tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post9037151018892589842..comments2024-02-20T06:58:37.061+00:00Comments on Cloud 109: Roger Brand and the Curse of the Green DeathPeter Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15566601617123798061noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-35203662139464275172022-12-10T03:21:21.407+00:002022-12-10T03:21:21.407+00:00I always saw a big Alex Toth influence in Brand...I always saw a big Alex Toth influence in Brand's art, down to his distinctive lettering. Of course, as Peter Richardson notes, Brand could draw in a number of styles without losing his own in the homage. Love his art, from the fanzines to the undergrounds to Western! He was as "pro ready" as any of the artists in early fandom.drivingovercanaanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07044638847400003359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-78190445463053927982012-06-30T21:29:41.280+01:002012-06-30T21:29:41.280+01:00To Alex. Does your surname begin with a "P&qu...To Alex. Does your surname begin with a "P" (possibly KA3AK) and are you currently a resident of P-town area? Do not mean to "diss" this thread or Ol' Rog's memory. May be an acquaintance. -exBerkeleyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-20008426136976489302012-06-19T03:52:16.201+01:002012-06-19T03:52:16.201+01:00I got to know Roger in 1982; met him on Haight Str...I got to know Roger in 1982; met him on Haight Street where he was collecting donations for the free clinic. I happened to have a bag with a comic store logo on it, and he asked me if I liked comics. We got to talking, and I ended up going to his apartment on Page Strteet several times. Once I bought an original piece from him, it was a Xmas card showing Roger, Michelle, and the dog "Big Lootchie," in a windswept, drafty apartment, a beautiful piece really, which I still have. His roomate told me that I shouldn't have paid him in cash, but should have brought groceries for him, as he was just going to spend the money on beer. He loved Wally Wood and didn't care for Joe Orlando for some reason. I thought he was a great guy, and a gifted artist. Rest in Peace.Alexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-77508666530783571572012-03-07T09:32:08.136+00:002012-03-07T09:32:08.136+00:00Not a comic person but knew Roger pretty well in t...Not a comic person but knew Roger pretty well in the 70's in Berkeley as a roomate. Wish I had kept some of the stuff he gave (none of it original art) me but passed it on to an illustrator who appreciated it better than I could. Did manage to keep a copy of Banzai. My favorite is in it, "My First Bust" and my favorite is the self-portrait of Ol' Rog relaxing with a fat joint by the fireside. Roger was a sweet guy already on the way down by the time I ran into him. He moved over to SF and we lost track. I too, have a million Roger Brand memories (and some Joel Beck ones too). When I saw the Green Death title I had to break my silence and add my two cents. Shared many a can of green death and brown death (Olde English) with him. I remember he walked out of a Charles Bukowski reading because he couldn't watch the old poet guzzling away all that beer from the tub! I wonder what ever became of his faithful dog buddy CK (mon doggy), a red dobie mix that was fond of sweet wine. Glad Roger's art is still appreciated. He was quite a cat.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-64640276547976091842011-12-10T15:45:09.854+00:002011-12-10T15:45:09.854+00:00Many thanks MicheleMany thanks MichelePeter Richardsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15566601617123798061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-91381873185582604872011-11-15T17:51:48.535+00:002011-11-15T17:51:48.535+00:00Anonymous MW that is...Anonymous MW that is...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-53174919947782223142011-11-15T17:50:28.945+00:002011-11-15T17:50:28.945+00:00This whole business is reminding me of a viking fu...This whole business is reminding me of a viking funeral, a nice homage and send-off a few years later. I'm glad people still remember and care. Comic artists don't learn in school, they learn from each other. Who knows where an idea, or a way of doing things may end up?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-38234523201677193442011-11-08T17:49:07.608+00:002011-11-08T17:49:07.608+00:00Yes, really fabulous work at his best Michele. Wit...Yes, really fabulous work at his best Michele. With Kim Deitch's excellent posting on Roger's life and work and the incredible response it has generated amongst his friends and colleagues, I have found myself leafing back through the succession of stories he created for Witzend 3, 4 and 5. In each story he pays homage to one of his heroes by adopting their style, so we get a Krigstein styling, followed by a Williamson styling, followed by a Gil Kane styling.<br /><br />And yet the story telling skills remain all his own.<br /><br />Lovely work indeed, wish I had had the privilege of getting to know him. But Kim's posting and the warm plaudits from the people he did befriend make for a pretty good substitute.Peter Richardsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15566601617123798061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-83600478703373279722011-11-08T16:57:17.864+00:002011-11-08T16:57:17.864+00:00His best work was pretty darn good, wasn't it....His best work was pretty darn good, wasn't it. But he was so trippy and unboundaried, it was as if he held it together as long as he could, then just let it go. MWAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-39683993814678829952011-11-07T21:32:18.106+00:002011-11-07T21:32:18.106+00:00Hi Michelle, sorry about the booboo about your hai...Hi Michelle, sorry about the booboo about your hair, blame my over reliance on second hand sources, in this case an interview in the Comics Journal with Mike Kaluta. That and the fact that another of my other sources (Blab No. 6) not allowing the truth to get in the way of a good story, had completely omitted any reference to Crystal Meth, whose destructive effects make even the ravages of alcohol abuse seem fairly benign.<br /><br />Such a shame, he really was a great talent and in my humble opinion several years ahead of his time. <br /><br />Looking at his work now it seems to have worn a lot better than many of his more commercially successful contemporaries.Peter Richardsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15566601617123798061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-18907195945134135862011-11-06T02:38:39.110+00:002011-11-06T02:38:39.110+00:00This was the first Brand comic that I ever saw. I...This was the first Brand comic that I ever saw. It holds up well.Brand_enthusiastnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-11252516704345660992011-11-05T20:04:06.661+00:002011-11-05T20:04:06.661+00:00God, where did you get all that information? All t...God, where did you get all that information? All true except the length of my hair and the fact that he was a meth-head, sniffing crystal methedrine for years, which had more to do with his crash-and-burn than alcohol, probably. I'm glad some people remember him in a good way. I had kind of put it all behind me. I'm reminded of the classic EC image of the rotted hand erupting from the grave. MWAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-26969721272657972842010-05-09T08:39:13.366+01:002010-05-09T08:39:13.366+01:00Fascinating Phil, I didn't know about Ogden Wh...Fascinating Phil, I didn't know about Ogden Whitney, but apart from the names you've listed there was also the equally terrible and lurid story of Bob Wood who I did a posting on (November 7th) under the title of "Into The Heart Of Darkness".<br /><br />But the list of alcoholic comic strip artists is a long one indeed.Peter Richardsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15566601617123798061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-55182128024142759732010-05-09T02:23:36.869+01:002010-05-09T02:23:36.869+01:00I'm sure I've seen that plane before at th...I'm sure I've seen that plane before at the beginning of an old Marvel story drawn by Dan Adkins - I guess they must have both had access to the same swipe file!<br /><br />Funnily enough I was looking at a Roger Brand strip in Witzend only last week and wondering what became of him. I must confess I'd completely forgotten about his involvement with Tales from the Leather Nun - surely one of the weirdest titles ever published, hence Paul Gravett's reference to it in his recent collection of 'Incredibly Strange Comics'. No doubt Brand's place in history will be ensured by this alone, even though his own story doesn't feature the Nun herself.<br /><br />Of course most artists begin their careers heavily influenced by the work of others before they eventually develop their own unique style: early Ditko, for instance, can at times be hard to distinguish from Robinson, Meskin and Kubert. Looking at 'The Haunted Sky' I get the impression that Brand must have drawn it with a copy of Krigstein's 'Master Race' constantly to hand in front of him; nevertheless it's to his credit he wasn't automatically imitating Wally Wood as so many of that artist's other assistants did. <br /><br />In fact I'm inclined to think that Brand must have been something of an artistic sponge, experimenting with a variety of styles: his story in 'Leather Nun' for example retains very little of the Krigstein influence, replacing this instead with an underground look that seems to owe much more to Spain Rodriguez. Bearing in mind that Krigstein himself was still around until the 1990s I can't help but feel it was a great shame that he didn't develop his own comic strip technique any further: the thought of what he would have gone on to create if he hadn't fallen out with EC in the 1950s has to be one of comics' greatest 'might-have-beens'!<br /><br />It must say something about the inherent 'loneliness of the long distance illustrator' that so many comic strip artists had their lives blighted by drink. From what I remember both Reed Crandell and Tom Sutton suffered from alcoholism, but possibly the saddest case of all was the one-time ACG mainstay (and co-creator of the brilliant Herbie) Ogden Whitney who apparently ended his life homeless and alone as a skid row derelict!Phil Rushtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11115717268103349676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-52087907407506851492010-05-08T19:20:01.570+01:002010-05-08T19:20:01.570+01:00Gee - dunno what to say Jack apart from a big Than...Gee - dunno what to say Jack apart from a big Thank You!!!<br /><br />For your words of praise and in anticipation of those recollections.<br /><br />Can't wait!Peter Richardsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15566601617123798061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-61107624367692723062010-05-08T19:15:23.466+01:002010-05-08T19:15:23.466+01:00Peter, I'll send you an email in a few days wi...Peter, I'll send you an email in a few days with a few recollections about Gary's shop from 1984 to 1991.<br /><br />Thanks again for your awesome blog.Jack Keeferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14270304326316735425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-42338965307370853242010-05-08T18:28:42.450+01:002010-05-08T18:28:42.450+01:00Yes Jack, he really was pretty amazing - he was in...Yes Jack, he really was pretty amazing - he was into this genre of artwork before artists like Dan Clowes, really pushed it out there.<br /><br />I'll see if I can post some more of Roger's amazing strips up over the next few weeks.<br /><br />I'd love to hear some of your anecdotes from hanging out in Gary's shop - they'd merit a blog posting or twoPeter Richardsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15566601617123798061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-52040637743166595662010-05-08T18:14:07.238+01:002010-05-08T18:14:07.238+01:00You know, Until this blog entry I never realized h...You know, Until this blog entry I never realized how good Roger Brand really was. I used to frequent Gary's shop (in the 80's) and Roger Brand was often a topic of discussion.Jack Keeferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14270304326316735425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-84575572386933024232010-05-08T12:51:00.173+01:002010-05-08T12:51:00.173+01:00Yes Liam, I think that ignorance of Krigstein was ...Yes Liam, I think that ignorance of Krigstein was the reason I was initially a little underwhelmed by Brand's henscratchings on "The Chase". I now look at this work with a much more educated eye and realize that it's really very tasty stuff indeed.Peter Richardsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15566601617123798061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-54626883838700745072010-05-08T12:26:23.417+01:002010-05-08T12:26:23.417+01:00It's amazing how close to Bernard Krigstein...It's amazing how close to Bernard Krigstein's influence on Roger Brand's style of drawing seems to look like it came from the man (Krigstein)himself.I saw a couple of other stories that Brand drew in other comic blogs.Most recently,"The Head" from one of the underground comix he worked on.It's sad that he had to meet such an untimely end.LiamAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com