A slightly truncated ep this week. Editor Rob is deep into the annual assault course/self-inflicted torture that is Nanowrimo, and is lost in wordcount. We dedicate our November output to the brave souls, dreamers and fools who take on the challenge every year. We salute you.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
We have to start with some sad news. The comics scene is mourning the passing of the brilliant Spanish artist Carlos Pacheco. But a blow landed closer to home this week with the news we’d also lost Kevin O’Neill. One of the great stylists of British comics, his work is unmistakable. 2000AD, who published much of King Kev’s imperial phase, has a lovely tribute to an artist who was too wild for the American market. He was skilled at putting beautiful nightmares on the page. We shall not see his like again.
Sigh. OK, let’s move to a more cheerful aspect of the comics scene. This time of year is fruitful for UK graphic arts festivals, with The Lakes and Thought Bubble happening within weeks of each other. Artist and writer Andi Watson sat down for a chat at The Lakes a few weeks back, talking about how and why he does what he does. He’s a rather lovely chap, which makes for a rather lovely interview.
Films don’t have to be about big budgets, superstars and all the CGI you can cram onto screen. The really interesting projects come out of those situations where you have to think on your feet and work with what you have. Sometimes, polish and sparkle is the last thing you need…
The inhabitants of Useless Farm are not the prettiest or most elegant of specimens. But they have personality to spare. This one goes out to the misfits and oddballs. May you all find a home where you can be yourselves.
Big fans of Ruby Tandoh round here. Bake Off may have brought her into the public eye, but she has transcended that increasingly soggy-bottomed label to forge her own path. Her latest book is, like other cooks we love (Nigel, Jack, Otam) shifting the focus away from the strict recipe towards more of a vibe, based less on what’s on the page and more on what you have. It’s a reflection, we think, of the way a lot of home cooks operate in the kitchen anyway.
Props to our pal Graham Williams for bringing this one to our attention. A clever use of light, shape, and above all, shadow merge to create art which is both ephemeral and affecting.
This week marks the hundredth anniversary of Kurt Vonnegut’s birth. A writer of rare skill, his work is deceptively simple yet filled with a quiet power. Now is a good time to start on his books if you’ve never had the pleasure. Slaughterhouse-5 is the core text, but honestly most of his work from The Sirens Of Titan on will hit the spot. Come, join the karass.
A quote from Kurt which we’ve taken as serious advice here at The Cut goes as follows:
There’s only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.
It turns out, as this fine piece of work from Everything Is Amazing makes clear, that’s a good rule to live by. A little kindness is good for you, your neighbours and even those you think are against you ..
And finally. The Weird Al Yankovich biopic is out. By all accounts it slaps and you should check it out. We love Weird Al. We love food. Turns out he has written a lot of food-related songs. We cannot ignore this merging of our interests. Neither should you.
And that’s it. Nanowrimo is, as always, hugely rewarding but deeply knackering. We’ll let Madeline Khan tell it like it is.
See you in seven, earthlings.
EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS 