Thursday, March 31, 2011
More on Jeffrey Brown's GOOD AT PLAYING
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| Photo by Seth Kushner |
"I started trying to write it as an essay, and thought ‘This will be fun.’ Another thing that led me to autobiographical comics, which I forget about sometimes, is a class I had in college on creative non-fiction. It was the first time I’d really encountered writing a piece that wasn’t a narrative, but was writing about things. I liked the idea of writing something in prose again, but the ideas were in my head, and when I tried to put them into words, I had to be too explicit in order to explain them. But something about doing it as a comic lets the reader bridge those parts without my having to explain them too much."
Jeffrey goes even more in-depth at his personal blog. Be sure to pick up Jeffrey's forthcoming Incredible Change-Bots Two
, and also check out the Graphic NYC Profile on Jeffrey this May.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Jeffrey Brown's GOOD AT PLAYING - An Original Comic
Intro by Seth Kushner
Jeffrey Brown has been a long-time friend to this site, having contributed a wonderful essay on the Twelve Paintings From The Northern Renaissance which were influential to him and for helping writer Gene Kogan dissect his earlier, mini-comic version of AEIOU.
Soon, Jeffrey will be featured in a full GNYC profile as Christopher Irving and I recently traveled to Chicago to cover five creators for our upcoming book, one of which was Jeffrey. But before that, some months ago, I asked Jeffrey if he'd be into writing another essay on his influences. He responded saying he had an idea to write a piece on how playing with toys as a child relates to his storytelling as an adult, and with his book, Incredible Change-Bots Two about to be released, it would be a good tie-in.
Some time passed, and Jeffrey got in touch to let me know he was having some difficulty writing his ideas in essay form, and asked if I'd mind if he drew it as a comic instead? I responded immediately saying it was a GREAT idea! A few weeks later I received the fantastic I'm Really Good At Playing, an original Jeffrey Brown comic, created exclusively for Graphic NYC. A first for us, and we are proud to present it below. Thanks, Jeffrey!
Jeffrey Brown was born in 1975 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and grew up reading comic books with dreams of someday drawing them, only to abandon them and focus on becoming a 'fine artist.' While earning his studio MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Brown abandoned painting and began drawing comics with his first autobiographical book Clumsy
in 2001. Since then he's drawn a dozen books for publishers including TopShelf, Fantagraphics, Drawn & Quarterly, McSweeney's and Chronicle Books. Simon & Schuster has published two of his graphic memoirs, Little Things and Funny Misshapen Body. In addition to directing an animated video for the band Death Cab For Cutie, Brown has had his work featured on NPR's 'This American Life' His art has been shown at galleries in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and at the MCA Chicago. Jeffrey's work has also appeared in the Best American Comics series and received the Ignatz Award in 2003 for 'Outstanding Minicomic.' He has received numerous Ignatz and Harvey Awards nominations as well. Brown began teaching comics at SAIC in 2010.
in 2001. Since then he's drawn a dozen books for publishers including TopShelf, Fantagraphics, Drawn & Quarterly, McSweeney's and Chronicle Books. Simon & Schuster has published two of his graphic memoirs, Little Things and Funny Misshapen Body. In addition to directing an animated video for the band Death Cab For Cutie, Brown has had his work featured on NPR's 'This American Life' His art has been shown at galleries in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and at the MCA Chicago. Jeffrey's work has also appeared in the Best American Comics series and received the Ignatz Award in 2003 for 'Outstanding Minicomic.' He has received numerous Ignatz and Harvey Awards nominations as well. Brown began teaching comics at SAIC in 2010.He currently lives in Chicago with his wife Jennifer and their son.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
The Comics: The Complete Collection
Words: Christopher Irving
When I was a kid, my public library had a copy of Bill Blackbeard's Smithsonian Book of Comic Strips, a hefty tome with matte paper between yellow covers. I toted that thing around with me for a week, gorging myself on the classic comic strips reprinted; it was my first exposure to Little Nemo in Slumberland, Dick Tracy, and Terry and the Pirates.
Historian and cartoonist Brian Walker's The Comics: The Complete Collection combines both his earlier books on the comic strip, The Comics Before 1945 and The Comics After 1945, and is a hefty book that seems to outweigh Blackbeard's book from decades before. Where Walker's book succeeds is in the author's intelligent and accessible essays, written in a tone that isn't so academic to be snotty, but informative to even a casual reader. Editorially, the book is broken up into sections by decade, with page biographies on some of the more pertinent cartoonists.
Now, where Walker falls short is in the assembly of some of these essays: why put Milton Caniff, Harold Gray, and Alex Raymond in the 1940s, when their strips (Terry and the Pirates, Little Orphan Annie, and Flash Gordon) are all iconic staples of 1930s culture, particularly Gray's socially conscious and politically conservative orphan girl. Also, there are few examples of straight strip continuities for the reader to first-hand witness the serialized nature of the great, classic strips; chances are there may have been a rights issue with all of the strip reprint licenses being gobbled up by other publishers than Abrams, but it does impact the experience of reading these strips.
Also lacking is Walker's focus on digital and web comic strips, given in the form of a short one-page post-script at the end of the book, when there is already an opportunity to mention or feature successful webstrips like Penny Arcade or even PvP.
But at the end of the day, The Comics works well as an additional resource, with its strengths in both Walker's historical essays as well as the high quality reproduction of so many classic comic strips. If you want to get the experience of reading the serialized classic strips like Gasoline Alley or Dick Tracy as such, your best bet is to find an old used copy of Smithsonian, or to pick up the specific reprint series that are out en masse. But if you're new to comic strip history, this book is a great place to start.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Inaki Miranda's TRIBES: The Dog Years Influences
Visuals influences in TRIBES: The Dog Years
I’m not the kind of person that stops to study and analyze too much my experiences through life. I’m hungry for discoveries, sensations, moments, but I don’t usually stop to “take notes”, I just filter what I like and keep going, make them part of myself and don’t feel the need to “quote” or memorize names as I know I won’t care to talk about it, I don’t usually like chats that deal with knowledge and theorization, because I always end up feeling that I didn’t quite say the truth or the whole picture, or that I ended up saying things that were wrong…a very “ why the hell did I say that” kind of feeling (And I know this will also happen to me now). So it’s tough for me to put down to words my influences, I need to sit down and make memory… and I’ve absorbed so much that it’s like a big conglomeration of images and moments that are all tied together. Even so, I’ll make an effort and try to find those highlights that I feel transformed my perceptions and that in some way have helped to shape TRIBES: The Dog Years.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The GNYC Profile: Dwayne McDuffie: A Career of Diversity
Words: Christopher Irving
Pictures: Seth Kushner
“I want to write stories about people,” Dwayne McDuffie said. “Things happen to people. I think my disappointment with the current superhero comics is that, mostly, they don’t have supporting casts; superheroes only interact with other superheroes and supervillians; and they don’t seem to have lives outside of their work. It’s hard for me to connect, as a reader, to people who go out and save lives every week but don’t have lives and have anything in common with me.”
Dwayne is sitting in the Ritz Carlton lobby in New York City, the day before Valentine’s Day, leaning his tall frame in towards. Tomorrow, he’ll be at a screening of All-Star Superman
, his animated adaptation of the Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely comic book. Eight days from now, he’ll unexpectedly die of complications from surgery and the comic book world (at the very least) will be without one of its most distinctive and talented voices.
, his animated adaptation of the Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely comic book. Eight days from now, he’ll unexpectedly die of complications from surgery and the comic book world (at the very least) will be without one of its most distinctive and talented voices.Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Three Shadows: A Graphicall Speaking Review
Words: Kevin Byrne
What would you do to keep your child safe? That is what is at the core of Three Shadows, and as the father of two boys, that struck a very raw nerve with me.
Written and drawn by Cyril Pedrosa, and published in 2007, Three Shadows is a little-known book that tells the story of a family who finds that their only child has been targeted by the titular three shadows. At first, these shadows are slight, fleeting creatures, and are seen riding on horseback; they only register as faint objects on the horizon. As the story moves forward, the way that they are presented moves forward as well; their shapes becoming more defined as they move closer and closer to the foreground.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Help Out Micronauts and G.I.Joe Artist Eric Wolfe Hanson
He is only charging $15 to $30 for con style sketches, and $40 to $100 for more detailed drawings (and may ask a bit more for color drawings).
Now's your chance to get that Snake-Eyes or Acroyear you've been wanting since you were eight. Check out more of Eric's work at his website: http://www.
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