My name is Graham Millar. I’m an English Major at Penn State and an aspiring cartoonist. Some would say that I draw comics in my free time, but I don’t consider that my free time. It is my vocation. I completed my first mini-comic, ‘Mozzarella; Rumble in the Jungle’ in February 2020. I have a vested interest in professional publishing and I believe a book can function as an art object, not just as a nice story. Fortunately, I also have appreciation for arts that aren’t printed on pulp-paper.
Staff Picks
There’s a lot of great work being done in ‘Fear of the Unknown’. The bat and the hand holding the flashlight in ‘Fear of the Unknown’ appear to be paste-ups, drawn on a separate sheet of paper and then added after the painting. This technique puts these two entities into the direct focus of the viewer. Because the bat is not painted or ink washed like the rest of the background, and the illustration itself is so detailed, it becomes incredibly striking to look at. The hand however, is still subject to the same grey ink wash as the background, allowing it to fade into the tree slightly. The utilizer of the flashlight remains mostly unseen. It’s one thing to be afraid of bats, but the bat in this image is not only known, but incredibly visible. The unknown is then either the frightened soul holding the light, instilling fear with the bat….or something more…lurking in the grey mist of the woods beyond the light.
“Fear of the Unknown”-Christy Xu (Published in 2016’s Klio)
I liked ‘Earthbeat’ for a simpler reason. The bright orange sky with light blue clouds that are just hinted at with watercolor strokes make for a really beautiful and subtle depiction of the sunset. Cartoonist Kayfabe, a podcast I listen to almost religiously, features Pittsburgh cartoonists Ed Piskor and Jim Rugg. I can’t name specific episodes, but Piskor and Rugg will repeatedly mention not making the sky blue, when composing an image for dramatic effect. What really sells this is the blue ground and darkened grass in the shade of the mountains.
“Earthbeat”- Christy Xu (Published in 2016’s Klio
People are often drawn to paintings because of the way colors affect mood, but Christy demonstrates in ‘Fear of the Unknown’ that she has command over the black an white medium. She can communicate a really interesting idea with just the value, and not just the hues. This gives you a better appreciation then for the color work she does in ‘Earthbeat’. The sky is lighter wash, which feels appropriate contrasted with heavier mountains. The darker wash presents a solid form against the lightly defined sky.
As the Art Coordinator for KLIO’s 2021 edition I’m excited to build bridges with the artists of Penn State in order to feature their works. I hope that we can publish pieces from a variety of mediums that Klio has always honored, and ideally bring works that also may not have counterparts in prior editions.