They do say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and if Hemingway could get away with writing a story that's just six words long, then why not tell a flash using a picture and a single line of dialogue?
Showing posts with label cartoons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cartoons. Show all posts
Friday, 28 December 2012
#FridayFlash - Lost Child
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They do say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and if Hemingway could get away with writing a story that's just six words long, then why not tell a flash using a picture and a single line of dialogue?
They do say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and if Hemingway could get away with writing a story that's just six words long, then why not tell a flash using a picture and a single line of dialogue?
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
The Second Tale arrives
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Honestly, Vertigo City is beginning to take over my life! After the release of The First Tale as an e-book last week, I've begun work on the follow-up, called City Alchemy. The story sees Liss go in search of her missing little sister, Teva, before going freelance as an adventurer-for-hire! There will be lots more of Two, for all those fans of the obedient automaton with a heart of copper.
Still, the focus this week is on the start of The Second Tale. An altogether different beast from its steampunk predecessor, The Second Tale is a more noir-ish yarn about a jaded superhero called, originally enough, The Hero.
This incarnation of Vertigo City is more in keeping with Metropolis or Gotham City, populated by dames and hoods, as well as citizens just trying to get through the day. The Hero will have to fight a battle on two fronts, as he seeks to better his superhero competition in Vertigo, all while trying to track down Le Chat Mystérieux, a mysterious and dangerous thief...
Part One is live now.
Still, the focus this week is on the start of The Second Tale. An altogether different beast from its steampunk predecessor, The Second Tale is a more noir-ish yarn about a jaded superhero called, originally enough, The Hero.
This incarnation of Vertigo City is more in keeping with Metropolis or Gotham City, populated by dames and hoods, as well as citizens just trying to get through the day. The Hero will have to fight a battle on two fronts, as he seeks to better his superhero competition in Vertigo, all while trying to track down Le Chat Mystérieux, a mysterious and dangerous thief...
Part One is live now.
Sunday, 15 August 2010
Rude Britannia
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I've been meaning to see the Rude Britannia exhibition at the Tate Britain since it opened, and I thought that as it only has a few weeks left to run (it closes on 5 September), I should probably make the effort to go. So off I trotted to the Millbank gallery to see their collection of satirical cartoons, exploring British comic art from the 1600s to now.
Despite the main focus being on comic art, the exhibition includes examples from a huge range of different media and styles that have been used over the past four centuries. Allegory and caricature abound here, as the work ranges from ceramics and prints to the comic books and strips we recognise today. Understandably, there is an emphasis on social satire and politics, since these were such rich veins for the comic artists of early centuries to mine.
Room 2 focusses on the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, particularly 'Social Satire & The Grotesque'. Consumer society as we would recognise it began to expand in the 1770s, due in part to industrialisation and Britain's growing Empire. The fashions and fads of this new consumerist boom provided rich fodder for the comic artists, who lampooned the greed and depravity in their grotesque satire. The British printmaker William Hogarth was particularly prolific in the 1700s, and he has been credited with the invention of the comic strip, due to his use of sequential art. One of his most famous works came in 1735 when he published A Rake's Progress, eight panels that tell the story of a foolish youth who squanders his inheritance, and spends the rest of his life sinking into debauchery and debt, only to end his days in Bedlam.
The third room deals with the political caricature. Ever since the eighteen century, everyone from politicians and royals to celebrities have been the target for comics, cartoons and strips. The battles between William Pitt the Younger and Charles Fox provide the most material for the eighteenth century, while Napoleon, Gladstone and Disraeli are the main focus for the nineteenth century. The room also displays some truly astonishing satire featuring Hitler, Margaret Thatcher and John Major. My own personal favourites are the works concerning Tony Blair, particularly a photo of him allowing George Bush to stand on his back in order to climb onto a horse. Says it all, really.
Sexual humour and the concept of the absurd are also featured, although to a much lesser extent. To be honest, I'm scarcely surprised. The supposed 'humour' of the 'Bawdry' room is beyond crass, while the material representing the Absurd is just pointless. I fail to see the point of a taxidermied cat in a glass case holding up a sign saying "I'm Dead". Anyway.
I think one of the reasons why satire has always survived in comic format is that the medium carries the visual weight required for the 'punchlines' to have their intended effect. Political or satirical fiction can occasionally run the risk of appearing sanctimonious or patronising at best, and downright impenetrable at worse, but the cartoon carries the point quickly and effectively. A great deal of detail can be included in a single panel, using recognised symbolism as a form of visual shorthand. A Rake's Progress perfectly epitomises this point, as the activities of those around the Rake hint at what has led him to the point at which we find him in each panel.
Another reason the comic panel proved so popular was precisely because it was visual. While many of the older examples contain a lot of text, and the comic as we know it today usually involves dialogue, it is still possible to understand what is going on without being able to read. Printing shops used to display the panels in their windows, and people of all classes could view them for free. The fact that they were visual democratised their consumption, as opposed to the books which were accessible only to the rich and the educated. In some ways, their subject matter intended them to be instructional to the masses, but as the bad behaviour on display in the panels continued to occur, then this aspect was clearly largely ignored by the viewers.
We still have comics today, although I would argue that the emphasis has shifted, and when people think of comics now, they're more likely to think of something like Iron Man or Batman than Punch or Viz. Satire has largely moved onto the stage and screen, with TV shows like Spitting Image and the many shows featuring impressionist Rory Bremner using the capabilities of TV to put out satire in sketch format. Even comedies like Blackadder set out to lampoon current affairs using historical events as a reference point. The purpose is the same, to highlight the absurdity and hypocrisy of politicians, royals and celebrities, and like their eighteenth century forebears, the TV sketches require little education, and nothing more than a passing awareness of current events.
Of course, the advantage that both the comic and the sketch have is that even if you don't agree with the politics or the subject, you can still find them amusing, due to the employment of humour, and it is this which I believe makes satire such an important aspect of culture in general. As Ivor `Jest-ye-not-madam' Biggun of the Standing-At-The-Back-Dressed-Stupidly-And-Looking-Stupid Party in Blackadder III so memorably put it... "If you can't laugh, what can you do?"
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| Spitting Image's Margaret Thatcher |
Despite the main focus being on comic art, the exhibition includes examples from a huge range of different media and styles that have been used over the past four centuries. Allegory and caricature abound here, as the work ranges from ceramics and prints to the comic books and strips we recognise today. Understandably, there is an emphasis on social satire and politics, since these were such rich veins for the comic artists of early centuries to mine.
 |
| From 'A Rake's Progress', by William Hogarth |
The third room deals with the political caricature. Ever since the eighteen century, everyone from politicians and royals to celebrities have been the target for comics, cartoons and strips. The battles between William Pitt the Younger and Charles Fox provide the most material for the eighteenth century, while Napoleon, Gladstone and Disraeli are the main focus for the nineteenth century. The room also displays some truly astonishing satire featuring Hitler, Margaret Thatcher and John Major. My own personal favourites are the works concerning Tony Blair, particularly a photo of him allowing George Bush to stand on his back in order to climb onto a horse. Says it all, really.
Sexual humour and the concept of the absurd are also featured, although to a much lesser extent. To be honest, I'm scarcely surprised. The supposed 'humour' of the 'Bawdry' room is beyond crass, while the material representing the Absurd is just pointless. I fail to see the point of a taxidermied cat in a glass case holding up a sign saying "I'm Dead". Anyway.
I think one of the reasons why satire has always survived in comic format is that the medium carries the visual weight required for the 'punchlines' to have their intended effect. Political or satirical fiction can occasionally run the risk of appearing sanctimonious or patronising at best, and downright impenetrable at worse, but the cartoon carries the point quickly and effectively. A great deal of detail can be included in a single panel, using recognised symbolism as a form of visual shorthand. A Rake's Progress perfectly epitomises this point, as the activities of those around the Rake hint at what has led him to the point at which we find him in each panel.
Another reason the comic panel proved so popular was precisely because it was visual. While many of the older examples contain a lot of text, and the comic as we know it today usually involves dialogue, it is still possible to understand what is going on without being able to read. Printing shops used to display the panels in their windows, and people of all classes could view them for free. The fact that they were visual democratised their consumption, as opposed to the books which were accessible only to the rich and the educated. In some ways, their subject matter intended them to be instructional to the masses, but as the bad behaviour on display in the panels continued to occur, then this aspect was clearly largely ignored by the viewers.
We still have comics today, although I would argue that the emphasis has shifted, and when people think of comics now, they're more likely to think of something like Iron Man or Batman than Punch or Viz. Satire has largely moved onto the stage and screen, with TV shows like Spitting Image and the many shows featuring impressionist Rory Bremner using the capabilities of TV to put out satire in sketch format. Even comedies like Blackadder set out to lampoon current affairs using historical events as a reference point. The purpose is the same, to highlight the absurdity and hypocrisy of politicians, royals and celebrities, and like their eighteenth century forebears, the TV sketches require little education, and nothing more than a passing awareness of current events.
Of course, the advantage that both the comic and the sketch have is that even if you don't agree with the politics or the subject, you can still find them amusing, due to the employment of humour, and it is this which I believe makes satire such an important aspect of culture in general. As Ivor `Jest-ye-not-madam' Biggun of the Standing-At-The-Back-Dressed-Stupidly-And-Looking-Stupid Party in Blackadder III so memorably put it... "If you can't laugh, what can you do?"
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Robot Rock - Or Why I Started Drawing Again
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I've been trying to come up with new ideas for fiction, and I remembered reading Zoe Westhof's eBook guide to having a creative mini retreat to boost your creativity. I still haven't managed to find the time to set aside an entire weekend, but I decided to grab some spare time where I had it, and do some drawing. I used to love drawing, but after I finished college and was no longer studying art, my drawing became somewhat sporadic. It's a shame, since it's something I really enjoy doing, so I've decided that, in an attempt to jar my brain from seeing things the way I normally see things, that I'll draw more often to make me look at things in a new way.
So I ended up drawing a robot. I've never really coloured things in using Photoshop before, but all in all I'm pretty pleased with how he turned out! I've always been much better at drawing mechanical things, or structures, than anything organic, so you never know...perhaps I'll end up writing a spate of robot-themed futuristic sci-fi, with illustrations to match?
Sunday, 16 May 2010
Immortalised in Comic Form
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Fame beckons!!
If everyone goes to have a look at the Alone In A Crowd strip for May 14 2010, they'll get to see me! I'm the black-haired girl!!
I'm very, very chuffed about this for various reasons. One, it's not every day that you make an appearance in one of your favourite comics, and two, I think Tom's made me look pretty awesome!!
I really do recommend that everyone take some time out, go over to Alone In A Crowd, and start reading from the beginning. I can't stress enough how good it is, or how lovely its creator Tom is. He's a fellow member of Jimmy Misanthrope's Below the Fold collective - you can check out the other members by clicking the links down the side of my blog. I'll be introducing you to everyone over the coming weeks, so start swotting!
If everyone goes to have a look at the Alone In A Crowd strip for May 14 2010, they'll get to see me! I'm the black-haired girl!!
I'm very, very chuffed about this for various reasons. One, it's not every day that you make an appearance in one of your favourite comics, and two, I think Tom's made me look pretty awesome!!
I really do recommend that everyone take some time out, go over to Alone In A Crowd, and start reading from the beginning. I can't stress enough how good it is, or how lovely its creator Tom is. He's a fellow member of Jimmy Misanthrope's Below the Fold collective - you can check out the other members by clicking the links down the side of my blog. I'll be introducing you to everyone over the coming weeks, so start swotting!
Saturday, 20 February 2010
A hand drawn Disney film? It can't be!
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I just posted the first instalment of my new web serial over at my new blog, Tales from Vertigo City. Go follow the blog, or subscribe, and you'll get a new instalment every week!
In other news, I went to see The Princess and the Frog today. I bet you didn't guess that I'm a Disney fan, eh? I love their work, up until and including The Lion King (although I do have a soft spot for The Emperor's New Groove). I have to admit that I never thought I'd live to see the day when I'd be sat in a cinema in 2010, watching a hand-drawn 2D cartoon. It felt slightly surreal, but at the same time, perfectly normal. Why shouldn't Disney go back to doing what they do best, when all their efforts at 3D films have sucked?
It's somewhat surprising that the mastermind behind The Princess and the Frog should be Pixar genius John Lasseter, but then again, the man has a passion for storytelling. What he's done here is given us a fairytale with a twist, but without going down the self-indulgent Shrek route. Set in 1920s New Orleans, our 'princess' is hard-working Tiana, a waitress with dreams of running her own restaurant, while our prince is a lazy playboy out to marry a rich girl after being cut off by his royal family. Tiana is feisty, and a lot more intelligent than your typical Disney film, and once you ignore her "Hard work will get you everything you want" spiel, she's quite likeable. Naveen is spoilt and charming, and a little more like the lazy royalty we're used to reading about in the tabloids.
As ever, the boy-meets-girl plot is given a little makeover, since our girl meets our boy when he's a frog. Prince Naveen adopts this amphibian persona after a run-in with the local voodoo witch doctor, Dr Facilier. As Disney villains go, he's not bad, but he's no Ursula or Maleficent. Anyway. Prince Naveen mistakes Tiana for a princess and gets her to kiss him (thinking this will turn him back into a human), though it does little more than turn Tiana into a frog.
The pair end up in the bayou and seek the help of the local voodoo wise woman. Aided by a Cajun firefly in love with the North Star and a jazz-loving alligator, they get into the usual scrapes and perform an assortment of musical setpieces, none of which reach the dazzling heights of The Little Mermaid's 'Under the Sea'. I won't sport with your intelligence by asking you to guess the ending, but despite its veneer of Hollywood happiness and fairytale gloss, The Princess and the Frog is actually an enjoyable little film about recognising what's really important in life, and the value in balance. Naveen is all play and no work, while Tiana is the other way around, but neither are truly happy until they realise there's a compromise in there somewhere.
The musical numbers aren't bad, and as I've already said, Tiana makes a refreshing change as a Disney heroine, although I can't help thinking the realities of life as a black woman in 1920s Louisiana weren't quite as rosy as Disney would have us believe. The characters are rounded and likeable, although not quite as iconic as those from Disney's 'classic' oeuvre, but to be honest, I don't care. I'm just glad to see Disney back doing what they do best, allowing Pixar to do what they do best, while they piss all over their competition.
In other news, I went to see The Princess and the Frog today. I bet you didn't guess that I'm a Disney fan, eh? I love their work, up until and including The Lion King (although I do have a soft spot for The Emperor's New Groove). I have to admit that I never thought I'd live to see the day when I'd be sat in a cinema in 2010, watching a hand-drawn 2D cartoon. It felt slightly surreal, but at the same time, perfectly normal. Why shouldn't Disney go back to doing what they do best, when all their efforts at 3D films have sucked?
It's somewhat surprising that the mastermind behind The Princess and the Frog should be Pixar genius John Lasseter, but then again, the man has a passion for storytelling. What he's done here is given us a fairytale with a twist, but without going down the self-indulgent Shrek route. Set in 1920s New Orleans, our 'princess' is hard-working Tiana, a waitress with dreams of running her own restaurant, while our prince is a lazy playboy out to marry a rich girl after being cut off by his royal family. Tiana is feisty, and a lot more intelligent than your typical Disney film, and once you ignore her "Hard work will get you everything you want" spiel, she's quite likeable. Naveen is spoilt and charming, and a little more like the lazy royalty we're used to reading about in the tabloids.
As ever, the boy-meets-girl plot is given a little makeover, since our girl meets our boy when he's a frog. Prince Naveen adopts this amphibian persona after a run-in with the local voodoo witch doctor, Dr Facilier. As Disney villains go, he's not bad, but he's no Ursula or Maleficent. Anyway. Prince Naveen mistakes Tiana for a princess and gets her to kiss him (thinking this will turn him back into a human), though it does little more than turn Tiana into a frog.
The pair end up in the bayou and seek the help of the local voodoo wise woman. Aided by a Cajun firefly in love with the North Star and a jazz-loving alligator, they get into the usual scrapes and perform an assortment of musical setpieces, none of which reach the dazzling heights of The Little Mermaid's 'Under the Sea'. I won't sport with your intelligence by asking you to guess the ending, but despite its veneer of Hollywood happiness and fairytale gloss, The Princess and the Frog is actually an enjoyable little film about recognising what's really important in life, and the value in balance. Naveen is all play and no work, while Tiana is the other way around, but neither are truly happy until they realise there's a compromise in there somewhere.
The musical numbers aren't bad, and as I've already said, Tiana makes a refreshing change as a Disney heroine, although I can't help thinking the realities of life as a black woman in 1920s Louisiana weren't quite as rosy as Disney would have us believe. The characters are rounded and likeable, although not quite as iconic as those from Disney's 'classic' oeuvre, but to be honest, I don't care. I'm just glad to see Disney back doing what they do best, allowing Pixar to do what they do best, while they piss all over their competition.
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