JohnnyEnzyme

NOTE: I'm deleting and repurposing the earlier entry, here.
(I don't feel like I got it quite right at the time, so here's this:)

Now, there's sort of a hidden backstory here, in that after I got to the States, and after reading American comics, I became a pretty much long-time, loyal DC/Marvel fan until I noticed that they just... I dunno... kept recycling their content, and kept using their characters as resurrectionist puppets?

For example-- they'd make a huge song & dance about killing off a character, only to later bring them back perfectly intact via whatever bullshit excuse, some issues later? (sometimes even needing to create alternate worlds for them to exist in!)

Point is-- it pretty much hammered home the idea that all these characters were just licensed properties (tm), and not representative of remotely approaching real characters.

Dense as I was, it did become clear as a comics reader that my needs just weren't being met anymore, suggestible teenager as I was. That's roughly around the time that I started exploring American-indie/alt comix, such as Cerebus the Aardvark, Love & Rockets, and several others.

What can I say? I just lost total interest in bullshit fantasy, and got WAY more interested in Euro and Alt / Indie stuff, and in truth, I've rarely looked back.

Now here's the great Dave Cooper: (the story appeared in the parody Bizzaro-World collection)

-----> https://imgur.com/a/dave-coopers-bizzaro-world-super-dumped-xi144QU <-----

EPILOGUE? Uh... I guess just that Euro-comics... at bare minimum, they suggest to me how your day went, and what little (but crazy) challenges you went through that day. That's some real stuff, to me.

(click to expand the images below)

I particularly love this first one because, speaking as primarily a watercolor & gauche artist myself, sometimes artists (the great Hugo Pratt, here) just make it hard to figure out what the hell art materials they used exactly, in which we observers sometimes just totally lame-out and shout "mixed media, dude!"

But I'm not sure I totally believe it.

Incidentally, I'm a HUGE fan of female leads, and to me, this one kinda recapitulates James Bond's primary love-interest in, uh... what was that film? EDIT: It was Live and Let Die, a super-fun film IMO.

Here's a prime snippet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn8q0LsO4PA
(and please DO watch it on your YT proxy so as not to get caught in the web of ads)

Yes yes, once again it's NOT BD, and honestly, I'm really not much of a manga fan outside Ghibli. But this collection quite caught my eye, and seemingly for many Euros, too. From what I can tell, it's called The Art of Mitsume "World of 2," published by Noeve Grafx in Europe.

Ex-libris Azimut, Manie Ganza, Jean-Baptiste Andréae, vent d'Ouest - Hobby Folie!

Sadly, I don't know this series at all (well, what else is new, Johnny), but I loved how this picture plays around with almost a tradition of glam media, but I also Iike how the photog is a sort of R2D2 attempting to capture "Marilyn" in the 'great pose,' you know?

Possibly NSFW:
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22marilyn+monroe%22+%22upskirt%22&udm=2

I first saw this in the American Heavy Metal magazine. It's of course Moebius playing around with *everything*, such as his penmanship, 'hatching-work' (how the lines intersect), the beautiful colors, the panel-layout, and just... whoof!

It's also oddly funny to me... I.e., "Arzach" might have met his eternal doom right here, but I reckon him more like "Den," by Richard Corben. I.e., our collective love for them will just keep resurrecting them endlessly, mais non?

Note: I've tried to help make our sidebar more easily-searchable for results lately, and we certainly have more Den & Arzach content, were one to search...

Go get it, Tiger!

So... if you've kept up with my previous ditherings, then you know that I'm trying to help an elderly friend ("Calvin") in my place hang on to what's his. Me, I've known him for ~12yrs, but, really... that doesn't matter. More like if I can possibly help someone, then that's how that works, even if I wind up neglecting my favorite blog / community. Community!

But man, this shit has been a trial. For real.

I mean, for one, this funny guy evidently didn't pay his electric bill for a godamn year And every time I talk to him about that now, I keep reminding him to pay his bill and fix his service, naturally. Me, I've tried contacting The Illuminating Company myself, but so far it seems that you have to be the actual approved phone# / acct# in order to access even the simplest of details about a person's account. Eh, okay.

I'm just worried in general, tho.
Me and a friend did a whirlwind grand-cleansing of his apt for the upcoming annual inspections, but what's that going to matter if he gets kicked out due to not paying his rent, you know? (even though he has the money?)

It's just bloody-hell ridoinkulous.

And yes, every verdammt day I talk to him and beg him to take care of this stuff, and he says "yes, sure I will," and then he does nothing.

It's just... I'm not sure how to better describe this complete mess. It's almost like Cal's got this passive-aggressive need to take down anyone who cares about him.

I'm just lost, honestly, and my stress levels are through the roof. I really don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do, here.

(sorry about my language, above...)

EDIT: FFS, he's 75yo. He's not 90yo. All of this would make more sense if Cal was 90yo...

Funny, I was browsing some of my old posts at the evil empire, and was reminded of this hilarious mini-comic.

Now, there's sort of a hidden backstory here, in that after I got to the States, I was pretty much a loyal DC/Marvel fan until they just... I dunno... kept recycling their content and using their characters as puppets?

For example-- they'd make a huge song & dance about killing off a character, only to later bring them back perfectly intact via whatever bullshit excuse, some issues later. It pretty much hammered home the idea that all these characters were just licensed properties (tm), and not representative of real people.

Dense as I was, it did become clear as a comics reader that my needs just weren't being met anymore, even late-teen as I was. That's roughly around the time that I started exploring American-indie/alt comix, such as Cerebus the Aardvark, Love & Rockets, and several others.

It was like the spirit of the Indie 60's / 70's comix finally found a bigger foothold with the public, roughly starting with the mid-to-late 80's. I mean, that was a big win for the likes of ME, man! :D

But also, and later, it kind of *inclined* me to cast my gaze even further, because let's face it folks-- 'Indie' & 'Alt' comix can still be pretty crap am Ende des Tages. ("at the end of the day?") (I'm thinking I'd really like to learn German after I'm 'good enough' with French, as they're pretty-much the two closest relatives of modern English)

Oh... right so-- probably the biggest reason I'm sharing this HERE, a place devoted almost exclusively to Euro comics, one we've built painstakingly by hand, mind you, is that I... 'don't mind a good ol' ribbing upon what once was.'*

* Spoken in heavily Irish brogue, haha

ANYWAY, I feel you've endured FAR more than enough. Here's the story:

-----> https://imgur.com/a/dave-coopers-bizzaro-world-super-dumped-xi144QU <-----

Today's theme:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nOrAJTu3R4

(I LOVE this blog)

1. I've absolutely no idea what a 'scanlation' means, so I guess that's a wash!* (top link)

* he said, tongue firmly in cheek

2. Yeah, baby! (all those snipped Tintin panels) [link]

3. "Nobody likes Gaston?!?" (whaaaat?)

4. GAS-lighting! With dear ol' Captain Kirk! https://sundaycomicsdebt.blogspot.com/2017/01/requested-adaptations-asterix-gaslighter.html

In clumsily colluding, I guess... eh, well, what was the question again??

My dear friend and apartment bldg-mate "Calvin" collapsed in front of my eyes just now, but we've just now safely packed him off to the ER.

Now, Calvin... he's 75yo, but with a feisty attitude that I've come to especially appreciate. <3

Anyway, I sent him off with his celly, my best charger, and some bites of delicious lasagna which I'd been preparing for him, before he collapsed.

In fact, that's the baffling thing-- the fact that he'd just been released from the hospital THIS VERY MORNING after tripping and knocking himself out on Saturday.

Unfortunately, on top of all that, I have some other personal issues going on all at the same time.

Ugh, when it rains it pours.
Quand il pleut, il pleut à verse, haha.

@Nacktmull,
I'm truly, totally honored that you agreed to help with this sub-lemmy. You are like the wind in my sails, even if that's a cheesy analogy, lol.

Btw, in terms of the racist / automatic-hatred towards certain peoples we've recently seen here-- it is absolutely NOT tolerated anymore, as directly observed on the Sidebar.

Still, it's a WIP (work-in-progress), so let's see how it goes...

Thanks so much to our loyal readers and creators. <3

I'll be honest-- outside of my champion B&W artist-hero Jaime (i.e. Mexican-American Jaime Hernandez), I really do love fine, water-colored comics. But then... dash-it-all, THEN I demand a nuanced, real-world storyline on top of that! I mean, how ungrateful can one get??

Which brings us to this little "JC Acquefacques" classic, which I really didn't like at first. Well, at least for me, I felt it strangling, Kafkaesque, horribly dated, annoying, and just plain irrelevant, TBH. But then... page after page... I started smirking, then giggling, then finally... my eyes just blazed with admiration. (is that a phrase? well now it is!)

----> https://imgur.com/a/6luNkBt <----

YES, I know... not everyone's going to like this niche, meta series, which tends to express itself in rather 50-ish terms, but for those interested--

LBK:
https://www.lambiek.net/artists/m/mathieu_m.htm
BDT:
https://www.bedetheque.com/auteur-201-BD-Mathieu-Marc-Antoine.html

EDIT: hahaha, there's even a song for this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA142IsjQiE

(that's the Oct 2nd, 2018 Heathcliff, in case the image doesn't show up <backup link>)

I've kvetched about this before, but I can't help but wonder if the comic sort of hit a peak somewhere between the late teens and early 20's, around when SOLRAD did a fascinating article series on Orangecat.

For example, in the above strip, we see a fairly tight view of the situation, with well-drawn (if simple) art, and a clever, easily comprehensible premise. To be clear, though-- I'm not here to complain about the cartoon going in a gonzo, surreal direction in recent years, I'm moreso a bit chagrined by the art quality slacking off a bit, affecting the overall quality.

You can compare yourself at the archive, which is also a really cool resource that goes all the way back to 2002, about four years in to writer-artist Peter Gallagher's tenure. Notice any differences?

To me, it seems like the camera typically zooms out more in recent strips, with the characters usually being smaller... even a bit lumpier, and more brusquely drawn. Now does that work with the current style? Sure, I can concede that. Just that I miss the superior linework and artistry of prior years, even if it was more of a straight-gag comic at the time. Okay, rant's over. :P

There's been a clear evolution, in any case. I wonder where it will lead...

I found this a lovely little series, ostensibly meant for young Czech readers, but rather Grimm at times (as you can see).

I'm guessing the series was published in the ~1970's. Happily for English-speakers, it was recently translated by one "Tomalakis." So then, here's 13 mini-chapters you can read:

----> https://imgur.com/t/pochal <----

Artist Jiří Kalousek worked effectively in a variety of styles, and passed away in 1986. More samples of the artist here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22jiri+kalousek%22+artist&udm=2

Now how would that convo have gone?
Credit to @darklamer@lemmy.dbzer0.com

Anyway, if I understand correctly, this is from the V&L album, The City of Shifting Waters.

(and I told you and TOLD you to get the hell out of Mos Eisley!!)

(follow the link please to a different Lemmy instance)

I had no idea this otherwise-classic painter did so many of these oddball portraits, so I'm sharing some of my faves:

Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527 - 1593), was an Italian Renaissance painter best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of objects such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish and books, i.e. grotesques. --WP

Vertumnus (1590) & Water (1566)

These works form a distinct category from his other productions. He was a conventional court painter of portraits for three Holy Roman Emperors in Vienna and Prague; also producing religious subjects and, among other things, a series of coloured drawings of exotic animals in the imperial menagerie.

The Waiter (1574) & The Librarian (1566)

The still life portraits were clearly partly intended as curiosities to amuse the court, but critics have speculated as to how seriously they engaged with Renaissance Neo-Platonism or other intellectual currents of the day.

Winter (1563) & Spring (1563)

Much more on his life:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Arcimboldo