contact for correspondence and custom art jobs, etc: nat.rain@gmail.com

 

This is an interesting Johnny Carson biography that was released recently. It gives a good overview of both Carson's personal and professional life. And the book itself has an interesting backstory. It was started by one author through the early 2000s, who passed away, then completed by a protege. My only (minor) complaint, is that it has a lot of episode minutiae that I wasn't interested in.. verbatim documenting of specific interviews and bits from over the years.

All that said, there was a great Carson insight in this bio.. Carson was definitely a talented man, but he recognized that talent & hard work are still not guarantees for professional and artistic success. On page 82, Carson's quoted: "I don't believe the old showbiz cliche' that your talent will be discovered if you only keep at it. I don't think there's much truth to that at all, because you see too many people grinding away year after year."

Bringing me to a broader point, about the state of underground comics. I've seen firsthand (talented and talentless) artists grinding in this genre for many years. And part of the demand is that small press & underground artists have to double as both creators and salesmen/hype men. And it's a multitask that usually doesn't come naturally. These are fields that usually have differing personality types. In high level sports, you typically have a talented athlete, paired with talented agents who market & solicit on behalf of the athlete.. same concept with acting, and a lot of other entertainment fields. But in the world of underground art & music.. the creators are typically having to do both, and it usually does not end (financially or logistically) well. 

Here's Carson, an authoritative source on creative success stating a blunt truth.. you can work hard in entertainment, for years, and never make it anywhere financially. And I think this is difficult for some people outside of creative endeavors to understand.. because they only view artistic value & success by financial results. Y'know, the old cliche' where people are asking, "when are you gonna give up the band, and get a real job?"

Carson did have a practical plan to that attitude, he told himself if he couldn't progress within a year's time, he would head back to Nebraska. But who knows if that's true. His love of entertaining may have keep him aspiring around LA for years. And Carson did appreciate & understand the opportunities he received. The book documents them, and I think that realization is implied in Carson's quote I referenced.

Another trend I see in the small press game.. is there is a heavy criticism of DC & Marvel. Not just for their business practices (which I don't really have an opinion on..), but on their content and ideology. And I'm with these critics, when they say it is dumb to have ten different Spidermen. But there are a lot of small press creators who hate DC & Marvel now, but then release their own (almost) identical content of superheroes, vampires, vigilantes, etc.. but just of lower quality. And that's no insult against 'em, they don't have the benefit of an assembly line of inkers, writers, etc. I'm rooting for the independent comic books. But if you're going to go it alone, why replicate art that you believe sucks?

contact- nat.rain@gmail.com

 

Want to mention this book real quick. A recounting of Hurricane Katrina, told thru the illustrated (and personal) accounts of a handful of New Orleans' residents. Basically, the author (Neufeld) is an illustrator who was in New Orleans doing post-Katrina volunteer work. If I remember right, he was eventually commissioned to gather, then recreate the accounts of survivors he encountered. I think Neufeld did a really good job selecting a cross-section of survivors. He definitely humanizes each person. My only (unsolicited) criticism would be the glaring, virtual omission of the many reported crimes/depravities during Katrina. But in Neufeld's defense, he admits the depicted accounts are "quite particular and highly personal".. fair enough.

The first chapter The Storm, was really well done. Neufeld shows the arrival of the storm with some strong, ominous images using very little dialog or text (see the top half of the book cover ^). For me, this first chapter was probably the most memorable part.. And the book is a nice historical document of positive Katrina survival stories.

contact- nat.rain@gmail.com

 

Americanus Superfanus

For more superfan content: http://natrrain.blogspot.com/2021/03/second-act-of-lower-learning-act-one.html

contact- nat.rain@gmail.com

 

Added color to this Nat family portrait. Contains a lot of the recurring characters. Flanked on the front row by Creeps & Nathaniel, then Sharpie and Pudgy Nauseous on the other side. Also got Edgar Allan Toe and the Texas Weiner Man lurking in there.

On a note of nostalgic Nat Rrain friends & cast, I touched up an old page. There's some 'Loose Screws' graffiti visible in there. I used to collaborate with them from time-to-time on zine releases. This re-release is dedicated to my cousin, Big Philly.. Rest in peace.

Contact- nat.rain@gmail.com

 

Sharpie's Plea

^ Page one, of California Streamin', more to come.. (click on image(s) to enlarge).

Contact: nat.rain@gmail.com

 

With the near extinction of hard copy paper zines, thought I'd do an online Natrrain issue.. Contains some new pages, some old pages that have been edited and/or colorized, and then just some re-released color pages. 

Nat Rrain in tech.Nil.color

Nat Rrain: in.tech.Nil.color (the original art & writings are property of Nat Rrain Comics).

Friends, old pen-pals, collaborators, new readers, contact- nat.rain@gmail.com

 

a Creeps retrospective.

Creeps was basically a drunken, perverted pile of bricks. He was killed off in a comic I illustrated titled 'The Gambler'. Creeps was defined by his frequent drunkenness, uncomfortable directness, & love of late 9os rap-rock.

Recently I've been thinking on how mainstream, contemporary comic book companies frequently kill off popular characters.. then create lucrative resurrections, or alternate timelines, to bring the iconic decedents back into existence. The ill-conceived (almost sacrilegious) killing off of Superman is the one that always stood out to me most. That said, just reminding long time readers of Creeps before I dig him back out.

(Creeps' ill-fated final ride)

contact- nat.rain@gmail.com