Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Feb 6, 2015 9:39:56 GMT -6
Sheldon cartoonist Dave Kellett and filmmaker Frederick Schroeder, who made the documentary Stripped, talk about the new inspiration they drew from this year’s Angoulême International Comics Festival: “Comics aren’t just entertainment, there: It’s Art with a capital A. You could see them studying lines, brushstrokes, techniques, and approaches… Fred and I would sit for a coffee two to three times a day, and every time, there were 10 to 20 people sketching around us in coffee shops. Fans, students, and masters themselves…all trying out techniques they’d just seen, up close, in the exhibitions.”
www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/02/04/angoulememories-festival-made-me-fall-in-love-with-comics-again-says-stripped-filmmaker/
‘Angoulêmemories’: 2015 festival ‘made me fall in love with comics, again,’ says ‘Stripped’ filmmaker
LAST FALL, in gown and veil, cartoonist Simon Hanselmann joyously “married” Comics in a promotional ceremony of shared joy and artistic commitment at suburban Washington’s Small Press Expo.
Imagine how much more romantic, then, if this love of the form is celebrated not in southern Rockville, but rather southern France.
That is the sort of stoked pilot-light that “Sheldon” cartoonist Dave Kellett felt warmed by while attending the Angouleme International Comic Art Festival that ended Sunday, as hundreds of thousands of people over four days became visiting pilgrims in this medieval town.
A winning image from the Angouleme Internationa; comics festival.
A winning image from the Angouleme comics festival.
“It was a show that made me fall in love with comics, again,” says Kellett, the California-based cartoonist who, along with cinematic collaborator Frederick Schroeder, went to France to screen their documentary “Stripped,” which is itself a filmic love letter to the newspaper’s funny pages.
“I came away from it,” Kellett tells The Post’s Comic Riffs, “feeling the most inspired I’ve felt in seven to 10 years.”
Schroeder echoes that sentiment: “I felt an overwhelming sense of joy at the festival.”
I am asking the filmmakers about their their festival remembrances — their “Angoulememories,” if you will — because the international news media reporting out of France often kept striking the same narrative tones. Mostly, it seemed to alternate between two angles — catch-words, really — in response to last month’s Charlie Hebdo massacre: One of “unity,” the other of “somberness.”
Beneath the surface story-lines, what were some of the deeper, truer moods — as experienced at least by several American comics figures who were there for days?
“There was definitely an awareness, when you first arrived in Angouleme, that the state security apparatus was activated,” Kellett says. “The police were very much on hand — especially at the exhibition doors — checking bags and the like.
“But the mood felt very relaxed and happy, to me!” Kellett continues. “We were laughing and enthusiastically taking in the show all weekend, and every face in the crowd looked like they were doing the same.”
The throngs, indeed, didn’t seem to mind the distinct increase in security, so fresh after the attacks that left more than a dozen dead, including five cartoonists. And the presence of hundreds of Hebdo covers even provided some with laughter — as “Je Suis Charlie” signage papered the town.
“It was impossible not to notice the amount of security and a definite police presence around the festival,” Schroeder says. “At every exhibit, your back was checked and this created longer lines, but everyone was incredibly pleasant about it and no one complained about it and everyone felt incredibly safe and secure.
“There were so many kids running around enjoying a lot of the interactive aspects of the festival — especially the Moomin exhibit,” the filmmaker continues. “The only somber feeling was inside the Charlie Hebdo, but even that was filled with laughter, as many people reacted to all the outrageous comics the magazine had published over the years.”
(The Charlie Hebdo was honored a new special prize that, in turn, will be awarded annually.)
Caitlin McGurk, curator and educator with the Ohio State University’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, did not sense any lingering somberness or gloom looming over the festival. “The impact of the events surrounding Charlie Hebdo seem unnoticeable in Paris and Angouleme,” McGurk tells Comic Riffs early this week. “I don’t hear people talking about it — I don’t see it on the news, and no one seems to be living in fear. Perhaps it’s our American obsession with terror, or the fact that I was living in New York during 911, but I’m kind of astounded, pleasantly, at life moving on as it should in the wake of such an awful event. It’s inspiring.”
Dark cartoon clouds cast aside, eyes found uplift in the art. In France, as in some other nations that widely appreciate comics as an art form, a festival like Angouleme can feel a bit like creative heaven on earth.
“The audience at Angouleme is like no other comics festival or convention I’ve ever been to,” Kellett tells Comic Riffs. “Comics aren’t just entertainment, there: It’s Art with a capital A. You could see them studying lines, brushstrokes, techniques, and approaches.
“Here’s a good way to illustrate that fact,” the cartoonist continues. “Fred and I would sit for a coffee two to three times a day, and every time, there were 10 to 20 people sketching around us in coffee shops. Fans, students, and masters themselves…all trying out techniques they’d just seen, up close, in the exhibitions.
“It was one of the most joy-filled things I’ve ever experienced: A huge outpouring of love for comics as art, comics as craft, and not just comics as consumed entertainment.”
The creative duo also witnessed how fans specifically appreciated the work of Bill Watterson, who provided the poster art and an interview clip for their “Stripped” film. As president of this year’s festival, the “Calvin and Hobbes” creator, in absentia, had an exhibit of his work on display. The huddled crowds came, and saw, and admired. (Note: “Akira” creator Katsuhiro Otomo, as the 2015 Grand Prix winner, will be president of next year’s event.)
“Watterson’s originals hung beautifully — Jenny Robb and Caitlin McGurk of Ohio State put together a beautiful traveling exhibition,” Kellett says of the curators with the Billy Ireland museum. “And like in Ohio, I think everyone was very aware of what a rare treat they were getting, in seeing the original pieces. I certainly was. I went back to the show three times in three days while I was there, just to study how he did certain things.”
“The line to get into the exhibit was literally around the block,” Schroder tells Comic Riffs. “So many people traveled especially down to Angouleme just to see this presentation. And the way Jenny and Caitlin have structured the show thematically is a great way to be introduced to ‘Calvin and Hobbes,’ and a wonderful way to re-examine the strips for people super-familiar with the work.
“It was really amazing to see people examining Watterson’s work with the same about of scrutiny they would bring to a Monet or Picasso,” the filmmaker continues. “Dave and I would be discussing a panel or a technique, and people would join in on the discussion with the same passion we were feeling about the work, and inevitably we would all end by laughing at the joke being made!”
Last year, Watterson’s rare public artistic contribution on behalf of “Stripped” helped raise the documentary’s profile worldwide. Now, the filmmakers got to see up close how foreign audiences would react.
“It was just an eye-opener to me that the French would like the film — or American comic strips — at all!” Kellett tells Comic Riffs. “You kinda never know what another culture will like.
“I’ve always known that they prefer their hard-cover bandes dessinées ‘albums,’ but never really knew they liked or cared for American strips,” he continues. “But based on the huge turnout for the Watterson exhibit, and the lovely response that Stripped got, I’ve learned something entirely new about the French comics audience. They were really into both!”
“So many people seemed to really appreciate the historical section in the film,” Schroeder says. “I had a few people tell me they had no idea about how important American comic strips — outside of ‘Peanuts’ and ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ — were to American culture.
“On a personal level, it was just amazing to have something Dave and I made together included in such an incredible festival,” Schroeder notes. “To see a room full of people watching your film half a world away is quite a treat.”
“My lasting take-away,” Kellett says, “was just that it was an awesome festival.”
Writer/artist/visual storyteller Michael Cavna is creator of the "Comic Riffs" column and graphic-novel reviewer for The Post's Book World. He relishes sharp-eyed satire in most any form.
www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/02/04/angoulememories-festival-made-me-fall-in-love-with-comics-again-says-stripped-filmmaker/
‘Angoulêmemories’: 2015 festival ‘made me fall in love with comics, again,’ says ‘Stripped’ filmmaker
LAST FALL, in gown and veil, cartoonist Simon Hanselmann joyously “married” Comics in a promotional ceremony of shared joy and artistic commitment at suburban Washington’s Small Press Expo.
Imagine how much more romantic, then, if this love of the form is celebrated not in southern Rockville, but rather southern France.
That is the sort of stoked pilot-light that “Sheldon” cartoonist Dave Kellett felt warmed by while attending the Angouleme International Comic Art Festival that ended Sunday, as hundreds of thousands of people over four days became visiting pilgrims in this medieval town.
A winning image from the Angouleme Internationa; comics festival.
A winning image from the Angouleme comics festival.
“It was a show that made me fall in love with comics, again,” says Kellett, the California-based cartoonist who, along with cinematic collaborator Frederick Schroeder, went to France to screen their documentary “Stripped,” which is itself a filmic love letter to the newspaper’s funny pages.
“I came away from it,” Kellett tells The Post’s Comic Riffs, “feeling the most inspired I’ve felt in seven to 10 years.”
Schroeder echoes that sentiment: “I felt an overwhelming sense of joy at the festival.”
I am asking the filmmakers about their their festival remembrances — their “Angoulememories,” if you will — because the international news media reporting out of France often kept striking the same narrative tones. Mostly, it seemed to alternate between two angles — catch-words, really — in response to last month’s Charlie Hebdo massacre: One of “unity,” the other of “somberness.”
Beneath the surface story-lines, what were some of the deeper, truer moods — as experienced at least by several American comics figures who were there for days?
“There was definitely an awareness, when you first arrived in Angouleme, that the state security apparatus was activated,” Kellett says. “The police were very much on hand — especially at the exhibition doors — checking bags and the like.
“But the mood felt very relaxed and happy, to me!” Kellett continues. “We were laughing and enthusiastically taking in the show all weekend, and every face in the crowd looked like they were doing the same.”
The throngs, indeed, didn’t seem to mind the distinct increase in security, so fresh after the attacks that left more than a dozen dead, including five cartoonists. And the presence of hundreds of Hebdo covers even provided some with laughter — as “Je Suis Charlie” signage papered the town.
“It was impossible not to notice the amount of security and a definite police presence around the festival,” Schroeder says. “At every exhibit, your back was checked and this created longer lines, but everyone was incredibly pleasant about it and no one complained about it and everyone felt incredibly safe and secure.
“There were so many kids running around enjoying a lot of the interactive aspects of the festival — especially the Moomin exhibit,” the filmmaker continues. “The only somber feeling was inside the Charlie Hebdo, but even that was filled with laughter, as many people reacted to all the outrageous comics the magazine had published over the years.”
(The Charlie Hebdo was honored a new special prize that, in turn, will be awarded annually.)
Caitlin McGurk, curator and educator with the Ohio State University’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, did not sense any lingering somberness or gloom looming over the festival. “The impact of the events surrounding Charlie Hebdo seem unnoticeable in Paris and Angouleme,” McGurk tells Comic Riffs early this week. “I don’t hear people talking about it — I don’t see it on the news, and no one seems to be living in fear. Perhaps it’s our American obsession with terror, or the fact that I was living in New York during 911, but I’m kind of astounded, pleasantly, at life moving on as it should in the wake of such an awful event. It’s inspiring.”
Dark cartoon clouds cast aside, eyes found uplift in the art. In France, as in some other nations that widely appreciate comics as an art form, a festival like Angouleme can feel a bit like creative heaven on earth.
“The audience at Angouleme is like no other comics festival or convention I’ve ever been to,” Kellett tells Comic Riffs. “Comics aren’t just entertainment, there: It’s Art with a capital A. You could see them studying lines, brushstrokes, techniques, and approaches.
“Here’s a good way to illustrate that fact,” the cartoonist continues. “Fred and I would sit for a coffee two to three times a day, and every time, there were 10 to 20 people sketching around us in coffee shops. Fans, students, and masters themselves…all trying out techniques they’d just seen, up close, in the exhibitions.
“It was one of the most joy-filled things I’ve ever experienced: A huge outpouring of love for comics as art, comics as craft, and not just comics as consumed entertainment.”
The creative duo also witnessed how fans specifically appreciated the work of Bill Watterson, who provided the poster art and an interview clip for their “Stripped” film. As president of this year’s festival, the “Calvin and Hobbes” creator, in absentia, had an exhibit of his work on display. The huddled crowds came, and saw, and admired. (Note: “Akira” creator Katsuhiro Otomo, as the 2015 Grand Prix winner, will be president of next year’s event.)
“Watterson’s originals hung beautifully — Jenny Robb and Caitlin McGurk of Ohio State put together a beautiful traveling exhibition,” Kellett says of the curators with the Billy Ireland museum. “And like in Ohio, I think everyone was very aware of what a rare treat they were getting, in seeing the original pieces. I certainly was. I went back to the show three times in three days while I was there, just to study how he did certain things.”
“The line to get into the exhibit was literally around the block,” Schroder tells Comic Riffs. “So many people traveled especially down to Angouleme just to see this presentation. And the way Jenny and Caitlin have structured the show thematically is a great way to be introduced to ‘Calvin and Hobbes,’ and a wonderful way to re-examine the strips for people super-familiar with the work.
“It was really amazing to see people examining Watterson’s work with the same about of scrutiny they would bring to a Monet or Picasso,” the filmmaker continues. “Dave and I would be discussing a panel or a technique, and people would join in on the discussion with the same passion we were feeling about the work, and inevitably we would all end by laughing at the joke being made!”
Last year, Watterson’s rare public artistic contribution on behalf of “Stripped” helped raise the documentary’s profile worldwide. Now, the filmmakers got to see up close how foreign audiences would react.
“It was just an eye-opener to me that the French would like the film — or American comic strips — at all!” Kellett tells Comic Riffs. “You kinda never know what another culture will like.
“I’ve always known that they prefer their hard-cover bandes dessinées ‘albums,’ but never really knew they liked or cared for American strips,” he continues. “But based on the huge turnout for the Watterson exhibit, and the lovely response that Stripped got, I’ve learned something entirely new about the French comics audience. They were really into both!”
“So many people seemed to really appreciate the historical section in the film,” Schroeder says. “I had a few people tell me they had no idea about how important American comic strips — outside of ‘Peanuts’ and ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ — were to American culture.
“On a personal level, it was just amazing to have something Dave and I made together included in such an incredible festival,” Schroeder notes. “To see a room full of people watching your film half a world away is quite a treat.”
“My lasting take-away,” Kellett says, “was just that it was an awesome festival.”
Writer/artist/visual storyteller Michael Cavna is creator of the "Comic Riffs" column and graphic-novel reviewer for The Post's Book World. He relishes sharp-eyed satire in most any form.