Kim Deitch is sort of a second-tier comics alterna-Deity. He’s not as famous as Art Spiegelman or Dan Clowes, or Chris Ware or R. Crumb — and his work isn’t as straight-up pretentious as any of those artists, either. As such, I’ve tended to try to ignore his stuff; it’s boring and nostalgic and generally leaves me saying, “who cares?” but it could certainly be a lot more irritating than it is.
I’ve gotta say, though, that Deitch’s cover for the latest Comics Journal is pretty fucking godawful. (It’s reproduced below: copyright Deitch himself, or the Comics Journal, or some combination of the two, presumably.)
How does it suck? Let us count the ways….
1. Butt-Ugly Drawing
I’ve never been a huge fan of Deitch’s draftsmanship, but seeing it in glossy four-color really pushes it from “eh” to “ergh.” The character designs are awkward and flat and generally unmemorable. Neither realistically detailed, nor cartoonishly amusing, nor beautifully stylized, they hit that particular sweet spot of aesthetic alterna-nullity. Really, it seems like he drew this in Toys R’Us while gazing at some particularly unappealing humanoid plastic detritus.
2.Massively Lame Layout
Yes it’s cluttered and awkward, but it’s the clichés which kill me. The ironized faux pulp action cover page with the exclamation points and little yellow Splash! Bang! panels — how many more thousands of times do we have to see this crap? I guess it was sort of funny when underground folks like Deitch did it in the 60s…but that was getting on 50 years ago now. Could we come up with another cutesy layout gag to cover for the fact that we have no idea how to organize a page? Please?
3.Boring, Insular Content
We know you’re being interviewed, Kim. But couldn’t you maybe come up with something a little more interesting than just a picture of yourself and your relatives talking on the phone with Gary Groth? I know that would require a modicum of imagination, but it is a goddamn four-color cover — a showcase, you know? And no, putting that lame cat who’s in all your comics on the page doesn’t qualify as whimsy — it’s just another way of saying that you only have, like, the two ideas. (Incidentally, I did peel off the cover sticker; there is Additional Secret Content under there which, I am pleased to report, is just as boring and clichéd as the plainly visible content. Points for consistency, I suppose.)
I don’t know…maybe Deitch was having trouble meeting the deadline or something? As I said, I’m not a fan of his art in general, but this does seem a cut below his usual standard. In any case, it’s kind of embarrassing for a magazine devoted to comics to have such a thoroughly crappy cover. To say nothing of the embarrassment to the alterna-fanboys who worship this stuff (and yes, that includes you, Chris Ware.)
(To be fair, I thought last issue’s Tim Sale cover was beautiful. I guess they can’t all be gems…)
Update: Through the bizarrely instantaneous power of the Internet, there’s already a thread on the TCJ message board about this post. Ben Towle very politely suggests that I have crossed the line into personal attack, which certainly was not my intent. He also posted this image from Deitch’s Alias the Cat:
I quite like that, actually. It’s got a very nice Winsor McCay feel with the clean design and the manipulation of scale. He’s actually using the fact that his figures look like stiff, creepy dolls, too — and I really like details such as the smoke belching out of the castle. The colors are beautiful too, again in a McCay/art deco style. I can certainly see what Chris Ware loves about him here. So obviously Deitch can do imaginative, exciting work…. I don’t know, maybe there really was a deadline problem? Or maybe TCJ just brings out the insular hack in all of us?
Good timing, Noah, I just listed Deitch as a cartoonist “I don’t get” on my blog responding to some Tom Spurgeon Five for Friday questions…and you’re right, that covert is pretty bad.
The cover is great.
Deitch has always been a kind of love/hate cartoonist, going way back. I think his style evokes a kind of unpretentious and fun hyper-cartoony pulpy quality. The lightning bolt/ exclamation point thing harkens back to the kind of turn of the century/early cinema genre material that Deitch adores so much. That cover could be seen as a fan art poster for an early genre film via UG Comics via Calssic Cartooning.
Similarly, the way he frames characters, sometimes looking frozen in certain actions,is like the staging of old film.
That tight, rubbery look to his characters- some say it’s stiff- is appealing to me. There is something to be said for going straight for that kind of clarity.It’s necessary for him not to get over-stylized in order to draw us into his mighty comic yarns. It comes down to how well it all reads; I can’t think of more than a handful of cartoonists that can pull me in- absorb me- into a consistent, fully realized world for an extended period, especially ones that have a very idiosyncratic style and sets of interests.
I don’t have the issue yet, but ragging on a photo seems pretty trivial. He probably didn’t view it as a chance to be clever but instead was asked to send along a pic for basic documentary purposes.
I know I like seeing pictures of cartoonists I like in old magazines. Seems pretty simple.
Boulevard of Broken Dreams – the original, stand-alone story, is one of the real high-points of comics so far. Which is why it’s all the more distressing to see how much he’s diluted its impact over the years with all of the sequels and parallel stories and what-not with Waldo – Hollywoodland, The Mishkin Files, The Stuff of Dreams, Beyond the Pale, Shroud of Waldo – all of these, to a large degree, mine not only the same cultural vein but the same themes, yet with somehow less penetration and understanding of why the original was such a heart-breaking wonder.
In a way, he reminds me of David Lynch – another artist who holds tremendous initial appeal, and had indeed made groundbreaking work, but keeps up with the same themes and cinematic effects to the point that I’ve just decided I don’t ever need to see another David Lynch movie.
D.
Uland…I feel I”m missing something basic, but: what are you talking about re: “ragging on a photo”? I don’t think I mentioned photography at all — the cover is an illustration…? Deeply confused here….
-Sorry- thought you were commenting on a photo from the article itself. I just misread it.Not sure how.
Deitch maybe had a good time drawing his family…
This would make a nice cover blurb: “It could certainly be a lot more irritating than it is.”–Noah Berlatsky
Deitch has had problems coming up with good covers over the years – see BOULEVARD and ALIAS. I don’t really know why because most of his comic book covers (saddle stitch books) over the years have been great. I think he’s going for a more upmarket, minimalist, Chip Kidd kind of look which doesn’t work well with his actual style which calls for a lot of lines and crazy background details.
“Really, it seems like he drew this in Toys R’Us while gazing at some particularly unappealing humanoid plastic detritus.”
This line actually nails a large part of the appeal of Deitch’s art, to me – I’ve only read BOULEVARD and a few short works, but what attracted me to his work was the fact that his characters looked creepy and inhuman, but in a way I hadn’t really seen before. A strange combination of old animation, 60s underground, and Deitch’s own personal style of shading and perspective makes his work something that attracts my eye, but repels yours. (Such is taste).
I’ve certainly seen much better from him than that cover, though I think I’m far more forgiving of a fun, pulpy gag than you are. But then, most people are far more forgiving than you, Noah – that’s your shtick, right?
This blog needs an enema!
I liked Boulevard of Broken Dreams too….., but not as much as Justice League Detroit’s conclusion, which probably tells you something…
VinceB, last warning: all further service solicitations will be deleted.
Jason, I have various shticks; however, it’s certainly true that the off-the-cuff snark tends to generate a lot more interest than the lengthy excursions into gender studies or the appreciative appraisals of comics masters.
Alan was too polite to link to his mention of Deitch, so I’ll do it: it’s here
Thanks all for commenting!
I think you mean “McCay/Art Nouveau,” not “Art Deco.” Keep your “Arts” straight, buddy!
I think I actually meant Art Garfunkel….
i think the appeal is precisely in the grotesque. the more the merrier. that’s how i see it anyway.
Gosh Noah, was it really THAT bad? I thought it served the purpose that I made it for. I’m a little surprised that it offended you so much and sorry too. It certainly was not my intention to give offense to anyone. These things happen I guess.
I’m glad at least you liked my inside back cover for Alias the Cat although for my money the inside front is the better of the two. Kim Deitch
Hey Kim! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ve checked over at the TCJ message board as well; your cover has a slew of defenders there.
Noah. Thanks for the link. I read it all with interest. You know, my attitude when receiving less than great criticism is to try and take it constructively and, if possible, learn something from it. I’d be the last guy in the world to claim I was all that great of an artist. I’m definitely in the category of a writer who draws, I think, but I do my best to have my wicked way with it.
Looking over your My Space profile I see that we share some literary interests and it occurs to me that you might find my latest effort, Deitch’s Pictorama more to your taste, as the accent there is decidedly more on the writing end of things and quite frankly after taking a crash course on who you are , via the good old internet, I’d be curious to know what you think of it. Best to you, Kim Deitch
To each his own, but you lost me immediately with “Butt-Ugly drawing”. I can’t even remotely relate to this assessment, Noah. I have two Kim Deitch originals hanging on my walls at home. His artwork is a visual feast to my eyes. It’s perhaps an acquired taste, but “butt-ugly” I don’t get. His layouts crackle with energy. His stories matter transport me. He’s yarn-spinner of the first degree. His work is completely sui generis, in the best way. And the Deitch interviews are my favorite interviews TCJ has run in years.
Hey Eric; always nice to see you here. And Kim, bless your heart. I was already planning to pick up Alias the Cat; I’ll try to give your latest a try as well if budget and time permit.
I already knew Kim was a really nice dude from a Mocca handshake he threw me when I picked up Alias the Cat, which I had to hit an ATM for, but for him to show up like this and give you a serious head nod? What a class fucking act that guy is.
Alias is my favorite of what I’ve read by him–admittedly a small sample, but the midget girl and that cat character watch some episode of American Idol where the unseen contestant rips into “Let’s give them something to talk about”.
Undeniably off the chain, Bad Boys 2 style.
Hi Tucker. The singer Waldo and his girl are watching on American Idol is Fantasia singing the song that first got her noticed on the show and for my money her best moment on it.
The only thing I can say about Deitch is that his art doesn’t move me at all, not to dislike or admiration.