T. Edward Bak’s Service industry is high on my list of comics that you haven’t read yet, but really should. Since putting that out, he has a great ongoing story begining in Mome 15, Drawn and Quarterly Showcase 5 and the great anthology, Orchid(worth picking up just for Lasky’s adaptation of the Raven alone). He also did a couple of great pieces that are on the National Geographic site from his trip to Alaska.
Noah Van Sciver makes some great self publish comics that read like they came from the mind of a crazed hobo. Seriously, they are great. Check out Blammo and his story in the Mome 15.
For the conclusion of my own going interviews regarding comics as a form of media, Scott McCloud. I am really thankful for Scott taking the time to chat with me, given the importance of Understanding Comics in courses on comics, it is vital to have him taking part in an ongoing dialogue on comics.
Jeet Heer brings some really interesting ideas to the table in regards to the formation and history of comics.
Here is my conversation with Eddie Campbell, about comics as a form of media. I think you will be Surprised by what Eddie has to say.
This weeks Inkstuds is a little different. I put together an audio documentary as a project for school on the history of media. As you can no doubt guess, my interest is in comics and I try to do as many of my papers as possible on some kind of topic that has to do with comics. This project is an audio documentary that looks at comics as a form of media in itself. I was lucky to get some really great guests that allowed me to subject them to my somewhat pedestrian questions.
Where do the roots of comics stand in regards to other forms of media?
How do comics work?
What were the strengths of early comics/weaknesses?
Was there a central use for comics?
How did that change with time?
How do modern comics compare with early examples? Is it a continuation?
When looking at the Mohamed comics controversy, is that an isolated incident, or does it hold a place in the greater scope of the medium?
Where does Werthams studies on juvenile delinquency belong in the development of the medium?
I will be posting the full interviews over the coming week, at a rate of one a day. The guests featured in this documentary include:
Jeet Heer – Co-Editor of A Comic Studies Reader, as well as countless articles about comics and introductions to collections like Krazy Kat and Walt and Skeezix.
Tom Spurgeon – His blog, www.comicsreporter.com is a resource that is respected across the comics industry for Tom’s journalistic integrity and in-depth coverage.
Matt Madden – Co-Author of Drawing Words and Writing Pictures and teaches cartooning at the School of Visual Arts in NYC.
Eddie Campbell – Cartoonist behind works like Alec, Bacchus, From Hell, Fate of the Artist and much more.
Scott McCloud – Author of Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics and Making Comics.
Hey Inkstudents. Tell me about yourself. I work in a Vacuum and would like to know who listens to the show. And tell you me what comic you have really enjoyed lately.
Dater’s Dozen by Melaina is a fun little mini. I really enjoyed this book. It’s the kind of autobio comic I enjoy, personal, friendly and does not take it self too seriously. The art is a nice simplistic style, that at times, is reminiscent of John Porcellino. The story itself, is an engaging journey following Melaina through a series of disastrous dates. The story makes me feel a little old at times, as I forget how painful the awkwardness of attempted courtship could be. I am kind of surprised by the long list of mini comics that she has listed in the back of Dater’s Dozen, but this is the first thing that I have seen by her. I know that she is friends with MariNaomi, and you can see that carry over into this work in the type of story that she is telling. It’s not a direct type of related cartooning, but more like a similar grouping(do I make sense here). In the world of reading autobio comics by dudes, writing about their relationship mishaps, it’s nice to see it from the other side.
