Four weeks, four New Yorkers, four New Yorker covers. As follows:
Week one: a gorgeous cover for the Fall Books issue, drawn by Adrian Tomine, creator of the "Optic Nerve" series of comic books, published by Drawn and Quarterly. I have always loved Tomine's drawing style, but only intermittently dip into "Optic Nerve" out of a feeling that his writing lacks the depth that I'm looking for (okay, we're not talking Tolstoy here, but even in the world of comic books we require a degree of substance). I fear I may be totally wrong in this judgment, and hereby vow to give him a second hearing.
Week two: a typically clever Bruce McCall cover. McCall's connection with our comic book shelf is a one-page "What's Wrong With This Picture?" in Art Spiegelman's first "Little Lit" collection. McCall's trick is to remove any kind of personal style or statement from his art: which, in 2004, is, of course, a kind of statement in itself. He also writes very funny pieces for the New Yorker, such as a guide for applying for Canadian citizenship a couple of weeks ago ("Please use a soft pencil").
Week three: Ian Falconer. Creator of the "Olivia" books (ostensibly for kids but we seem to like them more than the guys do: they are rarely dragged off the shelf other than by us and forced upon the boys in a fashion akin to green vegetables). Falconer also appeared in the second "Little Lit".
Week four: R Crumb. What more need be said?
Some of us, obviously, would be hoping that this comic book connection would continue at least until we get another Richard McGuire cover. But we're not holding our breath.
