With Salinger gone, you would have thought that Calvin and Hobbes cartoonist Bill Watterson was ready to assume the mantle of the literary world’s most dedicated recluse, but he’s gone and ruined everything by giving his first interview in 20 years to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. You’ll want to promptly click over to the whole thing, but here’s the nut graph:

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Hans Rickheit’s THE SQUIRREL MACHINE was one of the year’s most dazzling surprises — an extremely creepy and imaginative tale that made an indelible impression and announced the maturation of a unique talent. Rickheit has announced he’s serializing his new comic on the web. It’s called ECTOPIARY:

ECTOPIARY is a graphic novel in the making. I expect it will be about 600 pages in length when completed. Currently, I plan on posting a new page once a week. Hopefully, in the future, I will be able to increase the updates to twice a week.
ECTOPIARY does not fit neatly into any known genre. At the moment, I fancy calling it “science fiction.” I may change my mind tomorrow. Readers familiar with my other comics are encouraged to suggest other categories to file this critter.

At a page a week, we’ve got a long wait, but what is up there is worth checking out already.

It’s about time cartoonists got embroiled in the fun, easy-to-understand debate over health insurance currently going on. Julia Wertz , author of Fart Party, appears on Time.Com explaining that she has a disease — lupus– and no health insurance. That’s a problem.

Evan Dorkin responds with many thoughts on how freelancers can get coverage and how people are young and stupid.

I’m not judging anyone, here I’m a Mistake King first-class and I have made a lot of dumb choices myself over the years. When I was in my 20’s, I worked for Jim Hanley’s Universe, I was a manager and I had coverage. I never used it. Even when I had a big piece of glass go through my hand, my drawing hand. And it repeatedly opened up and soaked my bedsheets with blood. Why? Because I was young, and I was invulnerable, and I wanted to see my girlfriend that night and not see a stupid doctor and the stupid hand will heal and I’m busy this week going out and screwing around and it only hurts a little now, what can happen. I went to the doctor a week too late, and my hand has hurt ever since. My drawing hand, So stupid, so common, as Julia Wertz wrote. Ms Wertz has lupus, however, and Sarah knows someone who died because of that malady, so, y’know…this shit’s important to stay on top of and deal with. Not lecturing, honest. But what we do in our youth affects our later life, and later life is a long god-damned time, fingers crossed (I want to make stupid comics for a long time, and my hand is a disaster, and my neck went untreated for years…and my back…)

Tom has a few other links.

Reading comments on Julia’s status always depresses me. Obviously she’s made some decisions that affect her life — living in a $900 month an apartment isn’t one of them. This is a society where you can have insurance and still go bankrupt if you get a life-threatening disease. So getting sick isn’t just a matter of dying, it’s a matter of losing everything you have, as well. That’s an ethical choice we as a society have made.

Some people think that’s a problem as well.

The Boneville blogs reports that The Cartoonist will be airing on some PBS TV stations over the next few weeks. The Cartoonist: Jeff Smith, BONE and the Changing Face of Comics is a documentary by Mills James about the Bone creator and his journey to bring the story of the Bones to life. The film airs:

Thursday, December 10th at 8:30 pm on channel 15 WDSC in Daytona, Florida.

Sunday, December 13th at 5:00 pm on channel 36 MPTV in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Sunday, December 20th at midnight on channel 29 MPB in Jackson, Mississippi

Google is doing one of its birthday tributes to E. C. Segar, creator of Popeye. It’s the 115th anniversary of Segar’s birth. The Guardian has a nice profile:

Popeye the Sailor – who famously attributed his strength “to the finish” to his consumption “of spinach” – first entered the public consciousness in January 1929, in Segar’s newspaper comic strip Thimble Theatre.

The cartoonist was born in Illinois, US, on 8 December 1894, and showed a talent for drawing at a young age. Segar worked as a film projectionist while studying a correspondence course in cartooning, eventually moving to Chicago to pursue his career.

Segar died at the very young age of 43 after a long illness, but not without leaving his mark on the culture. In addition to Popeye and his spinach eating powers, the Army’s workhorse, the Jeep is named after a character in the Popeye strip — Eugene the Jeep — perhaps because soldiers found the new vehicle exhibited the character’s ability to get around in tight spaces. Sounds kind of far-fetched but it’s the preferred etymology. Wimpy and Bluto had similar branding successes.

BTW, Fantagraphics released Volume 4 of their oversized Thimble Theater reprint series not too long ago, “Plunder Island”, which just happens to be perhaps the greatest storyline from the strip, so if you’re curious for more, that’s the place to go.

by Michel Fiffe

[Cartoonist/comics historian Michel Fiffe has agreed to contribute occasional long-form interviews with cartoonists of note to The Beat. We're pleased to present the first one, with the stylish Marcos Martin. Click on all images for larger versions and make sure to check out all the supplementary materials and art here.]

Marcos Martin is one of the few modern cartoonists whose work I unconditionally follow. Although his art style is compelling and stripped of pretentions, it is Martin’s emphasis on storytelling that sets him apart from his contemporaries. From his first major breakthrough with Batgirl: Year One to his current Spider-Man arcs, Martin’s increasing facility with the form can only be a result of careful study and dedication. It’s no accident that his art has grown more confident and his narrative solutions seem profoundly thought out.

In speaking with him, Martin revealed a sincere passion for his craft and the thinking that goes behind it. We discussed his humble beginnings and artistic revelations as well as going through a number of his past works. He was gracious enough to take time from his busy schedule to speak to me from his home in Barcelona, Spain. You’ll notice that he’s as kind and humble as he is talented, sharp, and refreshingly critical. I almost feel guilty for prying him from his drawing board, but I couldn’t pass up this rare opportunity to talk to a creator of Martin’s aesthetic caliber.

Michel Fiffe: How did you discover comics?

Marcos Martin: When I was around 3 or 4 years old, I used to read the Walt Disney comic books that were published in Spain. They were actually Italian. The Italian magazine for Disney Comics was called “Topolino” in Italy but in Spain it was called “Don Miki”. I also discovered superheroes really early on because my sister, who is four years older than I am, for some reason had the early [Stan] Lee and [Jack] Kirby issues of Fantastic Four. She liked them because, y’know, Sue Storm would change her hair every once in a while (Fiffe laughs) and things were happening besides the battles. I was probably around 4 or 5.

Fiffe: I remember the comics [in Spain] were put out by [Ediciones] Zinco.

Martin: Zinco put out the DC Comics back in the 80s. I’m talking about earlier on, probably around ‘76 or something, earlier than that even. Marvel was being published by Ediciones Vertice back then.
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With ASTERIOS POLYP, and Crumb’s GENESIS finally, FINALLY published and in our hands, and Joe Sacco’s FOOTSTEPS IN GAZA galleys making the rounds, it may be that Craig Thompson’s HABIBI is now the Godot of graphic novels. Since the success of BLANKETS in 2003 — one of the best loved (by readers anyway) and influential graphic novels of the decade — Thompson has produced only the travelogue Carnet de Voyage, and has been working on the 600-page novel based on Islamic art and mythology since 2004.

Thompson’s infrequent posts about Habibi on his blog are always a prod to wonder when it will finally come out.

According to this entry, he’s been working on rewriting the ending for the last five months, and above, a peek at the first page he’s drawn since June. Just think of its eventual release as something to look forward to.

Come March, Random House will publish Backing Into Forward a memoir by Jules Feiffer, master cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter and all around renaissance man. According to an early review, it includes much material on his time as Will Eisner’s assistant and other matter from the comics business of the period. As well as a fantastic resource for comics history buffs, Feiffer’s life is compelling material in general and he’s as strong and insightful a raconteur as we’ve ever encountered.

Speaking of Kazu Kibuishi, he has a nice post up examining what the contributors to the anthology FLIGHT #1 have done in the five years since it came out. At the time, the fresh new cartoonists within were hailed as a new force in the industry — and they have mostly gone on to very productive careers in animation and comics. Kazu didn’t include last names, so they’ve been added:

7 out of 19 have worked on completed films, either as production designers or story artists:
- Enrico Casarosa (Ratatouille, Up)
- Jake Parker (Horton Hears a Who!)
- Vera Brosgol (Coraline)
- Khang Le (Monster House)
- Chris Appelhans (Monster House, City of Ember, Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox)
- Phil Craven (Kung Fu Panda, the forthcoming Kung Fu Panda 2)
- Clio Chiang (the forthcoming Princess and the Frog)

11 out of 19 have published one or more graphic novels (or will have a graphic novel published in 2010):

- Enrico Casarosa (The Venice Chronicles)
- Kazu Kibuishi (Daisy Kutter, Amulet, the forthcoming Copper collection)
- Jake Parker (Missile Mouse, forthcoming Scholastic GNs)
- Vera Brosgol (forthcoming First Second GN)
- Jen Wang (forthcoming First Second GN)
- Neil Babra (Hamlet)
- Bengal (Meka, Naja)
- Dylan Meconis (Wire Mothers: Harry Harlow and the Science of Love, Bite Me!)
- Derek Kirk Kim (Good as Lily, The Eternal Smile)
- Rad Sechrist (Tom Sawyer)
- Kean Soo (Jellaby)

It’s certainly an impressive body of work — especially where comics for kids are concerned. But as Kazu notes, it perhaps wasn’t as much a movement as some very talented people who came together. And of the 12 who had webcomics running at the time, only 3 do now.

Melinda Gebbie, Alan Moore, Eddie Campbell and his wife Anne, out and about in Northampton, UK.
Via Campbell’s blog.:

With a new house to pay for, for the first time EVER, David Lapham is selling original art from STRAY BULLETS. If only we had a spare $500 lying around.

While linking to this site, we became aware of the fact that you can read the first four issues of STRAY BULLETS online for free. If you have not read this ’90s masterpiece of pain, trauma, violence, and degradation, this first four issues are, to fall back on an overused term, as good as it gets. (Above page not for sale; top page is.)

I was also not aware that a new STRAY BULLETS story had been published in Dark Horse’s recently released NOIR anthology. Now you know as much as we do.

Not much of a headline, really, but Scott Edelman posts of a visit to the Marvel legend with fellow Bullpenner Irene Vartanoff. It’s always great to see this inspiring lady.

Via Flog:

Saturday, Nov. 7, 6PM

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, Seattle, WA

Friday, Nov. 13, 7PM

Desert Island, Brooklyn, NY

Friday, Dec. 11

Ada Books, Providence, RI

[It's been a big month for artist John Cassaday. The final issue of PLANETARY shipped after a years long delay, marking the end of a 10-year-long chapter of his career. Even more importantly, he's currently in Los Angeles prepping to direct an episode of Dollhouse, the Joss Whedon-created show about Echo, an unwilling spy who is forced to use a technology of shifting personalities.

What does it take to direct dramatic TV? What's it like to work with Joss Whedon? Is Cassaday leaving comics? Read on for the answers!]

The Beat: Directing? Why directing? How long has this been going on? Was this your childhood goal?

John Cassaday: Directing has always been half the dream for me, the other half being comics. Friends I had growing up would tell you exactly that. I always knew what I wanted, which was to be a visual storyteller…to tell those stories the way that I saw them… I believe there’s a tangible cross-section of thought here. When I read a comic script, I often see the scenes behind a camera—the shots, the movements and sound, the actors… At times, I’ve read screenplays and see the comic page. These things blend in my mind, so I do my best to shape them into what is needed. I believe in cinematic storytelling, whether it’s on a comic page or on film.
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R U sick of SPX reports? How can you be when they are so full of “laughing and loving” (as Dustin Harbin put it) and comics and joy and happiness? Seriously, is there any other show that gets this level of treasured memories and cute goings on? AND DID WE MENTION GREAT COMICS? If you are not inured to enthusiasm, Colleen AF Venable has yet another report, this one covering everything you need to know about beards and karaoke and…THE SILVER DINER. JESUS H FRAKING JEHOSHAPHAT. Maybe SPX is not such a love-in. While I was STARVING MY ASS OFF treasuring every crumb of a cold stale Power Bar, everyone else was eating pancakes and syrup and warm runny eggs and…deep breath. It’s okay. Anyway…WOMEN WITH FELT BEARDS ARE THE NEW SHIRTLESS DEAN HASPIEL. Think about it.

Have you ever wanted to just ditch it all and go on tour for a few weeks? If adult responsibilities are preventing you fro doing just this, perhaps The Voyages of The Grimace, the tale of MK Reed, Liz Baillie and Ken Dahl in a car for a few weeks, will be a welcome (or warning) substitute.

It’s been an astonishing year in graphic novels, but…we’re not done yet. Comicmix has the goods on what may be the most amazing book of the year, LOVERBOY, by Dondi creator Irwin Hasen.

Loverboy is the risqué, romantic escapade story of a short bachelor, who adores tall, women. The double-breasted suit wearing man-about-town seeks psychiatric insight to his tendencies in this humorous new graphic novel by award winning Dondi cartoonist, Irwin Hasen. Also includes a major biography of the noted cartoonist, and is filled throughout with Hasen’s famous humor.

Hasen is 91, so…he must have a good memory.

Did we post the John Porcellino tour dates before? Twice is better than never. He IS coming to a store near you.

Tues. Sept. 29, 2009; 7-9 PM – Brooklyn, NY
Desert Island
540 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 388-5087
www.desertislandbrooklyn.com

Weds. Sept. 30, 2009; 7PM – Somerville, MA
Hub Comics
19 Bow Street, Somerville, MA 02143
(617) 718-0987
www.hubcomics.com

Tues. Oct. 6, 2009; 7PM – Montreal QC
Librairie Drawn & Quarterly,
211 Rue Bernard Ouest, Montreal, QC H2T 2K5
(514) 279-2221
www.drawnandquarterly.com/211bernard

Weds. Oct. 7, 2009; 7 PM – Toronto, ON
The Beguiling
601 Markham Street, Toronto, ON, M6G 2L7
(416) 533-9168
www.beguiling.com

Fri. Oct. 9, 2009; 7-9 PM – Ann Arbor MI
Vault of Midnight
219 S Main St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 998-1413
www.vaultofmidnight.com
w/ Patrick Porter (acoustic music)

Sat. Oct. 10, 2009; Noon-2 PM – Dearborn MI
Green Brain
13210 Michigan Ave., Dearborn, MI 48126
(313) 582-9444
www.greenbrain.biz

Sat. Oct. 10, 2009; 7 PM – Cleveland OH
Visible Voice
1023 Kenilworth, Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 961-0084
www.visiblevoicebooks.com
w/ Patrick Porter (acoustic music)

Mon. Oct. 12, 2009; 7PM – Columbus OH
Wholly Craft
3169 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43202
(614) 447-3445
www.whollycraft.net
w/ Patrick Porter (acoustic music)

Tues. Oct. 13, 2009; 6-9 PM – Bloomington IN
Boxcar Books
408 E. 6th St. Bloomington, IN 47408
(812) 339-8710
www.boxcarbooks.org
w/ Patrick Porter (acoustic music)

Weds. Oct. 14, 2009; 5-7 PM – St. Louis MO
Star Clipper
6392 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63130
Phone: 314.725.9110
www.starclipper.com
w/ Patrick Porter (acoustic music)

Fri. Oct. 16, 2009; 7PM – Chicago IL
Quimby’s
1854 W. North Ave., Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 342-0910
www.quimbys.com
w/ Patrick Porter (acoustic music)

Tues. Oct. 20, 2009; 12:15 PM – Palatine IL
Harper College
Building I, Rm. 115
1200 W. Algonquin Rd, Palatine, IL 60067
(847) 925-6000 x2389
www.harpercollege.edu
Open to the Public!

Thurs. Oct 22, 2009; 7 PM – Madison WI
Rainbow Bookstore Cooperative
426 W. Gilman Street, Madison, WI 53703
(608)257-6050
www.rainbowbookstore.org
w/ Patrick Porter (acoustic music)

Fri. Oct. 23, 2009; 7PM – Iowa City IA
White Rabbit
109 S Linn St., Iowa City, IA 52240-1803
(319) 358-9557
www.whiterabbitgallery.com
w/ Patrick Porter (acoustic music)

Sat. Oct. 24, 2009; 5-7 PM – Minneapolis MN
Big Brain Comics (w/ Reception following at West Bank Social Club?)
1027 Washington Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 55415
(612) 338-4390
www.bigbraincomics.com
w/ Patrick Porter (acoustic music), and Zak Sally

Fri. Oct. 30, 2009; 6-9 PM – Lawrence KS
Wonder Fair
803 Massachusetts St, Lawrence KS 66044
(406) 360-5875
www.wonderfair.com
w/ Patrick Porter (acoustic music)

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While Japan mourns the creator of Shin-chan, Yoshito Usui, some rather heartbreaking details are emerging about his death on September 11th. Usui-sensei fell to his death while out hiking, and there’s a cautionary tale for all:
A Futabasha official said the last picture on the broken digital camera found near Usui’s body was one peering down a steep cliff.

“As he was full of curiosity, we think he fell off at the moment he took the picture,” the official told reporters.