Are there any true comic book *artists*?

[The Amstor Computer]

>>>OI! just cos we draw in comics doesn't mean the term "artist" can't apply to us<<<

I agree completely - I just don't think it applies to all of the people working for Tooth right now, or in the past.
There have been some superb illustrators, some not-so-good illustrators & some awful hacks - there have only been a handful who I'd call real comicbook artists, people who've gone beyond technical expertise & have brought something else to the table.

It's difficult for me to explain exactly what I mean. It's said about pornography that you can't define it but you know it when you see it, and for me art - in this case comic art - is like that.

I can't tell you exactly why I separate Mike McMahon from Chris Sprouse, but I regard Mike as an artist & Chris as a superb illustrator. To further confuse things, the people I regard as comic artists are often less technically-proficient than the guys I think of as illustrators.

I hope that made some sense ;-)

[O Lucky Stevie!]

>It's difficult for me to explain exactly what I mean. It's said about pornography that you can't define it but you know it when you see it, and for me art - in this case comic art - is like that.

perhaps true comic art can be separated from skilled illustration by the response it invokes in the trouser department, blackblood?

i've wet my knickers!
steven l'enfant terrible

[JamieB]

"theres a video director too(Chris Halls?)"

...aka Chris Cunningham, director of The Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy" and "Windowlicker". Changed his name after a brief stint on 2000AD (incl. a part of 'Judgement Day').

"Rian Hughes"

...is a brilliant designer, like Chris Ware, but as an artist? I dunno...

*J*

[The Amstor Computer]

>>>perhaps true comic art can be separated from skilled illustration by the response it invokes in the trouser department, blackblood?<<<

Tell you what, I'll just nip off to the loo for a few minutes with a copy of Tooth... ;-)

[Art]

"are thereany true comic WRITERS out there, or are they all just skilled hacks?"

Oi!

[Art]

I looks like this is just another game of stupid definitions. Its like the whole stupid "Is Star Wars truely Science Fiction" debate, in that at the end of the day its all analy retentive nit picking.

[O Lucky Stevie!]

>...aka Chris Cunningham, director of The Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy" and "Windowlicker". Changed his name after a brief stint on 2000AD (incl. a part of 'Judgement Day').

& drawer of rude pictures of kylie minougue!

>"Rian Hughes" ...is a brilliant designer, like Chris Ware, but as an artist? I dunno...

yep, it sure is a conundrum, jamieb.


i.ve wet my knickers!
steven l'enfant terrible
(who recently paid oz$5.50 each for a swag of greeting cards which he's not going to ever use because they were touched by the hand of rian)

[O Lucky Stevie!]

hmm, perhap's that should read:--

(who recently paid oz$5.50 each for a swag of greeting cards that he's never going to ever use but intends to keep for himself because they were touched by the hand of rian)

whew!

steven l'enfant terrible

[christophe]

Dear Frazer,

In France, the comics are called 'the ninth art'. Only in United Kingdom is less status for artists of the comics.

C

[roystead]

True "artists"...Hmmm....Well, Siku is an "artist", I'd say.

I mean, look at the layouts and panoramas in his work.

Personally, I thought "Pan African Judges" was a pile of tripe, script-wise, but the artwork was gorgeous. And Siku's work on "Witch World" (which I've just started reading) is also beautiful.

As for "writers", rather than "hacks", well there are some hacks who seem to consider themselves "writers" (Alan Moore, post-Halo Jones, for instance), but for gifted "writers" I'd have to plump for Alan Grant (on the basis of his Anderson stuff alone).

John Wagner has sparks of brilliance, as do Pat Mills and Dan Abnett, though.

Perhaps someone should define the terms "proper artist" and "proper writer"?