Book Club: Funchicken
Mark Todd and Esther Pearl Watson are an artist couple that makes zines. Thanks to BlueQ, some of those are now finally distributed in shops worldwide, and we can’t thank them enough for it.
Esther Pearl Watson’s combination of black and blue-grey artworks on yellowy paper is an excellent one to tell this timeless tale of love set in a present day high school reality. ‘80s references like Transformers, Batman and Donkey Kong are alternated with cute and naïve drawings and typography, where the artist’s pen lines draw an alternative and refreshing point of view on a modern “Romeo & Juliet”, filled with high school drama. An art book with a story.
Mark Todd’s “Bad Asses” on the other hand explicitly chooses to document ‘70s and ‘80s pop culture, drawing his favourite guys, girls and rides from tv, music and beyond, and adding descriptions and personal comments to them. The red and black tones of the drawings on yellow paper add a nostalgic feeling to this trip to the past, the era when colour tv flourished. Great teenage weltschmerz for everyone who grew up back then. By the power of Greyskull!
“Romeo & Juliet” by Esther Pearl Watson, 2007. ISBN 978-1-6016-7163-9, 76p, 12.5x12.5 cm, duotone content and softcover for $7.99 on www.blueq.com.
“Bad Asses” by Mark Todd, 2007. ISBN 978-1-6016-7150-9, 104p, 20x13 cm, duotone content and softcover for $7.99 on www.blueq.com.
- Eva
