Art 11

Something I really love about the internet - aside from the vast stores of information and entertainment, and being able to communicate on a global level in real time, and all that other wowy stuff - is WEBCOMICS. I love webcomics. I follow so many of them - 36 at last count, with a few more completed - most by individual artists/writers (although a couple are done by the same person, who possibly has a small universette with it's own discrete time to pop into every so often for those little luxuries like sleep).

I love comics in general, actually, but find webcomics 1) cheaper, 2) easier to access. Sometimes the writing is... eh... dodgy, and sometimes the art is... "quaint". But each that I follow is charming in its own way. There are a few I've started to follow and then dropped, for overwhelming negativity, boredom, or some other reason I might well regret now. But they're all still good in their own way.

So! Given my love for the medium, I thought I'd write a bit about each webcomic I'm currently following. Or webcomic artist/writer, as the case may be. And also about the webcomics that have finished that I'm still saving in my favourites folder for probably sentimental reasons. I'll start this in the next post, or something.

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Because in this post I've got other stuff to write about. Like Smiggle. Sigh. I'm a little in love with Smiggle. Smiggle sells stationery... which is a little like saying that McDonald's sells sandwiches. Anyway, on Thursday I had the opportunity to have a wander around that delightful store. I didn't intend to buy anything, but that's not saying much. I came away with only one purchase - go me! Twas a bee-ootiful postcard book, full of blank postcards. Smashing idea. I already have a mental list of recipients. Hopefully I'll remember to photograph the drawings before posting (although of course I won't put them online until they're received. That's cheating).

Also on Thursday I picked up (a new cardigan, too much caffeine, a couple books) the latest issues of 2000AD. Well, the latest issues available to me here in the Vinkus, anyway (for reference, I'm up to prog 1685, and the latest issue printed is, I think, 1694). A story I'm really enjoying in the current (from my perspective!) issues is The Grievous Journey of Ichabod Azrael (and the DEAD left in his WAKE). The writing (by Rob Williams) is kind of flamboyant, verging on cheesey-cowboy every so often. It's a westernish tale, so that suits. What really suits is the artwork. Black and white (I'm getting a real liking for black and white comic work. I blame Evan Dahm, whom I shall post about another time), heavy on solid ink, angular, some lovely use of silhouettes. It's by Dom Reardon - there's a link to his myspace page, but there's a bunch of other stuff too if one does a search.

Another 2000AD artist whose work I'm liking at the moment is Simon Davis. I was fortunate enough to be buying 2000AD regularly when they ran a story illustrated by him called Stone Island. The art, like the story, was messy and visceral and down-right gory. I loved it. Messy and visceral... That being said, there's still a lovely clarity to the work, particularly in the composition. Sometimes with more "traditional" comic book art I find it a little difficult to actually see what's going on - scenes can be beautiful, but amazingly cluttered and busy. (I think by "traditional" I mean sort of... standard Marvel/DC fare - crisp lines, bold colours, etc. I remember reading an Ultimate Spider-man and getting bewildered at a few pages that were possibly a little less than well-executed). Anyway! The above link unfortunately doesn't seem to have any comic book work of Simon Davis's, so here's another link.

By the way, my favourite 2000AD artist is Carlos Ezquerra. Kind of grainy and lumpy. Man, I miss all that Strontium Dog my brother got rid of...

Art 9

I figured it'd be easier (for me, anyway) to break these posts up a little bit.

So, June. A lot of stuff happened in June. I'll try to focus on the art side of things, though.

One small thing - I drew a picture of someone's D&D character, and then forgot to photograph it before I gave it to them. Doh. It was a good picture, too.

There was a costume party at the start of July, so much of June was spent planning and making a costume. I forgot to photograph the final product of this, too... My costume was of a "post-apocalyptic bandit". Something a little Mad Max, a little Tank Girl, but mostly just whatever I made up. There were torn, safety-pinned, and scribbled-on jeans, a jacket I made myself(!) and an assortment of bits and bobs, mostly plastic guns. There was also a rather good mask purchased very cheaply from one of those variety stores, decorated with a Sharpie. The overall impression was of awesomeness, but of course you'll just have to take my word for that. I'll take a photo of the jacket and the mask, though. They're slightly less awesome without the rest of the costume.

While searching for a birthday present, my sister and I went to a lovely little gallery across the road from the library called Unsunk Funk. Featuring redesigned clothing, it also showcases a lot of beautiful and strange work by local artists. Definitely worth a look, if you can.

What else, what else... Oh, a surprise present from an overseas friend - Vol 1 of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, writing by Alan Moore and art by Kevin O'Neill. The art is sharp and inky - kind of punk, I think. Combined with the story, it has that lovely anachronistic steampunk feel.

Speaking of Alan Moore: The Ballad of Halo Jones. I should be getting this soon. I remember it from when I was a kid - strange and sad and scary. I wonder what my impression of it will be this time?

I'm once again reading 2000AD comics. I love the stories and the art contained therein, and have ever since I was very small.