What is Occupy Comics? Well, it’s not anything just yet.
I work in a lot of media formats, and comics is one of my favorites because the intersection of visual art and dramatic writing opens up really unique toolkits of expression. Comics have the visual iconography of film, the sublime imagery of gallery art, the textual depth of plays, the ferocity of street art, and a devoted audience that dissects, analyzes, and debates the content’s deepest levels. (Not always, but the potential is always there.)
I’m also an activist, and I’ve been very moved by the Occupy Wall Street protests over the past month. I participated in the Occupy LA protest and am looking forward to spending time at Occupy Wall Street while I’m in NY for NY Comic Con next week. Ten years ago, I was involved with the globalization protests around the WTO and World Bank meetings. It’s refreshing to see the Occupy Wall Street protests remaining peaceful on both the police and citizen sides. I hope the non-violence persists… I’ve seen non-violent demonstrations fall into violence. It’s not pretty and it’s not productive.
I think Occupy Wall Street needs art more than it needs a List of Demands.
There’s been a call from the mass-media for the protesters to issue some sort of List of Demands, but that’s a can of worms… I think the more vague the better–after all, the American Revolution got pretty far on “No taxation without representation” and that’s a lot clunkier than “We are the 99%.” The Obama campaign (setting aside partisanship or the presidency, just the campaign) was a fascinating example of how specific iconography and vague goals can coalesce into a powerful movement. I think Occupy Wall Street needs art more than it needs a list of demands. I love the image of the Dancer on the Bull… but the background of teargas and Black Bloc is geared more toward activist early adopters like me and the movement is already expanding from there.
I think artists & writers of comic books have a unique ability to evoke broad ideas and ideals in captivating, dramatic ways. So I’m reaching out to artists & writers in the comics community about this project–which, admittedly, is currently even more vague than the protests… maybe it will be a comic book, maybe a website, maybe a coffee table book, maybe a phone app… but if there is interest it will at least add some new voices to the discussion. Comics is a small world compared to scale the protests have taken, but think globally act locally, right? A single piece of art can ultimately transcend everything else.
I don’t see this as being political, certainly not in a partisan way. The entrenched interests will apply a partisan paradigm to just about everything. At it’s core, the movement is “We are the 99%.” I hope this project can demonstrate that level of broad idealism.
Curt Pires
Hi Everybody, My Names Curt . I’m a writer, who (as I’m sure most everybody else reading this) is involved and passionate about this project.
My question is , are we looking to make comic stories that relate/involve , the events of Occupy Wall Street, or rather publish unrelated stories, yet empower ourselves as members of the 99 through our project?
DIY comics are something we don’t need those fucks for . They cant touch or take the ability for us to create from us.
I was already thinking about doing a short 6-12 page short story format , regarding the people who encompass the 99, and the unification I think that Occupy Wall Street has created in us.
Also format wise, I know nothing is set in stone, but I think a TPB style anthology would be cool , we could kickstarter it if we needed to.
What Is everybody else thinking ?
-C
John Wilkey
What if we beat the Big Two at their own game? What if someone created an ‘EVENT’ comic that was about an actual event. Forget about all the praise heaped on Civil War for being pseudo-political. What if the Occupy movement is what split the heroes instead of a superhero registration act? Imagine if the two sides were the Plutonomy and the Precariat. Has there ever been a class struggle among superheroes? What does being a 1%-er superhero mean? What does being a 99%-er superhero mean? Do we not have Alan Moore on our side? Alan could orchestrate this in his sleep, if he does in fact sleep. Your thoughts?
Scott Free
Yes, yes, yes, and definitely YES. This is the kind of idea that I think would really DO. A reflexion about superheroes today, done the fact that the two Bigs have ignored the Occupy Movement. Didn´t Neal Adams write a left-handed/indignated Green Lantern in the 70s? Superheroes SHOULD DEFINITELY BE INDIGNATES, not soldiers that protect neoliberalism. Not soldires which protect any flag in particular, in fact.
Very, very good idea. I dream of the moment it could be done. In fact, I think that if the Big Two want to sell well their comics again, should become tjeir characters a little bit more reivindicative, left winged… more “Occupy”.
Thanks.
John Wilkey
Why don’t we do it ourselves? Im a writer and I already have my first graphic novel due out later this year. Id love to collaborate on this. And I’m serious about at least trying to get Alan interested since he already supports us.
Charles
To be successful, any comic will need three things: male characters who are really handsome, smooth chested, and smart; females who are really pretty, big chested, and smart; and a fabricated love interest, perhaps doomed to fail. If you don’t, your two main audiences won’t be interested, the loser geeks who read comics or Ben Affleck who might want to do the movie.
xzolox
Thanks for setting it off, Curt.
I’m not sure everyone who’s emailed me will want to participate in a public forum like this, but at least it enables anyone who’s inclined to participate. My original thought was very simple… somewhere between a zine and a pinup-style comic where an artist and/or writer can have a page to express a point of view on issues related to the protest. Something simple that could be done for free, distributed for free, and maybe spark debate or reach a different audience.
Some of the initial feedback has been more ambitious… artists & writers suggesting an anthology, publishing a book, donating profits to the protesters, etc.
I’m open to all that, it really has more to do with the collective that coalesces around this than anything else.
Curt- my only concern about something like 6-12 page short stories and a TPB style anthology is how long that will take. Maybe if we start with short form digital to get the ball rolling and work toward that it would be cool, but I’d be concerned about the process taking so long it falls out of sync with the protest movement. Or maybe that doesn’t matter?
Jerem Morrow
All solid points.
Jerem Morrow
Comic writer/illustrator here.
Curt: thinking along the same lines. While yarns regarding the actual Occupy moments fit, certainly, no need to be dead on literal every time. Comics, like film, deal well in metaphor, so let’s metaphuck it up, eh?
Whether this ends up being a zine, comic, coffee table book (Or all three and more), I’m in. I’d given up on the western biped caring about anything beyond which brand offered more corn chips in their bag. I was wrong. A personal mistake I’m more than pleased to be blatantly slapped with. The Occupy movement has inspired such a flame in me, there’s no way I’ll not jump at this.
Steve Niles
Matt-
I agree that avoiding a list of demands is important, but that in itself gives us a lot of diversity as far as angles we can come from…whatever we decide to do.
Right now I’m having trouble getting my head around what the best thing to do is. Is our goal awareness and/or fundraising? Or are we silly talking about expressing out thoughts?
What I would love to do is create short pieces, stories, single images, anything that combines words and pictures that express the concept of the 99%. Then somehow I’d like to get them out there free for download, print if possible. See if we can get papers like LA Weekly to run them, spread them around.
Like you said one single iconic image can have a lot of power. What would that image be for the 99%?
I’m in for whatever you come up with. I support a DIY approach and avoid any corporate entangling. There are 2, maybe 3 comic publishers who don’t have a corporate umbrella so I think going a it on our own is best anyway.
Thanks for the invite!
-Steve
-Steve
Steve Niles
Ha. I was writing while you were posting. I think we are on the same wavelength here for the most part.
Jerem Morrow
Word.
Maybe the best approach, artistically, is having no approach besides whatever just happens.
xzolox
I think Jerem’s point that the best approach is no approach is probably artistically valid, but there needs to be an organizational approach.
Per Steve’s note, are we raising awareness or fundraising?
I don’t think it’s silly to express our thoughts. Well, it’s kind of silly, but let’s pretend it’s not silly for a minute. I think what comics can offer the movement is tapping into the more transcendent themes that may translate this to a different audience. A lot of people just scratch their heads when they see the protests, it doesn’t connect with anything they understand. The Tea Party at least appropriated Revolutionary War iconography like the Don’t Tread On Me signs, etc. It’s not for everyone, but if that’s your cup of tea then there was a connect there. As I said, I think this movement needs more art. So I guess the point is… this isn’t really about expressing my thoughts or your thoughts, but it’s about creative artists attempting to express the thoughts of the community. That’s what we’re supposed to be trying to do anyway, isn’t it?
The Kickstarter thing is a hard for me to reconcile, but it’s something several people have brought up and it does make the whole thing less potentially masturbatory if at least port-a-potties are being provided when we’re done waxing artistic.
Ben Rankel
I know everything is super vague; allow me to just dump some thoughts out.
Do you want immediate reaction or to create a record of what’s happening?
Should you be trying to gather stories, events and emotions into a collection that keeps a record of what’s happened/is happening for people after to try to understand?
Or is the idea immediacy, something people can see and react to now while these things are occurring that perhaps helps to keep this fire burning?
Immediacy: put up a tumbler or blog or wordpress + comicpress and allow artists and writers to create and send in and have these related ideas and stories and emotions passed along to others right away.
Archival: Collect stories and find artist and writers willing to work together to capture these important events and work grassroots to self publish a tome for people after the fact.
Or both? Let people contribute to an immediate blog, keep the artistic flow going online and allow the comics to get printed in Kinkos or offices or at home and distributed wherever people want. Then save stories afterwards and try to keep the attitude and ideals pure even in the media aftermath.
Brian C
I googled “Occupy Comics” thinking I might start a blog with that name. My vision for it was simply a website of comics that are inspired or relate to that phrase and this movement. Be they a panel or a few pages. Published on the blog. Online, for free. No books or anything that slows the immediacy. You can alway collect things later.
Geoffrey D. Wessel
Hey gang.
Well, I’m going with the flow at this point. I have a story/comic idea in mind, but whatever form this decides to take I’m down with. Of course, being a writer who’s not an artist, I could use someone to draw it as well.
Looking forward to seeing what we collectively come up with!
xzolox
Ben’s breakdown is helpful to me in terms of Immediacy vs Archival, and everyone will have their own opinion on this so at the end of the day we should attempt to do both since I think both are as easily attainable as either.
For me personally, the spark of the idea had less to do with archiving the stories in comics format as it had to do with: I am inspired by the protests in NY, I will be in NYC at the Javits Center with ~100k non-billionaires… there’s gotta be some synergy here.
Initially, I was planning to call it Occupy NYCC… but people might think I literally was going to camp out at the con like a Twi-hard.
When I started reaching out to comics pro friends, the feedback was they’re on board to participate but it’s way too late for them to have anything done in time for NYCC since they’re all crammed prepping as it is.
So then I figured we could just launch the project at NYCC, still get some attention to the protests and hopefully spark a localized conversation within the comics community.
I reached out to NYCC about maybe hosting a panel or something, and though they were awesomely responsive it was still too last minute.
So that’s part of why I’m unsure of the appropriate longer term format than something quick and DiY–my initial intent was Immediacy and Localization to the protest itself.
On the topic of immediate impact, this just occurred to me: there are two comic shops VERY close to Zuccotti Park: Chameleon Comics and Midtown Comics Downtown.
What does everybody think of seeing if either shop would be interested in hosting an after-NYCC-hours event to launch Occupy Comics?
xzolox
Most of the conversation has moved back to email haha so I’ll just wrap up the direction things are moving at the moment for anyone who’s interested.
When I first thought of this project, the protests were not being covered by the mainstream media, so exposure was important and NYCC seemed like a great opportunity.
Since then, the protests have turned into a media circus. So exposure isn’t the problem anymore.
Going into winter, the protesters will need amenities (bathrooms, winter clothing, etc) so we’re going to develop this more into a fundraising effort to support the occupiers.
I’ll keep you all posted.
Sharon Rosenzweig
As you know, OccupyWallStreet has spread all over the place. There’s even an OccupySouthBend this weekend. Outside NY and Boston, they are not media circuses, and the spirits of the protesters are really buoyed by being witnessed. Along with the amenities you list, people will need this support as they brave the elements. As cartoonists, we can participate in the movement by documenting these folks and recording their messages. In ways I do not fully understand, people respond much more to being drawn than to being photographed. I want to give voice and permanence to these people.
Sharon Rosenzweig
Here’s a link to my first album of Investigative Cartoons from OccupyChicago, aimed at exploring the questions, Who are these people and what do they want. http://tinyurl.com/3qsnap4
I am open to other collaborations.
Dan Archer
I second Sharon’s point above about cartoonists using our skills to document the movement. (Great work btw Sharon).
Here’s what I came up with from my visit to Occupy Oakland this week, in a similar vein: http://archcomix.com/occupy.html
Sharon Rosenzweig
Dan, My friend Andrea Kantrowitz and I are starting blog called OccupyPortraits, a call for artists around the world to post their findings. We’ll be in touch. I already sent her your link. It’s great stuff, although on my iPad here I couldn’t get the audio.
If anyone else is interested, please comment. Our blog iwill nclude art forms other than comics too.
Sharon Rosenzweig
Dan, can I repost your link on this blog? http://occupyportraits.blogspot.com/
Dan Archer
Hi Sharon,
Sure, go ahead. Glad you like it. How did the rollover work on your ipad out of interest?
Dan
Sharon Rosenzweig
I couldn’t get the audio on the ipad cuz there’s no roll-over function, that I know of. I just heard it on my desktop, and I think it’s cool to have that capacity in a docu-comic. I posted them on the new blog, very happy to have them and I hope you’ll post more here as they arrive. I can pull the links, or you can send them to me at sbrzweig@gmail.com. Same for anyone else who’s making portraits of the occupants!
Sharon Rosenzweig
I think there might be a book in the Occupied Portraits, if we can get work from everywhere. I want to find artists from South Bend to Hong Kong to show us their Occupiers. Wanna contribute? Can you ask around?
So far we have images from Wall Street, Chicago and Oakland– not bad for a start, but we need to fill in the blanks. Please help!
Kickstarter project is written all over this.
The blog is occupyportraits.blogspot.com.
If you have something, tell me at sbrzweig@gmail.com.
Thanks, kids.
Thomas Clark Wilson
This is a lovely idea. Have a donation:
http://knackeryslumps.blogspot.com/2011/10/tom-joad.html
Clicking on the image will give you the full size high quality version. If you feel you can use it in any capacity, be it blog, book or bottled message, go right ahead.
Much solidarity,
- Clark
Wolfgang Parker
Curt,
Steve Niles sent me the link to this blog. I am a comic writer currently in production for my first full-length OGN, “1888.” I am also a musician and published photographer.
In addition, I have protested as part of OWS and continue to support them in any way I can. I am interested is seeing what forms here and participating if there is an opportunity for my involvement.
I like the idea of using this to fund OWS protests.
~Wolfgang
Stewart Kenneth Moore
How strange…when they pepper sprayed the Davis students I made 5 designs ridiculing this abuse. You can see one via my blog link I provided here. But what’s strange?
Well, the first one you’ll see, its title paraphrases a line of Alan Moore’s from a comic I read long ago, it sprang to mind from out of the blue. It just seemed right. My title is ‘Something, Something, Liberty, Something’. I would never have imagined Alan Moore would join the 99%…and hadn’t thought of that story in years!…I think the original line was ‘Something, Something, Oranges, Something’.
Occupy Comics, I’m all for it…I think. please keep me posted and let me know how I can help bolster the 99%. Good luck.
Ian Beggs
Hey, that’s from DR & Quinch Go To Hollywood. It was the unreadable title of the script that kicked off the story. Alan Moore has been engaged with political issues for ages. He contributed to the AARGH! campaign in the ’80s, against the UK gov’t anti-gay legislation and wrote half of the Brought to Light graphic novel a few years later, drawing attention to the CIA’s history of abuses. Reading that got me turned on to Chomsky. I would’ve been astonished if he HADN’T found a way to join Occupy!
Clifford Meth
Applause. And Michael Netzer and I would like to contribute together.
Gan Golan
Great project. Great discussion. I think occupy gives us an opportunity to combine art and activism in completely new ways. I have been working with OWS in NYC, as well as Oakland and Los Angeles, and after experimenting with various artistic approaches (www.occupyhalloween.org) I think there is a new frontier for creating public, participatory political art. What about graphic novels that are part comic book, part public spectacle? What about blowing up single pages 4-stories-high and using them for banner drops? What about projecting them on the sides of buildings like a Bat Signal? What about making 1-2 page comics to hand out instead of boring flyers? What if we have a march where each person held up a single panel as their protest sign, then marched in a line? We could make story puzzles that require people from different places to come together in large groups to solve? The possibilities are endless, and like the rest of occupy, I think occupycomics gives us a chance to think waaaay outside the box in terms of what we create, and how. Right now, the comics medium does not have to be limited to pens and paper. It can also include enthusiastic masses of people, too.
xzolox
Wow those are awesome ideas… kind of like augmented reality meets comics meets street protests.
Stewart Kenneth Moore
Gan Golan, very good thinking. Combined somehow with projections…imagine the possible effect!
E.g…A recent ‘video mapping’ project here in Prague.
Animated…projected right on to our old town clock. Imagine…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4LVEAiZJyg&feature=related
Stewart Kenneth Moore
Imagine, as Gan Golan cleverly suggested, comic book frames projected into window frames, or the glass frames of a building…the whole side of the building. Here are 2 more projection maps…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ_5sDvAlNY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q40M83yChQs&feature=related
Greg Dampier
What an incredible tool to do virtual graffiti to draw the interest to the Occupy movement. You can also use “Proximity marketing” to broadcast a message, banner video etc. to people’s Ipad, Iphone or any devise that has a bluetooth connection within the proximity of the broadcast check it out at http://www.Blueone.cn/?gclid=CO3Sj-zBl60CFcUSNAodT2WNnQ
These are good ways to show the Occupy art that will make a lasting impression.
P Couture
big fan of graphic novels. I work as a videographer, freelance.
idea-wise, maybe something like American Splendor/Harvey Pekar@Occupy? Where everyone contributes couple pages in their own style.
or possibly your short 6-12 pages with the dialogue bubbles left intentionally blank, to be printed off & filled in.
Animal Farm/Fairyland allegories possible too.
close to the holidays, set it @ the North Pole?
think i’m way out of my depth here, but that’s my 2 cents.
thx for running this blog.
Frank Kwiatkowski
I run an independent press in Denver and have been doing art on the subject of occupy. I’d be interested in sharing some art.
Kim
Hello,
I work in a leftist publishing house in Brazil that publishes works by many of the philosophers and intelectuals supporting the Occupy movement. We’d like to publish the Occupy Comics in Brazil. If you think this is possible, please send me an e-mail, ok?
Best wishes for the project!
Greg Strohecker
Hello,
How does an artist participate? I’ve been in contact with Seth Tobocman (World War III) who has been participating in #OWS since the beginning.
I mentioned Occupy Comics, inadvertently making him think I was involved. He has agreed to allow a piece he is working on for an Italian magazine to be printed here as well. Can someone give me contact info I can pass on to him? His work is well known and would make a great addition!
Thanks and I look forward to seeing and supporting this work!
Scott Free
Hi everybody.
May anyone please tell me why was my last comment eliminated?
I gave some information about some spanish project in the same line as Occupy Comics, and expressed some ideas of what an “Occupy Comic” could be.
Thanks.
Scott Free
Oh… never mind… I didn´t notice my comment was still there…
Sorry!
wakeupwill
I’m a photographer who lived at Occupy LA for two months. I’ve been working with the official OLA media team since day 1. Ask me anything.
Fantomex
You’ll never believe this, xzlox, but your idea/concept has been mentioned by a right-wing neocon organization similar to Media Matters-and it seems that they’re threatened by it: Occupy Movement Turns Comic Book Writers Support
Richard Caldwell
I am a comic book tradescriber and citizen journalist. If there is anything I can do to help, any way I can play too…
For starters, while I was putting together some essays concerning Occupy for my blog, and re-reading my Howard Zinn, it dawned on me that the movement could really gain more credibility among mainstream media and the government, by rebranding itself as Neo-Abolitionism. Ultimately, this is still about a manner of slavery after all.
BradyDale
I don’t know if you’re looking for more comics or what… but I did this comic very much in the spirit of Occupy.
http://eatthebabies.com/?p=488
It’s all about the anger at the bankers. Feel free to add it to your list if you’re looking to track comics with the banker anger spirit.
Kim
Hello,
I work in a leftist publishing house in Brazil that publishes works by many of the philosophers and intelectuals supporting the Occupy movement. We’ve even published the first book about the Occupy movement in Brazil (http://goo.gl/RBYvS).We’d like to publish the Occupy Comics in Brazil. Is this possible?