Monday, June 07, 2010

Heaven Sends Me Sad Sack

I'm gonna prove to you that Jesus loves war and a good cartoon butt-stabbing as much as the rest of us.
This is George Baker's early style. He was a real cartoonist. Pure and full of honest humanity.
I always liked his work. Gritty, funny, manly, ribald and to the point.It got a lot more stylish as time went on and I find it really interesting to see how it started.
This early stuff is more conservative - almost a standard Mutt and Jeff sort of style, but it hints at something new.
It shows no signs of inbreeding.
Like most pure cartoonists, Baker thinks feet are funny. Especially backwards feet.
Besides being able to draw funny feet and square buttocks, George Baker was really good at continuity.
His strip is mostly pantomime. Good cartoon storytellers are able to tell their stories without words. I feel like an idiot having to say that. That should be an A priory principle of cartooning; it's part of the definition of what a cartoon is.



This is really an all-American outlook.
I miss cartoons being cartoons. I keep waiting to see if animated features will ever have a cartoonist's outlook and style. It seems to be against the law to make animation that reflects a cartoonist's viewpoint. It's bizarre to me that it never happens, when there is obviously such a huge audience for it. Normal people love cartoons.





I read the intro in the book and found out that Baker worked for Walt Disney before the war! Luckily for cartoon fans, he managed to maintain his own style after leaving the house of marrying your sister.
A side benefit: I ordered this book that celebrates the inherent humor in killing, sex and latrines. Boy was I thrilled when it came with a message from the prince of peace.
Jesus is an American and he thinks war and latrines are hilarious too! Maybe He is a cartoonist as well.

WATCH A GREAT STYLE EVOLVEHe is a foot genius. Even the dog feet are great.