Tom Spurgeon interviews David Malki, author of the excellent Wondermark
"The point being that comic strips were far more formative than comic books. Looking at both industries today, from the perspective of an adult in their midst, I'm utterly baffled that the two media even share a common term -- "comics." I don't think they could be more different."I've always thought of them as completely separate media and I think that to do otherwise causes a number of problems that we can well do without. (such as... oh, catch me later)
posted by Eddie Campbell at
22:24
14 Comments:
I love Wondermark.
Great to find you back, Eddie.
Big Wondermark fan here, too -- but I still think you're both full of cheese. Comics are comics; its a diverse medium, capable of infinite content. You're having the cart drive the horse.
Same art form, or on the same range anyway, but two different delivery media?
It's true that newspapers are far removed from the world of comic books, culturally, so from a social-historical angle they're distinct, if not divergent. At the same time, though, they share a formal language and do rub shoulders under the general rubric of "comics."
Of course the design/narrative strategies of comics books, pages, strips are all different. My colleague Rusty (Joseph) Witek has written about this very question, in an issue of IJOCA. His essay there discusses different examples of post-9/11 memorial comics, one informed by comic book strategies (Dean Haspiel) and the other by comic strip strategies (Brian Biggs, IIRC).
The real difficulty of positing comic books and comic strips as two entirely separate beasts is that it gets difficult then to place the work of artists such as, say, Eddie Campbell. :)
Hey, Eddie, I wanted to say I enjoyed talking with you at CCI last Thursday (and again on and off throughout). And it was great to meet Dan too. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to wish the two of you a proper farewell and safe travels. Best of luck with the remainder of your tour.
Pity I ended up at the opposite end of the dinner table from you two on Sat PM. But, hey, I did get to meet and talk to Gene Yang and Nick Abadzis and his wife Angela, among others. This would be filed under the heading "Good Things." :)
(I'd send some of this to you via private email but I don't know how.)
BTW, I gave DISEASE OF LANGUAGE to my friend/local host, and he was thrilled.
I almost have the biggest bum you've ever seen. x
Here I am, playing silly games...just for the sake of it. must move on. hope you're well. jeez, now i've got to go thru word veribafatsison. What a pip!
just for the craic. sorry.
Eddie, I doubt that you remember me but I just had to write you to express how enchanting it was to meet you last Wednesday evening at the Marriot lounge during the Comic Con. I enjoyed the most exhilarating conversation with you!I wanted so to attend the Spotlight on you Thursday afternoon but that morning I fell asleep on the beach at the hotel Coronado and I got major third degrees burns all over the front of my body! I was wearing a bikini so a lot of skin got burnt, even the tops of my feet burn! But I was able to attend a Graphic Novel panel you were on Friday afternoon. You are an exciting speaker! I hope are paths will cross again someday for it was delightful talking to you. May at next year's Comic Con! By the way the photo Mr. Gaiman posted of you on his blog didn't do you justice, you look far more attractive in person! And why didn't he post a photo of your wife Alice? Just wondering. Well, it was a sheer thrill to meet you! Love - Geri
Alice? ALICE? WHO THE FUCK IS ALICE?
Sorry, didn't mean to make waves I thought it was Anne or Alice, some female name that began with an A that was the Mr. Campbell's wife name. Just wanted to write it was great sharing a brief chat with the man while at the San Diego Comic Con, so easy lady. Geri
'twas merely a chance to wedge in a roy 'chubby' brown funny.
Hayley, glad you got the joke- you can click on my name and read my blog and see how harmless my encounter with the great artist was. Namaste - Geri
Eddie,
Just wanted to say, I picked up the Deevee collection and the 2007 issue from Gosh in London this week, and really enjoyed The Playwright.
I thought it shared some ground with Dennis Potter's Blackeyes and Gaiman & Mckean's Signal to Noise - while the humour took it off in a direction all it's own. Darren White's writing and your art played off each other in a really fresh way. Not that you need me to gush. I do think your pen and ink work stands alone from the pack - it reads like you have such control of that medium (probably the wrong word, mode? It'll come to me on the bus home). The last issue mentioned a graphic Novel coming out. Is this still one cards? Are there further chapters to come?
Best,
Ben Smith
(Sorry to have missed the chance to stand you a pint in Nottingham, hope it went well.)
Ah Eddie, you think YOU think too deeply about things - note this penetrating critique of your work:
http://politedissent.com/archives/2045#comments
Eddie,
Haven't been in touch for some time as I lost your email address when Number 1 son left two magnets on my laptop and fried the hard drive. I eventually figured out - doh - that I could reach you through your blog.
Anyway, just noticed the date and thought I'd contact you to say... Happy Birthday!!! That free bus pass just keeps getting closer and closer.
Sorry you didn't make it to Scotland when you were in the UK last week. Oh well, I'm sure we'll meet up for a pint or two somewhere, sometime.
All the best and have a great birthday,
Jim Beers
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