Ayo
01-28-2006, 09:28 AM
Saturday for you subscribers, Sunday for newstand people, The New York Times Magazine has been serializing cartoonist Chris Ware's "Building Stories" strip since September. Those unfamiliar with Chris Ware should know that he won a bunch of awards and acclaim for the graphic novel Jimmy Corrigan the Smartest Kid on Earth. "Building Stories" is one of the new stories he's working on at the same time as "Rusty Brown." See ACME Novelty Library #16 for the first collection of these stories.
Anyway, Ware's "Building Stories" is the only comic (whether strip or book) that I read on a regular basis. Much more enjoyable to me than Jimmy Corrigan, with a more emotionally interesting (and intellectually engaging) protaganist. Ware's storytelling may seem to fall into patterns, but it's his style and I love it.
Notes: This story/set of characters has been around for a few years now, and has appeared in several formats, including a two-page spread format with a centerpiece image (remenicent of "Krazy Kat") and a two page vertical format. The NYT Mag version is a single page version and generally reads very clearly by comparison.
But I can't help but wonder/worry about collection. Ware notoriously is NOT a completist about his work...constantly refining, streamlining and changing things. So I'm sad for myself and others who don't have access to original printings of all these strips because most of them are likely to be lost to us once this series is eventually completed.
But in any case: best comic strip, hands down.
Anyway, Ware's "Building Stories" is the only comic (whether strip or book) that I read on a regular basis. Much more enjoyable to me than Jimmy Corrigan, with a more emotionally interesting (and intellectually engaging) protaganist. Ware's storytelling may seem to fall into patterns, but it's his style and I love it.
Notes: This story/set of characters has been around for a few years now, and has appeared in several formats, including a two-page spread format with a centerpiece image (remenicent of "Krazy Kat") and a two page vertical format. The NYT Mag version is a single page version and generally reads very clearly by comparison.
But I can't help but wonder/worry about collection. Ware notoriously is NOT a completist about his work...constantly refining, streamlining and changing things. So I'm sad for myself and others who don't have access to original printings of all these strips because most of them are likely to be lost to us once this series is eventually completed.
But in any case: best comic strip, hands down.