[brydeemer]

On Tuesday Feb 19 and Wednesday Feb 20, Dave Sim, creator of Glamourpuss, will be joining us to talk about his new comic.

All discussion will happen in this main thread.

Please be kind and respectful.

Thanks,

Bryan

[deathincalabria]

Dave -

At first glance, your approach appears to be art-driven more than story-driven. What kind of story are you looking to tell in Glamourpuss and how long do you see the series running?

Also, will you have copies for sale at S.P.A.C.E.?

This post has been edited by deathincalabria: 18 February 2008 - 08:28 PM

[Bactroid]

Hey, Dave.

When dealing with a culture/industry as ephemeral as the fashion industry, how do you as a creator capture the overall essence in sequential art? Stated differently, is it possible to write about a notoriously flighty/faddish industry without your own art seeming flighty or faddish?

Are you concerned that some of your fervent fans might be lost in the confusion between your art and the subject of your art?

[Kaptain Sequential]

Hi Dave,

Thanks so much for being here.

How is your technical approach to the art in glamourpuss different from that of your work on Cerebus -- or is it? Also, what are you enjoying the most about creating this series?

Kyle

[brydeemer]

For answers to some of these questions, be sure to check out today's episode. Towards the end of the Melmoth episode we talk quite a bit about Glamourpuss.

Bry

[max headroom]

Mr Sim

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. Looking forward to glamourpuss and I have been enjoying your CGS episodes with Peter, Bryan and Jamie.

1. Is there a central character to glamourpuss or recurring characters in every issue?

2. What artists/writers in any medium, have you discovered and been inspired by since Cerebus ended?

3. What artists/writers are you looking forward to exploring, but haven't had the opportunity yet?

Best wishes with this project and future projects. Please let the CGS guys know when you have more things planned.

-Brian Hancock

This post has been edited by max headroom: 19 February 2008 - 12:26 AM

[torchsong]

Dave,

Thanks for being here. Thanks for Cerebus. Looking forward to Glamourpuss.

Question: You were championing independent comics long before there was ever such a thing as an internet, no matter what Al Gore tells us. Would you say it's easier now to get your stories out there, and would you ever consider doing a web-based comic? How much has the industry changed for an independent creator like yourself from when you started?

Al/Torchsong

This post has been edited by torchsong: 20 February 2008 - 04:22 PM

[lionsunmind]

Mr. Sim (third time’s a 'charm'),

Firstly, let me state what a pleasure it is to be able to shoot some thoughts your way. I’m sure I’m one of the more than few in these discussions who have wanted to, but procrastinated in sending you an actual mailed letter (in keeping with recognized Cerebus custom), so this is a great opportunity!

The Cerebus experience for me was a little different then I suppose many of your readers. For one, I’m only 27, so you were already well into this thing by the time I was even able to read, let alone approach this kind of material. Long story short, unlike many readers, for whom Cerebus was a small part of their lives once a month for 26 years, Cerebus was a BIG part of my life for about a year and a half as I went through the process of reading and ordering the phonebooks. You can add me to your list of readers who actually read every part of the story, including all the scripture commentaries, all the annotations, all the text pieces, basically everything that was included in the phonebooks, even all that stuff Rick was writing in the backgrounds.

My favorite story is probably Guys (“remember… jobs?”), I also just finished re-reading Reads (which I feel, is such an amazing read, especially the first time around, due to the resultant mind-shock of the “2nd-person” approach, which I wonder if, in the depth it was used, was a first to comics--or even literature. Being Told what what you’re reading is, is a drastic difference from being told what what you’re reading is, eh?). (By the way, considering the subject matter, I had to chuckle to myself for my intuited use of the word “feel” that I just noticed in the previous thought.)


On to glamourpuss:

Since I absolutely love reading about all the comics art, creator and industry history and thoughts that you would incorporate into the phonebook annotations and later Following Cerebus, and the blog&mail, glamourpuss is total mind-candy in that respect. The art is great! I found it to be a good natured romp that I didn’t have to worry about ruffling mine or anyone else’s feathers (so far, so good!), and more than anything, fascinating for it’s historical bent. AND I was even able get my “non-comics” fiancée to look at it for a split second because it had Ghandi in it! I’m looking forward to learning more about the Raymond School and can’t wait until we get to Neal Adams.

Here’s a glamourpuss anecdote: I went in to one of the local shops on the 13th and asked the owner if he got the preview, he had to hunt for about 5 minutes to find his copy of Diamond Dateline, but when he found it he offered to GIVE me the preview! I was so excited and I thanked him and bought a $1 Savage Sword of Conan ‘zine from 1983 to support the shop and took off. On my drive home, I started getting a guilty feeling in my gut and that’s when I realized that if I took your book home, I could be depriving a potential buyer from getting turned on to it by making it unavailable, which is completely counter-productive to my intention of supporting your work. So I ended up getting it home and reading it from cover to cover, then I brought it back to the shop the next day. I explained to the dude what you were doing with your promotion campaign and he agreed to keep it there for me until the actual book is available in April and then I can have it back, to keep. Suh-weet!!

I also called the other local shop I support and placed an order for the book there. (Hey, I’m tryin' to do my part!)

QUESTION 1: I haven’t read through any of Scott McCloud’s famous books (Understanding Comics, etc.) but I’ve read of them and scanned through them at the bookstore, and I was wondering if you’ve read them and if their "describe what you're doing while you're doing it" format, in any way, subliminally or otherwise, could have contributed to, or paved the way for the open approach you took to the formatting of glamourpuss?

QUESTION 2: Completely off topic, but what are your thoughts on the work of French comics creator Moebius? (coincidentally, or “synchronistically” as Dave “the Viktor Davis years” might have thought, after initially posing this question last week, I got to the part in Reads, which I had forgotten about, that makes brief mention of Moebius.) Maybe this is not so off-topic after all, since Moebius has made a name for himself partially due to his own brand of (unique?) "photo-realism" line work.

Well sir, I want to thank you for the time I’ve spent enjoying your work and its offshoots. I practically lived in "Cerebus world" for the better part of a year and a half. You rank in my mind as a primary influence on my own art and creative skills, not necessarily stylistically, but definitely productivity-ly (invented that word myself). I definitely have the utmost respect for your approach to and success in self-publishing. I’m glad to see that your present work seems to be receiving positive attention more than anything, and the thus-reflecting good-naturedness that has been projecting in your discourse on these forums. I hope glamourpuss and S.P.1 are big hits! Once more, I leave you with a sketch done by my eight year old son Matthew, who drew me a few days ago wearing my “Cerebus for Dictator” shirt. I thought you’d get a kick out of it. Peace!

[James Sime]

Dave,

I'll be running the Isotope and selling funnybooks all day Wednesday and won't have time to check in while you're actually around, but I wanted to say thank you for the glamourpuss preview and let you know it's proudly sitting on my "shelf of the future" for all my customers to flip through it.

I'm going to sell a lot of these. And (because my customer base is two thirds new to comics folks) many, many more of the collection when it comes out.

So... thanks!

[Wood]

Dave -- Let me echo everyone else and thank you for Cerebus (a masterpiece I'm just now discovering) as well as for making yourself available to us in this forum and others.

As to my question, I'm particularly interested in the juxtaposition of where you are heading into Glamourpuss versus where you were heading into Cerebus. Given how long Cerebus spanned, it was only natural that what it BECAME was much different than what you intended it to be when putting out that first issue. We all like to talk about the benefit of hindsight, yet few of us get the chance to put it to practical use. So what, if anything, is different in your approach to Glamourpuss and the story you have to tell? Do you envision this book being as profound a journey of self-exploration as Cerebus turned out to be?

[talontm]

Dave,

Your "Random 25 Question" interview with Craig Johnson is now up at Comics Village. Good answer to the "most ferocious argument" question.

[amberlorien]

Unfortunately I didn't get time to read Glamourpuss but I was able to delicately flip through someone's copy at the shop. I just wanted to relay that it's beautiful! I felt like I was perusing the pages of a vintage copy of W magazine or Women's Wear Daily. I was wondering if you referenced old publications like that when you created this.

Beth

[Paul]

Hi Dave,

I was wondering about your creative process in putting an individual issue together. Do you start with a full script, or plot, and then start drawing from that, or do you plot things out by creating layouts, and then further refining them? Do you find that this part of the process has evolved from Cerebus to Glamourpuss?

Also, as a fellow resident of Southwestern Ontario, I'm wondering if there are aspects of the Kitchener-Waterloo area that have found their way into your work?

Thanks for years of great reading (much of which is still ahead of me ) and I hope to see you at the Paradise show this summer!

[WetRats]

Dave,

I'm very glad to see you back stirring things up in the comic book world again, and must admit that I'm even more interested in your marketing approach for Glamourpuss than I am in the book itself. The industry needs people like you and Alan Moore, who have the credibility to back up their idealism as to how good and how creator-driven comics can be.

My question:

When it comes to Cerebus, what do you see as the greater accomplishment: the work itself, or the fact that you did it independently?



Sorry about asking a Cerebus question instead of a Glamourpuss question. I don't have any Glamourpuss questions yet. It's on my pull list. I'm looking forward to it. But beyond that, I got nothin'.

This post has been edited by WetRats: 20 February 2008 - 04:24 PM

[Steve Bryant]

Hi, Dave--

I'm incredibly excited about Glamourpuss. As an acolyte of Alex Raymond, Stan Drake and Al Williamson, I'm giddy with excitement to see you bringing similar sensibilities to your large audience.

Have you had the opportunity to pick up the book Alex Raymond: His Life and Art? It's the volume that Denis Kitchen was going to publish years ago, I believe. It's a beautiful book covering Raymond's entire career, as well as his advertising and military work.

Again, best of luck to you with Glamouorpuss. I can't wait to dive into the book.

Respectfully,

Steve Bryant

[Dave Sim]

On Tuesday Feb 19 and Wednesday Feb 20, Dave Sim, creator of Glamourpuss, will be joining us to talk about his new comic.

All discussion will happen in this main thread.

Please be kind and respectful.

Thanks,

Bryan

Hello Bryan -- thanks very much for your hospitality in having me here. Sorry this is just a Wednesday appearance owing to the Monday statutory holiday here in Ontario and thanks for asking people to be kind and respectful. Very much appreciated.

My name is Dave Sim and I'm here to discuss my new bi-monthly comic book, glamourpuss, which should be shipping in April through Diamond Comic Distributors. I just got my copy of the COMICS INDUSTRY PREVIEW EDITION of glamourpuss No.1 this morning -- usually by the time we publishers get our copies of DD it's pretty safe to say that all of the retailers have gotten theirs. So I'm pleased to announce that as far as I know you should be able to walk into any comic book store in North America at this point and ask to see a copy of glamourpuss No.1 before the retailers have to have their final orders in to Diamond at the end of the month. It should take about twenty minutes to read from cover to cover. As I've been saying on this Virtual Tour I can't give you back your twenty minutes but I might be able to save you three bucks!

As with the CEREBUS trade paperbacks, glamourpuss is only going to be available in comic-book stores. I believe in 100% loyalty to the "brick & mortar" stores and I'm very, very pleased and gratified that that loyalty seems to have been reciprocated here in the solicitation time period. LOOKIN FOR HEROES (93 Ontario Street South here in downtown Kitchenerwhere I'm typing this: not having Internet access they've kindly allowed me to use their back room office/subscription bin headquarters for the entire month of February) (except for the statutory holiday on Monday: there are limits even to comics retailer hospitality ) are "looking at 20+ copies of glamourpuss No.1" says owner John Brenner. "It'll be Duane's (the LFH 'comics guy') decision. But we've had people asking for it -- and that's always a good sign."

As far as I know -- I've been WAY behind on keeping up with basic stuff since these appearances are all I've been doing for the last three weeks -- as far as I know retailers can now register at www.glamourpusscomic.com under "Where to buy glamourpuss". Just follow the instructions there.

Okay, it's New Comics Day and so far, the new comics haven't shown up on Wednesday since I've been here -- but hope springs eternal. I've got "12:30" in the pool. We'll see when and if they come in!

[Dave Sim]

Dave -

At first glance, your approach appears to be art-driven more than story-driven. What kind of story are you looking to tell in Glamourpuss and how long do you see the series running?

Also, will you have copies for sale at S.P.A.C.E.?

Yes, very astute of you: glamourpuss is, indeed, very much more art-driven than story driven. The book really just started with me doing a couple of illustrations from photographs in fashion magazines. If you go back to the notes in LATTER DAYS on "the girls of Fruitcake Park" you'll see that even a couple of years before the end of CEREBUS, I was talking about doing a comic book drawing photorealism teenaged girls in my best Al Williamson style. That's really all I was trying to do. The story came later and what it ended up being was an explanation of WHY I was so interested in doing this stuff, which required going back to the beginning of photorealism in comics, Alex Raymond's RIP KIRBY.

Of course turning the whole thing into a tutorial on photorealism is comics didn't seem like much fun, so I ended up improvising some comedic pieces centering on the fact that all of these models were actually one woman, glamourpuss.

It seems like a nice balance to me, although just described like that it sounds really confused and strange. That's one of the reasons that I sent out 4500 free copies of No.1 to the retailers. I'm pretty confident that if people just read it and look at it, they'll "get" what I'm doing and like it enough to subscribe to it at their store.

We'll find out if I was right sometime in March.

Thanks for posting!

[ctowner1]

Hi Dave! :^)

So why a glamourpuss? (were there alternate rejected titles? was there a process that took you to that title, or did it spring whole cloth into your mind from ideaspace?).

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L nny