Honestly, I think it is because I grew up in the theater–both of my parents being stage actors–I was constantly in and around plays. When I was a child my father and I would act out stories together, and I would act them out on my own with my stuffed animals, and little toy people (later G.I. Joe’s). I was the playwright and director, and my toys were the actors. The progression from plays to comics seems a natural one in my mind. A panel layout is like a condensed scene in a play. This movement through time, is something I find particularly appealing about the comic format.
Books were read out loud frequently in our home, and I was an avid reader. Comics on the other hand were not allowed. I was scolded for bringing home a ‘Tintin’ comic from my school library under the admonishment that ”comics are for kids that can’t read!” Only, I already knew how to read… Why were the adults so adamant comics would make me stupid? I kept it secret, and I read them at school and at friends houses. I could find Popeye and Tintin at school, and I loved boats and anything to do with the ocean (My father taking me to visit ‘Old Ironsides’ when we lived in San Francisco is a cherished memory) so those were particular favorites of mine. One of my friends had ‘Archie’ comics I would read every time I went to her house, but this ‘taboo’ around comics was hard to overcome. It wasn’t until I was an adult and discovered graphic novels, that my secret-taboo-love-affair with comics emerged again in full force.
I first began experimenting with a comics format in my journal, when my children were little, as a way of quickly recording life events. I wasn’t good at keeping a diary, but using sketches and pictures to capture memories or bits of time, was a method that worked. I fluctuated between pen and ink gesture drawings, and rough comic sketches in my journals for a while. The more I used a comics format, the more I was drawn to sequential layout as a means of expression in my sketchbooks. Then I began playing around with combining poetry and comics, and things progressed from there.
Leave a Reply