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Like everybody else I get compliments occasionally, and like everybody else I take them with a grain of salt...at least I usually do. For some reason, every once in a while, a compliment gets past my guard and I regard it as a cosmic truth, a titanic affirmation that something about me is worthy of sitting in a jeweled box at the top of a golden tower studded with elephant tusks. I have just received such a compliment. and I will now, with shameless immodesty, share it with you......
A couple of days ago John K remarked in a blog post on Jimmy Hatlo, that I was the last "man" cartoonist he could think of. That's "man," not "manly," which is probably a superior rank, but I'll take the compliment anyway. Imagine that. The last one. After me a whole species dies. Think of it.
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Yes, according to John I'm The Last of the Mohicans (above). I think the "man" reference has something to do with my life experience being in what I draw. Geez. He's obviously being much too generous, and everyone reading this will have a long list of much more qualified candidates, but I refuse to let truth get in the way. I expect everybody who visits here to wipe their feet first, and wear a surgical mask lest germs reach the precious throat of this last of his species.
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Cartoonists like you are a rarity nowadays, Eddie. Be proud of the compliment John gave you and then brag about it to everyone you know. Please! In a world where most people either draw super flat to hide their sense of amateurism, draw in that lifeless style that's present in almost every animated feature made during the past two decades (I'm not going to refer to it by any name, but you know what it is), or worse, try to do that ugly Shrek Dreamworks crap, we need people like you to keep the man cartoonist tradition alive.
ReplyDeleteIf you're not going to be proud of your manly heritage, I'll just try to bring back the idea of a man cartoonist myself.
I like the idea of the Sunday Comics, I enjoy your drawings but you don't post them very often.
ReplyDeleteIf you Draw a Sunday comics page that will become one of the highlights of my week. Be really cool to see you try your hand at a Far Side style panel comic.
ReplyDeleteYour majestry!
ReplyDeleteI was pretty suprised too when John said that, but then again, you had a certain quality to your work I liked, but couldn't describe it.
ReplyDeleteYou should do the Sunday Comics. I'd love to see your magic at work.
Kiss your MUSE squarely on the mouth.
ReplyDeleteEvery cartoonist should have a print of that "Out of the way you swine, a cartoonist is coming!" cartoon on their wall. Wonder how much the original would cost....
ReplyDeleteDo you know whether Kliban respected Gary Larson's work? Gary listed Kliban and Gahan Wilson as his two greatest influences, "masters of the artform" in the introduction to "The Complete Far Side and it would be really interesting to find out if Kliban was a fan or if they ever had any correspondance.
I actually see Gary's work as being more influenced by Gahan Wilson in how "4 dimensional" his cartoons were, they were really about drawing a moment in time from an odd universe than an artist making a specific statement about society which most of Klibans were. Kliban was definitely heavily influenced by Saul Steinberg (who I like but I think is overpraised). If you look through the first 100 pages or so of your Far Side collection you will definitely see quite a few unintentional ripoffs of Gahan Wilson cartoons.
It's pretty weird that noone has expanded on the "4-d" approach to gag cartooning and instead have opted to stealing superficial aspects of the Far Side like making everyone fat and bespectacled, talking cows etc.
It's like the difference between Elvis and Elvis impersonators.
I really think if you drew panel comics that expanded on your insights into what made the Far Side special but had the humor and style be all Eddie they could be huge!
I've always believed that women are much tougher than men in many ways. (For one thing, they put up with men...)
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, I get what John is saying insofar as it applies to you. Basically, you're a man, you think like a man -whatever that means- and you're really, really, REALLY funny.
One thing I DON't get though: In that post, John APPEARS -and if I'm wrong, then I'm wrong- to be ascribing a certain amount of bitterness and exhaustion to that mansthetic. (Hello, Oxford?) So does that mean you're a closet curmudgeon? I don't see it. Seriously, is there a subject you HAVEN'T talked about? (Hey, Blogger - can we get some damn ITALICS around here?!) You seem to see things from a lot of different perspectives.
I find that I think in a similar way. I am male, yessir, but I haven't checked how much of my body weight is muscle in a few years. On the other hand, I think I'm pretty bitter - bitter enough to be a cartoonist, anyhow. I've had to put up with a lot of stupid people, but where that measures on the strife-o-meter, I'm not exactly sure. My whole family lost money last year, but come on, it was 2009! What else is new?
Aghh - Screw it, I'm never gonna be a man cartoonist. I might as well stop trying. Or does that make me a sissy?
I'm not interested in baby butts, if that makes any difference.
Boiled down what I mean was it would be really cool to see cartoons by you where most of the humor came from the deliberately ignorant and funny staging and the unique sensibility and personality of the author than from "the gag".
ReplyDeleteHey Eddie,
ReplyDeleteIf you'd like I could color the comics for you. A little offer for you.
Eddie, A Sunday page would be wonderful!!! It would seem DUMM Comics is in need of a contributor or two or three.
ReplyDeleteI loved your blog when it started out as small comic observations, which rapidly led way to fumetti. While nice, I preferred the comics.
Anon: Thanks! I don't think one panel cartoons is what I'd do best, but who knows? I'll try a few formats and see which one feels right.
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew more about Larson. What you said about him is all I know, and maybe I got that from you in a previous comment.
Zoran: Being bitter helps, no doubt about it. i'm not bitter myself because I believe that in a general way, I've gotten more than I deserve out of life, and I actually feel guilty about it. Even so, it's true that a lot of the best cartoonists are bitter.
Brubaker: You'd do the coloring!!!?? That's quite an offer! Many, many thanks for that, but I feel I've got to learn this stuff myself or else I'm not a true cartoonist. Besides a lot of good ideas come from working with the medium and benefitting from lucky accidents, etc. Thanks, though. It was very kind of you to offer!
Comicrazy: Dumm Comics needs people!? I'm surprised! Say, are you the Comicrazy who puts up the website of the same name? I was just looking at it. The book you're selling on digital lettering looks terrific!
ReplyDeleteAlas, I am not that ComiCrazy. Though I am the same ComiCrazys (with an S) that John has so graciously linked to on occasion.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started my blog and for the last 2 years, I didn't realize there was a ComiCrazy.com. Jeez, so much for originality. Funny thing is, I think I have a copy of that lettering book in storage somewhere. If it were more easily accessible I'd send it to you gratis.
Oh, and I mentioned DUMM because Big Pants Mouse has ended it's run and I thought 1930 Nightmare Theatre was over as well. ButI'm sure Ricky would give up one of his 3 days for you.
ReplyDeleteEddie, if doing a comic solo proves to be too hard, maybe you and JK could be collaborators on a comic? Both of you appear to complement each other's strengths, and between the two of you I bet something fun and interesting would be born.
ReplyDeleteBTW your and JK's commentaries on the Popeye and Ren/Stimpy DVD's are great!
Eddie,
ReplyDeleteAllow me add to my voice to the choir in singing your praises. It must be both a blessing and a curse to be the last of your kind. Perhaps you need to begin the arduous quest for your heir, who's presently an unknown and lowly pig-keeper (or the cartoonist equivalent thereof!) I'd love to see a "Theory Corner" Sunday comics page, even if it's once a month.
Comicrazy: Thanks for the book offer. Fortunately the book is cheap enough so I can buy it without putting you to the trouble of looking for it, but I do appreciate the thought!
ReplyDeleteI'm really sorry to hear about Dumm Comics losing artists. That's a beautifully-presented site, and I was hoping that the founding cartoonists would be rewarded with lots of hits and advertising.
The internet is still a difficult place for artists to make money. Art jobs in general are getting harder to get. Thinking about this reminds me that when I first got into the animation business the old guys warned me that every cartoonist needed a second skill unrelated to art in order to pay the bills.
Kurtwill: Interesting advice.
Stephen: Heirs and mentors aren't as important as they used to be, because so much information is available on the net.
Hi Eddie: is there a link to that book on digital lettering you referenced?
ReplyDeleteYEAHH! Please draw comics, Eddie! I'd come by every Sunday!
ReplyDeleteas i stated on johns page, i just had dealings with the school of visual arts, i applied but was rejected due to my 20yr old gpa(im45) and the graduate catalogue they gave me was...well..awful! these kids learned a lot of technical stuff but their drawing skills remain amateurish if not outright incompotent.i worried that i would lose something if i attended. kirby, bashki, kurtzman,frazetta, their era has passed but these pasty sheltered shallow hipster kids just aint up to the task. i dont expect things to improve too much in the world of cartooning, unless some mysterious cartoon messiah is out there waiting to flip the script.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of Sunday comics, your lordship!
ReplyDeleteSunday comic is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteJust have fun with it!
Hey Eddie! I know you used to do layout work on Loony Tunes and Ren And Stimpy and I was wondering if you could show any examples of recent work. It's cool if you're not allowed to talk about current work but it would be really interesting to see how you put all your knowledge to use. I'm pretty sure your imdb page is out of date.
ReplyDeleteDoing a Sunday Page would be great.
ReplyDeleteI like your cartoon continuities.
Coloring in Photoshop isn't too hard. Simply have two layers, one with your drawing (set this layer to "Darken") and another layer below for the color. To select an area, use the selection wand on the drawing layer, then switch to the color layer below to add your color.
Off-topic question: How do you make a thumbnail image that, when clicked on, enlarges to a bigger picture?
ReplyDeleteI don't think a man cartoonist needs color. Or even ink! Just the dirty sweat from a hard day's work will do the trick.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of seeing new samples of the last man cartoons makes me very happy. I hope you decide to go for it!
Rooni: If you have a blog on Blogger you click on either 'Design" or "Layout" in the toolbar, and a box or schematic will appear. If it's a box, scroll down til you get to a category called "Pictures", click on it, cut and paste a picture into the slot, and fill in the information. If it's a schematic of your blog, then click on one of the panels in the right sidebar and a box will appear. Just cut and paste a picture in the slot, and fill in the information.
ReplyDeleteJack: Thanks for the tip! I'll try it!
Anon: Alas! I'm unemployed now, and I don't think my last employer would appreciate me putting samples of his project online.
Ah, Eduardo, with your modesty ablaze! Well, yer tops with me, fella. I'm just waiting for more of evidence of this alleged cartooning.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it has a far different meaning, this musing on the iconic concept of "The Last Man" made me think of Foucault:
"For those who still insist on speaking of the ends of man, we must give a philosophical laugh, and in most cases, a silent one."
Semantically, Foucault is referring to the concept of 'man', (which is not scientific, but rooted in metaphysics)and thus that 'man' has "ends", that 'man' should be put toward something, that he has use. Now the Last Man is the penultimate End of Man. At the End of Man, does man meet his ends?
"Whatever it is will probably look horrible..."
ReplyDeleteBad Eddie is better than no Eddie at all!
"Alas! I'm unemployed now, and I don't think my last employer would appreciate me putting samples of his project online."
ReplyDeleteEddie, the guys at Warner Bros. really should have hired you for that new Looney Tunes Show they're doing. You seem to know how to draw the Looney Tunes the best (nothing against Jessica Borutski's redesigns. She's an incredibly talented cartoonist herself), especially Porky Pig. I heard people like Jim Smith were working on the stories until they got laid off or something. Do you know anything about that?
This makes me wonder why these studios don't wanna hire funny cartoonists like you on their shows when there are cartoony shows like SpongeBob making millions of dollars a year. It's common sense that funny, lively cartoons are going to earn the most revenue. Strange...
Yo, Eddie, I showed my English Class your blog post about jane eyre.
ReplyDeleteI wonder-do you hold anyone's opinions in as high esteem as you do John's? I mean, is there anyone else alive in that class for you?
ReplyDeleteK. Nacht: I can't stand Foucalt, but I never actually read his books. I just thumbed through them.
ReplyDeleteCraig: The book is advertised on the Comicrazy web site. Do a search there for digital lettering.
Roberto: Yeah, I would like to have worked on that.
Anon: John is by far the best funny artist in the animation industry right now, but that's not why I was so moved by what he said. I guess I was just in need of an ego boost.
Eddie,
ReplyDeleteHow can you not stand a philosopher with out having read him?
It kind of boggles the mind, Ed. When I "thumb through" a work of philosophy, only the limits of my understanding of that work come into view.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine walking away from The Order of Things, or Madness and Civilization after a quick perusal with such a conclusive or definitive reaction, - save that marshaled by prejudice and imprudence.
"...save that marshaled by prejudice and imprudence."
ReplyDelete@K. Nacht - re: the above sentence fragment in its every detail - You......CAN't be serious, right?
Zoran, I'm a little heavy handed sometimes. My apologies.
ReplyDeleteFoucault is a social theorist, and maybe it becomes too political for Eddie, as I know he seems to shy from political confrontations, at least on the blog.
Ed, sorry to have brought it up. I really wasn't talking about Foucault, but about ideas and semantics. His quote was as a epigraph is to a chapter: a shudder of thought.
This is a theory corner, no?