Al Columbia (born 1970) is an American cartoonist.
Video Al Columbia
Careers
Big Number
At the age of 18, Columbia was hired to assist Bill Sienkiewicz in illustrating the ambitious Alan Moore series Big Numbers . When Sienkiewicz resigned from the series in 1990 after releasing the first two issues, Moore and his supporters at Tundra Publishing asked young Columbia to become his sole artist. In 1992, with no further issues being released, Columbia himself left the project under a cloud of rumors and allegations, including claims that he had destroyed his own artwork for Big Numbers. Columbia refused to discuss the issue openly for several years, wrote in a 1998 letter to The Comics Journal that "I can easily launch a scolding about the extensive horror of my Tundra experience, but I prefer a very entertaining and contradictory account already in circulation. "In later statements he asserted that he destroyed his artwork but denied any other claims by the main figures in the failure.
In a 2011 article that reflects on his Big Numbers experience, Sienkiewicz writes that he and Columbia have long been reconciled about the matter, and that he is satisfied with "[c] stopping the feud until youth stupidity."
1990s
Columbia's first solo comic book, Doghead , was released by Tundra Publishing in 1992. He contributed to three horror anthology issues From Beyonde in the early nineties, initially under the pen name " Lucien "and then under his own name. The stories "The Biologic Show" and "Tar Frogs" also appear in the English magazine Deadline. In these works, which focus on deep and disturbing matter including mutilation, incest, and occultism, it moves away from the shiny photorealism of its day with Sienkiewicz to a rugged but virtuoso pen-style that emphasizes the details of physiognomy as horrible as a mouth full of teeth and glance, reptile eyes.
In 1994, Fantagraphics Books published the comic Columbia The Biologic Show # 0. It contains a partially redrawn version of his story from the Deadline along with new works. It received most of the reviews and enthusiastic praise from other cartoonists including Mike Allred and Jim Woodring. The The Biologic Show # 1 followed in 1995, featuring the first part of an unfinished graphic novel, Peloria ; problem # 2 is advertised but never shows up. Also in 1995, "I Was Killing When Killing Was not Cool" became the first of a series of two short stories of color by Columbia to appear in the anthology of Fantagraphics Zero Zero. In these works, noted for their striking visual rhythms and the atmosphere of their fear, he adopted a slimmer drawing style that evoked early animated cartoons, especially the works of Fleischer Studios. In later stories such as Columbia's "Amnesia" and "Alfred the Great" combine animated image-affected characters with detailed chiaroscuro backgrounds and some use of digital illustration techniques and photo manipulation. "The Trumpets They Play!", A work much praised in this style based on the Book of Revelation, appears in BLAB! # 10 in 1998.
During the 1990s, Columbia performed additional tasks such as color separation for cartoonist publications including Chris Ware, Walt Holcombe, and Archer Prewitt. He also created the artwork for comedian television David Cross 1999 specifically The Pride is Back . Although he gave brief interviews to several zines during this period, the small quantity of output he published and the cancellation of some previously announced anthology titles and contributions, coupled with the prolonged question of the fate of the Big Numbers, speculation. "What happened to Al Columbia?" become a timeless question on comics websites and message boards.
2000s and so on
During the 2000s, Columbia contributed occasionally to anthologies including Ashley Wood's Mome , Best American Comic and
Columbia's personal website, alcolumbia.com, online at the end of 2006. Adobe Flash-based sites feature a variety of illustrations, photos, and changing multimedia content. It was closed in early 2012. A new website, Orange Sunshine House, appeared in 2013 at orangesunshinehouse.com.
In 2009, Pim & amp; Francie: The Golden Bear Days , a previously unpublished book by Columbia, was released to widespread critical recognition, including a nomination for two Ignatz Awards.
In recent years, Columbia has created original paintings and prints, many of which have been sold to private collectors. In 2013, a number of his paintings are published on the Hi-Fructose Magazine website.
Maps Al Columbia
Repeating character
From the The Biologic Show and so on, the Columbia comics have featured some recurring characters that continue to reappear despite being killed several times.
Seymour Sunshine
A protagonist who often appears in Columbia's early work, Seymour Sunshine is a cowardly and passive child who resembles Koko the Clown. He first appeared in the story "Not Tomorrow If I Should Return" at The Biologic Show # 0. Other stories featuring characters include "I Killed When Killing Not Cool", "Amnesia", and "The Trumpets They Play!".
Pim and Francie
A pair of naughty victims whose wickedness brought them into a terrible problem, Pim and Francie first appeared in the story "Tar Frogs" and were the protagonists in "Peloria Part One" and Pim & amp; Francie: The Golden Bear Days . Both have a clear relation of brother. According to Columbia they initially imitated him and his ex-boyfriend as cartoon characters before living their own lives.
Knishkebibble the Monkey-Boy
Described in the story of "Amnesia" as "childish icon for naughty and dirty pleasure," Knishkebibble was introduced in "Peloria Part One". In subsequent appearances he acts as a Seymour Sunshine sidekick, serving mostly to drag them both into dangerous situations. He is greedy, cunning, and vulgar, and usually speaks with a hill accent.
Music and movies
Columbia is a founding member of the band The Action Suits, whose other members have included fellow cartoonists Peter Bagge and Eric Reynolds. His more recent musical activities, including songs and music videos recorded with his colleague by the name of The Francies, have been sporadically documented on his website.
In 2009 he directed and appeared in a music video for the song "The Lots Was Never Cured" by the American heavy metal band, Unholy.
In 2014, the Toronto International Film Festival screened the Intruders , a short film directed by Santiago Menghini that included segments based on the Columbia comic "5:45 A.M.".
Influence
Gerard Way, lead singer of My Chemical Romance and author of the comic book series The Umbrella Academy, describes his exposure to Columbia's work as a "turning point" in the development of his sensitivity. Marguerite Van Cook praised Columbia's work as an example of postmodern lofty, writing "Jameson points out that there is nothing left to surprise us, but I would suggest that Columbia do just that." Other artists who cite Columbia as an inspiration include Tunde Adebimpe, Camille Rose Garcia, and Frances Bean Cobain.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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