#tsemberlidis

I can’t believe I just spelled out that header, correctly, from memory.  

Here we've got a collection from Breakdown Press called 'Picnoleptic Inertia' that compiles some early, self published, work of the cartoonist Tsemberlidis.  Tsemberlidis, along with compatriot Lando, puts out wacky and far out sci fi comix under the imprint of Decadence Comics.  This is 70s style sci fi of the experimental and progressive vein that carries forth the torch that was lit back in those days by the whole Heavy Metal Magazine crew, Moebius, Crepax, etc.  

Reading this stuff, there's two sides to my experience.  I love it because, of course, it hits all the bases.  Its got the look, the pace, the fetish of line, expressionless astronauts falling through exploding realities; all that shit a nerd like me is gonna love.  But I also keep asking myself, while reading through it, would some 16-18 year old get inspired to explore sci fi after reading this book?  Is this stuff inspiring sci fi, exploring sci fi, or is it just giving doses to old fogeys like myself who will always need more?  Is it anything beyond that?   Moebius, that was the gateway drug.  Seeing that shit just pulled me in deeper. Made me start digging and check out films like Solaris and Zaragoza and then seek out Vonnegut and Dick.  So I question this book, this work, on wether or not it is truly exploratory sci fi or if it is just aesthetic.  

I was just watching an interview with Dan Clowes conducted by fellow comix luminary, Seth.  At one point Seth jokingly inquires to Clowes on wether or not he would do a book about 'Elves'.  After a chuckle Clowes concludes no, and I'm really paraphrasing here, but also follows up by saying that there's a good batch of young cartoonists out there who have a real proper mix of love of that kinda stuff, as well as of irony, and that they can really pull off those styles properly so he'll leave it to them.  

Theres all sorts of awesome anthologies coming out from over on the other side of the world these days.  Some of them are preceded by a lot of hype and a lot of press and a lot of gloss, they are immaculately put together and have all the names attached.  And they’re good, really good!  They’re like the ‘Yes’ of european anthologies.  And Decadence is the Gnidrolog or the Algarnas Tradgard; the waaaay more serious and intuitive prog rock groups toiling away in relative silence and producing just as crazy and maddening shit as the the more glossed over ‘pop prog’ of Jon Anderson and crew.  Decadence is definitely the Gnidrolog of comix.

Its totally serious about itself in a way that makes ya want to roll your eyes but ya can’t because its so god damn full of such god damn work.  Its like that kid I knew in high school who was so fucking serious about guitar and never cut his hair and was so intent on looking exactly like Steve Hackett and it was so hard not to chuckle at but in the end I had to admit he was a damn good guitar player and an absolutely captivating musician.  And how did such a dirty and ruddy dude get so much pussy?  Anyway…

This book is full of comix, printed directly from endpaper to endpaper.  Theres no table of contents, they aren’t gonna tell you the artists names or how to find more work for them; thats you’re problem ya fucking douchebag!!  This is comix!! Shut the fuck up and read these comix!!!  And, again, its serious good comix.  The Alexis Beauclair piece is fucking god damn spot on and the Jon Chandler bit is every bit as humorous and mystifying as ever.  

The old standbys of the Decadence crew continue to contribute their absolutely awesome homages to folks like Moebius and the early Heavy Metal crew.  Their commitment to provide narrative and temper it with sparing use of abstraction is what makes it so good and such genuine sci fi.  Just enough dosed in to make you realize there are realms you don’t understand, have not yet seen, and hefty amounts of real human grit.  When bragging to all my friends who don’t know shit about comix that I only read “the most intuitive, sparingly printed, completely underground and completely inaccessible alternative and hand made” comix this serves as a great reminder that every single one of the folks powering the current underground are rock hard illustrators of serious craft and mad skillz.   Ya can’t fake this stuff, ya can’t cheat, these illustrators are all the real deal; each and every one of them.  

Me hopes everyone is following their stuff, getting heavy doses of real comix.  This anthology is real comix, go buy it quick: http://www.decadencecomics.com/Home/decadence-11

also, go listen to some Gnidrolog

Decadence will be at Safari Festival. August 27th, at Protein Studios, London.