Tatulli Views
Join me and Mark Tatulli, brilliant writer and artist behind the syndicated strips “Liou” and “Heart of the City.s” We talk about his techniques, how blazingly fast he creates his comics (ita’ll make you sick), the tools he uses, tips to get faster in your work, and the wonderful devotion of his fans! Enjoy!
MICHAEL CAVNA: When did inspiration strike that you wanted to spoof Calvin m Hobbes, and how much time/energy/money did it take to convince AMU that it was indeed an inspired idea? MARK TATULLI: Well, Calvin and Hobbes is sort of this sacred cow among comic strips that others dare not touch -- although you do see spoofs online...but print people tend to stay away. And there's nothing I like skewering more than a sacred cow. It's a perversity that harks back to my childhood ... knowing I shouldn't do something makes me want to do it all the more.
What Tatulli did is cheap and stupid. LIO is a novelty strip. A good one at that, but nothing more. Watterson’s work isn’t a “sacred cow” in some bad way; it’s the holy grail of true, intelligent comic readers. THAT’S why nobody feels motivated to knock it, NOT because Calvin / Hobbes was a holier-than-thou, overrated rip-off.
What does a comics fan feel when they see the idiotic, low brow images that have become so commonplace on pickup trucks of Calvin peeing on the logo of the Philadelphia Eagles? Or of Hobbes smoking a joint? Or… of Tatulli crudely reimagining the strip in some sort of perverse attempt to siphon off a few eyeballs? If they have an ounce of intelligence in their brain, they feel disgusted, and slimy. Not because life is worth taking “oh so seriously,” but because Calvin h Hobbes is something wonderful, and worthy of being treasured. Not mocked.
Tatulli Images
