If your readers are unfamiliar with Fletcher Hanks , they may want to wander ovver to my website for a sldeshow sample of a Fantomah story that does NOT appear in my book:

http://www.fletcherhanks.com

Best,
-Paul

1. many of the stories are quite clever, in a meta sort of way, but ultimately unsatisfying. I’d call this the Iowa syndrome, and I’m surprised that CCS fell into it so rapidly (it took the IWW maybe a couple of decades to get there). We have a formalization of the tricks of the avant-garde, which, by being formalized, stop being avant-garde and become a new academicism.

2. The book is beautifully designed, as are most of the strips–but I’d just like them to learn to draw better!!! It seems to me–also based on Sturm’s lectures about the CCS I’ve seen in the past–that at CCS all the emphasis is on narrative technique, and little on actually learning to draw. I don’t care whether they learn to draw like Charles Burns or like Gary Panter, but I would want them to realize that while learning the basic grammar of storytelling is important, it’s not the only thing, and you won’t achieve a fully aesthetically pleasing end result unless you work as hard on your inking as on your breakdowns.

Ah, yes, there goes Andrei, being all negative again…

So far The Sundays book is not looking as good as I’d hoped. It might be a great idea whose execution doesn’t quite live up to it.

Susanne, It was great to meet you too. I’ll have to spend some time checking out your website.

Thanks for the mentions. It was great to meet you. Wish I’d had more time to talk with you, but it was all so hectic, wasn’t it? I seem to have shopped like you did; didn’t buy any books I could get elsewhere, but stocked up on minis and other handmades. Can’t wait to dig into them.

Have got your site bookmarked and will definitely be back. And hopefully will see you again in the city soon.

Susanne

My tablemates said someone from Temple had stopped by, but I had no idea it was you! I wish I would have known so I could have found you. Well, tried to find you, given how huge this year’s show was.

Richard Hahn is great! Looking forward to seeing what you’ll think of his work.

The Norwegians on the 7th floor had a great full-color comic bio of Edvard Munch and Kurt Schwitters, each bio done vaguely in the style of the artist. I got it for the Schwitters, which was incredible. Sadly, I’ll never be able to actually read it, though it was worth it for the images & layout.

Did you happen to see J.T. Waldman’s graphic novel adaptation of the Book of Esther. That was my favorite book from the show. Really intense drawings, vaguely early-Mack Whitish, but entirely without irony. A preview here:

http://www.megillatesther.com/preview.htm

though it really doesn’t do it justice. The layouts become increasingly strange as the story goes on. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Waldman I think lives in Philadelphia.

Again, sorry to have missed you. Maybe we’ll see each other at SPX? I won’t have a table there, but my table mates & I are tossing around the idea of going down there just to see what’s being exhibited.

I actually picked up the Fletcher Hanks book Friday night at Jim Hanley’s — the last one they had. There was a rumor going around that Fantagraphics had already sold out of the *entire run* of the book. I don’t quite see how that’s possible, but they definitely sold out everything they brought to the show. It’s pretty unimpeachably great.

I was an idiot and did not get the Sundays anthology. It sold out. I didn’t even get to flip through it on the table. Everyone was talking about it.

Anyway, hoping all is well,

Gary

Derik, it was great to hang out.

M

Andrei: The pimping comics aspect is the part that gives me pause, but I’m hoping, starting to think about it now (with a year’s time) I can come up with some good plans. Maybe recruit someone(s) to share a table with. Also, after walking around that show, I’ve got some ideas about display set-up.

I was there today, BTW, Derik. Sorry I missed you!

Hey, if you have a table next year, you’ll have one of those handy name tags! I’ll find you for sure…