The Return of the Classical Comic Strip

Parallel to the renaissance of satirical vintage “gentlemen” magazines like The Chap or The Slingshot, there seems to be a new fascination and a growing popularity for “recycled” comic strips on the net.

Pioneers in this genre are Drew & Natalie Dee with their Married to the Sea comics and David Malki with his Wondermark series (c.f. example below).

© Wondermark – click to enlarge
David Malki says about his work:

“The creation of a comic strip is an arduous and seldom-rewarding task. Sweat, blood, tears, ink and occasionally urine must combine in a subtle alchemy on the illustrative page, by necessity ripping creative gashes in the artist’s soul that only sting more greatly with the acrid tang of exposure to the public consciousness.”

In recent months, Monkey Fluids (c.f. example below) has risen from the muddy depths of the web to become one of the best satirical and pseudo-educational comic strips out there. And hopefully, many others will follow…

© Monkey Fluids – click to enlarge
Links:
• Married to the Sea
• Monkey Fluids
• Wondermark
• The Chap
• The Slingshot

suzanne

Sue Walsh was partly brought up by cats in her native Wexford, where along with her brother, she scoured the river for junk. At the age of three her mother caught her carrying kittens in her mouth. She lived in the woods for a while, then the lure of the stage was too much, and she ran away with a theatre company. This enabled her to keep her multiple personalities happy, and so she is continuing to act whenever the opportunity arises. When not on stage or the silver screen, Sue can be found scribbling away and conducting séances. She is still scouring the river, hoping to find treasure in amongst the junk, just like Suzanne in the song...