Saturday, December 29, 2012

Umbilical Hernia

From the Collector's Corner:

Not exactly a postcard, but such signs have recently become a serious collecting sub-genre; rather like those crudely printed 'Money for Food, God Bless' cardboard signs held by homeless people standing on traffic medians or slumped on sidewalks.  The Folk Art of Today. 

This is an especially heart-wrenching example--15 lb. 'therapy dog' Shih Tzu (with umbilical hernia and missing tooth) has look of transcendental horror.  As he must have looked one imagines when man ran off with him--chillingly--'under his arm.'

Friday, December 21, 2012

1920s Hollywood Scene With Burro

Don't know the film alas.  Script checking going on.  That's supposed to be a mine in the background.  I'm presently in Western Mexico in one of the largest mining towns of the 19th century-- aka Puerto Vallarta.  Hoping to see Anjelica Huston but it ain't happened yet.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Throttle Open




Several airplanes in my future in the next few weeks--I hope none exactly like this.  However I think I might now be prepared.  Taught two graphic memoirs this past quarter, Spiegelman's Maus and Bechdel's Fun Home, so I am now a terrible bore about semantic alternations between caps and handwritten script, space management of the individual frame, stylized temporal indicators (as in the first and third box here), deployment of traditional visual emblems--the big puffy Boreas-cheeks blowing out the winds here--and...---you get the picture. 

Friday, December 7, 2012

For Everyone. . .



. . .who's ever been dissed for lookin' good.  Some strange draftsmanship nonetheless.  The mopey gal in back seems to have the forearm and hand of a stevedore--proportions all wrong, too; her arms must be about four feet long.  Definitely a Hairy Ape type.   And, gee, I wonder why the artist has, it seems, modeled the 'Stephen' character on Katherine Hepburn in profile?

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Truly Terrifying Trade Card



Seneca: evidently much read in Kansas.  All I can say is 'Go Way From Me!'

Monday, December 3, 2012

The Cyclops

It's taken a few days--but here are a couple of these cyclops-like newspaper wire service photos.  The 'P' in 'A.P.' must stand for Polyphemus.

Oh, yes, building at left is a concert hall in Detroit; the one below, Maria Theresa's breakfast chamber.