We talk comics, Magical Realism and South London...
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Windowpane is the first published book from London based cartoonist Joe Kessler. Like the windowpanes its title refers to, each page and panel of this exciting new anthology comic offers a glimpse in to a surreal and occasionally frank world of colour and imagination. Reminiscent, but never derivative, of great works from the world of both comics and literary fiction, Kessler's début is an allegorical exploration of the world that surrounds him.
The seven story collection is the inaugural publication from Breakdown Press, a new London based publisher who've made it their mission to print the work of new and exciting cartoonists as well as reprinting the works of existing and older talent from the world of comics. If Windowpane is anything to go by, there's a many great things to come from both Joe Kessler and Breakdown Press.
Ahead of his first ever solo show at 18 Hewett Street we caught up with Joe Kessler and bent his ear for a few questions.
Windowpane had its début at the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival among cartooning luminaries like Adrian Tomine, Charles Burns and Chris Ware. Already you've received warm praise, how did it feel showcasing your first published work in such an arena?
I was not intimidated at all. As a complete unknown debuting a book from a new publisher in quite a traditional format the worst that can happen is the book gets ignored. I was lucky to get some nice attention but no one would waste their energy on something so pathetic unless they’re actually interested.
Why hit someone when they’re down? Or why hit someone before they get up? It’s unnecessary. I imagine it’s more fun for critics to build you up so the take down is that much sweeter.
What's your history with comics? How long have you been making them and what was it that drew you to the form initially?
I have been trying to make comics since I was a teenager. I was drawn to the form through an appreciation of the artists working in the medium. Artists such as Tiger Tateishi, Mary Fleener, Frank Santoro or Mark Newgarden as well as the more canonized people such as Ware, Crumb, etc.
Many of the stories in Windowpane incorporate the surreal and evenborder on magical realism. Even the story based on true events plays out in quite a dreamlike fashion. How did you arrive at this kind of storytelling style?
There was no conscious decision to make stories like this. At the moment the only way I can make stories is by feeling them out. When I think about all the paper and wrong turns I’ve burned through to create the stunted stories in Windowpane it makes me nauseous. There will be an attempt to show a small part of this process in my upcoming show. I suppose they feel surreal because in all cases they are divorced from my actual experience. They are oblique and moronic attempts at understanding things about life that I will probably never get to grips with (cringe).
In the case of the ‘true story’ which is written from memory by my friend Reuben, I’m doing a version of his childhood memories from a Nairobi slum - a country and environment that I am not familiar with. It contains an almost surreal, but unfortunately very real, level of brutality that I can’t begin to understand. One of my many skills is embracing my extreme limitations.
The way in which Windowpane is printed and the colour palettes you've used seem to be as much a part of the storytelling as the way it's drawn. How much time did you spend thinking about the final product while you were putting together the stories for the book?
I spent the entire time thinking about the final product. In drawing for reproduction, understanding the print process and the composition of colour is as essential as the marks you make. All of these things have an unquantifiable influence on the way the book is experienced. Any cartoonist who isn’t constantly thinking about these things is a fool.
In recent years comics have begun making a much more visible step into the digital world. What is it about the book as an object that prompted you to release Windowpane as a printed book rather than digitally on the internet?
The interwhat? Sorry. I have no idea what you’re talking about.
What do you think small press publishers like Breakdown Press offer creators that larger publishers don't?
Breakdown Press offered me the chance to publish with total creative freedom. I suppose most larger publishers would be more constrained by commercial concerns such as selling books. Breakdown Press don’t have any such small-minded ideas.
I said to them “I have this stupid idea for a book…” they said “YES”. Then they gave me lots of good advice, which vastly improved the shape of the book, which I then ignored. They were perfect.
You went to university in South London, which has always had a bustling arts scene, but recently there seems to have been something of a boom in cartoonists, illustrators and people involved in small press coming from that area and London in general. Where do you think this growth in activity stems from?
It’s difficult to answer this. It’s difficult to analyze a bustling art scene when you’re so busy bustling. I didn’t realise anyone else was bustling until you asked me this question. There does seem to be a rise in quality comic makers and publishers in the UK as well as a more distinctive approach but I’m not sure why.
It’s surprising that it hasn’t been a more lively part of our culture for longer. Camberwell, Peckham etc. (not Fulham) are hubs for illustrative art because they are amongst the cheapest places in the city. Also, Camberwell has the best art school in London.
Having already shown Windowpane at this year’s Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival, Kessler celebrates its UK release with a solo show at 18 Hewett Street. The private view takes place tonight from 7pm and the show will run till the 2nd of December.
Windowpane is availible now through the Joe Kessler's website and the Breakdown Press webstore.
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