Playboy Jitters

It must be nerves. I have now inked 8 versions of a rough for Playboy. The Playboy Cartoon Department wants a minor change, but for some reason I'm as nervous as a kitten inking the drawing (What? You thought the nerves went away after drawing for a few years? Nooo). Fortunately I'm using a lightbox so I am placing a new sheet of paper (Bristol Board) over the drawing and inking that. So far I have made copies using a Koh-I-Noor pen, a Rotring Isograph, a Pental brush pen, a Micron, and one of my Manga nibs. I even inked one copy using a Micron, the Koh-I-Noor and the Pental brush pen. I put this attack of nerves down to the iconic status of both Mister Hefner, and Playboy Magazine.

It could be worse, in the old days my pencil drawing would have bitten the dust with the first stroke of the pen. Anyway, I've settled down a little now. I put the job to bed until Sunday when I hope to have fully chilled out.

I can't show you the drawing now that Playboy wants it, but I'll let you know when it's in the great publication so you can buy a copy.

Woody Guthrie Cartoon Tribute

Isn't this just a marvelous idea? The book, This Toon is Your Toon, is the brainchild of Stephanie Piro and John Nolan, and it really is a little gem. It's a worthy cause too, because all the proceeds from the sale of the book go to the Oklahoma Chapter of the Huntington's Disease Society of America.

I am partial, of course, but I genuinely laughed out loud at some of the cartoons and I can, with a clear conscience, highly recommend this publication. The authors' have done a great job rounding up a range of diverse talents from all across the cartooning spectrum, with cartoons from New Yorker cartoonists, editorial cartoonists, syndicated strip cartoonists, illustrators, greetings card artists, et al. The front cover, which is excellent, is by Tom Stiglich and the back by Malcolm (I don' need no steenkin' Bristol Board) McGookin. The collection features cartoons by some of our favourite cartoonists: Mike (Cornered) Baldwin, Isabel (Six Chix) Bannerman, Marek Bennet, Pat (What Would Satan Do - Despairadise - the musical) Byrnes, John Chase, Oliver (Hallmark's Revilo) Christianson, Dan (Hustler) Collins, Benita Epstein, Ann Farrell, Brian Fray, Paul Giambarba, Anne (Six Chix) Gibbons, Steve Greenberg, John Klossner, Kathryn (Six Chix) LeMieux, Mike Lynch, McGookin, Rod McKie (hey, that's me), Ron Morgan, Mark (Off the Mark) Parisi, Stephanie (Six Chix) Piro, Steamy Raimon, Roy (The Humble Stumble) Schneider, Nik Scott, Margaret (Six Chix) Schulock, Barbara Smaller, Tom Stiglich, Patricia Storms, Rick (Soup To Nutz) Stromoski, Peaco Todd, and Greg (Beetle Bailey) Walker.

Email Problems

Just a quick note prior to the weekend's post. My fellow cartoonist Nik Scott tells me there is something amiss with my email so an alternative addy for me is r_mckie(at)jubii.co.uk. As usual replace the (at) with a @.

A special hi to my cousin, Father Andrew Crosbie, who emailed me earlier - although I wish we were talking under more pleasant circumstances. Andrew, in case it is down, try the alternative address. I'll find out what I can and phone you at the weekend.

The late, great, Bud Handelsman, and his excellent family

Bud Handlesman's family dropped me an email, despite the fact that they were, and are, still grieving, to say thanks for mentioning Bud on this blog - is that Classy or what? I was knocked out, I have to say, and for once in a long career of being a noted blabbermouth I was lost for words and felt very humble.

As I said in the earlier post, a lot of we UK cartoonists, particularly those who drew for Punch or aspired to draw for Punch (remember this was the magazine on which The New Yorker was based), were somewhat in awe of Bud Handeslman. It's not difficult to see why, and when I was scanning these Freaky Fables to post them here my wife and my eldest daughter were giggling over them. Back in those days Handelsman had a full page, at least, you see, and not to do a bunch of gag cartoons on a given subject, it was a full page of what we would likely call 'sequential humour' today. This was the sort of sophisticated drawing-style and wit that was only associated with a small, select group of cartoonists that included Britain's Posey Simmonds and France's Claire Bretécher (I gave my wife Claire's cartoons on pregnancy when we were pregnant and she almost laughed herself into an early delivery - you've been warned). It's a sobering thought that both Posey Simmonds and Claire Bretécher have since been honoured by their respective countries.

I'm putting these Freaky Fables, by Bud Handelsman, here so that people who haven't experienced them can see just how good they are. These are from Punch in the 1980s, when Alan Coren was Editor and the magazine was still great (as usual, click the drawing to see a larger image):

RIPs All Round - Bud Handelsman and David Myers.

I started drawing cartoons for Punch Magazine in the 1980s when I was about 20 years old. In that respect I am still moderately young, but old enough to have been around when my cartooning heroes were being published. Sadly, within the last 7 days, two of my favourite fellow Punch Old Boys, cartoonists with whom I would imagine, in those fledgling days, talking endlessly about cartooning, have passed away; British cartoonist, David Myers, and, American cartoonist, Bud Handelsman .

Handelsman was the sort of cartoonist I aspired (and still aspire) to be, he was sharp, witty, sophisticated, political, socially observant, and laugh out loud funny. I wouldn't just read Handelsman's Freaky Fables, I would actually copy it, from the magazine, onto a page of blank paper. I also copied his gag cartoons and tried (unsuccessfully) to catch his use of tone. He was to me, the perfect cartoonist. I spent hours and hours trying to draw as well as, and to be as effortlessly funny as Bud Handelsman. I didn't succeed, but I learned a lot just trying to be like him.

David Myers on the other hand, inspired me in an entirely different way. His drawings were awful, but they were so funny that I had to flick through the magazine to see if he had any cartoons in it, and if he did I wouldn't eat or drink while I was reading the thing. I kid you not, I have jettisoned food and liquid through my nose at the same time,from looking at a Myers cartoon; especially if it contained a dog, because they are just so funny. His humour not only carried the drawing, but caused you to realise that the drawings were in fact perfect and shouldn't be any other way. From studying David's cartoons I realised that as long as I was daring enough to try, I might just get by as a cartoonist by being myself.

I'll try to find my favourite David Myers cartoon and post it. I'll also look out some full page Freaky Fables so we can enjoy some authentic Bud.

Working With Templates

I've shelved some things to finish my weekly quota of cartoons (as I said, I'm drawing for only a few publications now), so I can now concentrate on rattling off some pages of work.

Personally, I find making a template helps, as does drawing close to same-size; which also makes scanning the drawing into Photoshop on a conventional scanner much easier.

So here's my template, it's on an A4 size (about 11"x8") page, it's 6-panels, and after drawing it with a black pen I scanned it into the computer and changed the line colour to non-photo blue.
Once the template is printed onto the sheets of paper I'm using (high cotton-rag, linen, paper), I can draw on it in a range of formats that fit within the overall rectangle. Because the drawings are quite small I'm using a Koh-I-Noor (Rotring) pen and a Pental brush pen, for the larger panels. After the drawing is on the computer, I fix the 'levels' (the brightness and contrast) which darkens my lines to a solid black, brightens the background to bright white, and makes the blue lines disappear.


Having a planned overall structure such as the maximum 6-panel page helps me plan further ahead, and working to around 9"x 7" allows me to work much more quickly.
Another time saving area for me, in particular, is the text. I'm perfectly happy to use a font and I have no time for any crap about the aesthetics behind it. I've dealt with indy publishers who would rather publish mediocre work that doesn't sell because it has hand-written text, than the most wonderfully written work that couldn't fail to sell, because it uses a font. I'm pleased to say that in at least one case the company went bust, because it was one of the most idiotic business ideas I have ever heard.

London 2012 and the Waffen SS logo

What an absolute disgrace that piece of shit, clunky, SS-like, logo for London 2012 is. I mean, it fails on so many levels it is difficult to know where to begin. Some people have commented on the logo's likeness to some bad 1980s fonts and even it's similarity to some MySpace site designs, but I think it bears startling similarities to a much older design:

Okay, I don't know about you but connotations of the Waffen SS in any signs and symbols makes me distinctly uneasy. You would think, wouldn't you, that the London Mayor, Ken Livingston,given his history, would certainly want to steer clear of that sort of thing.


On the other hand, I hear you say, things are looking up if one can pick up £400,000 - that's right, about $800,000 - for designing a clunky font. Don't know about you, but I'm off to brush up on my Fontographer skills right now.

Can't Draw, Won't Draw

I haven't exactly given up drawing gag cartoons, but I've phased it out for all but a very few markets, about 6 worldwide (I feel I should add here that they are the most prestigious publications in the world, and that I feel they are the only publications left that care about cartoon art and treat cartoonists well).

I'm not finishing the cartoons I draw either, unless specifically asked to do so; I'm submitting pencils only, which they can work with (this is probably why these are prestigious markets, they still care enough about the cartoons they publish to ask for redraws and tweaks and they still use the original art - it may sound old fashioned, but I like working that way).

I'm cutting down on the work because I believe gag cartooning is a trade/craft that is all but dead, here in Britain at any rate. The British market for gag cartoons once included Punch, Private Eye, The Spectator, The New Statesman, almost all the broadsheets, all the tabloids, and almost all the regional press, along with Weekend, Reveille, Titbits, Chat, Woman's World, a range of Trade Journals and special publications like The Weekend Book of Jokes and The Daily Mail Motorshow Review. These days only one tabloid, The Sun, publishes gag cartoons, and Private Eye, The Oldie and The Specatotor are like an old-boys club whose cartoon content would surely come under scrutiny for its nepotistic links by Private Eye, if it wasn't part of that group. The Weekly News pays very, very, weakly, so much so that to sell to that Thomson-owned rag is almost an admission of defeat and they invariably attract only the cartoons that have been refused by every other publication on a cartoonist's list of targets. The new boy, Prospect, bravely tries to fly the flag on behalf of freelance cartoonists everywhere, it simply doesn't pay well enough for the 'New Yorker style gags' it wants (an increased payment of about 700% is needed).

Single panel cartoons by many of Private Eye's piss-poor cartoonists appear in publications like The Telegraph and The Times and The Independent, one presumes because they think, wrongly as it happens, that these cartoonists are the best around (or because maybe the hirers and firers partake of the odd Eye-Lunch), for whatever reason, we are left with newspapers that run graphic panels that are sort of faux-editorial cartoons that are neither funny nor clever, and have probably aided the demise of the craft of cartooning in the UK.

As you all know, comic strips have never been a big deal in the UK, and our home-grown strips are really very amateurish, none more so than the appalling comic strip in The Independent that is drawn by the Editor's wife (wives, friends, Prep-school chums, TV producers, et al, have all done quite well over the years, from some publications, as a result of their cartooning sideline) or The Guardian's Claire in the Community, a comic strip that is now performed on radio - where one at least doesn't have to look at the artless drawings.

I don't know about you, but I have even noticed a reduction in the number of cartoons published by some of my favoured publications. One of the high-paying publications published only 3 cartoons in a recent issue, and there is an equally small amount in this month's issue of another, usual, gag cartoon championing publication. Adding this possible decline to the shrinking space afforded to comic strips in the home of that art, the US, and the rapid loss of Editorial cartoonists in that country, I think the demise of the 3 or 4 panel daily strip cannot be too far away, and that shortly, comic strips will follow gag cartoons into history.

This has been the fag-end of a golden age for cartoonists that started one hundred years ago, and has been a steady down-hill decline, by degree, since the 1980s. Those days were reasonably good even in Britain, where those with talent have often been overshadowed by those with contacts - but that is the same here in any field, and has always been the case.

I look forward to the Manga revolution, and the rise of the graphic novel because having a trust-fund and being able to afford the time to write (it has always been the chosen profession of the well-to-do), or simply having been to Oxbridge or East Anglia will not enable those people to produce this new, popular, literature. This one, I'm afraid, involves a modicum of real talent. The Jaspers and Tristans cannot draw, and no amount of circle-jerk reviews by their old class-mates who have become critics will make their graphic-less attempts popular.

Vive La Revolution.

Trondtastic, Trondgasmic, Trondalicious...

Lewis Trondheim.com

Oh come on, I was a DJ for years, we murdered words all the time to appear cool. Anyway, those portmanteaux monstrosities simply illustrate the fact that I am lost for words. I mean, just look at the drawing above, that provides a gateway to Trondheim's world for Gawd's Sake. Anyway, I was just over at Dirk Deppey's place and he has a link to The Comic Journal's excerpt from this issue's interview with Lewis Trondheim and it is superb (see, what does superb tell you?). I urge you to get the issue for the cover alone never mind the interview, but don't take my word for it, go read it and then to visit his site. I mean now!

Secondly:

Again, from my visit to DD'S Journalista blog, I read that Kevin Melrose has posted the Harvey nominations on Newsarama. I have to say it has me in a complete tizzy. I won't spoil it for you by listing the nominees here, but, the Best Artist and Best Cartoonist categories are too tough for me to even guess at the possible winners. I mean, in the Best Artist category, I really like both Renee French and Brian Fies as cartoonists and as human beings, and I wouldn't want to have to judge, and then just to make it even more appallingly difficult for me, they have my countryman Frank Quitely to compete against. Oh woe. However, with that competition, whoever wins it will know for sure that they are a real artist, and just to be named in that line-up is enough - don't you think?

Best Cartoonist is equally insanely tough, and I must confess to being a huge fan of Jaime Hernandez, Kevin Huizenga and Dan Piraro, who are amongst the nominees. Again, I wouldn't like to say whom I like most, and I'd be happy if any one of these three wins, but I would maybe give it to...nah, that's entirely subjective, let's just wait and see what develops.

By the way, Blogger's spell check doesn't know what portmaneux is, so I outsmarted it, haw!

Death Note 2, The Last Name, hard-subbed by Mishicorp/Sars

Right, that reminds me that I should have started the IManga blog long before now and my Death Note review of the Manga, live-action movies and anime, should be on one long, full, flowing, page. I promise I will get round to it.

This is news though. After one serious hiatus Mishicorp and Sars have finally hard-subbed Death Note 2, The Last Name, as beautifully and lovingly as they did Death Note 1. I won't link to it as obviously I would rather you bought the DVD, of course, but I thought that all you Death Note fans should know it is now out there, in the wild.

Ranter Rod subdued by Serene Susan

Well, the article below, which triggered my Guardian -inspired rage aimed at that paper's habit of running lofty articles on cartoonists and cartooning was actually written by Susan Tomaselli for 3: AM Magazine, which is a must-read (their slogan is 'whatever it is, we're against it' which could almost be my mantra)- go now! That it was on Guardian Online was enough, of course, for the random ranter to strike.

To be fair (now that the legend The Guardian is removed from my eye line), Susan's argument has merit and I have heard my cartooning chum Patricia Storms, a book lover herself as her blog illustrates, pose the same questions. I have considered that the reason GNs deal with more serious subjects and autobiography, more than with humour, is perhaps in a desperate attempt to quickly gain credibility as the art form gains such speedy acceptability; but I suspect it has more to do with what the publishers want, and so it they who are insecure about the relative merits of the genre, not the cartoonists.

The Guardian Online thinks cartoonists belong in their place

I posted this reply on the Gruniads forum, but it may vanish, on account of it being too long, or something. Here's the article:

Are Comic Books Neglecting Comedy?


Oh dear, we Court Jesters have overstepped our mark. We are daring to be more than funny. Ho-Hum.

The odd thing is the Gruniad has acted as a forum for very few cartoonists over the last couple of decades, but it has championed Posey Simmonds work. Now I like Posey and her tales of comfortable middle class life in rural England, but I'd never accuse her of being funny - she left that behind when she dropped 'Bear' and headed into Gemma Bovery country. So whilst the paper runs 'serious' cartoon work, it doesn't really approve of the 'fashion'?

I see you mention Peter Bagge, Tony Millionaire and Johnny Ryan as funsters, well, they are all very different cartoonists, and I take it you are referring to Peter's Buddy Bradley comics about drug-taking and suicide (I think Stinky meant to kill himself) and the like (which I find hilarious - I'm a huge fan) and not his online strip for Reason; which may be a little too serious for your liking? It may also surprise you to know that Johhny Ryan has tackled (haw) the serious subject of testicular cancer, in a funny about Harvey Pekar, which Harvey might not have enjoyed and Tony, well, Tony Millionaire's Maakies have made their way onto Adult Swim (coming to the UK soon I hope) but the strip didn't make it to The Guardian did it? Maybe the Guardian could run the strip instead of the incredibly unfunny IF? It's also worth baring in mind that Millionaire is a very serious children's author and his Sock Monkey series and his latest kiddy book Billy Hazelnuts are always very well recieved. Whilst the three Fantagraphics cartoonists you have chosen might be 'funny' you'd be wrong to think they aren't serious cartoonists.

As for Mom's Cancer, it went from online comic to indy paper (again, not into The Guardian) to book deal, and it was long journey that Brian's Mother was actively involved in. None of his fellow cartoonists begrudge his success and I can assure you he has made it perfectly clear that he would give up any fame, or money, Mom's Cancer has afforded him just to have 10 more minutes with the subject of his excellent book. What would you have had him do, create a fictional 'funny' story for you to enjoy?

No wonder our best cartoonists and comic writers send their work overseas where it is taken seriously. Can you imagine this discussion taking place in Japan, or France, or Italy, or the US? You know, I think the problem is that over here, in the UK, cartooning is a third rate job done as a hobby by people with little or no training or education, whereas in those other countries the cartoonists choose to leave university, art school, cartooning school even, or in some cases a career in Law (Stephan Pastis who draws the syndicated strip Pearls before Swine was a lawyer) to take up what is regarded in their countries as a profession.

Alternatively, writing 'serious' fiction in the UK is usually a job for the Oxbridge elite who use their trust funds to fund the writing that they submit to their classmates who have moved into publishing. The results are then sent to the other Tristans and Jaspers who 'work' as literary critics, and the circle-jerk continues for another generation. I can see, in this scenario, how scared they might be that an actual talent, like being able to draw, might be needed to sell a manuscript someday.

I have made my feelings about this paper's approach to cartooning abundantly clear, The Guardian would much rather print a five-page article lauding a work by a cartoonist than actually run any strips or stories that are relevent or new, so this attitude doesn't really surprise me. You better suck it up though, graphic novels about 'serious' subjects, indeed about any subject, are growing in popularity and look like being the 'in-thing' for some time to come.

The Pat Boyette

Firstly, let me thank Steven and WD for swinging by and giving some valuable thoughts to the Ditko/Boyette.

Of course a simple mistake was always the most likely scenario. Although back then, in the 1970s I hadn't started working in comics and there was no internet so finding facts about the US-based comic scene was pretty remote. However, through my contacts with some magazines where I was already selling gag cartoons and hoping to sell short stories, I knew some publications had a list of female names that male writers could choose an identity from for writing fiction - so back then the possibility that Pat Boyette was a pseudonym for a lot of artists was possible.

However, I thought this would be a good exercise for both Ditko fans and those Pat Boyette fans who feel that he is vastly under rated, and a good few souls on The Comics Journal forum threw up the usual high level of expertise on the man himself, my thanks go out to Russ Maheras, Mike Hunter, Alex Buchet, John Hanley, J Romberger, Tom Spurgeon, Craig Yoe, John Hanley, Matthew Wave, and Christopher Meeks (this could be the brilliant writer of The Middle Aged Man and the Sea).

Also, let me tip my hat to Grant Miehm, Lee Nordling and Arnold Wagner for additional Boyette stuff.

I think between us we scouted out some great links, you should go to TCJ and check 'em out:

Boyette Bio

What's in a name? Let your inner-Otaku speak.

I have always been in awe of people who work, in any field, in anonimity. In the Art world it's pretty rare, unless of course it's a selling point, like Banksy being a real 'underground' tagger (oh yeah).

But there are practical occassions when cartoonists have done this, in the past in particular, for instance when one worked for one of the big two comics publishers here in the UK, one may well have been 'discouraged' from working for the rival publisher. The same was true of DC and Marvel at one point, I'm sure. Which brings me to my first question, 'when is Pat Boyette art, not Pat Boyette work'?

Seems like an odd query, I know, but when Steve Ditko left Charlton comics, Pat Boyette took over some of his stuff (there's a pair of drawing boots to fill), I am now informed. Now, I have a particular comic here that I have puzzled over for years, it's Ghostly Tales #43. I'm totally sure that the first story, where the art is credited to Pat Boyette, is in fact by the great Steve Ditko, it positively reeks of Spider Man and Doctor Strange and just too many Ditko touches for it to be a ghost work - I think.

However, just to be contencious, I'm contrasting it with an uncredited Ditko page, again from Charlton, this time from The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves; and just for good measure, with another story where the artwork is credited to Pat Boyette. Now, for years I have just assumed that for contractual reasons a bunch of artists worked for Charlton on the fly, and used the psudonym, Pat Boyette, but I read on another site that Pat Boyette was real and worked for Charlton, so I'm confused and bewildered, so I'm throwing it open to you, here is the artwork for you to subject to close-reading and content analysis (you may begin, now:>):

I'm sure this is Ditko because nobody could ghost him this well, and surely nobody ghosting him would go so far as to include Ditko's almost trademark patterning in the work:


I mean, this uncredited page from The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves is clearly by Ditko and not a ghost artist, precisely because of such detail:

And whilst this form of crosshatching might easily be used by many cartoonists, it adds to the feel of the work and the weight of line and the characterization that a comics fan; a geek, if you wish, can easily recognise.

So now we turn to the second work in Ghostly Tales #43 that is credited to Pat Boyette, and we can see that whilst it is really good art, with it's own style (I know people who prefer it to the Ditko style), it is clearly not drawn by the same hand as the earlier story:

Again, let me be clear, I really like the artwork on the second story, but which of these, if any, is drawn by Pat Boyette?

_________________________________________________

While we are all here talking about Ditko, I thought I'd show you this; it's a fantastic example of the man's pencil and artwork from one of my favourites, The Creeper (which I purloined from Dial B for Blog, a great site):

Free Gilbert and George Digital Print!

You know, I've always loved Alan Yentob's interviewing technique. I think I first became aware of his work, consciously, when he interviewed David Bowie in Cracked Actor. He has way of allowing his interviewees to relax and reveal things that just doesn't happen with anyone else and his interview with Gilbert and George was equally brilliant. I mean, AY has managed to talk the Georgebert's into producing a major work, a digital print, and make it available on the web, for gawd's sake.

Anyway, here's the skinny: If you go to the BBC's site here, up until 11.35pm on 10th May 2007, you can download a set of 9 hi-res jpegs in a zip file, 25megs, that print out as 9 A4 size (11x8) pieces and which come together to form a piece called Planned, by Gilbert and George. Here's how the finished article looks.
In addition, on the site, you'll find a video of Georgebert knocking the piece together on the computer and his wizardry is a wonder to behold.

Todd Goldman, Art Thief.

You know, earlier this month we gave Todd (Cloneman) Goldman the benefit of the doubt when he at least partly 'manned-up' to pilfering David Kelly's Purple Pussey cartoon. However, as more and more Cloneman designs are seen to be nothing more than the product of a fertile copying technique, he has set his litigious friends to work stifling free speech and debate on the Internet. This is of course doomed to fail, but the firm of Sue, Grabbit and Run are making a fist of it. I suppose my attempt to trademark a tee with 'Stolen by Todd Cloneman' on it is doomed to fail, then?

You'll find more details and a link on Dirk Deppey's fine Journalista blog.

On not being Angus McKie, Cam Kennedy, Eddie Campbell, Brian Bolland, Alan Grant, etc,etc.

I don't know when it happened, but at some stage I gave up trying to draw the comics I enjoyed reading and went for the quick thrill of drawing funny comic strip characters.

The result is that drawing in a more 'realistic' (it's a drawing, just lines on paper so that's not a great description, but you get my drift) style is more difficult for me. That's not to say it is somehow easier for the guys mentioned above (British cartoonists), it's just that they make it look easier, or at least more natural. For me, my drawings are a bit contrived at the moment, possibly through decades of trying to make my cartoons look flat, but they will eventually loosen up and whilst I might never become as good as those mentioned, I will eventually be happy, or happier with what I can produce.

Anyway, the latest pages of Johnny Morte have been redrawn and I'm likely to put about ten of these on online, as soon as I letter them. They will replace the pages that are already there.

I haven't changed the story much, but the drawings are more angular and I think a little sharper looking - I won't be able to tell until I see them online.

Todd Goldman bites the bullet

Well, at any rate he has fessed-up to purloining the Purple Pussy, to a point, but not to the other obvious rip-offs:

:FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

POST POP-ARTIST, TODD GOLDMAN, CONTROVERSIAL PAINTING CLEARWATER, FL, April 11, 2007-

Popular post pop-artist, Todd Goldman who has made a career of making fun of the world with his sarcastic commentary and cartoon icons, has mistakenly used the design of an another artist in two of his recent paintings. Todd’s painting, “Dear God, Please Make Everyone Die”, was inspired from a drawing he received unbeknownst to him belonging to an underground web comic artist David “Shmorky” Kelly.


In addition to painting, Todd designs t-shirts for his clothing company, David & Goliath. Todd and his design team create and receive thousands of design ideas every month. It’s no secret that Goldman creates a lot of his painting ideas from his t-shirt designs. Goldman says “I made a judgment error and didn’t research the background of this particular submission. “My intention was not to copy Mr. Kelly. I have never seen his work before and would never intentionally knock-off someone else’s idea.”
Goldman has issued a formal apology to Mr. Kelly and has stated that he will not be using his design again in the future. As a gesture of good faith, Goldman has pledged not (to) profit from his mistake. He will instead donate his proceeds from the painting directly to Mr. Kelly or his charity of choice.


Yeah well, paying up is really the least he can do. Note the language in the last paragraph, 'not profiting' from this 'mistake' is key, and it is an attempt to make some wriggle-room in order to avoid accusations of fraud. Well, you know what, when an 'artist' with a reputation like Todd Golman's uses someone else's work for his portfolio and gains more acclaim from that usage, he profits indirectly from it, so he's really going to find it hard to wriggle out of that one. I reckon paying up big is the only way forward.

As for the numpty (good old Scottish word) who suggested on a forum that this is legitimate use and it's like Andy Warhol using a Disney image, er, no it's not. The one in the position of unequal power in this relationship is the (Lord knows why) 'acclaimed artist' known as Todd Goldman, who has ripped-off a 'lowly' web comic artist. Not cool, not classy, not professional, not ethical, simply not done.

Check out these links:

Mike Tyndall

New Las Vegas Sun article

So it Goes...Tiddely Pom.

Kurt Vonnegut, that often dark and heavily satirical veteran of the US counterculture, the brilliant author of Slaughterhouse-Five, died yesterday, aged 84. Go read at least one of his books.

Why create, when others can do it for you?

What's the difference between cartoonist David Kelly, and 'world-renowned artist' Todd Goldman'?

(Let me be honest, I'm not really a fan of David Kelly's cartoons, they are not my style, but they look more impressive artworks to me, than the stuff that Goldman produces - except when...well, read on...)

You don't know the answer, then maybe this will will enlighten you - this drawing is from Kelly's Purple Pussy, from his archive, from 2001:

And this is from a much more recent gallery collection by 'world-renowned' artist Todd Goldman:


I think I can spot one or two similarities. Of course the major difference is that 'world-renowned' artist Todd Golman gets a tasty six-figure sum for his, er, originals!

The following sites cover the story in more detail, and one or two even pick up on the apparent likeness of Goldman's Eve L to Roman Dirge's Lenore character. * A quick addittion: both my daughters are fans of Lenore and have some comics and stuff - Roman Dirge mentions the offender on his blog:

Dirk Deppey's Journalista

Juxtapoz

Something Awful

You Thought We Wouldn't Notice

Digg.com

Metafilter

Comicbook Resources

Scott Kurtz

Fleen.com

Something Positive