Almost Two Weeks Later...

It is absolutely amazing, to me, 

that time, the older I get and the slower that I move, 

seems to be passing a whole lot faster than it did, 

when I was a teenager.

My last post here, was almost two weeks ago and yet, it seems like only yesterday...

Blogging, as a pastime, seems to be losing ground lately and even venerable Blogs, like Lew Stringer's "Blimey!",

are being put on the back burner, by their writers.

I ran across another Blog, this morning, that surprised me with it's short life.

The premise, of an obviously British comic book fan, was the commissioning of artwork, that depicted older and newer, 

British comic book characters, in a single scene.

An interesting idea but it ran out of steam, in less than four years and in two of those years, there was only ONE posting!

Blimey!  To coin a phrase but that writer almost makes my meagre efforts seem prolific.

Moving on.

Anyone, who has taken the time to look through my postings, will know how much I admire the cartooning of 

Paul Grist 

and this one, will comment on one of the things, that he used to do really well... back in the days, when he was a drawing to meet a deadline and tell a story.

One of the tricky things about drawing cartooning, as I well know, is learning the language and iconography of the craft

AND

knowing how and where to apply graphic indicators, like motion lines, speed lines, sweat drops or impact stars!

What I had missed, until fairly recently, was that most of the cartoonists that I admire, whether that is Jack Kirby or Paul Grist, actually use such special effects, sparingly!

For example, in this scene from Jack Staff, Paul Grist has the character of The Spider, hit Jack Staff, across the back of the head, in a violent motion and there isn't one motion line used!

I "thought" that there were motion lines... heck, even in looking at the third panel, I could almost swear that they are there 

BUT THEY ARE NOT.

It has all been shown with relative positions and body language.

The only Special Effect used, are the STARS behind Jack Staff's head, denoting that an impact (the broken off part of the staff, in the hands of The Spider) has occurred!

In a similar vein, in the third panel, on the page below, the use of Sound Effects, "Beep, Beep", add life and perceived movement, to a static scene 

AND

once again, without the use of any motion lines!

I have often speculated, on the similarity between prestidigitation and cartooning because they both require the adept practitioner to make their audience believe they are seeing something that they are not.

Studying the art and craft of cartooning has been my passion for years and years but it is only in the last five years, where I feel as though I am finally understanding things.

Every time I return to 

Scott McCloud's,

Understanding Comics or Making Comics,

I am struck by the realization, that despite reading them, many times, some change in my own perception, allows me to finally grasp what he laid out, in detail, all those years ago.

Welcome to the Future

I am amazed and humbled, to be alive, in a future, that seems just a little bit unreal... I mean to say, aren't we supposed to be attended to by robot servants and zipping around in flying cars?

That was the future that,

The Jetsons,

showed us all living in, back when I was a child.

It was a prediction, based on the all encompassing belief that SCIENCE would save the day

BUT

as we can plainly see, that isn't happening and despite all of the rhetoric, it is unlikely to happen.

A sad statement, on the idiocy of the human race and our ability to delude ourselves, even in the face of calamity.

Ah, well... on a lighter note

I loved Calvin and Hobbes, for the years that it ran and I still do.  I own all of the reprint volumes, except for that amazing and huge, collection that came out in 2012.

Bill Watterson was at the Festival of Cartoon Art, 

way back in 1989 and his speech was a high point of the show. It is still the only occurrence of the Festival, which is now known as the 

CXC, or Cartoon Crossroads Columbus,

that I have ever attended but it was most memorable!

Way back, in the September of 1977, when I first visited Toronto, Ontario, I had no idea, that in three short years, I would be living there.  With that in mind, I spent most of my holiday money at 

The Silver Snail comic emporium

which, at that time, was located at 

321 Queen Street West

and was just over a year old.

One of the best things that I found there, 

was a copy of CPL #12

which had oodles of art by the John Byrne, 

who was making waves in the comic book pool at the time, 

taking over Marvel Comic's flagship title

The X-Men

and combined with Chris Claremont's writing and Terry Austin's inking, made for a memorable run of art and story on that title.

The other day, I was amazed to discover, that someone not only owned the original artwork for that cover but that they had posted it too... for our edification!

I found it interesting, that the price of the issue, was included as part of the artwork and obviously, somewhere between the artwork being made and the publication of the issue, the price had risen!

That explains the staining over the "60 cents", because someone had to letter up an overlay, adjusting the price to 75 cents and stick it down on the artwork.

For me, discovering images like this, is the best part of the future that we live in.  Our ability to share documents has never been easier and I, for one, am grateful for it.

Happy New Year.

A Personal Best

I have managed, by trying to be a fairly regular Blogger, 

to have stacked up more postings, in this year, 

than any of the previous years in which I have been here!

Most of what I have to say, is very inconsequential and borders on the banal, I am sure but it is fun to have somewhere to post these idle thoughts to.

Today I am going to create a mixed bag of stuff, with only a tenuous connection between the individual items.

Of course, this being my Blog, that tenuous connection is related to my fascination and collecting, of comic books.

 This is the very first Anniversary Poster that the venerable 

Silver Snail comic emporium, ever had.

If I am not too much mistaken, the store would have still been located at, 

321 Queen Street West 

because they wouldn't have yet moved next door, 

to the premises at,

323 Queen Street West.

Speaking of 323 Queen Street West:

Way back, in 1979 or so,

Tom Stormonth is waiting, with Ron Van Leeuwen, Mark Askwith (mostly hidden) and Carlos, for Uli to unlock the door and let them in!

George Zotti, who started working for Ron at around the age of thirteen and who, after many years and a parting of the ways, for a time, became the part owner of 

The Silver Snail,

before being squeezed out by his partner.

I have known George, for going on thirty five years, although, for much of that time, our connection has been faint, bordering on nonexistent.

I have always admired him, for charting his own course and for successfully having dealt with Ron Van Leeuwen, over the years, which was not an easy task!

After buying the business, from Ron, George and his partner eventually moved the store into it's present location, 

at 329 Yonge Street, here in Toronto, just north of Dundas Street.

I was surprised to discover, when I looked George up, the other day, that he has returned to the fold of RBC Insurance, which was where he spent the years he was estranged from his position at 

The Snail.

George is now around fifty years of age and as the photograph, borrowed from his Linked-In page shows, 

he is every inch, the solid, dependable business executive today.

Congratulations to you, George, you are an inspiration.

I will close this rambling missive out, with a couple of covers by Alex Toth.

God knows, 1988 doesn't seem that long ago but when counted out, it was still thirty years ago!

For a variety of reasons, I did not buy these covers when they were published and today, I only own a copy of #3... never having seen a copy of #4!

Alex Toth was an amazingly complex person and a phenomenal artist.  

It is only recently, that I have come to see the similarity, in approach, between the artwork of the illustrator Robert Fawcett and the stylistic theme of Alex Toth's work.

Anyone interested in doing their own research into that similarity, should search out this fine volume, which was published by 

Manuel Auad, who had also published a couple of great volumes about Alex Toth too.

Friendship at Christmas Time

I consider myself to be a very lucky guy

because, three years ago, I remade contact

with Nigel Whittaker,

who was, almost forty years ago, 

quite possibly my best friend.

I met Nigel at the old Andromeda Bookshop, on 

Summer Row, in Birmingham, England, when he was about sixteen and I was nineteen.

We were comic book collectors and our mutual passion brought us together but it was our similarity of humour, that made us good friends.

Dave Holmes, may he rest in peace, was a catalyst too, since he was looking after Andromeda's comic book basement at the time and became a friend too.

All of that happened in the mid-Seventies and we were mates, right up until I emigrated, here to Canada, in 1980.

Even that didn't put an end to things between us, 

because Nigel and his pal Jeff, came to visit me here, in the summer of 1981.

Sometime, shortly after that, we fell out of touch and despite a few searches, on-line, over the years, I had failed 

to find any trace of him. 

Then, in late December of 2015,  

I found a website operated by an artist named 

Nigel Whittaker

and something about the paintings of the artist's father, rang a bell and I decided to see if it was the same guy that I used to know.

Nigel was always a talented guy and besides turning himself into a dynamite businessman, running his own company, he continued to improve as an artist and the portrait above is an up to date example of his skill.

As it turned out, it was and he was delighted to hear from me, after so many years, which was great.

At the time, I was happy that Nigel remembered me and was willing to trade e-mails with me but I really didn't expect it to last.  Based on a couple of earlier reconnections, with people from my past, I thought I would be lucky if it lasted a couple of months.

Almost immediately, Nigel said that he was going to come and see me again and in the Fall of 2016, Nigel flew here, to Toronto and we renewed our friendship, face to face.

Amazingly, it is now almost three years since my first e-mail to him and more than two years since that landmark visit and

we are still in regular contact.

Almost every day, we exchange at least one e-mail and every couple of weeks, we have a video Skype chat

and in an incredible way, although he is seven thousand miles away, Nigel is very much my best friend again.

Thank you Nigel, for being willing to allow me back into your life and for making the effort to keep our reconnection alive.

It's Almost Christmas Day, Again!

Every year, for the past twenty years or so, I have employed my meagre abilities and customized Christmas cards

 for friends and family.

The family part of the equation, has slowly dwindled to nothing and I cut the final tie, quite deliberately, this year.

There comes a time, when one has to acknowledge, that the relationship one wishes for with someone, is never going to be the way you would like it to be and my cousin, finally went one step too far, in her push for family mementos and papers.

It has been a sad tale of attrition, with my contacts to my extended family, slowly eroding away as their complete lack of interest in me and my life, became apparent.

Way back, around the year 2000, in an effort, begun by my mother, to ensure that the family history, photographs and documentation, I digitized all the family stuff that I had and burned those files to a batch of CDs.

Then, I posted one of those data CDs,  to every cousin for whom I had a contact address... and not ONE of them ever wrote back to thank me for it!

I should have taken the hint but I didn't and I persevered at trying to remain in tenuous contact, usually through the Christmas cards.  

Unfortunately, while I would struggle, to write a brief note on my cards, giving some details about my life in the preceding year, none of the family members, who sent a card back to me,

ever bothered to do do more than scrawl a signature on theirs.

It has been 28 years since my mother died and 22 years since my father died.  That is how long it has taken for it to finally sink in, that none of the people who are related to me, 

give a shit about me.

What that means, unfortunately, is that all of the old photographs, documents, mementos and jewellery, 

will become part of a landfill here in Ontario, Canada,

when I finally die.

And all because of an amazing lack of interest, on the part of my cousins and their spawn.

On that note, let me wish anyone reading this, all the very best for this Christmas Day and for the coming year.

Tuesday Tips by Griz & Norm

This morning, I received an e-mail notification from the amazing and wonderful Stuart Ng, book seller extraordinary, of California.

There were, as usual, a host of New Arrivals to scan through but this item, in particular, stood out for me and I thought that I should add my 10 cents about it to the pot.

I discovered Griz & Norm and their fantastically informative, Tuesday Tips, while surfing on-line, looking for just such assistance and soon thereafter, they published their first collection as a book.

Needless to say, I sprinted to my nearest reseller, The Labyrinth bookshop, on Bloor Street West, here in Toronto and bought myself a copy... as soon as it came in!

Dan, the original owner of The Labyrinth, decided a while ago, to close his downtown location and concentrate on his store in Oakville.  

Luckily, Dobi, who had managed the downtown location for Dan, for almost 10 years, decided (however unwisely) to throw her cap into the ring, as an owner operator.

Without missing a beat, except for Dan's crappy insistence that, "The Labyrinth is CLOSING here",

Dobi renamed the store "Thunderstruck" and continued to be my source for the rare and unusual art books that I collect.

Hopefully, I will be buying this second volume of Griz & Norm's Tuesday Tips, from Dobi, whenever it arrives.

I cannot praise the first volume enough and I expect to be raving about the second volume too.

So, do yourself a favour and go out, to a bricks and mortar book store and buy one.  Amazon really doesn't need your business and the independent owner operator, of your local specialty store, will really appreciate your patronage.

The Art of William Stout

Many years ago, back in the late Seventies, I discovered the artwork of Bill Stout, probably in the Underground Comics of the time and I have followed his career ever since.

Fantastic Worlds, is a magnificent feat of publishing and I applaud the publisher and the book's designer, for making it such a beautiful object.

Here in the Great White North, it should have cost me $101 Canadian but thanks to Dobi, the owner / operator of Thunderstruck Books (formerly known as The Labyrinth, Toronto),

I also got my Club Rewards Dollars off that price and only paid $62!  I was over the moon.

It was an expensive day in town, for me but since my book buying trips have become a whole lot less frequent lately, it isn't surprising.

My weekly comic book buying habit, began around 1971 and I have managed to remain a dedicated comic book fan, ever since but lately, after almost fifty years, it has, rather suddenly, become less important to me and I can finally see, that an end to my obsession is near.

Modern comic books, just don't grab my attention, in the way that those issues from the late Sixties did and with the exception of the new Strangers in Paradise XXV, 

I don't buy a monthly comic book anymore 

and now, I have just learned that that series is only ten issues long, so in two more issues...

At that point, a decision will have to be made, I think and who knows, perhaps 2019 will be the year that I finally grow up and leave the world of comic books behind

BUT

I doubt it!