Kibbles ‘n’ Bits 11/17

Q: Coloring techniques have changed quite a bit over the years, with them infernal computers and tools like Photoshop becoming more and more essential. With your colors being known for their textured quality, do you now wonder how you lived without the new fangled tools?

A: Naw. Manually painting is a lot of fun, and I miss it sometimes. I think that those of us who started before digital was around actually have an edge on other folks, at least those of us who survived and made the transition. Knowing how to really paint with real paint can only be a good thing, and I think has helped me tremendously even in my digital work.

“I don’t have fans,” Sim said on his Web site shortly before coming to Salt Lake City, “I have readers.” Sim refers not only to the readers who love him but those who loathe him. Many who have read Sim’s work would like to shake his hand, while others would like to break his arm off at the shoulder and strike him across the head with it. His views on feminism, which surfaced in the middle of the saga, made him a marked man by those who disagreed with his opinions. He knew what he was introducing into the comic world was anything but comical. Yet, Sim is not the scoundrel critics make him out to be. During a discussion over dinner before his book-festival appearance, Sim came across as a gentleman and a gentle man who cares about people and society. Certainly no ogre, he is a bright and humorous individual but, yes, he does hold his opinions close and tight. Through it all, he is a man who appears to be at peace with his God and his fellow beings. Image Art Dave Sim And Gerhard, Aardvark Vanaheim Inc. Cerebus, moments before his death “It’s not women I have a quarrel with,” he explained at dinner, “it’s feminists.” He pointed to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as a person who accomplished great things without having the system weighted in her direction.

Stan and his team did an amazing job on a pinched budget, and created one of film’s iconic fantasy characters. What I didn’t expect, and what I came to admire more than the artistry and technical wizardry, was Stan’s most amazing gift: the ability to lead a team. Running a team of young artists is like herding cats. Stan is somehow able to inspire people to do the best work of their lives, while still maintaining a firm grip on command. Stan is a gifted artist and sculptor himself, but artistic ego can often make a team leader ineffective by blunting the creativity of those under him. While nobody could accuse Stan of lacking an ego, he manages to lead by example without eclipsing his guys.

My knowledge of Star Wars was limited. I was familiar with the popular sayings that have become a part of today’s language: ”May the Force be with you.” ”Luke, I am your father.” And without even knowing it, I had already developed a hatred toward Jar Jar Binks.