In Which I Seduce The Innocent
Woohoo, another little Sunday sketchbook thing, this one in honor of the imminent return of Ms. G. I wasn’t actually mad at her for going to camp. But I did find myself ranting about it shortly before she left this summer, and someone asked, “so which camp did she go to last year?” and I said, “oh, she went to—wait.” Because Sarah was indeed around all of last summer, while I retreated into a friend-phobic routine of work and reading comics at the Carleton library.
It’s just that sometimes being antisocial is such fun.
With books, for example. Dudes, I just finished Michael Chabon’s “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.” Urrrrrgh it was so good (that sound effect was me simultaneously vomiting and creaming myself with overwhelm). I’ll admit it took me awhile to get into. Like, a year. I began and then ditched it last summer in favor of books with pictures. Now I am so glad I picked it up again. The way Chabon weaves in the history of comics, and New York, and early cinema, while simultaneously creating such rich and layered characters, is undoubtedly reason for the Pulitzer the novel got him.
The story culminates with the Frederick Wertham comic book trials of the 1950s. Chabon makes a passionate, intelligent, and beautiful plea for the “escapism” that comic books offer. If his impeccable writing skills aren’t enough to win over any remaining comics skeptics, then nothing is.
Since one of the book’s protagonists, Joseph Kavalier, bears a more than passing similarity to Will Eisner, I have been wondering about the upcoming Frank Miller adaption of Eisner’s most famous work, “The Spirit.” It does look an awful lot like “Sin City,” which is a bit worrisome (no offense to Sin City, I just don’t think the Spirit should be Sin City Redux), but I will withhold judgment for now. I’m sure those lucky enough to be in San Diego this weekend know a good deal more about the film than I do. Damn them.
What I DO know about is the Twin Cities’ Cartoonist Conspiracy. I have now participated in a monthly comics jam with both the Minneapolis and St Paul cells. There are some damn good cartoonists around here! Many of them have work in the City Pages’ recent Comix Issue (the theme was “When the Elephants Come to Town,” so the work focuses on the upcoming Republican National Convention). The comic jam produced at the July St Paul meeting has also recently been put online, so you can see the fruits of our labor, if you so wish.
July 28th, 2008 at 12:28 am
Kavalier and Clay.is an amazing book. I can’t believe it’s been over six years since I first read it. I’m not sure if you heard this, but one of the guys at the St. Paul jam (Kevin McCarthy) was an editor of a comic book anthology based on the Escapist. Also, I strongly, strongly recommend that you read the Escapists by Brian K. Vaughn, which is more like a sequel to Kavalier and Clay.
July 28th, 2008 at 3:50 am
Ooh cool, thanks Ryan! I will have to check out both of those.
July 28th, 2008 at 6:19 am
Dammit Athena.
I spent the last 45 minutes reading your comics instead of sleeping.
If this is how it is going to be when we are living together, with the depriving me of 45 minutes of sleep every night, I don’t know if it’s gonna work out.
July 28th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Mwahaha, I’ve seduced an innocent, oh it’s so clever!
Oh Evan. You do realize that I will be living directly above you? Between my professional jumping jack routine and the regular blasting of Cascada’s greatest hits, well…
Evan + Sleep = NEVERMORE!
August 5th, 2008 at 8:21 am
I’ve been perusing through your archived comics to try to catch up. Some interesting stuff here, and I’m interested to see how this keeps up. It was fun having you participate in the St. Paul jam, that was the first one I had done myself.
I haven’t read Chabon’s book, though I did see him as a commentator on the History Channel’s “Comic Book Superheros Unmasked” special which I finally found a copy of on dvd. I share your views about the upcoming “Spirit” movie.
August 5th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Hey Jon!
Yeah, the St Paul jam was really fun. I’m glad you checked out my site. I perused yours as well–those are some pretty sweet adjustments to the ComicPress theme, if you don’t mind my saying, and quite an archive you’ve got. Maybe I’ll see you at the Minneapolis jam this week!
August 17th, 2008 at 4:01 am
I agree with Evan, I lament that I am just now catching up again…
And I’ve only been going to music camp (I’ll smite thee if thou utters “band camp”) since 8th grade, Theenis, so you know…um….
One last remark…NAKED!
August 17th, 2008 at 4:20 am
Haha! Yeah, well, but it’s only naked in the way un-anatomically correct baby dolls or Barbies are naked. So there.
Also: Spanish camp. What are you gonna say about that.