DRAWN & QUARTERED
Graphic Arts As Literature
Let's step back from all the "Spider-Man" and "Star Wars" hype and bring the focus of this week's column back to real life, specifically to a comic-book creator whose engaging stories and characters are the farthest thing from what's dominating movies nowadays. Artist Watson finds
detail in simplicityBy Gary C.W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.comEnglishman Andi Watson has made a name for himself on the independent scene with titles that combine a deceptively simple black-and-white design with young, complex characters. He came to notoriety in 1996 when he produced the "Skeleton Key" series. It was about a bored teenage girl growing up in Saskatchewan who finds a magic key that allows her to go dimension-hopping.
While that title (being developed as an animated series for Nickelodeon) and the follow-up "Geisha," an offbeat sci-fi series about an android artist, were created in the familiar vein of comic-book fantasy, Watson has since distinguished himself with work more grounded in everyday life.
In an industry filled with garish, pumped-up bodies, Watson's drawings are spare and elegant, combined with detailed backgrounds textured with simple white, black and gray. His artwork has really blossomed with his recent titles "Breakfast After Noon," "Slow News Day" and the one-shot "Dumped."
In an interview for the Ninth Art Web site, Watson bemoaned: "It's depressing the way that painted comics are viewed as better simply because they're painted. I remember some guy calling the art in 'Slow News Day' crude and simplistic and not understanding why I would find that insulting!"
Probably because that "guy" didn't know that Watson doesn't look solely to other comics for inspiration. Watson cites influences as diverse as "the 'stripped down to essentials' quality of ceramics or Hiroshige landscapes, as well as the decorative and patternistic aspects."
"I (also) like ... manga for its pacing and willingness to take its time, Ukiyo-e woodblock prints ... Thackeray, Stella Gibbons (author of 'Cold Comfort Farm'), Dupuy-Berberian, Gothic painting, early German painting, Ingres, Matisse, Degas ..."
Watson says his writing is "a mix, part my own experience, part other people's, part imagination and part research." While there's definitely a melancholy feel to his stories, they're still a delight to read because of the care and craft put in them.
"Breakfast After Noon" is a slice-of-life story about a young British couple coping with unemployment after the only industry in their town closes down, throwing their wedding plans askew as well. "Slow News Day" is about the arrival of an American journalist at an English small-town newspaper and her trials in dealing with cultural and professional differences. "Dumped" tells an affecting tale of two people whose obsessions over discarded vintage clothing and worn paperback books reveal their need for meaningful love.
Because of the style of his renderings, the sensitivity shown in depicting his characters' relationships, and the way his first name is spelled, Watson is often mistaken for a woman. "I noticed women got a raw deal in comics, and they still do," he said. "They're usually sex objects designed to cater to juvenile tastes, and in some way I wanted to redress the balance. Also, I like drawing female characters."
Watson's titles are hidden among the plethora of superhero stuff in local comic-book stores, so if you find the search daunting, check out the Slave Labor Graphics and Oni Press Web sites for ordering information. There's also an exclusive online comic called "Sunburn" by Watson on www.artbomb.net.
Click for online
calendars and events.
