The Strange Death of Alex Raymond - by Dave Sim and Carson Grubaugh

Ed's Links (Order RED ROOM!, Patreon, etc): linktr.ee/edpi...
Jim's Links (Patreon, Store, social media): linktr.ee/jimrugg
-------------------------
E-NEWSLETTER: Keep up with all things Cartoonist Kayfabe through our new newsletter! News, appearances, special offers, and more - signup here for free: bit.ly/3eFPJ7b
---------------------
SNAIL MAIL! Cartoonist Kayfabe, PO Box 3071, Munhall, Pa 15120
---------------------
T-SHIRTS and MERCH: shop.spreadshi...
---------------------
Connect with us:
Instagram: / cartoonist.kayfabe
Twitter: / cartoonkayfabe
Facebook: / cartoonist.kayfabe
Ed's Contact info:
/ edpiskor
/ ed_piskor
/ edpiskor
www.amazon.com...
Jim's contact info:
/ jimrugg
www.jimrugg.co...
/ jimruggart
/ jimruggart
www.amazon.com...

[@davidrubin3532]

Just pre-ordered a copy! You guys keep re-introducing me to the wide world of comics, and I’m truly grateful

[@barbariancauldron3284]

I don't know how I got here but you two have great chemistry! You feed off each other and you listen to each other, both quick minds and you can articulate your thoughts clearly and excitingly. I don't know if its in the editing but you two have something special together. I wish I had a friend to get this excited with over ink stokes. Thank you for making this.

[@Bernardo_Morales]

Uff! I didn’t want this one to end!✨Mesmerized.

[@SuperPoser573]

This took guts to do, whether you guys agree with Sim or not, especially where the industry is right now. Kudos!

[@Skipntosh]

Great name! And I agree. Took some gall to cover this book. I appreciate that they did.

[@johna4371]

Totally captivating. Can't wait to grab this one.

[@gingegingerton]

Wow this was amazing. Thanks Kayfabe!

[@polaris_draws]

Dave Sim, from what I've seen of him, is undoubtedly one of the most talented comic artists to ever use a pencil. He's nigh unmatched in writing, cartooning, and his lettering is some of the best I've ever seen. It's a shame he never looked for medical treatment for his hand and lost his ability to draw, and a greater shame that he is one of the most distasteful human beings I have the displeasure of knowing about.

[@Schock2001]

This is one of my favorite episodes

[@Susie_Floozie]

WHOA. I remember seeing that single panel of the wreck with the pencil suspended in midair above the dashboard--must've been in a COMICS JOURNAL review of Sim's GLAMOURPUSS stuff. That image has stuck with me for a long time, and it's damned nice to see the whole powerful piece in context.

[@TheTonyFigueroa]

I'm glad to see this underappreciated comic get the Kayfabe analysis. Alex Raymond was an incredibly influential artist. His "Tournaments of Mongo" Flash Gordon strips are beautifully drawn. There is a definite point in the Flash Gordon strip where Raymond began using models as the basis for his figures. Hal Foster, Milt Canniff, Alex Raymond, Burne Hogarth, Noel Sickles and Roy Crane were huge influences on that first generation of comic book artists.

[@nigelcox-hagan6820]

I was hoping CK would do classic cartoonists someday but this was a uniquely fascinating take. Didn’t know about that cartoon industry town in Connecticut and now I want to track down the novel. I would love deep dives on collections of Caniff, Raymond , Drake etc. EC Segar’s Popeye , Buzz Sawyer, Pogo would also be interesting.

[@alfredfrancis1475]

Great job. This one probably won’t get big numbers, but Sim is an important artist. Thanks.

[@christenraymond909]

He’s my grandpa’s uncle not lying

[@jawnsushi]

I'm extremely interested in this! Thanks for showing it!

[@kekzilla6669]

From the Amazon listing (Sept 2021 hardcover release, 320pages): " _The Strange Death of Alex Raymond_ is one of the most spectacular comics I have ever read or seen. I can't recommend it enough, although you may hate it. Bizarre and beautiful and completely unique." -- Jim Rugg, Cartoonist Kayfabe, Street Angel, The P.L.A.I.N. Janes ^😆👉 " _I can't recommend it enough, although you may hate it._ " ...Such oddly backhanded praise, haha. I followed the book's development with fascination through the pages of "Glamourpuss". Alongside its incisive stylistic analyses, it's amusing how Sim reads obsessively into mildest nuances of body language in the publicity photo of a handshake to dramatize status envy and teeth-grinding contempt between the artists. Already pre-ordered it last week! 👍 Am I the only one doubtful that Neal Adams was the original source of the line, "See you in the funny pages"? It sounds more like 1940s showbiz patter, possibly from a Bogart film or radio drama.

[@billyhaney5117]

I love the Strange Death of Alex Raymond! It's an artistic tour de force and an amazing read. I keep wondering if Dave Sim really believes in "Comic Art Metaphysics", just as I wonder if Alan Moore really believes in ceremonial magic. I suspect they both do, but it really doesn't matter. What matters is presenting this material through the lens of comic-art metaphysics effecting what we regard as the real world gives an extraordinary resonance to this story. It's what in Alan Moore's case separates "From Hell" from being a straight history of the Jack the Ripper murders or "Promethea" from being a variation on Wonder Girl is that Moore's immersion in magic makes the stories so much richer and unique. Dave Sim's belief in comic art effecting people's lives and world history on a karmic level may stretch credulity, but it makes for an utterly fascinating book.

[@GortHyman]

Others have done the research regarding the origins of the phrase 'see you in the funny papers' - it predates Adams: english.stackexchange.com/questions/106878/see-you-in-the-funny-papers-etymology-and-meaning

[@darkdial]

Yeah, the phrase shows up all the time if you watch old flicks (from It's a Wonderful Life to Bowery Boys entries). Sims is a mark if he thinks its Adams.

[@raydillon]

Super interesting. I never heard about Alex Raymond's death. And that brush technique of squaring off to get those fine lines is fascinating.

[@barbariancauldron3284]

3:60 I had this realization a few years back about how all of us are living very very different perspectives and it allowed me to stop trying to control other peoples idea of who I am or what my art represents and it also allowed me to stop explaining myself. Because people are going to see how they are going to see. Their eyes are filtered through different memories that have sculpted their opinion on life.

[@bretanwode]

The Strange Death of Alex Raymond is pure genius. It is fiction but the conspiracy metaphysical narrative style is so engrossing.

[@beckythompson4538]

Got my issue secured Ed!! I’m not waiting till issue 8 like I did for Walking Dead. I must have let $5K slip away because I didn’t want to read a Black and White comic. I was the only guy at my shop to order so I didn’t get the variant covers but I have a feeling this will catch fire as word gets out! I already told the shop owner I’ll pay for the free comic book day issue if he brings it in

[@nerzenjaeger]

I was just about to pre-order this. Crazy.

[@danielzalkus1145]

You mention Howard Chaykin toward the end of the video...I'd love to see a Kayfabe shoot interview with him. Sim would also be great, but I'm not sure if he would do an interview through the computer.

[@davidc1664]

Apparently it was when Chris Ryall left IDW that their publishing agreement fell through. Anyway am super excited that they found a new publisher and we’re getting a nice oversized edition!

[@stevehogan7532]

Thanks for posting another great video. After I watched it I went and read those GLAMOURPUSS strips and YOW! Raymond and Drake aren't the only ones who are in for a wild ride. What starts as a sober look at the working techniques of photorealistic mid century cartoonists quickly evolves into a weird tour of Dave Sim's mind. It's hard to read Sim's obsessive conspiracy theories about the minutiae in the artists' lives without picturing a wall covered with index cards and red string. Somehow a phenomena Sim calls "Margaret Mitchell Glamour" has a lot to answer for. (Bitches! Amiright?) You'll have a good idea what to expect if you remember that Sim's most controversial writings were titled "TANGENT(s)". Which isn't to say don't order the book. Ed nails it with the Henry Darger comparison. This is as much as a peek behind the Dave Sim curtain as it is about Alex Raymond. If this book was the musings of a fictional character writing about made up events, you'd swear it was genius. (Also, Glamorpuss ended just as he got to the crash.)

[@empyreanvole]

Wow, the art on this is gorgeous. I like Dave Sim, I dont care what anyone says.

[@robsyers8647]

VERY. VERY. INTERESTING.

[@ChrisW164]

I've got my copy on order. ChrisW

[@sinatraorange]

Appreciate you covering this work! I personally find Sim's political and social ideas pretty bad, especially the stuff about women, but I also think that there's value in continuing to be exposed to the work of problematic creators, both to understand what's bad AND what's good about it. Fantastic work as always!

[@zinccomics]

If memory serves, the Jack Comic Store Manager/Carson stuff was created to introduce what were going to be individual comic issues published by IDW. Like Ed with "Red Room," Sim had several in the drawer already when they decided to go the collected volumes route. The Jack character was then added simply to make some sense of those individual issues Dave had on the shelf, methinks.

[@zinccomics]

I also believe that Sim would actually make the 'collages'/ page layouts from photocopies and then trace via Lightbox. I think that is usually what he'd give Grubaugh to draw from as well.

[@ammar-nx8sg]

What are your guys favorite comics? Just ones that have shaped you and sticked with you throughout the years. Extremely curious to hear your answers

[@bckomix]

Thanks for poking the bear. I was intrigued by Sim's classification of non-stylized/stylized/cartoon realism. Also the reverence for the illustrative tradition of comics that is too often ignored. Those sections could be expanded into a focused formal/historical analysis that could give Understanding Comics a run for its money. But that ain't Sim's style.

[@mulder13x59]

I backed the kickstarter awhile ago but I had no idea about Glamourpuss and all this backstory. Btw how many issues of Glamourpuss are there? I want to get those now. I hope they are easy to find.

[@lemurianmoongypsy9530]

We miss you ed😥

[@koskey06]

NEVER been into comics at all!..... Just turned 33 a couple days ago and after watching a handful of your videos and a couple videos on comics from other creators.....has peeked my intrest in things from people like Crumb and other "underground" or just plain raunchy/bloody/violent or just plain being far far away from being politically correct. Now I'm in the middle of a rabbit hole finding art that speaks to me.

[@jamesclukey7488]

Aaaahhh, ……. the Auto-Graph. Basically a desk top overhead projector. I have one, but haven't used it in years , for my artwork. I now prefer letting my pencils take me where they want to go, in an attempt to keep my style looser, and not so stiff. I get a style more like Al Williamson. It flows better. I have more freedom, with less concern for super accuracy. The line is relaxed and open to creative flights of fancy. I taught myself how to ink with a brush, instead of a pen. The results are far superior, compared to using a pen. Much more mature.

[@PERart6231]

Best episode !!!!

[@pjbrown4736]

Thank you for the up front disclaimer.

[@cassandralyris4918]

Dave Sim is undeniably a gifted artist, I would even go so far as to say a genius. It's just a damn shame how much he hates women. I can't imagine feeling that way for half the human population. This will be another "separate the artist from their art" situation.

[@JakobNoone]

You guys might want to check out Comic Book Historian's Tom Palmer interview (kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpqnpGlrr6h8pZY) where Tom talks about Raymond and a decent amount about Noel Sickles, technique/schools of thought and his education by some of the old-school 'advertising era' artists. Or, even better, do a show where you get him talking about that. I'd sure watch it!

[@jawnsushi]

So, are there 2 books here: one is The Strange Death of Alex Raymond and the other is Glamourpuss? And The Strange Death of Alex Raymond is the collection of Glamourpuss?

[@davidc1664]

No the book currently available for order is a brand new thing, incorporating some stuff from Glamourpuss but mostly all new never published before. The Strange Death version they showcase here is just a kinda preview of the larger book. Basically the Final version is the book in Previews now or on KS for a few more days. Hope that clears things up

[@jawnsushi]

@@davidc1664 okay. I never got a notification for your reply so I only just now saw it. Apparently I've missed the Kickstarter by less than one day. Which breaks my heart. Thanks very much for all of that info and clearing it all up for me though! 👍

[@russworks2882]

Well. I'm going to get a copy. Speaking of brush tips looking like a pencil, an artist friend of mine once loaned me a Chinese brush he'd picked up in New York Chinatown. We were both fascinated with the really lush work that was still being done by Filipinos in comics, and they all used this brush. Most of them were a lot faster than you'd think; Alfredo Alcala was capable of turning out a ton of pages quickly, pencils, inks and lettering, (40 pages a week for DC comics per Mark Evanier) by the time he did American comics. The Chinese brush I tried out held a sharp (and fairly rigid) point without any problem, and the actual brush tip is so thick it holds ink a lot longer than a sable brush. It feels a lot like drawing with a pencil. Been trying to find another one of those for years.

[@carminedawg9506]

Can’t wait to get my hands on this !

[@Iamthegtard]

Glamourpuss was such a headtrip

[@ES_Glenn]

💯💯💯💯

[@Bernardo_Morales]

I just bought a crazy Alex Raymond book yesterday!!! 💥💥💥