Sunday, May 24, 2009
Chris Ware, graphic novel genius
Physical State: achey
Mental State: reflective
Music: Colleen - Golden Morning Breaks
Fashion sense: pajama pants, black t-shirt
After seeing a recent Quimby The Mouse cartoon that Chris Ware did as part of the This American Life "live" performance (I didn't see it because the show wasn't beamed into Calgary), I have recently revisited his classic debut, the substantial 380 page, "Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid On Earth." Here is a quick description blatantly stolen off the Pantheon Books website to outline what this book is all about:
This first book from Chicago author Chris Ware is a pleasantly-decorated view at a lonely and emotionally-impaired "everyman" (Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth), who is provided, at age 36, the opportunity to meet his father for the first time. An improvisatory romance which gingerly deports itself between 1890's Chicago and 1980's small town Michigan, the reader is helped along by thousands of colored illustrations and diagrams, which, when read rapidly in sequence, provide a convincing illusion of life and movement. The bulk of the work is supported by fold-out instructions, an index, paper cut-outs, and a brief apology, all of which concrete to form a rich portrait of a man stunted by a paralyzing fear of being disliked.
After reading every inch of the book from cover to cover again (and believe me if you skim over an inch you miss a lot) I can't help but be amazed by the intricacy and design of this graphic novel. It sets a high bar for the medium which so far you'd be hard-pressed to see matched (except perhaps by Art Spiegelman). If anyone tells you graphic novels are just "comic books and boring kid's stuff," they haven't spent time with this work (and you have to be extremely patient to spend time with it to get the full effect). Ware is by far one of the masters of the graphic novel medium (while at the same time being an insane genius in the tradition of all great masters in art). His personality, creativity and self-effacing sense of humour are all found in this amazing project (and also in his incredible work with The Acme Novelty Library series). I like the feeling that you can always pick it up and be inspired by the dedication and intricacy of it. Well worth checking out again and again. You can also watch this quite detailed French television documentary (in three parts) about Chris Ware here on youtube, it is mostly in English after the awards/Chicago intro. Sorry for the picture quality.
Physical State: achey
Mental State: reflective
Music: Colleen - Golden Morning Breaks
Fashion sense: pajama pants, black t-shirt
After seeing a recent Quimby The Mouse cartoon that Chris Ware did as part of the This American Life "live" performance (I didn't see it because the show wasn't beamed into Calgary), I have recently revisited his classic debut, the substantial 380 page, "Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid On Earth." Here is a quick description blatantly stolen off the Pantheon Books website to outline what this book is all about:
This first book from Chicago author Chris Ware is a pleasantly-decorated view at a lonely and emotionally-impaired "everyman" (Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth), who is provided, at age 36, the opportunity to meet his father for the first time. An improvisatory romance which gingerly deports itself between 1890's Chicago and 1980's small town Michigan, the reader is helped along by thousands of colored illustrations and diagrams, which, when read rapidly in sequence, provide a convincing illusion of life and movement. The bulk of the work is supported by fold-out instructions, an index, paper cut-outs, and a brief apology, all of which concrete to form a rich portrait of a man stunted by a paralyzing fear of being disliked.
After reading every inch of the book from cover to cover again (and believe me if you skim over an inch you miss a lot) I can't help but be amazed by the intricacy and design of this graphic novel. It sets a high bar for the medium which so far you'd be hard-pressed to see matched (except perhaps by Art Spiegelman). If anyone tells you graphic novels are just "comic books and boring kid's stuff," they haven't spent time with this work (and you have to be extremely patient to spend time with it to get the full effect). Ware is by far one of the masters of the graphic novel medium (while at the same time being an insane genius in the tradition of all great masters in art). His personality, creativity and self-effacing sense of humour are all found in this amazing project (and also in his incredible work with The Acme Novelty Library series). I like the feeling that you can always pick it up and be inspired by the dedication and intricacy of it. Well worth checking out again and again. You can also watch this quite detailed French television documentary (in three parts) about Chris Ware here on youtube, it is mostly in English after the awards/Chicago intro. Sorry for the picture quality.
