Hard to believe Hooked on Comix Vol. 1 was released almost twenty years ago in 1994!
HOOKED ON COMIX Vol. 1, 2, & 3 features: Jessica Abel, Peter Bagge, Donna Barr, Ivan Brunetti, Daniel Clowes, R.L. Crabb, Chester Brown, Dame Darcy, Julie Doucet, Dennis Eichhorn, Mary Fleener, Roberta Gregory, Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez, Terry LeBan, Cherise Mericle, Tony Millionaire, Carol Moiseiwitsch, Pat Moriarity, Archer Prewitt, Joe Sacco, Stan Shaw, Triangle Slash, James Sturm, Chris Ware, J.R. Williams & Jim Woodring MUSIC: Beat Happening, Bikini Kill, Sick & Wrong
5.08.2013
Happy Mother's Day from Chris Ware!
Hard to believe Hooked on Comix Vol. 1 was released almost twenty years ago in 1994!
3.22.2013
Hand-Drying in America: And Other Stories
I'm starting a new video project and will be interviewing Ben Katchor. Stay tooned for more information!
1.23.2013
Top 10 Comic Book Documentary - Hooked on Comix!!!
... And number seven goes to Hooked on Comix Vol. 1!!!
07. Hooked On Comix: Life On The Cutting Edge Of An All-American Artform
This documentary released in the mid-nineties chronicles the re-birth of the independent comic book movement. These are the people that took the reigns from Crumb, Spain, Harvey Pekar and others to make sure that the independent spirit didn’t crumble or die. Hooked On Comix features interviews with Peter Bagge (Hate Comics), Daniel Clowes (Ghost World), Roberta Gregory (Naughty Bits), Jamie Hernandez (Love And Rockets), and a dozen more major talents in the world of comic books. The interviews are very relaxed and informative as well as very honest.
This film shows the ups and downs of being an indie comic artist not willing to deal with the big two of DC and Marvel. Getting by on talent, gumption and a belief in what they are creating these artists show why they are the future of the medium.
Top 10 Comic Book Documentaries
craveonline Iann Robinson
07. Hooked On Comix: Life On The Cutting Edge Of An All-American Artform
This documentary released in the mid-nineties chronicles the re-birth of the independent comic book movement. These are the people that took the reigns from Crumb, Spain, Harvey Pekar and others to make sure that the independent spirit didn’t crumble or die. Hooked On Comix features interviews with Peter Bagge (Hate Comics), Daniel Clowes (Ghost World), Roberta Gregory (Naughty Bits), Jamie Hernandez (Love And Rockets), and a dozen more major talents in the world of comic books. The interviews are very relaxed and informative as well as very honest.
This film shows the ups and downs of being an indie comic artist not willing to deal with the big two of DC and Marvel. Getting by on talent, gumption and a belief in what they are creating these artists show why they are the future of the medium.
Top 10 Comic Book Documentaries
craveonline Iann Robinson
1.11.2013
Vintage HOOKED ON COMIX Vol. 2 VHS Box!
The blurb on the cover is from Daniel Clowes, who exclaims: "Boy! My favorite city (Chicago, ILL) and my favorite subject (squirming, self-conscious, pasty-faced cartoon geniuses) all in one movie! This is what we in the business call 'filmmaking magic.'"
11.28.2012
Hooked on Comix Vol. 3 - Now available at Create Space!!!!!
Hooked on Comix Vol. 3 is available at Create Space!
10.01.2012
9.30.2012
9.23.2012
Noah Van Sciver art
7.18.2012
4.16.2012
Chicago Reader Report
Hooked on Comix Volume 2
This fascinating 2002 video documentary by David P. Moore profiles a half-dozen eccentric comic-book and comic-strip artists based in Chicago: Jessica Abel (Artbabe), Ivan Brunetti (Schizo), Terry LaBan (Eno and Plum), Cherise Mericle (Eye Spy), Archer Prewitt (Sof' Boy), and Chris Ware (Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth). Each claims to enjoy the anonymity of the profession, and all share a rather bleak and ironic view of the world. Moore divulges some of the tricks of their trade as he visits their wonderfully peculiar studios, discovering that Chrise Ware plays ragtime and Cherise Mericle collects miniature sets. 30 minutes.
By Ted Shen
https://www.createspace.com/209002
This fascinating 2002 video documentary by David P. Moore profiles a half-dozen eccentric comic-book and comic-strip artists based in Chicago: Jessica Abel (Artbabe), Ivan Brunetti (Schizo), Terry LaBan (Eno and Plum), Cherise Mericle (Eye Spy), Archer Prewitt (Sof' Boy), and Chris Ware (Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth). Each claims to enjoy the anonymity of the profession, and all share a rather bleak and ironic view of the world. Moore divulges some of the tricks of their trade as he visits their wonderfully peculiar studios, discovering that Chrise Ware plays ragtime and Cherise Mericle collects miniature sets. 30 minutes.
By Ted Shen
https://www.createspace.com/209002
3.07.2012
Hooked Report!!!!!
"Spending quality time with a surprisingly serene Tony Millionaire and a not-surprisingly daffy Dame Darcy is my idea of heaven, making director David P. Moore the St. Peter of my homemade religion and his Hooked On Comix, the documentary series that takes seriously comics and their makers, my personal Pearly Gates."
Tom Spurgeon, The Comics Reporter
Tom Spurgeon, The Comics Reporter
3.05.2012
Hooked on Comix vol. 3
Hooked on Comix Volume 3 is a 20 minute documentary directed by David P. Moore
Hooked on Comix Vol. 3 features two distinguished and creative, yet sometimes quirky cartoonists, that inhabit the contemporary cartooning scene in Los Angeles. Dame Darcy creates not only books and cartoons, she contemplates her career as it crosses the art world with the music and supernatural worlds! Tony Millionaire takes cartooning and drinking very seriously - not really, but his characters do. They continually drink them selves into oblivion, or they use a handy pistol to the head if the drink doesn't do the trick!
https://www.createspace.com/333128
Hooked on Comix Vol. 3 features two distinguished and creative, yet sometimes quirky cartoonists, that inhabit the contemporary cartooning scene in Los Angeles. Dame Darcy creates not only books and cartoons, she contemplates her career as it crosses the art world with the music and supernatural worlds! Tony Millionaire takes cartooning and drinking very seriously - not really, but his characters do. They continually drink them selves into oblivion, or they use a handy pistol to the head if the drink doesn't do the trick!
https://www.createspace.com/333128
3.01.2012
2.06.2012
Hooked on Comix Vol. 2 review ....
Two-in-One Review: Hooked on Comix Vol. 2
http://www.thefourthrail.com/features/1202/hookedoncomix.shtml
Randy:
Anyone who doesn't believe that comics are an artform need only look at the crossover between the creators and afficianados of the form into other media, and how prevalent that is. There are any number of comic-book creators who are also independent filmmakers or musicians, and David Moore has combined a love of comics with a skill of directing documentaries to create a riveting documentary called Hooked on Comix.
Don:
This half-hour video is the second volume of Hooked on Comics. The first, released in the mid 1990s, featured such creators as Daniel Clowes, Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez and Julie Doucet. This time around, Moore takes us into the homes and minds of a sextet of indy comics creators.
Hooked on Comix Vol. 2 Directed by David P. Moore
Featuring Ivan Brunetti, Charise Mericle, Chris Ware, Archer Prewitt, Jessical Abel & Terry LaBan
Randy:
I've gotta be honest, I approached the viewing of this at first like I would a book report back in my school days, feeling like it was more of an obligation than something I could do for fun. Not because I didn't think I'd enjoy the video, but because watching anything with a critical eye is less fun than just sitting down to watch it. Within a few minutes, however, I was captivated, as Moore has a quirky and light style that conveys the feel of independent comics through film, and the entire video is infused with the unusual and artistic personalities behind these comics, some of which I knew and some of which I didn't.
Don:
I don't think I was quite as enthralled as you were, but I was intrigued by the personalities of the six cartoonists. In addition to their chosen medium of expression, they all have something else in common: they have perspectives of the world around them that one might describe as being outside of the norm. But at the same time, Moore spotlights the variety of motivations and emotions that drive them to create.
Randy:
My wife and I watch a lot of shows on the Food Network, History Channel and Discovery Channel, and Moore's work is right in that vein. With some basic but clever graphics and absolutely terrific music, the video really moves along, and the half-hour went by before I knew it. The structure of Hooked on Comix is basically divided by artist, rather than by topic or timeline or anything like that, and so it's very clear that what Moore is doing is giving six different viewpoints on one subject, rather than showing a "day in the life" of the artists or conducting a series of interviews that are woven together to make a single point. The structure is fairly open, and while you get a sense of the invisible interviewer in the way some of the creators talk, obviously responding to questions about their routine, what they feel is comics role, why they chose comics, etc., in general it feels like we were invited to take a look at the lives and homes of these artists.
Don:
The music and editing keep the documentary hopping along, but the quality of the filmmaking itself didn't do much for me. This is low-budget stuff, and at first, that's what drew my attetion. The staged day-in-life scenes with Brunetti are particularly awkward. Fortunately, the personalities of the six subjects soon eclipse the rough edges of the filmmaking itself.
Randy:
One thing that struck me right off the bat about the creators showcased in this documentary was how unusual and interesting their workspaces (and living spaces) are. Whether it's Ivan Brunetti's sort of basic urban living style, with classic art and a bright blue classic type shower curtain, Charise Mericle's unusual puppet-theater type gadgets and other items of kitsch or Chris Ware's space which echoes the hyper-detailed backgrounds he puts into his comics, each of these creators has a work and living space that reflects who they are. I was also impressed that Moore manages to convey the different comic styles of the creators using video, showing one panel at a time to give the sense of reading some of the comics and giving an overview of the comics with a sort of montage feel, so that even those not familiar with these creators before would have a sense of their work upon viewing the video.
Don:
I was particularly interested in Brunetti and how his dark personality and clear self-esteem issues have so colored his comics work. There's a brutal honesty in his personal storytelling... so brutal as to be disturbing. He says the nasty things all of us think of from time to time, but that we all keep to ourselves in order to fit in. After only a few minutes, I actually pitied Brunetti, but envied his ongoing drive to give his emotions form.
Randy:
This is not a video strictly for the established fanbase of these creators, but instead a video for those who have any interest in the artistic process behind comics. And I must admit that seeing this video gave me a desire to seek out the work of these creators and in at least one case, to revisit the work of one creator who I didn't like at first but whose detail and artistic strengths really stood out in this context, making me re-evaluate my original take.
Don:
If there's one outstanding problem with Hooked on Comix, it's that the director and his subjects hook the viewer only to release them far too quickly. The half-hour flies by, and there's so much more to said about the comics field, the stigma of the medium and what makes someone look to comics to express themselves.
Randy:
I did wish at times that Moore had gone a bit longer with Hooked on Comix; I would have happily watched another hour of these creators discussing issues, and I also would have killed for a short segment where they were all brought together in the same place to discuss the topic, as I think that would have been fascinating. Fortunately for me, there is a Hooked on Comix Volume One, and even better, a DVD is planned which will contain both volumes next year. I expect that DVD will find its way into my collection soon after its release.
http://www.thefourthrail.com/features/1202/hookedoncomix.shtml
Randy:
Anyone who doesn't believe that comics are an artform need only look at the crossover between the creators and afficianados of the form into other media, and how prevalent that is. There are any number of comic-book creators who are also independent filmmakers or musicians, and David Moore has combined a love of comics with a skill of directing documentaries to create a riveting documentary called Hooked on Comix.
Don:
This half-hour video is the second volume of Hooked on Comics. The first, released in the mid 1990s, featured such creators as Daniel Clowes, Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez and Julie Doucet. This time around, Moore takes us into the homes and minds of a sextet of indy comics creators.
Hooked on Comix Vol. 2 Directed by David P. Moore
Featuring Ivan Brunetti, Charise Mericle, Chris Ware, Archer Prewitt, Jessical Abel & Terry LaBan
Randy:
I've gotta be honest, I approached the viewing of this at first like I would a book report back in my school days, feeling like it was more of an obligation than something I could do for fun. Not because I didn't think I'd enjoy the video, but because watching anything with a critical eye is less fun than just sitting down to watch it. Within a few minutes, however, I was captivated, as Moore has a quirky and light style that conveys the feel of independent comics through film, and the entire video is infused with the unusual and artistic personalities behind these comics, some of which I knew and some of which I didn't.
Don:
I don't think I was quite as enthralled as you were, but I was intrigued by the personalities of the six cartoonists. In addition to their chosen medium of expression, they all have something else in common: they have perspectives of the world around them that one might describe as being outside of the norm. But at the same time, Moore spotlights the variety of motivations and emotions that drive them to create.
Randy:
My wife and I watch a lot of shows on the Food Network, History Channel and Discovery Channel, and Moore's work is right in that vein. With some basic but clever graphics and absolutely terrific music, the video really moves along, and the half-hour went by before I knew it. The structure of Hooked on Comix is basically divided by artist, rather than by topic or timeline or anything like that, and so it's very clear that what Moore is doing is giving six different viewpoints on one subject, rather than showing a "day in the life" of the artists or conducting a series of interviews that are woven together to make a single point. The structure is fairly open, and while you get a sense of the invisible interviewer in the way some of the creators talk, obviously responding to questions about their routine, what they feel is comics role, why they chose comics, etc., in general it feels like we were invited to take a look at the lives and homes of these artists.
Don:
The music and editing keep the documentary hopping along, but the quality of the filmmaking itself didn't do much for me. This is low-budget stuff, and at first, that's what drew my attetion. The staged day-in-life scenes with Brunetti are particularly awkward. Fortunately, the personalities of the six subjects soon eclipse the rough edges of the filmmaking itself.
Randy:
One thing that struck me right off the bat about the creators showcased in this documentary was how unusual and interesting their workspaces (and living spaces) are. Whether it's Ivan Brunetti's sort of basic urban living style, with classic art and a bright blue classic type shower curtain, Charise Mericle's unusual puppet-theater type gadgets and other items of kitsch or Chris Ware's space which echoes the hyper-detailed backgrounds he puts into his comics, each of these creators has a work and living space that reflects who they are. I was also impressed that Moore manages to convey the different comic styles of the creators using video, showing one panel at a time to give the sense of reading some of the comics and giving an overview of the comics with a sort of montage feel, so that even those not familiar with these creators before would have a sense of their work upon viewing the video.
Don:
I was particularly interested in Brunetti and how his dark personality and clear self-esteem issues have so colored his comics work. There's a brutal honesty in his personal storytelling... so brutal as to be disturbing. He says the nasty things all of us think of from time to time, but that we all keep to ourselves in order to fit in. After only a few minutes, I actually pitied Brunetti, but envied his ongoing drive to give his emotions form.
Randy:
This is not a video strictly for the established fanbase of these creators, but instead a video for those who have any interest in the artistic process behind comics. And I must admit that seeing this video gave me a desire to seek out the work of these creators and in at least one case, to revisit the work of one creator who I didn't like at first but whose detail and artistic strengths really stood out in this context, making me re-evaluate my original take.
Don:
If there's one outstanding problem with Hooked on Comix, it's that the director and his subjects hook the viewer only to release them far too quickly. The half-hour flies by, and there's so much more to said about the comics field, the stigma of the medium and what makes someone look to comics to express themselves.
Randy:
I did wish at times that Moore had gone a bit longer with Hooked on Comix; I would have happily watched another hour of these creators discussing issues, and I also would have killed for a short segment where they were all brought together in the same place to discuss the topic, as I think that would have been fascinating. Fortunately for me, there is a Hooked on Comix Volume One, and even better, a DVD is planned which will contain both volumes next year. I expect that DVD will find its way into my collection soon after its release.
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