Saturday, April 23, 2011

Sequential Art Primer Part 2: The Second "Tongue" of "Sequential Art" and the Essential Iconoclast



“Sequential art” is a form of visual communication that has three distinct pillars and after discussing comics, bandes dessinĂ©es, and manga as well as the masters of those pillars, any serious student of "sequential art" should continue their study beyond these three regional inflections with the artist I like to refer to as “The Iconoclast of Sequential Art,” George Herriman.

Words fall short when describing the enigmatic artist who burst forth from the region of America that also contributed to the richness of the country’s musical landscape with Jazz. George Herriman, the creator of the classic comic work “KrazyKat,” possessed many of the attributes that would have allowed him to be successful creating conservative work that used the existing conventions of the form.

George Herriman, however, had other plans. Herriman, who possessed a fertile and free mind, much like those musicians whose explorations led to the birth of Jazz, became the preeminent force behind the linguistic innovation we call "cartooning."


George Herriman's "KRAZY KAT"