Colin's Inkstuds Comics Review Day #1, "glamourpuss" #6

glamourpuss #6 by Dave Sim

So, “glamourpuss” #6 is out and I’m asking myself yet again why I am still buying this comic? Wow, the world of fashion is, superficial, shallow, self-indulgent decadent tripe (which I can’t argue with) and that beautiful women are dumb (which I can argue with)… the same bloody joke over and over again. On the cover, a cross eyed model from what looks like seventies fashion magazines (I’m no expert) mugging moronically for the camera. Again. Inter mixed with this fluff is a mildly interesting continuing historical homage to the great photo-realistic cartoonists/illustrators, which is now, by Sim’s proclamation, the one and only true way to draw. If you listen to the Inkstuds podcast of our interview with Dave Sim you’ll know he and I don’t quite see eye to eye on the subject of photo realist cartooning. In fact “glamourpuss” is a fine example of what happens when you depend too much on photo referencing. Instead of the humour, lively characters and the inventiveness of Daves magnum opus “Cerebus” (Dave Sim could perform miracles with word balloons), “glamourpuss” characters are stiff, lifeless and the storytelling pretty much non-existent. Really, “glamourpuss” is nothing more than a opportunity for Dave to practice is photo-realistic rendering by copying old photos and the renderings of other cartoonists. Fine, after drawing 300 issues of Cerebus Dave Sim is entitled to draw whatever self-indulgent notion that comes into his head and he did warn us that’s what he intended to do. The real question is how long are people like me, who still realize that Dave Sim remains a cartoonist of incredible skill and (when he chooses to be) can be funny as hell, are going to indulge him buy buying “glamourpuss”?

Colin (No I’m not worry as I didn’t sign Dave Sim’s petition/loyality oath I don’t imagine he’ll talk to me about this review anyway) Upton