Ivan Brunetti, "Mr. Incongruity" at the 1999 Comic con

In a universe of Heroes and Villians, Ivan brunetti is more of the classic antihero, than a villian, although there are certainly those who would love to burn him at the stake for his subversive comics from the mid 1990's. "Schizo" is one of his most infamous underground Comix from that period. With his outrageously, mindwarpingly misanthropic strips, he dares you to love him. In fact, in his strips, he hates you for loving him.

"I hate Myself" is the recurring thread running through his work.




With titles like; "Diaper Dyke and Captain Boyfuck", or "Chock full of Cunts", his work is hardly... ahem, family friendly.
Yet, it is truly some of the funniest shit ever put in a comic book, and for that we love him, perhaps at our own peril!

Like a schlubby little Italian American Woody Allen, Ivan is as harmless as a titmouse in person. He's actually very sweet and kind, which makes his work all the more compelling.

To be fair, his recent work has taken on a much more grown-up tone and although his visual style continues to grow simpler, his content has reached epic intellectual heights. Check out his tributes to Kierkegaard and Joris Karl Huysmans. They are astonishingly heartbreaking.

This footage was shot at the San Diego Comic Convention in August 1999, (after searching for days thru the most base simple minded mediocrity, you finally stumble upon the unassuming Fantagraphics booth, a sanctuary for the thinking man's comic book reader) -when Ivan was 32 and still learning to deal with the fame his notorious work was bringing to him. Look at the company he's keeping; Daniel Clowes (Eighball & Ghostworld) Richard Sala (Evil Eye) and Jaime Hernandez (Love and Rockets), Not to mention hanging out with Fellow Chicago icons, Chris Ware and Terry Laban.
They all can't get enough of him and his refreshingly rancid outlook. Also, Look quickly at 4:14 and you'll see famous character actor Michael Panes, the comedian who's a dead ringer for Peter Sellers.

Nowhere is Ivan more inconguous than here in this giant hall populated with dorks, geeks and clueless dweebs and their obsession with the fanstasy worlds of mighty super heroes and evil villians. Ivan's world view is much more pessimistic, and therefore realistic.
Can we relate to buffed out good guys in Spandex and maskes coming to save the day from evil at the last minute? Or can you relate to the suffering everyman who knows that there is 'no hope'?

As soon as I told him I was a traveling caricaturist, Ivan asked me to draw a "Mean Spirited Caricature" of him in his sketchbook. Look at all the Hateful stuff people have already drawn in there, many against there won nature.
The fact is that Ivan is inately more lovable than any Super Hero, because he is so flawed and therefore human...

We love you, Ivan Bruntetti, even if you don't!

Category:

Film & Animation

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[bougieman]

This is a great little time capsule of that place and time in indy comics. I sure wish you hadn't flipped so fast through that sketchbook though. You were afraid of showing the dirty stuff, I'm assuming. Too bad. There was some awesome looking stuff in there from a lot of the biggest and best names in alternative comics.

[Draw4You]

@bougieman Glad to see you're a fan of the Great Brunetti, Robin. We are both influenced by the subversive stuff. Ivans stuff will make a biker blush...and yet he's one of the gentlest individuals on the planet

[bougieman]

Just wanted to let you know that the book arrived today! Looks great. I think the Canadian postal strike really slowed it down.

[bougieman]

@Draw4You Totally love Brunetti, Sam! He's brilliant. BTW, I haven't gotten your PARTY OF ONE book yet, the one I ordered off you back on May 30th. You didn't forget about me, didja?

[MisterEsoteric]

@emperortomatoe No, the drawing Clowes did was a future projection for the Far Distant year of 2006!

[emperortomatoe]

This has to be miss-titled. The Clowes portrait was signed 2006.

[delicatebiscuit]

I'd endure life with numerous fissures in my asshole, a rectal fistula, breast tumors and a mouth full of shit-covered bees to meet Ivan. (:O

[svantearrhenius1]

FUCK YOU. FUCK YOU ALL.

[wehavesomeplanes]

wow.. some great stuff in there. Be great if Brunetti fucked off the book editing and got back to doing Schizo or some new stuff.....