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Is “Abstract Comics” An Oxymoron?

April 4th, 2009

I don’t think so.

And neither do these artists.

Posted in Experimental Comics, Theory

Discussion (4)¬

  1. Iain says:
    April 4, 2009 at 5:42 am

    If anything, really, it’s a tautology.

  2. Andrei says:
    April 5, 2009 at 3:19 pm

    Thanks for the link, Scott!!

  3. Scot Hanson says:
    April 7, 2009 at 7:00 am

    Instead of tautology, I’d call it preaching-to-the-choir art.

    People who ‘get’ abstract comics can get the same satisfaction from the myriad impressions all around each day (same as with aleatoric music). And people who don’t already ‘get’ it, won’t want it—there’s not enough suggestion of reward to entice them to invest the energy to make up a storyline.

    On the other hand, from a formal view, I’m really glad there are people exploring the very boundaries of comics minimalism. It’s a benefit for all of us.

    So, thanks to Andrei.

  4. Andrei says:
    April 9, 2009 at 2:04 pm

    Whoa, Scot–

    I know you said this on our blog too, but I probably should respond here, too, perhaps more temperately.

    You write: “People who ‘get’ abstract comics can get the same satisfaction from the myriad impressions all around each day (same as with aleatoric music). And people who don’t already ‘get’ it, won’t want it—there’s not enough suggestion of reward to entice them to invest the energy to make up a storyline.”

    Those are some pretty big assumptions there. The first one I know is patently untrue (if I can consider myself a person who “gets” abstract comics). As for the second one, I’m not sure what the category of people who “don’t already ‘get’ it” covers, but I know that I’ve shown them to friends and acquaintances with no previous experience of the genre, and some have grown enthusiastic about them. Sometimes it seems to help if you are not already invested in comics as purely a narrative medium, as many comics fans are (but some of them are coming around). People who like abstract painting, for example, or contemporary music, have been much more open to it (and no, that’s nto because they can also fall into aesthetic ecstasy at the sound of an electric can opener).

    Though I suppose that the argument you’re making was made back in the day about abstract painting or atonal music too.

    In any case, if you keep coming back by the site, hopefully we’ll be able to change your mind. Actually, I would suggest the anthology itself as the best way of that happening… The best examples of ab cmx I have found ARE in the anthology, and I have asked the contributors to not give away too much of what will be printed in there.