.

All comics projects unfinished and mentioned prior are indefinitely put on hold in their current state ore have been consumed as a portion of a bigger project. Some were a notion, some were notes, some were thumbnails and some had finished inked panels. One such story is about a variety of trips we have been taking including a harrowing experience in Costa Rica. The story focuses in my increasing fear of flying. The other two tips were to Savannah/Knoxville and back home to Nor Cal. Savannah trip brings with it an excellent report on the state of affairs at SCAD’s Sequential Art department. I wish I were in school there now. I also wish I was in school this fall at the Center for Cartooning Studies here in Vermont or even SVA. All three programs are showing great promise right now. It is a great time to major in comics. I am going back to school but not for another year and it is to study Art Education and receive my license to teach art at the high school level. It will make me a better college professor and cartoonist. Plus I have always enjoyed the challenge of working with that developmental age.

This bigger project with the exception of some things of the past the have possibly weaseled their way into this new entity is in a plotting faze. All I am at liberty to say is the plot is actually a 12 pages and growing novella. Kids I do not recommend this as part of your process if you are here looking for guidance on how to make comics…one paragraph is fine and if you can summarize it in one sentence that is interesting then its better. I have written comics history and articles of this length, but I have never created a comic project of this magnitude. At this point I think it will be a 300-page tomb that should take about 5 years to illustrate. I can say this that at this point I think it will be worth taking on despite not having a publisher at this point. I expect once it is in its first ruffed out pencils there could be some interest after I shop it around. I will keep you up to date on the progress and process as things move along. If I kill the project you will know that here as well. This story is just flowing out of me, I am just starting to have a say in it. Lets hope I don’t ruin it.


My next blog update will include 2004 top ten lists and short opinions of stuff I have consumed since the election.

Stay Tooned.

The writing is on the wall, sour grapes and all other clichés.

“Fear has won.” “Liars have won.” “Corruption has won.” “Sound bites have won.” “The elite has won.” “The STUPID HEADS won.” “I’m moving to Canada:” This is what we are telling our selves this morning in an “undecided election.”

The truth is that this election was never about; Florida, Ohio, 9/11, The War, Terrorism, The Economy, Education, The Deficit, The Environment, Energy Programs, Tax Cuts, Industry Scandal, Health Care, Abortion, Gay Marriage, Big Government, Corruption in Government, Honesty in Politics, Media Incompetence, Censorship, Civil Liberties, The Ten Commandments in a Government building, Fast-Food Nation, Immigration, Term Limits, The pledge of Allegiance, American War Crimes, Our relationship with the rest of the world, Voter Registration, Flip Flop Bull Shit or Pot Holes.

It’s the Culture War STUPID.

All of the above issues and almost all issues in ones life play a part in this culture war. But to honestly think that Bush was voted into office, because you shouldn’t change Presidencies in a time of a Bungled War is aside from being an lame reason (Are we to believe that if this had been his second term and Kerry was elected that things could actually get worse for our troops… Please. On the other side of that coin, Kerry may well have been confronted with something that no one can fix… look at Viet Nam or Israel/Palestine and the changes in administrations involved.) is simply not THE reason. It is the culture war, it is not a referendum on Bush and it is not Kerry’s fault for the loss.

Bush did squander good will after 9/11 and promote an agenda in support of a divided nation, but the work had already been started by others on both sides. A cultural shift had already begun, despite old labels to the contrary. The fiscal conservative is now the liberal elite ect… Decades ago the left parted ways with the religious and made it possible for the right to move in and create a culture of fear of change in the Church. No longer is there a partnership between good willed progressives and the good will of the Church. There is mistrust between the two most likely of allies.

I have stated this before, about Washington believing in a one party system that would divide issue by issue. Jefferson got his way and now America is dividing culturally. My family background is Southern Midwestern Christian and Northern Midwestern Jewish. Two worlds, but not divided like you would think. If my grandmother from the Southern state had lived till the election would have voted for Kerry, but maybe that is the influence living in California had on her, I chalk it up to wisdom. My step-grandmother from the Northern state voted for Bush, but she was married into a Secular Jewish family and kept much of her Christian culture. My parents are former hippies and live in the SF Bay Area so their politics have been consistent. But having grown up in Berkeley and that area the concepts held in the republican party all made no sense from my perspective, with the exception of apparent right to claim economic restraint over the democrats. Which never played out during the rising deficit of the Regan era and surplus of the Clinton Era. Some people would site the Democratic controlled Congress of the Regan years and the Republican controlled Congress of the Clinton years, but the presidents still sign the bills and propose budgets. Besides here we are with a new record in deficit spending with a Republican Congress and a Republican President. Oh yeah that’s right it’s the war. What BULL! I would have remained 3 hours behind the rest of the country if I had stayed in California, but I live in Savannah, Georgia and got a good dose of reality. Now I live in the most cemented liberal wilderness New England… I finally get why we haven’t gotten what’s going on. We thought we were the revolution in the 60’s, we may have been, but now we think we are the elite and the revolutionary. Mean while the right has become the revolutionary and the majority. We can no longer rely on the other side fallowing the believing in the ism’s (sexism, racism ect…) They have become inclusive and now we sound like the out of touch wiener on the school yard. It’s the Cultural War.

I use to think we needed the Green Party, The Progressive Party, The Independent Party and The Libertarian Party. Too much is a stake, the war is to close to vote on a pipe dream. Change from within. Create a base united as the Republicans do. 51% of this country has converted to Lemmings. But these lemmings aren’t to trifle with; they have conviction and unity no mater what the conflict in their ranks. And the conflicts stay in house. They stay close to the vest in secret and are hid under mantras, labels, platforms, slogans, one liners, caned speeches, false promises, falls beliefs and faith in something this secular Jew believes doesn’t exist and doesn’t belong in government. But I sure as do know they believe in it, beyond reason. With out a unity such as this, Democrats, Liberals, Progressives, Greens and the country is lost; you thought the fall of Rome was something, just wait. We must define for ourselves our moral values and faith. We must package them in a way that clarifies the truth of our convictions, the reality of our morality and the destiny of our path. We must contrast the other side with unified clarity that is so crystal and inviting that the Lemmings actually have a reason to second-guess, their own culture. Because they have been given very simple explanations for why our side is immoral and we have fought back in a way that simply sounds like French to them. We are convinced we are right, but we can’t communicate it in their language. Until this happens we will always sound like northeastern elites even us westerners from the south and Midwest. Its time we fight the Culture War and stop floundering in what we know is blatant corruption at the top of the other side’s leadership.

Now as John Stewart pleaded us to vote for Kerry, he did say if Bush won his next four years would become very easy. I am in a similar line of work and I too am looking forward to producing comics now that I know that the country is where it is this morning. It will do nothing for what I have stated above, but it will be a good ventilation system for me. Along with previous mentioned comics that will appear on this page over the course of the next four years Still No Sound will feature a semi regular comic called “Bushes Brain.” I have an sources into his brain that will bring quite the entertaining horror we all love as immoral liberals. It will utilize what I hope for the sake of the Democratic Party, my own interest and for poor fate of all of us will be the biggest blunder of a presidency ever, bushes second term, cause now he has no stupid reelection to hold him back.

Till next time, “Viva La Revolution.”

A few of the kinks have been worked out and as soon as some personal things get squared away I will be producing new work that will appear monthly perhaps even weekly at www.stillnosound.com. I will also finish up loading specially selected work that will date back to the time when I was a wee little tike. This should serve as a unique view into the development of a cartoonist. Some work in the past and in the future are for adults only and will be marked appropriately.

New work will usually come in one page comic installments, but also include freelance work and sketches. All comic work may eventually see the printed page in art book collectors additions. The design, print quality and extras will be held to very high standard. Don’t expect this until a volume of work deserving of such treatment is presented here at stillnosound.com.

Given that there is no upfront cost for the service I am providing, that there will be no actual comic books for sale (except copies still available of Ordinary Betty and Ted the Milkman) and no advertising dollars are coming in as of yet I ask for you help on two fronts. I would love for you to spread the word and view this page as often as you find it engaging. I also am accepting donations and will soon have available pay pal or some such so you can do that through the website. If you wish to send a donation through snail mail e-mail me and I will let you know how to accomplish this. Most of all I just want people to see my work so enjoy with no obligation required.

Hear are a few working titles of near future one pager comics to look forward to (Some are appearing here in this format instead of book for as promised at the end of Betty and Ted):

Incus Origin and Fall: Granddad Changes Carriers

Death of Ordinary Betty: True Ghosts of Savannah

Annana Kidwell Settles East: Reality TV V Extreme Sports

K.C. Anvil V Mama Mayor: A Reporters Honesty in Light of Super Cheese

A Series of Reflections on the Comics Biz: A Textbook for Cartoonist in Comic Form

Mama Mayor, Teacher Pet and Anana Kidwell: A Love Triangle

The Art of Mike Patton: An Obsessives Perspective

Failure in Investigative Cartooning: Search for and Arizona Inmate or a Story
Sterns Rat Tale: F the FCC

"A Connection Piece: C. Ware, I. Glass, M. Jones, E.E. Crandall, B Cohen, J. Sturm, Tim and Richard Share a Moment

The last is in response to a Lecture/Performance by Ira Glass and Chris Ware I saw this past weekend at Dartmouth. I recommend it should it come to a town near you.

Be Well Earthlings.

My Site has a new update stillnosound.com or press link to the right... more soon.

See previous entry if you missed it...


Tying Up Loose Strings to Create New Ones

By Benjamin Jones Cohen

“I really think that a form of music criticism has not yet been practiced which is suitable for chance-determined or indeterminate music----or even process music," (1) John Cage said in 1988, five years before his death. According to William Duckworth, the interviewer who’s question inspired Cage’s Statement: “…the year of his death may well become the “textbook” date for the end of the avant-garde…” (2) As the turn of the century came and went, his prediction rang true. In the artistic academic setting on the surface Cage existed in a vacuum. It appears that Cage has been sacked by his assumption that “most people don’t think.” (3) As the most visible artist in the Post-Modernist Avant-Garde musical movement his opinion may have contributed to the result that Duckworth predicted. That may also be why there were no critics that appeared suitable to Cage as a viable source of true intellectual critique. As the great vacuum sucked Cage up to the heavens, or wherever he went, if he went at all, at the time of his death the possibility for suitable criticism and “textbook” appreciation was sucked up with it. The avant-garde however was not killed in the process. No the resilience of art as a spirit of it’s seemingly own dictation had already set forth in executing a plan that would keep the avant-garde alive and even bring it to the people who Cage may or may not have had considered thinkers. Three musicians who are still working within Cages definition of music are, Mike Patton, Masami Akita and John Zorn.
A vehicle of the media Cage refused to even watch sparked the unlikely role of events that has lead the revolution to keep the Avant-Garde alive. A year after Duckworth’s interview, MTV began to play a video by the San Francisco band, Faith No More (FNM), entitled “Epic.” In the video prancing around like a clown, suited up in: oversized multicolor shorts, basketball sneakers, a staggered metal hair cut, and a tractor pull t-shirt promoting his high school band was Mike Patton. This is how most of the European and the US teenage population first became aware of FNM’s new lead vocalist. He would become the facilitator and “guardian of the bridge” to and for most new appreciators of Avant-Garde music.
By no means is he the leader to fill Cage’s shoes however. It may need to be someone who is purely concerned with noise, as Cage seemed to be. Japan has had a healthy and appreciated Noise movement for decades now. The leader of this movement hands down is a band called Merzbow, named in reference to the sculptural instillationist, Schwitters. Marzbow consists of one musician, Masami Akita. He however has trouble arriving at a Cage like level of artistic appreciation even in the Japanese advanced Avant-Garde movement by American standards.
The artist with the most potential to truly take what Cage started and spread it around the world as well as improve upon the theories Cage applied to music may be John Zorn. Zorn is a member of the Manhattan style contemporary jazz movement. He has a world wide following as well as two very successful Indy labels to promote and distribute the works of other artist. Zorn has the mind Cage was seeking to properly analyze Avant-Garde music. Zorn maybe too nice of a guy to be the critique Cage sought. So far he has not made it into those elusive textbooks.
Cage’s death may have freed the Avant-Garde movement to allow for Patton, Akita and Zorn to make serious steps in expanding Cage’s definition. Clarifying the ideas that he was unable to make clear to people outside the Avant-Garde circle he helped to form. They have certainly brought Avant-Garde to a sparse, but worldwide populace. Cage seemed to be fearful of vernacular music and the pop music world. Patton, Akita and Zorn in their own ways have helped to begin a healing of relations between the Avant-Garde and Pop, Rock and Jazz. In Cage’s life he may have been too pessimistic to desire a coming together of modern musical theologies. He may have felt the niche he carved was better off on it’s own, away from other contemporary musical movements. His passing has let the Avant-Garde out from under his shadow to intertwine with other music not as an influence, but as a public counterpart.

Along the California costal freeways winding their way North are signs for the last community before the Oregon border. The signs are a curiosity to most Californians growing up representing a destination that most never travel to. It has a lot to do with the name of the Humboldt County city on the sign, “Eureka.” Mike Patton was born in a neighboring town Arcata, CA, on January 27th, 1968. xIt is a good 8-hour drive north of San Francisco so there is a definite isolated sense that comes to people who live in Humboldt’s small mountain community. There is still a skeptical interest in life outside Eureka by the locals. Two questions are often asked by them, as the Arcata Avant-Garde folk/country band Dieselhed did in one of their songs: “Is there life outside, beyond Eureka? A better home?” Patton in hindsight said; “I didn’t even want to travel. I was scared, yet I hated Eureka and Humboldt County. It was very confusing, and everything wound up being a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. I just didn’t like it there at all. There was absolutely nothing to do; yet I knew I’d be leaving at some point in my life to do something. But there was a definite lack of ambition, and even having a band was an avoidance tactic. Avoiding making friends, avoiding girlfriends all that stuff. There was a huge fear of failure and anything I did was a replacement for something else.” (4)
Fear was the main component in Patton’s childhood. “I remember mostly just being scared of everything. Scared of not getting good grades, scared of not going to school, just a time spent jumping from security to security. Staying at home with my parents on Friday nights rather then going out with friends.” So Patton sought a path with the least risk, “…so that meant that mediocrity was a great place for me to be.” (5) His childhood choice for a carrier path was that of a Weatherman. His ticket out of the small town he was afraid to leave.
As exciting as the prospects of being the local weatherman or even a national weatherman would be, Patton would stumble upon the one thing he would find enough ambition in to use as a vehicle out of town. In 1985 he began to sing with three friends: Bassist; Trevor Dunn, Guitarist; Trey (Scummy) Spruance and Drummer; Jed Watts. Patton, whose main part in the ensemble, was at lead vocals is a natural built singer, able to mimic and work in an infinite range of sounds. They named themselves after a character in short 1950’s educational film, about manners in a grade school cafeteria. They saw it on an early episode of “the Pee Wee Herman show,” it was also part of Herman’s stage act. The name of the character was “Mr. Bungle.”
There is a small yet consistent supply of cultural diversity provided by the California State University, Humboldt State. Most of the college students were from the San Francisco Bay Area and were there to smoke local weed and listen to Reggae, along with their education. They were up in Humboldt, because they didn’t fit in with the Oakland hip-hop scene or with the gutter punks in the lower Height and Berkeley. The local community was a typical logging, post hippy, rural mountain, and cultural environment. For Eureka teens the best possible backlash against their parents and a College community, they viewed as a foreign invasion, was the escapism Heavy Metal provided. At first Mr. Bungle embraced this logic. After all Patton sought mediocrity and this was it as far as his community went.
So Bungle recorded the low-fi death metal demo “The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny.” The first track appropriately entitled “Grizzly Adams,” after the 1982 television program of the same name about a Mountain Man Grizzly Adams and his bear, was a melancholy introduction into typical North Eastern folk/country vernacular. Then the bottom drops out and a “Slayer” inspired metal and noise takes over. Halfway through the demo it seems that boredom takes over and elements of Ska, "Fishbone" influenced rap and kazoo inspired polka is force-fed in-between the hard grinding, hyper fast, gutsy yelling, guitars and drums. The patchwork, “LEGO” style displayed in their first recording would be the formula that would be a staple in their work through out their collaboration with each other. It would even become the basis for their philosophy that would lead to Patton specifically having a role in the Avant-Garde movement of the past decade.
Bungle followed up their first demo with three more over five years: “Bowls of Chili,” adding horns to help with the diverse demands of the different styles they were quilting together. “Goddammit I Love America,” according to the band this was “a Fishbone rip-off,” in reference to the black LA eclectic Ska band. “OU818,” most of which ended up in one form or another on Bungle’s first LP release from Warner Brother’s Records.
Music to them became a puzzle. In a single song you could find elements of Ska, Metal, Hip Hop, Funk, Polka, Clown Music, Swing, Rock ‘a Billy and Punk. Over the top and intertwined were the increasingly bizarre lyrics of Patton. As afraid as he had been growing up, he was equally forward and risky in his lyrics. He would consciously deal with the perverse use of sex and violence in pop culture. He was absurdly graphic and mutated in his lyrical content. He predated the gross saturation of sex and violence that was shown in the 1990’s media with a level of content that only now is beginning to be matched by the mainstream. Patton however maintains he was simply taking in the absurdity around him and spitting it out on the microphone: “The deviancy thing came by default, getting out seeing things, doing things, having people tell you things. Everything I did was normal to me.” (6) He was however recording these demos prior to the “gangster rap” movement in pop music and the heights of television’s Jerry Springer show.
Back in 1986 Faith No More was on a shoestring budget tour and hit Eureka to play at a pizza parlor in front of a crowed of six. After the show Patton gave FNM’s drummer Mike (Puffy) Bordin a copy of “The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny.” He said while handing it to Bordin, “This is what music around here sounds like, from this region.” From there it fell into the hands of Jim Martin FNM’s Guitarist. Martin would call Patton’s parent’s house and rave about the poor quality demo.
At the end of 1988 FNM, a now regular on College Radio in the US and a legitimate hit in Europe, had professional differences with lead vocalist Chuck Mosely. They auditioned other west coast singers such as Soundgarden front man Chris Cornel. Bordin put in a call to Patton, for him to come down to San Francisco and “practice,” under Martins insistence. Patton’s need some encouragement as well, because of his fear of leaving Humboldt County, which he received from Spruance.
Patton joined FNM with the condition that he can be given 6 months off every year to work with Bungle, a decision that would prove to have been shrewd and crucial. He had developed a diverse high quality singing style for a 21 year old. It was a surprise to FNM, because all they had ever herd was Bungles first demo. Patton wrote and sang the lyrics on the spot over the music, which had already been laid down. It was quite a different process from the “LEGO” style song writing Patton and Bungle had developed. With the addition of Patton, Faith No More was able to complete the recording their third album “The Real Thing” at Studio D in Sausalito, CA. A grueling tour schedule lay ahead for the naturally shy and reclusive Patton. Fame was not instantaneous. FNM was relying on their popularity in Europe to pay the bills. Their friendships and mini tours with other bands such as Metallica, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Soundgarden helped with their exposure in western States. It wasn’t until Warner Brother’s, owners of Slash records, FNM’s label, flexed their muscle with MTV to put “Epic” in heavy rotation that FNM became the 1990 sensation that turned Mike Patton into a teen idle. This happened in the midst of FNM’s second European tour in a year and the band had no idea that they had suddenly become an over night success. A concept that would fly in the face of all that the band stood for.
Mr. Bungle was not the only band in California that was experimenting with what would later be identified as anti-genre music. Bungle had admittedly appropriated concepts from Fishbone. Anthony Keddis of The Red Hot Chili Peppers accused Patton of stealing his act, although it was latter established that Keddis lacked the range of ability Patton possessed to threaten Patton’s carrier. FNM’s close proximity and relations with east bay weirdo funk rock band Primus also lead to a clumping of Bungle with these bands. FNM was already interested and established in the ideals of Anti-Genre rock, prior to Patton joining the band. That was one of the reason’s he joined in the first place. All of these bands along with lesser known bands such as Nuclear Rabbit were developing in ways that contradicted the ideals of the Pop music business. When FNM was suddenly propelled into MTV fame their seven years of work in the anti-genre philosophy was ripped away from them. They were considered an over night success and not only that, but they had a genre they belonged to, Funk Metal. A genre that has broadened into Hip Hop Metal, which now features such scapegoat’s for violence in America’s youth and money making non-artistic MTV bands such as Limp Bizket and Korn.
The weight of being MTV’s poster boy, weighed on Patton heavily and just as he had used his obtuse lyrical content in Bungle to counteract his fears and boredom, he would do the same thing on tour with FNM. Patton’s on stage antics began to become the main story, as appose to the musical performance. He would urinate, masturbate, and even cut himself, just to keep from falling under the spell of fear and boredom from the repetitive nature of touring. He would use his position to promote Mr. Bungle over Faith No More, which began to cause riffs in the bands cohesiveness. The time he set aside for Mr. Bungle would prove to change the relationships in the band and their artistic integrity, but not their new found pop music status. They would produce three other albums over the next seven years: “Angel Dust,” heavily influenced by Bungle’s “Lego” style of song writing; “King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime,” presenting FNM’s best song writing and greatest technical achievement; “Album of the Year,” a quality album, but a clear display that they had done all they could do as a group. After touring for Album of the year FNM released a Best of Album and thus nailing the coffin on the bands history. Most of the members of the band have gone on to work on uniquely diverse projects since.
After the touring for “The Real Thing,” Patton joined Bungle in taking a copy of “OU818” to a John Zorn’s Masada show and handed it to him hoping he would agree to produce their first self titled LP. Zorn enthusiastically agreed and with Patton’s newfound fame and the proven abilities of the great John Zorn as their producer, Bungle signed a long-term contract with Warner Brothers. The production process was heavily influenced by Zorn’s theological techniques he had developed as an Avant-Garde Noise and Jazz composer and musician. The process of working with Zorn opened the members of Bungle’s eyes to the diverse artistic integrity in the Avant-Garde movement. The ideals of the Avant-Garde complemented and clarified Bungles own philosophies. Spruance went on to articulate in two Manifestos’ of sorts entitled “First Grand Constitution and Bylaws” and “Second Grand Constitution and Bylaws.” The basic fundamental ideal presented behind the cryptic writing’s in the Constitution and Bylaws is that Bungle and the members of Bungle set out to discard the confines of Genre and the pre-Cage definition of music. The strongest statement musically in support of this theory is Mr. Bungle’s second album “Disco Volante.” The album rivals the diversity and lack of predictability of any anti-genre or noise musician to date. It is their tip of the hat to the Avant-Garde and their presentations of the “bird” to the mainstream music populous.
In between working with Bungle and FNM, Patton also began to deal with his individual theories pertaining to the Avant-Garde. He first worked with Zorn on a project entitled “Elegy.” This is were he learned to better interpret thematic concerns in other mediums as well as capture the feeling of these themes and present them in the musical context of the Avant-Garde. He then subsequently composed two solo projects on Zorn’s label, Tzadik. The first was recordings of 34 compositions in which Patton appropriated found sounds as Zorn does with his “File Card” method and mimicked them with the diverse range of his voice. It was appropriately entitled, “Adult Themes for Voice.” The second utilized Zorn’s “Game Piece,” method of composing and utilizing other musicians. The theme was that of food and he even used food or utensils in the preparation of food to produce the sense of an authentic five star meal. This album is entitled “Pranzo Oltranzista.” His work in a pure Avant-Garde manner would only be a precursor to his intentions musically once FNM disbanded.
Upon Faith No More’s brake up, Patton was left with an established place in the musical landscape and the funds to work within that realm freely. His primary focus would now be Mr. Bungle. The weight he had carried for years as FNM’s front man and the fear he had overcome by seeing the world through FNM’s success had created an instantaneous change in Patton. Mr. Bungle set out to produce an album that was thematic. They chose California tourism as their topic and painted with sound a landscape that reflected all aspects of their subject matter in a style and with the level of musicianship only Mr. Bungle could create. The album’s name reflected the simplistic design of the cover; they called it "California."
Patton, in addition, started an artist friendly label, Ipecac, with his personal manager and former Alternative Tactical Operational Manager, Greg Workmen, who also is the personal manager to Jello Biafra of the bay area punk gods the Dead Kennedys, owner of Alternative Tentacles and former Green Party Presidential Nominee. Ipecac’s first release was a project that merged the fundamental background of Patton’s musical history, Heavy Metal and the methods and ideals he had learned as an Avant-Garde composer. He composed 30 short pieces that were designed to contain the essence of scenes in the 1920 French crime novel series, “Fantomas.” He designed the songs to be presented as if they were panels constructed together on the page of a comic, each song representing a comics page. His passion for comics he found in hindsight had been an inspiration for the “Lego” method Bungle had taken on. He then cast, just as Zorn has done throughout his career, an ensemble of musicians he felt could properly perform his composition. He chose fellow Bungle mate Dunn, Ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lembardo and Melvin’s guitarist Buzzy Osborn. It was dubbed a super group by the press, but to the musicians it was a chance to take a style of music they loved to play and attach a level of artistic integrity to it that had never existed before.
Patton would then collaborate with Masami Akita on a project they would call Maldoror. The album was entitled “She” and it focused on both men’s career-long studies of the erotic. “She” is a pure Avant-Garde noise album in the style of Japanese Low-Fi. The relationship bridged a connection between the two pop icons of the Avant-Garde world.

Masami Akita is the premier Avant-Garde Noise musician in Japan. Akita considered noise to be the primitive and collective consciousness of music. Born in Tokyo in 1956, Akita graduated from the Tamagawa University, majoring in Painting and Art theory. He has used his degree as a foundation for his music and his main monetary career as a writer. He writes articles and books on Japanese historical architecture, Post Modernist Culture, Avant-Garde Music and Erotica.
Erotica is the main subject mater he chooses to influence his music. In 1981 Akita formed his solo project Merzbow. The name Merzbow was inspired by a series of work by a German collage Artist, Kurt Schwitters, entitled “The Cathedral of Erotic Misery.” Schwitters’ technique of collage has helped in giving Akita ideals for the process in which Merzbow’s music is created as well as sharing a common interest in the erotic. There is logic to his focus on the erotic and pornography as a basis for his work. He has been interested in and influenced by Surrealism and that movement’s embrace of the concept that "Everything is Erotic, Everywhere is Erotic". Akita strives to compose real surrealistic music in a non-musical way. He has said, "there is no difference between Noise and Music in my work. I have no idea what you term "Music" and "Noise". It's different depending on each person. If "Noise" means uncomfortable sound, then pop music is noise to me." This distaste of Pop music is in direct contrast with, Patton’s taste. It is unfounded whether or not this was an issue when they recorded “She” together. They do however share in exploring the concept of erotica and that was the primary focus of “She.” To Akita pornography is the unconsciousness of sex. Akita interprets noise to be the unconsciousness of music. Merzbow works on the fundamental belief that Noise is the most erotic form of sound. To Akita porn is much less the misogynist ideal of an expression of freedom, but more so a symbol of claustrophobia and oppression. Akita also shares in another of Patton’s passions although this came to him as an influence later in his career. "I'm influenced by death metal from the early '90s. My biggest influence was grind drumming. So, I liked bands with good drummers like Morbid Angel and early Napalm Death. For Merzbow, it's more abstract influenced as speed or grindcore, the edge guitar sound of death metal.” This has lead Akita to hope that his work is being picked up by “many pimply faced metal punks,” a concept that Patton expects more and fears more with regards to his own work.
As Merzbow, Akita, has produced over 50 albums to date. Merzbow produces work without the aid of a computer. Akita is concerned with the ideals found in DADA and the ready maid. Merzbow’s music consists of found sound recorded on low-fi audiocassettes. He began to get involved in international cassette trading as a way of acquiring various sounds. Akita would also make sounds from what he referred to as the “scum” that surrounds his life, a direct reaction to growing up in the overpopulated hustle and bustle of Tokyo. People who fall asleep in cities often have the experience that they need the noise outside their windows to fall asleep. It is a form of security. He wanted to react to that by creating silence through over running your senses with noise. This is what is called “White Noise.” For Akita he found pleasure in this kind of noise. He would use his anti-use of electrical equipment technique to acquire and create noise. He would use found objects such as a broken tape recorder or broken guitar and use these to recreate found noises. Akita also made sure he was incorporating his muscles and body movement into his compositions. He is against using computers as a tool to create his music. Akita considers his process of composing mechanical automatism, not improvisation. It is the result of strictly physical processes. Just as many modernists and postmodernists had before him, action became a critical element. Noise was his action.
Akita has preformed with the assistance of his wife, Reiko A, in four continents. There is a myth among the American noise audience that Japan has a large well-respected Noise scene. Akita would be able to pay his bills by a full time commitment to this medium if that were so. Japans Avant-Garde audiences have traditionally consisted of middle class men and just recently consisted of a growing younger underground music type crowd. Akita has said that American audiences are larger and much more receptive, as well as, more clever than Japanese audiences. This may be in part to Cage’s work over the past decades in America as the father of Western Avant-Garde. Frank Zappa who has been a huge influence on Akita also created a tolerance and understanding in U.S. audiences. It is, however, over the last decade a result of the work that Patton and Zorn have produced and performed in the U.S. that noise audiences have grown in size and sophistication. With the distribution opportunities that Patton’s label Ipecac and Zorn’s labels Avant and Tzadik have created for Merzbow. Zorn for example made 1930 available in the U.S., it is considered to be Merzbow’s most important work.

Avant and Tzadik were developed in early 1990’s to create a central hub for John Zorn to produce and distribute his own work as well as the work of various musicians in the worldwide contemporary Avant-Garde musical movement. The task of producing all of John Zorn’s work prior to both labels inception has just recently been completed, almost a decade later. Zorn was born in New York, NY on September 12th, 1953. Zorn by the age of ten was trained in the playing of piano, guitar and flute. Zorn had discovered traditional and Avant-Garde classical compositions and began composing his own at the age of 14. He has sighted Cage as an early influence along with other composers. By the age of 16 his parents had begun searching for psychological help for Zorn on account of his increasingly Avant-Garde compositional style.
Zorn has said it wasn’t until he picked up the Saxophone that he became interested in Jazz. He was a literal instantaneous natural with regards to this instrument. Just as Patton was built to sing, Zorn was built to play the Sax. Naturally, John Coltrane became a significant influence. He attended classes at Webster College in St. Louis were he discovered experimental Jazz, as well. He dropped out after a year and moved to Oregon to live with his brother. He spent his time staying in both San Francisco and Oregon developing his initial theory of composition, “The Game Theory.” He would perform his compositions in small venues to very miniscule crowds. “The Game Theory” is an experiment in a controlled process of improvisation. He would develop elaborate rules for musicians he would hand pick to perform these compositions. Usually musicians who were experienced improvisationist, as well as, musicians he was familiar enough with to predict a basic outcome to their production in the context of the improv. Zorn would use his rules as “on,” “off” switches. Dictating a basic outcome that he would envision ahead of time with a relatively accurate prediction. The style in which these compositions came across depended upon the musicians he selected, but were influenced heavily by Zorn’s obsessive appetite for television as a child, specifically Warner Brother cartoons and musical scores of these cartoons, composed by Carl Stalling. Zorn returned to New York after a few years on the west coast. This is where his work began to form a level of maturity that would lead him to larger crowds when performing these improvisational compositions. The primary purpose of the “Game Piece” theory was to tie up loose ends left by early Avant-Garde composers such as, Cage. It wasn’t till recently with his composition “Xu Feng,” a tribute to the Martial Arts actress of the same name, that he was able to truly begin tying up these loose ends. His work with Mills College percussion professor and sometimes Bungle support musician, William Winant and Dave Lembardo ex-Slayer drummer and current Fantomas drummer, on “Xu Feng” illustrates perfectly the control he has developed with his “Game Pieces.” His ability to illustrate the persona and environment created in Xu Feng’s work through the use of instrumental noise has developed into a style of composing that in many ways surpasses the conceptual maturity and intentional control that Cage had with his work.
In the mid 80’s Zorn developed another process theory he calls “File Card.” The first and clearest attempt at this new method of composition was on Zorn’s album “Spillane,” an interpretation of Mickey Spillane’s crime novels and Jean-Luc Godard’s films and their fragmented compositional style. The “File Card” method consists of appropriating found compositional segments from life around Zorn and transcribing them on file cards. He would then put them in an order that would suit the subject mater he was inspired by for that particular composition. Then he would sit down with hand picked musicians and record the replicated music in the order of the file cards. This would become a very important way for him to compose when he became more interested in Japanese culture and music. Spallini along with a “Game Piece” composition entitled “The Big Gundown” catapulted John Zorn into fame within the Avant-Garde music scene. With the new attention he was free to split his time in Japan and New York in the late 80’s.
In Japan he began an Eclectic Noise Ensemble with Japanese composer Yamanataka Eye called Naked City. Many consider Zorn and Eye to be twins separated at birth. Zorn’s “File Card” theory became the major way in which they composed music. The ensemble was much more Jazz and Rock influenced. The song structure and components had an uncanny similarity to the “Lego” method that bungle had developed, just a few years earlier. Naked City was heavily influenced by American and Japanese television, American death metal, Kabuki Theater, Contemporary Jazz and Noise. Through Zorn’s relationship with Bungle there would be a resurgence of appreciation for Naked City half a decade later that would help in producing the audience appreciation and size Merzbow would experience in the U.S. As well as, bring Zorn and Patton’s work along with other musicians produced on the Avant and Tzadik labels to the attention of a larger and more diverse American audience that had already been interested in Bungle and the more accessible of Patton’s previous works.
Zorn’s interest in television and subsequently film had lead him to begin writing “Film Works.” Compositions for films, some of which existed and some of which did not. The most important film he helped in creating and produced a soundtrack for was “Gene Tyranny,” a film documenting the experiences of Jews on Kristallnacht, The Night of Broken Glass. He would later on deal with other issues in thee Jewish community, the most controversial of which was Gay’s in an Orthodox community.
His focus on what he refers to as “Radical Jewish Culture,” lead him to team up with fellow Manhattan Style, Jewish, Jazz musicians Joey Barron, Greg Cohen and Dave Douglas to form Masada. Masada has since become an international success with it’s melting of traditional Yiddish music, Manhattan Jazz and Avant-Garde Noise. Masada has provided an opportunity for a permanent place in Jazz folklore along with Zorn’s Jazz heroes such as Coltrane.
His respect from a cross-section of the world Jazz and Avant-Garde audience, as well as, American experimental rock and Noise audiences has elevated him to a status as a spokesperson for a worldwide movement in the continuation of Cage’s theories. When he sheds light through his work, commentary or production of other artist and all mediums there is a respect that is instantaneously placed on the worldwide audience familiar with Zorn’s work. When he composes a piece that is dedicated to an individual he has the ability to capture the essence of that person as he did for the Poet, Marguerite Duras and the Visual Artist, Marcel Duchamp on “Duras:Duchamp.” Just as he is able to bring together a wide range of artists to perform a composition, he is able to bring a wide range of people to appreciate and understand the theories and works of other artist.

John Cage’s thoughts in 1988 were directed toward his contemporary music critics, but they were indications of an over all sense he seemed to project when it came to the understanding and development of the new definition of music he had fostered in the 1950’s. Fifty years after the fact there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Music that is being produced and audiences that are experiencing it contradicts at the very least the very bleakest of Cage’s predictions. As Cage’s thoughts relate to composers there are three musicians who are still working within Cages definition of music are, Mike Patton, Masami Akita and John Zorn.
Mike Patton has utilized his fear and boredom to create a stage persona that peaks the interest of a new consistently desensitized generation of audience members. He has exploited his fame to it’s fullest and still maintained a sense of artistic integrity. His work has embraced Cage’s theory and applied it to all genres of music intertwining them into a more pure definition, one without boundaries and walls. Patton’s work creates connections for members of society, Cage seemed to see as a lost cause when it came to understanding Avant-Garde music. Patton through his Lego method and iconic persona has created a bridge between Pop music and the Avant-Garde ideals Cage created.
Masami Akita as Merzbow has written and preformed music that is embedded in Cage’s concept of Avant-Garde. He has focused on a specific aspect of life, the erotic. He desires to take noise and create beauty as well. His work is very relevant today even after Cage’s death, perhaps even more so. Akita’s has been openly influenced by the culture Cage had a lack of faith in. This is a bridge into the Avant-Garde that feeds it new and relevant life.
John Zorn has been the ambassador in the US that guards Cage’s ideal and provides a safe haven for musicians and audiences in the Avant-Garde world. As well as, expanding the definition and making a contuse effort to deal with problems that Cage was directly interested in. His influx of Jewish, African, and Japanese musical dialogue has only helped in clarifying and expressing the ideals Cage set out to present in his expanded definition of music.
Patton, Zorn and Akita do understand the concepts presented in Cages work and they open the eyes of audiences and critics world wide daily. It is yet to be shown in our textbooks, but it is shown on the shelves of our music stores and home collections in a diverse cross-section of the population worldwide.

Hay Everybody! I am working on an update, but till then here is some past writings that may be of interest enjoy…

A HABITUAL LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM:

THE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF THE
AMERICAN COMIC BOOK INDUSTRY

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF
THE SEQUENTIAL ART DEPARTMENT
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF FINE ARTS FROM
THE SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

BY
BENJAMIN JONES COHEN

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA
FEBRUARY 2003
INTRODUCTION
Comic books are not born from artistic or literary initiative, but are the product of American economic enterprise. Ironically, the comic book remains indefinitely on life support due to economics. The frail economic condition of the comic book is directly a result of poor choices made by the American comics industry. These choices included focusing the comics market on one demographic group, failing to retain a satisfied talent pool, utilizing too few practical methods for product exposure.


COMIC BOOKS EQUAL KIDS' BOOKS
Internationally, especially in France, Belgium and Japan, comic books have grown from an imported medium for kids to a diversely consumed and admired medium for all ages. The content and craftsmanship of comic books have no boundaries in these cultures. However, in the American "collective consciousness" the comic book is primarily considered a childish medium. The American public has historically seen any divergence in comics from material appropriate for children as bad form. Obligingly responding to cultural pressures, the vast majority of comic books printed in the U.S. have been intended for kids under eighteen. The comic book industry thus has failed to compete for the American adults' arts and entertainment dollar.
In 1934, Eastern Color (later All-American) published Famous Funnies, the brainchild of publisher M. C. Gaines, bringing the first economic success to the comic book (Sabin 35). As its title suggests, it was a collection of already popular newspaper comic strips. The post-Victorian sentiment in America was reevaluating children and seeing them for the first time as other than little adults (Nyberg 6-7). Children were understood to have "developing psyches" that needed to be nurtured (Nyberg 47). Children were drawn to the comic strips in their father's newspapers, as was the entire family (Nyberg 47). Comic books born during the Great Depression were subject to the realities of the time. Their success was built on the affordability and availability of this escapist medium. Depression era sales figures for Famous Funnies showed a large market among children for the ten-cent comics magazines (Sabin 35). Comic book publishers began right off the bat to make material more focused on a youth market. By 1935 comic books were so successful that they inspired publisher, National Alliance, to hire freelance and in-house cartoonists who created original comics to compete with Gaines (Sabin 35). All-American and National Alliance joined to form National Periodicals (later DC) and Gaines quit to form Education Comics (EC) (von Bernewitz 10).
While humorous comic books were the mainstay of the early industry, two American Jews were to change that in 1938 (Sabin 57). Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel created the new genre of superhero comics when National Periodical's Action Comics featured their alien/immigrant hero, "Superman." National's domination of the market continued with the 1939 publishing of Detective Comics No. 27 featuring the first "Batman" appearance and the 1940 first appearance of "Wonder Woman" in All Star Comics (Sabin 61-2, 86). National filed lawsuits based on accusations of plagiarism against comic book publishing houses Fawcett (1941), Timely (1941), Vital (1943) and Paget (1948) due to their publishing of superhero comic books (Sabin 62,66, 79). Despite National's semi-successful lawsuits, superhero comics soon permeated the industry (Sabin 62,66, 79). Comic books began to sell in greater numbers than they ever had or, in fact, would for the remainder of the millennium (57-62 Sabin). At Timely Periodicals (later Marvel) under publisher Martin Goodman, editor/writer Joe Simonson, illustrator Jack Kirby and eventually editor/writer Stan Lee produced superhero comic books that focused directly on the war effort with characters such as, "Captain America." Along with other superhero comic book companies, Timely sold well to military personnel through the entire World War II campaign. The children's market was the driving factor, but an adult market also began to take hold (Sabin 66).
The industry adapted products to maintain a post war adult audience. In 1947 Bill Gaines inherited EC from his father, M.C. Gaines. Too late to take advantage of the WWII market, but clearly interested in exploring the possibilities of a more adult product, a newly recruited EC staff began to present a very well-crafted, more mature story within typical comic genres (von Bernewitz 10). The industry had, from its beginning, a tendency to steal ideas pertaining to genre, plot lines and even illustrations. Despite this copycat game, no other company focused on the adult market as effectively as EC, in part due to the industry-wide belief that comics were a children's medium (Infantino 44-5).
After the war, the copycat tendency led the comic book industry into a variety of genres to which they would rapidly over-expose the childhood audience. The popularity of cowboy comics would fizzle and be replaced with crime comics. The comic books industry would soon burn out on everything from fuzzy animals to horror. There was also a strong effort to cater to young and adolescent girls, starting with Bob Montana & Joe Edwards's Archie (Robbins 9). National kept "Superman," "Batman" and "Wonder Woman" going, but in the post-war era the superhero genre was no longer the sales leader (Infantino 50). All the attempts at new genres by comic book publishers, other than those by EC, were marketed to children.
By 1954, America's growing focus on child development was further influenced by the obsession to counteract communism and the resulting desire to homogenize American public attitudes and orchestrate moral unity (qtd. in Nyberg 20). A widespread sentiment was that a child's free time was properly spent with activities that furthered a youth's mental and physical growth (Nyberg 11). Previously not a cultural issue, "teenage delinquency," was identified and perceived to be on the rise (Nyberg 18). Comic books were seen as a crude medium that undermined true literature and art, contributing to the rise in delinquency (Nyberg 1-5, 18-21). A concerned citizens censoring campaign that attacked the comics industry spread this view of comics (Harvey 47). The opponents of comics were threatened by the 125 new comic books available each month at 100,000 newsstands nationwide, and sold for a dime each (Nyberg 7). Small studies indicated that as much as 90% of children and teens were reading comic books (Nyberg 1). It was believed that 75% of the free time available to American children for mental and physical conditioning was being consumed by the comic book (Nyberg 7).
The entire anti-comic book movement came to a head when psychiatrist Dr. Fredric Wertham, author of The Seduction of the Innocent, led a crusade to the U.S. Senate floor (Nyberg 85-103). Sen. Estes Kefauver, head of the Senate hearing committee, enthusiastically railroaded the entire comic book industry (von Bernewitz 21). The result was a regulation system, The Comics Code Authority, which rated the books simply on whether or not they were suitable for children. The Comics Code seal of approval did nothing to describe the content or even provide standard categories of the maturity level for the consumer. Comic books equaled kids' books, and any material unsuited for children was found to be unsuited for comic books.
Comics marketed to children and/or produced with adolescent themes subsequently became the identity of comic books in the "collective consciousness" of America. Following the guidelines set by the Comics Code Authority, National and Timely had recreated the economic power of the superhero by the 1960's. In a phoenix-like rebirth they changed their names to DC and Marvel, respectively. With artists like Carmine Infantino, DC began to produce pure superhero stories with illustrative influences from contemporary graphic design (Infantino 50). Marvel, led by writer, Lee and veteran comic book illustrators, like Kirby, produced superheroes with real human dilemmas. Marvel and DC would dominate and define the comic book market through the limits of superhero comics for the remainder of the American century and into the next.
Since 1954, cartoonists and small press publishers have made a variety of attempts to break free of the limited children's market. EC publisher, Gaines, took most of his cartoonists and revamped their comic MAD, converting to a magazine format and abandoning the comic book market. Prior to being bought out by DC's parent company Time Warner in 1982, MAD became the most financially successful satirical humor magazine for all ages America has ever produced (von Bernewitz 218). From 1963 to 1975 the small press Underground Comix movement published comic books specifically unsuited for children. Underground Comix, whenever discovered, were met with parental disgust. Underground cartoonists like R. Crumb have since grown from cult status to integration into the elitist society of contemporary high art (Stoo 116). For the first time female cartoonists like Trina Robbins had begun to have a limited voice in the comic book market through the Underground Comix movement and eventually mainstream comic books ("Crumb"). Comic book reading by girls has been in a slump since the 1950s' when Robbins was a girl. Female readership has recently grown slightly due to influence from Japanese comic books and contemporary Indy (Independent) and Alternative comic book movements, outgrowths of the Underground Comix movement. Also emerging from the underground comix movement, Gary Groth developed The Comics Journal in 1976 ("About The Comics Journal"). As the leading magazine that reports on and critiques the Comics Industry with intellectual rigor, the Comics Journal has been chronicling the development of a truly diverse small press comic book market.
In1978 Will Eisner, one of comics' earliest cartoonists, with his attempts to publish the long format comic book A Contract with Gods, invented the graphic novel, a bookstore-friendly format intended for mature audiences (Poniewozik 78). Marvel and DC's domination of the comic book industry had initially dominated the graphic novel market as well. Superhero comics' significant contribution to the quantity of graphic novels available led to an isolated graphic novel section, usually next to Sci-Fi and Fantasy novels, in most bookstore chains. In 1986 Marvel and DC took advantage of a growth in sales due to an aging superhero comic book fan base and comic book specialty collectors market. However, these groups with more disposable income represented an isolating and terminal marketing path. The longtime comic book consumers were responsible for high sales of finely made, mature intelligent superhero graphic novels, like DC's Watchmen by Allen Moore and Dave Gibbons, intended to help diversify the market. The success of graphic novels of Watchmen and A Contract with Gods caliber, however, led to watered down anti-intellectual comic books, which borrowed elements of violence and sex without the adult context of the graphic novel ("In My World"). These poor efforts provided products that catered only to male adolescents, isolating the superhero market even more. The majority of the comic book audience remains young kids, adolescent boys and a dwindling population of adolescent minds in adult bodies.
In1992 a Pulitzer Prize was given to Underground Comix cartoonist Art Spieglman for his 1986 graphic novel, Maus (McCloud 12). Spieglman along with literary cartoonists like Chris Ware, Dan Clowes and Los Hernandez Brothers begun to gain small reliable adult audiences. Their work has opened doors for relatively new cartoonists such as Joe Sacco and Dave Cooper. Asked if the comic book industry was at a point of change in the balance in terms of the medium appealing to an intellectual adult audience, cartoonist Art Spieglman recently responded, "Yeah, something's really afoot" ("The Superheroes"). He seems to finally see his work as other than just an anomaly. Perhaps, as recent reports have suggested, America's perceptions of the comic book and graphic novel are being rewritten, and the appropriate audience for comic books is evolving to include mature intelligent adults ("Comic Books"). However, the economic history of "comic books equals children's books" makes that conclusion seem premature.


CARTOONIST CONDITIONING
An important limit of the comic book market is diversification of product; whether it is diversification of audience demographic, diversification of format and medium, diversification of distribution and sales venues or diversification of subject mater. Diversification of product is influenced by quality of art and ideas. Quality comes down to two sequential factors, acquiring talent and keeping the talent content. The invention of comic books in the midst of the Great Depression conditioned the industry to treat comic book cartoonists like employees in a sweatshop (Goulart 71, 81). In fact the initial ideal of the publishers was to have no accomplished cartoonists at all. Small groups of second-rate, aspiring strip artists and writers from a mostly Jewish immigrant population became the first comic book writers and illustrators. A comprehensive Bachelor or Masters of Fine Art education program for aspiring comic book cartoonists wasn't available until the 1990s'. It was only in the late 1970's that the occasional course or technical degree was offered for students interested in a career in comic books. Comic book artists and writers were the "hacks" of the illustration industry, which as a whole received little consideration as a pure art form. Comic book artist were not respected and were paid accordingly (Infantino 44).
From the 1930s' through the mid-1980s' efforts by publishers to increase economic support of cartoonists were rare. Comic book publishers had no interest in depicting their artists and writers as celebrities. Then, at Marvel in the late-1980s', comic book pencilers like Todd Macfarlane, Rob Liefield and Jim Lee stole the attention of comic fandom from their superhero characters. They were the first to directly tap into the growing anti-intellectualism and moral relativism displayed in the entertainment industry and news media ("Interview Daniel Clowes"). Their comic books were the descendents of the Watchmen era, but had neither the insight nor discipline nor the literary and artistic intellectual rigor required of their predecessors ("In My World"). The newly empowered six figure celebrity cartoonists were put off by the tradition of "work for hire" contracts, which resulted in zero creators' rights to their intellectual property ("Todd Macfarlane Interview"). Marvel's promotional department also began to frustrate them, Macfarlane in particular, who saw his comic books being promoted by a department that simply had no idea how to promote to a broader appropriate audience pool ("Todd Macfarlane Interview"). Macfarlane's frustration applied to industry-wide advertising tactics, which by his time were focused on a boom market in a shrinking audience pool. Marvel's top celebrity comic book artists were driven to form a new company in 1992, Image Comics. Through Image Comics, Macfarlane marketed his characters to the film and animation media, and started Macfarlane Toys, which became a huge success. Economic progress for cartoonists had been achieved, but at a pace too slow and a cost too high not to be considered a factor in the indefinite mediocre economic condition of the comic book industry.


TRICKLE DOWN EXPOSURE
In its heyday, comic books' single demographic orientation and assembly line business model produced a product that was well known by and easily available to consumers. As TV and Film became more dominant, and print media developed into a test market for moving pictures, comic books found it harder to retain a large share of the entertainment dollar. A new isolationist distribution and retail model adopted by the comic book industry in the late 1970s', in conjunction with the development of new entertainment media like videogames in the 1980s' and the internet in the 1990s', left the comic book with a fraction of its earlier market share. The comic book industry seemed to rely on T.V. and film to draw in a "trickle down" audience.
In 1967 DC became a subsidiary of the film and animation company Warner Brothers, providing a very fruitful economic avenue for the DC characters (Infantino 100-104). DC had already delved into the potential for licensing its characters with a "Superman" television program, and the potential for similar resurgence by other superheroes was not lost on Warner Brothers. For the next four-decades, DC's "Superman," "Batman" and other characters would become highly successful live-action television series, blockbuster films and animation series. During this period, Warner Brothers merged numerous times, eventually becoming today's AOL Time Warner. These mergers provided additional media in which DC could freely diversify its consumer base. Just as "Mickey Mouse" is the iconic representative for Disney, AOL Time Warner has three iconic representatives "Bugs Bunny," "Batman" and "Superman." "Batman" and "Superman's" notoriety is a testament to a consistent effort to produce projects based on DC superheroes in a variety of media. The funds from these film and television successes have not been reinvested into a commercial campaign for television designed to promote the ongoing comic book projects featuring DC's superhero characters. Print advertisement has been limited to comic books and the small market of comic book magazines, like Wizard. There has been little to support the assertion that placement of DC characters in other media has led to a consistent and significant rise in sales for DC comic books featuring the same characters. Warner Brothers' priorities have slowly undermined the necessity for quality in DC's comic book product. Comic books have become a means to produce and test market characters in order to showcase them in more profitable media.
Stan Lee, as Editor in Chief then Publisher then in subsequent roles at Marvel, had a growing fanatic desire to see Marvel characters appear in motion pictures, due to the success his rival DC had achieved (Lee 202-216). A road laid with the corpses of a number of unpopular animated and live action series based on Marvel characters has led to widely popular cartoon shows: Spiderman, Spiderman & His Amazing Friends and The X-Man, as well as, one successful live action show The Incredible Hulk. All three Marvel animated successes had over a decade between them and The Incredible Hulk remains an isolated anomaly (Lenburg 413, 436-8, 458, 474, 509, 517-8, 549). In 1989 billionaire Ronald Perelman bought Marvel (Raviv 5). His personal day-to-day concern over Marvel was minima (Raviv 25). Under Perelman's disinterested ownership, Marvel lost their top artists to the formation of Image comics. Perelman's primary use for Marvel was to funnel money into his personal assets through the use of Junk Bonds (Raviv 29.) He had friends in Hollywood who could have helped Lee's quest in the film industry, but Perelman specifically desired not to do business with Hollywood friends (Raviv 8-9).
Since the end of the millennium, post-Perelman Marvel owners Toy Biz have developed blockbuster trilogies such as X-Men and the record breaking success of Spiderman, which sold over half a billion dollars worth of tickets and DVDs ("The Superheroes").Having not learned from DCs' lack of comic book sale success, Marvel seems to be focused on product placement as the primary source for comic book publicity. Non-superhero comic book adaptations to film such as Ghost World, From Hell, and Road to Perdition have been, or in the case of League of Extraordinary Gentleman, are expected to be critical and financial successes that translate into a rise in exposure for the cartoonist who's work the film is based on. However, films about cartoonists and comics culture, such as Crumb, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys and Chasing Amy, may only expose the general public to stereotypes many in the comics industry are trying to shed. Regardless, it should be of concern to the industry that for a comic book to reach its current potential it must first be embraced by the creators of another media.


MONOPOLIZING DISTRIBUTION
Distribution to the comic book market has been the lynchpin to promotion and sales since the beginning. As long as the products were in newsstands, local markets, convenience stores and airports, comics would remain in the public view and thus sell. In recent years, Diamond Distribution, which has no true rival, dominates the market, distributing Marvel and DC books to most of the comic shops in North America. Diamond has caused small press graphic novel and comic book distributors like LPC to go out of business, often almost obliterating small press publishers like, Top Shelf Publications ("LPC's Chapter 11" 3-8). In the past it was unusual for distribution problems to arise; and when they did, friendly rivals would lend a hand. For example, in the early 1960's Marvel publisher Goodman lost his distributor, American News. DC's distributor and sister company Independent News stepped in to distribute Marvel's comic books until 1968 when Curtis Distribution took over (Infantino 58).
Around the same time Goodman sold Marvel to Perfect Film and Chemical Corporation (later Cadence Industries) (Lee 181). Marvel had dominated the comic book market from 1967 to 1973, due in part to a lack of opportunity for expansion into live action television and film (Infantino 99, 162-4). The domination led to the successful Spiderman animation series. But a lack of vision from Cadence Industries forced Marvel to slowly develop a more aggressive strategy in the comic book market.
In 1974 under now president Infantino, DC was able to fight Marvel for a fare share of the comic book market. In 1975 Marvel bluffed a comic book expansion scheme (Infantino 164). The bluff brought with it a prediction of a paper shortage (Infantino 164). Alarmed by the probable paper shortage Infantino had DC produce and print as many books as quickly as possible, saturating the market with a plethora of poor quality DC books (Infantino 164). By the year-end DC was faced with record low comic book sales (Infantino 164).
Marvel then took advantage of their dominant share of the market and offered a glorified subscription service called "direct distribution." The success of direct distribution was made possible by a growing popularity of Marvel characters. Lee's cultivated core fan base and the interwoven storylines of the "Marvel Universe" were what drove the comics book market. Marvels circumvention of the newsstand would cause DC to lose out on the large amounts of potential readers. Direct distribution, however, began isolating loyal Marvel readers, feeding the need for trade conventions and comic book shops, which provided a new community atmosphere. Comic book "fandom" transformed these trade conventions into comic book fan conventions, affectionately referred to as "Cons" (Lee 154). "Cons" and comic book shops would eventually pop up in most major cities in the US, England and Canada, crippling the remaining viability of the newsstand comic rack. At Cons and comic book shops, fans could view new comics, pick up back issues and subscribe to their favorites.


COLLECTORS' MARKETS BUBBLE BURST
A new consumer group emerged during this period, coinciding with increasing interest in buying back issues. Comics that had been discarded in heavy numbers thus became of high value, provided they had had initially high print runs. The rapidly growing collectors market eclipsed the shrinking children's market. By the early1980's comic books were predominantly sold in specialty shops and at conventions to a stagnant, isolated culture. Any new potential audiences were no longer being exposed to comic books, nor even enticed to try to become exposed.
As the collectors' market began to outgrow the shrinking children's market, the individual capital per consumer grew, as did the individual demand. Collectors presumed that work penciled by a celebrity would be the source of comic books' growth in value, much as the iconic character had been the element that produced increased value for comics published prior to the existence of a collectors' market. The Marvel promotional department's uninspired ideas led to such innovations as selling multiple styles of covers on comics with the same content to feed on the endless appetite of collectors. Marvel and DC began to raise the price of their comic books rapidly, due to the wealth of the collectors market, a rise in quality of production inspired by graphic novel sales and the constraints of an overall shrinking market. By 1989, a single 24-page comic book was over a dollar in price for the first time, a price that would triple in the following decade.
As the boom market dominated by Marvel approached its peek under Perelman, Marvel went public on the New York stock exchange in 1991 (Raviv 15). With help from the rising success of comic books driven by the collector market and the Macfarlane Marvel era talent pool, the stock grew (Raviv 41). Perelman had developed an arrangement with Toy Biz owners Ike Perlmutter and Avi Arid that provided Toy Biz an exclusive contract to manufacture Marvel toys and provided Perelman a 40% ownership of Toy Biz (Raviv 6). Marvel had become a licensing machine for comic book character intellectual property rights. Although Perelman was unconcerned, Perlmutter, who was an expert on trends in bankruptcy, began to suspect the Marvel stock was a disaster waiting to happen (Raviv 49). His predictions were based on the use of Junk Bonds and hundreds of millions in bank loans through Marvel received without question, due to the clout of Perelman's billions (Raviv 1-2). Perlmutter's prediction was not based on the state of the comics industry, which was far more fragile then either man cared to be aware of. But in the 1980's the collectors market bought the high print run comic books and preserved them too effectively to provide a substantial loss in the quality and number. The isolation of the comic book market had left little outside demand for the comic books preserved by collectors. Three years after Marvel lost the majority of its top artists in 1992 to Image, Perlmutter's concerns over Perelman's stock market tactics came to fruition (Raviv 53). Marvel's stock fell, the collectors' market bubble broke and comic shops closed ("State of the Comics" 6). Marvel found itself in bankruptcy court, crippling the entire industry (Raviv 95). A court battle ensued between the banks, the junk bond holders (led by the unscrupulous billionaire Carl Icahn) and Perelman over who would own Marvel and its subsidiaries (Raviv 97). Briefly, Icahn won (Raviv 182). Toy Biz, led by Perlmutter's frighteningly cool and calculating tactics, along with Arid's passion for Marvel characters, was able to out maneuver the billionaires (Raviv 248). Toy Biz's takeover of Marvel is what has led to recent Marvel film success, guided by Lee and Arid.
Marvel and the rest of the comic book market's pains have not led to a change in overall approach to promotion. Diversifying small press publishers have encouraged longer format comic books and graphic novels as well as sought out reliable book distributors to provide clout in the bookstore market. But even these publishers rely on licensing through film and television opportunities and lack the finances to produce television led commercial campaigns to promote the comic books themselves. Marvel, DC and the rest of the comic book industry have failed to resist the "carrot" of product placement in films and replace the comic book shop as the primary venue for sales.


PROGNOSTICATIONS
The comic book industry has failed to act holistically with regards to the problems and solutions it has faced. The industry must not behave like lemmings. In order to reverse a century of conditioning, the comic book industry needs to change the structure of its business model. Comic books must resist the seduction of Hollywood, with its mercantile economics and creativity by popularity poll. True economic success does not lie in exposure of comic book stories and characters through a rival medium. Straightforward informative advertising campaigns in film, television, radio, the internet and print media, utilizing the cutting-edge communication techniques of its cartoonists will help and are helping a lot of cartoon images in all media influence the stature of comics universally. The industry must produce a majority of quality comics. Diversification of the stories must be a high priority. Promotional campaigns must be centered on attracting audiences that would be interested specifically in each particular story, while also providing the opportunity for these stories to be consumed by a public that was not part of the initial market demographic. These efforts will create a source of consistent economic growth for the industry.
Capitalist competition, informed by environmentally and socially conscious principles, needs to exist universally among the comic book publishers. Comic shops should consider merging with the struggling Indy music stores and bookstores to create community retail centers for pools of new trends and old knowledge. Competitive distribution would contribute to diversity of consumers in comic book shops. Large bookstore chains must be pressed to carry comics printed in graphic novel formats to be placed next to books on similar subjects in sections visited by adults. Films, videogames, TV programs, toys, accessories and web sights will still feature comic book product placement, but comic books should no longer rely on the success of these other media to provide the financial payoff through trickle-down economics. Eisner's father summed up his son's publishing business, "What you have there…is a wheelbarrow. Sure, it's a machine, but if you don't push it, it won't go" (Eisner 23). The Comic Book Industry must gather up the diversified yet unified courage to push in the correct direction up the mountain.
WORKS CITED

"About The Comics Journal: Who are we?" The Comics Journal. 20 Nov. 2002. www.tcj.com/1_frontdesk/about.html

"Comic Books" Talk of the Nation. National Public Radio. Washington, DC. 9 Jan. 2002.

Crumb. Dir. Terry Zwigoff. Superior Pictures, 1994.

Dean, Michael. "LPC's Chapter 11 and Top Shelf's Near Death Experience" The Comics Journal
May 2002: 3-8.

"State of the Comics Industry 2002: Recovery or Decline?" The Comics Journal Aug. 2002: 6-14.

Eisner, Will. Shop Talk. Milwaukee, OR: Dark Horse Comics, 2001.

Goulart, Ron. "Golden Age Sweatshops" The Comics Journal Dec. 2002: 70-81.

Harvey, R.C. "When Comics Were For Kids" The Comics Journal: Special Edition Dec. 2002: 47-50.

Infantino, Carmine and J. David Spurlock. Amazing World of Carmine Infantino. Lebanon, NJ: Vangaurd Productions, 2001.

"In My World the Actors and Director are All Made of Paper and They Do Exactly What I Say: Author Alan Moore" The Onion AV Club. Volume 37. Issue 38 (2001): 20 Nov. 2002, 9:49 am. www.theonionavclub.com/avclub3738/avfeature_3738.html

"Interview with Daniel Clowes" Fresh Air with Terry Gross. National Public Radio. FHYY, Philadelphia, PA. 15 Feb. 2002.

Lee, Stan and George Mair. Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee. New York, NY: Fireside, 2002.

Lenburg, Jeff. The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. New York, NY: Checkmark Books, 1999.

McCloud, Scott. Reinventing Comics. New York, NY: Paradox Press, 2000.

Nyberg, Amy Kiste. Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code. Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi, 1998.

Poniewozik, James. "Superhero Nation" Time 20 May 2002: 76-78.

Raviv, Dan. Comic Wars. New York, NY: Broadway Books, 2002.

Reynolds, Eric. "A Short History of Fantagraphics Books" Fantagraphics. 20 Nov. 2002. Fantagraphics Books. 25 Feb. 2003 www.fantagraphics.com/fanta.html

Robbins, Trina. From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Comics from Teens to Zines. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 1999.

Sabin, Roger. Comics, Comix and Graphic Novels: A history of Comic Art. London: Phaidon Press Limited, 1996.

Stoo, Robert and Mike Kelley. "Obscure Visions: 'Eye Infection'" Artforum Mar. 2002: 114-119.

"The Superheroes" 60 Minutes. CBS. New York, NY: 13 Nov. 2002.

"Todd Macfarlane Interview circa. 1992" The Comics Journal. Fantagraphics Books. 3 June 2002, 10:34 pm www.tcj.com/The Comics Journal #152

von Bernewitz, Fred and Grant Geissman. Tales of Terror! The EC Companion. Timonium, MD: Gemstone Publishing/ Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics Books, 2000.

I will return to the web waves as soon as the over joyed chaos that is my current existence subsides. I am getting married in a few week, closing on my first home and investment property 2 weeks after that, returning to school to pursue an art education degree, developing new comics courses for Burlington College and I am producing some new comic work that may actually see the light of day. As soon as a few of these things have past I will be back to comment on the world outside my little bubble in pleasant Vermont.

There are many great things to talk about... Spidy, Eightball, Fahrenheit, Mondo Generator, Venomous Concept, Love and Rockets, DQ feature in Canada Time MAg not US, TCJ, the election ect... but my real life takes precedence.

Best wishes to a great mid summer.

See you on the other side.

STATS YUM!

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Thanks to Papa and his comrades’ and American citizens sacrifices in WWII (a noble and just war from our end). Thanks to those who currently are sacrificing needlessly in the Middle East. It is an honor to share my birthday with those memorialized.

Congratulations to Ben Towle for his first Eisner nomination for “Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition.” You can find his name printed in the latest Comic Journal. Ben is a friend, a fellow SCAD grad, a fellow comics educator, a fellow cartoonist and has a wonderful book (on my last years top ten) “Farwell, Georgia” (Slave Labor Graphics). You can find Ben at benzilla.com and/or trainedchimp.com I have links on this site now.


The Triplets of Bellville: crap cleverly disguised.

I often wonder if my opinions are formed in passion for the form and function over the content. Is there some hidden meaning that I am accidentally supporting do to the crafted container it resides in. When I chose wine it is often the label that entices me… then I usually realize I have no clue what makes good wine (not all people from wine country do) and that I don’t even like red wine. Another issue with regards to most of the opinions in my comics and in this here blog is that if I don’t at least appreciate the perspective sentiment then I have a hard time supporting it. With Bellville I can’t ignore it, but under less enticing circumstances I would have said, “it’s not my bag” and leave it at that. In this case however I love the bag and can’t stand the content.

It is presented in a very fluid nostalgic cartoon style, one that brings its 1920’s French cartoony package to reality. The music and sounds are purposefully obtuse. The animators had no trouble finding and laying down lines (those who have struggled through life drawing understand this endless quest). There are many contemporary Indy and European comics storytelling devices that are reflective of current trend setting. These same devises work well in reviving an authentic vaudevillian cartoon quality to the environment. However, my reaction to animated crass/nostalgic bigoted sex appeal was that this would be far more effective in comic form. It would allow the audience more time to process the shock and appreciate the subtle connections and commentary each image provides. Time to appreciate the intellectual elements as appose to having it become eye candy in motion. This type of poignant visual communication should not be a flash in the pan. It is quick passages that turn it from potential artistic integrity and intellectual communication into crass fluff, a reality of vaudeville, but not the point of its resurrection. In a distantly related point Triplets mastermind, Sylvain Chomet, demonstrates basic classic animators flipping technique that to him distances animation from any connection what so ever with comics and illustration. Do in part to time and movement adding dimensions to the piece (comics use time as one of its most vital elements…but whatever). It was as if he was stepping on comics and illustration in order to sever ties with the lower class art history that all three mediums share. As a cartoonist I felt it was as if he was trying beet down a brother in order to get closer to the mothers (fine art) tit. I absolutely acknowledge this is petty argument, but as his comment was a cleverly disguised jab, my reaction is justified on the same juvenile level… some no doubt will point out as a level disserving of our place on the greater artistic totem pole. A spot we all disserve to be rid of in this new century.

More critically though above the in house bickering and the pretty pictures and crafted sounds in motion my primary critique is based on my American bias. I have always been a big supporter for a cultural change in bigotry based on size. I can’t understand this drive in world culture to elevate one shaped body type over another. One is not better then the other. It has much more to do with ones goals in life then we give credit (This is not an argument that fat people are lazy and they need will power… it is an argument that society has no place in determining thin is better then fat.) If it is an argument about health it still in part comes down to a preference in life style. If someone is not happy with his or her physical form or they would like to change do to “suggestions” by their doctors and they have the means to change, sure go ahead and to what you can to change. We should support their efforts (some may never be able to reach this goal and should not be persecuted for this). I sure as hell keep trying to exercise regularly and eat better, but I also think enjying every day is more important then living a year or two longer… its my fucking choice and its my personal chemistry and my personal compulsions… thanks for the support now fuck off. We all put strains on the communal resources one way or another, so an argument about obesity costing us more is an argument for winners and tight wads. Anyway back to my point. Chomet creates a city based on Paris, Montreal and New York, one that is an over the top reflection of over consumption. Each individual portrayed is as large as can be. It is an attempt to comment and connect fat and consumerism. From the American perspective, given that the film is French and we have our own bias this leads us to believe that it is a direct attack at America. I grew up in Berkeley the place that neo-conservatives sight as being the most anti-American place on American soil. We who live there think of it as the most American, a place that every day struggles to lives up to the constitutions promise and commitment to freedom and equality. These diversifying ideals are what lead us more often then not to sympathies if not agreeing with opinions beyond our borders. In Chomet’s case in this post 911 world I am offended by the bias. Sure as Nostradomis apparently predicted we live in a time were the line separating Osama or Bush becomes more blurred everyday. But why take America to task on over-consumption?…and in such a divisive way. I agree that we Americans consume more “stuff” then any in history, we could absolutely do more to utilize renewable recourses, reduce useless packaging, new energy technologies, intellectualize aesthetically mass culture ect… I also believe we consume more then our fair share and it is a reality of free society that creates this and it is the moral responsibility of this society to attend to the needs while marinating a free market and not distorting or offending others cultural freedoms as best we can. But I don’t appreciate the use of discriminatory imagery to portray Americans as fat consumers. I don’t agree with correlation and I don’t find the consumption in general is something to be bothered about. It is more how our consumption results with regard to waste and marketing’s distortion of diverse clotures. Capitalism is not necessarily evil, nor is communism… its how it is run and the morality of those who run it. No all of America shares this mindless compulsion and a broad generalization on both sides hurts us all. I hope Mr. Chomet does not live up to the bias forming in my mind, because on the surface I enjoy his work, but I can’t just mindlessly support it for that alone.


Finally my relatively short review (with ejections of a tone of non-sequiturs from the bully pulpit) of From the Lower East Side to Hollywood: Jews in American Popular Culture by Paul Buhle:

Paul’s book for me is connecting a lot of things that I have always wondered about in my self: kind of a, “the stars are aligning” feeling. I have been a secular half-Jew all my life. The majority of my gentile friends have no freaking clue on what that is (a staunch defender of retaining knowledge, traditions, culture and community with out the falsehood of god), why its important to me (It is the part of my identity, along with comics) that has throughout history been systematically assaulted by other communities… that includes in my life time to me personally) and how in the hell that works out (It works out great). I do not have a history of cartooning in my family: nothing even close in my Jewish side, I do have a strong art background on my moms (she was working in fabric arts and painting around the same time of the crafts movement…she is now an architect and storytelling is a family art on that side). I have always been interested in the Jewish contribution to comics and to me I can’t help but feel that Paul’s book is bringing in some ways both my Jewish American and American Euro-Mutt sides. I also grew up in Berkeley (as mentioned above) and have a strong liberal background (slightly balanced by life in Savannah and a personal struggle to remain open minded). I even considered myself socialist for a small time (right after trying orthodox Judaism and veaganism). Paul is specifically interested in Secular Jews commitment to radical liberalism and effect on American pop and underground culture. All of these parts play strong roles in the persons accounted in Paul’s book.

Paul’s writing is every bit as complex as the tapestry he is trying to pull together. It is a full experience that requires a thorough attentiveness. Paul’s writing lives up to his enthusiasm and the expectations you would have from a Brown professor. There is a sentiment that Liberal Jews have controlled the media in America until recently with the Limba’s, Fox News’s and Bill O’Rilies sense of fair and balanced. It is hard for someone in my position to acknowledge this, because normally this sense in incorporated into some conspiracy theory that is driven by prejudicial motivation and not praise for the contribution the Jews have made to American culture…this is a very common tight rope that exists for Jews in most countries Jews have communities in through out history (with the notable over swing of the pangolin in Israel today). The dexterity Paul needed was supported by an amazing amount of informed research that for me was fascinating and personal line by line. While stories of American Jewish cartoonist appear through out all areas of American pop and underground culture influenced artistically and economically by Jews is thoroughly sift through and exposed. What is truly great beyond the wealth of anecdotal info are the connections Paul brings to support a variety of theories in play. From time to time you find Paul strains the connections to the limits of plausible relevance. However the connections are so numerous and exist in so many degrees of effect on the broader picture that you tend to forgo the healthy skepticism and dive into the next morsel of fact as it relates to the tapestry unfolding.

Many would see this as a book for film fanatics, comic geeks, underground artist, Jews, liberals and conspiracy theorists. Being of all these things and more, the other interests and elements in my full persona would have to argue that these types of books are what should be introduced more often into the greater discussion on history, art and culture in America and the world. It is this sort of information that is left out of our history in school that is not only engaging, but would help in broadening the experiences and knowledge base of all. This is what Blacks, Jews, Asians, Latinos, Native Americans, Middle Easterners, Africans and European immigrants have been trying to get our educational system and culture as a whole to bring to the consciousness of White Native America. Our contributions and history in America should be explored and acknowledged on a level equal to the White experience. I would also note that the White history is more often skimmed over by most and actual knowledge on this perspective is on a huge nation wide decline, perhaps because of the lack of the type of colorful personas portrayed in Paul’s book. As our nation grows more diverse our students expect the education to reflect that. Their interest in the subject is reliant on honesty in the content and a reality portrayed that reflects directly on their own lives. To achieve this more effort needs to be made to attend to all backgrounds contributions and in turn it will improve relations across the board in cultural, social, religious, ethnic and political divides. But instead we have teachers teach to the test of an inaccurate and increasing irrelevant perspective that most can’t recall ten minutes after the test is over. Oh wait we don’t even fund that initiative and it is the teachers fault for being unable to teach an incomplete vision with dwindling recourses in the face of a growing hostel audience.

What in hell kind of review is this… man. Read the book… Its great!

I’m out’a here.

Well just so you know I have not finished reading the book. It will get done, but in no timely manner. There is far too much going on in my life right now.

A few notes of interest in the mean time:

stillnosound.com’s host, mojotown.com (they bring graphic artists and technicians together to build wonderful sites, like marcyjones.com) has a new site up, cussmugs.com. It is fun in a crass way. If you work in an office and have a bunch of tight wades around you make sure the volume is down when you open this sight. Enjoy.

In anticipation of Spider-Man II coming out (I am so geeked) I have found a nice rumor about Spidy III (source AICN via Comic Book Movies)…

A few opinions first: The Marvel book that turned me into a loyal Marvel reader, for far longer then I should have, was the limited series (I miss limited series) Secret Wars II. In this terribly flawed comic Spider-Man discovers the alien sludge that turns into his way cool black costume. It was way cool until it turned out to be an evil alien black costume and was striped from Spidy by FF’s good ol’ Reed Richards who always has a gadget for every occasion. Then the costume went off and merged with Eddie Brock, a guy who was mad at Peter ‘cause Peter was a better photographer. The costume and Brock merge turning into Venom, one of Marvels lamest villains and inexplicably most popular (did I miss something inherently interesting about this guy). A decade or so before Marvel introduced us to JJJ’s son, John Jameson, a pioneering Astronaut that, according to the record I use to listen too as a kid featuring this story, has a moon rock that melds with his skin turning him into the Man-Wolf… aside from being campy (not usually a bad thing ala Scooby Doo)it was probably the second most unoriginal idea in the marvel universe to the Avenger, Hercules.

Now I did like the evil alien costume it self… and I am willing to admit that the strain the costume put on Mary Jane and Peters relationship was not so great, so it would never work between the costume and Peter. I also really liked the relationship between JJJ and his less then perfect Astronaut son.

You may have seen Spidy II clips that infer that John Jameson marries Mary Jane (an interesting twist). The rumor for III is that while in space John J. encounters the black alien costume and merges turning into Venum. This rids us of the two aspects (Wolf-Man and Eddie) that make Venom and Wolf-Man lame villains and perhaps with out will make one great villain. The other interesting aspect is that I had thought that Harry Osborn (Peter’s best pal and Green Goblins son) would turn into the second Green Goblin or perhaps the Hobgoblin, both redundant villains. It looks like Harry will remain a manipulator of villains (like Doc Oc in Spidy II) working against Spidy and for Peter behind the scenes, not as a villain himself. These rumors also, at least for now, ends rumors that Kraven and the Chameleon are to be villains in Spidy III. To me this is all good news.

A quick endorsment:

I have always wanted to like cartoonist Tony Millionaire. He makes comics about sock monkeys. Chip Kidd designs his comics (If graphic designer Chip Kidd, illustrator Shag and film writer/director Wes Anderson were to make a comic it… I… it… I don’t know what but it sure would be something). His last name is Millionaire. But usually when I pick up his work it just isn’t my thing.

I now have two reasons to like him and I get, Kidd, the Millionaire name and a Monkey even if he is not made of a sock.

When We Were Very Maakies (fantagraphics) is a collection of Tony’s wonderfully crafted, crass, funny, juxtaposing, thoughtful comic strip, Maakies. Kidd is at his best with the packaging too.

Mighty Mite the Ear Might (fantagrpahics) is tiny, short and not so great till the wonderful ending. I am a sucker for pushing the medium forward and there is some creative, design and storytelling in the little book. I would say it smart designs on Kidd’s part too, but not my favorite.

On the Mike Patton front a few albums to check out aside from up coming albums by Peeping Tom, Bjork, Fantomas and Tomahawk.

Eyvind Kang’s “Virginal Co-Ordinates” (Ipecac) is the most peaceful record Mike has ever been involved in. It is world music (such a crappy genre usually) that channels jazz, classical and indy rock into a warm sunny Italian afternoon. I recommend it for gardening.

There are a number of albums on John Zorn’s Tzadik label that Mike has been evolved in over the past years. I have not herd a few of the most resent, but they are all collaborations of geniuses. If you are not familiar with John Zorn he is a Manhattan Jazz Saxophonist/Composer who works with musicians worldwide interested in Jazz, Advent Guard, Indy/Experimental Rock, Metal, Electronica, Japanese music, Punk, Anti-Genre, and Jewish Folk. His biggest influence on music is perhaps that he took over were John Cage (some of you may remember him from studying about the Noise movement, Post-Modernism and the Black Mountain School in NC…connected to Marcel Duchamp) left off and has driven Noise into the 21st century. His collaborations are to numerous to mention here. He is highly regarded in the Advent and Jazz scenes worldwide among those you may have herd of and those you should have. These are the people who are creating music as art, pushing the medium forward; they are contributing artist to the Fantagraphics and Drawn & Quarterly’s of music. His Jewish Jazz ensemble, Masada is one of the best Jazz bands on the planet. Here are a few new projects that have Mike Patton’s name tied to them: John Zorn: Masada Anniversary Edition Vol. 3 – the Unknown Masada, John Zorn: Masada Anniversary Edition Vol. 2 Voices in the Wilderness and John Zorn: IAO.

Well back to cartooning and reading.

Last weekend I was at a lecture on the Hollywood Blacklist by Paul Buhle (Professor @ Brown, Author of books on American Radical Culture and Adaptive Script Writer of Comics). I am reading two of his books now. When I am done I will do a full review of the books and the lecture. So far I recommend From the Lower East Side to Hollywood: Jews in American Popular Culture, but the jury is still out.

The development of the web comic is slowly movin'... I will let you know when to start getting existed or if this is just another idea that leads to the pile of unfinished to be finished when I can afford it projects... i.e. when I get paid to make comics.

Other then that my body hurts from yard work.

Onwards...

I finally recieved my copy of the Vol. 1 "The Complete Peanuts" The Definitive Collection of Charles M. Schulz's Comic Strip Masterpiece 1950-1052, designed by Seth (Drawn and Quarterly), published by fantagraphics. The largest printing project ever undertaken in the history of comics. There are MANY volumes to come. I confess I never liked Peanuts as a kid and when people would accuse me of pursuing a carrier in comic strips I would bristle. I must also admit, people change and through self discovery and discovery of opinions by cartoonists I like or respect, I now love Sparky. I particularly am enjoying this starting at the beginning and seeing how it all unfolds (in nice beautifully crafted volumes). His development is a lesson each panel at a time.

I am a huge fan of siting and reading with a tangible object in you hand... an object with weight. No technology active (perhaps some music). Spring air, country afternoons. I love it. It is for that reason that I have bristled at the online comic movement (not for consideration of quality, content, new tec ease, fear of online finance, pure traditionalism ect...) simply because to me a comic is beset served in a book on a a warm breasy night.

But I am evolving and I am growing accustom to the ideal of change in the medium to serve its future. I do not think this will terminate traditions implementation in the future. However it took some time for me to get here.

Keeping this all in mind I have decided that I will be looking into starting an online comic.

It will not be free. There is this apologetic nature that comes with being a cartoonist. It is something that we must incrementally change (I think this has begun a long time ago by others). A free product is simply to wimpy a step forward. A product supported by advertising dollars is not something I would rule out, but there are aesthetic and credibility concerns when this becomes your primary source. It will not be virtually free. It will not be expensive or over priced either (a subjective opinion to be sure). I have found that cartoonist who do require payment online to view their webcomics have been short changing themselves. I am not sure if it is to support the new form in the face of bias against the online form, or against comics in general. I think that a tangible object should hold more value then a digital file. I also think that a well designed book holds more value then a poorly designed book. A limited print more then a mass print. A original piece of art more then print alone. But I do not believe that 1000 panel comic or a 200 page comic in digital form is worth just $1.50 ($0.0015/panel) when it would go for $15.00 when cheaply printed and $25.00 when it is well designed. I would even say that a webcomic presented on a well designed sight is worth more then one on a poorly designed sight. I do think once you pay for it is should be available to you for personal use (a downloadable form that would prohibit the consumer from printing or digitally copying and distributing it). I am proposing that my webcomic cost a Penny per Panel (on average that would be $1.20 for a 24 page comic or $10.00 for a 200 page comic). I believe this to be an appropriately fair price. It should be affordable and worth its value (as long as I do my job well enough). Plus if enough people become regulars it could actually be profitable enough for me to keep paying an actual percentage of my bills and keep food on the table.

The other thing is that in terms of format I am trying to not limit what that would be to much. I could be similar to strip form or similar long narratives. It may be auto bio or fiction. I do know at this point it will be a panel a' day undertaking that could begin as soon as this summer.

Stay tooned...

A small note: 1.1 Million pro-choice protesters marched on Washington last weekend. Apparently receiving minimal coverage which includes (or excludes) no front page reporting on any paper nation wide and no coverage at all in Washington DC's primary paper the Post. This is surprising not because it is about Abortion rights an issue that has been subject to more change since Roe v Wade (Late term abortion change and double homicide when pregnant women are murdered... I take no position on either at this time), this is surprising, because NO march on Washington has ever actually been a Million people (despite the Million Man March ect...) let alone 1.1 Million. But hay the media is liberally bias... right?

In less important news (but more coverage by yours truly)

Björk's next album will suddenly make a dream I have hoped for since I was roughly 18 come true. Mike Patton (the artist I most admire) has collaborated with my favorite living female voice. This news was first herd from by from cv.org (a great source for all things Patton along with ipecac.com his and Greg Workmen's label). The closest Björk and Patton had gotten to collaborating was a fluke in the seminal point were Patton reached his initial and most far reaching point of fame. I will explain:

One night in my home town of Berkeley, CA a party was held at Billy Gould's house (Founding member/Bassist of Faith No More, Mike Patton's second band). At this party Björk, who had been recording in SF across the bay, brought a fish that had been given to her that very day. For what ever reason Björk left her fish (who she named Linear Soul Child and whom she missed afterwards very much). The fish was then taken to the tapeing of Faith No More's most watched and listened to single Epic (this song for what ever reason made Mike Patton the number one hart throb for 1989). In the video a fish is featured flopping on the ground out side of its cozy water home. This is Linear Soul Child and his performance lead to much controversy in terms of cruelty of animals... but the fish survived the ordeal and Björk has defended the FNM as people who care for animals in the press.

But back to the future release of a legitimate collaboration: Bjorks next album ("The Lake Experience") will be entirely vocal in content. It will feature not only Björk and Mike Patton, but:

Rahzel (who I may have mentioned I saw perform with Mike in Winooski recently),

Dokaka (Japan's Rahzel/Mike Patton... I am just learning of him...F. U. N....FUN check him out at www.dokaka.com ,

Tagaq (Canadian female folk vocalist... toured w/ Bjork before)

Mark Bell (Floridian artist who along with visual does vocal art pieces).

An entire album with this sort of international range, experimentation, ability and composing exsirience should be one of the highlights of all their carriers. The bar is set high in my mind, I hope they deliver.

On to other things...

I just got the latest Comics Journal in the mail and on the cover exclaims the new generation has arived...

Just below Jeffrey Brown (mentioned recently on this here blog) number two was Robyn Chapman. A fellow SCAD alumni/friend who has been mentioned in the journal a few times over that past year. She won the Xeric grant a few years ago and has not looked back. Her work is always improving and is a prime example of gutz and honesty. She and I caught up last SPX (it was actually kind of a SCAD SA reunion). Her work is very refreshing and poignant. I have a link now to her sight un-pop.com.

Now I wasen't on the list and neither was Ben Towle, Ben Phillips, Max Clotfelter, Eliaz McMillan, Z@K, Phillip Craven, Trisha Toms, Renee Alexander, Ray Gotto, Kristin Hogan and a number of other hard working cartoonist from Robyn's generation of the Savannah scene...most not from lack of quality or production or recognition from established insiders, but because there is only so much room on TCJ list or in thier memory (we not being the only scene in town). Also for now Robyn is the cream that is at the top. Our generation has arrived and it is our turn to make good on our promise to ourselves, each other, an audience and comics...produce and produce well.

Good luck all.

If you weren't mentioned in this little blurb... it is not for lack of quality or quntity... it is because this is little blog that no one reads and I have to go back to cartooning. I am sure your name will pop up here in the future.

Also with all this talk of news paper strips not pushing the medium forward I think it would be poor in our judgment to not ecknoledge that some effort is still being made by cartoonist like Aaron McGruder (Boondocks) and there are a few strips that are still being made that have always been good... doonsbary, for better or for worst. McGruder in perticular though is probably the highest profile minority (non jewish (male/female), white (male/female)) in cartooning today. He may not be pushing the medium in illustrative or format, but most of us can't pull off being a politicly/socialy contious BLACK saterist. He is paveing a way that has been done, but not at such a critical time and in such an honest way. He is by vertue of who he is able to bring a perspective to us that most of the rest of us couldn't given who we are. So not all is lost for our the original form of our medium.

“…-there’s always this surface against which one is always bumping. If the cartoonist makes it specific or to realistic, the he or she loses something, some reader trust; one loses some sense of believability and life. It’s an extraordinarily hard balance to strike…” –Ware

In the latest Comic Journal Special Edition the focus is on conversations among Al Hischfeld, Jules Feifer, Art Spieglman and Chris Ware. Four generations of cartoonist. They didn’t all sit around in a circle, but the conversations between two of the four create a tapestry of perspective and experience with regards to comics. I must admit I have not consumed the entire book and there is much more in there like some Jack Davis strips, and article on the Simpsons and comics by people such as my former topics adviser Ted Stern (who’s story reminded me of my friend Tarin’s own struggles in a MFA painting department @ SCAD were Ted happens to teach comics cartooning). I haven’t even gotten through all the discussions between the above-mentioned cartoonists. Mostly because the descusion between Feifer, Ware and Publisher/Moderator Gary Groth was not so unique as it was insightful I had to take brakes for hours to process what had just been said.

I will attempt here to briefly point out some items that came up in their conversation and probably mischaracterize their opinions so please just go read the article your self after reading this. I will also add my two sence.

There was a contention that the real forward moving progress in comics is in the small press market. It is nice to know that a few generations before us there are cartoonist the see progress, it also important to here the encouragement of change from the completive establishment.

Cartoonist in general today can be hurt by desires to pay respect to past work. Whooo Hooo free at last…

Strips have stagnated since Calvin and Hobbes. I think that there are exceptions, but on a hole strips have become less inventive as a segment of our medium. The work of mainstream comics has definitely stagnated in my opinion (with exceptions of course). A focus on film has hindered their company value and this alternate buck threatens Indy comics as well.

The terms Graphic Novel and Sequential Art (no offence to Eisner who remains well respected) have become the African-American “pc” term for comics. Comics are Comics no mater what length and printing process. Cartoonists are Cartoonists no mater what artistic social scale they are climbing.

Comics have two basic communication devices, text and the visual. I grew up admiring very intense and specific illustrative styles, but the less specific the drawing in the panel the more the reader is able to identify with the story and the smother the visual story telling goes. Just as you would not want to many words the same can be said for visual details. You are still “reading” the pictures. This is not to say that it should look like crap. There is a balance between cartooning and drawing. It takes far more skill to lay down one clean line then it does a number of hatches. Plus it can be a lot faster a process and even look better, but that all comes down to aesthetic taste. I have grown to be influenced and grounded by, Ware, Woodring, Shag and Chip Kid, because of this simple truth.

The sympathy (one of the most difficult feats in comics) we have for Charlie Brown could not have been maintained in one continuous long reading…we needed that daily brake. Yeah totally!

The 500-page story works when it is contagious and this is one of the current steps that is pushing us forward. I think format, length, opinion, content, style, ect ect should all be explored and pushed. There is no one road to the future.

The words and the pictures must not be able to survive with out the other in a panel… this is one of the big challenges.

You put your self into the work and you put your influences in too. I have thought that auto-bio work is a crutch that the “Alternative” scene leans on you. In the move Search and Destroy, I am always quoting “Just because it happens to you doesn’t make it interesting.” This may still be true… but we are storytellers as cartoonist. It is our job to turn it into something interesting. Plus that quote was from the villain in the film. All my favorite cartoonist put them selves into their work one way or another as do I.

Jeffrey Brown (Clumsy/Be A Man) is a pioneer. His style and auto bio stories are so raw. They speak the truth. Truth is more important then ever in comics. That is the point behind the simpler drawings.

Let your personal habits reflect in your art… particularly your work ethic. Like you have a choice.

Crap I have done none of this justice and I know there was more… go buy and read it. It may save your carrier.

Also in Hischfeld and Spieglman’s discussion there was talk of Hischfeld experience in his twenties in France hanging out with artist like Picasso, Hemmingway and Gertrude Stine. He says there has not been a community like that since. He is right to a point, but I here stories of SF in the 70’s and Soho in the 80’s. Was Savannah at the turn of the century our France… or is it this damn Internet.

Non-Sequiturs:

I saw Kill Bill V.2 I liked it to a point and really agree with most accounts that Tarrentino gets more out of his actors then most anyone. I HATE Uma… and she has only been half way decent working with him. David Caridene was down right awesome. Although I agree for the most part with his Superman Analogy… I wish there was another cartoon character that people would bring up. I mean how many billion other comic characters are there…

I have no more energy to express… or even think.

As for current projects I have been finishing up the wedding invites, which I believe Mr. Kid would be proud of.

A website based on my work is up at marcyjones.com... go check it out. She is an awesome architect... and she is my mom.

NPR's Fresh Air did a nice little review of Eagles of Death Metal.

And the slightly nausiating, but a clear alternative to conservative radio is now available on the radio and internet. Try out Air America. It makes you realize that NPR isn't as liberally bias as they are accused of being.

Barry Manolo is exactly what we should be against. Prince is speaking the truth... so listen.

Seacrest OUUUUT!

Captains Log Star Date 04152004

Most comic fans, even the high brow ones, have had that experience of going into a comic shop, browsing through a newsstand, wandering a airport book store, funneling through a used book store, support a local book corner, stealing from the local Piggly Wiggly, patron an evil book chain or surfing the internet and finding a cover that entices you enough that you buy that comic. You read it, curse the cover artist and editor for misleading you and swear you will more carefully peruse the book before buying next time… …then of course that doesn’t help either. Hidden in the pages some ware between the panels in the gutter is the hidden part of the story that speaks to you and only you. This is the part that lets you wether the comic is good and no amount of careful perusing will help. Or at least that’s what I tell myself now, as a very experienced comic reader and somewhat experienced cartoonist. I can’t admit that I just wasted another what is it now five bucks (use to be 65 cents… or yeah a dime), because of an impulse buy and a “pretty” picture.

The fallowing were all impulse buys on one level or another… I am so American. Some are really good comics and some represent exactly what is wrong with comics today. The infuriating thing is most of the crap sells better then the good stuff, but you have to brake at least a hundred good eggs to make one descent comic. As one who also creates comics and other art I must protest that making a really good comic may be one of the truly hard things to do in art. Believe it.

Honest Reviews AKA (Hay if I was getting paid for this I would do a better job):

Tell Me Something By Jason (Fantagraphics)

Never cared to pick up any of Jason’s stuff before the cover didn’t entice me. I was checking out fantagraphics website and there was a well designed simple cover with a blurb that said silent comic (both good ingredients to me… around the same time there was a cover of Marvel’s Venom. It just showed his tongue wiggling across the page… very disgusting, sexual and enticing on both counts. Plus the composition was just about perfect, simple. Almost bought that, but then I realized… I HATE VENOM. What a lame villain and character… plus no doubt the inside was ruined whit text and over drawn panels, so I resisted…) Anyway, Tell Me Something uses text a hand full of times, but in separate panels directly ripping off silent movies (a nice, but easy solution). The story is about love. It uses classic cartooning deceit, violence and antics to tell this story. I enjoyed it even when I got a whee bit confused. An experience I personally enjoyed, because I confuse my readers all the time and it was nice to enjoy a story and get confused at the same time by some one else’s work. Particularly when they have the level of success I expect to achieve some day. It was no Frank, but since Jim Woodring has put Frank in retirement, I could see fallowing Jason’s’ anthropomorphist through silent tales of love and woe in the future. If not I will pick up Tell Me Something again, just for the pleasure of reading it.

1602 No. 7 By Gaiman, Kubert and Isanove (Marvel PSR)

Bought it for the cover… wish I hadn’t. To tell you the truth Gamian wrote so much crap on the first page and the drawing was so dumb I stopped reading it a few pages later. Maybe if I had finished it I would have a different feeling. But I had that same feeling a about an Allen Moore Promethea book once (A Comic more often then not that I really enjoy) and it was not worth the struggle of getting through. The premise of 1602 is interesting; it is basically about superheros in the 17th century. I just didn’t feel like wasting my time since the delivery wasn’t enticing.

Be A Man By Jeffrey Brown (Top Shelf)

I got it for free with another purchase. It was better then the book I paid for. Although I am a little confused about its $3.00 cover price. It certainly makes me feel better about the price of my latest book. For Be A Man to work you must read the little intro. It may have helped to read “Clumsy” first, but I didn’t. The book it self is Brown’s reaction to comments on his work in clumsy that basically accused him of being a “pussy.” To fallow are a number of very short comics that depict the evil side of men in relationships. It reveals how Jeffrey apparently really feels, or how he wishes he could behave… your never quite sure. It is very graphic in detail as far as the stories go. The art’s basic rugged amateur style serves as a refreshing vessel for what are essentially truths in sophomoric drag. Brown is the quintessential “Auto Bio Cartoonist Who Can’t Draw so there for in the 21st Century that means they are a Genius.” What I refer to as the “Crutch” of Indy Comics. In Brown’s defense though this book was nicely entertaining although some times he confused me more then I confuse my readers. The primary feeling I had through out was laughter, fallowed by guilt, fallowed by laughter and compulsion to tell everyone what I had experienced, despite the fact that I should be embarrassed that I laughed. Sometimes the other people would laugh, but that then that would make us both embarrassed. We are all so puritan around here...Vermont. (What ever happen to my Berkeley persona?)

Fair Weather By Joe Matt (DQ)

Finally a comic made for the “aged typical American White male comic fan ” (most of us) that is appropriate for us to read. I don’t care for Joe Matt’s self-indulgent adult auto bio comic life. I don’t read it at all; because I am apposed to the life style I think it portrays… perhaps a dark reflection of my repressed self. But “MAN” every heterosexual boy who grew up in America between 1962 and 1995 (perhaps after) and read comics and had friends who read comics should read this. It is a classic story of the time, when girls are on the horizon, adventure is an everyday exploration and you know life is ruff, but your parents seem to think you have no idea. Plus Matt has a way of drawing that brings all that is great about comics out with well-inked lines. Fair Weather is a book for adults who remember and reflect nostalgically on adventures in their own youth. It is a lot more fun then taxes.

Supreme Power No. 7 By Straczynski, Frank and Sibal (Marvel Max)

Bought it for the cover… never should have.

The Amazing Spider-Man No. 500 By Straczynski, Romita Jr., Ramita Sr, Hanna, Campbell, Townsend (Marvel)

A formulaic journey down memory lane with one spidy villain after the next. But it is usually fun to see the Romita boy drawing old web head… plus it is the 500th issue. Wouldn’t expect it to be great issue… these annuals and anniversary double issues never are. The cover is reminiscing of the McFar. days… when he wasn’t so evil.

4 No. 2 By Aguirre-Sacasa, McNiven and Morales (Marvel Knights)

Damn that cover… Foiled again (issue ones cover is even better). Marvel Knights use to be the only good thing about marvel when it first started. They hired its co-owner/editor and penciler Quesada to be the editor in chief of all of Marvel. A potentially swell move, but why did Marvel Knights have to start to produce crap like the bulk of Marvel books had been. “4” is well drawn (The art is real nice in an epic way), but this maybe one of the dumbest concepts and cheesiest telling of a story in Fantastic Fours history. It doesn’t boa well for the movie… or maybe it does, because they are saving the good stuff for the film… yeah screw comics… I am waiting for the movie to come out.

Plastic Man No. 2 By Kyle Baker (DC)

Never liked Kyle Baker’s work before (I know, I know the great Kyle Baker) but he is absolutely the only person to do Plastic-Man since Jack Cole that gets it. His writing (pithy cleverness) and art (zany graphic control) is the perfect combo for the 21st century Plast. Funny, whimsical, fresh, fun, sexy and fucked up. All in a DC superhero book that isn’t a $20 graphic novel. I am thinking of getting a subscription, but I fear that Baker will get stagnate and they will replace him with Eric Larson or some one worse.

Optic Nerve No. 9 By Adrian Tomine (DQ)

I luckily am over my obsessive admiration of Tomine. Although I still find it uncanny that he lives in the hometown I miss the most (Berkeley), draws comic for the publisher I most admire (DQ) and he is to the day one year older then me (May 31st). No. 9 is the beginning of what know doubt has been a challenge… a three-issue story. Tomine has been under pressure to live up to his hype. Hype I would have caved under at our age. This story is typical Tomine, but it drags far less then SOME of his other longer works (a surprising result seeing as its his longest… well we shale see when the next two are done). The story is a relationship story dealing with a cross Asian American romance. It brings up concerns of gender priorities, cultural conflicts between Asian cultures in America, as well as, the inevitable pressures of comparison to Europeans experienced by most women in non-European cultures. So far so good. Tomine has a very stiff pure style that has been a staple for quite some time in his work. I like it, because of the illustratively realistic depictions, clean lines and the reflection it plays on a stereotype of Japanese American cultural expectations. I still get home sick when I read it.

Love and Rockets Vol. 2 No. 9 By Los Hernandez Bro. (Fantagraphics)

Great cover, but I would have bought it anyway… it is the Los Hernandez Bro. I identify with what they care about in comics illustratively and storytelling wise then most cartoonist, particularly in Jamie’s case. The last few issues before were a little better, but in general I am really enjoying Maggie’s current story. There is a new female romance in her life and mysterious heroin in her building. What is happening with Izzy and these freaky dogs? The story is picking up steam. Berto’s primary world is always enticing, as a Californian I really actually get a we bit home sick, because of the Mexican and American cross over, as well as the punk rock undertones of many characters pasts. Berto did some work in one of the resent past issues that was absolutely awesome. He took a character he had done a number of times and put him in a very efficiently paced story that took 50 (?) panel pages, it is a fun and epic wicked tail.

Nancy By Ernie Bushmiller (Owl Books)

I recently made the ultimate 5-Card-Nancy deck for my students. In doing so I read a ton of Bushmiller’s classics. It is a great experience. I didn’t laugh out loud until I ran across a strip were Nancy is reading about how men like women with a good background. Then there is shot of boys passing her as she stands in front of a ice cream shop. (Words don’t give it justice). Every cartoonist should make his or her own deck. Playing with it is an exercise in valued fundamentals with every panel. It took me about a week and a half (with access to a free copy machine) to make a huge deck. You can go to www.scottmccloud.com for the directions on how to properly build your own deck. I recommend getting rid of panels that are too specific (but keep enough so the stories are interesting). I have to say that his work is the most pure cartooning around (a statement made many times before by others). His later stuff is so inspiring; I hope to get to that purity someday with a 21st century edge.

Mabel Normand By Larry Semon and Kim Deitch cover (Fantagraphics)

I am a fan of past work, but some things are reprinted because they are timeless and/or inspire better work in work done today, while some work is reprinted so we don’t forget it ever existed. Mabel Normand in my opinion is the later case. Dietch is all right for some (I prefer Crumb) and Semon is all right for some as well (I prefer most any thing else from 1890-1930).

Next time…

5 is the perfect Number by Igort (DQ)
Mother Come Home By Thomas Tennant (Absence of Ink)
Xenozoic Tales By Mark Shultz (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)
Pistolwhip By Matt Kindt and Jason Hall (Top Shelf)

This weekend Punisher comes out… hmmm I wonder… could it be good. When Punisher was big in 80’s I had friends who would oh and awe over him. I personally liked his design, but didn’t get into his story.

I think I am going to see Kill Bill II. Tarintino actually pushed the line on blood so far that it went from horrific over the edge into hilarious. Plus I like that hole quilting of genre reference and fun stuff into a vibrant film (even if covers up a lame story). It is the Mike Patton approach to film making.

Till Next Time.

Cough Cough!

I have a cold 'cause I worked myself into the ground over the past few weeks (my vacation/family reunion/business trip ended up feeling like work to my body). The thing that put me over the edge was this awesome teaching experience I had last weekend.

At Burlington College I taught a Storyboarding workshop 20 hours in three days (the weekend when your clock springs forward). I had the largest class I have taught in front of since Savannah. They were as nutty about films as I am about comics, so we all had fun. I may have preached the gospel of comics more then I should have, but they all seemed interested at the time. The hours were intense and some how the mutiny remained minimal. The average student was convinced they couldn't draw, but in the end their boards for the most part worked. It was really an encouraging experience for me. I learned a lot. When I went into teach my Illustration class (in the same room) on Monday I honestly felt I hadn't left the building in four days. I think I left the building...

...oh yeah on Sunday night I saw Hell Boy. Now I am ashamed to admit it, but really my only experience with Hell Boy is the page we colored in Dave Guildersleve's Comics Computer Coloring class at SCAD. I know it is a great comic, because people I admire tell me so. It is just one of those things I haven't gotten to yet, like Loan Wolf and Cub. So this was the first comic film, were I didn't exactly have all the parts of the story memorized to the most minute detail. I new enough to know that there was some connection with mysticism and nazism, but that was about it. As far as any action flick it was very well designed and the design execution was great. The movie was pretty relentless, which didn't allow you to be board with only a few exceptions. The ending was anti climatic and semi surprising in not so great a way (I can't express why). There was a really nice part that could have been fluff in the middle, but instead served an actual purpose. It was a nice brake to reflect on Hell Boys character and relationships, plus add in a lot of cute humor. The villains and monsters were awesome overall, in particular the nazi guy who wares a mask... my 12 year old design instinct resurrected every time I saw him... he was bad ass. Ron Pearlman was perfect as Hell Boy or seemed so (of course what do I know not having read the comic). Best thing he has done since City of Lost Children. He was a good hero type, love sap and was very funny at times. He did some badass things himself. The supporting cast was relatively good as well... no real annoyances in that area.

So go see it if you want to see a good comic book film that is fun. Punisher comes out next... it looks like it could be pretty crappy, but not as bad as the old film (one of the worst thing ever made).

Next time I will review a number of comics I have been reading, as of late.