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August HA Auction
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502 posts in this topic

2 hours ago, adamstrange said:

Charles Schultz's Peanuts is the epitome of graphic storytelling. 

Neal Adams is a better artist but his better art often interfered with the flow of story and at no point did he ever produce anything as profound and fundamentally human as Schultz.

Perhaps it’s time for a new category: graphic story telling. With someone like Schultz, I agree. It’s the wedding of story and art; they only work as well as they do by tying them together. That’s what makes Eisner’s work so special, too. Same with Miller and his run on Daredevil, etc. With Adams, I love his artwork, but not his occasional attempts at writing.

So, who do you consider the best story tellers? And yes this is leaving out a lot of artists who don’t do the writing, too. 

 

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5 hours ago, Brian Peck said:

What is your basis for tepid? Just because people won't pay 5 figures for his non-watchmen art doesn't mean there isn't any interest. 

What I mean is, excluding his WM work, where does he rank among other artists in terms of demand for his work?  Top 50? Top 100?

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6 hours ago, adamstrange said:

Charles Schultz's Peanuts is the epitome of graphic storytelling. 

Neal Adams is a better artist but his better art often interfered with the flow of story and at no point did he ever produce anything as profound and fundamentally human as Schultz.

Honestly, I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but every time I read this sort of praise for Schultz’ Peanuts I have to do a double take, re-read the praise, and laugh my @$$ off!

i have tried several times to ‘get’ Schultz, by reading and re-reading collections of his work and the more I tried, the more entrenched my opinions became:

1. The characters are not relatable to folks in my life and therefore, I am unable to relate to his characters so I do not find them endearing, although I understand most readers do

2. This has to be the most redundant strip in the history of comic strips.  I mean, how many stories about the Kite eating tree, Great Pumpkin, Lucy’s psychiatric advice, Lucy pulling away the football, etc must a reader endure?  50 years?  Well, perhaps the strip ran 50 years, but it was more like 10 years, rinse and repeat.

3.  Because of points 1 and 2 above, the strip was boring and predictable

4.  Because of points 1-3 above, I think this strip is ridiculously over-hyped

your mileage may vary.

Edited by jjonahjameson11
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^ it became  an institution which is why it gets all the love.   The last twenty years are brutal but it was always there every time you opened the paper.   

IMO it deserves the praise because 1950-1965 are sublime but you’re not wrong about some aspects .   That said, the fact it repeated familiar themes is part of the charm because you could miss five years of the strip and pick up where you left off .    

When we read a Lucy pulling away the football strip we all know the punchline already but it’s fun anyways to see how Charlie ends up on his azz this time :insane:

Edited by Bronty
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13 minutes ago, Bronty said:

The last twenty years are brutal but it was always there every time you opened the paper.   

The decline started with the introduction of Woodstock, continued further with Peppermint Pattie and then the strip fell off the cliff with Spike.

But the first 15 years was genius.

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16 minutes ago, tth2 said:

The decline started with the introduction of Woodstock, continued further with Peppermint Pattie and then the strip fell off the cliff with Spike.

But the first 15 years was genius.

Those endless peppermint patty strips made me want to gouge my eyes out.   When I was a kid that’s where the strip was at.   I really disliked the strip until I started reading all the early ones in those fantagraphics collections 

Edited by Bronty
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59 minutes ago, jjonahjameson11 said:

Honestly, I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but every time I read this sort of praise for Schultz’ Peanuts I have to do a double take, re-read the praise, and laugh my @$$ off!

i have tried several times to ‘get’ Schultz, by reading and re-reading collections of his work and the more I tried, the more entrenched my opinions became:

1. The characters are not relatable to folks in my life and therefore, I am unable to relate to his characters so I do not find them endearing, although I understand most readers do

2. This has to be the most redundant strip in the history of comic strips.  I mean, how many stories about the Kite eating tree, Great Pumpkin, Lucy’s psychiatric advice, Lucy pulling away the football, etc must a reader endure?  50 years?  Well, perhaps the strip ran 50 years, but it was more like 10 years, rinse and repeat.

3.  Because of points 1 and 2 above, the strip was boring and predictable

4.  Because of points 1-3 above, I think this strip is ridiculously over-hyped

your mileage may vary.

Garfield is way more repeat I’ve, it only has three basic themes, owners an insufficiently_thoughtful_person, dogs an insufficiently_thoughtful_person, food.

Walking dead is way more repetitive, someone does something stupid and someone else has to save them.  Just swap out characters and what stupid thing they did and how they have to be saved (same recipe and Gilligan’s Island).

I get some folks not liking the peanuts and the price the strips command is insane.  There are 9000 strips that have been put into the public space and even at $20k as an average price, that is $180 million valuation  :whatthe:.  

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29 minutes ago, Bronty said:

Those endless peppermint patty strips made me want to gouge my eyes out.   When I was a kid that’s where the strip was at.   I really disliked the strip until I started reading all the early ones in those fantagraphics collections 

I was never a hater of PP (my son could never remember her name so he always referred to her as CandyCane) but I really didn't like those strips if Marcie was in them.  As a kid, me and my cousin referred to Woodstock as Upchuck.  He really liked the character.  When I was in my formative years, there were lots of toys and I remember having lots of them that I played with a lot.  This was when I was like 6 to 10.  I think when something gets stuck in your mind at that age, it really sticks.  I remember each year being excited to watch the Halloween and Christmas specials each year (still look forward to it).

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21 minutes ago, comix4fun said:

Sure they are, unless you've never known a bully, a know-it-all, a sad sack, an introvert, someone who seemingly can do anything, or if you've never had a moment of self-doubt or worry about social settings, friends, where you fit in, if you fit in, and what it all means. 

Yes, there was a decline at a certain point, and repetition.  But:

Charles Schulz's genius was in simplicity -- he changed the way comic strips looked, and did so with something that looked like it should be easy. Anyone who tried to copy him realized how hard it was to look so simple.  As far as storytelling, that was genius, too, again in its simplicity -- he allowed children to voice their problems in adult voices.

If you don't relate to that, it's excellent news, as it means your childhood was trauma-free.

G

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13 minutes ago, comix4fun said:

Sure they are, unless you've never known a bully, a know-it-all, a sad sack, an introvert, someone who seemingly can do anything, or if you've never had a moment of self-doubt or worry about social settings, friends, where you fit in, if you fit in, and what it all means. 

 

Just now, glendgold said:

Yes, there was a decline at a certain point, and repetition.  But:

Charles Schulz's genius was in simplicity -- he changed the way comic strips looked, and did so with something that looked like it should be easy. Anyone who tried to copy him realized how hard it was to look so simple.  As far as storytelling, that was genius, too, again in its simplicity -- he allowed children to voice their problems in adult voices.

If you don't relate to that, it's excellent news, as it means your childhood was trauma-free.

G

That's really where the poignancy and relevance spring from. Those adult voices from your simple childlike faces speaking about the deepest topics. 

Even if someone's childhood was trauma-free...they are on this message board. You can't make two clicks without running into a "bully, a know-it-all, a sad sack, an introvert, or someone who seemingly can do anything (or nothing)". 

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15 minutes ago, glendgold said:

Yes, there was a decline at a certain point, and repetition.  But:

Charles Schulz's genius was in simplicity -- he changed the way comic strips looked, and did so with something that looked like it should be easy. Anyone who tried to copy him realized how hard it was to look so simple.  As far as storytelling, that was genius, too, again in its simplicity -- he allowed children to voice their problems in adult voices.

If you don't relate to that, it's excellent news, as it means your childhood was trauma-free.

G

Yes, it was an excellent childhood, fondly remembered, and far more relatable to Calvin and Hobbes (a far superior strip over Peanuts, imho) 😎

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Just now, jjonahjameson11 said:

Yes, it was an excellent childhood, fondly remembered, and far more relatable to Calvin and Hobbes (a far superior strip over Peanuts, imho) 😎

AHA!!! Growing up you were a LUCY!

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16 minutes ago, jjonahjameson11 said:

Yes, it was an excellent childhood, fondly remembered, and far more relatable to Calvin and Hobbes (a far superior strip over Peanuts, imho) 😎

Loved Calvin and Hobbs as well. Lots of great bits. 

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1 hour ago, batman_fan said:

I was never a hater of PP (my son could never remember her name so he always referred to her as CandyCane) but I really didn't like those strips if Marcie was in them.  As a kid, me and my cousin referred to Woodstock as Upchuck.  He really liked the character.  When I was in my formative years, there were lots of toys and I remember having lots of them that I played with a lot.  This was when I was like 6 to 10.  I think when something gets stuck in your mind at that age, it really sticks.  I remember each year being excited to watch the Halloween and Christmas specials each year (still look forward to it).

Those were the ones.... PP and Marcie strips for like 10 years between.. 85 and 95?

agree with your other thoughts

Edited by Bronty
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Just now, jjonahjameson11 said:

😂

not quite.  More like the fella who made friends easily and organized ‘play dates’, and later, get-togethers playing sports or going to the arcade, movies or malls.

"playing sports" huh? 

I see through that....

477559307_lucyball.gif.7960f5ffd79ad5a8c55458e0a7cf6931.gif

 

lol

EDIT/SIDEBAR: I should have grown in where you did. I had all those social/friend/sports/mall/arcade things but man there was no escaping the drama and the ups/down of life here. 

Edited by comix4fun
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13 minutes ago, jjonahjameson11 said:

😂

not quite.  More like the fella who made friends easily and organized ‘play dates’, and later, get-togethers playing sports or going to the arcade, movies or malls.

Sorry, if you're on the boards, and you collect comic book artwork, there's no way you had a good childhood. It's just science, is all. :headbang:

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