Did any notable artists do early work on Chick Tracts?
I don't think so. Just Jack Chick and later Fred Carter.
"This Was Your Life" scared some "hell" outta me as a boy :)
Provocative and extremely controversial, but a curious part of American culture.
I'm puzzled by the number of places where I've seen his tracts described as curious, or a in some of the things I've seen on social meda, a fun thing to collect. I see it more as an embarrassing part of American culture. I'd liken collecting his tracts to collecting WBC protest signs (though at least the tracts are conveniently sized for a collection).
I'm puzzled by the number of places where I've seen his tracts described as curious, or a in some of the things I've seen on social meda, a fun thing to collect. I see it more as an embarrassing part of American culture. I'd liken collecting his tracts to collecting WBC protest signs (though at least the tracts are conveniently sized for a collection).
Obviously many people found it offensive.
And some people found Harvey Pekar to be offensive. It's all subjective. Different perspectives, tastes. Neither would likely get regular work these days.
I found them both odd, but also provocative and curious for different reasons.
I'm puzzled by the number of places where I've seen his tracts described as curious, or a in some of the things I've seen on social meda, a fun thing to collect. I see it more as an embarrassing part of American culture. I'd liken collecting his tracts to collecting WBC protest signs (though at least the tracts are conveniently sized for a collection).
Propaganda of all types have their collectors. And a lot of the Chick tracts are so outrageous, and the dialogue so... odd, they can be pretty funny, so they’ve got that going for them. I think most of the collectors probably are in it for the kitsch value, but there are likely some collectors who take them more at face value. Plus, as you said, the small size makes them easier to store. I used to have a few of them when I was in college that I got either from a guy handing them out on the corner across from the campus library, or from randomly finding them lying on the sidewalk where people had dropped them.
Did any notable artists do early work on Chick Tracts?
I don't think so. Just Jack Chick and later Fred Carter.
"This Was Your Life" scared some "hell" outta me as a boy :)
Provocative and extremely controversial, but a curious part of American culture.
I'm puzzled by the number of places where I've seen his tracts described as curious, or a in some of the things I've seen on social meda, a fun thing to collect. I see it more as an embarrassing part of American culture. I'd liken collecting his tracts to collecting WBC protest signs (though at least the tracts are conveniently sized for a collection).
This may be more of an academic thing (as I agree with @nweathington for most people it is probably more for kitsch value, or as conversation pieces) but I know some people believe that it is important to hold onto the media and ephemera of hate speech as artifacts, lest the presence, prevalence, and existence of it in the culture be downplayed after the fact. I had a professor in college who had her own collection of mammy images, pollywogs, and things like that. Some she would find at flea markets, things like that. She is black, so it is not like these are the things she enjoyed looking at. But she also felt it was important for her, as an academic, to have this collection, and be able to have these artifacts to use in her teaching as needed (and, mind you, I had her as a professor in the mid-'90s, so this was before we relied on the Internet to be our collective memory). So I could see there being some interest in collecting them for that reason as well.
Did any notable artists do early work on Chick Tracts?
Only two (possibly three) artists worked on the Chick tracts: Jack Chick and Fred Carter. There is one tract that some speculate was drawn by a third unknown artist. Basically, if it’s pre-1972 or kind of simplistic post-1972, it was drawn by Chick. If it was from 1972 on, and it looked more sophisticated, it was Carter.
Were they really hate speech? Did he really hate homosexuals, Catholics, D&D players, etc because he said if they didn't repent from what they were doing they'd end up in hell? He didn't advocate violence or use daragatory language(that I'm aware of)...there weren't cartoonish depictions of African Americans or a call for like minded people to protest funerals. Certainly the subjects of the tracts feel uncomfortable and don't share his views about their lives. I have only seen a few so there might be more extreme examples that I'm not aware of but I wonder if hate speech is too harsh of a term.
Were they really hate speech? Did he really hate homosexuals, Catholics, D&D players, etc because he said if they didn't repent from what they were doing they'd end up in hell? He didn't advocate violence or use daragatory language(that I'm aware of)...there weren't cartoonish depictions of African Americans or a call for like minded people to protest funerals. Certainly the subjects of the tracts feel uncomfortable and don't share his views about their lives. I have only seen a few so there might be more extreme examples that I'm not aware of but I wonder if hate speech is too harsh of a term.
People can judge for themselves, if they want. He claims in that 2004 tract that "God hates homosexuality". So the word hate is the one that he is choosing. And, so it is the one I choose and stand by, as well. Though I respect that others might put it differently.
(I haven't read enough to know whether that tract is one of the more extreme or not, I found it on a pretty quick search of the website.)
Were they really hate speech? Did he really hate homosexuals, Catholics, D&D players, etc because he said if they didn't repent from what they were doing they'd end up in hell? He didn't advocate violence or use daragatory language(that I'm aware of)...there weren't cartoonish depictions of African Americans or a call for like minded people to protest funerals. Certainly the subjects of the tracts feel uncomfortable and don't share his views about their lives. I have only seen a few so there might be more extreme examples that I'm not aware of but I wonder if hate speech is too harsh of a term.
I don't think that it's harsh at all. At best, he's a fear-monger trying to sell his fire and brimstone version of salvation. However, he's doing it by demonizing whole segments of society - that ,in some cases, are already marginalized.
Did any notable artists do early work on Chick Tracts?
I don't think so. Just Jack Chick and later Fred Carter.
"This Was Your Life" scared some "hell" outta me as a boy :)
Provocative and extremely controversial, but a curious part of American culture.
I'm puzzled by the number of places where I've seen his tracts described as curious, or a in some of the things I've seen on social meda, a fun thing to collect. I see it more as an embarrassing part of American culture. I'd liken collecting his tracts to collecting WBC protest signs (though at least the tracts are conveniently sized for a collection).
This may be more of an academic thing (as I agree with @nweathington for most people it is probably more for kitsch value, or as conversation pieces) but I know some people believe that it is important to hold onto the media and ephemera of hate speech as artifacts, lest the presence, prevalence, and existence of it in the culture be downplayed after the fact. I had a professor in college who had her own collection of mammy images, pollywogs, and things like that. Some she would find at flea markets, things like that. She is black, so it is not like these are the things she enjoyed looking at. But she also felt it was important for her, as an academic, to have this collection, and be able to have these artifacts to use in her teaching as needed (and, mind you, I had her as a professor in the mid-'90s, so this was before we relied on the Internet to be our collective memory). So I could see there being some interest in collecting them for that reason as well.
I can certainly see the importance as a historical artifact. My comment was more puzzlement at the fond consideration of the tracts as quaintly amusing curiosities. I suppose that mockery may be a better method of diminishing their power (see Fred Van Lente's mock tract http://www.fredvanlente.com/cthulhutract/pages/, which does exactly that, but that's not really what I was seeing in the comments yesterday.
Were they really hate speech? Did he really hate homosexuals, Catholics, D&D players, etc because he said if they didn't repent from what they were doing they'd end up in hell? He didn't advocate violence or use daragatory language(that I'm aware of)...there weren't cartoonish depictions of African Americans or a call for like minded people to protest funerals. Certainly the subjects of the tracts feel uncomfortable and don't share his views about their lives. I have only seen a few so there might be more extreme examples that I'm not aware of but I wonder if hate speech is too harsh of a term.
I think it depends on how you define hate speech. No, I don’t think he was a racist per se, though he certainly shows some uneducated bias in his work. I mean, his collaborator, Fred Carter, is African-American. And, no, he doesn't advocate violence towards anyone, because he’s very happy to let God and Satan handle that. He never really blames people for being Catholic, or Jewish, or homosexual, or playing D&D, or believing in evolution, because obviously they were tricked by Satan and/or his demon cohorts into doing/being/remaining those things. He’s simply trying to help them, by showing them the error of their ways, and how they can put things right. And if they can’t or won’t listen to reason, oh well, they’ll just have to burn in Hell. At least he tried.
On one hand, his rhetoric is somewhat dangerous, as it can be looked at as being dehumanizing, but on the other, his depictions of people and situations are often so out of touch with reality that they are easy to mock and dismiss. It makes for an interesting dichotomy.
A lot of people hated Jack Chick. He wrote furious screeds against Dungeons & Dragons, Catholicism, Mormonism, Halloween, and rock music. If you were Jewish, Muslim, or gay, Jack Chick wanted you to be saved from the fires of hell and wrote these comic to tell you so.
His publications resemble both the lewd 'Tijuana bibles', cheaply-produced depression-era pornographic comics of about the same size that starred cartoon characters such as Blondie and Popeye, and the still heavily disseminated Watchtower, an illustrated magazine by the Jehovah's Witnesses whose purpose is warning readers against the apocalyptic consequences of mortal sin.
Many underground and alternative comic artists openly admire Chick. In an interview last year, Daniel Clowes (Ghost World, Eightball, The New Yorker) said that, as far as he was concerned, Chick deserved a place in the comics pantheon. “As a comics aficionado you don’t really think of those as being part of the official canon of effective comics,” he said. “And one day I sort of changed my mind on that. I thought, ‘These are really compelling and interesting and I’d rather read these than pretty much anything else published in 1985.’”
You may find the work offensive or off-putting, as I am sure some people can't watch 'Gone With the Wind' without wincing from all the racism. But nonetheless, Chick Tracts emerge from a rich American literary tradition of illustrated religious writing. And for many people around the world, his comics were apparently effective.
To me, Jack Chick belongs in the Comics Hall of Fame for one reason and one reason only...
...he was a master at the use of "Haw Haw" to denote someone laughing. An absolute master. :)
And in all honesty, yes, he does have a place in the pantheon, whatever you may think of his beliefs or politics or whatever. If we can have DIY-creators like Eastman, Laird, Los Bros. Hernandez, Dave Sim, etc...surely there's a place at the table for Jack Chick.
So my daughter is going as Dorothy for Halloween complete with toy Toto and silver shoes :)
The wife finished sewing the gingham dress this morning. Fun things we read/do.
My daughter is going as Pearl from Steven Universe. But not the final design as seen in the show. No, she wanted to go as the design that was used in the unaired pilot. “Who are you supposed to be?” indeed.
So my daughter is going as Dorothy for Halloween complete with toy Toto and silver shoes :)
The wife finished sewing the gingham dress this morning. Fun things we read/do.
My daughter is going as Pearl from Steven Universe. But not the final design as seen in the show. No, she’s wanted to go as the design that was used in the unaired pilot. “Who are you supposed to be?” indeed.
Man she's deep diving on that one.
Is the Steven Universe good? I've never seen an episode/know anything about it.
Respectfully, none of our daughters are gonna be as cute as this pair of old ladies :)
When my daughter was that age, my son went as Sir Robin from MPatHG, so we dressed her as the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog, complete with blood stains. Now that was cute (even though only one younger couple in town got it).
So my daughter is going as Dorothy for Halloween complete with toy Toto and silver shoes :)
The wife finished sewing the gingham dress this morning. Fun things we read/do.
My daughter is going as Pearl from Steven Universe. But not the final design as seen in the show. No, she’s wanted to go as the design that was used in the unaired pilot. “Who are you supposed to be?” indeed.
Man she's deep diving on that one.
Is the Steven Universe good? I've never seen an episode/know anything about it.
Yeah, she’s into the show hardcore. She’s watched every episode of those shows many, many times thanks to Hulu, and she follows the creators on Instagram.
But, yeah, it’s a really good show. At times it's cute and silly, and at times it’s dark and intense. And music is a big part of the show. I think you'd enjoy it.
Was there much behind-the-scenes hoohah when Bill Sienkiewicz changed his style so dramatically in New Mutants?
You mean with editorial? Not that I'm aware of. And the style shift really wasn't that dramatic. You can see him moving towards that new approach in odd jobs like the pinups in Marvel Fanfare, a couple of Hulk covers, a couple of Rom covers, a Dazzler cover, etc., before he took over New Mutants. If anything, I think overall the Marvel editors were pretty excited about where his stuff was heading.
[Edit: In fact, Warlock was specifically created with Sienkiewicz’s new style in mind.]
Was there much behind-the-scenes hoohah when Bill Sienkiewicz changed his style so dramatically in New Mutants?
You mean with editorial? Not that I'm aware of. And the style shift really wasn't that dramatic. You can see him moving towards that new approach in odd jobs like the pinups in Marvel Fanfare, a couple of Hulk covers, a couple of Rom covers, a Dazzler cover, etc., before he took over New Mutants. If anything, I think overall the Marvel editors were pretty excited about where his stuff was heading.
[Edit: In fact, Warlock was specifically created with Sienkiewicz’s new style in mind.]
Anyone could have just given the answer concerning Sienkiewicz's style change with new mutants (not really) but @nweathington gives you the context leading up to the style change. That is what sets him apart from the rest of us. :wink:
[Edit: In fact, Warlock was specifically created with Sienkiewicz’s new style in mind.]
That I don't doubt. The Demon Bear story seemed like a declaration of intent on his part, I always wondered if editorial (Weezie?) set up the situation for him to really show off his new direction.
Comments
"This Was Your Life" scared some "hell" outta me as a boy :)
Provocative and extremely controversial, but a curious part of American culture.
And some people found Harvey Pekar to be offensive. It's all subjective. Different perspectives, tastes. Neither would likely get regular work these days.
I found them both odd, but also provocative and curious for different reasons.
My faith in you abides.
(I haven't read enough to know whether that tract is one of the more extreme or not, I found it on a pretty quick search of the website.)
On one hand, his rhetoric is somewhat dangerous, as it can be looked at as being dehumanizing, but on the other, his depictions of people and situations are often so out of touch with reality that they are easy to mock and dismiss. It makes for an interesting dichotomy.
His publications resemble both the lewd 'Tijuana bibles', cheaply-produced depression-era pornographic comics of about the same size that starred cartoon characters such as Blondie and Popeye, and the still heavily disseminated Watchtower, an illustrated magazine by the Jehovah's Witnesses whose purpose is warning readers against the apocalyptic consequences of mortal sin.
Many underground and alternative comic artists openly admire Chick. In an interview last year, Daniel Clowes (Ghost World, Eightball, The New Yorker) said that, as far as he was concerned, Chick deserved a place in the comics pantheon. “As a comics aficionado you don’t really think of those as being part of the official canon of effective comics,” he said. “And one day I sort of changed my mind on that. I thought, ‘These are really compelling and interesting and I’d rather read these than pretty much anything else published in 1985.’”
You may find the work offensive or off-putting, as I am sure some people can't watch 'Gone With the Wind' without wincing from all the racism. But nonetheless, Chick Tracts emerge from a rich American literary tradition of illustrated religious writing. And for many people around the world, his comics were apparently effective.
...he was a master at the use of "Haw Haw" to denote someone laughing. An absolute master. :)
And in all honesty, yes, he does have a place in the pantheon, whatever you may think of his beliefs or politics or whatever. If we can have DIY-creators like Eastman, Laird, Los Bros. Hernandez, Dave Sim, etc...surely there's a place at the table for Jack Chick.
The wife finished sewing the gingham dress this morning. Fun things we read/do.
Is the Steven Universe good? I've never seen an episode/know anything about it.
But, yeah, it’s a really good show. At times it's cute and silly, and at times it’s dark and intense. And music is a big part of the show. I think you'd enjoy it.
Was there much behind-the-scenes hoohah when Bill Sienkiewicz changed his style so dramatically in New Mutants?
[Edit: In fact, Warlock was specifically created with Sienkiewicz’s new style in mind.]