>>REVIEWS
HOTWIRE COMIX
Edited by Glenn Head
(Fantagraphics Books, 136 pp.)
ARF MUSEUM
Craig Yoe
(Fantagraphics Books, 120 pp.)
ALEX
Mark Kalesniko
(Fantagraphics Books, 264 pp.)
Comics and graphic novels, with all of the popularity they enjoy today, probably have a ways to go before they find themselves on display in the Louvre. While progress has been made, graphic artists still struggle to have their work recognized as a credible art form. But if the medium was under attack 20 years ago for being too juvenile, today it is charging out of the gate.
On the front line is Fantagraphics Books, a comic/graphic novel publishing company out of Seattle. Releasing dozens of publications every season, Fantagraphics is becoming a force in the industry, taking many independent artists under its wing.
"Finally, after decades in the art slums, the breakthrough has happened; comics have become respectable," reads the tongue-in-cheek introduction to Hotwire #1.
Hotwire is a series of short stories from dozens of artists. Some are dark, serious narratives about the human condition, exploring isolation, teenage angst, censorship and materialism. Others are simple stories based around grotesque caricatures of everyday life, reminiscent of MAD Magazine in the ’80s.
Styles range from line sketches to detailed, full-colour illustrations. Though many of the stories are surreal, the anthology appears to deliberately avoid crossing into the realm of science fiction or fantasy.
Edited by internationally renowned cartoon expert Craig Yoe, Arf Museum is an anthology exploring the evolution of comics since the beginning.
The work is nostalgic of an era when superhero comics were "fun," as opposed to serious, revolving more around crazy adventures and self-contained stories that often, though not always, involved pirates, cannibals and the like. Such is Yoe’s taste (and he is the expert).
Even if the silly, early days of the superhero comics aren’t your thing, the anthology at least has educational value. One of the more interesting features charts the use of the King Kong archetype. Many of the examples pre-date the original movie itself.
Early propaganda posters, in particular, used the scary giant gorilla with a beautiful prisoner image to rally support for the world wars. You get to see King Kong as the Kaiser and Adolph Hitler. One of the cartoons dates back to 1887.
Another example of the beauty-meets-ape theme involves none other than Betty Page, complete with photos of the famous pinup at the movies with her gorilla boyfriend, and photos of her feeding him a banana. Go Betty!
Alex is a full-length, über-depressing graphic novel by Canadian Mark Kalesniko. The suspiciously autobiographical work traces the downfall of successful, yet failed, cartoonist Alex.
The protagonist returns to his polluted B.C. hometown after working in the Walt Disney studio animation mines. Drinking every day, Alex finds himself in a perpetual state of depression, despite having achieved a level of success in California. Kalesniko himself worked for Disney, contributing to Mulan and The Lion King. He even came from a small factory town in B.C. I wonder….
All of the characters exist in isolation, despite their interactions. Alex expresses his own melancholy too bluntly at times, with the character going as far as to explain the meaning of the story’s symbolic elements to his friend.
Alex is largely a tale of finding redemption in an overly materialistic society, and the fleeting nature of success. The line drawing is remarkable, and the pacing so calculated that it feels like you’re watching a late-night Showcase movie, sans the nudity. It is a deep and poignant exploration of the life of an artist. |
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