With my desire to get into animation, I've started reading graphic novels in addition to watching cartoons. Seeing as this is something that is bound to continue, this one is the 'first installment' tra la la. As always, I'm something of a dark person in how much I tend to love the macabre and the unusual, so the one I set out to get first was one a friend had recommended years ago, but I thought would prove too gory for my tastes.
Which is was. No doubt it was gross, but it was incredibly insightful as well and I can't seem to stop thinking about it. This one is called Z? by Jhonen Vasquez, which I believe was basically his director's cut of all his JTHM comics, which is sort for Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. The one on the right up there screaming at the lady is Johnny, who goes by Nny to his close friends...which are very few. It's hard to say what his deal is, but what I really like about him is how much he reminds me to stop judging people. We do it every day without thinking. It's hard to stop. So while Nny has obvious issues (rashly killing these judgmental people, for one), he has taught me a few things. As the foreword said, I think we all have a bit of this person in us, whether or not we chose to act on it. Vasquez just went ahead and personified his, which I'm glad I know now.
Plus, his work has its own style which can creep into your bones and make you uncomfortable most of the time. The heavy lines and how everything is textured or grainy in some way, really affect you. I love it. Facial expressions are also fantastic to take note of while reading. Nny's shirt often changes during the scene too, which I started looking forward to and the way Vasquez pokes fun at almost everything either in his characters or the way he fills the background is particularly entertaining.
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As most people know, I'm also a huge Gorillaz fan and went completely bonkers when Jamie Hewlett started posting new images of the band on his Instagram and then finally confirmed that they were coming back for a new album. So utterly excited to hear what they have in store next, because I loved Damon Albarn's solo album Everyday Robots oodles and oodles. Oh and I should explain in case I lost you. Ahem. Jamie Hewlett & Damon Albarn are the creative forces behind Gorillaz. Hewlett does the art, Albarn does the main vocals of the character 2D, who also happens to be my favorite because I love Albarn's voice. If it sounds familiar, it's because he's also a part of the famous band Blur. Anywho, back to Hewlett and graphic novels.
Tank Girl was created by Hewlett and Alan Martin back in...the late 80s? I'm having trouble pinpointing the actual creation date because the movie that came out in the 90s seems to get more hits...which is sad because it apparently sucked. Then again, I think it was live action. Which is a shame when it means seeing this gorgeous work in motion:
I don't think I'll ever get over his level of detail. I fangasm all over his art. This is a little different from his Gorillaz art, which you can see by doing a simple Google search, but it's still obviously him. I love his proportions and how even with her almost shaved head, he still makes it obvious that she's feminine from far away - even when she's dressed in baggy clothes. She has a distinct, strong personality that can for sure be impulsive. Still, I'm falling in love with her - at a arm's length because she's way dangerous. I would post more photos of her, but it's hard to find ones on the internet that show my point and that have been drawn by Hewlett; there's a lot of fan art out there and eventually she did get drawn by other artists. I don't know a lot about her history yet, having only just finished the first remastered volume via Amazon, but I know I'll be looking the rest of the books up.
And take my word of it. Hewlett's art is another kind of beautiful. He's obviously studied form and has the observation skills of a hawk because he knows his way around the body and human expression like it's the back of his hands, which he always tends to draw a bit ape-like, which you can see even here:
But every artist has their quirks and I'm slowly finding mine. So thankful I can learn from these greats as I have fun reading their imagination.
I'll be picking up a new batch of graphic novels soon, but there's a chance I'll be doing some research on skin things before then. Watching Totally Spies is making me really want to try a facial or at least take better care of myself. Like, totally.
