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changelingThis is an old essay I wrote for the Editing class I took back at Melbourne.We had to analyse the production values of a book, I think. I managed to sneak in some propaganda about comics, because this was towards the beginning of my comic-lovin' days. Stuck here because I'm planning on giving a talk on comics to my Editing class next semester. Well, I'd originally planned a talk on the infantalisation of the fairy tale in Victorian England, but I think comics will be less dry and have more comic general appeal. (Jeez... comics on the brain, me)
The Kindly Ones, written by Neil Gaiman, published by Vertigo and DC comics. This edition is a trade paperback, published 1996.
This book is part of the Sandman series. The series, written by Gaiman, was illustrated by a variety of artists. Sandman was published by Vertigo, an offshoot of the colossal comics publishing house DC comics, set up to cater for a more mature audience. The attitude towards graphic novels and comics has been changing recently. From the putative link of comic books to juvenile delinquency and the subsequent censorship in 1954, which almost destroyed the industry to the Pulitzer Prize awarded to Art Speigelman for his work on MAUS, a two part work on his father's experiences in the concentration camps during World War II, there has been a great shift in the way that comic books have been viewed. From Hell, another historically based serialised graphic novel, and Ghost World have both been adapted into movies, helping to create interest in a comic format. Norman Mailer describes Sandman as "a comic strip for intellectuals", and it is at this mature audience that Sandman is aimed.
The term "graphic novel" is often used to describe a comic book format work which is more serious than the pulp superheroes comics churned out especially after the Comics code was introduced[1], which dramatically reduced the range of material able to be covered, and also the scope for morally shaded work. The key problem was that comics were seen as a medium for children, a Western prejudice not shared by other cultures such as Japan, whose "manga" (comics) are usually aimed at an adult audience. The success of the Vertigo titles also suggests that there is an adult market interested in mature works.
Originally published in monthly issues, the Sandman series was later collated into ten graphic novels -- the original issues within each compilation now acting as chapters. Some of the books are single storylines covering a succession of issues (The Kindly Ones is one of these), and some, like Fables and Reflections, are closer to a collection of short stories. Even in the books that collect a storyline, Gaiman often includes a short story as part of the structure, sometimes told by one of the characters. In Season of Mists, for example, Gaiman spends an issue exploring the impact of the main storyline (about Lucifer abandoning Hell) on an English schoolboy. Gaiman uses this technique in other work, most notably in his recent novel American Gods.
The Kindly Ones is the climax of the Sandman series, the culmination of events that have been building since issue 1. Gaiman's Sandman uses symbolism and mythology to build a story which is epic in proportion. The character for whom the story is based, Morpheus, the Sandman, is a member of the Endless -- powerful beings older than gods -- and yet when we first meet him in Preludes and Nocturnes, he has been trapped by a mortal man, a contemporary of Aleister Crowley. In The Kindly Ones, Loki, indebted to Morpheus, seeks to erase this debt by destroying him. He is assisted by Puck, who aids the destruction because it amuses him. They steal Daniel, the son of a mortal woman called Lyta Hall, and burn the mortal out of him with fire (a ritual described in the original sources of the Persephone/Demeter myth). Lyta is shown a photo of Daniel burned to ash by Loki and Puck, who are posing as detectives. She presumes that Morpheus is responsible as he told her that the child was his (Daniel was gestated in dreams), and seeks revenge. Lyta calls upon/becomes the Furies (otherwise known as the Kindly Ones), who are creatures of Greek mythology who punish those who spill family blood. They destroy Morpheus for his part in his son's death, and by doing this, Lyta unwittingly ensures that she can never see her son again, as he takes Morpheus' place and becomes the next incarnation of Dream.
Gaiman has the ability of creating a huge and majestic story, almost operatic in its sense of scope and high drama, out of minutiae of character development. Part six of The Kindly Ones, for example, is devoted entirely to Rose Walker (the main character in an earlier book The Doll's House); neither Lyta Hall nor Morpheus appear at all. Nevertheless, this section is just as important to the overall shape of the story.
The front cover art of The Kindly Ones was done by Dave McKean, who also did the covers for the individual issues. Rather than the more usual illustration of a scene from the story, the artwork McKean created for Sandman is more abstract - using found objects to create a picture. McKean is instantly recognisable, giving Sandman covers an identifiable look. McKean and Gaiman have a long association: McKean did the artwork for Gaiman's graphic novels Black Orchid, Signal to Noise, The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr Punch, his children's book The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, and illustrations for his young adult novel Coraline. The McKean artwork is intriguing as it gives an idea of the mood of the book as well as being a piece of art in its own right. The Sandman covers attracts readers which may not be drawn in by a more traditionally illustrated comic cover.
The lettering on the cover is equally distinctive. There are two typefaces used -- highly ornate serifed one used for the title, and a slightly less ornate font used for the credits and blurb. Dave McKean also did the cover and publication design for The Kindly Ones, and the cover design continues the unique style and complexity of the McKean artwork.
The blurb gives away little of the actual story of The Kindly Ones. Instead it gives an idea of who the Kindly Ones are, and hints at the tension and impending unhappy ending of the story. Combined with the cover artwork, which is grey and almost bleak contrasting with brighter colours for the title, the stage is set for a tragedy which recalls tales like that of Agamemnon. The interior pages continue the cut-and-paste feel of McKean's artwork, and continue the colour scheme from the cover: that of black, grey, white, red, and the green of corroded copper. The fonts used are also the same ones on the cover, keeping a continuity of design. The interior pages also have a textured background, as does the back cover.
The artwork used in The Kindly Ones is in direct contrast to the cover art, and is far different from that employed in the rest of the Sandman series. Most of the artwork in Sandman is recognisable as a mainstream comic book style, comparatively realistic in its portrayal of the human form. The artwork used in The Kindly Ones, however, is more stylised, and contains more sharp angles and straight lines. The linework is thicker than usual, and the use of solid black rather than shading or crosshatching to signify shadow gives the art a similar look to woodcut or linocut art. In contrast to that, the colours used in The Kindly Ones are also brighter and more vibrant than what is usually used -- more like a stained glass window than a graphic novel. By the time of The Kindly Ones, Sandman was well established and doing well, and both the writer and the artists could experiment a little without fear of losing the audience. The artwork in the story-within-a-story in Part Six is dramatically different, however. Rather than the bright colours favoured in the rest of the book, the illustrations are dark, with a monochromatic feel. The colours are severely muted, giving a feel like an old sepia photograph. The language, the artwork and the lettering used create the feel of an old fairy story, one which hasn't been sanitised. The lettering is old fashioned, with large decorated starting caps. Unlike the rest of the book, the writing is in the white space outside the pictures, in prose format, without speech bubbles. The page layout is like an illustrated book rather than a comic.
The fonts within the comic itself are also varied. As well as the standard all-caps sans serif font used in speech bubbles, some characters have special fonts (and often also special speech balloons) to differentiate their speech from normal people -- Morpheus, Lucifer and Remiel (an angel) for example. The special fonts used for some characters also act as signifiers for their personality and speech patterns. Remiel's font, for example, is a script which recalls Victorian handwriting, while Matthew the raven's font and text balloons are scratchy and sharp, giving a visual indication of what the raven sounds like when he speaks. Similarly, Delirium, Morpheus' sister, has speech which varies in size and wanders over a speech bubble which almost looks tie-dyed. This gives a visual cue of her delirious nature, and her tenuous grip on reality.
The paper used in this publication is reasonably high quality -- it needs to be as the work is in a graphical format. The paper's shine adds vibrancy to the artwork which wouldn't be present with cheaper paper. The book is therefore much heavier than an equivalent novel's trade paperback. The cover is also reasonably thick, and glossy, like the pages.
Overall, The Kindly Ones is a well-designed, clever and thoughtful publication from a team of innovative people, including Neil Gaiman, whose comics and graphic novels are always challenging the medium of comics, which can be a complacent format.
[1] Standards of the Comics Code Authority for editorial matter as originally adopted, accessed 10 August, 2002, available at http://www.comics.dm.net/codetext.htm. Source: Les Daniels, Comix, a History of Comic Books in America, copyright 1971 by Les Daniels and Mad Peck Studios.
Further reading and references
In other news, all my friends (<--slight exaggeration. But both Buhfly and Billradish have no internet presence currently, as they are too busy having fun, and Steph has taken off somewhere) have left me and I am all alone. Woe.
Also, to those of you who are in Melbourne, come along to VIBE tomorrow! It's at 123 Smith St, Collingwood, and from 4-6 they'll be a poetry reading, with guest...um...poets, and Declan Fay from some radio station that might be RRR, I can't remember, as MC. Door prizes! Alcohol at the bar!
[Edit: I was just doing this "How well do you know Rocky Horror?" quiz (damn near perfectly, thanks so much], when I finally realised the significance of Frank's signature jewellery. A pearl necklace. I can't believe it took me 6 years to work out that visual pun.]
The Kindly Ones, written by Neil Gaiman, published by Vertigo and DC comics. This edition is a trade paperback, published 1996.
This book is part of the Sandman series. The series, written by Gaiman, was illustrated by a variety of artists. Sandman was published by Vertigo, an offshoot of the colossal comics publishing house DC comics, set up to cater for a more mature audience. The attitude towards graphic novels and comics has been changing recently. From the putative link of comic books to juvenile delinquency and the subsequent censorship in 1954, which almost destroyed the industry to the Pulitzer Prize awarded to Art Speigelman for his work on MAUS, a two part work on his father's experiences in the concentration camps during World War II, there has been a great shift in the way that comic books have been viewed. From Hell, another historically based serialised graphic novel, and Ghost World have both been adapted into movies, helping to create interest in a comic format. Norman Mailer describes Sandman as "a comic strip for intellectuals", and it is at this mature audience that Sandman is aimed.
The term "graphic novel" is often used to describe a comic book format work which is more serious than the pulp superheroes comics churned out especially after the Comics code was introduced[1], which dramatically reduced the range of material able to be covered, and also the scope for morally shaded work. The key problem was that comics were seen as a medium for children, a Western prejudice not shared by other cultures such as Japan, whose "manga" (comics) are usually aimed at an adult audience. The success of the Vertigo titles also suggests that there is an adult market interested in mature works.
Originally published in monthly issues, the Sandman series was later collated into ten graphic novels -- the original issues within each compilation now acting as chapters. Some of the books are single storylines covering a succession of issues (The Kindly Ones is one of these), and some, like Fables and Reflections, are closer to a collection of short stories. Even in the books that collect a storyline, Gaiman often includes a short story as part of the structure, sometimes told by one of the characters. In Season of Mists, for example, Gaiman spends an issue exploring the impact of the main storyline (about Lucifer abandoning Hell) on an English schoolboy. Gaiman uses this technique in other work, most notably in his recent novel American Gods.
The Kindly Ones is the climax of the Sandman series, the culmination of events that have been building since issue 1. Gaiman's Sandman uses symbolism and mythology to build a story which is epic in proportion. The character for whom the story is based, Morpheus, the Sandman, is a member of the Endless -- powerful beings older than gods -- and yet when we first meet him in Preludes and Nocturnes, he has been trapped by a mortal man, a contemporary of Aleister Crowley. In The Kindly Ones, Loki, indebted to Morpheus, seeks to erase this debt by destroying him. He is assisted by Puck, who aids the destruction because it amuses him. They steal Daniel, the son of a mortal woman called Lyta Hall, and burn the mortal out of him with fire (a ritual described in the original sources of the Persephone/Demeter myth). Lyta is shown a photo of Daniel burned to ash by Loki and Puck, who are posing as detectives. She presumes that Morpheus is responsible as he told her that the child was his (Daniel was gestated in dreams), and seeks revenge. Lyta calls upon/becomes the Furies (otherwise known as the Kindly Ones), who are creatures of Greek mythology who punish those who spill family blood. They destroy Morpheus for his part in his son's death, and by doing this, Lyta unwittingly ensures that she can never see her son again, as he takes Morpheus' place and becomes the next incarnation of Dream.
Gaiman has the ability of creating a huge and majestic story, almost operatic in its sense of scope and high drama, out of minutiae of character development. Part six of The Kindly Ones, for example, is devoted entirely to Rose Walker (the main character in an earlier book The Doll's House); neither Lyta Hall nor Morpheus appear at all. Nevertheless, this section is just as important to the overall shape of the story.
The front cover art of The Kindly Ones was done by Dave McKean, who also did the covers for the individual issues. Rather than the more usual illustration of a scene from the story, the artwork McKean created for Sandman is more abstract - using found objects to create a picture. McKean is instantly recognisable, giving Sandman covers an identifiable look. McKean and Gaiman have a long association: McKean did the artwork for Gaiman's graphic novels Black Orchid, Signal to Noise, The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr Punch, his children's book The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, and illustrations for his young adult novel Coraline. The McKean artwork is intriguing as it gives an idea of the mood of the book as well as being a piece of art in its own right. The Sandman covers attracts readers which may not be drawn in by a more traditionally illustrated comic cover.
The lettering on the cover is equally distinctive. There are two typefaces used -- highly ornate serifed one used for the title, and a slightly less ornate font used for the credits and blurb. Dave McKean also did the cover and publication design for The Kindly Ones, and the cover design continues the unique style and complexity of the McKean artwork.
The blurb gives away little of the actual story of The Kindly Ones. Instead it gives an idea of who the Kindly Ones are, and hints at the tension and impending unhappy ending of the story. Combined with the cover artwork, which is grey and almost bleak contrasting with brighter colours for the title, the stage is set for a tragedy which recalls tales like that of Agamemnon. The interior pages continue the cut-and-paste feel of McKean's artwork, and continue the colour scheme from the cover: that of black, grey, white, red, and the green of corroded copper. The fonts used are also the same ones on the cover, keeping a continuity of design. The interior pages also have a textured background, as does the back cover.
The artwork used in The Kindly Ones is in direct contrast to the cover art, and is far different from that employed in the rest of the Sandman series. Most of the artwork in Sandman is recognisable as a mainstream comic book style, comparatively realistic in its portrayal of the human form. The artwork used in The Kindly Ones, however, is more stylised, and contains more sharp angles and straight lines. The linework is thicker than usual, and the use of solid black rather than shading or crosshatching to signify shadow gives the art a similar look to woodcut or linocut art. In contrast to that, the colours used in The Kindly Ones are also brighter and more vibrant than what is usually used -- more like a stained glass window than a graphic novel. By the time of The Kindly Ones, Sandman was well established and doing well, and both the writer and the artists could experiment a little without fear of losing the audience. The artwork in the story-within-a-story in Part Six is dramatically different, however. Rather than the bright colours favoured in the rest of the book, the illustrations are dark, with a monochromatic feel. The colours are severely muted, giving a feel like an old sepia photograph. The language, the artwork and the lettering used create the feel of an old fairy story, one which hasn't been sanitised. The lettering is old fashioned, with large decorated starting caps. Unlike the rest of the book, the writing is in the white space outside the pictures, in prose format, without speech bubbles. The page layout is like an illustrated book rather than a comic.
The fonts within the comic itself are also varied. As well as the standard all-caps sans serif font used in speech bubbles, some characters have special fonts (and often also special speech balloons) to differentiate their speech from normal people -- Morpheus, Lucifer and Remiel (an angel) for example. The special fonts used for some characters also act as signifiers for their personality and speech patterns. Remiel's font, for example, is a script which recalls Victorian handwriting, while Matthew the raven's font and text balloons are scratchy and sharp, giving a visual indication of what the raven sounds like when he speaks. Similarly, Delirium, Morpheus' sister, has speech which varies in size and wanders over a speech bubble which almost looks tie-dyed. This gives a visual cue of her delirious nature, and her tenuous grip on reality.
The paper used in this publication is reasonably high quality -- it needs to be as the work is in a graphical format. The paper's shine adds vibrancy to the artwork which wouldn't be present with cheaper paper. The book is therefore much heavier than an equivalent novel's trade paperback. The cover is also reasonably thick, and glossy, like the pages.
Overall, The Kindly Ones is a well-designed, clever and thoughtful publication from a team of innovative people, including Neil Gaiman, whose comics and graphic novels are always challenging the medium of comics, which can be a complacent format.
[1] Standards of the Comics Code Authority for editorial matter as originally adopted, accessed 10 August, 2002, available at http://www.comics.dm.net/codetext.htm. Source: Les Daniels, Comix, a History of Comic Books in America, copyright 1971 by Les Daniels and Mad Peck Studios.
Further reading and references
- Jonathan D. Austin, Neil Gaiman: Adults deserve good fairy tales, too. CNN Interactive, published 25 February, 1999 4:16:40 PM, accessed 10 August, 2002. Available at http://www.cnn.com/books/news/9902/25/gaiman.neil/
- Sridhar Pappu, We need another hero. Salon.com, published 18 October, 2000, accessed 10 August, 2002. Available at http://archive.salon.com/people/feature/2000/10/18/moore/
- Curt Holman, From Hell. Salon.com, published 26 October 1999, accessed 10 August, 2002. Available at http://www.salon.com/books/feature/1999/10/26/moore/index.html
In other news, all my friends (<--slight exaggeration. But both Buhfly and Billradish have no internet presence currently, as they are too busy having fun, and Steph has taken off somewhere) have left me and I am all alone. Woe.
Also, to those of you who are in Melbourne, come along to VIBE tomorrow! It's at 123 Smith St, Collingwood, and from 4-6 they'll be a poetry reading, with guest...um...poets, and Declan Fay from some radio station that might be RRR, I can't remember, as MC. Door prizes! Alcohol at the bar!
[Edit: I was just doing this "How well do you know Rocky Horror?" quiz (damn near perfectly, thanks so much], when I finally realised the significance of Frank's signature jewellery. A pearl necklace. I can't believe it took me 6 years to work out that visual pun.]