02/22/08
Text: Nik Mercer
Gary Panter has been drawing, in one way or another, for his entire life, although his "professional" career began with the publication of his first Jimbo stories in the L.A. punk rag, Slash. From there, Panter went from working on the infamous and critically acclaimed comics magazine, RAW to creating sets for The Pee Wee Herman Show to animating to pursuing fine art endeavors. A jack of all trades, to say the least.
His widely hailed Jimbo In Purgatory and Jimbo's Inferno were published by Fantagraphics Books. A wide array of his other lesser known works, including his forthcoming two-volume monograph, have been released on Picturebox Inc.
I'm fascinated by how the reading public still approaches comics with skepticism. Comics tend to be ghettoized (just as science fiction, horror fiction, crime fiction, and fantasy are) rather than just read. Even the best writers are treated with condescension (“Raymond Chandler really transcends his genre, he is actually quite good”). Use of the phrase “graphic novel” hasn’t seemed to have helped. Will comics forever be consigned to this second-class citizenship? What would it take for them to “break out?” And, frankly, should we care? Should we just stop fretting about it, read the books with pleasure, and ignore the critics?
Comics are breaking out compared to the fallow 70s and expectant 80s and 90s. But, I don't care as long as I can find comics I like and a lot of those were made in the 1950s. Comic writing, like art writing, is for the writers.
Unlike other visual arts (e.g. painting), comics are unique in that in their finished form they are produced in the thousands or even millions of copies. The bristol board originals are not seen as the comic itself, but rather as an intermediate step toward the “real” end product. It’s as if posters of the Mona Lisa were seen as the real thing, and the painting in the Louvre just as an interesting collectible. Do you see comics as such, or have a dissenting view?
Printed comics are a medium and comic originals are a related medium. Formally they do similar things, but reach different audiences. Seeing an original can be very helpful to the cartoon maker in training. One has to stand to look at comic art on walls, while printed comics should be read in bed.
On a related note, what sort of tools do you use? Baseball players get obsessive about the exact weight of their Louisville Slugger, some writers will only use the same typewriter they have worked on for years, some rock musicians are loyal to a specific guitar. Exactly what tools do you use, why did you choose them, and do they really make a difference or is it just a superstitious thing?
It took me years to find the right drawing tools and now that I have, paper quality is decreasing. For comic making, I use Japanese G-series dip nibs, Pelican Tusche ink and 3 ply Strathmore, kid finish, drawing paper. Number 1 rapidographs and Winsor Newton series 9 brushes, also.
How do you approach the actual making of comics—both in terms of writing and drawing—and do you think there are some "universal" rules of comic creation? Some musicians (e.g.) write the lyrics first, then find a tune; others the other way around; some jot down random ideas and then assemble them into a coherent whole later; others have one core thought that they then elaborate to the whole story… how do you do it?
There are many ways and I don't have one way. I make a lot of notes and erase a lot. I make a lot more paintings and sculptural models and prints than comics. I comics, I am usually looking for the big moments i want to draw and finding the story that leads to those moments. Of I make characters with strong characteristics and then watch what they do. My monthly comic for RIDDIM, the Japanese reggae magazine is always four panels and reads from right to left. Things like that, that are part of a routine, help.
Any other odd habits? Some writers insist on writing X words per day and then stop... others write for a particular time period then quit... do you've any “weird” tendencies?
I have weird tendencies, but not very predictable. If I get in a nasty, horrible, mood, I realize I am depressed, also known to me as charging my batteries, and I wait for that mood to break, because i often do good work when the mood changes.
