sábado, 18 de fevereiro de 2012
sexta-feira, 27 de janeiro de 2012
segunda-feira, 2 de janeiro de 2012
#34 - Habibi
Segue a íntegra da entrevista que fiz com o Craig Thompson pro Caderno 2 do Estadão.
“Blankets” was released in 2003 and “Carnet de Voyage” in 2004. Only now, in 2011, “Habibi” was released. Seven years is a long period, isnt´t it?
You bet. I started writing HABIBI in earnest in October 2004, after returning from a six month BLANKETS book tour, that included creating CARNET, and taking some time to move back to Portland and set up in a new apartment. In summer of 2005, a first draft of the book was complete - written and loosely drawn, but some key ingredient seemed to be missing, and the ending especially didn't work. From fall 2005 until fall 2006, I reworked and revised that draft, redrawing hundreds of pages, and spinning wheels, and despairing. I was caught in the labyrinth, continually running into dead ends. Finally, in October 2006, I resolved to begin drawing the final pages in hopes the ending of the book would reveal itself as I drew. In July 2009, I reached the last major block. Six chapters were drawn, but I still didn't know how the book ended. So I took five months off from drawing to focus exclusively on rewriting the last three chapters. In December 2009, I began drawing again, and drew the last page of HABIBI in August 2010. The year before the book's release was entirely consumed by edits, scanning, layout, book design, and endless promotion and production work.
Did you use any specific method or routine for writing ”Habibi” during this seven-year period?
Like I said, two years of the process was taken up with writing the book. Which isn't simply writing a script or screenplay. I write as comics - words and pictures together - and I tend to get carried away making the loose drawn draft finely detailed - partly, because I work out all the compositional issues in the draft, but namely because I depend on friends/readers to read the draft as I work and contribute to the editorial process. Also, those two years included any of the research that the book involved -- some of which was wandering tangents that never made it into the final draft.
There was a five-year interval between your first graphic novel "Good-Bye Chunky Rice" and "Blanket". It is rare nowadays for an artist to have the privilege to dedicate so much time in the production of a single work. How does such long time interval influence the result of your work?
There was exactly four years between CHUNKY RICE and BLANKETS. Which seems pretty good considering I wasn't paid to make the projects. During CHUNKY RICE, I was working full-time as a graphic designer at Dark Horse Comics. And during BLANKETS, I earned my entire living as an illustrator - for Nickelodeon, National Geographic, Owl, and a myriad of other clients. So making my comics was merely a hobby -- what I did with my free-time.
Finally, with HABIBI, I had the privilege of making money (a living!) with comics, and yet that took longer than any of my previous works! Taking one's time is definitely an indulgence, but I'd say the work benefits from it, rather than punching the clock and rushing to meet a deadline.
As mentioned in "Blankets", you were raised in a Christian environment. How was it to write about the Islamic World in "Habibi" having a conservative Christian education like you did?
That was the one element that made writing about Islam more accessible. Connecting with Muslim friends, I saw that their lives were no different than the Christian circles I grew up in. Same lifestyles, same morals, and most of all the same stories shaped both faiths. So that's the point of access I had. And the Quran really works in tandem with the Bible, because it references so many stories from the Bible, but often breezes through them in a less linear, and more poetic fashion.
Since the World Trade Center disaster in 2001, it is very tempting to use clichés and stereotypes related to Islam and Muslims. Did you take any precaution to avoid such tricky situation?
Well, partly the book is a reaction against that exact Islamophobia you describe. And I relied on a close circle of Muslim friends as pre-readers and consultants on HABIBI. Much of the book was born out of our conversation. And if there were scenes or subjects that felt particularly delicate, I relied on their instincts. But there was never a desire to avoid tricky situations, as it can be condescending for an author to be overly-sensitive or politically-correct about these issues. The Muslims I've met are open-minded and eager for dialogue.
You have published three books with Top Shelf but "Habibi" was released by Pantheon Books. How was that transition?
It was great. As I said before, I wasn't making a living making comics until HABIBI, when I moved to a big book publisher. And Pantheon has an amazing system in place to ensure the best production values on the book, and wide distribution and promotion to reach out to audiences in book stores and beyond, outside of the insular comic book community. I've always felt that comics have that potential to reach a much wider audience.
What analysis do you make of traditional book publishers investing in graphic novels?
It's probably a fad. Grasping for straws. Publishing, in general, is under such tremendous pressure that publishers are reaching for whatever gimmick might attract new readers into book stores. That said, Pantheon has been publishing graphic novels for at least 25 years, since MAUS first came out. And graphic novels may, in fact, have a potential to keep a foothold in print longer than prose. Prose has a technical separation from the reader - it's typeset - a mode that can easily transition to e-reader format. But graphic novels are the actual hand of the author on the page - letters and drawings that are handwritten - creating a sort of intimacy with the reader. So like a hand written letter, that still works best on paper.
You wrote the preface to Fabio Moon and Gabriel Bá's "Daytripper". What is your opinion on their work? Do you know the work of any other Brazilian artist?
Definitely I love the work of Moon and Bá -- that's why I wrote the intro. They make books that are sensitive, sexy, and human. Something comics desperately needs. And full of passion. Passion for life, passion for comics, passion for their Brazilian home. And they're prolific motherfuckers. I know a few other Brazilian cartoonists, but the one I'm always keeping an eye on is Rafael Grampá - he might be a rock star or a crazy man - but plenty of fans are thirsty for more of is work in the States.
You have achieved success of public and critics in both the European and American markets, which have different perceptions about comics. How do you interpret such success?
Certainly my work is influenced by the Europeans - especially the new wave of French cartoonists in the nineties - the L'association crowd: David B., Blutch, Baudoin, Lewis Trondheim, to name a few. In fact, the formats and styles of both BLANKETS and CARNET were something I ripped off from L'association and brought back to the US. The success of BLANKETS was somewhat of an anomaly. It was created as a reaction to what was typical of American comics. In super heroes, the explosive, action-packed epic that unfolds in 24 pages. I wished to craft a giant, long-form comic book where basically nothing happened - simply internal action and an intimate space between characters. But it came out in the right place at the right time. Pamphlet comics were beginning to fade, especially in the indy comics industry where readers preferred to wait for a trade, rather than buy single 24 page issues that were released annually.
In you last post at your blog you wrote about the possibility that your next work be an all-ages book, an essay or an erotic book. These are very distinct genres. Can't you give us a hint about the chosen one?
No, I'm working on all THREE projects simultaneously. Three separate books. All at once. Based on the advice of French cartoonist David B. who said he always juggles at least two books at the same time, so that no one project becomes daunting or tedious. Day by day, there's a flexibility to jump back and forth between books and avoid creative blocks. That said, the way it looks I'll probably finish the all-ages book first.
Whatever genre it might be, will it also take almost a decade to finish your next book?
These are all much smaller projects. The essay book and the all-ages book should be about 200 pages a piece. And the erotic book is much shorter - maybe the length of a 48 page French album. My goal is to complete all three within four or five years. We'll see.
“Blankets” was released in 2003 and “Carnet de Voyage” in 2004. Only now, in 2011, “Habibi” was released. Seven years is a long period, isnt´t it?
You bet. I started writing HABIBI in earnest in October 2004, after returning from a six month BLANKETS book tour, that included creating CARNET, and taking some time to move back to Portland and set up in a new apartment. In summer of 2005, a first draft of the book was complete - written and loosely drawn, but some key ingredient seemed to be missing, and the ending especially didn't work. From fall 2005 until fall 2006, I reworked and revised that draft, redrawing hundreds of pages, and spinning wheels, and despairing. I was caught in the labyrinth, continually running into dead ends. Finally, in October 2006, I resolved to begin drawing the final pages in hopes the ending of the book would reveal itself as I drew. In July 2009, I reached the last major block. Six chapters were drawn, but I still didn't know how the book ended. So I took five months off from drawing to focus exclusively on rewriting the last three chapters. In December 2009, I began drawing again, and drew the last page of HABIBI in August 2010. The year before the book's release was entirely consumed by edits, scanning, layout, book design, and endless promotion and production work.
Did you use any specific method or routine for writing ”Habibi” during this seven-year period?
Like I said, two years of the process was taken up with writing the book. Which isn't simply writing a script or screenplay. I write as comics - words and pictures together - and I tend to get carried away making the loose drawn draft finely detailed - partly, because I work out all the compositional issues in the draft, but namely because I depend on friends/readers to read the draft as I work and contribute to the editorial process. Also, those two years included any of the research that the book involved -- some of which was wandering tangents that never made it into the final draft.
There was a five-year interval between your first graphic novel "Good-Bye Chunky Rice" and "Blanket". It is rare nowadays for an artist to have the privilege to dedicate so much time in the production of a single work. How does such long time interval influence the result of your work?
There was exactly four years between CHUNKY RICE and BLANKETS. Which seems pretty good considering I wasn't paid to make the projects. During CHUNKY RICE, I was working full-time as a graphic designer at Dark Horse Comics. And during BLANKETS, I earned my entire living as an illustrator - for Nickelodeon, National Geographic, Owl, and a myriad of other clients. So making my comics was merely a hobby -- what I did with my free-time.
Finally, with HABIBI, I had the privilege of making money (a living!) with comics, and yet that took longer than any of my previous works! Taking one's time is definitely an indulgence, but I'd say the work benefits from it, rather than punching the clock and rushing to meet a deadline.
As mentioned in "Blankets", you were raised in a Christian environment. How was it to write about the Islamic World in "Habibi" having a conservative Christian education like you did?
That was the one element that made writing about Islam more accessible. Connecting with Muslim friends, I saw that their lives were no different than the Christian circles I grew up in. Same lifestyles, same morals, and most of all the same stories shaped both faiths. So that's the point of access I had. And the Quran really works in tandem with the Bible, because it references so many stories from the Bible, but often breezes through them in a less linear, and more poetic fashion.
Since the World Trade Center disaster in 2001, it is very tempting to use clichés and stereotypes related to Islam and Muslims. Did you take any precaution to avoid such tricky situation?
Well, partly the book is a reaction against that exact Islamophobia you describe. And I relied on a close circle of Muslim friends as pre-readers and consultants on HABIBI. Much of the book was born out of our conversation. And if there were scenes or subjects that felt particularly delicate, I relied on their instincts. But there was never a desire to avoid tricky situations, as it can be condescending for an author to be overly-sensitive or politically-correct about these issues. The Muslims I've met are open-minded and eager for dialogue.
You have published three books with Top Shelf but "Habibi" was released by Pantheon Books. How was that transition?
It was great. As I said before, I wasn't making a living making comics until HABIBI, when I moved to a big book publisher. And Pantheon has an amazing system in place to ensure the best production values on the book, and wide distribution and promotion to reach out to audiences in book stores and beyond, outside of the insular comic book community. I've always felt that comics have that potential to reach a much wider audience.
What analysis do you make of traditional book publishers investing in graphic novels?
It's probably a fad. Grasping for straws. Publishing, in general, is under such tremendous pressure that publishers are reaching for whatever gimmick might attract new readers into book stores. That said, Pantheon has been publishing graphic novels for at least 25 years, since MAUS first came out. And graphic novels may, in fact, have a potential to keep a foothold in print longer than prose. Prose has a technical separation from the reader - it's typeset - a mode that can easily transition to e-reader format. But graphic novels are the actual hand of the author on the page - letters and drawings that are handwritten - creating a sort of intimacy with the reader. So like a hand written letter, that still works best on paper.
You wrote the preface to Fabio Moon and Gabriel Bá's "Daytripper". What is your opinion on their work? Do you know the work of any other Brazilian artist?
Definitely I love the work of Moon and Bá -- that's why I wrote the intro. They make books that are sensitive, sexy, and human. Something comics desperately needs. And full of passion. Passion for life, passion for comics, passion for their Brazilian home. And they're prolific motherfuckers. I know a few other Brazilian cartoonists, but the one I'm always keeping an eye on is Rafael Grampá - he might be a rock star or a crazy man - but plenty of fans are thirsty for more of is work in the States.
You have achieved success of public and critics in both the European and American markets, which have different perceptions about comics. How do you interpret such success?
Certainly my work is influenced by the Europeans - especially the new wave of French cartoonists in the nineties - the L'association crowd: David B., Blutch, Baudoin, Lewis Trondheim, to name a few. In fact, the formats and styles of both BLANKETS and CARNET were something I ripped off from L'association and brought back to the US. The success of BLANKETS was somewhat of an anomaly. It was created as a reaction to what was typical of American comics. In super heroes, the explosive, action-packed epic that unfolds in 24 pages. I wished to craft a giant, long-form comic book where basically nothing happened - simply internal action and an intimate space between characters. But it came out in the right place at the right time. Pamphlet comics were beginning to fade, especially in the indy comics industry where readers preferred to wait for a trade, rather than buy single 24 page issues that were released annually.
In you last post at your blog you wrote about the possibility that your next work be an all-ages book, an essay or an erotic book. These are very distinct genres. Can't you give us a hint about the chosen one?
No, I'm working on all THREE projects simultaneously. Three separate books. All at once. Based on the advice of French cartoonist David B. who said he always juggles at least two books at the same time, so that no one project becomes daunting or tedious. Day by day, there's a flexibility to jump back and forth between books and avoid creative blocks. That said, the way it looks I'll probably finish the all-ages book first.
Whatever genre it might be, will it also take almost a decade to finish your next book?
These are all much smaller projects. The essay book and the all-ages book should be about 200 pages a piece. And the erotic book is much shorter - maybe the length of a 48 page French album. My goal is to complete all three within four or five years. We'll see.
quarta-feira, 31 de agosto de 2011
sexta-feira, 19 de agosto de 2011
sábado, 13 de agosto de 2011
terça-feira, 31 de maio de 2011
#30 - Evolução
O quinto filme da franquia X-Men a chegar aos cinemas é a trigésima produção lançada sob os selos Marvel e DC Comics em um período de 13 anos. X-Men: Primeira Classe conta as origens da equipe liderada por Charles Xavier, apresenta o início da relação entre o Professor X e Magneto e estabelece os anos 1960 como o período de despertar científico para a existência do gene mutante. Escapismo puro, com toda ingenuidade inerente a uma história de super-herói, e fruto mais recente de uma leva de adaptações iniciadas em 1998, com o Blade de Stephen Norrington.
Antes do vampiro interpretado por Wesley Snipes dar as caras em uma tela de cinema, a Marvel havia assinado quatro filmes entre 1986 e 1994: Howard, O Super-Herói, O Justiceiro, Capitão América e O Quarteto Fantastico. Uma sequência de fracassos entre público e crítica. No caso da DC Comics a história não era diferente. O Aço de Shaquile O´Neal representou o fundo do poço para uma trilogia errônea também composta por Batman Eternamente e Batman & Robin.
A partir de Blade a editora do Homem-Aranha chancelou uma média de quase dois filmes por ano. Dona da DC, a Warner Bros foi mais conservadora, retornou somente em 2004 com o passo em falso da Mulher-Gato de Halle Berry. Somente com o reboot de Batman planejado pelos irmãos Nolan a produtora permitiu novas apostas relacionadas a super-heróis. Com exceção de uns surtos como Jonah Hex e Elektra, os estúdios norte-americanos estão cada vez mais afiados na forma como administram essas adaptações.
O mérito maior do trigésimo filme de super-herói baseado nos universos Marvel e DC está em escancarar a importação de uma mídia. Muito além das histórias como fonte de inspiração, a forma como se produz e consome quadrinhos no mercado norte-americano está sendo reproduzida na maneira como se faz e consome cinema ao redor do mundo. Pictóricos em live action ou em duas dimensões e justapostos em sequências deliberadas por uma cronologia, os enredos desses filmes tiveram seus níveis de leitura ampliados.
Assim como a periodicidade mensal dos títulos a venda nas comicshops dos Estados Unidos, a Marvel Studios leva para as telas os seus Vingadores em um intervalo de quase um filme por ano. Homem de Ferro e O Incrível Hulk saíram em 2008, Homem de Ferro 2 em 2010, Thor saiu mês passado, julho tem Capitão América: O Primeiro Vingador e em 2012 chega Os Vingadores. Passada a obra que reúne a patota de Nick Fury, ainda haverá outras produções solo com cada personagem.
X-Men: Primeira Classe investe em outra característica típica da narrativa sequencial. Explora a sarjeta entre um quadro e outro de uma HQ. O filme dirigido por Matthew Vaughn nada mais é do que a história entre a primeira cena de X-Men: O Filme e um contexto agora explicitado da narrativa mutante. Da mesma forma, está sendo dada a diferentes criadores a permissão para reescrever e reinterpretar o desenrolar cronológico de cada personagem a medida que o público esgota de uma primeira versão. O Homem-Aranha de Marc Webb, previsto para julho de 2012 exemplifica: depois de todos os excessos do terceiro filme dirigido por Sam Raimi, a Sony zerou a vida de Peter Parker e impôs uma nova abordagem. Na versão em papel, a cada novo escritor que aparece, o Tio Ben morre de uma forma. Em algumas décadas é provável que já tenha ocorrido uma chacina de Tios Bens no cinema.
Em 13 anos foram trinta filmes e é provável que na próxima década esse número no mínimo duplique. Lanterna Verde pode ser a primeira peça de um quebra cabeça complexo do Multiverso do Universo DC. O investimento em adaptações de super-heróis só começou. Desperta uma possível era de ouro.
Antes do vampiro interpretado por Wesley Snipes dar as caras em uma tela de cinema, a Marvel havia assinado quatro filmes entre 1986 e 1994: Howard, O Super-Herói, O Justiceiro, Capitão América e O Quarteto Fantastico. Uma sequência de fracassos entre público e crítica. No caso da DC Comics a história não era diferente. O Aço de Shaquile O´Neal representou o fundo do poço para uma trilogia errônea também composta por Batman Eternamente e Batman & Robin.
A partir de Blade a editora do Homem-Aranha chancelou uma média de quase dois filmes por ano. Dona da DC, a Warner Bros foi mais conservadora, retornou somente em 2004 com o passo em falso da Mulher-Gato de Halle Berry. Somente com o reboot de Batman planejado pelos irmãos Nolan a produtora permitiu novas apostas relacionadas a super-heróis. Com exceção de uns surtos como Jonah Hex e Elektra, os estúdios norte-americanos estão cada vez mais afiados na forma como administram essas adaptações.
O mérito maior do trigésimo filme de super-herói baseado nos universos Marvel e DC está em escancarar a importação de uma mídia. Muito além das histórias como fonte de inspiração, a forma como se produz e consome quadrinhos no mercado norte-americano está sendo reproduzida na maneira como se faz e consome cinema ao redor do mundo. Pictóricos em live action ou em duas dimensões e justapostos em sequências deliberadas por uma cronologia, os enredos desses filmes tiveram seus níveis de leitura ampliados.
Assim como a periodicidade mensal dos títulos a venda nas comicshops dos Estados Unidos, a Marvel Studios leva para as telas os seus Vingadores em um intervalo de quase um filme por ano. Homem de Ferro e O Incrível Hulk saíram em 2008, Homem de Ferro 2 em 2010, Thor saiu mês passado, julho tem Capitão América: O Primeiro Vingador e em 2012 chega Os Vingadores. Passada a obra que reúne a patota de Nick Fury, ainda haverá outras produções solo com cada personagem.
X-Men: Primeira Classe investe em outra característica típica da narrativa sequencial. Explora a sarjeta entre um quadro e outro de uma HQ. O filme dirigido por Matthew Vaughn nada mais é do que a história entre a primeira cena de X-Men: O Filme e um contexto agora explicitado da narrativa mutante. Da mesma forma, está sendo dada a diferentes criadores a permissão para reescrever e reinterpretar o desenrolar cronológico de cada personagem a medida que o público esgota de uma primeira versão. O Homem-Aranha de Marc Webb, previsto para julho de 2012 exemplifica: depois de todos os excessos do terceiro filme dirigido por Sam Raimi, a Sony zerou a vida de Peter Parker e impôs uma nova abordagem. Na versão em papel, a cada novo escritor que aparece, o Tio Ben morre de uma forma. Em algumas décadas é provável que já tenha ocorrido uma chacina de Tios Bens no cinema.
Em 13 anos foram trinta filmes e é provável que na próxima década esse número no mínimo duplique. Lanterna Verde pode ser a primeira peça de um quebra cabeça complexo do Multiverso do Universo DC. O investimento em adaptações de super-heróis só começou. Desperta uma possível era de ouro.
(fonte: Fox/Divulgação)
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