tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post1302996168325335555..comments2008-04-27T14:47:51.705-07:00JohnKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14033480276168015590noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-25565249848620903692008-04-27T12:23:00.000-07:002008-04-27T12:23:00.000-07:002008-04-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

I suppose arguing about what years Calvin and Hobbes was best is like arguing about who was the best cartoon director at WB in the 40's. It's all much better compared to today's offerings.

Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504843258890704533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-29218958426511212622008-04-26T21:47:00.000-07:002008-04-26T21:47:00.000-07:002008-04-26T21:47:00.000-07:00

=v= Kurtzman had the best approach to repeated panels that I've ever seen, and of course it was the furthest thing from stagnant. He would make the panels narrow, and he'd boil the scene down to three panels. Normally the first panel would be sedate, the second one subtly different, and the third one on the verge of boiling over. The following full-sized panel would be the boilover.

Jymhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675802996264542565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-75039936268517641282008-04-26T01:54:00.000-07:002008-04-26T01:54:00.000-07:002008-04-26T01:54:00.000-07:00

I love Vincent Waller's cartoon that starred the "Hey Look" characters! :)

Jesse Oliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10824652744542615894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-2861051218118988452008-04-23T23:47:00.000-07:002008-04-23T23:47:00.000-07:002008-04-23T23:47:00.000-07:00

You think with technology today, people could educate themselves on how to make their comics a bit more visually appealing. Ugh, don't get me started on the comic ctrl+alt+del, no unique poses. And if that wasn't enough, too many words in a single panel and bad writing.

T.E.B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18203865920520520942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-14153296223283607982008-04-21T17:04:00.000-07:002008-04-21T17:04:00.000-07:002008-04-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

Kevin, I couldn't agree more about that sweet spot you speak of -'88 - '90 or so- and while I'm at it, I might as well mention: A while back John posted a breakdown of how Lichty influenced Rod Scribner, and it got me thinking, and I realized that when Watterson draws insane cartooniness of one kind or another, his style seems to exist in realm somewhere between Lichty and Scribner when he's

Captain Napalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01257217002413486395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-51781240119429726982008-04-21T16:49:00.000-07:002008-04-21T16:49:00.000-07:002008-04-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

Y'know, Miles, I get what you're saying about Groening's negative influence on comics and cartoons, but technically speaking, "Life In Hell" didn't really start going in that direction until the late 1980s when he created Akbar & Jeff. Obviously he fell so in love with the idea of these two bastardized Charlie Browns acting as Brechtian automatons for his endlessly ridiculous verbiage that he

Captain Napalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01257217002413486395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-23987277314236932882008-04-20T21:06:00.000-07:002008-04-20T21:06:00.000-07:002008-04-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

Hey Capt. Napalm, most of your examples are from the period I was talking about, roughly 88-89. The composition and expression in those early strips is partly why they're so appealing.And to be fair, Watterson's later strips are still full of those moments.Here's one (Calvin's mad expression in the middle panel is not just generic comic mad, and there's a mushroom cloud over his head to add to it

Kevin W. Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350124651239271608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-16600616170628057402008-04-20T19:10:00.000-07:002008-04-20T19:10:00.000-07:002008-04-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

Bill Watterson was the only truly great newspaper cartoonist of his generation, as others have pointed out. His best strips were a crash course in all the principles you talk about here. I dunno if these links will work, but try to follow them, they are very much worth it -http://www.s-anand.net/calvinandhobbes.html#19871210If you're a stickler for composition / line of action, this one is like

Captain Napalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01257217002413486395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-50430898456411852232008-04-20T18:59:00.000-07:002008-04-20T18:59:00.000-07:002008-04-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

Tony, my comment was mostly based on Bill Watterson's actual drawings of the characters.Here's a Calvin strip from 1985, which exhibits some of the "mushiness" you've described: http://www.s-anand.net/calvinandhobbes.html#19851230Here's a strip from 1988: http://www.s-anand.net/calvinandhobbes.html#19881026Here's a strip from 1995: http://www.s-anand.net/calvinandhobbes.html#19951129The

Kevin W. Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350124651239271608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-58452478669162220572008-04-20T07:24:00.000-07:002008-04-20T07:24:00.000-07:002008-04-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks John. These are helping alot lately working on boards.

dedmonkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01451952550664484463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-45998059810951655212008-04-20T07:20:00.000-07:002008-04-20T07:20:00.000-07:002008-04-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

Hey thanks for these. They've help me alot lately.

dedmonkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01451952550664484463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-33163912096971398892008-04-20T00:49:00.000-07:002008-04-20T00:49:00.000-07:002008-04-20T00:49:00.000-07:00

I'd like to buy the book but $60 is a bit pricey.If there's anything I hate more, it's the constant presence of static poses in comics and art in general. And if the artist can only make the faces of his characters accomplish only 3 different emotions, it makes me want to throw my keyboard at the screen.Kevin M. said: "my favorite Watterson art is around 1988-1989. In the strips from that period,

Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504843258890704533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-80427242138559006512008-04-19T16:03:00.000-07:002008-04-19T16:03:00.000-07:002008-04-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

As an artist, what I really appreciate about Calvin and Hobbes is how varied the posing and facial expressions are in almost every strip. It's not just characters standing around, with their mouths open for three or four panels.That said, my favorite Watterson art is around 1988-1989. In the strips from that period, Calvin and Hobbes are more solidly constructed and espressive than earlier, but

Kevin W. Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350124651239271608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-21369727205810427922008-04-19T16:00:00.000-07:002008-04-19T16:00:00.000-07:002008-04-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

"While I agree with most of those, I'd like to know why Lynn Johnston is on your list. The others are painfully obvious, but I can't see a problem with her work."Her work is just plain dull as dishwater. I don't have a problem having serious issues in a comic but you got to make the audience care about the characters. Also the artwork is nothing remarkable at all.

PCUnfunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00518171797365794688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-84862224840268289972008-04-19T13:22:00.000-07:002008-04-19T13:22:00.000-07:002008-04-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

Newspaper comics have been shit for awhile now. Not even worth looking at. Not a laugh on the whole page. I think the problem was Matt Groening. I think he was awesome, but he'd have nine panel comics that were all the same panel. Of course, he was such a good, honest, funny writer that it didn't matter, but people come along after that and think that they can do that too. Actually, what they

Miles Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17789437527520025910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-89326967041994045762008-04-19T13:18:00.000-07:002008-04-19T13:18:00.000-07:002008-04-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, Harvey Kurtz (picture of man)!He's so awesome! I had only known him from his later MAD magazine work and little annie fannie (shudder), but when i got his Hey Look! book, it was like a new world opening up. There was more creativity in one strip of heylook than in i'd say every newspaper comic out today. Each one was like a different porky in wackyland each time. Such creative stuff. So

Miles Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17789437527520025910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-17009083833753083972008-04-19T11:00:00.000-07:002008-04-19T11:00:00.000-07:002008-04-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hey John,Searching for Kurtzman, I've just found some milt gross stuff, hope you like it.It's herebye

carlo guillothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10699771403281481413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-36861770226130121922008-04-19T10:03:00.000-07:002008-04-19T10:03:00.000-07:002008-04-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

I love the work Harvey did for Playboy and "Little Orphan Fannie"! Someone should post some of that stuff.Mee-ow.- trevor.

Booo Tooons Ltd.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08554109671909765241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-45949881918197198972008-04-19T09:20:00.000-07:002008-04-19T09:20:00.000-07:002008-04-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

Also, if you were interested, I finally put up some of my own drawings. I hope they're okay. Off topic, sorry. Thanks, John.

Ross Irvinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033285147977101581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-84565840649855711132008-04-19T08:24:00.000-07:002008-04-19T08:24:00.000-07:002008-04-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

I really like these Kurtzman drawings. I was always concerned when I drew a line of action that fit too well with the other pose, if you know what I mean.I would draw a guy in a pose that almost tessellated with the other guy's pose. Then it looked like a puzzle and that really threw me off. So it's okay to make the poses fit that well?

Ross Irvinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033285147977101581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-55419154660171108602008-04-19T06:46:00.000-07:002008-04-19T06:46:00.000-07:002008-04-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

didn't vin waller work on an animated version of Hey Look?

Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04235254070667281419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-30463448861729458632008-04-19T05:38:00.000-07:002008-04-19T05:38:00.000-07:002008-04-19T05:38:00.000-07:00

To be fair, the choice of modern cartoons is atrocious! HahahaBut they make the point.For some reason, many disciplines had their golden age in the 50s (film, comics, cartoons) and then declined deeper and deeper into a dark age.Nowadays people are only concerned with technical improvements and forget to be creative, or even allow themselves to be spontaneous and silly.

Zorrillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06785263901609791012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-52453137770276161172008-04-19T00:42:00.000-07:002008-04-19T00:42:00.000-07:002008-04-19T00:42:00.000-07:00

Foxtrot (and other strips) often has some great writing, and it's depressing thinking about how much better it would be with some actual artwork. There's nothing wrong with little funny stories (in comics or cartoons), but the lack of anything in either medium taking advantage of what it's there for is frustrating. Considering the continued popularity of Calvin and Hobbes, you'd think more

Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484078583171586760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-2712389762479179222008-04-18T23:41:00.000-07:002008-04-18T23:41:00.000-07:002008-04-18T23:41:00.000-07:00

great post! please do more analysis on kurtzman!

Julián Höekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18031479726052697062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22406604.post-86362150139397468802008-04-18T23:34:00.000-07:002008-04-18T23:34:00.000-07:002008-04-18T23:34:00.000-07:00

"He is certainly one now. Along with Cathy Guisewhite,Kevin Fagan,Bruce Tinsley,Lynn Johnston, and the list sadly goes very long. Ccmics truely suck today."While I agree with most of those, I'd like to know why Lynn Johnston is on your list. The others are painfully obvious, but I can't see a problem with her work.

JonnyPlankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09114196581877110786noreply@blogger.com