tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post6018434363152274408..comments2024-03-28T22:57:07.128-04:00Comments on ILLUSTRATION ART: "I'M FREE! HELP!"David Apatoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11293486149879229016noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-76881174331067876682016-10-29T13:18:27.814-04:002016-10-29T13:18:27.814-04:00Robert, thanks. I'm Googling now and Wikipedia...Robert, thanks. I'm Googling now and Wikipedia says among other things: "In education, recess is the American term (known as "lunch" or "break" in the UK and Ireland,.../ or "interval" or "morning tea" in New Zealand)". And my dictionary indicates "intransitive verb American colloquially". Maybe the use of the word distracted me because I had British English in school as a second language.<br /> Alešhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11829918742785206010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-83528405727543072222016-10-27T16:54:55.723-04:002016-10-27T16:54:55.723-04:00When I was in early grade school in southern India...When I was in early grade school in southern Indiana in 1960-63, (in other words, not a sophisticated age, time, or place), we called recess "recess." That's what the teachers called it and so that's what we called it.<br /><br />We moved to northeastern Florida in my third grade year; I do not recall with certainty what we called recess, but I believe it was "recess." I don't remember ever calling it "break."Robert Cookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06951286299515983901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-42546940211952914572016-10-24T17:44:35.260-04:002016-10-24T17:44:35.260-04:00John Cuneo-- Agreed. Always glad to receive input...John Cuneo-- Agreed. Always glad to receive input on these matters from someone who Thompson regarded so highly.<br /><br />Aleš-- I'm not sure of the answer to your question, but I know Richard put all kinds of words in the mouths of his characters. Not just precocious language ("His was a fierce and wild spirit that no cage could long hold") but also invented words and wonderful nonsense syllables. <br /><br />Sean Farrell-- I hadn't thought about it, but I agree that "affection" is an important element here. If you look at the five examples cited in Richard's comment above, affection is remarkably scarce. No interest in the human condition. David Apatoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11293486149879229016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-38580396116068210622016-10-24T17:18:29.936-04:002016-10-24T17:18:29.936-04:00Øyvind Lauvdahl -- An excellent observation. Tho...<br />Øyvind Lauvdahl -- An excellent observation. Thompson's word balloons are indeed "as much parts of the comic strip as the other pictorial elements." We could easily have a discussion devoted to the aesthetics of his lettering and the shapes of those word balloons. They are beautifully rendered in a fashion that aids the humor and the content of the strip. But if you flipped the image upside down, and looked at the balloons solely from the perspective of composition rather than content, you'd see they make a full visual contribution. <br /><br />"As for the children growing up, well, in the second to last panel, they are gone." Ah, yes.<br /><br />Richard-- Isn't that something? In the comment section for the previous post, there was discussion about how taste is individualistic and standards are subjective. This calls for humility when passing judgment on other people's preferences. However, sometimes when we see popular ratings such as your "best of 2016" the differences are so stark, we can feel safe in concluding that an understanding of and appreciation for good drawing has declined in our culture. Simultaneously, a self-indulgent audience turns confidently to adolescent, shallow content. <br /><br />Kev Ferrara-- Yes, Thompson always had a way with names. David Apatoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11293486149879229016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-438108006592632212016-10-24T11:30:41.744-04:002016-10-24T11:30:41.744-04:00The openness and trust in children includes affect...The openness and trust in children includes affection and each is deeply unappreciated in our adult world, which has pushed them aside for a process of discernment devoid of affection and skeptical by nature. The inclusion of affection in openness was the genius of St. Francis who included even inanimate objects with the affection of brother and sister, never missing an opportunity to see and act with affection.Sean Farrellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-56590237426748019742016-10-23T13:20:59.986-04:002016-10-23T13:20:59.986-04:00Wonderful post and another great Thompson drawing....Wonderful post and another great Thompson drawing.<br />I'm wondering whether those small children would use the word "recess". It sounds a bit formal to me, something you would hear in a courtroom. Wouldn't they say "break" or something like that? (I have never been to English school of course)<br />Alešhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11829918742785206010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-30518557058862933212016-10-22T11:49:49.774-04:002016-10-22T11:49:49.774-04:00Oh, that perfect set up joke in panel 5 (which is ...Oh, that perfect set up joke in panel 5 (which is also such a plaintive and knowing observation of a child's abruptly processed grief and acceptance). I wonder if RT sketched out a rough version with the kids included before he made the choice to just show the word bubbles and a full drawing of the empty cage. Or maybe that was immediate and instinctive? Whatever, I think there's a bit of genius going on in that kind of decision.john cuneonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-33187095305012715712016-10-21T16:08:56.653-04:002016-10-21T16:08:56.653-04:00For the name of a pet that causes allergies, you ...For the name of a pet that causes allergies, you can't beat "Mr. Danders."kev ferrarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09509572970616136990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-83388671448695463752016-10-21T15:02:55.458-04:002016-10-21T15:02:55.458-04:00By comparison, a selection of pictures from Graphi...By comparison, a selection of pictures from Graphic Novels described by major outlets as "The Best of 2016":<br /><br />Boy’s Club, Matt Furie<br />http://i.imgur.com/JaEpjkZ.jpg<br /><br />BEVERLY, Nick Drnaso<br />http://images.tcj.com/2016/02/BEVERLY.interior15-650x797.jpg<br /><br />Frontier #11, Eleanor Davis<br />http://i.imgur.com/pDGtQJN.jpg<br /><br />Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus, Chester Brown<br />http://i.imgur.com/syziVut.jpg<br /><br />Hot Dog Taste Test, Lisa Hanawalt<br />https://cdn.pastemagazine.com/www/articles/hotdog.sample_page-two.jpgRichardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08249577762409684046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-32085808285391305872016-10-21T14:30:52.210-04:002016-10-21T14:30:52.210-04:00Another fine post. The vitality and humanity of Th...Another fine post. The vitality and humanity of Thompsons' work is undeniable.<br /><br />So much, in fact, that it's easy to forget that there are no children, and there's no talking guinea pig.<br /><br />Observe also how the text fields are not merely superimposed, they are as much parts of the comic strip as the other pictorial elements. This is particularly made poignant in the panel with the chain-linked fence, where the "speech balloon" is what holds the fence together.<br /><br />As for the children growing up, well, in the second to last panel, they are gone. Øyvind Lauvdahlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01560444595186654411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-5234979430137537472016-10-21T12:29:17.461-04:002016-10-21T12:29:17.461-04:00Anonymous-- You're right, Kelly was another br...Anonymous-- You're right, Kelly was another brilliant cartoonist, one of my favorites. All of these artists were distinctive; I'd say Kelly was a little different than the ones I've mentioned; he tended to be a little more wordy, and focus more on social and political issues than on timeless human nature. I think Herriman et. al tended to rely on a heavier dose of surrealism and magical thinking, while Kelly tended to spell things out in a more linear narrative. The laws of physics usually applied to those talking animals (at least until they went to Pandemonia). But some of my favorite Kelly strips were his succinct ones that glowed with human truth. He was one of the very best.<br /><br />Richard said-- "By stripping away the layers of misdirection that adults use to hide their foibles, their fundamental limits, it allows him to get at something more profoundly human." I agree. The talking / thinking guinea pig was an unusual and short lived phenomenon on cul de sac. Thompson wasn't interested in another Snoopy. He kept on inventing. David Apatoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11293486149879229016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-30211319339062635432016-10-21T11:09:33.075-04:002016-10-21T11:09:33.075-04:00Thompson's writing style is very Seinfeldian, ...Thompson's writing style is very Seinfeldian, which works well with the children.<br /><br />By stripping away the layers of misdirection that adults use to hide their foibles, their fundamental limits, it allows him to get at something more profoundly human, and unlike Seinfeld, it doesn't require the same level of absurdity. Where Seinfeld's characters became too extreme, larger than life, the fact that Thompson's characters are children allows us to assume their most extreme behavior is merely aped.<br /><br />Far less suspension of disbelief required. The only specific example in this case being that the Guinea Pig has a speech bubble, instead of a thought bubble, which is itself a nice light touch.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08249577762409684046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-17106389965583852482016-10-21T10:43:55.062-04:002016-10-21T10:43:55.062-04:00How can you forget (or overlook) Walt Kelly?How can you forget (or overlook) Walt Kelly?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com