📝This archived post is originally from my old comics focused Wordpress blog from 2011-2019. That site was a space to publicly commit to learning the art and craft of cartooning and self-publishing. These posts are full of a naive enthusiasm that though at times embarrassing, I'm proud of. I hope you find them useful in some way.❤️

I discovered Andy Bleck’s abstract comics 2 years ago, bumbling through the internet via Bill Boichel’s aggregated links on Copacetic Comics. The moment I saw them, I knew that there was something special. I saved a couple of files on my computer, not knowing that a year down the line, I’d be using them to explore the concept of abstract narration and drawing as the filtering of moving form.

Here are two examples of his work. take your time and then breeze by the comics to get a satisfying picture of the form. Can you feel the transition between panels? Does your world feel a bit more solid, piece by piece, each time a new figure appears in the second comic or is its delicate balance thrown out of place? You tell me. Learn more about Andy Bleck. Or simply check out many of his works.

A tasty treat can be found here: The drawings are of the Angouleme Festival of 2003. Frank Santoro had some links up on Comics Comics, but the links are no longer valid. I’ve never been to Angouleme, so I can’t make any judements on the validity of Frank’s comment regarding the ability of Bleck to capture the amount of time and focus that is spent during these festivals n the often unglamorous act of drawing. No costumes, just artists doing their thing. For me, Bleck’s line and the sheer amount of drawings show an emotional and tonal transparency. The energy felt makes its way on paper…