Hype: Kosmorama #239: Animationsfilm

articles and essays, film, tv, video, hype & linkage, journal


Danmarks ældste og bedste filmtidsskrift Kosmorama er ude NU, med et stort temanummer om animationsfilm. Bladet – eller retteligt: bogen – er spækket med spændende og indsigtsfulde artikler om det gamle og det nye, om det kendte og det obskøne, det fede og det, der bare er forgæves. Sidstnævnte tager denne skribent sig bramfrit af i publikationens afsluttende indslag, hvor tegnefilmen som udtryksform slæbes gennem mudderet : strengt men retfærdigt. Klik her, og læs første halvdel af svadaen ganske gratis. Kosmorama forhandles bl.a. af Filminstituttet, og kan købes i Cinematekets boghandel.

Tak i øvrigt til redaktionen, som var så letsindig at give mig lov til at supplere mit essay med ovenstående, barnlige skribleri (her gengivet let modificeret).

Scribblings of the Comics Fawn

articles and essays, comics and cartooning, current affairs

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All right, so I finally read Joann Sfar’s latest sketchbook comic, Greffier, which collects his comics form transcripts of the Charlie Hebdo trial at the Parisian Correctional Court earlier in the year (February 7-8, to be exact). This was the trial in which three Muslim organizations, the French Union of Islamic Organisations (UOIF), the International Islamic League, and the Great Mosque of Paris, sued the venerable weekly satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for defamation of a religious group by having published the infamous Danish Muhammed cartoons, as well as adding to the mix a cover by Cabu showing the Prophet, in January 2006. Charlie Hebdo, whose lawyers asserted their right to publish the cartoons under the principles of free speech, was — thankfully — acquitted of any wrongdoing.

Sfar writes in his introduction to the volume: “I’m neither a journalist, nor an editorial cartoonist. I wanted to take notes as a comics author. To document the entirety of the debate. Not just the essential parts”. He wants to convey the entire experience of a courtroom trial. Unfortunately, he fails quite egregiously at this.

Covering BLÆK

comics and cartooning, documentation, interviews

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When Rackham’s Danish comics anthology from last year, BLÆK, was recently selected amongst the books of the year by the Association of Danish Bookbinders, it turned out to be in the ‘cover’ category. Besides acknowledging the fine work done by our designer, Frederik Storm, this is, of course, first and foremost a recognition of cover artist Jan Solheim. To mark the occasion, I asked to him to talk a little about his ideas for, and work on, the cover, and he also coughed up some of his preliminary sketches. read on…

Hergé 100 IX

comics and cartooning, documentation

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Wrapping up our week-and-a-half-long celebration of Hergé’s centenary is Danish cartoonist’s cartoonist Jan Solheim. He is known for a large number of at times hilarious, at times touching, and always dazzlingly drawn anthology contributions, two of the best of the more recent ones in BLÆK, for which he also did the amazing cover. His grand epic “Lava,” serialized in the anthology Fahrenheit in the 90s, remains unfinished but is nevertheless considered classic. American readers might remember him from the story “Drive-By”, written by Steven T. Seagle in ONI Double Feature a good number of years back. Check out his website here, an old archive of his work here, and his Lambiek entry here.

Thanks for staying with us! Hope you enjoyed the drawings and all the rest. Long live the work of Hergé!

Also, check out the artwork in the previous instalments, by Mårdøn Smet, Miwer, Johan Krarup, Peter Kielland-Brandt, Ole Comoll Christensen, T. Thorhauge, Simon Bukhave and Peter Becher. And be sure to read our freewheeling discussion of Hergé’s work.

Supplementary linkage

comics and cartooning, hype & linkage, pictorial arts

Over the last couple of days, a few things related to a couple of my last posts have come up:

First of all, ArtWatch director Michael Daley has written a fine obituary of James Beck who passed away on Saturday.

Secondly, back in February, Neil Cohn posted content about the 5.000-year old Persian comic that has just gone on display at the National Museum in Tehran, including an animation of the strip and a link to a number of pictures of it and the goblet it’s painted on.

Chekkit.

Hergé 100: Chris Ware Talks Ligne Claire

comics and cartooning, journal


As you may have noticed, our daily celebration of Hergé’s centenary is on hold (we deeply apologize for any inconvenience!). Instead we’d like to offer a great link, leading you to a clever conversation in which The Smartest Cartoonist on Earthâ„¢ – why, Chris Ware of course – discusses Tintin, Hergé and ligne claire. The interview was done by America’s PBS ( Public Broadcasting Service) a while ago, when Danish documentarist Anders Østergaard’s Tintin et moi (2003) went on the air. Well, what are you waiting for? Click, read, now! (Also, click along at the bottom of the page and read interivews on the same theme with Dan Clowes, Phoebe Gloeckner, Jason Lutes and Seth!).

Hergé 100 VIII

comics and cartooning, documentation

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Yes, our celebration of Hergé’s centenary continues – we’ve now hit the one-week mark and are still going strong! Today’s drawing is by one of Danish fandom’s movers and shakers, the inimitable Peter Becher! Deeply involved in Danish fandom as a consultant and translation coach for the editors of the Complete Carl Barks, currently being published in Scandinavia, as well as co-editor of the legendary Nørd Nyt (‘Nerd News’), as well as the online nerd haven SerieJournalen (for which he has done a special Tintin pop quiz – in Danish, sorree! – for the centenary), his credentials are not to be fornicated with.

Also, check out the artwork in the previous instalments, by Mårdøn Smet, Miwer, Johan Krarup, Peter Kielland-Brandt, Ole Comoll Christensen, T. Thorhauge and Simon Bukhave. And be sure to read our freewheeling discussion of Hergé’s work .