Art & Comics by Katherine Roy

This week I had the privelege of attending the Politics of Cartooning panel discussion at Dartmouth College, with guests Jeff Danzinger, Jules Feiffer, Ed Koren and Ed Sorel. What a group! I loved them. But more fascinating than the work that they showed and their conversation was the audience’s attitude toward the future of cartooning—and publishing in general—as all but extinct. “You’re all of a certain age…” one woman began. “Just what the hell does that mean?!” came the response. But many audience members were nodding in agreement; are these cartoonists the last generation?

The Center for Cartoon Studies couldn’t exist without a new group of visual storytelling enthusiasts rising to the occasion to step into the giant shoes of past creators and continue forging new ground in the medium of comics. Graphic novels and comics format picture books are turning literary heads, snowballing onward as more titles are published every year. The new future in cartooning won’t rely on newspaper syndicates, but instead on book deals and digital media. Fingers crossed!

This weekend Jules Feiffer hosted his long-time friend Margie King Barab as his guest at the Montgomery House at Dartmouth College. Margie is the widow of Alexander King, author, memoirist, famous media personality of early television and editor of Americana Magazine, a Depression era humor publication. Margie visited Jules’ class “Graphic Humor in 20th Century America” and told the story of her move to New York City from Nebraska, and how she met and fell in love with Alex King, her super (and 33 years her senior), and of their marriage and his rise to fame. On Sunday night we watched the first of 13 episodes of Alex’s show called ”Alex in Wonderland,” in which he reflects on art, literature, humor, Africa, and love, among many other things. A young Margie King is seated next to her host and husband, offering prompts, laughter, encouragement, and an occasional song. Margie still sings around the house at 77 years old.

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.