|
|
Jonathan
Bennett has earned the NiemWorks
Seal of Friendship by dint of his hard work in the sequential and
emailing arts. Yet another bespectacled Jewish Brooklynite, one might
be tempted to say, but jump not to such hasty conclusions! Surely
Bennett is a fellow firefly, with his own particular glow of intensity.
Perhaps the only other person besides myself and Mr. C. Ware who has
experienced the utter "What-the-fuck!-ness" of building ACME #15's
3D Viewer.
|
|
|
|
Dan
Clowes (rhymes with "cows") is at
the top of his cartooning game, having worked on EIGHTBALL
since 1989. I've been reading his comics since 1992 or so, and his
work keeps getting lovelier and more perfectly his own. Oh, to be
able to explore the strangeness and wonder of the contemporary world
like Mr. Clowes does! It's darn difficult to do so well.
If you are new to Clowes, GHOST WORLD is the intro for you. It's a
brilliant look at the sweet-and-sour friction of a high school friendship
between two girls. Only 80 pages long, but it resonates as if it were
at least twice that. A prime comic that boyfriends share with their
girlfriends, in hopes of "showing them the light." The book has been
adapted into an excellent motion
picture.
Salon had a nice profile of Mr. Clowes which is worth
sharing.
|
|
|
|
Dan
Kelly (rhymes with "jelly") is another
brave Daniel whose work and work ethic I admire tremendously. A writer
with a hard-core vocabulary, fine sense of humor, and wide range of
interests. Please check out his great and insane bio.
As well, his livejournal
not only gets updated frequently, but is also highly moral and full
of irascibleness and joy. Here's a true mensch, as they say.
|
|
|
|
Derek
Kirk imakes refrigerator
magnets and other art, by turns whimsical and serious, but always impeccably cartooned. Kirk's comics have a good ear for dialogue, and are exceptionally well-drawn. Don't miss Same Difference, a really fine online comic.
|
|
|
|
John
Pham is an independent cartoonist
whose strength of character will rattle your soul. I can't wait to
see where he's going next with his work, because his storytelling
is improving all the time. I don't think I've ever seen a fetus in
a robot suit washing dishes before, and some other characters, like
a merman in a wheelchair, appear at a community festival without explanation.
This is just fine with me.
|
|
|
|
Jason
Shiga's comics are palindromes,
spirals, puzzles, and even full-fledged choose-your-own-adventure
tales. Better yet, his formats aren't just gimmicks, but always effectively
showcase his wicked way of telling stories and great sense of humor.
A UC Berkeley Mathematics graduate, Shiga has received an Eisner,
a Xeric Grant, and is on his way to volancanoism.
|
|
|
|
Bill
Tsukuda is an incredibly accomplished
illustrator and painter trained at the Rhode Island School of Design.
His work has appeared in The Utne Reader, Communication Arts, Boston
Globe, and American Illustration, among other notable publications.
Commission him to do some work already!
Bill sent me this jpg whilst I was in San
Jose in 2002, brightening up my day. I am still lucky to be his friend.
See the postcard he sent in 1997, when I was in England, here.
|
|
|
|
Chris
Ware is the cartoonist behind the ACME
NOVELTY LIBRARY company, which astonishes virtually all whom enter
it, and rearranges those whom stay. A devoted ragtime
enthusiast and researcher, he makes long-form work that is the
comics kin of multi-layered symphonies. Ware's virtuosity, respect,
and generosity inspires me to try harder and be humbler. I remarked
to my sister the other day that I look forward to growing old with
his work.
Ware's 380-page comic book, JIMMY CORRIGAN, which came out in installments over seven years, won the prestigious Guardian First Book Award for 2001.
Also, here are some Ware-related articles, the first with The
Onion and the second with The
New York Times. There have been many kind reviews of JIMMY CORRIGAN,
but this
one from COMMON-PLACE is notable because it is done in comics
form, and has a link to a thoughtful radio
interview with Ware.
Mr.
Dave Eggers knows his math. It's true that if you divide me, or
anyone, with Chris Ware, you get God.
|
|
|
|
Jim
Woodring crafts comics which beautifully
and fearlessly chase the right dreams and nightmares. Probably the
only comic beloved by all four of the Tran siblings. As engaging as
the first time you saw a magician perform, and as disarming as your
cat jumping on your sleeping body. You have no choice but to adore
this man's work, really.
Although his Frank
stories are perfect in their wordlessness, he is also at home
writing perfect words by themselves, as this
fine essay at NEW OBSERVATIONS makes plain.
|
|
|
ACME Toys.
Designed by
Mr. C. Ware.
Egg Drop Devices.
An Art 13 Project.
|
Else
