HOWARD CHAYKIN interview, by the Syndicate

[acereroycementero]

Such a negative guy

[michaelmichalski]

Fantastic video. What a great interview. Well done, Mikey. This is one of the most entertaining interviews I have ever seen on the show.

[ComicBookSyndicate]

@michaelmichalski I hope one day Chaykin can guest on our panel :)

[mittROMNEY666]

I dont get why Chaykin is reluctant to embrace the idea of comics as art - it seems absurd. The reasons he gave - that comics are mass - produced, serial, disposable - certainly dont apply to all comics. In theory, each panel of a comic could have all the qualities of a painting, and the aggregate of all those panels into a narrative could arguably make a comic the most complex and sophisticated art form on earth.

[ComicBookSyndicate]

@mittROMNEY666 I agree 100%. I suppose we would have to get into the difference between an artform and a medium. Music is an artform, radio is a medium. Are comic books both?

[mittROMNEY666]

@ComicBookSyndicate good point, the terms need to be defined. I think a strong case could be made that comics are both medium and art form, considering the way the element of time imposes a host of new requirements on drawing / painting - sequential art as eisner termed it.

[jigen08]

@mittROMNEY666: his comments are meant to be taken in general, and in that case he's dead on. The serial quality of some, with their lack of story arc and theme (reason for telling the story) prohibits them from being any more artistic than television. Comic books are more interested in sales than anything else... they are a medium. This isn't to say some art cannot slip through. But he'd damn well right to generalize it as a medium. Magazines are a medium too. So are books. Literature is art.

[mittROMNEY666]

@jigen08 In general i agree the quality, especially of american comics, is poor. I also take Chaykin's point that comics can be considered a medium of story delivery. However, picking up on another of his points, I think the addition of time and narrative to a sequence of pictures is arguably creating a new art form which goes beyond the simple components of drawing, story etc. So I really think he is selling comics short here...

[GeorgenotSmith]

@mittROMNEY666:

Picking up Chaykin's thesis (as I understand it), he has neglected to mention (IMO) how the monthly deadline can work against the development of *ART* (high art), as opposed to *commercial art* (commerce).

Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics" has a lot to say about this. As have Harlan Ellison's books on TV, "The Glass Teat", & "The Other Glass Teat".

The problem: "I don't need it GOOD, I need it Tuesday". The problem is the deadline. Art & the Muse aren't always on schedule.

[GeorgenotSmith]

@GeorgenotSmith:

The TV deadline comes around every week (although this has changed lately w/ the rise of cable).

The Comic Book deadline comes around every month, mostly.

There's no reason that the Work (either TV or comics or whatever) can't be both *ART* _and_ *commercial art*. Chaykin's "American Flagg" 1-12 was an excellent example of this. And as I recall, they all came out on schedule, too. But the 1st thing he did after was take a month off the drawing chores, after that.

[GeorgenotSmith]

@GeorgenotSmith:

Successfully woo-ing the Muse on deadline requires CONSTANT invocation.

It is possible to burn the candle at both ends. For a while.

But remember, "The light the burns twice as bright burns half as long".

Why would any (intelligent) person want to get tired of doing something which they loved & at which they were exceptionally capable? Not to mention for only so-so $. Casting your pearls before swine gets old after a while.

[mittROMNEY666]

@GeorgenotSmith Absolutely true. Look at the French industry where artists produce about a page a week - there is some really stunning work.

However, I think that the lack of focus on original, long term, creator owned properties is a bigger problem for American comics than deadlines considering that in Japan, where schedules are considerably more brutal than in the US, artists continually turn out high quality work such as Vagabond and Berserk.

[iqy92]

Great interview and funny as hell. Didn't know who this guy was but i'm looking at his past works right now.

[ComicBookSyndicate]

@iqy92 Coming up next from Chaykin: AVENGERS 1959.

[pmknight12]

Brian Azzerello n Howard Chaykin; From your vids, I found them both 2 be pains. The dif was, Howard was snarky w/o coming off like a d**k, Brian however basked in his d**kishness Howard's alright! His BlackKiss series was wonderful in how there were practically no redeeming values in it, yet I couldn't stop reading it!

Nice interview, Mike.

Phil

[ShotDownInFlames2]

Now that was a good time

[edward2962]

Very interesting. I've seen in the past where Howard has said things about pop culture in general and comics in particular being fast food culture and that they work best as that.

[toekneebeeears]

Wow, that guy is a character.

[GeorgenotSmith]

Howard Chaykin, the Harlan Ellison of comic books.

I've been reading his work since 'Chamber of Chills', 'Wonder Woman', 'Sword of Sorcery' & 'Weird Worlds'.

Especially loved his 'The Scorpion', American Flagg' & 'Time ^2'.

His 'The Shadow' was also note-worthy, not merely for it's high quality graphics & story-telling, but for it's relatively extreme (contrasted w/ the series' 4-color predecessors) violence, which I personally did not find out of line.

[GeorgenotSmith]

@GeorgenotSmith:

He recently said (in an interview in 'Draw' fanzine) (as I recall) that 'Flagg' was the summary of all his interests @ the time. He's said previously that it took him a month to turn out a (22 or 24 page) monthly book, & (to the effect) that the book wore him out.

I'd love to see him produce a 48/64 page color bookshelf edition every 90/120 days; something continued, but self-contained, which would reflect all his CURRENT interests, w/ time left out for him to catch his breath.

[ComicBookSyndicate]

@GeorgenotSmith Meeting Chaykin made me appreciate his work even more. Also, I should comment that the SKETCH work he had out on his table was some of the best stuff I've ever seen. A true heir to Alex Toth.

[ComicBookSyndicate]

@GeorgenotSmith My thoughts exactly: I would love to see this guy go to toe-to-toe with Harlan Ellison :)

[Diakron79]

@GeorgenotSmith "Howard Chaykin, the Harlan Ellison of comic books."

Huh?! Harlan writes comic books too you know.

[ComicBookSyndicate]

@Diakron79 I believe Ellison is most famous for writing prose, then television, followed by comic books.

[GeorgenotSmith]

@ComicBookSyndicate:

Ellison is indeed best (& rightly so) known for prose, then for TV & movie scripts, but his comic book work is pretty irregular, as far as frequency goes. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't HE's "Dream Corridor" strictly adaptations of pre-existing work?