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"The
Official History of comics is a history of frustration. Of unrealized
potential. Of artists who never got the chance to do that
magnum opus. Of stories that never got-or else they were bowdlerized
by small minded editors". -Dylan Horrocks, from his award winning
comic "Hicksville," 1998
 Because
comics are primarily juvenilia, the fact that there are some artists
capable of producing actual art is ignored. This has lead to one
of two outcomes for said artists: continuing to produce their type
of comics in complete obscurity and eternal financial limbo (with
the obvious exception of Robert Crumb), or use their talents in
the more profitable area of comics, and try to squeeze in whatever
artistic relevance they can within commercial confines.
 At
this point, what would motivate someone with true talent to work
in the comics industry can only be described as idealism or insanity.
If one simply wants to be recognized by a small group of "hipsters"
who are aware of terms like mini-comics, and alternative comics,
and care nothing for real recognition and supporting one's self
through their art, comics are a superb choice. The fact that so
many people pour their entire lives into the industry speaks volumes
about the power of this art, and the potential many people see in
it, but are usually unable to exploit.
Sadly, this
means that many of the great artistic minds of our time will never
be recognized, because they made the admirable but misguided choice
to work in comics. This is a tragedy, and as I mentioned in my "Comics
and Jazz" essay, it draws parallels to Jazz artists who died early
deaths despite their enormous talent. Pianist Bud Powell died on
the streets, a manic alcoholic, with only fellow pianist Thelonious
Monk to care for him. If nothing else, today, one can easily find
all of Powell's recordings at a discriminating record store, and
critical acclaim has been heaped upon him by respected authors.
The same goes for talents like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and
others.
Comics on the
other hand, seem as if they will leave less of a legacy. One can
devote their entire life to the form, and be praised endlessly by
their peers and comic journalists, but receive virtually no attention
from the mainstream public (again, Crumb makes the happy exception
list, as does Charles Schulz), even after their death. George Herriman
(Krazy Kat), widely considered the greatest cartoonist of all time,
is a name that has no meaning to most of the public.
So why did
Herriman choose to draw comics? From what is said of him, he was
a humble man, who was confused by even the least amount of praise.
He was not a terribly popular cartoonist, but he was content with
doing what he did, which probably gave his comics the relaxed and
whimsical air they had about them. Still, as time goes on, Herriman's
body of work faces an incredible challenge: surviving so that others
may read it. The question is not whether Herriman is good enough
to survive the test of time, but whether enough people will be aware
of him to keep his work available and in print. The likely outcome
is a future where Herriman's books are found only at antique bookshops,
with those who are lucky enough to find them wondering why he has
never heard of the chap who authored the pages. Farther into the
future, Herriman's books disappear completely, while Shakespeare,
Da Vinci, Beethoven, and a few lucky others are (hopefully, and
rightly so) carefully preserved.
Sadly, this
scenario applies to all cartoonists. In most cases, a talented cartoonist
will never produce a great work like Herriman, because they will
not be able to stay in the industry long enough, due to the fact
that there's no money. If someone is a true artist, a talented one,
there's little incentive to stay in an area where you won't be able
to make a living from your art, when other mediums will provide
you with security, and acclaim. Most of the time, people who would
do great work in comics don't even consider it an option. Comics
never enter the mind of most creative minds, because of their status
as lower then low-art.
Those who do
have the talent, the passion, and the patience to try to make it
in comics are a rare breed, but they do exist. I discussed many
of them earlier, as those who cared nothing for financial gain,
but there are those who would like to provide for their families
while working in comics. Sadly, while they are able to produce some
worthwhile work, they are hardly ever able to create what they have
the potential for, because to achieve their ambition of working
in comics, they must cheapen their work according to popular tastes.
Creators like Jack Kirby, Harvey Kurtzman, and others are examples
of endlessly talented men who were able to produce financially successful
work, but not able to produce their true masterpieces. When Kurtzman's
The Jungle Book made it onto The Comic Journals Top
100 comics of the Century list (#26), columnist (and co-publisher
of Fantagraphics Books) Kim Thompson begged the question: "what
if it had been a success? What if Kurtzman, instead of being forced
to leapfrog from more failed anthologies to the compromised Little
Anny Fanny top teaching and illustration jobs, had been able
to re-create himself as a one man satirical team?" Thompson ends
by saying, "The Jungle Book remains one of the art forms
most stunning successes, and one of its most heartbreaking failures."
There are endless heartbreakers likeThe Jungle Book, and
endless creators like Kurtzman who's work, despite brilliance, was
ignored to the point where Kurtzman barely eked out a living.
So what do
we have here? An industry who's best work will disappear in the
distant future. An industry that is usually ignored by those who
could make it great. An industry that is not accommodating to those
who want to make a mark in it. An industry that forces those who
love it enough to stick with it to produce second rate work. An
industry where the only pure work is produced by people who don't
have any illusions about making it big or getting wide recognition.
Actually, I
think that last group isn't half-bad.
Copyright
© 2000 Austin English All Rights Reserved
Austin English
was born in San Francisco where he continues to reside to this day.
His interviews with alternative cartoonists have appeared throughout
the Internet, most notably at www.indymagazine.com.
He also has a self-published mini-comic entitled The Tenth Frame
available for just $1.00. You can contact him at three1145@
aol.com, or P.O. Box 460584 San Francisco, CA 94146-0584.
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