"The pressure of creating comics isn't enough..." - an interview with Alex Robinson (KZET.pl)

Image via Wikipedia

KZ: What kind of a teacher Will Eisner was and what have you learnt from him?

A.R.: He was very patient, at least with me and my friends, who were very cocky at the time and probably were not as deferential to him as I would probably be now. We were young and thought we knew everything, but I'd like to think he took it in a good spirit. I think he really enjoyed teaching, since I imagine having to teach others is a good way of always thinking about what you're doing in your own work.

I don't think I made any impression on him. I was very lazy in school and didn't do as much work as I should have. When I bumped into him a few years later he was polite about it but he had hundreds of students over the years and I don't think I did anything that would've stuck with him.

Click HERE to Keep Reading!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Will Eisner Week 2010 (WillEisner.com) (aspiritedlife.com)
• Howard Cruse, FROM HEADRACK TO CLAUDE, STUCK RUBBER BABY cartoonist: Mr. Media Radio Interview (andelman.com)
• Books about comics creators chatting should be good! (goodcomics.comicbookresources.com)

The Spirit novels: How I Spent My 10-Year Vacation by James Vance

The world of comics still cropped up from time to time in unexpected ways. Out of the blue, Howard Chaykin raised the possibility of representing Kings to TV producers. (Despite my respect for Howard, I passed. That book, to me, was ancient history, and I was frequently too stubborn for my own good in those days.) Kate still heard from the legion of Omaha fans, a large number of whom had formed an online group that thrives to this day. Vertige Graphic put out a beautiful – and unexpected – French reprint of Kings, and a Swedish version was reportedly in the works. And Will Eisner hired Kate and me to write a novel about The Spirit.
 

That Spirit project proved to be a revelation. Kate was a collaborator’s dream, turning out marvelous copy and urging me to take no prisoners in melding our alternate chapters into a uniform style. Though we were adapting someone else’s brainchild, in the process we were also doing real creative work for the first time in years, and it was inspiring to flex those muscles again. Will was happy with the final result, and our agents Denis Kitchen and Judy Hansen were urging us to write more novels of our own devising. I was shocked to find that the part of our lives that we’d packed away so unceremoniously turned out to still be exciting.

The only downside had been Kate’s inexplicable lapses in energy that slowed the process and occasionally frustrated all of us, Will included. But we’d managed to capture the essence of the feature in its late-‘40s prime, and – with an eye toward selling a series of Spirit novels – Will asked us for another. If we weren’t exactly back in comics, we were actively involved with its in-laws.

Click HERE to Keep Reading!

Exhibition of Critically Acclaimed Long Form Comic Books set to Open at the Toledo Museum of Art

This Is Totally Embarrassing. Lauren R. Weinstein. Illustration for Girl Stories. ©2006 Lauren R. Weinstein. All rights reserved.

TOLEDO, OH.- A new wave of critically acclaimed long form comic books, called graphic novels (a mostly grown-up version of the comic book), is the subject of a exhibition opening Oct. 2 at the Toledo Museum of Art. Organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass., LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel examines the history, diversity and tremendous popularity of what is considered by many to be a comics renaissance. The traveling exhibition features more than 146 artworks by 24 contemporary graphic novelists and historic artists in this ever-evolving art form. LitGraphic looks at the development of sequential art through its practitioners. Their work continues to suggest new ways of seeing: wordless narratives by 1920s woodcut artist Lynd Ward and modern-day commentator Peter Kuper; revolutionary underground comix by R. Crumb and humorous, personal Girl Stories' by Lauren Weinstein; works by Mad Magazine co-creator Harvey Kurtzman and Breathtaker co-creator Marc Hempel, and the pioneering art of Will Eisner (Contract with God), Dave Sim (Cerebus) and Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise). Original book pages and studies, sketchbooks and videotaped interviews with graphic novelists are featured. "Art and literature have a certain symbiosis that is epitomized in an art form like the graphic novel, which combines a strong narrative with arresting visual images," said Don Bacigalupi, director of the Toledo Museum of Art. "This exhibition explores the art and history of the graphic novel through the work of a talented new generation of visual storytellers." For centuries, sequential imagery has been a direct, efficient means of communicating ideas and information. From the cave paintings of early man to the hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt and the ceiling of Rome's Sistine Chapel, pictures, when linked to convey an overarching narrative, have a unique ability to teach and inspire. During the 19th century, Swiss artist Rodolphe Töpffer theorized about the creation of sequential picture stories and advised artists to "invent some kind of play, where the parts are arranged by plan and form a satisfactory whole." His experiments with strip-like works employing character action and the passage of time were revolutionary in his day and set the stage for the development of the modern-day comic strips and books. The 20th century saw the rise of comics as a popular art form through the graphic albums of Europe, Japanese manga and the adventures of cultural icons such as Superman and Donald Duck. Although beloved by millions of readers, comics were not without their detractors who regarded the medium as a juvenile form of literature. Underground comix, which originated during the counterculture of the 1960s, and the development of independent comic book publishers in the 1970s and 1980s, challenged this notion. These publications gave voice and depth to a full spectrum of characters, emotions and stories, opening up a new world of possibilities for this visual literary art form. Some observers believe contemporary graphic novels, with their anti-heroes, visual appeal and edgy story lines are positioned to usurp the role that the novel once played. Artists in the LitGraphic exhibition include Jessica Abel, Sue Coe, R. Crumb, Howard Cruse, Steve Ditko, Will Eisner, Brian Fies, Gerhard, Milt Gross, Marc Hempel, Niko Henrichon, Mark Kalesniko, Peter Kuper, Harvey Kurtzman, Matt Madden, Frans Masereel, Frank Miller, Terry Moore, Dave Sim, Art Spiegelman, Barron Storey, Lynd Ward, Lauren Weinstein, and Mark Wheatley. Two related exhibitions, Storybook Stars: Award Winning Illustrations From the Mazza Collection and Word Play, open later in October at the Toledo Museum of Art. Storybook Stars, Oct. 9, 2009 – Jan. 31, 2010 in the Works on Paper Galleries, will offer 120 enchanting illustrations from artists who have won major awards for their work in children's books. Word Play, Oct. 16, 2009 – Feb. 7, 2010 in Gallery 18, will examine contemporary artists' use of both text and graphics as a means of artistic expression.

Brendan Burford, SYNCOPATED cartoonist, King Features comics editor: Mr. Media Radio Interview

If you read the comics in your daily newspaper, my guest today has probably touched your life.

Spider-Man, Hagar the Horrible and Curtis all report to him at his day job as comics editor for King Features Syndicate.

But by night—and weekends, no doubt—Brendan Burford is himself a cartoonist dedicated to the notion that comics are more than a 10-second entertainment. He believes in them as journalism, a different way of communicating the events of the day.

Burford recently published his fourth edition of Syncopated: An Anthology of Non-Fiction Picto-Essays. It is collection of illustrated stories that, at a few pages each, are longer than daily comics and shorter than a graphic novel. This latest edition of Syncopated includes work by Burford himself, as well as graphic artists including Nick Bertozzi, Josh Neufeld and many others.

If you’re interested in expanding your comics horizon, you’ll enjoy reading Syncopated.

Open in your default player
Detach into a separate window

You can LISTEN to this interview with SYNCOPATED and King Features Syndicate comics editor BRENDAN BURFORD by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player above!

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Josh Neufeld, A.D.: NEW ORLEANS AFTER DELUGE graphic novelist: Mr. Media Radio Interview

There are all kinds of journalistic storytelling styles, starting with your basic who/what/when/where and why.

There is also “if it bleeds, it leads.”

And let’s not forget the “New Journalism” class of the 1960s and ‘70s, exemplified by everyone from Tom Wolfe to Truman Capote it used dramatic literary techniques to add depth to the reader’s involvement.

These days, some bloggers and tweeters have taken short-form journalism to new highs—and lows.

But how many people think of comic book and graphic novel creators as part of journalism? I see a few hands raised, but not nearly enough.

I would suggest to you that a wave of artist and writers who once would have been relegated to the comic book ghetto are creating compelling journalism in hand-drawn pictures these days. A recent guest on this show, Brendan Burford (Syncopated), publishes a series of what he calls “nonfiction picto-essays”—essentially journalism in sequential art.

The latest example I can recommend to you is Josh Neufeld’s new book, A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge. It’s the story of a handful of very different residents of the Crescent City in the days leading up to and the months following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Reading it, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll come away with an informed perspective about the lives of average Americans dealing with extraordinary challenges.

Open in your default player
Detach into a separate window

You can LISTEN to this interview with A.D.: NEW ORLEANS AFTER THE DELUGE graphic novelist JOSH NEUFELD by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player above!

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Will Eisner's Last Day in Vietnam Reconsidered (PopMatters.com)

Over at PopMatters.com, shathley Q picks this panel from Will Eisner's often overlooked graphic novel Last Day in Vietnam and explains why it is a favorite.

Álbum de Will Eisner inaugura coleção dedicada às 'graphic novels' (Jornal do Brasil)

Marco Antonio Barbosa, JB Online

RIO - Há muitos apostos – todos positivos – que podem ser reunidos ao nome de Will Eisner. O quadrinista americano (1917-2005) é creditado como introdutor da influência da linguagem cinematográfica nas HQs. Criou um dos mais icônicos super-heróis de todos os tempos, o Spirit (1940). E foi um dos primeiros a apostar no formato hoje conhecido como graphic novel: histórias longas, narrativas adultas, abordagens literárias. Um dos mais interessantes aspectos de sua longa obra, entretanto, às vezes fica em segundo plano: seu papel como arguto observador do cotidiano urbano. É essa faceta que sobressai no belíssimo álbum Nova York: a vida na grande cidade (Tradução de Augusto Pacheco Calil. 440 páginas, R$ 55), que inaugura o Quadrinhos na Cia., novo selo da Companhia das Letras dedicado apenas à dita “arte sequencial”.

O calhamaço de mais de 400 páginas é, na verdade, a compilação de quatro graphic novels que o artista lançou num momento que, para qualquer outro artista, poderia ser considerado como “crepuscular”. No fim da década de 70, com mais de 40 anos de carreira nas costas, Eisner apostou firme no formato dos “romances gráficos”, combinando uma abordagem artística absolutamente realista com uma rara percepção da poesia (e do surrealismo) que se esconde nos becos e vielas desfavorecidos da Grande Maçã. Nova York, a grande cidade (1986), O edifício (1987) e Pessoas invisíveis (1993), além do Caderno de tipos urbanos (uma coleção de vinhetas essencialmente visuais sobre a cidade) estão no pacote.

Click HERE to Keep Reading (or Pretending)!