WINSOR McCAY(1867-1934)

From Masters of American Comics:

…universally praised as the finest draftsman to have worked in the comics medium…recognized for raising a disposable popular medium to unexpected heights of artistic expression. He developed page compositions that have defined artistic comics ever since. His most important comic strips are Dream of the Rarebit Fiend (1904) and Little Nemo in Slumberland (1905). McCay was also a pioneer in the medium of film animation and produced 10 animated films between 1911 and 1921.

WINSOR McCAY(1867-1934)

Master of the architected page Often praised as the finest technical

draftsman ever to have worked in comics

Also a pioneering animator Fascinated by:

dreams & visionsmetamorphosesprocessescompulsive repetitionarchitectural formsmovement!

Compelled to draw!

GEORGE HERRIMAN(1880-1944)

1880: Born of Creole parentage in New Orleans (much has been made of his racial heritage)

Created strips with obsessive, eccentric characters, e.g., Major Ozone’s Fresh Air Crusade (1904), Baron Mooch (1909), Baron Bean (1916)

Krazy Kat popular among comics enthusiasts & intellectuals, e.g., Gilbert Seldes, e. e. cummings, H. L. Mencken, Pablo Picasso,

Themes and motifs in Krazy Kat:

• Ironic reversals: e.g., the mouse is the predator, the kat the victim; the dog attempts to protect the kat, but it is his failure to protect her that makes her happy (because she wants to be beaned by the mouse!)

• Obsessive behavior: e.g., Ignatz Mouse’s drive to attack Krazy Kat, Offissa Pupp’s drive to protect her

• Differences in perception: e.g., Krazy interprets Ignatz’s hostility as affection; Krazy and Offissa Pupp perceive the mouse differently

Themes and motifs in Krazy Kat:

• Play with language: synthetic dialect, poetry, rhythm, distinct character “voices”

• Playful, ever-changing layouts, including constantly-shifting backgrounds (a strong sense of the whole page as design unit)

• Philosophical meditations, e.g., on topics such as time and love

• Self-reflexivity (the characters are often keenly aware that they are being drawn)