Most aren’t aware of the rich diversity that exists in the comics industry, the popularity of superheroes means the majority of people still disregard the medium as for children. For example, Filmish is a series of comic book essays on film theory. It thematically discusses everything you’ve ever ignored about films you’ve seen, while re-interpreting scenes from your favourites; like Alien, The Fly, The Terminator etc, to make points about how cinema manipulates and moves us. Comics, used as a tool to present information in the most entertaining way imaginable!
Filmish is set out on paper like a documentary, it has an expert presenter in the writer/artist Edward Ross and a whole heap of archive footage (though re-done as comics!). It covers topics from technology and monsters to food and perspective in film, and introduces concepts that might otherwise only be found in dusty textbooks. It does it with so much energy and enthusiasm that it’s hard not to start thinking about producing whole school curriculums with comics, as I’ve never been so well entertained by an essay!
You might glance at the art and confuse the style for simplicity, but the only thing simple about it is the colour, some of these panels are breathtaking. In some places the detail is so precise that it’s hard not to marvel at certain panels for inordinate amounts of time. The ability to be able to place himself in the film he’s talking about is also incredibly effective, such as giving himself a cyborg head as he discusses Terminator… Or dressing himself up as Charlie Chaplin to talk about the man himself. The movie scenes drawn by Ross are really awesome; seeing the bit from Videodrome where James Woods pulls a video out of his stomach was great! And with it a reflection on the symbolism behind this; the corrupting influence of television! Cool.
I guess it’s true for every medium, that the best of things are made out of love. Edward Ross is clearly a huge fan of film, his enthusiasm for the subject breaches the paper it’s confined to and made me want to take a class in Film Theory and Criticism. He’s tapped into something incredibly powerful, and harnesses the comics medium to its full potential. Wonderful.
Filmish is currently on its third issue, and you can get your grubby mits on all three HERE!
Joe Innes.
