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Colin’s Inkstuds Comics Review Day 7
Ethel And Ernest, A True Story
Raymond Briggs is a name that may not be familiar to many comics readers, but this guy is one of my favourite cartoonists. He’s best known for his kids books like Fungus the Boogeyman and Father Christmas. He’s also known for his “kids books for adults”, books that appear like children’s books on the outside but take on adult themes like the Falklands War in “The Iron Lady and the Tinpot General” and in “Where the Wind Blows” an elderly couple slowly dies of radiation sickness after a nuclear strike. All of Briggs’s books read a lot like comics. Brigg’s finest work is Ethel & Ernst, A True Story. It is the story of his parents, their courtship and marriage through five turbulent decades. A milkman and a maid, they buy a row house in London which they will never leave, through poverty, the coming of war in Europe, the bombing of London in World War 2, the welfare state, the eventual prosperity of post-war Britain and (to them) the incomprehensible social changes of the sixties and seventies. As well as being a portrait of his parents this is a social history of Britain. It’s also autobiographical, when Raymond Briggs is born in 1934. With his parents eyes we see the young Raymond (an only child) shipped off to the countryside during the London blitz, going to Grammar School, perform his National Service and later becoming, to the horror of his parents, a long haired bohemian artist! Ernst is a unionized labour supporter proud of his working class roots, while Ethel (who was a maid in a rich household) is a conservative supporter with pretensions of grandeur who is ashamed of Ernst’s rough edges. This conflicting attitude towards class is a source of much argument between the couple over the years. But they are united by their simple decency and the quiet determination to struggle through whatever challenges come their way and try to improve their lives. The story becomes particularly touching as Ethel & Ernst grow older, decrepit, face senility and eventually pass away. The full colour artwork is amazing, simple yet detailed, rendered in what I think is pencil crayon. Some of the panels such as the top of page 27 are simply gorgeous. This is a funny, insightful and quietly powerful work by a loving son in tribute to his parents and to working class Britain’s. It is one of the most emotionally moving reading experiences I’ve ever had.
Colin
Colin (Stiff upper lip) Upton

Colin’s Inkstuds Comics Review Day 7
Where Demented Wented, The Art and Comics of Rory Hayes, edited by Dan Nadel & Glenn Bray
Rory Hayes was nuts. I mean, really, truly insane. In the underground comix scene of San Francisco his work stood out not only for his primitive, demented child like drawing but his extreme images of sex, violence and drug abuse which out did even Checkered Demon cartoonist S. Clay Wilson. While Wilson was out to shock and amuse, Hayes was tapping into a rich vein of paranoia and insanity that was truly disturbing. Hayes comix began as EC horror influenced tales of terror featuring teddy bears or anthropomorphic saltine crackers as the victims of cannibals and demons. Later his work became more polished and psychedelic but no less extreme. Now, this material isn’t usually my cup of tea to be honest, but Rory Hayes work has the authentic voice of a true outsider artist, a genuine madman in a world full of posers. He is also worth paying attention too because even though he is an obscure artist he was an inspiration to many neo-primitive cartoonists such as Mark Beyer and artists who emerged from the later small press comics scene. His influence can be seen to this day in some unexpected places, like the genteel work of Vancouver art zine publisher Owen Plummer. Hayes’s career was tragically short, his drug abuse (included in this book is his harrowing semi-autobiographical story Popoff Hayes, The Drug Fiend, published posthumously) led to his early death in 1983 at 34 years old. This book collects most of Hayes comix work, there wasn’t a lot, mostly published in various underground anthologies. Where Demented Wented also includes paintings and drawings by Hayes, articles and even a short interview from 1973. It’s an fascinating collection and well presented. Recommended.

Colin (The demented fiend) Upton

Colin’s Inkstuds Comics Review Day 6
Not Quite Dead #5 by Gilbert Shelton & “Pic”
I wonder how many people remember that during the hey-day of underground comix during the hippie days that Gilbert Shelton’s Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers were icons? The druggie adventures of those three stoners were essential reading for every discerning slacker and last time I looked you can still buy the latest reprint editions in Haight-Ashbury. Of course, once the flower children had cut their hair and got real jobs, what is an underground cartoonist to do? Well, obviously you move to France (where they appreciate comics) and carry on producing more Freak Brothers comics for the audience that remains. Over the years the comics appeared in colour and the stories became more elaborate as the Freak Brothers went on adventures to rival Carl Bark’s Scrooge McDuck (only with drugs), often in collaboration with cartoonist Paul Mavrides. More recently Shelton has been collaborating with the French cartoonist “Pic” on Not Quite Dead, which despite what you might think isn‘t strictly speaking a Grateful Dead parody. Not Quite Dead are an aging American (even if the backgrounds sometimes looks more like Paris than New York) rock band who’s glory days are long behind them and are now willing to take on just about any gigs doing covers to earn some money. The drug humour has been replaced with jokes about hecklers, bad gigs, onstage accidents and the technical aspects of rock ’n’ roll… Shelton has always had a fascination with technology and Rube Goldberg-like inventions. The comic consists of half to one page gags and several longer stories. The comic is at it’s best on the longer pieces where Shelton (I’m not sure where the division of labour is between Shelton and “Pic”) displays the wicked social satire that he’s been doing since the Wonder Warthog days of the 1960’s. The artwork is big foot cartoony but tight. Like the band, Gilbert Shelton may not be as visible in the American comics scene as he used to be, the copy I have was published by the British outfit Knockabout Comics, but I’m sure he wants you to know that he is also Not Quite Dead.

Colin (I was in a rock band once, really) Upton

Comic Book Comics #3 Written by Fred Van Lente, Art By Ryan Dunlavey
I love these guys. From the guys that brought you Action Philosophers (which at one point attempted the impossible, tried to make French post-modernist philosophy make sense) comes a series that tells the history of comics using comics! Okay, it sounds obvious but as far as I know no one else has thought of it. In this issue they tackle three great evils that assailed American comics in the post war decades, the comics-cause-juvenile-delinquency/racism/ fascism/illiteracy/homosexuality witch hunt inspired by Dr.Wertham, the demeaning exploitation of comics art by pop artists like Roy Liechtenstein as kitsch and comics fandom… comics fandom? Okay, as a comics elitist myself I look down on fannish types as much as the next comics nerd who was raised on the Comics Journal but even I acknowledge the part comics fandom had in preserving and promoting comics when not even the comics creators cared (I suspect that comics fandom was included in this issue somewhat tongue in cheek.) Did you know that legendary underground cartoonist Robert Crumb got his start in the fan press? That’s in here. This is stuff everyone who gives a damn about the comics art form should know about, Van Lente & Dunlavey strike an excellent balance between recounting the facts while entertaining the reader. Comic Book Comics #3 is not approved by the Comics Code Authority, but it is by me.*
Okay, that was a little cornball…

*Does the Comics Code Authority even exist anymore?

Colin (I’m so glad they didn’t go with their earlier plan to do a series on the US Presidents) Upton

Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life #1 by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Cancon! A year or so ago I asked Scott McCloud what were the must see web comics. He didn’t say, but he did rave about Scott Pilgrim so I picked up the first few issues and put them on my gigantic, tottering COMICS TO READ pile that reaches nearly to my ceiling. Today at long last I read I Scott Pilgrim Precious Little Life #1. For the first part of the book I figure I had a handle on it, a manga influenced alternative comic slice-of-life-story of the tangled relationships of Scott Pilgrim, a kinda hip unemployed 23 year old who plays bass in a band and has a cool gay best friend (doesn‘t everyone?). The art and characters are appealing, simple but nice restrained use of gray tone and good solid blacks. You can tell it’s Canadian because of the snow and although the cast is properly multi-cultural there are no black characters. I was getting into it until I got to near the end of the book and the comics character changed dramatically. I don’t want to give too much away but from an emo romantic-comedy it turned into a martial arts romantic-comedy a’la Rumiko Takahashi! Honestly, I wasn’t sure how to take this. I know this sort of genre mash-up is common in Manga and perhaps I’m just showing my age as it threw me off the story. For me the true test of a relationship comic is how much I care about the characters and their dilemmas, but I fear the more “unreal” the situation becomes the harder it might be for me to relate to the characters. Perhaps this is less of a problem for a younger generation raised on manga but for me I’ll have to reserve judgement until I pull the other four issues of Scott Pilgrim’s out of my COMICS TO READ pile. It’s a good sign that I am looking forward to reading the further adventures of Scott and company.

Colin (Hey, I was reading Manga before you were born!) Upton

The Muppet Show Comic Book #2 Art and story by Roger Langridge
When the Muppets first appeared on Sesame Street I was too old to be enraptured by them as much as some people I know… a Robin of my acquaintance… no, another Robin… I say this only to point out that while I watched and enjoyed the original Muppet Show (the Spike Milligan episode was amazing) I wasn’t a devoted fan. However, I will pick up anything with Roger Langridge’s name on it. Langridge is top of my list of the great underrated comics artists, his work in Zoot! (along with his brother Andrew), Knuckles the Malevolent Nun and Fred the Clown display not only this Kiwi’s considerable skills as a cartoonist but his wonderfully strange sense of humour. This guy does funny! Which is hard! So, really, getting Roger Langridge to draw and write The Muppet Show Comic Book is an inspired choice, a match made in heaven. Because these are cartoons the faces are even more expressive than the original Muppets but otherwise he captures the goofy spirit of the original show nicely. The only drawback is while Roger Langridge is doing The Muppet Show Comic Book that means he is not doing his own stuff. If you can find it I heartily recommend Fred the Clown, a sad, funny, lyrical and heart warming silent comic. There, two reviews for the price of one.

Colin (My favourite Muppet was Animal… I drum now) Upton

A People’s History of American Empire (A Graphic Adaptation)
Writer: Howard Zinn Cartoonist: Mike Konopacki Historian: Paul Buhle

Hey, how many graphic novels have a historian on the masthead? Back in 1980 Howard Zinn published the book A People’s History of the United States and his critical look at the often horrible reality behind the cherished myths of United States history changed the way many Americans looked at their past. The United States has always thought of itself as a place apart from the world, anointed by God ,uniquely virtuous and universally benevolent. Zinn pointed out that the United States was a nation like any other, often rapacious and cruel and always willing to kill in it’s national interest. A People’s History of American Empire revisits some of this history, however the title feels a little deceptive as once Zinn is born just before the great depression much of the stories focus becomes autobiographical as we follow Zinn’s disillusionment with his service in WW2 and his later political activism right up to 9-11. The cartooning by labour activist Mike Konopacki is competent, in 260 pages there’s a lot of ground to cover here and he manages to do it clearly and concisely. The use of contemporary illustrations, photos and documents to tell the story is rather overdone and the endless “repeat” generic panels of Howard Zinn lecturing (same image, different words) got on my nerves. A People’s History of American Empire is not a display of showy comics virtuosity but as a teaching tool, which I’m sure is how it was intended, it is an excellent introduction to the ideas of Howard Zinn.

Colin (yes, I borrowed it from the library) Upton

glamourpuss #6 by Dave Sim

So, “glamourpuss” #6 is out and I’m asking myself yet again why I am still buying this comic? Wow, the world of fashion is, superficial, shallow, self-indulgent decadent tripe (which I can’t argue with) and that beautiful women are dumb (which I can argue with)… the same bloody joke over and over again. On the cover, a cross eyed model from what looks like seventies fashion magazines (I’m no expert) mugging moronically for the camera. Again. Inter mixed with this fluff is a mildly interesting continuing historical homage to the great photo-realistic cartoonists/illustrators, which is now, by Sim’s proclamation, the one and only true way to draw. If you listen to the Inkstuds podcast of our interview with Dave Sim you’ll know he and I don’t quite see eye to eye on the subject of photo realist cartooning. In fact “glamourpuss” is a fine example of what happens when you depend too much on photo referencing. Instead of the humour, lively characters and the inventiveness of Daves magnum opus “Cerebus” (Dave Sim could perform miracles with word balloons), “glamourpuss” characters are stiff, lifeless and the storytelling pretty much non-existent. Really, “glamourpuss” is nothing more than a opportunity for Dave to practice is photo-realistic rendering by copying old photos and the renderings of other cartoonists. Fine, after drawing 300 issues of Cerebus Dave Sim is entitled to draw whatever self-indulgent notion that comes into his head and he did warn us that’s what he intended to do. The real question is how long are people like me, who still realize that Dave Sim remains a cartoonist of incredible skill and (when he chooses to be) can be funny as hell, are going to indulge him buy buying “glamourpuss”?

Colin (No I’m not worry as I didn’t sign Dave Sim’s petition/loyality oath I don’t imagine he’ll talk to me about this review anyway) Upton