Monthly Archives: September 2011

BLOTTING PAPER The Comic: Production Report No.5

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I mentioned in an earlier report that I am employing a range of image-making media to produce the artwork and text for my comic Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics. In this update I’m showing some of the images that have been generated through printmaking at a small studio in Stanmore in Sydney’s Inner West that will appear in the first chapter The Ingurgitator. It should be noted that whereas both the chapter and the comic begin in sunny Sydney things take a bit of a dark turn towards the end.

Evening swim in a sea of sumi. (Monotype print by Michael Hill-© 2011 Michael Hill)

Swept somewhat slightly out-of-depth. (Monotype print by Michael Hill-© 2011 Michael Hill)

Struggling for footing and breath. (Monotype print by Michael Hill-© 2011 Michael Hill)

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

CATS IN COMICS #2 Krazy Kat by Gene Kannenberg, Jr.

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Panel from Krazy Kat comic strip October 17th, 1937

Krazy Kat, created by cartoonist George “Garge” Herriman (1880-1944) initially as a family pet in his comic strip “The Dingbat Family” in 1910 before graduating to an eponymous strip in 1913, is without a doubt The Greatest of All Cartoon Cats – if only because “Krazy Kat” is the greatest comic strip of all time. (I don’t write those words lightly, but to me they’re true enough.)

As ever, the strip’s conceit: Ignatz Mouse, the antagonist, has it in for Kazy Kat, the sometimes-he, sometimes-she protagonist; Ignatz expresses his disdain usually in the form of a brick hurled at Krazy’s head. Krazy, in love with Ignatz, sees the brick as a sign of affection. Offissa Pupp, the local constabulary, is in love with Krazy and despises Ignatz. Many strips end with Pupp putting Ignatz in jail for his crime. It’s all that simple, and that complex – variations on a theme for four glorious decades.

It’s almost a cliche to say that the strip is “poetic,” but really, honestly, I don’t know of a better word. Herriman’s use of language, pulsing with puns and patois, is lyrical in and of itself. But look at the strip as a whole: each installment, especially each Sunday page, is a perfect little gem of an object, with visuals that are as malleable, marvelous, and magnificent as any sonnet. Form and meaning walk hand in hand in Krazy’s hometown of Coconino County.

Panel from Krazy Kat comic strip October 8th, 1920

I’ve seen it said at times that Krazy is delusional, or that she doesn’t understand Ignatz’s intentions. But I think that such ideas miss the point. Like a “real” cat*, Krazy creates hir own reality. Anyone who’s lived with an actual feline knows that, try as you might, you cannot control, cannot master a cat. Cats are subject to their own internal wants, needs, and whims; sometimes, rarely, these impulses correspond to what we want, and we then find this behavior charming and “cute.” But really, it’s the cat who’s calling the shots. So, too, does Krazy call the shots – literally: she calls the shooting bricks love tokens. So what if Ignatz doesn’t mean them that way? Ultimately, and to our benefit, it’s what Krazy desires that kounts.

* I use the “scare quotes” hesitantly; to me, Krazy is as real a creation as is possible. Nothing fake; all genuine. All Art.

Many thanks to our guest blogger Gene Kannenberg, Jr. for this wonderful post.

BIO: Gene Kannenberg, Jr. 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.


Archive of Australian Comics History: INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF DRAWINGS-COMICS

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The 14th International Exhibition of Drawings held at The Museum of Modern Art in Rijeka, Croatia, 17th December 1998-20th March 1999, was devoted to comics (from the promotional material: On its thirtieth anniversary, the exhibition tackles the drawing elements of comics, a specific visual/verbal language of the popular medium of mass communication.) Invited to contribute to the selection of the show based on the research I was doing into the Australian Small Press at the time and after a referral from Professor Joan Kerr, I sent 13 works by 14 creators. I also wrote an essay The Australian Underground that was published in the exhibition catalogue in Croatian and English.

Cover of the exhibition catalogue. (Design by Mirko Ilić, drawing by Davor Vrankić)

My list of selected creators(in alphabetical order) whose work was hung in the exhibition, plus the titles, dates and mediums of their comics were as follows:

Neale Blanden-Ah-choo, 1997-combined technique on paper.

Bernard Caleo and Tolley-The False Impressionists, 1997-combined technique on paper.

Timothy John Danko-Jean and Rolly, 1995-collage on paper.

Louise Graber-Black Light Angels, 1998-ink on paper.

Ben Hutchings-The Killer Foetus, 1997-combined technique on paper.

Gregory Mackay-Francis Bear, 1998-ink on paper.

Mandy Ord-Lightning Strike, 1998-ink on paper.

Q-Ray (Clint Cure)-The Comic Mesiah, 1998-ink on paper.

Tony Single-Blackie’s last day, 1994-pencil, felt pen, ink on paper.

Stratu-Kurt Hurt’s Reasons to Draw Comix, 1998-ink and whiteout on paper.

Ross Tesoriero-Radiation Sickness, 1997-ink on paper.

Ryan Vella-Stranger Danger, 1997-ink on paper.

Damien Woods-Upward + Onward, 1996-technical pen and felt pen on photocopy paper.

The Comic Messiah by Q-Ray (Clint Cure).

Other artists in this international exhibition included Max Andersson, Enki Bilal, Guido Crepax, Will Eisner, Jason(John Arne Sæterøy), Henry “Hank” Ketcham, Brant Parker, Hugo Pratt, Quino, Bryan Talbot, Mort Walker and Song Qing Zhu (Gao Diao). It was wonderful that the work of the Australian creators, drawn from the emerging Small Press gang of the time, was displayed alongside these creators.

Black Light Angels by Louise Graber.

Blackie’s last day by Tony Single.

Upward + Onward by Damien Woods.

Lightning Strike by Mandy Ord.

Radiation Sickness by Ross Tesoriero.

Ah-choo by Neale Blanden.

Jean and Rolly by Timothy John Danko.

Kurt Hurt’s Reasons to Draw Comix by Stratu.

Francis Bear by Gregory Mackay.

Stranger Danger by Ryan Vella.

This is the fourth in a series of posts called Archives of Australian Comics History documenting moments in the recent history of Australian comics, particularly alternative comics and the Australian Small Press. I started researching this subject in the late 1990s. That research eventually led to my PhD thesis: Ph.D. Macquarie University, Division of Society, Culture, Media and Philosophy, by virtue of the thesis, A Study Of Contemporary Australian Alternative Comics 1992-2000 With Particular Reference To The Work Of Naylor, Smith, Danko And Ord, 2003.

The other posts in the Archives of Australian Comics History series are: OZCON4, Mind Rot, Sick Puppy Comix, 2011 MCA Zine Fair and 2002 Sequential Art Studies Conference. Others will be added in due course.

CATS IN COMICS #1 Doraemon

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In this series of posts I shall be featuring mini-profiles of cat characters I have enjoyed in comics. Each post will feature an image and short description of the character. I hope to have guest bloggers talking about their favourite cats in comics, too. Please let me know if you have a suggestion for a cat character to be profiled.

Cover of Doraemon manga issue 1.

The first cat in this series is Doraemon, the creation of Fujio Fujiki, the alias of two creators (mangaka) Motoo Akibo and Hiroshi Fujimoto working in collaboration. Doraemon is a blue, earless, male, magical, robot cat that lost his ears to a hungry rat. And like most cats he is very good to his owner, the little boy Nobita. This cat has been designed in a seriously super-deformed style with a large round head that makes up practically half its body length. First published in Japan in 1970 it has been so successful it was developed into an animation series and franchise with much merchandise including postage stamps. Has the distinction of being made the first Anime Ambassador of Japan. Most recently a museum has opened in Kawasaki. This cat is now more than 40 years old although, as it is a cat that is back from the future, it has not yet been born, his birthday being just over a century away on 3rd September 2112. His popularity goes on and on, and taking a lead from the guitar I saw in a music shop in Ochanomizu, Tokyo, near Meiji University, I say “Rock on Doraemon!”

Doraemon guitar in Tokyo music shop. (Photo by Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)

BLOTTING PAPER The Comic: Production Report No.4

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Title page for Chapter 1: The ingurgitator. (Collage sketch © 2011 Michael Hill)

Just when I thought I could make some decent progress on my comic Blotting Paper:The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics I have encountered a few interruptions that have resulted in delays. These are good interruptions, however, being of the ‘working on other interesting projects’ type of interruptions. One project is on Anime and Manga research into particular works of Tezuka, Rintaro and Matsumoto, and another is on sosaku hanga, the technique of creative Japanese printmaking, both activities and subjects that I find quite enjoyable. I have still managed to continue pulling bits and pieces of already completed work together and have unpicked or modified other bits that I had considered completed. Here’s the title page design(above) for the first chapter as it currently stands. Originally produced in colour this is the black and white version as it will appear in the comic. It involved a combination of image-making techniques including drawing, painting, printmaking, collage and found materials. The original sketch it was based on, made during a trip to Shanghai in 2007, is shown below.

Original Ingurgitator sketch from my Shanghai sketchbook. (Collage sketch © 2007 Michael Hill)

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