talent, intelligence, imagination, wit, humor, skill, patience, perseverance, goodness, kindness, courage, self respect (not a hierarchical listing). all of these and many others are the tools in your kit bag and are reflected in your work.
The graphic work is great, as always. The details, along with your personal drawing style, are what make these panels work. In this one, our hero walks purposefully with a box full of Dad's stuff. But it is stuff chosen and arranged by an artist. There's the half-visible "Home Sweet Home" sign, suggesting that it is neither "home", nor "sweet" any longer, if it ever was. And of course that ubiquitous owl, staring at the viewer (maybe you have to be the real-life son of the Dad in "Pedestrian Comics" to get how perfect a note that is). That stuffed owl stared at me throughout my childhood. Note: if the owl in the box is a different one, maybe a porcelain one or something, it still made me think of the old stuffed one.
And having the uncle partailly visible in the background tells us visually that he is doing a good deed by helping, but is not the one who had to deal with Dad to the same degree, for as long, or as his son. That he is kneeling just shows that he's picking up another of the very numerous boxes of stuff, but also suggests an attitude of prayer to me. And the miniature out-house deeper in the room is a nice touch, a metaphor for all the various and sundry accumulated possessions that have to be dealt with.
The stripped-down writing style of the descriptions is one of the great features of this and all the Pedestrian panels. It makes me think of the early Hemingway, of "The Sun Also Rises". There is no hyperbole, or purple prose, just factual descriptions that hint at the stew of emotions just below the surface. Excellent work!
2 comments:
talent, intelligence, imagination, wit, humor, skill, patience, perseverance, goodness, kindness, courage, self respect (not a hierarchical listing).
all of these and many others are the tools in your kit bag and are reflected in your work.
The graphic work is great, as always. The details, along with your personal drawing style, are what make these panels work. In this one, our hero walks purposefully with a box full of Dad's stuff. But it is stuff chosen and arranged by an artist. There's the half-visible "Home Sweet Home" sign, suggesting that it is neither "home", nor "sweet" any longer, if it ever was. And of course that ubiquitous owl, staring at the viewer (maybe you have to be the real-life son of the Dad in "Pedestrian Comics" to get how perfect a note that is). That stuffed owl stared at me throughout my childhood. Note: if the owl in the box is a different one, maybe a porcelain one or something, it still made me think of the old stuffed one.
And having the uncle partailly visible in the background tells us visually that he is doing a good deed by helping, but is not the one who had to deal with Dad to the same degree, for as long, or as his son. That he is kneeling just shows that he's picking up another of the very numerous boxes of stuff, but also suggests an attitude of prayer to me. And the miniature out-house deeper in the room is a nice touch, a metaphor for all the various and sundry accumulated possessions that have to be dealt with.
The stripped-down writing style of the descriptions is one of the great features of this and all the Pedestrian panels. It makes me think of the early Hemingway, of "The Sun Also Rises". There is no hyperbole, or purple prose, just factual descriptions that hint at the stew of emotions just below the surface. Excellent work!
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