The Society of Illustrators is on fire. The Harvey Kurtzman exhibit is a revelation, and a new Bill Griffith (Zippy the Pinhead) exhibit opened tonight upstairs. I got to meet Bill and chat, an deliver the speech I've had in mind for years — how his book Are We Having Fun Yet changed, and possibly saved, my life.
On exhibit: the back cover of that book.
NEWS OF THE TIMES:
Senator Portman Experiences Hunger for First Time
Now Embraces Social Welfare Spending
Click here to read on Boing Boing.
Click here to read on Daily Kos. (coming)
Click here to read on GoComics. (coming)
Tom the Dancing Bug of October 22, 2002
All these articles about the ten year anniversary of the United States invasion of Iraq are making me feel very bitter. And I have to confess, I'm not just bitter about the horrific policy and humanitarian fiasco. I'm also bitter on a personal level.
It's hard to remember what it was like in 2002 and 2003. It felt to me like America had gone bat$#!% crazy. Bush and his cohorts had transparently lied and bullied their way into their war of choice, and there was no meaningful resistance. Mainstream liberals, both politicians and media players, lined up right behind him, and anyone who objected was considered a loony outsider. In the immediate aftermath of the invasion, the most prominent liberal columnist in the nation said the war was absolutely unquestionably worth it becasue SUCK ON THIS.
I didn't think much of this at the time, because the price being paid by the war's participants was (and still is) monstrous. But ten years later, I'm surprised that I'm looking back in anger at how isolated and marginalized those of us who vehemently objected to the war found ourselves.
It's unseemly to say "I told you so." And it's crass to complain about losing newspaper clients and being called crazy, stupid and unpatriotic when a war has destroyed thousands upon thousands of lives. But this week, as I watch the war's architects and cheerleaders attempt to justify and rehabilitate themselves, I feel bitterness that there is absolutely no reckoning for those who perpetrated this. And that our country's institutions could be so blinded that they allowed themselves to be manipulated by despicable warmongers telling flimsy, ridiculous lies.
Of all the anti-war comics I did during the time, this one, from March 2003, best summarized why I was so certain that the war was going to be a horror: The guy leading us into it was deeply and obviously untrustworthy, repeatedly showing horrible judgement at his best, and malicious deceit at his worst.
Happy Anniversary.
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Judge Scalia, in "Legislative Soul Search"
$450 SOLD!
11"x14", on brisol board paper
(note: ending text below panels not included)
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Judge Scalia, in "LEGISLATIVE SOUL SEARCH!"
Click here to read on Boing Boing.
Click here to read on Daily Kos.
Click here to read on GoComics.
So many members of the INNER HIVE asked if they could share this week's commentary (exclusive to members of the INNER HIVE, hint, hint), that I thought I'd make a quick note here.
Basically, in this week's comic I take issue with the breathtaking hypocrisy Justice Scalia revealed in oral arguments for Shelby v. Holder.
When it comes to laws that restrict the rights of individuals and minority groups, Scalia refuses to consider the legislative history of the law, and gives great deference to the legislative, political process, which he repeatedly states is the best process to resolve the issues of the day. These are two of the most basic tenets of his stated judicial philosophy.
But in this case, in which we're looking at whether or not to override the legislature to remove protections for minorities, Scalia happens to find that the political process is uniquely ill-suited to come to a proper decision. And when looking at the legislature's motives for a 98-0 vote, he goes far beyond legislative history; he assigns self-serving motives simply because the vote was so overwhelmingly in support of the act.
A Justice of Action!
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God-Man: God-God-Man
$400 SOLD!!
11"x14", on brisol board paper
(God-Man logo pasted on)
FOR INFORMATION,
AND MORE ORIGINALS FOR SALE, CLICK HERE.
Currently at the Society of Illustrators in NYC is the best comics museum exhibit I've ever seen, happily on my favorite subject in comics — Harvey Kurtzman, the creator of Mad Magazine. I attended the opening last night, and was floored by the material on display.
My favorite pieces were ones showing unfinished and preliminary art, showing the process of creation, and in particular the process of collaboration; the most successful aspects of Kurtzman's career were his collaborations with some of the great cartoonists of the 20th century.
Here is one of several unfinished pages on display of a Little Annie Fanny (Playboy) story on The Beatles (Hugh Hefner apparently pulled the plug on the project for some reason). Kurtzman did the layouts, and his pencilled lettering can be seen. Jack Davis did the spectacular and intricate pencils in his distinctive style. And where Bill Elder painted over the pencils, he converted the style to his own.
I can't bear to show this picture without pointing out that Paul is playing right-handed.
There are many pieces like this, providing a window into the creative and collaborative processes of Kurtzman. Huge pages of pre-pencilled layouts, a beautiful, painted mock-up for the cover of Mad Magazine #1 (!!), and even loose layout panels for a detailed fight scene, with the finished product by Jack Davis, closely following Kurtzman's poses and framing.
Kurtzman was an uncompromising genius, always stretching himself and his colleagues for innovation. One of the many fascinating conversations I had last night was with Al Jaffee, who was talking about his next Fold-In for Mad, something like his 430th. He said that when he did his first one the editor Al Feldstein, Kurtzman's successor at Mad, Feldstein instantly asked for another. Al said he was shocked that Feldstein thought the concept could last more than one iteration — he had planned for the Fold-In to be a one-off thing. And Al said that Kurtzman would never have asked for another Fold-In; he would have seen that as a great piece and asked Al for his next brand-new concept. This may demonstarte why, as brilliant as Kurtzman was (and as much as Al revered him), Feldstein may have been the better editor to move Mad from innovative sensation to cultural mainstay.
If you have any interest in Kurtzman and Mad (and I can't imagine how any readers of my comic strip could not) and you're in or can be in New York City by May 11, I urge you to get to this exhibit. Info HERE.
Thanks to the Society of Illustrators and curators Monte Beauchamp and Denis Kitchen for creating the amazing exhibit.
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This post about an exchange betweenwriter Glenn Fleishman and a twitterer who strenuously opposes gay marriage reminded me of this comic…
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