Caterpillar Publishing

It is somehow wildly exhilarating to read, devour really, the chronicled chapters of fiction recounting Sammy’s love for Tracy Bacon and the discovery of his own sexuality, the daring and passion of the love between Joe and Rosa, their art, their ****ing, never seen but smoldering and constant in the hinting in each chapter. Chabon has an amazing tale, and after eight months in cartooning school I am finally beginning to glimpse just how masterfully he has woven his fictional story into the real world of New York City in the late 30′s and early 40′s. It’s SO steamy. And the city vibrates with a life and color that is greater than life, it sings from the past, calling out to these two cousins and the world that somehow brought them together. I want to tell stories with this kind of depth, this kind of significance. I want to be able to absolutely capture my audience. And I have no idea where to find that kind of a story.

Michelangelo wrote of carving as if he must release the form inside the block of marble, as if the figure is already there, waiting, throbbing and tenacious to breathe and live. Is that what it is to write a thing? To create something new. Is the story, can the story, be told with meaning and depth through comics? 

I don’t know. I hope so. I do know that for the better part of two days I’ve done little else but read. This novel is just so damn good most of the time. It’s amazing.

Jules Feiffer and I have spent a lot of time together over the last three days, scanning books, organizing slides, discussing possible class topics. It’s been enormously fun to work as his assistant, and I’ve had the chance to reexamine so many gorgeous drawings from the early 20th century. I’ve always loved Winsor McCay’s work, but god- the ingenuity! the draftsmanship! His weekly pace! They are just so beautiful. Here are some of my favorites:

Last week I finished reading a copy of the novel Perfume by Patrick Suskind. I loved it! What a delicious sensory experience, fresh and engaging from beginning to end and a masterfully woven thrill. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born among fish guts and market refuse in the slums of 18th century France with one unlikely talent: a genius gift of scent. His miserable life unrolls before him, from foster home to foster home, from master to master, until at last his fate brings him to the door of a famous perfumer and he dares to prove his cursed gift.

Suskind’s writing breaths scent, a unique reading experience that titillates the senses while enfolding you in story. How often do you experience any work of art or literature that hooks you by the nose? An unforgettable ending, two thumbs way up for Perfume.

Chick Lit! The very first!

I have just finished reading Flaubert’s classic masterpiece for the first time and I am not at all ashamed to say that I truly enjoyed it. How can one resist such a ‘vulgar’ protagonist as Emma Bovary, who finally yields to her lover’s advances with the “real” (translation: “obscene”) scenario of an eight-hour ride in the back of a carriage?

“Without any fixed plan or direction, [the cab] wandered about at hazard… From time to time the coachman on his box cast despairing eyes at the public-houses. He could not understand what furious desire for locomotion urged these individuals never to wish to stop. He tried now and then, and at once exclamations of anger burst forth behind him. Then he lashed his perspiring jades afresh… demoralised, and almost weeping with thirst, fatigue, and depression” (227).

Scandal! Can you imagine?! That kind of flagrant sex scene in media today?!

Emma is a cross-dressed version of Flaubert himself who lusts for the romance of gods and fairy tales while bound to her adoring bovine husband. She writes letters to her lover “in virtue of the notion that a woman must write to her lover,” but meanwhile loses sight of the man himself beneath the abundance of his attributes (296). Flaubert has clearly used his own lust and Parisian lovers to navigate the events of his plot, and the novel is just as “real” today as it was in the 1850′s. Thank God for the censors and critics, and the trial that launched the book into fame and infamy.

Today, romance genre literature apparently make up fifty percent (50%!!!) of the publishing industry. What are we all doing in cartooning?!

We’re back after a delicious whirlwind trip to New York City! I hope all of the SPXer’s had a great time; I’m sorry to have missed it.

It was a great honor to meet David Small and his wife Sarah Stewart on Tuesday night after David’s presentation on Stitches with his host Jules Feiffer. The book is his first graphic novel after a long career as a children’s book illustrator, and it looks to be a wildly successful addition to the canon of the genre. It is deeply powerful in its silence and masterfully drawn. I enjoyed hearing his thoughts on walking the line between absolute fidelity to Truth and telling a cohesive story. David’s and Sarah’s combined energy and shared passion as a powerhouse creative couple is very encouraging. Good luck on your tour!

"Cut the adjectives-- they tell you what to think."

Alec Longstreth just had us read a short interview with Hope Larson on writing graphic novel scripts and working with an editor for our Professional Practice class at CCS. I liked Larson’s approach and philosophy a lot. It’s nice to hear of creators who work from scripts, as I’m trying it out for the first time now. I’ve been putting in long hours writing out my wedding graphic novel idea, structuring the acts, working out scenes, and now finally flushing out more of the actual dialogue. Here’s what my “Board” looks like (an idea I got from Save the Cat, by Blake Snyder), with each card showing a scene, and each row is an act (Act 1, Act 2.1, Act 2.2, Act 3). It’s been a lot of fun!

Mary Magoulick, folklorist and Associate Professor of English at Georgia College, posted a great description of what a fairy tale is. Let me just quote her here:

“Fairy tales, also known as wonder tales or märchen (from the German), are a sub-genre of folktales involving magical, fantastic or wonderful episodes, characters, events, or symbols. Like all folktales they are narratives that are not believed to be true (fictional stories), often in timeless settings (once upon a time) in generic, unspecified places (the woods), with one-dimensional characters (completely good or bad). They function to entertain, inspire, and enlighten us. In these episodic narratives the main characters are usually humans who often follow a typical pattern (as in a heroic quest) that is resolved partly by magic. The fact that these wonder tales still appeal to us attests to their richness and effectiveness as symbolic communication.”

This week I’ve been examining our personal library of films, comics and books for stories that have anything to do with fairy tales, and been surprised to find a plethora of works that easily fit into the above description. Characters that are opportunistic and hopeful, themes often dealing with socio-economic struggle and lower classes seeking power, and/or a transformation process, such as the frog to prince, or the rags to riches. Aside from Disney films and literary-based works like Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, there are an incredible number of stories that use magic to teach a lesson or help complete a quest. We love magic. Star Wars is 100% fairy tale, is it not?

The trick is to use fairy tale character archetypes while still keeping the character and the story interesting. We KNOW that innocent Luke Skywalker must SURELY triumph over the black hearted cloak wearing Darth Vader from the first moments of the trilogy, but we keep watching because he is an Everyman in peril, and the circumstances of his life interest us. Magic? Monsters? A “road movie” set in space?! Sign me up!! Today Star Wars is looking just a little bit hokey, but I love it just the same, and it grabs me every time. I know EXACTLY what happens in the films… but I want to watch it again and again. Fairy tales seem to scratch some deep-seated story itch for almost everyone.

When the cartoonist Seth visited the Center for Cartoon Studies two weeks ago, he said “The only chart you have for what is interesting is your own taste.” I am realizing that I have quite an appetite for fairy tales. My thesis already is a fairy tale of sorts, but this research may help me to turn up the volume and figure out the appropriate staging. I feel like I’m on a good track.

I ran across this today while doing an image search related to my project, and I just wanted to share it. This is the store window for a shop in London specializing in vintage dresses called “Fur Coat No Knickers,” and God do I love the way they’ve used this font!

The Comics Journal writer Rich Kreiner reviewed my two caterpillar stories, 25 Cents and Spots, on his Minis Monday blog a couple weeks back. Woo hoo! Thank you Rich, for the kind words! The next caterpillar tale is in the works!

The review can be found here: http://www.tcj.com/minicomics/minis-monday-geraniums-and-bacon-spots-and-25-cents

After a day or two of recovery, on January 25th, I sat down at my desk to begin composing a “long drawing” about Egypt, in the tradition of a 25 foot drawing that I did while living in Rome. I had anticipated that the project would be a few feet long and take about a week’s time, and I would then recommence the projects I had left in December when I went home to Christmas break. But Egypt had other ideas, and I immediately discovered that a long drawing was all wrong. ‘Longer!’ a voice demanded. ‘Panels!’ It said. ‘No!’ I cried, ‘I have to do a thesis project! I’m already behind! GO AWAY!’

But the voice just didn’t listen to me. ‘You have to draw it out! Think of what you saw, what you learned, what you thought about…’

Now, about three weeks later, I find myself closing in on finishing the thumbnailing for a graphic novel. Am I crazy? Probably. Yes. Most definitely. But tackling this isn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I am leaning on our 4,200 photos and all of my notes and sketches to draw out the things I remember, impressions and thoughts, wisps of conversations and my experience in a new culture.

This is my first test drawing, seeing if I could steal some style from Baudoin of L’Association (“Steal from the best!!” Thanks Alec!) and approach this story in a whole new way. It’s just the beginning, a little scratch at what I want to do with it. How do you capture thoughts on paper? Sear a reader’s soul with ink? How do you convey the experience of the spirit on the desert edge of the world? I don’t know. But I am determined to finish a first draft of this story by February 23rd, one month after we returned, so that I can put it away for a time, that it may resurface with clarity later.

But I am filled with renewed hope in what the arts can do.

I’ve been thinking a lot about color lately. Every time the sun comes out and shines down on our little corner of New England, the snow melts just enough to slip into the street and reflect bright blue patches of sky among streaks of white salt on black asphalt. The warm yellows and cheery reds of brick buildings throw themselves at every window pane, and all of a sudden Main Street is alive and vibrant in spite of the season. I would rip off my coat and boots and dive into the color if only it weren’t so damn cold.

Last week Joe Quinones and Maris Wicks visited the Center for Cartoon Studies and gave a wonderful presentation of their work and current projects, and between their pages of comics and Alec Longstreth’s recent crash course in color theory, I am inspired to get back into figuring out what it is to use color well. This week while sitting in our local coffee shop I couldn’t help but notice a conversation in front of me, and, in my best SNEAK-ATTACK drawing style, Wacom tablet and computer already in front of me, I tried out a little color study:

And then right before I left I did another quick one, trying different colors:

And now I’m completely addicted. Expect to see more of these over the coming weeks.

A regular local. Iced coffee and a muffin for $4.04 every day.