Just a short post to keep in touch but to also mention that I shall be taking a bit of a break from my blog, for a bit…not sure how long…but just to keep in touch I am putting up this old collage portrait I did from several years ago of the cartoon character Ginger Meggs, created by James (Jimmy) Charles Bancks. Good old Bancksie and Meggsy!
Dr. Michael Hill aka Doctor Comics.
My cartoon collage of the Australian comic strip character Ginger Meggs with my added homage.
Above: cover shot of an impressive new volume COMICS 1964-2024…on comics art and comics history…cover illustration Starwatcher, 1986, by Moebius(1938-2012)…book published by Centre Pompidou and Thames & Hudson…Edited by Thierry Groensteen, Lucas Hureau, Anne Lemonnier and Emmanuele Payen…the volume is based on the exhibition held in Paris: Bande designee, 1964-2024 at the Centre Pompidou in 2024.
The recent comics art exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris…BANDE DESIGNEE1964-2024…included works from comics magazines Arcade, BigAss Comics, Bijou Funnies, Garo,Motor City Comics, Yellow Dog, Zap Comix…and from creators including Shinichi Abe, Neal Adams, Fujio Akatsuka, David B., Edmond Baudoin, Alison Bechdel, Enki Bilal, Blutch, Alberto Breccia, Claire Bretecher, Charles Burns, John Buscema,…Daniel Clowes, Gene Colan, Guido Crepax, Robert Crumb, Julie Doucet,…Will Eisner, Emil Ferris, Andre Franquin, Fred, Herge, Hideshi Hino, Gil Kane, Killoffer, Jack Kirby, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Harvey Kurtzman,…Ulli Lust, Jay Lynch, Lorenzo Mattotti, Frank Miller, Shigeru Mizuki, Moebius,…Gary Panter, Hugo Pratt, Joe Sacco, Marjane Satrapi, Charles M. Schulz, Seth, Marie Severin, Gilbert Shelton, Posy Simmonds, Art Spiegelman,…Jiro Taniguchi, Jacques Tardi, Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Osamu Tezuka, Lewis Trondheim, Yoshiharu Tsuge, Albert Uderzo, Chris Ware, Bill Watterson and S. Clay Wilson…a most impressive lineup!
The book based on the exhibition, COMICS 1964-2024…(pictured at the top of this post),…was published by Centre Pompidou and Thames & Hudson. Edited by Thierry Groensteen, Lucas Hureau, Anne Lemonnier and Emmanuele Payen. Chapters include An Evolving Artform by Benoit Peeters…The Decade That Reinvented Comics; Counterculture; and Humour; all three by Thierry Groensteen…Fear; and Science Fiction; both by Lucas Hureau…Dreams: At The Edge Of Reality by Johanna Schipper…Colour And Black And White by Anne Lemonnier…History And Memory by Joe Sacco with Paul Gravett…Personal Stories: Autobiographical Comics, their forms and themes by Laurent Gerbier…Everyday Life; and Cities by Emmanuele Payen…Literature-Literature and comics: sister arts by Tristan Garcia…and Geometry: Bringing infinity within reach by Marguerite Demoete. It begins with the Foreword: A New “Golden Age” Realized by Paul Gravett.
Above, cover shot of an earlier book on comics art…CO-MIX: A Retrospective Of Comics, Graphics, And Scraps by Art Spiegelman, published by Drawn & Quarterly, 2013, New York…the cover image by Art Spiegelman is titled Comics as a Medium for Self-Expression…Spiegelman’s work is cited in COMICS 1964-2024.
In his Foreword Gravett refers to several key figures and developments that led to the acceptance of comics, its creators and their works as an art form. He notes that it was in 1964 that the term graphic novel was first used in English. Hokusai is cited as a developmental reference for his 19th Century pre-manga sketchbooks. Gravett acknowledges that France was…“the first and to date the only country in the world to decide that…comics, in the singular, is also an art.” The French film critic Claude Beylie followed this up with the suggestion that comics be named the “9th Art”. Other notable events Gravett cites include…the Museum of Modern Art’s exhibition of Art Spiegelman’s artwork for his graphic novel Maus…staged in New York in 1990-91, titled High and Low. Prior to this he lists what he terms a “landmark” exhibition…titled Bande dessinee et figuration narrative at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris…which opened on 7th April 1967…and to quote Gravett “…marked the first time any major art museum had presented comics.”
The graphically lively Japanese manga magazine GARO…with cover art by Terry Johnson, described on the cover as “Gorgeous Art”.
The BANDE DESIGNEE,1964-2024 comics art exhibition in Paris included a Japanese manga element…so I wanted to include some related content in this post. The Japanese magazine GARO (see cover image above), a manga collection, can be described in graphic terms as highly creative! Basically a bi-monthly magazine about manga…that is affectionately, if cheekily, labelled “King Of Comics!”…it features, to quote the magazine, “gorgeous art by Terry Johnson for Flamingo Studio Inc.” plus “popular design by Mr. Stereo and Mr. Monoral for the Stereo Studio Inc.” There is also a French element in this exhibition a.k.a. BANDE DESIGNEE,1964-2024 apart from the hosting and staging of the event. In fact, it appears to be promoted as a combined, three-way nation effort…involving France, Japan and the USA. To that effect in this post, following the cover image of the Japanese magazine GARO (above)…I have one of the French comics journal lapin produced by L-Association (below)…followed by two books of comics with covers by the American cartoonist Robert Crumb (below). There are comics and creators from other countries also involved but those three nations would appear to be dominant.
Cover of an edition of the French comics journal lapin: bandes dessinees pour la jeunesse…produced by La Association.The journal has been opened and pressed, open side down, flat on the desktop, for the photograph…due to the difficulty I had getting it to lay flat for the photo.
In the opening chapter of COMICS 1964-2024, titled An Evolving Artform…Benoit Peeters describes the trend in comics which occurred in the 1980s that led to the development of graphic novels…citing notable examples such as: MAUS by Art Spiegelman (see Spiegelman book CO-MIX above)…Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons…Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo…Blankets by Craig Thompson…Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi…and The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. Reference is also made to established and ongoing series such as Asterix and Obelix, Tintin, and Lucky Luke. Also referred to in COMICS 1964-2024 is the Robert Crumb series: The Complete Crumb Comics (cover image below). I have also added a photo (below) of Mark James Estren’s A History of Underground Comics…that has Crumb’s art on the cover.
Above, cover shot of The Complete Crumb Comics Volume 5…Edited by Gary Groth with Robert Fiore and Robert Boyd…published by Fantagraphics Books, 1990, Seattle.
A useful tome from which to study the Underground comics movement…usually spelt ‘comix’…is this book by Mark James Estren, A History of Underground Comics, 1993(Third Edition)..(above, with Crumb cartoon on the cover), Ronin Publishing, Berkeley, California…(originally published in 1974).Crumb’s work is heavily featured in this book. Others mentioned include Mike Barrier, Joel Beck, Vaughn Bode, Paul Buhle,… Kim Deitch, Will Eisner, Clay Geerdes, Justin Green, Rick Griffin, Bill Griffith, George Herriman, Rand Holmes,…Jaxon, Jay Kinney, Denis Kitchen, Aline Kominsky, Harvey Kurtzman, Jay Lynch, Lee Marrs, Victor Moscoso,…Pete Poplaski, Gilbert Shelton, Art Spiegelman, Foolbert Sturgeon, John Thompson,…Trina Robbins, Spain Rodriguez, Larry Welz, Robert Williams, Skip Williamson, S. Clay Wilson, Basil Wolverton and Wally Wood.
Another artist referred to in COMICS 1964-2024 is David B…(cover shot, above, of his book)…the Armed Garden and other stories…published by Fantagraphics Books, 2011, Seattle. Pierre-François “David” Beauchard also known by the pen name David B., is a French comic book artist and writer, and one of the founders of L’Association. Another of his books…Epileptic…is referred to in COMICS 1964-2024 in the chapter DREAMS: At The Edge Of Reality by Johanna Schipper.
Above, cover shot of…KRAZY KAT: The Comic Art Of George Herriman, by Patrick McDonnell, Karen O”Connell and Georgia Riley de Havenon…published by Harry N. Abrams, New York.
George Herriman, creator of Krazy Kat (see image above)…is another legendary American comics creator referred to in this book…in the chapter Geometry: Bringing infinity within reach by Marguerite Demoete. My visual reference is to the front cover of the book The Comic Art Of George Herriman above…with Krazy strumming a banjo and getting a little help from Ignatz Mouse…whilst Officer Pup sits alongside them in a state of mesmerised attention. The expression in the eyes of all three characters is telling, I think.
In summary, COMICS 1964-2024 is an impressive book about various aspects of comics art. As a physical entity it comes in the large format…approximately 24 x 31 cm. in size and near 300 pages in length…it is both heavy to hold…and a little awkward to handle with its weight and soft cover…heavily illustrated in both colour and black and white with only 20% of the pages without illustrations…and priced accordingly. It contains 14 informative articles on comics art (see chapter titles and authors above). I regret having missed visiting the exhibition in Paris…but at least I have this book! If you have read it, and would like to comment, please consider adding your response here! M
(Original text-c.2025 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics).
It has taken me some time to finish wrapping up production of this title but things are finally taking shape. The latest development in my comics creation and production scheduling is that two of my titles will now be merged. These two titles are my most recent project working title…The Cat Cooking Comics In Kappabashi and my longer, earlier work Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions of Doctor Comics. The former, that took the form of some of a sequel to the previous title,…now becomes an additional chapter…actually the final chapter of the Blotting Paper graphic novel. My initial thoughts were to make it a stand-alone comic…despite it having some connections to the main title by virtue of sharing some of the same characters…however, I have now opted for closure of the production period…and time to wrap it all up in one bundle. This means that The Cat Cooking Comics In Kappabashi will cease being a proposed stand alone comic title…and instead become a chapter title of Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions of Doctor Comics. Despite this manga merging, their blog posts that were completed with the different title of The Kappabashi Cat Nos. 1, 2 and 3…will remain as existing blog posts, retaining their original title and date and history, and accessibility on this site. Sorry about the changes but I hope that has clarified matters.
The above image shows a rough cover design of the proposed comic The Cat Cooking Comics In Kappabashi…that is now being merged with Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions of Doctor Comics as Chapter 6…the final chapter of the intended 300 page graphic novel. Although the Doctor Comics character does not appear in this chapter one of his cats, Cohl, does. Living in the Kappabashi area of Tokyo…Cohl learns the Japanese form of woodblock printmaking called sosaku hanga. This is the same method that Doc had employed…and demonstrated to his cats at their home in Sydney whilst making a series of creative prints. This edit wraps things up in terms of the story. In this final chapter Cohl becomes, as the title of that chapter infers, The Cat Cooking Comics In Kappabashi.Wherever he was at this time, I am certain that Doc would have been impressed and offered his enthusiastic support.
Above, a page from Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions of Doctor Comics showing Doc at work making woodblock prints…an act that Cohl would have observed on several occasions back in Sydney when Doc and the cats lived together…and that would have possibly inspired Cohl to take up printmaking on his arrival in Japan.
Yet another page from The Cat Cooking Comics In Kappabashi…now Chapter 6 of Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions of Doctor Comics…showing Cohl’s artistic development with his manga mixing…his printmaking and his creative layout of prints…with panels and pages from the randomly found manga during his travels in Tokyo.
I hope these edits will bring these separate units together under the one title of…Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics. It seems the best solution at the moment.
Although not initially included in my published posts I wish to add further details of my background story…how I arrived at my present moment celebrating and researching comics art…acquiring my DOCTOR COMICS moniker…detailing aspects of my teaching, research and passage from technical work into academia…and subsequent research, publishing and the writing and presenting of conference papers based on that research…as well as a series of supplementary creative projects.
Doctor Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics (Photo by Alison Van Hees).
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
PROFILE: Subsequent to my artistic work in theatre and film, I have nearly 30 years tertiary experience in academia. This involved teaching, research, publication, course design, management and direction…plus consultation, working within the art and design and humanities disciplines…at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and on both a local and international basis.
My Ph.D 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…Division Of Society, Culture, Media And Philosophy, Macquarie University, 2003.
On completion of my Ph.D. at Macquarie University in Sydney I donated my collection of comics art research materials…including my collection of more than 500 comics…to the National Library of Australia, as the Michael Hill Collection of Australian Comics.
Master of Arts by virtue of the thesis…Slave To The Rhythm: Animation At The Service Of The Popular Music Industry…Faculty of Humanities And Social Sciences, University Of Technology, Sydney, 1995. Graduate Diploma in Media, Australian Film and Television School, 1986.
Certificate in Group Work, South Australian Institute of Technology.
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building: University of Technology, Sydney…as Lecturer in Film and Video, Visual Communication Department, Faculty of Design
UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY
Course Design and Management
Co-creator and first Director of the Master of Animation Course, spread across three Faculties of the university.
Director of Postgraduate Design
Director of Visual Communication Design Department
SYDNEY COLLEGE OF THE ARTS
Lecturer in Film and Video
Technical Officer in Art and Design
RESEARCH
In the comics art area and previously in the fields of film, video and theatre. Australian representative on the International Editorial Board of the International Journal Of Comic Art, 2000 to present, 2025.
An issue of the International Journal Of Comic Art…I always carry the current issue in my brief case.
PUBLICATIONS
List of published articles on comics art. (NOTE: Work in progress: details to be added.)
PRESENTATIONS
Lectures, Tutorials and Panel Participation-multiple, local and international. (NOTE: Work in progress: details to be added.)
EXHIBITIONS
Participating in Group show on comics theme at KNOT GALLERY, Sydney.
(NOTE: Work in progress: details to be added.)
AWARDS
(NOTE: Work in progress: details to be added.)
CREATIVE WORKS
My design work, an animation storyboard, was selected for and exhibited at the International Design Exhibition in Osaka ’87.Professional involvement in Fashion Industry in the role of fashion video director…this was one of many I made for the fashion designer Katie Pye and others.A conceptual illustration of mine for the academic design journal FORM/WORK.
(NOTE: Work in progress: further details may be added.)
My cover illustration on design theory for an issue of the academic journal FORM/WORK.Poster for launch of first issue of my comic BLOTTING PAPER: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics… and exhibition of creative prints at Hondarake Bookshop in Sydney.My exhibition was launched by Gene Kannenberg, Jr. on a live cross from New York.
(NOTE: Work in progress: further details may be added.)
The bookshop launch took place under a canopy of torn wood-block prints…that I had made for my experimental animation Toxic Fish that was screened at the Art Gallery of NSW.
(NOTE: Work in progress: further details may be added.)
My calligraphic brush painting portrait of Professor Stephen Lee for the cover of his biography.My illustration on the cover of the book.
(NOTE: Work in progress: further details may be added.)
FILM
I have made a few independent art films…this is one of them, BLACKING OUT A BLONDE…screened at the Sydney Film Festival and the 1980 Australian Film Awards…that’s Jane Campion playing one of the many blondes in my film. She’s not too happy about the guy trying to kiss her on the knee…so she is going to whack him on the head with her bag!My film BLACKING OUT A BLONDE was screened at the Sydney Opera House..in competition for the 1980 Australian Film Awards!
(NOTE: Work in progress: further details may be added.)
IN THE STUDIO
A postcard printmaking session in the small studio…
(NOTE: This is a work in progress: further images and details to be added.)
THEATRE
That’s me front and centre, kneeling and bowing to Romulus in a Sheridan Theatre production directed by Colin Ballantyne.
Initially, back in the day, I thought I was headed for a career in theatre. I enrolled in some drama classes in Adelaide at the Sheridan Theatre…but quickly realised that I would rather work in production than in acting and performance. Anyway those acting classes led to a walk-on part in the play ROMULUS THE GREAT…by Swiss playwright Friedrich Durrenmatt…(that is me down on my knee in the photo above…there is an umlaut in his name but I can’t quite work out how to insert it)…that was staged as part of the 1968? Adelaide Festival of Arts. After that I concentrated on writing and direction…directing and co-writing the play ENTH with Des Rutherford and subsequently both writing and directing the play BECOMING. These two productions received good reviews…that got me into NIDA, the National Institute of Dramatic Art, in the Production Course in Sydney. This led to jobs in professional theatre in Sydney. Then I headed off to London, as you do, thinking I would work in theatre in London…but at the time of my arrival there were around 12,000 stage workers unemployed…so I ended up seeking temporary work through a an employment agency…and ended up on an assembly line at the GEC factory in Wembley. This helped me pay my rent…anyway by the end of the week I was promoted to the head of the row…noting and filling in gaps in the assembly caused by lax workers…who were slow to respond to the passing unit on the conveyor belt or who has simply fallen asleep. Talking about sleep I had set my alarm for 4.30 a.m. to get from South Kensington to Wembley for the 6.00 a.m. start. Little did I know that within a month I would be working at Harrods selling refrigerators…and the walk from my home base in South Kensington to Harrods only took around 20 minutes! And I met a few famous actors who wanted to buy a fridge. Then I was transferred to the Toy Department for the busy Summer Sales season where I was much happier. And I met a few more famous actors who wanted to buy toys for boys and girls. But I didn’t stay there long. I had registered with an employment agency for temporary work. First stop was a betting shop where I was board boy…writing up the names of the horses for each race…and then the results and winning dividends. I was up and down all afternoon taking advantage of the white board with my felt tipped pen…doing the odd little doodle and drawing of cartoon horses with whipping jockeys. It was fun…but didn’t pay so well…not nearly as much as what settlers got…the ones who worked out payments for winning bets…this was way before computers. It turned out…that as I had the mathematical skills…I was able to change my job in the betting shop to that of a settler. Better pay! Hooray!
(NOTE: Work in progress: further details to be added.)
(APOLOGIES: The addition of further details to this and some other of my posts is on my TO DO list. I am slowly making progress with this and I thank you for your patience! Michael)
I am beginning to feel that I am nearing the final post documenting the production of my graphic novel/artist book/comic…Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics…as I tie the ends of the storyline together and head towards the conclusion. Initially I thought that this would be a sequel with a different title…but after having second thoughts I decided to make it the final chapter of the graphic novel…with the same title…Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics. Owing to the absence of the Doctor Comics character in this new chapter, it contains less of his anecdotes…and fewer human characters as it drifts more in the direction of the funny animal comics genre. This seems to be a good move.
The chapter begins in Berlin…where Cohl, having heard no word from his friend Busch for almost two years…decides to follow him to Tokyo and try to find him. Cohl has been very comfortable in the German city…and somewhat reluctant to leave but his curiosity and friendship ultimately awakened him from his cultural slumber.
In addition to the restaurant supplies district some scenes take place in Kanda, the bookshop area of Tokyo. Cohl initially explores the manga shops…then extends his search to sources of traditional woodblock printed books as well as books about yokai spirits.
Near the end of the Blotting Paper graphic novel (page 286 above and page 287 below of 300 pages), Cohl is ultimately content to remain in Berlin despite his attempts to find his friend Busch who had left Germany for Japan with his new friend Barks.
Owing to the absence of the Doctor Comics character in this new chapter…it contains hardly any of his anecdotes…and even fewer human characters as it drifts more in the direction of the funny animal comics genre. The principal character, Cohl the cat from the Blotting Paper graphic novel,…has some adventures in the Asakusa area of Tokyo…to which he has travelled in search of his missing friend and flatmate, the other cat and feline friend, Busch.
Doctor Comics researching the bookshop area of Tokyo during an earlier visit. (Photo by Louise Graber.)
In addition to the restaurant supplies district some scenes take place in Kanda, the bookshop area of Tokyo. Cohl initially explored the manga shops…then extended his search to sources of traditional woodblock printing books…as well as books about yokai and the spirit world…as Doctor Comics had done. All good! I shall now start heading toward the conclusion of my graphic novel.
This post concludes the collection of cartoons I contributed to U: magazine…during my tenure as a member of the academic staff of the Design Faculty of the University of Technology, Sydney. This, plus my three previous cartoon posts, forms part of an online gallery of my single panel satirical work.
As always, my thanks for the excellent advice, artistic assistance and cartooning expertise from the wonderful Countdown artist Louise Graber. Other posts of my cartoon based material include:
This post continues the profiling of the collection of my cartoons published in U: magazine, or related magazines, during my tenure at the University of Technology, Sydney. These cartoon posts will contribute to the formation of an online gallery of my single panel satirical work.
As always, my thanks for the excellent advice, assistance and cartooning expertise from the wonderful COUNTDOWNMagazine cartoonist Louise Graber. Other posts of my cartoon based material include:
This post features the second instalment of cartoons I created during my academic tenure at the University of Technology, Sydney…and that were published in its magazine U:. These examples focus on the University’s Tower Building on Broadway near Railway Square. Labelled an example of “brutal modernism” despite its designer’s denial of it being that style…it is a monolithic stack of 27 storeys in concrete and glass… somewhat softened by the arrival of the newly constructed vertical garden clad Central Park building opposite. It was fun playing around with it as a satirical subject in these cartoons.
Fictitious merchandise in a non-existent shop in the foyer!…the Information Desk reported some enquiries as to the shop’s location after publication of this cartoon.
Originally I proposed using Nokia University of Technology but the sign on the tower would read NUTS! The University said “NO WAY!” to that…but the Virgin ad was O.K.!
I did an alternate version of the building relaxing on a banana lounge on Bondi Beach reading a novel…but the Vice Chancellor thought it was “A bit silly!” He preferred this one.
As always, my thanks for the excellent advice, assistance and cartooning expertise from the wonderful COUNTDOWNMagazine cartoonist, Louise Graber. Other posts of my cartoon based material include:
I have completed production and commenced publication of the fifth issue of my artist book/comic…BLOTTING PAPER: The Recollected Graphic Impressions Of Doctor Comics. The pages are being printed, collated, trimmed, bound and covered. Copies will soon be mailed to readers. Each copy will have an original postcard size print on the cover.
It has now been four years since publication of the first issue. That was launched at Hondarake-Full of Books in Sydney in February 2012 (see earlier post about the launch). A further four issues have been produced and published. I am now considering collecting these issues into graphic novel form. This will allow me the opportunity to make revisions to the story and artwork. The five issues have generated 200 pages of material. This may be altered following editing and development of the existing material. There also remains the possibility of a further new chapter! We’ll see about that!
In this series of posts I profile a collection of my published cartoons. They currently total 30 in number. I am starting with those I contributed to U: magazine whilst working at the University of Technology, Sydney. These CARTOONS posts will help me to grow an online gallery of my single panel satirical work.
The “theorists” cartoon was put together hurriedly one afternoon. An academic design theory journal was being delayed at the printers awaiting a cover illustration which had failed to arrive. I received a panic phone call from the Faculty office along the “could I possibly please be of assistance” lines. I grabbed some images from old comics which I had in my office…invented some names for theories…and quickly collaged these elements together…all in an afternoon…and they published it!…on the cover!
How the cartoon looked on the cover of the journal.
Form follows function was based on an incident at an end-of-semester design student party. This was held on the roof of the Design Faculty building. There was a semi-abstract modernist sculpture that resembled a large scale bottle opener mounted on the roof. I saw a less than sober female student tentatively approach it with a capped bottle of beer. After a short struggle she managed to open it despite the marked difference in scale between it and the bottle. It is quite amazing what Industrial Design students can do. Then I heard this comment from one of the two onlooking Industrial Design students: “Form follows function.” Yes, I really did hear that comment and observe that action…and salute that theory…and subsequently designed this cartoon!
And this is how the cartoon appeared in the magazine…the art director just couldn’t resist that trendy layout technique of chopping it into segments…and altering the colour, texture and proportions!
My thanks for the excellent cartooning assistance from the brilliant COUNTDOWN Magazine cartoonist…Louise Graber. Her Pop Music illustrative work made her an amazing manager of short notice deadlines…with an acute fashionista’s eye drawing perfect pop portraits, Michael.