Cartoons Through the Ages

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In a country that values cheap entertainment and modern art, cartoons have quickly lost their value.  No longer are they viewed as a method as a form of expression.  No longer are they respected for their satirical wit or artistic merit.  Ask any random passerby what they think of Bugs Bunny and they'll tell you "kids stuff."  It's criminal that Americans have forgotten the value of their childhood icons, but one man stands above the crowd.  His name is Jim Woodring, and this is wonderful world of Frank.




This is Frank. 



He's a gopher/bear/beaver... thing.  Frank's race isn't important, rather his adventures are the hilight of the story.  Collected in an impressive 300+ page hardback tome, The Frank Book collects the stories of this curious creature in his surreal, cartoon world.



The world of Frank obeys no laws.  It's almost entirely wordless, creatures great and mysterious roam the land, and  each story comes to a self contained conclusion.  Frank is a curious beast who's inquisitive nature often gets him into trouble.  In one instance, he knocks over an expensive vase and must work for the revolting Manhog to pay it off.  In another adventure, he follows the trickster A Pa (is it his Real Pa or Faux Pa?) into a well where his head is morphed.  Most of the time Frank is saved by his godlike companion Pupshaw who is both powerful and innocent. 



The stories have no "meaning" in the conventional sense as Woodring doesn't rely on exposition and he's not pretentious enough to overexplain his work.  The true meaning behind the comics is up to the reader himself. 







Is it commentary on the atrocities of eating meat?  Perhaps it's homage to the old adage "You are what you eat."  Maybe the blood sprayed on Frank's face in the form of a mustache?  Who cares, it's a comic!  Enjoy it first, think later.



Jim's art, from his inks and watercolors to oils and acrylics, is downright atmospheric.  Subtly haunting, horrifyingly beautiful, but most importantly the bright color palette and strong, bold lines are a work of imagination.  A comic literally for all ages without lowering itself to the level of inane slapstick and visual gags, Frank is the quintessential CARTOON.  Intelligent, funny, artistic; all the adjectives in the world can be summed up by simply saying gorgeous.



The Frank Book is still in print and highly recommended.  If you have any inclination to become a cartoonist, this belongs on your shelf.  Even if you're not interested in cartoons, this is silent storytelling at its greatest and shows the power of the sequential art (comics lol) medium.