Richard Sala
Encyclopedia
Richard Sala is an American
cartoonist
, illustrator
, and comic book creator
with a unique expressionistic style whose books often combine elements of mystery, horror and whimsy.
. He then worked as a freelance illustrator, something he had begun doing while in college, and a cartoonist, publishing his first comic book, Night Drive, in 1984.
More of a reflection of his art school education than a typical comic book, Night Drive nevertheless ended up opening doors for Sala that would eventually lead to his rediscovering and embracing his childhood love of comics and monsters. The book came to the attention of several individuals who contacted Sala to request work. These included Art Spiegelman
, Monte Beauchamp and Colossal Pictures and resulted in his appearances in two highly regarded comic anthologies - Spiegelman's RAW
and Beauchamp's BLAB!. Colossal Pictures hired Sala to animate one of the stories from Night Drive called Invisible Hands. This was eventually expanded by Sala and director Denis Morella into a 12-minute story about a psychic detective, a hooded criminal, taxidermy, a costume party and a secret society of one-handed killers, all done in Sala's usual tongue-in-cheek style. Divided into 2-minute chapters so it could be shown as a serial, Invisible Hands, debuted on the first season of Liquid Television
Show, which also featured the television debuts of Beavis and Butthead and Æon Flux
.
Sala has continued to be a prolific illustrator and comic book artist. Two of his books, The Chuckling Whatsit and Mad Night began as serial
s. They are epic thrillers with labyrinthine plots and black humor. The Chuckling Whatsit first appeared in the anthology Zero Zero. Mad Night, which features the girl detective
, Judy Drood, was initially serialized in Sala's 12-issue comic book series Evil Eye, published by Fantagraphics Books. Evil Eye also introduced Peculia, a mysterious black-haired waif whose fairy-tale inspired adventures include encounters with murderous children, necrophiles, cat-women and zombies. Evil Eye ran for twelve issues, between 1998 and 2001.
Sala has also worked on projects with Lemony Snicket
, Steve Niles
and The Residents
and illustrated Doctor Sax and The Great World Snake, a script written in the 1960s by Jack Kerouac
, which, like Sala's own work, makes use of pulp genre conventions such as vampires and shadowy avengers.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
, illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, and comic book creator
Comic book creator
A comic book creator is someone who creates a comic book or graphic novel.The production of a comic book by one of the major comic book companies in the U.S...
with a unique expressionistic style whose books often combine elements of mystery, horror and whimsy.
Biography
Richard Sala was born in Oakland, CA. He spent his childhood in West Chicago, IL and his teenage years in Scottsdale, AZ. In interviews, Sala has mentioned the influence of his childhood years on his work, particularly his visits to museums and antique shops. He has stated that his love of reading and his interest in comic books and horror films helped him deal with real life fears. He attended college as an art major, finally earning a Master of Fine Arts Degree in painting from Mills CollegeMills College
Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...
. He then worked as a freelance illustrator, something he had begun doing while in college, and a cartoonist, publishing his first comic book, Night Drive, in 1984.
More of a reflection of his art school education than a typical comic book, Night Drive nevertheless ended up opening doors for Sala that would eventually lead to his rediscovering and embracing his childhood love of comics and monsters. The book came to the attention of several individuals who contacted Sala to request work. These included Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman is an American comics artist, editor, and advocate for the medium of comics, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic book memoir, Maus. His works are published with his name in lowercase: art spiegelman.-Biography:Spiegelman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Polish Jews...
, Monte Beauchamp and Colossal Pictures and resulted in his appearances in two highly regarded comic anthologies - Spiegelman's RAW
RAW (magazine)
RAW was a comics anthology edited by Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly and published by Mouly from 1980 to 1991. It was a flagship publication of the 1980s alternative comics movement, serving as a more intellectual counterpoint to Robert Crumb's visceral Weirdo, which followed squarely in the...
and Beauchamp's BLAB!. Colossal Pictures hired Sala to animate one of the stories from Night Drive called Invisible Hands. This was eventually expanded by Sala and director Denis Morella into a 12-minute story about a psychic detective, a hooded criminal, taxidermy, a costume party and a secret society of one-handed killers, all done in Sala's usual tongue-in-cheek style. Divided into 2-minute chapters so it could be shown as a serial, Invisible Hands, debuted on the first season of Liquid Television
Liquid Television
Liquid Television is an Emmy Award–winning 1990s animation showcase that appeared on MTV. The first season of Liquid Television also aired on BBC Two in co-production with MTV. Ultimately, MTV commissioned three seasons of the show, which was produced by Colossal Pictures...
Show, which also featured the television debuts of Beavis and Butthead and Æon Flux
Æon Flux
Æon Flux was originally an avant-garde science fiction animated television series that aired on MTV in various forms throughout the 1990s, with film, comic book, and video game adaptations following thereafter. It premiered in 1991 on MTV's Liquid Television experimental animation show as a...
.
Sala has continued to be a prolific illustrator and comic book artist. Two of his books, The Chuckling Whatsit and Mad Night began as serial
Serial (literature)
In literature, a serial is a publishing format by which a single large work, most often a work of narrative fiction, is presented in contiguous installments—also known as numbers, parts, or fascicles—either issued as separate publications or appearing in sequential issues of a single periodical...
s. They are epic thrillers with labyrinthine plots and black humor. The Chuckling Whatsit first appeared in the anthology Zero Zero. Mad Night, which features the girl detective
Girl Detective
Girl Detective is a series replacing the long-running Nancy Drew mysteries series, which had been running since 1930, first from Grosset & Dunlap and latterly from Simon & Schuster...
, Judy Drood, was initially serialized in Sala's 12-issue comic book series Evil Eye, published by Fantagraphics Books. Evil Eye also introduced Peculia, a mysterious black-haired waif whose fairy-tale inspired adventures include encounters with murderous children, necrophiles, cat-women and zombies. Evil Eye ran for twelve issues, between 1998 and 2001.
Sala has also worked on projects with Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...
, Steve Niles
Steve Niles
Steve Niles is an American comic book author and novelist, known for works such as 30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre, Simon Dark, Mystery Society and Batman: Gotham County Line....
and The Residents
The Residents
The Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....
and illustrated Doctor Sax and The Great World Snake, a script written in the 1960s by Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
, which, like Sala's own work, makes use of pulp genre conventions such as vampires and shadowy avengers.