PS. As a participant in Comix@ and the whole subculture you're talking about, I think this re-view is spot-on, and, as the cliche goes, it really takes me back. Thank you.
(I found in my office just yesterday a print-out of my Comix@ "diary" recounting, in detail, my first ICAF experience in 1996.)
One thing I remember enjoying about Hicksville was the parodic invocation of colonialism through telling details like "Captain Cook's Comic Cuts." I do agree, though, that the story too conveniently makes Leonard the ignorant White guy who gets schooled by wise Indigenous people. (The implicit analogy between colonization and the cutthroat business of comics is strained.)
Another thing I enjoyed about Hicksville was its detours into what I'd call autotheory, like the reflections on comics vis-a-vis cartography.
What do you think of Horrocks' later GN, "Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen"? It's politically smarter, in the sense of self-aware and even guiltier than "Hicksville," but I don't know that that makes it an improvement. Beautiful book, though; I have an original page on my wall.
I loved Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen. I wrote about Hicksville because it was more meaningful for me personally when it came out than Sam Zabel. Hicksville was published at my personal high tide as a hard core comics fan.
PS. As a participant in Comix@ and the whole subculture you're talking about, I think this re-view is spot-on, and, as the cliche goes, it really takes me back. Thank you.
(I found in my office just yesterday a print-out of my Comix@ "diary" recounting, in detail, my first ICAF experience in 1996.)
Great re-view, Robert!
One thing I remember enjoying about Hicksville was the parodic invocation of colonialism through telling details like "Captain Cook's Comic Cuts." I do agree, though, that the story too conveniently makes Leonard the ignorant White guy who gets schooled by wise Indigenous people. (The implicit analogy between colonization and the cutthroat business of comics is strained.)
Another thing I enjoyed about Hicksville was its detours into what I'd call autotheory, like the reflections on comics vis-a-vis cartography.
What do you think of Horrocks' later GN, "Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen"? It's politically smarter, in the sense of self-aware and even guiltier than "Hicksville," but I don't know that that makes it an improvement. Beautiful book, though; I have an original page on my wall.
I loved Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen. I wrote about Hicksville because it was more meaningful for me personally when it came out than Sam Zabel. Hicksville was published at my personal high tide as a hard core comics fan.
For some reason, I skipped over Horrocks back then. I recently got Hicksville but it’s still waiting for me to read it! Need to get on it!