CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 4/30/2013

Craig Thompson Interviews French Cartoonist Blutch

In the April 19 edition of Boing Boing, award-winning graphic novelist Craig Thompson interviews the legendary French cartoonist, Blutch, whose work has just been collected and published in English for the first time by PictureBox. Thompson asks, "In So Long, Silver Screen, your persona converses with a nubile dancer, while you draw lines (tracing her movements?) with a mop-like brush. She is the conscience and counterpoint to your curmudgeon. What is the correlation between dancing and drawing?" Blutch responds, "First, I have to say that this specific sequence was inspired by abstract expressionism which used large brooms to paint on large surfaces. The initial idea was that the character was in such a dark mood that he felt the urge to fill the page with black, put it everywhere. But yes, for me, drawing and moving have always been related. There is something in cartooning that I find unique, the fact that it is an approach of rhythm. Like ballet, somehow, I have the impression that there is not much of a difference between a stage performance and a drawing performance, well I believe so… whatever! This is all very instinctive." For the complete interview, go to Boing Boing.