Table Of Content(00) Comics FM 4/1/05 3:31 PM Page i
The
Education of
a Comics
Artist:
Visual Narrative in Cartoons, Graphic Novels,
and Beyond
edited by Michael Dooley and Steven Heller
(00) Comics FM 4/1/05 3:31 PM Page ii
© 2005 Michael Dooley and Steve Heller
All rights reserved.Copyright under Berne Copyright Convention,
Universal Copyright Convention,and Pan-American Copyright
Convention.No part of this book may be reproduced,stored in
a retrieval system,or transmitted in any form,or by any means,
electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,or otherwise,
without prior permission of the publisher.
08 07 06 05 04 5 4 3 2 1
Published by Allworth Press
An imprint of Allworth Communications,Inc.
10 East 23rd Street,New York,NY 10010
Cover and interior design by James Victore
Page composition/typography by SR Desktop Services,Ridge,NY
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The education of a comics artist:visual narrative in cartoons,
graphic novels,and beyond / edited by Michael Dooley and
Steven Heller.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-58115-408-9 (pbk.)
1. Caricatures and cartoons—United States—History—
20th century. 2. Cartooning—Study and teaching.
3. Cartooning—Vocational guidance. I. Dooley,Michael
(Michael Patrick),1948– II. Heller,Steven.
NC1320.E29 2005
741.5'071—dc22
2005005865
Printed in Canada
(00) Comics FM 4/1/05 3:31 PM Page iii
Contents
01: Dedications x
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction xii
02: The Most Popular Course in Art School
Steven Heller
Foreword xvii
03: What’s So Funny about Comics (and Understanding)?
Michael Dooley
Section I: The Comics Field 1
Magazine Cartoons
04: Cartoons at The New Yorker 2
Bob Mankoff
05: Wednesday “Look Day” and the Freelance 4
Magazine Cartooner
R.C.Harvey
06: In Praise of Offensive Cartoons 8
Paul Krassner
Editorial Cartoons
07: Stop Them Damned Pictures 15
Ben Sargent
Interview 17
08: The Obligation to Be Honest
Tony Auth
09: Caricature: Biting the Face that Feeds You 21
Steve Brodner
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Political Comics
10: Learning from the Political Cartoon 24
Paul Buhle
11: Launching World War 3 28
Peter Kuper
Interview 32
12: My New Distribution Technique is Unstoppable
David Rees
Comic Strips
13: Comics Vérité 36
Stan Mack
Interview 39
14: Gut Feelings and Waves of Intuition
Mark Alan Stamaty
Interview 43
15: Zippy, My Alter Ego
Bill Griffith
Interview 46
16: Sylvia, My Role Model
Nicole Hollander
Kids’ and Teens’ Comics
17: Katy Keene: Forgotten Comic Icon 49
Teal Triggs
18: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and 56
Love Archie Andrews
Jessica Abel
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19: A Passion for Top Cat 58
Barbara McClintock
Action/Adventure Comics
20: Superhero Artists of the Twenty-first Century: Origins 60
Arlen Schumer
Interview 67
21: The First Rule: There Are No Rules
Jim Steranko
Interview 73
22: Illuminating the Darkness
Barron Storey
Interview 79
23: Learning to Get “Real”
Bill Sienkiewicz
Interview 83
24: The Need to Do Something Different
Dave McKean
Interview 86
25: The Whole-Brained Approach
David Mack
Alternative Comics
26: The Education of an Editor 91
Monte Beauchamp
Interview 93
27: Arranging Sights and Ideas
Gary Panter
28: Learning from the Master 95
David Sandlin
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29: The Birth of Leviathan 98
Peter Blegvad
Interview 101
30: What’s the “Big Idea”?
Mark Newgarden
Graphic Novels
Interview 104
31: Revelations of a Pluralist
Chip Kidd
Interview 106
32: Acme Graphic Novelties
Chris Ware
Interview 110
33: A Novel Graphic
Art Spiegelman
Interview 115
34: Memoir of a Revolution
Marjane Satrapi
Interview 117
35: Out of the Inkwell
Kim Deitch
Interview 121
36: The Power of Old-Fashioned Storytelling
Rick Geary
37: Career Tips for Control Freaks 124
Ho Che Anderson
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Miscellany
Interview 127
38: The Education of an Educational Comics Artist
Leonard Rifas
39: Mini-Comics: Comics’ Secret Lifeblood 133
Tom Spurgeon
40: Fort Thunder: a Comics’ Art Collective 138
Dan Nadel
41: The European Comic Book Industry: a Guided Tour 141
Bart Beaty
42: Manga in America, Manga in Japan 144
Bill Randall
Section II: Widening the Field 147
Comics in Art and Illustration
Interview 148
43: That Old Time Religion
Elwood Smith
Interview 152
44: Representational Art to the Forefront
Robert Williams
Section III: Education Illustrated 157
Dan James
Nicholas Blechman
David Heatley
Rick Meyerowitz
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Section IV: The Comics Profession 165
The Business of Comics
45: Surviving the Convention Circuit 166
Heidi MacDonald
46: Popularizing the Comics 170
Todd Hignite
47: Growing Pains 174
Eric Reynolds
The Creation of Comics
48: Bring out the Dead! 177
Craig Yoe
49: Street Smarts 183
Colin Berry
50: Write Ways: an Unruly Anti-Treatise 186
Dennis O’Neil
51: Throwing the Book at Comics Artists 189
Tim Kreider
52: Common Sense on Giving Offense: 193
A Brief Guide to What You Can Get Away with
Robert Fiore
53: Contradictions of Character 195
Ward Sutton
54: What’s Love Got to Do with It? 198
Trina Robbins
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Section V: Comics Studies 203
Teaching Comics
Interview by Gunnar Swanson 204
55: The Four Tribes of Comics
Scott McCloud
Interview 210
56: Dedication, Commitment, Talent
Joe Kubert
57: Some “Contemptible” British Students 214
Roger Sabin
Interview by Joel Priddy
58: To the Heart of the Medium 221
Will Eisner
Lesson Plans
59: The Importance of Teaching Comics 229
Ted Stearn
60: Portrait of a Comics Artist as a Graphic Designer 232
James Sturm
61: Experimental Comics in the Classroom 235
Matt Madden
62: Funnybook Lit 101 238
Rich Kreiner
63: Resources List 243
64: Contributor Biographies 246
Index 257
Description:This provocative anthology provides inspiration on how to teach, think, and talk about comics in the classroom and beyond. Featuring essays by, and interviews with, more than sixty professionals, educators, and critics, the book provides an in-depth view of the art, business, and history of comics a
