Play This Twice

commentary and criticism, film, tv, video, letters, performance

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As a little gesture to honor the creative work and vision of Anthony Minghella, whose untimely death last week marks a real and serious loss to the British film industry, I wanted to refer you to my favourite piece in his director’s oeuvre: Play, his unforgettable film version of the stage play by Beckett. The whole thing can be seen on YouTube, posted in two parts and lasting just under 15 minutes (also posted below). Once you start Part 2, keep watching; the clip is not mislabeled, ‘though if you are new to this piece then you are excused for thinking so.

Raymond Leblanc RIP

comics and cartooning, journal

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Raymond Leblanc just died at the age of 92. Through a long life, he was Tintin creator Hergé’s prime enabler. The two co-founded the Tintin magazine in 1946. A war hero, Leblanc helped Hergé emerge from the blacklisting he was suffering under because of his collaboration during the German occupation of Belgium. He also provided a venue for Hergé’s great strip for the the rest of its glorious run, and put up with its creator’s many creative and personal crises. If it weren’t for this man’s patience and tenacity, it’s a pretty safe bet many of Hergé’s later masterpieces wouldn’t have seen the light of day. Also, Leblanc was the publisher of another great classic, E. P. Jacobs’ Blake & Mortimer, which not only ran in Tintin but was published in album form by Leblanc’s Editions Lombard. One of the great editors/publishers of comics history. Rest in Peace.

Read ActuaBD’s obituary here, Tom Spurgeon’s here and, also, this great, recent interview with Leblanc from which the above photo of Leblanc and Hergé is cribbed.

Den grundige orientering

comics and cartooning, commentary and criticism

sj_logo.gifDen seneste udveksling mellem undertegnede og forskellige brugere på Seriejournalen fik mig til at spekulere lidt over dette, “Danmarks største” (og på sin vis eneste) tegneseriesite. Med genuin interesse for hvad det er, han har mellem hænderne, skrev en bruger: “Det er et fantastisk sted at være. Her har jeg lært mange rigtigt gode mennesker at kende, og enkelte er endda blevet rigtig gode venner.” Se, det synes jeg er fantastisk og al ære værd. Ingen tvivl om at sitet er en succes for dets kernebrugere. En anden bruger opfordrede imidlertid (indirekte) undertegnede til at forny min kritik af selv samme site. Lad os se på det:

Indlægget i Strip!, der satte diskussionen i gang, var i sagens natur kort — det var en bestillingsopgave — og skulle nå meget, så der var ikke tid til at gå i dybden, men det berørte bl. a. den “ærlige men utidige” dyrkelse af tegneserier fra fortiden på Seriejournalen. Fint nok, det har vi snakket om før, og brugerne har selv for nyligt erkendt det. Så lad den ligge i denne omgang.

Re: Danmark hægtet af

comics and cartooning, commentary and criticism, debate

madsenserienalen.jpgMit og T. Thorhauges (ja, drenge, det stod der sort på hvidt) indlæg om den danske tegneseriekultur fra det nye Strip! (ja, drenge, det er lavet til bladet, ikke til Bunkeren) har sat en debat igang på Seriejournalen, der nu er oppe på flere sider. Henrik Rehr gjorde mig opmærksom på dette, da han sendte mig følgende tekst, taget fra samme debat, i en email:

“Matthias’ website er efterhånden blevet en noget privat affære. Hvis man synes hip-hop, Tour de France, renaissancemalere og lidt spredt fægtning om tegneserier er liiige ens kop te, så er det et dejligt site, men for my money er der for meget marskandiserbutik over det, Især hvis man sammenligner det med Rackham. Hvor Rackham gjorde en fokuseret indsats for den del af tegneserielandskabet, Thomas og Matthias fandt interessant og prisværdigt, lider Metabunkeren af en katastrofalt mangel på en mission. Der bliver alt for meget tilfældig sludder-for-en-sladder over sitet, der efterhånden ikke adskiller sig stort fra 1.00000(indsæt selv flere nuller) andre blogs/ facebook/ my space tilbud af yderst blandet karakter, og Metabunkeren fylder mindre og mindre i mit ugentlige mediebrug. Jeg anbefaler Matthias at skele lidt til Tom Spurgeons Comics Reporter, der hver dag er spækket med nyheder og andet guf og altid et besøg værd. Det er ikke sagt for at være sur eller modbydelig, men Metabunkeren virker som en træt og noget tynd skygge af Rackham og jeg finder sitet mindre og mindre relevant. Måske også fordi Thomas og Matthias i virkeligheden ikke har meget nyt at byde på i deres kritik/ begejstring. Hvis jeg skal være rigtigt flabet minder deres indsats mest af alt om de europæiske albums udvikling i 90erne, en gang lunken opvarmning af de samme tanker og ideer, som man allerede har stiftet bekendtskab med mange gange efterhånden. Friske ideer/ tiltag søges, hvis min svindende interesse ikke skal ende i total ligegyldighed.”

Jeg svarede ham som følger:

Danmark hægtet af (Strip! 10 år)

comics and cartooning, commentary and criticism

strip41_t.jpgSelvom man godt kunne være i tvivl, når man ser bladets business as usual-forside, markerer tegneserietidsskriftet Strip! med sit seneste nummer sit tiårsjubilæum. Det helt igennem uinspirerede layout, forside-interviewet med Joann Sfar, som sagtens kunne have ventet en postgang, og andet fyld bidrager desværre til at tilmudre en udgave af Strip! der på ganske sjælden vis præsenterer kritisk stof. Et længere, tankevækkende debatindlæg af forlægger på Bonnier Comics Carsten Søndergaard, samt et interview med hans kollega, lederen af Carlsen/Sesam Jens Trasborg, giver et glimrende billede af tegneseriemarkedet i Danmark lige nu og siger også en del om mediets tilstand på vore breddegrader.

Dertil kommer en sektion, hvor tegnere. redaktører, forlæggere og meningsdannere giver deres besyv med i kortere indlæg. Til den sektion har også T. Thorhauge og undertegnede bidraget. Som en smagsprøve på dette ret usædvanlige nummer af Strip! — læs det — bringer vi her vores indlæg. Trods vores forbehold overfor bladet, ønsker vi hermed Strip!s redaktion, der tæller nogle af det danske tegneseriemiljøs mest ihærdige og prisværdige kræfter, et uforbeholdent og stort tillykke med jubliæet.

Hype: Over Floden

comics and cartooning, hype & linkage

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The cartoonists working at the Copenhagen studio Over Floden (“Across the River,” but also “The Plenitude”) have finally gotten their act together and put up a website. Go check it out: the text is in Danish, but there are plenty of images from Simon Bukhave, Johan Krarup, Søren Mosdal, Miwer, Mårdøn Smet and T. Thorhauge.

Picks of the Week

comics and cartooning, current affairs, hype & linkage

The picks of the week from around the web.

  • Barack Obama’s speech on race. You probably read about it or heard excerpts, but if you haven’t heard it in its entirety, go check it out. Not only is it a rather incredible exercise in damage control, it’s a risky and moving speech.
  • That hilarious Peter Paul/Stan Lee/Hillary Clinton video. Just to give Hillary her due, this old video resurfaced in the comics blogosphere last week. Complete with a starry-eyed Stan Lee talking to Hillary, back when she was running for Senator of New York state, and the notorious con man Peter Paul filming, it is certainly a must-see. (Never mind the scandal-mongering bullshit at the beginning)
  • The New Yorker: Art Spiegelman’s great essays on Bernie Krigstein (“Ballbuster”) and Jack Cole (“Forms Stretched to their Limits”). Thanks to Tom Spurgeon.
  • Gary Gygax links. An interesting essay about recently deceased game desginer Gygax’ influence on virtual communities by Adam Rogers, and a personal reminiscence from Monte Cook, who was at his funeral. Again, thanks to Tom Spurgeon.
  • Chris Ware on Rodolphe Töpffer. One of our preeminent cartoonists writes about one of the founders of modern comics, in a review of David Kunzle’s recently released books on him.

    • Late Titian in Venice

    commentary and criticism, pictorial arts

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    The great exhibition of Titian’s late work shown this past autumn in Vienna has now moved to the Accademia in Venice in a rather amputated, but still beautiful incarnation. Worth seeing alone for the rare chance to see the Kromeríz Flaying of Marsyas and the Accademia’s own Pietà, which did not travel to Vienna, hung next to one another. A constellation singularly revelatory of central concerns in Titian’s late work.

    Otherwise, the Venice exhibition unfortunately misses many of the main draws of the Vienna show: the St. Petersburg St. Sebastian, the Escorial Crucifixion, the Prado Danae, the Fitzwilliam Tarquin and Lucretia, and the entire, extremely fascinating section on replicas, are not there. Partially making up for these omissions are three pictures from Naples: the magnificent Portrait of Pope Paul III, the Magdalen, which provides fine comparison with the privately owned one that was also displayed in Vienna, and — most notably — the recently restored San Domenico Maggiore Annunciation. The inclusion of this latter picture makes one wonder why the San Salvatore Annunciation, which was a centrepiece in Vienna, was sent back to its permanent home across the city instead of having it displayed alongside this picture — a genuinely great opportunity wasted.