tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post2618380567008770257..comments2024-03-04T04:08:39.755-08:00Comments on The Fies Files: Happy Cartoonists Day!Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-60673103428967774552009-05-27T03:58:23.766-07:002009-05-27T03:58:23.766-07:00Without question the cartoon arts are valuable. So...Without question the cartoon arts are valuable. Some years ago I was doing a series of presentations in elementary schools of the art of cartooning...in each classroom I explained how one trained for the field, did a few drawings with markers on large sheets of paper (from a roll), and answered questions from the kids.<br /><br />At the time, a young boy was hanging around our house and harassing us...throwing rocks at the kitchen window, climbing up on the garage and dumping cans of roofing tar on our patio, and other mischief.<br /><br />There was, I was told, quite a bit of "buzz" in the school about my classroom visits as each classroom's visit time approached. So I walk into this one room and who is sitting in the front row? None other than our young tormentor. I saw him slowly slump into his seat as his expression changed from excitement to trying to disappear into his seat.<br /><br />I said nothing to indicate I recognized him and went ahead with my usual presentation. That afternoon there was a knock at my front door...it was the young boy. He apologized for his behavior and asked If I would teach him how to draw. My wife refused to allow him into the house (he'd "mooned" her), so for about three weeks, each evening we'd sit on the front porch as I gave him personal drawing lessons.<br /><br />One day he didn't show up and I never saw him again. I inquired at the school about him and it seemed his mother had moved away with him. The school, however, said he had been a major discipline problem, but had done this "miraculous" turn around, becoming (for those three weeks) a model student. All he'd needed was a little personal time from someone, someone to show some real interest in him (his mother from what I saw spent most of her time with male friends - turned out they lived quite near by). Having that personal attention from a working illustrator/cartoonist was, I think, a bit of a plus.<br /><br /> I considered my time with him as well spent. As a side note, the school librarian told me that after my series of classroom presentations, the children in the school had checked out every book on Art or Cartooning in the library and that there was a waiting list for the books, a circumstance that lasted some six months. ;0)<br /><br />One teacher remarked on my ability to hold the childrens attention for an entire class session, asking how I managed to do it. I just smiled and said "I'm just teaching the right subject!"I.B. Nelsonhttp://ibnelson.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-52758583141040356462009-05-08T02:27:00.000-07:002009-05-08T02:27:00.000-07:00My parents let us have a subscription to a comic b...My parents let us have a subscription to a comic book every year, and I remember getting Caspar at a house where I couldn't have been older than six. I was an early reader, though I don't know how much I could parse of it on my own at that stage. But it was important to have it and to puzzle over it. <br /><br />My experience puzzling over my parents' volume of Barnaby was quite different. I knew something very strange was happening to that little boy and it filled my dreams -- I think I improvised what I couldn't read, though going back now it would be hard to come up with anything more surreal than what Crockett Johnson had in mind.<br /><br />At a slightly older age, when I was able to read the dialogue, I was put off by Steve Canyon and Pogo in the newspapers because of their density, perhaps graphically as well as in terms of verbiage. I also think it was too hard for me to follow because I didn't necessarily see the paper every day or retain the plotlines from day to day. <br /><br />Tintin was a good bridge, with its combination of spare graphics and heavy plot, and the fact that my first exposure to him was in book form so I could let the story unfold at my pace instead of the newspaper's. <br /><br />(God, I'm turning into Andy Rooney. Was there a point to this? Oh, yeah -- comics and kids. Yeah, I liked comics when I was a kid. Still do.)Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16807727819590358834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-15578841299218630602009-05-05T22:51:00.000-07:002009-05-05T22:51:00.000-07:00Ronnie, I was teasing Jeff Kinney a couple of post...Ronnie, I was teasing Jeff Kinney a couple of posts ago, but I know one of the things he's happiest about and proudest of is hearing how his "Wimpy Kid" books get "reluctant readers" to enjoy reading. He hears stories about boys like your nephew all the time. At times like that, you realize what a big difference a little funny book can make.Brian Fieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-84695750292853521922009-05-05T18:14:00.000-07:002009-05-05T18:14:00.000-07:00Re: your comments about young brains and the value...Re: your comments about young brains and the value of comics: We have an 8-year-old nephew (also our Godson) and learned about two years ago that he was having trouble with reading. Basically, he didn't <I>like</I> to read very much and therefore was falling behind. I suggested looking into age-appropriate comics and his mom, who'd never even considered that, said she'd give it a try. Thereafter we gave him a bunch of comics for every birthday and Christmas (we discovered that some comics publishers, including Marvel, actually produce special editions for early readers). <br /><br />He loved the comics and consumes them voraciously, and his reading has improved dramatically. He's now caught up with his classmates.<br /><br />I think the value of comics as a tool for encouraging young readers, especially boys, is woefully underappreciated.<br /><br />Happy Cartoonists Day!<br /><br />ronnieronniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14044863062652781155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-84611061154290866742009-05-05T17:26:00.000-07:002009-05-05T17:26:00.000-07:00What's . . . manga?
Just kidding (you know I am)!...What's . . . <I>manga</I>?<br /><br />Just kidding (you know I am)! I almost wrote about manga, but know so little about it--aside from its obvious current success and my burning hatred of <I>Naruto</I>--I didn't think I had anything to say. Not much of an opinion one way or another. Ignorance isn't much of a defense, but it's all I've got.<br /><br />Still, I respect your taste, can't deny manga's commercial success, and joyfully wish a Happy Cartoonists Day to everyone who enjoys or produces manga as well!<br /><br />And that's a good insight about manga picking up the younger readers that American comic book companies don't seem to value anymore. I think they've made some efforts to fix their mistake (e.g., my friend Raina Telgemeier is working on a manga-style X-Men book) but probably too late.Brian Fieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-91953386116855644542009-05-05T16:37:00.000-07:002009-05-05T16:37:00.000-07:00What about manga?
Although it's based around Jap...What about manga?<br /> <br />Although it's based around Japanese imports, manga is flourishing economically and as an art form right now. Just check out the massive manga section in Borders! Although most manga books undoubtedly have the same problem American comics do concerning lack of real artistry, there are some that are really well done. <br /><br />As American comics leaves American children and teens behind to focus on their aging reader-base, manga seems to be swooping in to fill the gap. They offer everything that comics did, just with a different brand of characters.Rnoreply@blogger.com