I have a ton of shit to get rid of! UGH I was hoping to make ads for most of this junk today but apparently now I can't!
And I'm not being able to contact the customer service, which means I was blacklisted by a fucking computer.
So pissed off right now >_<
Lately I've been thinking about whether I'm a comic snob or not. I guess probably not, since I don't know that many graphic novels that no one has read about but me.
I'll confess I only read Watchmen after they announced the movie was coming out, so I cannot be a hipster on that point since I hadn't even heard the name before.
I did read V for Vendetta long before James McTeigue whitewashed the shit out of it; thought the very first time I read I thought it was more odd than anything, it was certainly unlike any other graphic novel I had seen before. After two or three readings, I was completely hooked; so am I still cool?
Anyway, I wanted to blog this time just so I could name-drop some artists than are relatively unknown unless you're in the same circle of comic snobs I apparently belong to.
Peter Bagge
I VERY recently discovered and only by mere coincidence. Whenever I go to the library, they have a trolley of discarded books you can buy for cents, so I always look in the bin. I happened to notice a comic book and flipped through it. The brief glimpses of the story that I saw: indifferent sex, an implied drug addiction, frightened violence; were enough to convince me that I definitely wanted this book.
I'm a big sucker for controversial works, and if this comic was not that at least I would get some cheap porn off a government-owned building. Score one for me either way.
Buddy Does Seattle might have struck a chord with me because Buddy seems to be every inch of an obnoxious white hipster that I am. Or maybe it was the humour well meshed with the drama-filled lives of post-college kids with nothing to do and no shame. It's one of the few works I really like that does not have aliens, amazing inhuman feats of strength, ghosts, curses or extraordinary murders. Peter Bagge certainly managed to turn what is actually the boring life of your every-day 20-30 year-old and make it interesting enough for me to buy the sequel (Buddy does Jersey), and paying full price.
One final thought: during the entire time I was reading Buddy, I kept racking my brain wondering why the style looked so freaking familiar. I knew from the intro that Bagge had been influenced by the
It wasn't until I saw an issue of MAD magazine that it hit me; Peter Bagge is now making cartoons for MAD. I cannot decide if this is a step up or down; I would kill your mother to work for MAD, it's my favourite satirical magazine ever, not in the least because of the amazing troupe of cartoonists they have at their disposal (I have never talked in person to Sergio Aragones WHY). But MAD magazine is also read by children, which means most of their work is PG-13 at the most. The comics Bagge does for them are a far cry from the gritty stuff he did with the Buddy series. I wonder if Bagge is happy?
JIS (José Ignacio Solórzano)
I actually have no idea how famous JIS is even in his native country of México. I know that his work of El Santos Contra la Tetona Mendoza has been translated to English for at least one edition that you can get on Amazon.
I know that in México he regularly draws for Mamá de Abulón, but again, it's hard for me to gouge how famous or well known this guys because I've known about him all my life. Since he is native to Guadalajara, Jalisco; he actually knows my father and they are such good buddies that JIS helped name his niece after my aunt.
HOW COOL IS THAT.
Unfortunately I have never met JIS himself, but I know I am very much invited to his home and his drawings for being my father's spawn. I need to go to Guadalajara :(
And my father has not bought every single book JIS ever made because he's such a good friend, he bought them because this shit is damn funny.
Despite having read both Bagge and Crumb, JIS bring on a new level of depravity within comics that I find extremely funny and extremely honest. JIS draws like he sees the world, not caring if he offends everyone in the process. And somehow, he manages to make this, gritty, ugly world funny.
I actually feel like I'm doing him a disservice writing this, because he deserves praise beyond what I can describe. Basically, he's the reason I wish I hadn't left México, since now it's almost impossible to buy his Va de Nuez books. I cannot wait to meet his guy.
Hitoshi Iwaaki
Iwaaki knows how to tell a story, he knows how to make suspense at the right places, how to make character compelling and most importantly, given the medium he works on, he knows how to draw.
The main complaint most manga non-lovers have is that all the characters have completely interchangeable faces (hat tip to you, Lar DeSouza). While the same argument can be made for many non-Japanese comics (quick! aside from the costume, what the difference between Batgirl and Poison Ivy??), it's definitely a valid complaint and something a lot of Japanese mangas and North American comics suffer alike.
Iwaaki will have none of that. All his characters have distinctive faces, body type and mannerisms. You cannot confuse one character for another even if they switch hairdos and clothes.
Not only that, but his aliens are also very praise-worthy. These aliens can change shape at will and become hideous monsters, Iwaaki still manages to give them very organic shapes and believable transformations. He takes a concept that would be laughable -an alien disguised as a human stretches his mouth to impossible proportions to eat a human- and makes it pretty terrifying, as seen in the picture above. And then, he has his characters laugh at the concept of a mouth-head; knowing how ridiculous the premise sounded in the first place. Mind officially blown.
I love this guy and I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of Historie.
Zoran Janjetov
Like JIS, Zoran is a very accomplished artist who is famous locally (he lives in Novi Sad, Serbia) but completely unknown to the national market.
Also like JIS, I only know Zoran because I was introduced to him and his comics by my parents. I was actually in this guy's apartment in Novi Sad and he showed me his treasured five frames of the original reel of Princess Mononoke. THAT ALONE SHOULD TELL YOU HOW AWESOME HE IS.
Unfortunately, as far as I know, his works have never been published in anything other than Serbian (I hope I'm wrong!), so no English titles :(
I don't even know how to tell what the title is, though a Wikipedia search gives me Avant L'Incal. I don't know if that is the protagonist's name, or the name of the series or just the title for that book.
What I can tell you is that he writes about future Sci-Fi and how society is fucked up. Imagine what would happen if H.R. Giger made a comic book about a steampunk adventurer and you have Avant L'Incal. It's simply awesome.
Hayao Miyazaki
A surprisingly high number of people don't know he's a genius outside of movies. It really shouldn't come as a surprise at all, since most of us already know he does well at story-telling, making compelling characters and drawing absolutely gorgeous backgrounds and people.
I simply don't want the people to lose the opportunity to read Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in the original manga format. Because if you liked the movie, this thing will blow your mind. You are not prepared.
Not only does it have the environmental message that was sort of the basic plot of the movie; oh no, it has political intrigue, classicism, religious witch-hunting, issues with privilege and murder as well as the amazing art Miyazaki is famous for. You are not prepared.
And that concludes my list of comic artists and story-tellers that everyone should read, even if they are not as famous as Alan Moore, René Goscinny or Masashi Kishimoto.
And if you haven't heard of the last three, what is wrong with you.
Honorable mentions: Kazuma Kodaka
Ai Morinaga
Junji Ito
Katie Shanahan
Oooo I liked Parasyte! I think you are more cultured than me lol, the most complicated thing I read these days is Forever 21's online catalog... I was still wondering if I could still read until I read this entry! xD hahah, my main bone to pick with Western, "white people" comics is that the art is, well, not what I consider pretty. I once read somewhere that, while Caucasian faces are striking and sharp, and Asian features are rather, well, repetitive (black hair and small eyes abound), Caucasian faces lack a certain delicateness that Asians have. I think the art styles of Eastern and Western graphic novels totally reflect that. You can even see that in the images you've posted: Baggs and Janjetov's drawing is sharp, exciting, full of action, but ROUGH, while Miyazaki and Parasyte's characters are soft, delicate, gentle. Same with when you compare the art in marvel comics characters to, well, any manga from shoujo to the really perverted dark ones. I'm sure both the art style and stories appeal to an audience, but Western comics usually win me over with story, not art.
ReplyDeleteOh, Westerners can draw "pretty" stuff just like Asians, but I don't think they should be praised for drawing the same face over and over and over and over and over.
ReplyDeleteLook at this typically Western picture
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cxDWRoTIwRc/ThMDHsxeCkI/AAAAAAAAAVo/uCDyGI7wPIY/s1600/supergirl-batgirl.jpg
If you change their clothes and their hair THEY ARE THE EXACT SAME PERSON.
I don't deny that the faces you see every day definitely influence your art style, but every human face is still unique and that should reflect on your art.
That's why Bagge and Janjetov are on my list, they don't fall for the same farce a lot of cartoonists seem to suffer.
Since I've become a snob, I look for these details. Even in mangas I critique when the faces are too plain.
o.o that waist must be like 14 inches! Lol I feel like marvel's art isn't that great anyway.
ReplyDeleteI don't mean that Western comics characters aren't pretty; I think most people agree that Emma Frost and Storm are super hot. But if you compare emma to like, idk, misamisa, emma definitely looks sharper and harsher. Not less pretty, just less delicate.
I prefer Eastern comics' more demure style, but art isn't everything for sure. I faithfully followed Sandman even during times when the artist was crappy, bc the writer was so strong. Meanwhile, I've ditched many a comic with pretty art bc the story became too zzzzz (can you say temple of the water god? and d grayman?)
LOL I'm still following D. Gray-Man long after my wifey ditched it.
ReplyDeleteIf SHE ditched it, then that must tell you something about the quality of thew series ;)
I still DK about your point, since Uzumaki has boring faces but HOLY SHIT, THE STORY
Dgrayman is dragging on forever man -0- and I know she broke her hand or smthn, so it's understandable that her art has suffered, but DAMN has it suffered. Everything looks so rough and rushed!
ReplyDeleteMy point is that both art and story are equally important in a comic, but one of them can make up for the other if it's super good. And I still think Eastern comics are "prettier": even the male villains Naruto is drawn more dainty than like, super girl. I'm not saying either is superior (for that, you'd have to judge story also), but I've always found the artwork in Eastern comics a lot more aesthetically pleasing. "Good" art is subjective; while girls with slingshots characters are certainly drawn uniquely and distinctly, the art is certainly rougher than xxxHolic, where everyone like looks the same but the art is gorgeoussss (and I think webcomics are comparable to printed ones when you've gained acknowledgment and staying power, plus I think she's published her stuff).
Yeah I actually wasn't sure if webcomics counted. I mean, a lot of deviantArt people manage to sell commissions, but does that make them professionals?
ReplyDeleteI think you're only pro when your drawings are your main or only source of income and the only webcomic artist that I know for sure has no other job is Lar DeSouza.
As for the rest...I agree with you! LOL
I don't mind the "new" art of D. Gray-Man so much as the story. Allen's power-ups are more ridiculous than Naruto's!
And Hoshino-sensei will you PLEASE decide who is the villain already???
I think if you set your craft on display (whether it be comics, singing videos or writing), it's fair to be judged. Obviously it can't be judged against the professionals that do it for a living, but there I was just comparing basic styles and origins, so I think webcomics can count here. And I think Holly G also does webcomics for a living? But she's had a few printed if I'm not mistaken. Same with the girl that draws penny&aggie and eerie cuties.
ReplyDeletezzz Has it reached 200+ chapters yet? And half the noahs still not revealed what!!
LOL I put my shitty drawings in deviantArt too, am I professional yet? XD
ReplyDeleteYeah, half the time she seems to forget the Earl is the main villain and then she does like "Oh! Um...the Earl was the mastermind behind this plan! Even though it makes no sense!"
it's on the internets, it shall be judged! Would be rather mean and unfair to judge it against, say, rumiko takahashi, but it's fair to judge it.
ReplyDeleteFine, then go judge my art!
ReplyDelete