Jigsaw Comics 1
Once upon a time there was an advert in the Guardian (and no doubt a bunch of other papers) for a job as an editorial assistant (or was it an assistant editor?) at 2000 A.D. Like many a foolish squaxx, I thought I should apply. I mean, that has to be a dream job, right? I have no idea if this is true, since I didn't even get to the interview stage. I suspect the main reason was that I had no relevant experience whatsoever. A degree from a good University, yes, but actual knowledge of how comics are made, or what editors do all day, nuh. I did think this would be a barrier, so in my innocence I thought I had to do something else to get noticed. Something that would prove that I had an intimate knowledge of what 2000 AD is all about, and proof that I had a creative mind, if not actual artistic or literary talent. So, I began this mission by buying a random selection of back progs, and cutting out some choice panels, speech bubbles, poses, backgrounds and whatnot. These cut-outs would represent the distilled essence of thrill-power (hey, that's not unlike what I'm attempting with this blog...).
The best bit was yet to come. I would re-arrange these panels and stick them together to create all-new comics. Thus showing my ability to understand how comics are made, what makes them readable, interesting, bold and of course totally zarjaz. In retrospect this was a bad idea. I was pretty sure that at least it would be memorable, although I now see that it would be memorable for being an example of someone who sent in a fan letter, not a job application...
So it goes. Of course, now I have a job which affords me reams of editorial experience so if I ever see a similar advert, maybe I'll re-apply, and maybe this time I'll at least get an interview. But no matter, because either way I've found a new hobby - jigsaw comics. Cutting out random choice panels and putting them together is awesome fun, although it's bloody hard. I've made a fair handful over the last four or five years, and I'm only just starting to get the hang of it.
As you'll see, my storytelling skills are rather lacking. Mood is the thing*, not narrative, I've decided. But it's clear that the pieces work better when there is a clear panel and caption/word balloon order. All of which is a huge pre-amble to say that sometimes I won't bother thinking of a 'real' topic to post on. Instead, I'll put up one of my jigsaw comics. In many ways, they can say as much about why 2000 AD is the stuff of legend better than my pseudo-intellectual musings.** So here's the first. It's a biggun. I tell you, if you ever try this, go for A4 pages, not A3. It just doesn't suit comics.
*If you're inclined to explore this piece in any detail, you might just be able to see a theme, but I damned if I can remember what it was meant to be. Something about things not being what they seem, maybe? A not very succesful mix of horror and slapstick?
**Of course, if you're a faithful squaxx (and let's be honest, who else is likely to read this blog), you can always have fun trying to remember where each piece of this jigsaw originally came from.
The best bit was yet to come. I would re-arrange these panels and stick them together to create all-new comics. Thus showing my ability to understand how comics are made, what makes them readable, interesting, bold and of course totally zarjaz. In retrospect this was a bad idea. I was pretty sure that at least it would be memorable, although I now see that it would be memorable for being an example of someone who sent in a fan letter, not a job application...
So it goes. Of course, now I have a job which affords me reams of editorial experience so if I ever see a similar advert, maybe I'll re-apply, and maybe this time I'll at least get an interview. But no matter, because either way I've found a new hobby - jigsaw comics. Cutting out random choice panels and putting them together is awesome fun, although it's bloody hard. I've made a fair handful over the last four or five years, and I'm only just starting to get the hang of it.
As you'll see, my storytelling skills are rather lacking. Mood is the thing*, not narrative, I've decided. But it's clear that the pieces work better when there is a clear panel and caption/word balloon order. All of which is a huge pre-amble to say that sometimes I won't bother thinking of a 'real' topic to post on. Instead, I'll put up one of my jigsaw comics. In many ways, they can say as much about why 2000 AD is the stuff of legend better than my pseudo-intellectual musings.** So here's the first. It's a biggun. I tell you, if you ever try this, go for A4 pages, not A3. It just doesn't suit comics.
*If you're inclined to explore this piece in any detail, you might just be able to see a theme, but I damned if I can remember what it was meant to be. Something about things not being what they seem, maybe? A not very succesful mix of horror and slapstick?
**Of course, if you're a faithful squaxx (and let's be honest, who else is likely to read this blog), you can always have fun trying to remember where each piece of this jigsaw originally came from.
posted by alexf at 21:45
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