Alternative Visions
Alternative Visions |
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Page 7 of 29  Pages from 'Little Bastard' (1991). Art/script: Kaz. Dazzlingly colourful work, but another contributor whose worh was better looked at than read. Yet beyond this underground connection, the design of Raw spoke of other influences, notably punk. We have seen how punk was a pervasive influence on the alternatives in general, but in Raw's case, punk was referred to selectively, and commonly interpreted though an ironic, neo-expressionist filter. Each contents page, for example, featured design ideas such as 'overprints' and 'drop outs' that were associated with the punk aesthetic. Similarly, the 'ripped and torn' fashion was reflected in issue 7, which had the right-hand corner of the cover torn off (a torn piece randomly selected from another cover was taped to the corner of page 1). These quirks gave Raw a reputation for novelty and for never standing still. They also lent it a sense of energy despite its artiness. This art-punk attitude was underlined by the inclusion of new creators. Gary Panter contributed strips staring 'Jimbo' (already a cult character from a punk fanzine called Slash), about an indestructible, post-nuclear anti-hero; they featured unpolished, scratchy artwork and plenty of 'so what?' humour. Charles Burns was a master of meticulous 1950s-style horror and science fiction stories, resonant with noir references and sexual undercurrents, which managed to be both horrifying and hilariously funny. Jerry Moriarty's 'Jack Survives' was an oddly engaging view of the banal; it was a 'real time melodrama' about a man who survives everyday mundane menaces, including aggressive dogs and faulty plumbing. Also included were Mark Beyer's 'art brut' stories featuring rag-doll figures that became involved in horrendous and often fatal situations, and Drew Friedman's satires, which had a mission to expose 'the dark underbelly of show-biz glitz' (and which included some savage, and barely legal, pointillist caricatures of media personalities). Other American-based discoveries included Ben Katchor, Mark Newgarden and Kaz.  Pages from The Basket Case (1990). Art/script: Jacques Tardi. A haunting story by Frenchman Tardi about a madman's encounter with a prostitute and her dribbling, bowler-hatted charge.  Pages from Proxy (1991). Art: Richard Sala. Script: Tom Do Haven |