Greetings from Texas. I enjoyed Hedra. Only one comic shop had it, and they ordered only a single issue, and it arrived damaged. Abstract comics rarely appeal to me, however this story worked and left much to the imagination to think about afterward.
Nothing to add to this excellent review other than this is the kind of video that explains why i love your channel so much. You can make a video about Batman one day and another one about abstract comics the next week. You're a true comic fan earl grey with a real appreciation of the medium as a genuine art form.
Very cool stuff. Abstract Comics looks like an interesting book that I'll keep my eyes open for. It's not my usual bag but I love seeing experimental work. Glad you enjoyed Hedra! It was the first single issue I ever picked up. Looking forward to your take on Jesse Jacobs. Safari Honeymoon remains a personal favourite of mine.
Jesse Jacobs is a big favourite here as well. Exceptional artist with a very unique vision. If you are a video game fan (even if you’re not, like myself) have a look at the game SPINCH that he did. Beautiful art with the main idea being that colours are creatures that are alive and need to feed...!
Whoa! This is just very surreal if I say so myself. Only today I came to know about King Cat by John Porcellino because there was a King Cat mini comic that came with McSweeney's Quarterly Concern Issue 13 edited by Chris Ware (it's a comics anthology). And now you are talking about it! Guess, it's a sign for me to buy the book now!
@@ftloc Yeah! I got into a dispute with Amazon because I realized after a week that there were supposed to be 2 mini comics with the book. I came to know about it because Ware briefly mentioned it in the introduction. And it took 3 weeks to resolve the dispute but lo and behold a new copy of McSweeney's Issue 13 arrived at my house WITH the 2 mini comics and I returned my old copy. "Oh, the troubles of buying books online."
At times, in that Abstract Comics volume, I had trouble seeing that I was looking at an abstracted comic and not just abstract art...maybe I'm just too stubborn about my definition of comics. But lots of cool stuff in this video and I appreciate you bring all this together in one place.
Jesse Jacobs was the biggest discovery for me this year, I quickly collected all I could take for a reasonable price - Crawl space, Honeymoon and the two small booklets by Hollow Press. I would argue she is abstact, more like heavily symbolic - her stories are very simple or even naive on the surface, but may dive deep into spiritualism or some sort of transcendent view on, like, the universe. (Thats my interpretation at least.) Her style is also very vivid and "living" despite how simple it seems, often appearing as animation sequences. Crawl space is exceptional in this sense, as it's a rock solid DMT trip, Terrence Mckenna would be proud to see it :D
@@earlgrey862 of course, damn, I always forget :D nevertheless, I am looking forward your review on HIS comics. I really recommend to check hollow press materials, especially baby in the boneyard - also it's just my take, but despite the others where eventually some sort of harmony or equilibrium is reached, this one is a bit different. More 2020-ish.
yeah hollow press do great stuff, I did a panellogy about them once (pan179). Do you know about "Even the giants" from Jesse Jacobs? it was published by adhouse in 2011 and is impossible to get, damn
@@earlgrey862 I crave for both even the giants and by this shall you know him but unfortunately both are out of my price range (also none is shipped to my country from amazon)
I LOVED this video! If this is what you do just off the top of your head, I shudder to think what a deeply scripted video would be. 'pretend to be intelligent' hahaha, what a joke! Hedra has looked very interesting ever since I saw a preview of it. Of the comics you mention here, I am familiar with some and not with others (all in the second category are getting added to 'the list') but what I loved most was your wrestling with and staging of the idea of 'abstraction' and abstract'. I myself have always taken a rather simplistic view of this, I feel - although I understand that all representation is somehow abstract (as in, not 'real'), I've feel the adjective changes (like most adjectives do) based on the noun it describes. So abstract art is different from abstract film which is different from abstract idea and so on, just the way big cat is different from big planet is different from big loss is different from big deal. That's my lame way of saying with comics, which has a vocabulary of pictures (less abstract) and words (more abstract), the definition can get really as wide or as narrow as you'd like it to be. I am going to watch this once again to process everything you manage to pack in here, while adding things to my cart of course! (on a side note, do you share your email address or another way to contact you? I want to chat with you about making a video together, if you're interested?) Cheers as always!
"abstraction" is quite a slippery term, I agree. Just when one thinks it's nailed onto some kind of definition, it greets right there from the other end of the table.... abstraction is of course an abstraction itself (like each word)... but on the other hand I think it's pretty obvious that there are different grades of abstraction. For an example: John Porcellino is more abstract than Herge who is more abstract than Sean Phillips. And I've been increasingly fascinated by the plethora of new(er) artists who work in more abstract ways. As to your other question: that's an intriguing invitation! ... but doing some kind of online-discussion would be really difficult for me because of my struggles with the English language (despite of some improvement over the years.... but for an example: this video was of course not really "off-the-cuff" but edited down from some rambling that was more than twice as long ) and the technical side of doing "other" videos than my usual simple p.o.v.-videos. Anyhow... I would be excited to come back to your idea later on, when I'm more equipped and ready for it.
I like how the conceptions of abstract art differ sometimes.. from radical constructivism and reductionist views on crucial elements of a whole to a more psychedelic, trippy reality (although it is then often fairly easy to draw the line). Have you ever come to enjoy the greatness of robt. williams drawings? I somehow missed your gary panter feature - a lot to catch up with!
Hey El Kroucho, nice to see you again... hope you and your family are fine! As to Robert Williams: as far as what I can see online he's really far out, looks like Neo Rauch has swiped some idea there :)
Aptly named "abstract comics", this review displays the myriad of comic languages that are on verge of something like trend. In the last years, there's a plethora of comic artists, being published that shows tha. Fantagraphics, are particularly infatuated with this comic language. Also some anthologies and compilations (Now, Kramer's Ergot, Best American Comics) are bringing this stories to a more broader public Something for everybody it's what I say.
Whenever I read comics that are "abstract" or "psychedelic" or "surreal" or otherwise "wacky", I get this uneasy feeling that I just might be played for a fool: Is the artist really trying to engage with the audience-or maybe just throwing random stuff from the subconcious on the page and calling it "fine art"? It seems to me that it is a lot easier for an author to reach common ground with reader using reference points of people and society found in a more literal setting. However, I do feel that some works of this type are really, really good. Have you read "The Bus" by Paul Kirchner? Super wacky and surreal, usually dialogue and captions-free, originally published in the American Heavy Metal magazine. Not quite so abstract as most works here are, though.
that's funny... I considered to include Paul Kirchner's comics in my video, but then decided otherwise because ... they rather feel surreal than abstract to me. And then again: all those labels are not always that useful.
No offence but if it's not a photorealistic tale set in our universe it's abstract. 99% of all comics, be they European, Japanese or American are abstract art.
Just wondering, isn't ALL art abstract in that sense? Even a photorealistic tale set in our universe wouldn't have three dimensions or movement, for example. Abstract art is a type of art, relative to other art. So abstract comics, perhaps, over here is meant as a type of comics as opposed to other comics, relative.
Greetings from Texas. I enjoyed Hedra. Only one comic shop had it, and they ordered only a single issue, and it arrived damaged. Abstract comics rarely appeal to me, however this story worked and left much to the imagination to think about afterward.
Hedra's one that I really want to get my hands on as well, and being a floppy even more impossible to find here in India! 😋
Nothing to add to this excellent review other than this is the kind of video that explains why i love your channel so much. You can make a video about Batman one day and another one about abstract comics the next week. You're a true comic fan earl grey with a real appreciation of the medium as a genuine art form.
Very cool stuff. Abstract Comics looks like an interesting book that I'll keep my eyes open for. It's not my usual bag but I love seeing experimental work. Glad you enjoyed Hedra! It was the first single issue I ever picked up. Looking forward to your take on Jesse Jacobs. Safari Honeymoon remains a personal favourite of mine.
Jesse Jacobs is a big favourite here as well. Exceptional artist with a very unique vision. If you are a video game fan (even if you’re not, like myself) have a look at the game SPINCH that he did. Beautiful art with the main idea being that colours are creatures that are alive and need to feed...!
Whoa! This is just very surreal if I say so myself. Only today I came to know about King Cat by John Porcellino because there was a King Cat mini comic that came with McSweeney's Quarterly Concern Issue 13 edited by Chris Ware (it's a comics anthology). And now you are talking about it! Guess, it's a sign for me to buy the book now!
from Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man! Man, did that selection hypnotize me when I read it! My introduction to Porcellino as well! 😁
@@ftloc Yeah! I got into a dispute with Amazon because I realized after a week that there were supposed to be 2 mini comics with the book. I came to know about it because Ware briefly mentioned it in the introduction. And it took 3 weeks to resolve the dispute but lo and behold a new copy of McSweeney's Issue 13 arrived at my house WITH the 2 mini comics and I returned my old copy.
"Oh, the troubles of buying books online."
@@shrelpshrelp Oh well done with the sticking to your guns! Most people would not even have noticed, let alone get a replacement!
That "Hedra" comic is really great. You can tell it was a labor of love to put that together.
Really enjoyed seeing these abstract comics. Very interesting and inspiring. Keep up the amazing work! 😎👍
Great stuff Mr Grey! Thanks as always for sharing!
Hedra was so damn good, definitely put Jesse Lonergan on the map for me!
At times, in that Abstract Comics volume, I had trouble seeing that I was looking at an abstracted comic and not just abstract art...maybe I'm just too stubborn about my definition of comics.
But lots of cool stuff in this video and I appreciate you bring all this together in one place.
Jesse Jacobs was the biggest discovery for me this year, I quickly collected all I could take for a reasonable price - Crawl space, Honeymoon and the two small booklets by Hollow Press. I would argue she is abstact, more like heavily symbolic - her stories are very simple or even naive on the surface, but may dive deep into spiritualism or some sort of transcendent view on, like, the universe. (Thats my interpretation at least.)
Her style is also very vivid and "living" despite how simple it seems, often appearing as animation sequences. Crawl space is exceptional in this sense, as it's a rock solid DMT trip, Terrence Mckenna would be proud to see it :D
yes, you're definitely right on all accounts... just with one exception: Jesse is a man :)
@@earlgrey862 of course, damn, I always forget :D nevertheless, I am looking forward your review on HIS comics. I really recommend to check hollow press materials, especially baby in the boneyard - also it's just my take, but despite the others where eventually some sort of harmony or equilibrium is reached, this one is a bit different. More 2020-ish.
yeah hollow press do great stuff, I did a panellogy about them once (pan179). Do you know about "Even the giants" from Jesse Jacobs? it was published by adhouse in 2011 and is impossible to get, damn
@@earlgrey862 I crave for both even the giants and by this shall you know him but unfortunately both are out of my price range (also none is shipped to my country from amazon)
I LOVED this video! If this is what you do just off the top of your head, I shudder to think what a deeply scripted video would be.
'pretend to be intelligent' hahaha, what a joke!
Hedra has looked very interesting ever since I saw a preview of it. Of the comics you mention here, I am familiar with some and not with others (all in the second category are getting added to 'the list') but what I loved most was your wrestling with and staging of the idea of 'abstraction' and abstract'.
I myself have always taken a rather simplistic view of this, I feel - although I understand that all representation is somehow abstract (as in, not 'real'), I've feel the adjective changes (like most adjectives do) based on the noun it describes. So abstract art is different from abstract film which is different from abstract idea and so on, just the way big cat is different from big planet is different from big loss is different from big deal.
That's my lame way of saying with comics, which has a vocabulary of pictures (less abstract) and words (more abstract), the definition can get really as wide or as narrow as you'd like it to be.
I am going to watch this once again to process everything you manage to pack in here, while adding things to my cart of course!
(on a side note, do you share your email address or another way to contact you? I want to chat with you about making a video together, if you're interested?)
Cheers as always!
"abstraction" is quite a slippery term, I agree. Just when one thinks it's nailed onto some kind of definition, it greets right there from the other end of the table.... abstraction is of course an abstraction itself (like each word)... but on the other hand I think it's pretty obvious that there are different grades of abstraction. For an example: John Porcellino is more abstract than Herge who is more abstract than Sean Phillips. And I've been increasingly fascinated by the plethora of new(er) artists who work in more abstract ways.
As to your other question: that's an intriguing invitation! ... but doing some kind of online-discussion would be really difficult for me because of my struggles with the English language (despite of some improvement over the years.... but for an example: this video was of course not really "off-the-cuff" but edited down from some rambling that was more than twice as long ) and the technical side of doing "other" videos than my usual simple p.o.v.-videos. Anyhow... I would be excited to come back to your idea later on, when I'm more equipped and ready for it.
I like how the conceptions of abstract art differ sometimes.. from radical constructivism and reductionist views on crucial elements of a whole to a more psychedelic, trippy reality (although it is then often fairly easy to draw the line). Have you ever come to enjoy the greatness of robt. williams drawings? I somehow missed your gary panter feature - a lot to catch up with!
Hey El Kroucho, nice to see you again... hope you and your family are fine! As to Robert Williams: as far as what I can see online he's really far out, looks like Neo Rauch has swiped some idea there :)
Speaking of abstract comics, are you familiar with the books of Patrick Kyle? Crazy and very unique stuff.
I had one... didn't like it too much tbh, but yes, it's an interesting style
You never need to script the videos you do.
You're too authentic for a script reading!
thanks... that's a very nice way to put it :)
Aptly named "abstract comics", this review displays the myriad of comic languages that are on verge of something like trend. In the last years, there's a plethora of comic artists, being published that shows tha. Fantagraphics, are particularly infatuated with this comic language. Also some anthologies and compilations (Now, Kramer's Ergot, Best American Comics) are bringing this stories to a more broader public Something for everybody it's what I say.
Whenever I read comics that are "abstract" or "psychedelic" or "surreal" or otherwise "wacky", I get this uneasy feeling that I just might be played for a fool: Is the artist really trying to engage with the audience-or maybe just throwing random stuff from the subconcious on the page and calling it "fine art"? It seems to me that it is a lot easier for an author to reach common ground with reader using reference points of people and society found in a more literal setting. However, I do feel that some works of this type are really, really good. Have you read "The Bus" by Paul Kirchner? Super wacky and surreal, usually dialogue and captions-free, originally published in the American Heavy Metal magazine. Not quite so abstract as most works here are, though.
that's funny... I considered to include Paul Kirchner's comics in my video, but then decided otherwise because ... they rather feel surreal than abstract to me. And then again: all those labels are not always that useful.
No offence but if it's not a photorealistic tale set in our universe it's abstract. 99% of all comics, be they European, Japanese or American are abstract art.
I said "fantastic" not "photorealistic"... and that art is always abstract in one form or another is pretty much the baseline of the video
@@earlgrey862 My point was that ALL comics are abstract comics since they're all abstract art.
I do agree of course... nevertheless there are different grades of abstraction... depending how much information is ommitted
Just wondering, isn't ALL art abstract in that sense? Even a photorealistic tale set in our universe wouldn't have three dimensions or movement, for example.
Abstract art is a type of art, relative to other art. So abstract comics, perhaps, over here is meant as a type of comics as opposed to other comics, relative.
@@ftloc If you can't distinguish between a photo and a painting I think it's fair to call the art realistic.