One of the challenges in talking about Edward Bolman’s cartooning is how to best describe his particular sense of surreality. Well, maybe it’s not a challenge for those who are more well-versed in such matters…but to a layman like me, Bolman takes his storytelling to places that I honestly have a hard time describing.
And then there’s the whole idea of surreality in cartooning (or in art, for that matter). I mean, Steve Willis has his own brand that we’ve explored in The Collected Cranium Frenzy by Steve Willis and through #SundaySteveWillis. Is Steve’s work similar to Bolman’s? Ummmm…sure? But how would one describe the similarities and differences beyond the superficial? Yes, they both use the loose conventions of sequential art. But it’s how they play with the format, the tropes, the space between their ears that makes them so unique. It’s what makes them both legendary in their own ways.
I was thinking about this as I pulled together today’s #NobleHeadFriday entry, a piece pulled from Noble Head Funnies #3. I would guess you can figure out why after reading this one:
Wow! From a commentary on Jordache jeans (which those who were of a certain age can appreciate) to a black hole in four pages. How DOES one adequately explain? Is it OK to just marvel at the wild imagination of a master?
I’ll keep looking for words as I poke through the pages of this amazing book, Noble Head Funnies by Bolman and J.P. Noel. It’s another wonderful Phoenix Masters project, and you can grab your 325-page copy right now at this link.
Phoenix Productions 