THERE ARE A SERIES OF COMICS THAT HAVE INFLUENCED MY LIFE.
it was a bit of a tradition when i was young that the 3 sunday papers my parents bought (the sunday telegraph, sunday mirror and the truth) that the "funnies" would be extracted to be rotated about my brother, sister and moi. this was in the late 60's and early 70's.
STATEMENT OF HORRIFYING FACT!!!
by 1971 my parents stopped buying the truth because my brother had stopped reading the "funnies" but still wanted to read the truth.
i had an inkling of where he was headed though i was still interested in the charlie chucklers club and the possibility of winning awards to really want to take the paper to the toilet for a quiet read. i too had discovered new worlds, cartoons and comics outside the realm of the sunday papers abounded.
at first it was just an extention of the strips from the papers such as eric joliffe's outback single panel works,
bc by johnny hart,
and the wizard of id by brant parker.
there was also the work of the king, charles schultz.
these and other things such as stanley, an early strip by murray ball the creator of Footrot Flats.
and the early leunig single framers (including the wonderful 'innocent bystander' panel featuring one of his coolest figures, which i can easily believe inspired the great Dan Hicks to pen the song of the same name (Moody Richard (The Innocent Bystander) - Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks - 2012-04-06, check it out on you-tube) which kept me safe and warm for many years.
there was also the genre of superheroes!! both dc and marvel. mmmmmm...
in time i felt the need to diversify my reading portfolio. i was heavily shattered by the political events of '74 and '75. having dutch parents who could sing 'the internationale' in 7 different languages between them it's not surprising i headed off into the realms of social and political comics in both the single frame form and the long form. the single frame pieces of anti war/ social justice doyen, ron cobb was inspiring!
as was the work of gary trudeau's doonsbury.
the work of gilbert sheldon and others i had found in copies of the underground press
was a part of several lifestyle choices that became a long term thing, activism and alternative realities.
looking back at these influences i can see a commonality... they all have a strong scent of social commentary, even the super hero comics.
they also had relatively a simple style about them.
there were many others that i found the solace a skinny buck toothed kid might find while not starring on the footy field (though i did play 7 seasons of what is called soccer in australia), both the leunigs, asterix, herge, all made me think, all of them made me laugh and...
LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE!
then in the 90's i discovered the wild and tormented comics that evolved into the vertigo label of dc comics, hellblazer, the sandman being the central pillars of that canon. these will undoubtedly be talked about in the future.
there is a point to this blog post and here it is!
there are two current comics i think you all should check out!!!!
the first is the work of dan piraro, in particular his bizzaro works. here's one for your joy.
AND THEN THERE IS MY CURRENT FAVOURITE!!! you can check this one in the Age, australia's finest newspaper. BUGGER IT it's actually my favourite newspaper now that the COOMA MONARO EXPRESS no longer exists.
it's called NON SEQUITUR!!! it is a whimsical masterpiece featuring a small girl called DANAE. there are oh so many wonderful other characters involved and a weary cynicism that somehow leaves me bouyed and happy!
there are many worthwhile strips out there and each to their own. these are a broad collection of the ones i enjoyed and continue to for the most part. here is a link for you to be able to check out non sequitur on a regular basis. no need to thank me but it is well good enough to deserve some thanks being sent to wiley.
http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2017/12/09
have a wonderful time revelling in the joys of looking into the minds of observant artists across the world. i have included a very small section of the beasts that have made my life better.
there are modern pieces such as the charlie hebdo which have ended up rocking the world due to the responses they have caused. these cartoons are worth their weight in gold and should never be censored no matter what. they are the height of freedom of speech.
VIVA THE TRUTH! VIVA FREEDOM, VIVA LOVE!! VIVA THE PHANTOM AS WELL
see you again real soon and may you all have a sporting chance!!!!!
it was a bit of a tradition when i was young that the 3 sunday papers my parents bought (the sunday telegraph, sunday mirror and the truth) that the "funnies" would be extracted to be rotated about my brother, sister and moi. this was in the late 60's and early 70's.
STATEMENT OF HORRIFYING FACT!!!
by 1971 my parents stopped buying the truth because my brother had stopped reading the "funnies" but still wanted to read the truth.
at first it was just an extention of the strips from the papers such as eric joliffe's outback single panel works,
these and other things such as stanley, an early strip by murray ball the creator of Footrot Flats.
and the early leunig single framers (including the wonderful 'innocent bystander' panel featuring one of his coolest figures, which i can easily believe inspired the great Dan Hicks to pen the song of the same name (Moody Richard (The Innocent Bystander) - Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks - 2012-04-06, check it out on you-tube) which kept me safe and warm for many years.
in time i felt the need to diversify my reading portfolio. i was heavily shattered by the political events of '74 and '75. having dutch parents who could sing 'the internationale' in 7 different languages between them it's not surprising i headed off into the realms of social and political comics in both the single frame form and the long form. the single frame pieces of anti war/ social justice doyen, ron cobb was inspiring!
as was the work of gary trudeau's doonsbury.
the work of gilbert sheldon and others i had found in copies of the underground press
was a part of several lifestyle choices that became a long term thing, activism and alternative realities.
looking back at these influences i can see a commonality... they all have a strong scent of social commentary, even the super hero comics.
they also had relatively a simple style about them.
there were many others that i found the solace a skinny buck toothed kid might find while not starring on the footy field (though i did play 7 seasons of what is called soccer in australia), both the leunigs, asterix, herge, all made me think, all of them made me laugh and...
LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE!
then in the 90's i discovered the wild and tormented comics that evolved into the vertigo label of dc comics, hellblazer, the sandman being the central pillars of that canon. these will undoubtedly be talked about in the future.
there is a point to this blog post and here it is!
there are two current comics i think you all should check out!!!!
the first is the work of dan piraro, in particular his bizzaro works. here's one for your joy.
AND THEN THERE IS MY CURRENT FAVOURITE!!! you can check this one in the Age, australia's finest newspaper. BUGGER IT it's actually my favourite newspaper now that the COOMA MONARO EXPRESS no longer exists.
it's called NON SEQUITUR!!! it is a whimsical masterpiece featuring a small girl called DANAE. there are oh so many wonderful other characters involved and a weary cynicism that somehow leaves me bouyed and happy!
there are many worthwhile strips out there and each to their own. these are a broad collection of the ones i enjoyed and continue to for the most part. here is a link for you to be able to check out non sequitur on a regular basis. no need to thank me but it is well good enough to deserve some thanks being sent to wiley.
http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2017/12/09
have a wonderful time revelling in the joys of looking into the minds of observant artists across the world. i have included a very small section of the beasts that have made my life better.
there are modern pieces such as the charlie hebdo which have ended up rocking the world due to the responses they have caused. these cartoons are worth their weight in gold and should never be censored no matter what. they are the height of freedom of speech.
VIVA THE TRUTH! VIVA FREEDOM, VIVA LOVE!! VIVA THE PHANTOM AS WELL
see you again real soon and may you all have a sporting chance!!!!!
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