Comic book antiquty No. 3: Bringing Up Father, the Musical

Well, the new page is on the drawing board, and I want to take my time with it. A couple things are giving me grief, and my time is divided between that, finishing the semester, meeting writing deadlines and other mundanities of life.
To tide us over, I am offering another in my infrequent series of Comic Book Antiquities.
This is sheet music dated 1915, MCMXV, for all you Roman Numeral fans out there, from the Bringing Up Father musical. It is from one of the touring company versions of the show.
There are several things worth mentioning here. First, for those unfamiliar with the strip, the plot of Bringing Up Father revolves around Irish immigrants Maggie and Jiggs, who win the Irish Sweepstakes shortly after immigrating to America. Maggie wants to advance into high society. Jiggs does not.
For more on the musical itself, scroll down on Clark Holloway's excellent Bringing Up Father page.
Aside from the class issues raised by the strip, it's noteworthy in a couple other ways. First, it's really funny. Second, it's distinguished by the Art Deco-influenced art of George McManus.

I got this sheet music off the free shelf at MCAD, where I teach, some time ago. I suspect it was left by Terry Beatty, as it appeared around the time of Terry's move.
The music is in tatters. Rather than do any kind of digital restoration, I am presenting the scans "as is". There's a charm and delight to the browned pages, which shed chips as they were handled for scanning.
More comments below the scans. As always, click on the scans for a larger version.

Further notes:
The back cover is missing, which would make the page count 20, not divisible by four, implying an unusual printing process, not done in signatures but in flats.
Some of the songs touch on issues of Irish loyalty and love, a common and necessary theme in early 1900s New York, where the mantra was often "No Irish Need Apply."
The Deco inspired art is present again in the character designs on the masthead.
The ads on the final pages are fascinating in their own right.
There is blatant racism in some of the lyrics printed on other pages, to sell sheet music. This is reinforeced by the "jokes" in the "Heard At the Minstrel Show" text on the inside front cover.
In this context, it's important to remember that sheet music was more than a popular commodity. Radio and films were in their infancy, television did not yet exist. For many families, gathering around the piano to sing was an evening's entertainment, if such was an option. Bear in mind that this also predates child labor laws, so much of the family might have been working 10 to 14 hour days.
Finally, this is far from the only musical based on a comic book or strip. There was a stage musical of Little Nemo in Slumberland, a ballet of Krazy Kat, two musicals based on Li'l Abner, a Broadway musical based on Superman, the current Spider-Man musical, and, of course, Annie!
Mercifully failed attempts include the 70s Captain America musical and the 90s Batman musical. The latter had pretty good songs by Meatloaf partner Jim Steinman.
Next: art. My scanner access will be limited from mid-December to early January, so I hope to get some work done ahead of that time.

Original Art Sundays No. 108: for the Fallen

I missed a few weeks of blogging my art, and am presented with a serendipitous, albeit somber, opportunity to remedy the situation in part.
Tonight is the observance of the Transgender Day of Remembrance. As I am unable to attend, I am posting work on the topic.
This page was created for a late issue of Transsexual News Telegraph (TNT), one of two independently published magazines dedicated to trans life and issues in the 1990s. Editor Gail Sondegaard rejected the page as too somber. Odd, because I tried to balance realism and optimism.
The page would have been published in issue 9, Autumn 2000. Transgender Day of Remembrance was founded in 1998. However, I was unaware of the day until some years later.
I rediscovered the page during my move. The pasteup was falling apart, and there was random discoloring on some of the text panels.
With minimal restoration, I decided to go ahead and post the piece.

The fine print: done on Coquille board in China marker, type set in Copperplate. Original size 11" x 17". Scanned in RGB to preserve the range of grays, despite a tendency of such scans to run to the green part of the light spectrum.
Technically I consider this a comic page, but some would call it illustrated text instead- a fine hair to split in my book.
That Alan Moore quote, from V For Vendetta, remains one of my favorites.
I still think a physical memorial to our fallen is a worthwhile idea. But it would be better if the memorials and tributes were not necessary.
next: a long overdue new page. No, really.

Original Art Sundays No. 107: Whalliam!

I will make a second post later tonight, for reasons I will state at that time.
For right now, here's the promised Surrealist Cowgirls supplemental story.
I did this specifically for the show for my Aldrich Arts comics creation course.
Here's the flier for the course, which used a painting I've posted here years ago.

The whole motivation was to do a simple story that was family friendly.
One of the students spontaneously gave Whalemule a proper name: Whalliam!
Now I'm debating whether it should be spelled with an e: WhaleLiam.
Now, the story.

I like working fast and simple. This story will make a nice addition to the first issue of the Surrealist Cowgirls comic!
Next: something a bit more serious.

Original Art Sundays No. 106: A Night at the MN Opera

While there is a new story that's a half inch from being ready to post, something else came up this week that deserves our attention.
While attending MIX(more about MIX later this week, I hope), I talked to some members of the Black Hat Comics Collective, and joined them in an adventure this past Thursday.
We were invited to attend the dress rehearsal of the new production of the MN Opera Company, Silent Night. Since this is a world premiere, we were among the first to see a public performance. We were also privileged with a light sushi snack and a Q & A with the librettist, Mark Campbell, and the composer, Eric Simonson, beforehand.
Our responsibilities for being granted this honor were simple. We were to sketch the performance and to blog about our experiences.
This work will also be offered to the Minnesota Opera Company for their blog.
The work, based on a true incident from WWI, tells of three troops- one Scots, one German, and one French- who agree to a truce for Christmas eve, and find themselves unable to fight thereafter.
The music and acting were stunning in their beauty. I was moved to quiet tears more than once.
May I add that this was the first opera I've ever attended (besides Gilbert & Sullivan, which, according to my music history professor, doesn't count)?
Go see this! It's one of the most moving Christmas pieces I've ever seen. And even though it's not specifically about the holiday or the faith associated with it, it's one of the most reverent works I've seen as well.
Performances this coming weekend only, but this deserves to become a holiday tradition.

Here are my sketches.The medium is listed below each piece. This is most of my output from the two hour performance. I hope the emotional content and energy compensate for their crudity.

China marker

China marker

China marker of rear projection behind set

China marker, soldier's letter home

fine tip marker- "famous artists make worse soldiers!"

fine tip No. 5 Marker

No. 5 marker- the bagpipes

No. 5 marker- prayer and song

Brush tip marker- the next morning

"maybe it's time to bury all of them...."

Brush tip marker

brush tip marker

brush tip marker

brush tip marker

brush tip marker- "a silly way to die"

I was so honored to do this, and to work with the Black Hat folks, many of whom I know from MCAD (and some of whom I've taught and worked with in other respects). I hope to work more with them, and would love to attend the next operatic event!
Next week: the long promised Whalemule solo story.

Original Art Sundays no. 105: Jackie's Fun

Back in the saddle again! So sorry for the delays, but we're getting there (wherever "there" is).
One of the (few) advantages of moving is sorting through old stuff, rediscovering forgotten or neglected parts of your life, parts shoved aside by circumstance.
When cleaning out an old file, I unearthed this piece from a series of three done as promotional devices for my old pal Darylee's standup comedy career.

These were published at 3" x 5", much too small for the art to really deliver. It's a very fun piece, but the fun gets lost at the reduced size. Please click on the image to view at a larger size!
More soon, including a new solo story of the Whalemule from the Surrealist Cowgirls!

Original Art Sundays No. 104: Tranny Towers, Chapter 21

Feels good to have a more normal Sunday again, starting the day with an art post!
This week, another chapter of Tranny Towers.

The emotional energy in this page was really rough to face. My old friend Diana (whose last name I can't recall at the moment), one of the first transsexuals to get surgery in MN, commented on the problem of depression and suicide.
"People don't accept us on our own terms, we're expected to give up family, our job prospects are greatly reduced as we get new expenses. Depression isn't a symptom of the condition, it's a symptom of the response others have to the condition."
That's a slight paraphrase, but you get the gist.
That other Diana has been very active in local and state politics. She told me to consider becoming more politically active after watching me lobbying and testifying at the State Senate circa 1995, and I did so consider. Briefly.
As far as the story goes, this was intended to be the climactic scene in Athena's own storyline. But there are cliches in stories about trans folk, and two of them are suicide and meeting your other self, the one born to the "right" body. The story revolved around those, so I - well, I didn't so much scrap it as just wander away from it. But I think I'll do the post-suicide attempt "meet your other self" scene as a separate short story at some point.
In terms of the art, the Deco typeface and border are from books complied by the great Leslie Cabarga. His contemporary take on the Noveau and Deco styles is always welcome, and his work as a historian in the Fleischer cartoon studios, while debated by some, is laudable.
The central image works, but I've never been completely happy with the proportions. My specific issue is Athena's size relative to the tub. That's got to be one long bathtub!
Next, if we're back in the rotation, a new Surrealist Cowgirls page. I hope so, but we'll see. I'll have something next week no matter what!

Original Art Sundays no. 103: The Road to Heroism

Back at it after three weeks!
The move is done.
I am about half unpacked.
I have completed two job contracts, and still have four (counting writing jobs).
I've begun to go through my art supplies and get rid of old unusable stuff.
The space allocated for studio use in my new place is much smaller, but I think I will use it more efficiently than I did the old space.
Now, the long overdue story, The Road to Heroism, previously unpublished and seen by only about half a dozen people before now.

Wow, that kid's one sad character, in every sense!
Page 2 is a mediocre Berni Wrightson swipe. If I ever go to press with this, as part of an anthology book, I'll rework that page first.
Other than that, this is an opportunity to play with superhero stuff a bit. I didn't spend much time trying to draw superhero stuff after junior high school, and I just wanted to have a little fun with it.
Also, I know a nuclear plant would be much more securely guarded than that.
next: depends. I unearthed a trove of back work, but I harbor hopes of getting back to the boards soon. The Cowgirls await!