Steven Weissman
Encyclopedia
Steven Weissman is an award-winning alternative
cartoonist
best known for his offbeat and bizarre explorations of childhood friendships (not to mention competitiveness and mutual enmity). He has been published by Alternative Comics
and Fantagraphics, and has had his work translated into French and Japanese.
and Ignatz award-nominated 1997 series Yikes (volume II), published by Alternative Comics. It features the light-hearted adventures of a gang of kids, very much in the Little Rascals mold, who just happen to be "monsters" — vampires, zombies, and the like. Yikes ran for two issues, and has since been collected, with previous self-published Yikes comics, in Don't Call Me Stupid and Mean, both put out by Fantagraphics.
In 1999, he moved to Fantagraphics, where he has published a series of one-shots, compilations, and original graphic novels, including Champs, White Flower Day, and Chewing Gum in Church.
In addition to his work for Alternative and Fantagraphics, Weissman has done comics for Last Gasp
, Marvel Entertainment
and Nickelodeon Magazine.
" tradition, Hal Roach
's Our Gang
shorts, Shirley Temple
movies, Abbott and Costello
, and Sunday morning TV as influences; though his primary influence is Charles M. Schulz
's Peanuts
. He also mentions cartoonists Dan Clowes and Mike Allred as influences on his approach to color (which tends to be simple two-color treatments).
for Best New Talent. He was nominated for a 1997 Ignatz Award for Promising New Talent; and was nominated for a 1998 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Series, for his title Yikes (Alternative Comics).
, Brian Biggs
, Josh Neufeld
, and Mats!? (with whom he shared a studio space). Weissman currently lives in the Los Angeles
neighborhood of "Little Armenia" with his wife Charissa Chu and their son Charles.
Tom Spurgeon
of the Comics Reporter:
Gilbert Hernandez
:
Jaime Hernandez
:
Alternative comics
Alternative comics defines a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to "mainstream" superhero comics which in the past have dominated the US comic book industry...
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...
best known for his offbeat and bizarre explorations of childhood friendships (not to mention competitiveness and mutual enmity). He has been published by Alternative Comics
Alternative Comics (publisher)
Alternative Comics is a U.S. independent graphic novel and comic book publisher which operated from 1993–2007. Located in Gainesville, Florida, it is owned and operated by its founder, attorney Jeff Mason...
and Fantagraphics, and has had his work translated into French and Japanese.
Yikes
Weissman made his name with the HarveyHarvey Award
The Harvey Awards, named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman and founded by Gary Groth, President of the publisher Fantagraphics, are given for achievement in comic books. The Harveys were created as part of a successor to the Kirby Awards which were discontinued after 1987.The Harvey Awards are...
and Ignatz award-nominated 1997 series Yikes (volume II), published by Alternative Comics. It features the light-hearted adventures of a gang of kids, very much in the Little Rascals mold, who just happen to be "monsters" — vampires, zombies, and the like. Yikes ran for two issues, and has since been collected, with previous self-published Yikes comics, in Don't Call Me Stupid and Mean, both put out by Fantagraphics.
The Yikes gang
- Li'l Bloody — a "deformation" of a Baron Blood knock-off Weissman drew in sketchbooks shared with his teenaged friends.
- Pullapart Boy — L'il Bloody's "Frankenstein's MonsterFrankenstein's monsterFrankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...
" best friend - Dead Boy — Pullapart Boy's "zombieZombieZombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
" sidekick/brother - Kid Medusa — inspired by ChrysaorChrysaorIn Greek mythology, Chrysaor , the brother of Pegasus, was often depicted as a young man, the son of Poseidon and Medusa. However, Chrysaor is sometimes said to be a giant or a winged boar. Chrysaor and his brother, the winged horse Pegasus, were not born until Perseus chopped off Medusa's head...
, brother of PegasusPegasusPegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...
and son of PoseidonPoseidonPoseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
and MedusaMedusaIn Greek mythology Medusa , " guardian, protectress") was a Gorgon, a chthonic monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. The author Hyginus, interposes a generation and gives Medusa another chthonic pair as parents. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone... - X-Ray Spence — inspired by iconic comic book ads for X-ray glasses.
- "Sweet Chubby" Cheeks — a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde character, as well as an illustration of the kind of "aw" cutesyness that Weissman didn't care for. Modeled on the later Our Gang comedies, with George McFarlandGeorge McFarlandGeorge Robert Phillips "Spanky" McFarland was an American actor most famous for his appearances as a child in the Our Gang series of short-subject comedies of the 1930s and 1940s...
continuing to play Spanky when he was far too old, Chubby is similar: adults would think he was still cute, but kids would know better. Eventually, Wiessman started modeling Cheeks on Joe CobbJoe CobbJoe Frank Cobb was a former American child actor, most notable for appearing as the original "fat boy" in the Our Gang comedies from 1922 to 1929...
's Little Rascals "fat boy" character, and he quickly became Weissman's favorite character in the series. - Li'l Tin-Stars — inspired by Western heroes like the Lone Ranger
- Shaver — inspired by Casper the Friendly GhostCasper the Friendly GhostCasper the Friendly Ghost is the protagonist of the Famous Studios theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. As his name indicates, he is a ghost, but is quite personable...
. - Elzie Crisler — the kids' mascot, a reanimated dead dog named after PopeyePopeyePopeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
creator Elzie Crisler Segar.
Later work
Besides Yikes, Weissman did two other titles for Alternative, Tykes and The Lemon Kids.In 1999, he moved to Fantagraphics, where he has published a series of one-shots, compilations, and original graphic novels, including Champs, White Flower Day, and Chewing Gum in Church.
In addition to his work for Alternative and Fantagraphics, Weissman has done comics for Last Gasp
Last Gasp
Last Gasp is a book and underground comix publisher and distributor based in San Francisco, California.- History :Founded in 1970 by Ron Turner to publish the ecologically-themed comics magazine Slow Death Funnies, followed by the all-female anthology It Ain't Me Babe, Last Gasp soon became a major...
, Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC , formerly Marvel Enterprises and Toy Biz, Inc., is an American entertainment company formed from the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. and Toy Biz, Inc....
and Nickelodeon Magazine.
Influences
Weissman has cited the Japanese "super deformedSuper deformed
Super deformed or SD is a specific style of Japanese caricature where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby, with stubby limbs and oversized heads, to make them resemble small children...
" tradition, Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
's Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
shorts, Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
movies, Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
, and Sunday morning TV as influences; though his primary influence is Charles M. Schulz
Charles M. Schulz
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
's Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
. He also mentions cartoonists Dan Clowes and Mike Allred as influences on his approach to color (which tends to be simple two-color treatments).
Awards
Weissman was awarded the 1998 Harvey AwardHarvey Award
The Harvey Awards, named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman and founded by Gary Groth, President of the publisher Fantagraphics, are given for achievement in comic books. The Harveys were created as part of a successor to the Kirby Awards which were discontinued after 1987.The Harvey Awards are...
for Best New Talent. He was nominated for a 1997 Ignatz Award for Promising New Talent; and was nominated for a 1998 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Series, for his title Yikes (Alternative Comics).
Personal life
Weissman lived in San Francisco in the late 1990s, where he associated with fellow cartoonists/illustrators Ed BrubakerEd Brubaker
Ed Brubaker is an Eisner Award-winning comic book writer and cartoonist. Brubaker first early comics work was primarily in the crime fiction genre with works such as Lowlife, The Fall, Sandman Presents: Dead Boy Detectives and Scene of the Crime...
, Brian Biggs
Brian Biggs
Brian Biggs is a Children's Book Illustrator. He has been published by HarperCollins and Random House, among others, and has illustrated a Little Golden Book.- Early work :...
, Josh Neufeld
Josh Neufeld
Josh Neufeld is an alternative cartoonist known for his nonfiction comics on subjects like Hurricane Katrina, international travel, and finance, as well as his collaborations with writers like Harvey Pekar and Brooke Gladstone...
, and Mats!? (with whom he shared a studio space). Weissman currently lives in the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
neighborhood of "Little Armenia" with his wife Charissa Chu and their son Charles.
Quotes
Weissman, on drawing "cute":Tom Spurgeon
Tom Spurgeon
Tom Spurgeon is an American writer, historian and editor in the field of comics, notable for his five-year run as editor of The Comics Journal and his blog The Comics Reporter, which he launched in 2004 with site designer Jordan Raphael.-Books:...
of the Comics Reporter:
Gilbert Hernandez
Gilbert Hernandez
Gilberto Hernández, born February 1, 1957, in Oxnard, California, usually credited as Gilbert Hernandez and also known by the nickname Beto , is an American comics writer/artist...
:
Jaime Hernandez
Jaime Hernandez
Jaime Hernandez is the co-creator of the black & white independent comic book Love and Rockets .-Early life:...
:
Selected bibliography
- Tykes, 1997 (Alternative)
- Yikes (vol II), 1998 (Alternative)
- Lemon Kids, 1999 (Alternative)
- Champs, 1999 (Fantagraphics) ISBN 1-56097-372-2
- Don't Call Me Stupid : A "Yikes" Collection, 2001 (Fantagraphics) ISBN 978-1-56097-431-4
- White Flower Day, 2002 (Fantagraphics) ISBN 1-56097-514-8
- The Kid Firechief, 2004 (Fantagraphics) ISBN 978-1-56097-866-4
- Mean, 2007 (Fantagraphics) ISBN 978-1-56097-866-4
- Chewing Gum in Church, 2007 (Fantagraphics) ISBN 1-56097-736-1
- Chocolate Cheeks, 2010 (Fantagraphics) ISBN 978-1-56097-927-2