Changes To Marvin.... Some Answers
Rick Schwarz
I was looking through the archives of rec.arts.comics.strips on Google
Groups and I came across some posts by fellow fans regarding the changes
in the Marvin characters and design, So I took it upon myself to send an
email to Tom Armstrong through his distributor King Features, Shortly
thereafter about a week or so I did received a reply from Tom Armstong
himself. I am sharing the email with the group in hopes that it will
answer any questions about the change in the comic strip's design.
==
From: <email address removed>
To: <email address removed>
Subject: Re: To the attention of Tom Armstrong
Date: Tuesday February 18, 2003 01:13:36 PM
Hi Rick,
Glad you enjoy and follow Marvin so closely.
You're right, The parents looks - along with all the characters in my
strip periodically evolve. I blame it on my fine art training
(BFA in painting). In fine art, you're always experimenting and trying
different things. I bring this same mentality to my cartoon work.
The majority of cartoonist come from a commercial art background, and once
they've established the design of their characters, they remain the same
way for the next twenty or thirty years.
While I feel guilty for any confuse my approach may cause Marvin's
followers, I like the idea of keeping it visually interesting and not
static. My wife started coloring the Sunday strips in my studio for the
past 7 or 8 months, and this has taken the art to a new level.
And right now I'm playing with the ink line - deliberately making it more
wiggly. I think this gives the art a more loose, spontaneous look. My
natural tendency is to overwork my art. This is another reason Jeff and
Jenny's features have grown. Their hands and feet have also grown larger.
This is a return to how the cartoon looked in the first few years... more
comical, less anatomically precise. Over the 20 years of producing the
strip, I'd gradually strayed away from the "big foot, big nose" style that
I love.
I think cartoons should not only say funny things, but should look funny
even without any captions. This is what I'm constantly striving for, a
work in progress.
Thanks for your loyalty and preceptive eye. I'll think about you whenever
I make further changes.
Best,
Tom A.
==
Dan Davis
Writer's Group Washington Post site. (As well as many other cartoonist
interviews from their online interview series that they do)
Dan Davis
www.dandavisart.com
"Rick Schwarz" <ricks...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e7bFa.54516$fT5....@nwrdny01.gnilink.net...
jack
the art to someone(s) else, as Marvin & co. had started to look like
(somewhat pointer) relatives of Garfield (tm). SO, when I saw
Armstrong was to be interviewed on Washington Post Live Online, I sent
in a question asking who was drawing the strip nowadays. His answer
was along the lines of what he sent your way. Those interviews, by
the way, are archived, and are pretty cool in my opinion.
DD DEGG CO
Could I just mention that I think Graham Nolan, of Rex Morgan,
has come into his own of late, and I am enjoying it.
When Tony DiPreta took over the art chores in the late 80s,
it seemed that he, and the ghost artists that preceded him,
were virtually light-boxing the old Bradley/Edgington style.
Eventually DiPreta's style emerged and by the time he
retired he had made the strip his own.
When Nolan was picked to replace him three years ago,
he was apparently told to emulate DiPreta (comic strip
readers hate change, or editors are afraid of change, or
both). Unfortunately, by that time in his career I found
DiPreta's art to be flat, stiff and lifeless.
Within the past year Nolan has foregone that style in favor
of his own God-given way with a pen.
I find this Rex Morgan to be more pleasing to the eye.
Almost three-dimensional, it is alive and natural.
And Nolan has taken well to the structure of the comic strip,
using that postage stamp sized space to its fullest
advantage, and has kept spotting blacks to keep the strip
attractive, despite pressures to do nothing to interfere
with the ability to splash colors all over the dailies.
(That last part is mere presumption on my part.)
I have occasionally checked out his Sunday Phantom
where he is also maturing, but think he is really shining
on Rex Morgan.
D.D.Degg
John Duncan Yoyo
wrote:
>I have occasionally checked out his Sunday Phantom
>where he is also maturing, but think he is really shining
>on Rex Morgan.
His Batman comics were pretty terrific as well.
-
John Duncan Yoyo
------------------------------o)
jack
>
> I find this Rex Morgan to be more pleasing to the eye.
> Almost three-dimensional, it is alive and natural.
>
>
The strip is generally much better to look at now than the other soaps, but--
that is the UGLIEST baby!
Ted Kerin
"jack" <_jac...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:13883d3c.03061...@posting.google.com...
Heh - I have to agree about the baby.
And, there have been some unfortunate experiments with perspective and
foreshortening:
http://www.citypaper.com/2003-05-28/funny.html
Also, I'm slightly put off by drawings of big black lips on women (unless
they're Goths), but I realize it's an old established cartoon convention,
and I appreciate the difficulty of dealing with red lipstick in
black-and-white comics.
But, overall I strongly agree that the drawing style is pleasant to look at,
skillfully executed, and creates good visual storytelling. As someone who
never read any "soap" strips at all until about a year ago, I enjoy "Rex
Morgan MD", and consider it very well done.
Sherwood Harrington
: >...changes in the Marvin characters and design...
: Could I just mention that I think Graham Nolan, of Rex Morgan,
: has come into his own of late, and I am enjoying it.
[snipped: very nice things to say about the artwork in the current
incarnation of Rex Morgan]
I agree. I still wish he'd lose all the damn exclamation points, though!
--
Sherwood Harrington
Boulder Creek, California
DD DEGG CO
my admiration for Blondie's Denis Lebrun.
After working in the shadows for 15 years he finally inherited
the strip in 1996 (and by-lined in 1997).
Though not having much leeway in drawing the major
characters, he has subtly come to own them.
But it is with the secondary characters that he amazes me.
Unlike, as mentioned elsewhere, the Mark Trail strip, where
characters are barely distinguishable from each other, Lebrun
does not have this problem.I swear he could draw a Sunday
page with 50 characters and each one would look different
and individual.
And animals! Again, not much wiggle room with Daisy, but
when he has the opportunity to draw other creatures he is
amazing. I still remember a horse he drew a year or more
ago. Fish, rabbits, squirrels, whatever; I think he draws some
of the most delightful cartoon animals on the comics page
these days.
He also impresses me with his backgrounds, an uncommon
sight in the comic strips of today. The best part of Dagwood's
commute is seeing Lebrun's landscapes and cityscapes.He
has a wonderful talent for both, especially given the small
space he is allotted.
Speaking of the commute, about a month ago Lebrun had the
little car doing a Bullitt-like jump over a small hill. He set it up
in the middle panel and I thought it was fantastic.
Despite the gushing above, Blondie does not make my list of
favorite comic strips. But that is due to Dean Young and his
gaggle of ghost gag-writers' lame jokes.
I check out the strip almost every day for the great Lebrun
artwork. And it is easy to do, since it is on every newspaper's
comics page, or so it seems.
D.D.Degg
D Olz
>Since I am praising comic strip artists, let me reiterate
>my admiration for Blondie's Denis Lebrun.
**The balance snipped**
It is a shame he doesn't get better material to work with. However; like a
great actor he can make even the most mediocre material interesting.
Olz
“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety”
Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)
mafutha
wrote:
>>...changes in the Marvin characters and design...
>
>Could I just mention that I think Graham Nolan, of Rex Morgan,
>has come into his own of late, and I am enjoying it.
>
>When Tony DiPreta took over the art chores in the late 80s,
>it seemed that he, and the ghost artists that preceded him,
>were virtually light-boxing the old Bradley/Edgington style.
>Eventually DiPreta's style emerged and by the time he
>retired he had made the strip his own.
>
He retired? I was wondering what happened to him. I use to read his
stuff when he did Joe Palooka and loved it.
Thanks for the info. You know what's he's doing with himself at the
moment? An update would be appreciated.
Thanks.
DD DEGG CO
re Tony Dipreta and Rex Morgan
>>by the time he
>>retired he had made the strip his own.
>He retired?
His last Rex Morgan strip was June 18, 2000.
Three years ago come Wednesday.
> I use to read his
>stuff when he did Joe Palooka and loved it.
Well for the last 8 or 10 years he wrote his own
storylines for Palooka.
>You know what's he's doing with himself at the moment?
>An update would be appreciated.
Haven't the foggiest. Relaxing, enjoying his retirement
and awaiting his 82nd birthday coming up on July 9th?
D.D.Degg