Comic Art by George Hernandez

Exploring the art of comics.

Intro
Favorites
Links

Intro

If I have 2 minutes to read a paper, I will read the headlines, the weather, and the comics.

There are many sophisticated categories and critiques of the art of comics. The best book on the art of comics is Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, by Scott McCloud; published in 1993 by Kitchen Sink Press, Inc. The book itself is done in comic book format! His website, btw, is ScottMcCloud.com.

I used to have boxes and boxes of comic books but sadly enough, I only go buy comic books every now and then.

I Hate Comics by Phoebe Gloeckner

Just a few distinctions:

The word "cartoon" is related to the Italian cartone, the Dutch/Flemish karton, and the English usage of "carton" as in carton containers. They all imply a sturdy paper or paperboard. Illustrations on carton were called "cartoons". These were often studies or sketches preliminary to a more finished work. Cartoons were also perforated to mark lines on frescoes. A somewhat whimsical connotation has become attached to the word. The word has also become commonly used for animated 2D comics while 3D art (via computer modeling, claymation, etc.) or animated 2D "art" are not called cartoons.
The word "comic" from Latin comicus, from Greek komikos/komos which meant revel or to take pleasure. While a comic and a comedian are often synonymous, the word has also become synonymous with sequential illustrations that is often combined with text as in comic books, comic strips, illustrated stories, and graphic novels.

Favorites

Animations
- Movies
  - Akira (1988). Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo.
  - Les Triplettes de Belleville (2003). Directed by Sylvain Chomet.
  - Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (Spirited Away). Directed by, written by, and screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki. Studio Ghibli/Disney, 2001.
  - The Incredibles. Directed by, written by, and screenplay by Brad Bird. Disney/Pixar 2004.
- TV & Series.
  - Futurama. By Matt Groening of The Simpsons too.
    - http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/35548. Links to the best 25 Futurama moments.
    - Futurama [W]
    - GotFuturama.com
  - The Simpsons [thesimpsons.com].
    - First aired 1989/12/17.
    - Simpson address: 742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield, XX.
    - "Those critics who got it wrong at the start by billing the Simpsons as 'America's most dysfunctional family.' It's now clear that Homer almost always ends up doing the right thing; it is, it could be argued, one of the most moral shows on television today. According to Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams: 'It's one of the most subtle pieces of propaganda around in the cause of sense, humility and virtue.' "
    - Marge: 'Homer, is this the way you pictured married life?'
      >Homer: 'Pretty much. Except we drove around in a van solving mysteries.'
    - Ned Flanders, telling a bedtime story: 'And Harry Potter and all his wizard friends... went straight to hell for practicing witchcraft.'
    - Homer: 'I'm not normally a religious man, but... if you're up there, save me, Superman!'
    - Homer: 'That baby-proofing crook wanted to sell us safety covers for the electrical outlets. But I'll just draw bunny faces on them to scare Maggie away.'
      >Marge: 'She's not afraid of bunnies.'
      >Homer (ominously): 'She will be.'
    - Homer on trust: 'But Marge, I swear to you, I never thought you'd find out!'
    - The 'three little sentences' that Homer argues will get you through life.
      1. 'Cover for me.'
      2. 'Good idea, boss.'
      3. 'It was like that when I got here.'
  - Cartoon Network [CartoonNetwork.com]
    - Adult Swim
      - Family Guy. A18+
      - Futurama. A14+.
      - Korgoth of Barbaria. A14+.
      - Mission Hill.
      - Robot Chicken. A18+.
      - Venture Bros. A18+.
    - Miscellany
      - Camp Lazlo. 0-12 yo. Silly but endearing.
      - Dexter's Laboratory. 4-Adult. Way cool.
      - Ed, Edd, n Eddy. 5-Adult. Semi-violent nonsense but endearing.
      - Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. 0-12 yo. Stylish (PowerPuff creators) and imaginative.
      - Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi. 6-11 yo. Stylish, happy based upon the Japanese music group Puffy (aka Puffy AmiYumi in the U.S.).
      - Justice League Unlimited. 4-Adult. Not to be confused with the corny Justice Friends. An improvement on the same-styled Justice League.
      - One Piece. 6-22. Wacky, goofy, violence with great determination. Japanese.
      - PowerPuff Girls. 4-Adult. Good style, some times morally askew and violent.
      - Samurai Jack. 4-Adult. Violent but honorable. Very stylish.
      - Teen Titans. 4-Adult. Mostly American but with some Japanese styling.
  - Comedy Central [comedycentral.com]
    - South Park. A18+.
  - Disney Channel [Disney.go.com/DisneyChannel]
    - Dave the Barbarian. 4-22 yo. Goofy wacky fun.
    - Disney's Recess. 2-Adult. Social structures same then and now.
    - Kim Possible. 2-12 yo. Her adventures with Ron Stoppable and company. Stylistically and linguistically interesting. .
    - PB&J Otter. 2-8. Encourages thinking but that noodle dance gets annoying.
    - The Proud Family. 2-12 yo. An interesting Black/Hispanic family on the Disney Channel.
  - Naruto [W]. The number one hyperactive knuckle head ninja.
  - Nick
    - SpongeBob SquarePants. A06+. Adults can watch this show too. Wacky fun. "King of Karate" is a spoof on Enter the Dragon, the Bruce Lee movie, and is one of the best episodes.
  - PBS Kids
    - Arthur. Mostly Cartoon; 3-12 yo. Adults can watch this show too. Good exploration of grade school socializing.
    - Barney --NOT. Live Action; 0-4 yo. Way too saccharin, even for kids.
    - Berenstain Bears. 2-9 yo. Mild but lectures too much.
    - Between the Lions. Mixed Media; 2-8 yo. Encourages reading. Good effort.
    - Boohbah. Mixed media; 0-4 yo. Bizarre for non-parents to behold but surprisingly good for infants and young toddlers.
    - Cailou. 0-6 yo. Very mild but that voice is annoying.
    - Clifford. 2-8 yo. Mild but I can't suspend my disbelief with that big red dog.
    - Cyberchase. 3-15 yo. Math coolness. The goofy live in-betweens are always goofy but cool.
    - Dragon Tales. 0-7 yo. Little kids love it but at least it's better than Barney.
    - George Shrinks. 3-9 yo. Encourages adventure but seems to try a little too much.
    - Maya and Miguel. 3-9 yo. Just goofy adventures.
    - Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. Mostly Live Action; 0-4 yo. A little slow but interesting and respectable none the less. Mr. Rogers is remarkable.
    - Postcards from Buster. Half-cartoon, half-live action; 4-12 yo. Spin off from Arthur with a reality TV twist.
    - Reading Rainbow. Mixed Media; 2-8 yo. Encourages reading. Good vibes.
    - Sagwa. 4-10 yo. Chinese stories. Stories have decent twists.
    - Sesame Street. Mixed Media; 0-4 yo. Pretty good stuff. They need to bring back the guy who falls down the steps with his arms full of pies.
    - Teletubbies. Mostly Live Action; 0-3 yo. Bizarre for non-parents to behold but surprisingly good for infants and young toddlers.
    - ZOOM. Live Action; 7-14 yo. Still a blast after all these years.
Comic Art
- The ACME Novelty Library by Chris Ware. Here is a CNN article on Chris Ware. Chris Ware [W].
Comic Books
- Graphic Novels
  - Batman Year One. Art by Frank Miller.
  - Kingdom Come. A DC superhero story of earth when Superman, Batman, etc. have just about retired. Grand in scope. Beautifully rendered in watercolor. Story by Mark Waid. Art by Alex Ross.
  - Marvels. A Marvel superhero story of the arrival of the superheroes and their continuing presence. Grand in scope. Beautifully rendered in watercolor. Art by Alex Ross. Printed 1997.
  - Ultimates. A Marvel story of the latest incarnation of the Avengers superhero group. Art by Alex Ross.
- Periodicals
  - Heavy Metal. This magazine gets racy but they get great fantasy art.
- Serial
  - Characters
    - Batman
    - Darna [W]. The Filipino super heroine who has been around since 1947.
    - Fantastic Four
    - Silver Surfer
    - Spider-Man
    - Supergirl/Powergirl/Kara Zor-El/Kara Zor-L/Linda Lee/Linda Lee Danvers/Linda Danvers/Karen Starr, and even Cir-El.
    - Superman
    - Wonder Woman
  - Writers
    - Stan Lee. Stan the man is largely responsible for the slew of Marvel characters that came out in the 60s.
- via Web. Of course its best to physically go to a comic book store.
  - Fantagraphics.com. Highbrowish.
  - NextPlanetOver.com. If you can't make it to the comic book store, this will have to do.
  - SuperHeroHype.com. News about superhero related DVDs, shows, etc.
Comic Strips
- Multi-Panel
  - Calvin and Hobbes [§]. By Bill Watterson.
  - Dilbert [§]. By Scott Adams.
  - Doonesbury.com. By G.B. Trudeau.
  - Life in Hell. By Matt Groening.
  - Peanuts [§]. By Charles M. Schulz.
- Single Panel
  - Far Side
- Web
  - DayByDayCartoon.com. Political, 3 frame comic strips.
  - Get Your War On. Bitter humor from Pre-9/11 to 9/11 and beyond.
  - NoWhereGirl.com. Online only comic. Reminds me of Los Bros Hernandez.
  - OnlineComics.net. Listing of web only (not printed) comic art sites.
    - Synchopath.net/wtf. Outrageous distortions of old comics.
  - The Unh Project. Comical distortions of panels with sound effects balloons such as "Unh".
  - ThisModernWorld.com. By Tom Tomorrow (aka Dan Perkins). Blog and comics.
  - xkcd.com. By Randall Munroe. "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language".
People
- Stan Lee
- Steve Ditko
- Wally Wood
- Alex Ross
- Will Eisner
- Los Bros Hernandez
- Jack Kirby
- John Romita Sr & Jr
- Curt Swan
- Frank Miller

Links

Chicago
- Chicago Comics [ChicagoComics.com]. The best comic shop in Chicago.
  - 3244 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60657.
  - 800-509-0333. 773-528-1983, 1979 fax.
  - info@ChicagoComics.com
  - Mon-Thu 12-8; Fri 12-10; Sat 11-10; Sun 12-6
Anime and Magna
- AnimeStore.com.
- AnimWatch.com. "A monthly magazine showcasing the best in independent animation"
- The Anime Laws of Physics [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1394377]. Many of these laws apply to many cartoons and cheesy movies.
Publishers
Miscellany
- Action Comics #1. I got the same scans from some other source earlier. I don't know who did the scans.
- Atomic Books [atomicbooks.com]. A Baltimore, MD store that sells adult (not-necessarily erotic) comic books and books.
- Big Cartoon Database [BCDB.com]. 'Providing an In-Depth, Detailed Look at your Favorite Cartoon Classics. A Searchable DataBase of Cartoon Information, Episode Guides and Crew Lists.'
- BillSienkiewicz.com. Comic artist best known for his neo-abstract paintings for New Mutants.
- CartoonBrew.com. A blog on animation by Amid Amidi and Jerry Beck of Ren and Stimpy fame.
- CartoonNetwork.com. Three cheers to the Cartoon Network for bringing animated cartoons to cable television 24 hours a day.
- Chick.com. Most famous for their Christian cartoon booklets.
- CollectingFool.com.
- Comic-Art.com. Buy and sell
- ComicArtCollective.com. "a forum for fans to view and buy original art directly from their favorite alternative comix artists".
- ComicArtCommunity.com
- ComicBookResources.com.
- Comics.com. Includes largely syndicated comics. See archived stuff too.
- Comics.org. ' The Grand Comic-Book Database Charter. We are building a simple database that will be easy to use and understand, easy to add to, and easy for people to contribute to. We will include information on creator credits, story details, and other information useful to the comic book reader and fan. If we are able to take this to its ultimate conclusion, this database will contain data for every comic book ever published. '
- ComixFan.com.
- DenisKitchen.com. ' Blue chip original cartoon art, out of print books and unusual collectibles. '
- DiamondComics.com. Wholesaler that sells to retailors.
  - Comic Shop Locator. Simply enter your US zip code.
- Ethan Persoff [ep.tc]. Some older comic strips like a complete set of the 1968-1974 Alcoholics Anonymous comic strips, but he has other stuff too.
- Glass House Graphics [GlassHouseGraphics.com]. 'Founded in 1993, with offices in as far-reaching locations as Manila, Philippines and Sao Paulo, Brazil, Glass House Graphics, Inc. is a premier media service agency and studio devoted to print, radio, and TV advertising; corporate identity; traditional, flash, and 3-D animation; storyboards; product photography; web design; character sculpting and creature design; comic book and comic strip art; talent and licensed property representation; and lots more. '
- Heath Robinson single-panel cartoons.
- Homepage of Phoebe Gloeckner. Cartoonist and such.
- Lambiek.net. 'Lambiek is Europe's first and most famous antiquarian comic shop, and is a hallmark in the world of comics. Located in Amsterdam, Lambiek has a great selection of comics in many languages. Discover your favorite comic artists in the Comiclopedia - a huge compendium of more than 5,000 international comic artists, with biographies and artwork examples.'
- Larry Gonick [larrygonick.com]. Wonderful and great comics on history, science, and nonsense.
- Marvel Directory [MarvelDirectory.com]. 'The database has been designed just like the comic book series "The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe." We have the support of the Marvel Fan Site program, this allows us to bring you graphics and Marvel material that they provide and support.'
- NextPlanetOver.com. If you can't make it to the comic book store, this will have to do.
- NonStick.com. The Non-Stick Looney Page. All sorts of stuff on Warner Brothers animations.
- PatheticGeekStories.com. Short stories of embarrassment.
- PopCultureShock.com. Comics, games, anime, movies, toys.
- PVComics.com. Protean Void Comics. Hundreds of comic strips online.
- ScottMcCloud.com.
- SuperDickery.com. Older comics subverted. Very funny.
- SuperHeroHype.com. News about superhero related DVDs, shows, etc.
- TCJ.com. "The Comics Journal is a magazine that covers the comics medium from an arts-first perspective."
- "The Cheapening of the Comics" [hobbes.ncsa.uiuc.edu/comics.html]. Transcript of a speech by Bill Watterson, maker of Calvin and Hobbes.
- The Pain: When will it end? [ThePainComics.com]. Brilliant satirical stuff by Tim Kreider.
- The ORIGINAL Illustrated Catalog Of ACME Products.
- The Perry Bible Fellowship [cheston.com/pbf/archive.html]. A great cartoon strip that has cuteness and a twist.
- UComics.com. Includes largely syndicated comics.
  - http://images.ucomics.com/comics/. Why is their directory open? I don't know.
- UnitedMedia.com/Comics
- ValiantComics.com
- Vintage Superhero Comic Book Shop [vintagesuperhero.com. 'Are you searching for that one special superhero comic book from years ago? We've got the largest selection of vintage comics available anywhere. We also have the best prices available. Hey if we're lying feel free to send The Punisher over here to set us straight!'
- VGCats.com. Online comics with a gaming/movies theme.
- WordsAndPictures.org. A 'virtual museum, an exciting, constantly evolving portal to an unprecedented world view of comics'.

Page Modified: (Hand noted: 2007-11-01 04:24:47Z) (Auto noted: 2008-05-16 16:47:05Z)