Here’s the first animated version of a Tintin story from 1947. It was directed by Claude Misonne. I am very worried by the billboards around Los Angeles for the new Spielberg film. They are just horrifically ugly. That cannot be a good sign for the movie.
Tag Archives: Comics
100 Year Old Little Nemo Animation by Winsor McCay
The Los Angeles Times’ Hero Complex blog has a post about Winsor McCay’s early animation efforts from 100 years ago. This is a film that features the cartoonist impressing his skeptical artist friends with moving characters from his great comic strip, Little Nemo in Slumberland.
The actual Nemo animation starts at the 8:15 mark. Enjoy!
Thanks to Short of the Week for the tip.
Comics Author Harvey Pekar Has Passed Away
American comics genius Harvey Pekar has passed away at the age of 70. I think Pekar was the greatest writer of comics because he treated the form as literature – for real – not like most of the dimwits writing ‘graphic novels.’ Pekar was serious and nervous and funny and angry, with very little separation between. His observations of everyday life run a full range from fixing a flat tire in a snow storm to surviving cancer to trying to find a file folder at work. He looked at his life and wrote it all down for his comic books.
His comic books appeared in a series called American Splendor.
Harvey Pekar Comic on Corporatism
Smith Magazine has a new Harvey Pekar comic strip about how corporatism influences everything people do and think.
Can one work honestly inside a corporate system? Can you write a book criticizing corporations and have it published by a corporation?
Are comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert completely owned by corporations? My own answer is yes. That’s why they are so boring.
Graphic Novel: It Was the War of the Trenches
It Was the War of the Trenches, by Jacques Tardi, is available in English for the first time.
The graphic novel depicts the life of the average soldier in the trenches of World War I. The artwork looks gorgeous and the story is apparently quite harrowing. A nice big hardcover version seems the perfect presentation.
Here are more photos of the book.
Marvel Makes a Create Your Own Comic Tool
Marvel Comics has a Create Your Own Comic tool that lets you put together either a simple 3-panel strip or an entire 22-page comic book. You don’t actually draw anything, but you choose layouts, backgrounds, characters and objects. You can re-size everything and layer objects on top of each other. It’s great for trying one’s hand at designing a layout that tells a story effectively. So write your comic book and start designing!