Cinema Purgatorio #9 - "Revelations of the Bat"

[laughing_tree]

"While the massive improvement in comic-book colouring, printing, and production techniques over the last thirty or forty years has led to some exemplary pieces of work it has also given artists a lot of places to hide their flaws, in the same way that rambling continuities have provided a lot of cover for the shortcomings of writers. In America particularly, with its tradition of dividing up the pencilling and inking chores, this has seemingly led to a deficiency of artists with the abilities of, say, an Al Williamson, or a Wally Wood, or a Jack Kirby. These were all artists who were fluent in the use of blacks or in their deployment of shading techniques, all the hatching and feathering that exemplified the work of that classic generation of American craftsmen. What I’m concerned about is that abilities are being lost here, and if the comic medium is to genuinely progress and to be adequate to the coming century then I can’t help but think of that as a bad thing. Now, will the establishment of a single black and white anthology, however good, solve all of the above? No, of course it won’t. What I’m hoping is that with the staggering range of talent we have lined up for Cinema Purgatorio we can establish that there were once different ways of creating and enjoying comics, and that the possibilities of this medium are far broader and more various than the current relatively narrow focus of the industry would suggest." -- Alan Moore

Comments

[leoboiko]

The great thing about B&W comics IMO is that they lower the barrier-to-entry to independent experimentation, while still being aesthetic.

in the same way that rambling continuities have provided a lot of cover for the shortcomings of writers.

is that a hint of self-deprecation I hear in your voice Mr Moore?…

[captainbellman]

I really liked this one. As an aspiring illustrator, I could really feel the amount of effort O'Neill went to in properly portraying Thelma Todd's corpse (in a panel not shown above).

[mrosa]

Where's the full interview?

[pyynk]

For anyone interested in the life and strange death of Thelma Todd, You Must Remember This' current series, Dead Blondes, features her in an episode.

http://www.youmustrememberthispodcast.com/episodes/2017/2/6/thelma-todd-dead-blondes-episode-2

[palgrave_goldenrod]

Interesting. Shades of "Dance of the Gull-Catchers" here.

Have to admit, I haven't really been won over by Cinema Purgatorio (it strikes me as a little too repetitive and slightly sour for my tastes), but it does look great in black and white.