Monday, September 24, 2007

American Splendor


I got the opportunity to do a short with Harvey Pekar for his American Splendor series over at Vertigo. Had a ton of fun on it too!

If you're not reading American Splendor, then you should check it out. They've got some fantastic artists on it, including some of Harvey's old colaborators.

best,
mike

7 comments:

John G said...

OH Man! Honestly, and I know this is total blaspheme to say this being that everybody loves Harvey and like, the Cleveland connection, but... I usually don't digg on American Splendor. Now that he's working with good artists at Vertigo though, maybe there's something there. I'll definitely pick up this issue.

Mike Hawthorne said...

I do know what you mean. It can take a little to get into his stuff. I've never seen the movie, so I think part of the appeal now is that people feel they know him because of the film.

I do think the artists they have now are making a difference, not that guys like Crumb are anything to sneeze at. They're just a pleasure to look at now. Bob Fingerman did a short, who's a favorite of mine. Dino is consistantly good too.

Best,
Mike

Winston Smith said...

I'm with Grit on American Splendor. It's not really the artists. It's just...really odd. I tried reading it when it launched at Vertigo and didn't do too much for me other than having better art. I did see the movie and did nothing to improve my impressions of the comics. Not like the Crumb documentary caused me to appreciate his demented ass on a whole new level.

I'll check out your issue, though.

Pointpusher said...

Sir. I just wanted to say you have a great blog, and a ton of skill! Keep on rocking and I'll be checking back often!

Mike Hawthorne said...

Thanks man! I appreciate that.

After a slow start, I've been really trying to get the blog going and have a lot of stuff for people to check out.

Best,
Mike

Asa said...

I'm lovin' that face, man. More pen work? Diggin' it with the dry brush too. The combo adds a dash of Klaus Jansen to mix, and I'm lovin' the way it flows with your style.

Thanks for sharing, man!

Mike Hawthorne said...

Yeah, I'm all about the pen now... after being so exclusive to the brush for so long. I just like how it works together. I'd actually like to do more with a dead line, maybe a fountain pen or even a ball point, then bang it up with a brush. Right now I'm using a lot of the Deleter Japanese crowguil pens.

mike