A Dad That Draws Comics? How Cool Is That?
June 19, 2009 07:00 PM
Well well well, Father’s Day is upon us again.
Long time readers know that the tradition here at the Depot is to watch To Kill a Mockingbird and bask in the awesome fatherness that is Atticus Finch. And I assure you, that will be done. But in addition to that, I’d like to start a new tradition, and that is to introduce dads that are just plain cool.
So today I’d like to introduce you to Monty S. Kane.
Okay okay everybody. Calm down. I’m excited too.
What’s that you ask? What makes this guy so awesome? Well, I’ll tell you!
He is a cool dad that draws comics! Not enough? Well how about if I told you that the comics frequently star his daughter? Still no good? Well how about if I told you that the guy’s comics are funny as hell and he can draw like its nobody’s business? I mean, c’mon! What is there to NOT like about that?
I’m not denying it, I’m starting a new fan club. But you don’t have to take my word for it. You can see all of his awesomeness here.
Use the pop up menu at the bottom of the page and go back to the early comics. They are great! Some of the stories center around memories of his childhood and some center around his life and experiences of being a forty something dad. Oh man, I like this stuff. Any cartoonist who can craft the phrase “wake up and smell the forty,” has got my attention. But besides the excellent humor, there are several things in his drawings that make me foam at the mouth with unrestrained comic artist envy.
For example...
This is a great drawing of a scene in a park, but the ripples in the water that are visible only because of the waviness of the lines on the trees make me weep with cartoon joy.
And what do we have here? A scene of one kid chasing another, right? Of course. That is what most readers will see and rightly so. But to a fellow cartoonist like me, I see an artist who is going to insane lengths to make his world “inhabitable.” And by that I mean inserting easy to miss details that give the world a little more grounding and make the events seem that much more tangible.
I’m sure he doesn’t even think about this stuff anymore as he draws. Clearly it comes naturally to him. But I would like to draw your attention to the wonderful “shingle texture” on the porch roof, the fact that he didn’t forget to put a joint in the metal hand rail on the stairs, and the wonderful play of light on the brick texture.
I sure don’t want you studying these things when you read the comics, and I’m sure he doesn’t want you to either. I just want you to know that when you do read this stuff, you’ll be in the hands of an artist who is not only funny, but also extremely generous by including these details. I never would have done it, I can tell you that!
And one last thing. This guy can draw hands! (always a challenge to cartoonists like me) But his are natural and expressive. Not to compare, but really, mine always look like bumps on a canned ham. I have much to learn here.
I happily got an email from Monty today asking me to enjoy his work, and boy am I glad he made contact with me. And I am too happy to pass on the link. I hope you like his stuff as much as I do.
Long time readers know that the tradition here at the Depot is to watch To Kill a Mockingbird and bask in the awesome fatherness that is Atticus Finch. And I assure you, that will be done. But in addition to that, I’d like to start a new tradition, and that is to introduce dads that are just plain cool.
So today I’d like to introduce you to Monty S. Kane.
Okay okay everybody. Calm down. I’m excited too.
What’s that you ask? What makes this guy so awesome? Well, I’ll tell you!
He is a cool dad that draws comics! Not enough? Well how about if I told you that the comics frequently star his daughter? Still no good? Well how about if I told you that the guy’s comics are funny as hell and he can draw like its nobody’s business? I mean, c’mon! What is there to NOT like about that?
I’m not denying it, I’m starting a new fan club. But you don’t have to take my word for it. You can see all of his awesomeness here.
Use the pop up menu at the bottom of the page and go back to the early comics. They are great! Some of the stories center around memories of his childhood and some center around his life and experiences of being a forty something dad. Oh man, I like this stuff. Any cartoonist who can craft the phrase “wake up and smell the forty,” has got my attention. But besides the excellent humor, there are several things in his drawings that make me foam at the mouth with unrestrained comic artist envy.
For example...
This is a great drawing of a scene in a park, but the ripples in the water that are visible only because of the waviness of the lines on the trees make me weep with cartoon joy.
And what do we have here? A scene of one kid chasing another, right? Of course. That is what most readers will see and rightly so. But to a fellow cartoonist like me, I see an artist who is going to insane lengths to make his world “inhabitable.” And by that I mean inserting easy to miss details that give the world a little more grounding and make the events seem that much more tangible.
I’m sure he doesn’t even think about this stuff anymore as he draws. Clearly it comes naturally to him. But I would like to draw your attention to the wonderful “shingle texture” on the porch roof, the fact that he didn’t forget to put a joint in the metal hand rail on the stairs, and the wonderful play of light on the brick texture.
I sure don’t want you studying these things when you read the comics, and I’m sure he doesn’t want you to either. I just want you to know that when you do read this stuff, you’ll be in the hands of an artist who is not only funny, but also extremely generous by including these details. I never would have done it, I can tell you that!
And one last thing. This guy can draw hands! (always a challenge to cartoonists like me) But his are natural and expressive. Not to compare, but really, mine always look like bumps on a canned ham. I have much to learn here.
I happily got an email from Monty today asking me to enjoy his work, and boy am I glad he made contact with me. And I am too happy to pass on the link. I hope you like his stuff as much as I do.
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