BLOTTING PAPER The Comic: Production Report No. 11

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Doctor Comics

Finally my comic/art book Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics was launched at Hondarake Full of Books in Sydney on the wet Summer afternoon of 11 February 2012 along with an exhibition of original postcard prints and a display of my printmaking tools used in the making of the comic and the cards.

With my fish prints hanging overhead. (Photo by Sal Jones)

The launch had a party atmosphere and the guests and shop staff created a happy and fun environment!

Naomi Hatchman. (Photo by Louise Graber)

Enthusiastic early attendee Naomi Hatchman disclosed her cunning plan to publish the complete collection of her comic Zeera the Space Pirate at the forthcoming MCA Zine Fair.

Australian alternative comics legends Glenn Smith and Gerard Ashworth. (Photo by Louise Graber)

Director of Animation at JMC Academy Sean Callinan and Peregrine Besset creator Lewis P. Morley. (Photo by Louise Graber)

It Lives! CEO's Nick and Liz. (Photo by Louise Graber)

Store owners Hisae and Tomoko got right behind the launch. (Photo by Louise Graber)

Michael Hill aka Doctor Comics with Gene Kannenberg, Jr. looking on. (Photo by Louise Graber)

The book was launched by my friend and colleague Gene Kannenberg, Jr. via a Skype link from the U.S. Kannenberg, a noted comics historian, is the director of ComicsResearch.org. Formerly the Chair of both the International Comic Arts Festival and the Comic Art & Comics Area of the Popular Culture Association, he has written widely on comic art and his book “500 Essential Graphic Novels” was published in 2008. He made a humorous and lively speech and generously participated in a game that he engages in on Facebook and that I included in my comic, of pairing comics with beer. What would you drink if reading a comic by Will Eisner, or Lynda Barry, or Hergé, or Jack Kirby or Joost Swarte ? Gene told us his suggestions and got a big response when he suggested black coffee with Steve Ditko and Duff beer with Matt Groening, and then an even bigger response when he brought his cat, Mr. Pickles, onscreen.

The limited edition book with original print on the cover.

BLOTTING PAPER

ART BOOK/COMIC+CREATIVE PRINT EXHIBITION

Artist Statement by Dr. Michael Hill (a.k.a. Doctor Comics)

1-29 February 2012 HONDARAKE full of books, Sydney

BLOTTING PAPER is a comics and cards project. Both the art book/comic, which is the first part of a planned longer work The Recollected Graphical Impressions of Doctor Comics, and the cards involve printmaking as an image-making technique. Printmaking is suitable for generating stand-alone single images and sequential images suitable for storytelling. The comic also includes the use of drawing, collage, photography, handwriting, hand colouring and typography. I employed the Japanese technique of woodblock printmaking in my first animation film around 20 years ago and I have continued to engage in it since but have largely been involved in the scholarly and research aspects of visual communication, writing and teaching more than making. This book and exhibition marks a more focused return to ‘making’ images.

The exhibition of 33 hand-made postcards produced in sosaku hanga style acknowledges the ‘creative print’ movement that emerged just over a century ago in Tokyo when painting rather than printmaking was the more popular course of study. Creative prints became the voice of a group of artists who went under the name Pan and met for sake parties by the Sumida River (Sumida Gawa), the centre of the Floating World of old Edo and site of the classic Ukiyo-e print movement. The American writer James Michener described the difference in method of this new approach: …in contrast to the classical system in which the artist merely designed the print, leaving the carving of the blocks to one technician and the printing to another, the newer print artists preached that the artist himself must do the designing, carving and printing. A new term was devised to describe such a print-sosaku hanga, meaning “creative print.” (Michener, 1968: The Modern Japanese Print p.11)

Despite the implied reference to wood and blocks, creative prints may not always involve woodblock printmaking. Wood may be replaced by other materials such as vegetables, fruit, leaves, string, rubber, cloth or any number of other found objects that may be inked and pressed onto paper. These creative prints (sosaku hanga) place the emphasis on the act of making the print (with a small drink of sake afterwards to celebrate the artistic and experimental expression).

Amidst the books was the pop-up exhibition of 33 postcard prints. (Photo by Harrison Hill)

The postcard prints, all made by hand in the Japanese sosaku hanga method, came in 33 basic styles but, being monotype prints rather than identical prints, all of the cards are unique. A total of 500 original cards were produced and all were on sale.

Hair and prints in abundance at the launch. (Photo by Harrison Hill)

For an interesting visual diary record, study of project management and time-line overview, see previous BLOTTING PAPER: The Comic production reports: No.10, No.9, No.8, No.7, No.6, No.5, No.4, No.3, No.2, No.1.

More photos, text, tags and hyperlinks to be added.

BLOTTING PAPER The Comic: Production Report No. 10

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Doctor Comics

Just one week to go till the launch of my comic/artist book/ehon Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics, Issue #1 The Ingurgitator. It is being released in a signed and numbered limited edition of 50. The launch date is 11 February 2012 at Hondarake Full of Books in Sydney (time and address details can be found in the poster below).

The good news to announce is that the book will be launched by my friend and colleague Gene Kannenberg, Jr. via a Skype link from the U.S. Kannenberg, a noted comics historian, is the director of ComicsResearch.org. Formerly the Chair of both the International Comic Arts Festival and the Comic Art & Comics Area of the Popular Culture Association, he has written widely on comic art. His book “500 Essential Graphic Novels” was published in 2008.

Above is the poster for the event that will include a small exhibition of 33 printed postcards that I have made following the Japanese sosaku hanga creative print method. Each card is an original print and there is a range of them for sale. Below is one example of the postcard prints. Accompanying the prints is a display of some of my printmaking tools and a description of my methodology. The exhibition opened on February 1 and will run for the entire month of February. The bookstore is open 11am-7pm MON-SAT and 12-6pm SUN.

For an interesting visual diary record, study of project management and time-line overview, see previous BLOTTING PAPER: The Comic production reports: No.9, No.8, No.7, No.6, No.5, No.4, No.3, No.2, No.1.

BLOTTING PAPER The Comic: Production Report No. 9

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Doctor Comics

Climbing onto the launching pad with 3 weeks and counting to lift-off, I’m finally happy to be able to say that we have a launch date for my comic/artist book/ehon Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics, Issue #1 The Ingurgitator. The date is 11 February 2012 at Hondarake bookstore in Sydney (details below). Now the countdown has begun.

Art Book Launch: BLOTTING PAPER by Doctor Comics + exhibition of creative prints (using sosaku hanga method) by Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics, 3-5pm Saturday 11 February at HONDARAKE Level 1, 465 Kent Street SYDNEY w-http://fullofbooks.com.au RSVP: p-02 9261 5225 e-hondarake@gmail.com

Here is the poster for the event that will be accompanied by a small exhibition of prints that I have made following the Japanese sosaku hanga method. The exhibition will run for the entire month of February.

For an interesting visual diary and time-line overview, see previous BLOTTING PAPER: The Comic production reports: No.8, No.7, No.6, No.5, No.4, No.3, No.2, No.1.

BLOTTING PAPER The Comic: Production Report No. 8

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Doctor Comics

Getting closer. Getting the job done. Completion of the first issue of Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics containing Chapter 1: The Ingurgitator is imminent. Drum roll! What I had hoped to have out by the end of 2011 is now looking certain for early 2012. Another drum roll and celebratory banging on my own drum.

Testing out some type. (Photo by Louise Graber)

There have been some changes to the original script. This has resulted in compressions, extensions and deletions. I found that I needed more space to convey some simple sequences. The consequence of this meant shortening some other parts in order to keep to the 40 page issue amount that had progressively crept up from the planned 20 page limit. Enough! Some sequences weren’t working so they had to be cut although they may appear in a subsequent chapter if I can get them sorted, and some parts, whilst working in script form, were just too difficult for me to draw. Later, perhaps.

My very limited typographic box of tricks. (Photo by Louise Graber)

The other interesting development has been the welcome and necessary intrusion of photography in the project. Initially employed as a reference device for locations, objects and some figure positions and gestures that would in turn be converted into drawings, the lens art has now become a bit of a feature. Some pages are starting to look a little like sequences from a Mexican foto-comic or foto-novela or a form that I would describe as a picto grafia comic. There is still the anticipated drawing, collage and printmaking elements along with the traditional rubber stamped text (see the photos). Anyhow, I fully expect that the next report will confirm my suspicions of completion of the first issue of the comic and contain the announcement of details of publication and availability.

For an interesting visual diary overview, see previous BLOTTING PAPER: The Comic production reports: No.7, No.6, No.5, No.4, No.3, No.2, No.1.

CATS IN COMICS #6 What’s Michael?

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Doctor Comics

In the comic What’s Michael? the cat in question, Michael, gets up to a range of anthropomorphic antics whenever his owner Reiko is out of the house at work or on holiday. He acts more catlike in her presence, chasing moths, annoying dogs, spraying on the furniture when his litter box needs changing, hogging the blankets and the heater and the wooden cover on the hot tub that keeps the water warm. He is also capable of frustrating her by sleeping on the laps of guests who have overstayed their welcome thus extending their visit. When she’s at home he makes cat sounds rather than speaking dialogue and remains on all four furry legs rather than wearing clothes and standing erect. The creation of Makoto Kobayashi who provides both story and art, this manga won the Kodansha Manga Award in 1986.

Cover of A Hard Day's Life volume, Dark Horse Comics.

Michael and his cat mates are both amusing and mischievous and value their independence whilst being dependent on their owners. As most cat owners will tell you, or perhaps they wouldn’t admit to it, Michael is the kind of cat that controls his owner rather than the other way round. Oh, and he’s bright orange-well on at least on the cover he’s in colour. The manga pages are in black and white. There is also an anime version of the manga. And that is in colour.

Other cats in this Cats In Comics series: Doraemon, Krazy Kat, The Rabbi’s Cat, Danko’s Cat and Mouse Collage and Fred.

Watch Michael move as he plays with a ribbon!

BLOTTING PAPER The Comic: Production Report No. 7

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Doctor Comics

Whilst steady progress is being made it looks now as if I shall not be getting the first issue completed before the end of this year. On the optimistic side, however, the comic is getting made so I am sure that I shall have something to show in early 2012, apart from this ongoing series of progress reports. The nature of the comic and its format appears to be continuing to digress a little in an e-hon-ish or artist’s book direction whilst still retaining some semblances of an alternative comic. All good. In this report there are some more drawings. These are basic, raw and overlaid to look more interesting online. They may not appear like this in the finished work as they are subject to further development such as reworking and re-composing for the print publication. The figure in the drawings is the older Doctor Comics character doing some printmaking at home in the Japanese sosaku hanga method.

See previous production reports: No.6, No.5, No.4, No.3, No.2, No.1.

CATS IN COMICS #5 Fred

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Doctor Comics

At the age of 16 R. Crumb self-produced a comic called Cat Life. It featured a cat called Fred, a typical cat that loved its independence and was not too keen on being befriended and cuddled by kids or made to play games with other cats for the amusement of the kids. Fred possibly represents the early stages of development of Crumb’s later feline creation, the more anthropomorphic Fritz the Cat. What is evident at this early stage is Crumb’s fine understanding of cat behaviour and his ability to visually represent it. In the ‘Bad Cat’ panel below Fred’s response to too much unsolicited cuddling is to strike out and scratch the girl who in turn smacks him back. Fred’s head, on receiving the blow, shows really convincing cat reaction-eyes closed, ears tilted down and mouth tightly closed.

Fred's trouble with kids.

Once the kids have gone to bed it’s nocturnal playtime for Fred and the other cats when Fred and his mates can forget all the behaviour modification they receive from humans, cut loose and most importantly, please themselves. This realisation is beautifully and cunningly stated by means of a thought balloon emanating from Fred’s head and the subtle use of the cat’s eyes. Juxtaposed with the balloon the expression that Crumb generates on Fred’s face is telling.

R. Crumb's comic cat, Fred.

Images from Cat Life, 1959/60, The Complete Crumb Comics Volume 1: The Early Years Of Bitter Struggle by R. Crumb, Fantagraphics Books, 1987.

Other cats in this Cats In Comics series: Doraemon, Krazy Kat and The Rabbi’s Cat and Danko’s Cat and Mouse Collage.

FLYING THE ANIME FLAG IN PARADISE

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Doctor Comics

In late October I spent a week in Fiji for the Japanese Embassy to present a lecture and workshop at the School of Arts, Language and Media of the University of the South Pacific and introduce films at an Anime festival. It was all part of Japan Culture Week 2011 in Suva, the capital city on the largest of the 300 islands and it seemed a bit like an act of cultural colonisation, raising the Anime flag and flying its colours on Treasure Island, creating a little Anime paradise in the Pacific Ocean.

Lecturing on the spread of Japanese pop culture. (Photo by Louise Graber)

My lecture Up In The Air: Anime’s Journey To The Stars described the global success of Japanese animation and its rise to prominance in the film world and in popular culture. It covered the work of Osamu Tezuka and the success of his work abroad. It also referred to Rintaro’s involvement with him as an animation director on Astro Boy prior to his subsequent productions that included his Tezuka homage film Metropolis, his adaption of Leiji Matsumoto’s manga Galaxy Express 999, and of Sanpei Shirato’s manga The Dagger of Kamui. Describing Shirato’s beginnings as a kamishibai artist before moving to manga and the alternative publication GARO the lecture was situated in the context of anecdotes from my time as a lecturer at an Arts college and a School of Design in Sydney where I observed the growing interest of students in Japanese popular culture. They became fascinated with manga, Anime, cosplay, J-Pop, scanlations, computer games, cameras, turntables, TV game shows, food and fashion, not to mention the learning of the Japanese language and the odd visit to Tokyo. The lecture concluded with an analysis of the productions and rise to prominence of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli who, like Tezuka, found an international audience and critical acclaim.

The tools and materials for the printmaking workshop. (Photo by Louise Graber)

In addition to the theory lecture I also presented a practical workshop demonstrating the printmaking technique I have developed as part of my artistic practice. Based on the Japanese creative print movement of Sosaku Hanga and the work of Koshiro Onchi and Shiko Munakata in particular I showed examples of my work that have been made following this approach and methodology and applied to prints, postcards, T-shirts and comics.

Teaching techniques to students of University of the South Pacific. (Photo by Louise Graber)

After the demonstration the students then made their own prints. By chance, the cultural activities took place in the same week as the Rugby World Cup finals and the only paint colours to hand were those of the Wallabies, yellow and green. My own rugby woodblock print (on the table and being passed around the class, in the photos above) provided some amusement and interest.

The 'sosaku hanga' creative printmaking workshop. (Photo by Louise Graber)

On the roof of the Village Cinema complex Batman and Spiderman look down intrigued at the sight of people going in to see the Ninja super hero Kamui. It was here that the Anime Film Festival was held each evening. The films Galaxy Express 999, The Dagger of Kamui, Laputa: Castle in the Sky and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time were screened to impressed audiences. Anime is now a fixed part of the Japanese cultural coat of arms, emblamatic of the country’s long history of graphic arts that feeds into and nurtures both Anime and manga. A week long festival of Anime films and supporting contextual cultural events signaled an alternative offering to Hollywood and the further spread of Japanese popular culture in the South Pacific.

Village Cinema Centre, Suva. (Photo by Louise Graber)

Many thanks to Sayuri Tokuman and Susan Yamaguchi of the Japanese Studies & Intellectual Exchange Department and Tokiko Kiyota, Director of the Japan Foundation in Sydney, and to Nobuko Iwatani, Mako Nakauchi and Mele of the Embassy of Japan in Fiji, and His Excellency Yutaka Yoshizawa, Ambassador of Japan, for their ideas, assistance and support with this project.

Read my other Fijian project post: ON TREASURE ISLAND

50 YEARS OF FANTASTIC FOUR

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Doctor Comics

It is now fifty years since the first issue of the Marvel Comic Fantastic Four was published. The cover of Issue #1 is dated November, 1961 although it was probably in the shops a month or two earlier as part of the magazine distribution policy of putting product up for sale in retail outlets two or three months prior to the cover date. The comic carries credits for Stan Lee and Jack Kirby although the exact nature of their contribution is not indicated until Issue #9 (Stan Lee-script and Jack Kirby-art) and has been the subject of some debate over the years since as has who of the two had the initial idea for the series. With a scenario that starts with the space race battle between the USA and the Soviet Union the new team encounter cosmic rays on an experimental space flight that affects their human capabilities. It was a landmark comic for Marvel, for the superhero genre, and for these two creators.

Preceding the X-Men, the team of Mr. Fantastic (Dr. Reed Richards), the Thing (Ben Grimm), and brother and sister team Invisible Girl (Susan Storm) and the Human Torch (Johnny Storm) became the Fab 4 even before The Beatles. Eschewing secret identities and hideouts these super heroes seemed somewhat human, fighting amonst themselves as well as against foes. The comic featured a fantasy parade of villains including Mole Man, the Skrulls, Miracle Man, the Sub-Mariner, who developed a crush on Invisible Girl, Doctor Doom, Kurrgo the Master of Planet X, the Puppet Master, Impossible Man from Planet Pop-up, and the Incredible Hulk, and that is in only the first dozen issues. The Silver Surfer and Galactus followed later, along with origin stories and films.

First panel of the first page of the first issue. (Fantastic Four Omnibus Vol.1, 2007)

And they became popular. Marvel started receiving a deluge of fan mail for the Fantastic Four and began a letters page in each issue that eventually spread to two pages. Lee actively engaged with the fans by selectively commenting on some of the issues raised in the letters whilst Kirby cut loose in an increasingly inventive period. Some say he based the character of The Thing on himself. Others have pointed to the fact that the Dr. Reed Richards’ character developed a striking facial likeness to Kirby himself. Whatever the case, the new team struck a chord with the comics buying public and became a seminal part of the Marvel line-up. It’s been a fabulous fifty years.

BLOTTING PAPER The Comic: Production Report No. 6

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Doctor Comics

There are books and fish in this comic. In the first chapter, a lot of books including graphic novels and at least one fish. Glee, or Glebe, is a very bookish suburb and is located just across the road from Sydney University and near two others, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Technology. The area has several bookshops, cafes and restaurants. It is also within walking distance of the Sydney Fish Market. The Bookseller of Glee is a portrait of the proprietor of one such bookshop, Gleebooks, and friend to Doctor Comics. Although he stocked graphic novels in his bookshop he refused to carry coffee and cakes.

The prinicipal character is an aficionado of fish and cakes as well as comics. We’ll get to the cakes and coffee shops later but as regards his interest in fish his cats don’t mind this aspect of his behaviour at all. In the first chapter there are no cakes or coffee and only one fish, but it’s a large one. And a bottle of wine.

See previous production reports: No.5, No.4, No.3, No.2, No.1.

Doctor Comics

Creating and Critiquing Comic Art