Clattertron

[dc]I[/dc] always try to keep learning when it comes to cartooning, drawing, and comics. This usually requires a fun task: reading old comics. I recently picked up a couple of old comic collections for this very reason: Hey Look by Harvey Kurtzman and Nancy Likes Christmas by Ernie Bushmiller.

I did not learn about Hey Look and Nancy on my own, but rather by those influenced by the work. I heard or read about Hey Look and Nancy in podcasts and articles online, and after looking at a few samples (thanks, Google Image Search) I ordered both books.

 

Hey Look: Body Language and Expressions

Kurtzman is widely known for his work with MAD Magazine. Hey Look came before MAD and ran between 1946 and 1949. Old yes, but still gorgeous and hilarious—and weird, in a good way. I first heard about Hey Look in an interview with Ren & Stimpy creator, John K (this Nerdist podcast episode). John K’s recommendation was good enough for me and I looked for a copy of the collected Hey Look, which is out of print (I finally found a used copy for about $15 a couple of weeks ago).

After reading a few Hey Look comics, I could easily see its influence on Ren & Stimpy: the exaggerated expressions, the extreme body language, and the (at times) bizarre humor.

I love the expressions and body language in Hey Look (the jokes too), and these are both areas I always try to improve upon with my drawing. It reminded me of a bit of cartooning advice I read recently, about ‘pushing’ (exaggerating) poses and moment.

Nancy: Simple Drawings and Surreal Humor

If Hey Look is one end of the body language/expression cartooning scale, Nancy by Ernie Bushmiller is the opposite end–and I don’t say it in a bad way.

Bushmiller worked on Nancy for decades, but my collection, Nancy Likes Christmas, features strips from 1946-1948. It is interesting to compare both books by different artists during the same time period.

Thousands of words exist singing the praises of Bushmiller’s Nancy strips¹, and yet, I feel like there’s been a bit of resurgence lately. Over the past year, I started seeing Nancy mentioned more online, both in articles and social media. Cartoonists I admire posted images from Nancy or just talked about the comic in general. Sold on the idea, I picked up one of the new (and beautifully restored) Nancy collections, Nancy Likes Christmas.

The comics are bare-boned (especially compared to something like Hey Look): nothing too flashy, with simple drawings. Simple isn’t a bad thing when it comes to cartooning, especially when an artist is cranking out daily gag strips. Reading Nancy is a good study in what an artist can simplify in a panel and still get the message across.

There’s a saying in writing about ‘economy of words’: not being overly wordy and such. Nancy shows ‘economy of lines’ when it comes to cartooning.

Then there are the jokes. Oh, the Nancy gags. The jokes range from corny puns to layered visual gags to surreal WTF moments. I love ’em all. It’s not uncommon for Stephanie to find me chuckling aloud while reading Nancy Likes Christmas (which isn’t really Christmas themed). I showed her a favorite Nancy comic in the collection, and after reading it said: “Yep, that’s Daniel J. Hogan humor.”²

Keep Reading and Learning

I always like learning what influenced the creators I enjoy. Reading Hey Look and Nancy was a worthy investment of time and money, and I’m not stopping there.

Here are the lessons I learned.

From Hey Look: push my expressions and body language. Experiment.

From Nancy: simplify where I can, work on visual gags, and don’t be afraid to try surreal humor.

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¹ For example, Scott McCloud’s Five Card Nancy game.

² Yes, my wife refers to me as Daniel J. Hogan.