Is the messed up part that plaster statues of Hindu deities were set adrift only to wash up on shore again, or that I disrespected someone else's religious observance by making a cheap pop culture reference? Because I should point out that I have a lot of time for the mythology and iconography of Hinduism, and once went with a friend to a Hindu temple in Queens to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, so no disrespect was intended there. There's something genuinely beautiful about seeing those garishly painted statues worn down by the sea and falling apart...but then I also think decaying tenement buildings or vacant lots overrun by weeds can be beautiful.
And for that matter, I defer to no one in my reverence for the original Planet of the Apes film.
Likewise on the get-together at Rocketship for Scott McCloud's book launch party! I don't know how often I'll be going there, given that I buy hardly any comics these days and have two comic shops I've frequented for decades within easy walking distance here in Greenwich Village. But Rocketship isn't like those places and is different from any other comics shop I've ever seen, so I'm open for any excuse to drag my lazy ass out to Brooklyn for a future visit.
I'm glad you felt the need to emphasise that. I've been a little dismayed at the way people in the west tend to pick up on aspects for iconography for the cool exoticism, especially Ganesha with his cuteness factor without any feeling for the fact that these are symbols of a religion that about a bilion people believe in. Of course, there are enough Indians paarlaying elements of Hinduism into pop-cultural contexts in a pretty insensitive manner, which just makes your attitude more refreshing.
OK, that was probably way too long. I'm just a little sensitive to the appropriation of elements of Indian culture after looking at some of the new Virgin comics - most of which, btw, are made completely by Indians. Which doesn't mean they aren't a heap of of shallow, cliched crap. Pfui.
I was secretly hoping someone would accuse me of gross insensitivity just so I could demonstrate my broad cultural perspective...but unfortunately that didn't happen, so I gave up waiting and just went straight to the showing off!
I agree about Virgin. I've heard of a few western artists who've been fascinated by Indian comics -- probably stuff from Amar Chitra Katha, or so I assume -- and the team of Pete Milligan and Brendan McCarthy paid tribute to them in a wonderful strip called "Rogan Josh" for the short-lived British comic Revolver. I was hoping the Virgin line would expose people to something distinctly Indian, and that we'd get some cross-pollination of styles and storytelling values, much as we've seen over the past couple of decades with the arrival of manga. Instead it seems like the management at Virgin decided the way to go was just emulating American comics in the assumption that this is what sells...and the end result is something that simply isn't different enough to excite interest.
Also, something about having a lot of capital to throw around makes people assume they need to start really big with a lot of titles all at once, instead of doing one or two books really well and building an audience over time. After all, who wants to bother with paying creative dues and being patient when you can just throw money at it instead? But any lineup that's based on a huge master plan instead of small careful steps, finding out what readers are responding to, and adjusting accordingly is just begging for failure...
That's pretty messed up!
ReplyDeleteIt was good seeing you at Rocketship Saturday night. Hopefully we'll see you there more often.
Is the messed up part that plaster statues of Hindu deities were set adrift only to wash up on shore again, or that I disrespected someone else's religious observance by making a cheap pop culture reference? Because I should point out that I have a lot of time for the mythology and iconography of Hinduism, and once went with a friend to a Hindu temple in Queens to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, so no disrespect was intended there. There's something genuinely beautiful about seeing those garishly painted statues worn down by the sea and falling apart...but then I also think decaying tenement buildings or vacant lots overrun by weeds can be beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAnd for that matter, I defer to no one in my reverence for the original Planet of the Apes film.
Likewise on the get-together at Rocketship for Scott McCloud's book launch party! I don't know how often I'll be going there, given that I buy hardly any comics these days and have two comic shops I've frequented for decades within easy walking distance here in Greenwich Village. But Rocketship isn't like those places and is different from any other comics shop I've ever seen, so I'm open for any excuse to drag my lazy ass out to Brooklyn for a future visit.
Messed up in that they washed ashore, all disheveled like drunkards toppled over.
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with the pop culture references. That's what we're here for!
>>so no disrespect was intended there.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you felt the need to emphasise that. I've been a little dismayed at the way people in the west tend to pick up on aspects for iconography for the cool exoticism, especially Ganesha with his cuteness factor without any feeling for the fact that these are symbols of a religion that about a bilion people believe in. Of course, there are enough Indians paarlaying elements of Hinduism into pop-cultural contexts in a pretty insensitive manner, which just makes your attitude more refreshing.
OK, that was probably way too long. I'm just a little sensitive to the appropriation of elements of Indian culture after looking at some of the new Virgin comics - most of which, btw, are made completely by Indians. Which doesn't mean they aren't a heap of of shallow, cliched crap. Pfui.
I was secretly hoping someone would accuse me of gross insensitivity just so I could demonstrate my broad cultural perspective...but unfortunately that didn't happen, so I gave up waiting and just went straight to the showing off!
ReplyDeleteI agree about Virgin. I've heard of a few western artists who've been fascinated by Indian comics -- probably stuff from Amar Chitra Katha, or so I assume -- and the team of Pete Milligan and Brendan McCarthy paid tribute to them in a wonderful strip called "Rogan Josh" for the short-lived British comic Revolver. I was hoping the Virgin line would expose people to something distinctly Indian, and that we'd get some cross-pollination of styles and storytelling values, much as we've seen over the past couple of decades with the arrival of manga. Instead it seems like the management at Virgin decided the way to go was just emulating American comics in the assumption that this is what sells...and the end result is something that simply isn't different enough to excite interest.
Also, something about having a lot of capital to throw around makes people assume they need to start really big with a lot of titles all at once, instead of doing one or two books really well and building an audience over time. After all, who wants to bother with paying creative dues and being patient when you can just throw money at it instead? But any lineup that's based on a huge master plan instead of small careful steps, finding out what readers are responding to, and adjusting accordingly is just begging for failure...