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This is a
comic worthy of your time.
I was at the Alternative Press Expo in SoMa, SanFrancisco a few weeks back.
Its a pretty eclecticgathering of the downtrodden cartoonists of theUniverse.
Kind of. There was some manga sort of stuff,some superhero stuff, social
commentary, politicalstuff, boring stuff, weird stuff--all kinds. I sort ofcame
across this one guy in passing. I stopped at histable; he was a pretty
yuppie-independent-musiclooking sort of guy, in his late twenties. I knew
thistype: he was my sister and her friends. We talked fora short bit, and he
handed me a postcard with adrawing and his web address on it. He was a
niceenough guy, unobtrusive, sort of quiet, sort ofgeneric, one of those people
you've no reason not tolike, so you don't not like him.
At any rate, I visited his website tonight.
His comic is pure gold.
It's got a rather soft sort of effect. It consists ofsimple drawings with a
simple message. Each comic hasa formula, a three-panel setup, each containing
itsown little, seemingly meaningless story. They're notGary Larson hilarity;
they're not Jhonen Vasquezdarkness; they're not For Better Or For Worseannoying
sappiness; they're not The Boondocks politicalwit. They're just simple.
This is the most accessible cartoon I've ever seen.This is a comic strip
that isshockingly easy to relate to. This comic is one thatfollows the observer,
that relates little bits ofreality. It is a comic about the individual;
itfocuses on no single group, so that it is most definitelyuniversal. I must
admit it took me a little while toadjust to these strips; I guess I'm not used
sosomething so honest. It's so amazingly effective in itsobviousness and
simplicity. There is something aboutit that is irresistible.
Matt Blackett is a sharply observant sort of guy. Hepicks out bits of his
life, simple but unusualstories, and arranges and illustrates them in such away
so that they can indeed hold meaning. His storiesalmost never relate directly to
him, but are alwayscentered around strangers and friends. Though nearlyevery
panel contains his image, it is only the imageof the storyteller; it's a bit
like a photograph ofsomeone taking a photograph.
The whole set of comics has this straightforward, Zenlook and feel to it.
Blackett's work is all in blackand white, without much background, because for
themost part, background would be redundant, both interms of imagery and words.
His stories apply toanyone who has ever dealt with other people,
becauseregardless of who it is, humans are just prone to thevery strange.
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