Ed & Jim, Mr Sim and buying on a whim

My friend DL clued me in to the Cartoonist Kayfabe channel on YouTube, where comic-makers and diehard fans of the medium Ed Piskor and Jim Rugg analyse selected works in an insightfully entertaining manner.

Last night, I watched their May 16 video on the upcoming "The Strange Death Of Alex Raymond" graphic novel, by the controversial yet undeniably talented Dave Sim (assisted by Carson Grubaugh).

What a gem of a vid. As Ed and Jim explained the origins of the GN, then slowly paged through an incomplete early version, I realised I could listen to them praise, technically dissect, question and lovingly poke fun at sequential art for hours. Just as well we have Cartoonist Kayfabe, then.

As for "The Strange Death...", it looks MIND-BLOWING. The promotional text calls it "equal parts 'Understanding Comics' and 'From Hell' ". I'd throw a vintage issue of "Vogue" into that description, too. I immediately preordered a copy from Book Depository.

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF5ykH0uH90