Dangerous Drawings: Interviews With Comix & Graphix Artists

Rating:
Summary: Mostly interesting interviews with mostly comic artists.
Review: A nice addition to the post RE/Search works, and follows heavily in the steps laid by RE/Search. This is a collection of interviews with 14 artists, along with a single essay by Art Spiegelman that gives an alternate view of comics history than the one related in Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics. It seems to be a primer for non-initiates to the world of underground pop-art, especially comics.

Some of those interviewed are independent comic "gods"- Art Spiegelman, in particular, has won a Pulitzer Prize for his work Maus. Other artists, like G.B. Jones and Emiko Shimoda, expose the new reader to a world they probably had never thought about, let alone see in print. All of the artists chosen are, while working within the confines of pop-art, outside of the mainstream. Looking at familiar motifs, like comics, album covers, or even gay art (for those familiar with tom of Finland), in new and different ways is what this is all about.

Andrea's interviewing style is good; these aren't antagonistic interviews, nor are they rigid- they are open ended, to allow the artists to expound and expand on a subject. While some of the artists fall a little flat and come across as dull, there are some gems. The Chris Ware interview in particular is a great read, and will convert most who read it into Ware fans.

So, why only three stars?

Like another reviewer stated, the fact that the majority of the interviewees are comic artists makes the ones who aren't stick out like a sore thumb. Eli Langer's inclusion is especially offsetting. While his status as an "edgy" artist merits inclusion under this book's broad title, he has little in common with the other artists. His pseudo-child-porn drawings, while not appealing to a pedophile and not pornographic, also show little artistic merit. (One picture of a man holding a baby above a baying dog reminds me of a Gary Larson "Far Side" cartoon.)

The inclusion of Keith Mayerson as an interview subject- although shoved to the back of the book- seems somewhat self-serving, as Juno Books had just published his Horror Hospital Unplugged graphic novel (his first published work).

The paltry number of essays- only one- is disappointing, considering how reference-quality earlier RE/Search books have been. A collection of interviews, while interesting, does not demand rereading and reference.

Some of the interviews, especially the potentially intriguing Matt Reid one (grafitti/hip hop artist), are too short and convey no real message beyond a pedestrian view of currently published works. In other interviews, where Andrea obviously is acquainted with the interviewee, much time is spent talking about inside knowledge or incidents- for a book that aims to be an introduction to avant-garde pop art, it's a mistake to assume readers will understand what is going on. Finally, while some of the interviews were interesting, they never really got beyond anything that the Comics Journal is capable of.

This isn't being said to ward off potential readers- in fact, for people unfamiliar with "comix", the rating should probably be higher. But, I'm familiar both with "comix" and with RE/Search books, and while the book is a worthwhile and readable book, it doesn't quite come up to my heightened expectations, and comes across as a good- if average- book with occasional bursts of excellence.

Rating:
Summary: Mostly interesting interviews with mostly comic artists.
Review: A nice addition to the post RE/Search works, and follows heavily in the steps laid by RE/Search. This is a collection of interviews with 14 artists, along with a single essay by Art Spiegelman that gives an alternate view of comics history than the one related in Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics. It seems to be a primer for non-initiates to the world of underground pop-art, especially comics.

Some of those interviewed are independent comic "gods"- Art Spiegelman, in particular, has won a Pulitzer Prize for his work Maus. Other artists, like G.B. Jones and Emiko Shimoda, expose the new reader to a world they probably had never thought about, let alone see in print. All of the artists chosen are, while working within the confines of pop-art, outside of the mainstream. Looking at familiar motifs, like comics, album covers, or even gay art (for those familiar with tom of Finland), in new and different ways is what this is all about.

Andrea's interviewing style is good; these aren't antagonistic interviews, nor are they rigid- they are open ended, to allow the artists to expound and expand on a subject. While some of the artists fall a little flat and come across as dull, there are some gems. The Chris Ware interview in particular is a great read, and will convert most who read it into Ware fans.

So, why only three stars?

Like another reviewer stated, the fact that the majority of the interviewees are comic artists makes the ones who aren't stick out like a sore thumb. Eli Langer's inclusion is especially offsetting. While his status as an "edgy" artist merits inclusion under this book's broad title, he has little in common with the other artists. His pseudo-child-porn drawings, while not appealing to a pedophile and not pornographic, also show little artistic merit. (One picture of a man holding a baby above a baying dog reminds me of a Gary Larson "Far Side" cartoon.)

The inclusion of Keith Mayerson as an interview subject- although shoved to the back of the book- seems somewhat self-serving, as Juno Books had just published his Horror Hospital Unplugged graphic novel (his first published work).

The paltry number of essays- only one- is disappointing, considering how reference-quality earlier RE/Search books have been. A collection of interviews, while interesting, does not demand rereading and reference.

Some of the interviews, especially the potentially intriguing Matt Reid one (grafitti/hip hop artist), are too short and convey no real message beyond a pedestrian view of currently published works. In other interviews, where Andrea obviously is acquainted with the interviewee, much time is spent talking about inside knowledge or incidents- for a book that aims to be an introduction to avant-garde pop art, it's a mistake to assume readers will understand what is going on. Finally, while some of the interviews were interesting, they never really got beyond anything that the Comics Journal is capable of.

This isn't being said to ward off potential readers- in fact, for people unfamiliar with "comix", the rating should probably be higher. But, I'm familiar both with "comix" and with RE/Search books, and while the book is a worthwhile and readable book, it doesn't quite come up to my heightened expectations, and comes across as a good- if average- book with occasional bursts of excellence.

Rating:
Summary: Uuuuh...
Review: After all those graphic depictions of innocent children being brutally slaughtered, characters endlessly spewing feces all over their toilets, and young teenaged girls being sexually solicited, I only have a few words to say: all those cartoonists seriously need to see a psychiatrist.

Rating:
Summary: maybe it's me...
Review: I have owned this book for years, and I still find myself picking it back up and re-inspiring myself to be more devious in my own comic-writing.

Personally, Julie Doucet is my favorite comic book artist, and I learned about her first through this book. Eli Langer has pushed the limits so much & gotten away with it. I love his story. It's also nice to be able to put a "face to the name" and get to see the artists' mugs- which are often also quite amusing.

All that I have to suggest is that if you are not willing to expose yourself to the whole "bloody-pedophelic-rape-abused" experience, I would say don't buy this book. Otherwise, it s a great read, especially to an aspiring underground-comic artist.

Rating:
Summary: Great way to become acquainted with hip comix artists
Review: This book contains a whole bunch of interviews with a whole bunch of artist, mostly comic-book artists working outside of the mainstream. The interviews themselves are quite interesting, but for me the best thing was getting a look at some work by cartoonists that I was not very familiar with. The book is filled with samples of each creator's work.

The interview with Chris Ware made me go out and buy all the issues of "Acme Novelty Library" that I could find. In fact, a single excerpt from his work (printed on page 51 of this book) made me decide. He draws in about 12 square inches what takes Scott McCloud 100 pages to describe in Understanding Comics.

The one complaint that I have is that a few of the subjects don't seem to fit. Three out of the 14 interviewees don't work in comics. While they are interesting interviews (I remember the Eli Langer case, so his interview was fascinating), they don't feel like they belong in this book. Either they should have been cut, or we should have had *more* of them. Because as it is, 11 of the 14 interviewees work in comics. And that makes the other 3 stand out oddly.

In any case, this is a great read, and it makes a good gift to people interested in cutting edge art who *aren't* into comics. It will let them know how cool some comics really are.