The Official K Chronicles and (Th)ink Website

*EMAIL OF THE WEEK…

I know you said you don’t have time to respond to e-mails anymore, but I just want to let you know that I like your work, and more importantly, WHY.

To give you some background:
I’ve been following your work for about two or three years, and I got my first collection late spring last year. I didn’t ask for it, because before then, I didn’t even know you HAD collections. But regardless, i finished it easily. I started folling your work more. Than, about two months ago, I got a second collection of yours, and this resparked my interest for your work. That is where I’m currently at.

I myself, am a cartoonist (or I like to call myself that). At the tender age of twelve, I’m not sure whether I want to draw cartoons, or action comics… hopefully both. I am constantly battling what to write about, but i know it will be political. I think that it’s easier to write silly comics during the youth, mainly because cartoons are only a page, therefore, don’t require SOOO much attention. I love drawing, but whenever I look sketches are ALWAYS better in the sketchbook, or as the doodle… basically anywhere except the actual piece.

I like your work, firstly, because of the format; the panels aren’t spaced, so you can easily flow through them. There are many words, but still, because of the big print, the words are really easy to read. You have a good balance of comic relief and politics, making it enjoyable for all ages. You also have a very important feature, which is that the picture follows the words, not vice versa. What I mean by this is that you make what you say the important part of the story, and the pictures the example, or the comic relief. You say something serious, or powerful, and then the picture will dipict it in a way that’s funny, therefore easier to swallow. Also, you have yet another good balance. Whenever I see something which is really happy, such as a little kids Little Red Riding Hood story, I’m sick to the stomach, thinking “That’s not real life, it’s just a sappy, sugasry version.” But then, when i see a comic like Optic Nerve, i think “Can’t we just escape real life once and a while?”( Now keep in mind, this only applies to non-action comics.) Like American Splendor, Calvin and Hobbes, and Bloom County, you succeed in having the perfect balance. Congratulations. I hope to be as good and inspiring a comic artist as you when I grow up.

Happy Holidays,
J.