Lars Martinson's Blog, page 13

Lars Martinson, l'interview exclusive

With the release of the French edition of Tonoharu just a week away, I recently did an interview with La Fabriquerie. You can read the interview (in French) here:

http://www.lafabriquerie.fr/lars-martinson-linterview-exclusive

Since they didn't include the English version of the interview, I asked if they'd mind if I post it here, and they said okay. So here it is:

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La Fabriquerie : Can you introduce Daniel, your main character ?

Lars Martinson: Daniel Wells is a painfully shy 23 year old recent college graduate who moves to rural Japan to work as an assistant English teacher in a junior high school.

You have traveled extensively abroad, what makes Japan so unique?

Japan was the first country I went to by myself, when I was sixteen. In many ways, I think it was the perfect introduction to international travel. It felt very exotic & exciting without feeling dangerous or intimidating. This combination of attributes is unique to Japan I think, and really inspired me to want to explore more of the world.

You studied Shodo, Japanese calligraphy at Shikoku University. How does it influence the way you draw?

It's had a tremendous effect on my inking in particular. East Asian calligraphy is a 3000 year old discipline, and to my mind is the world's most sophisticated line art tradition. I think cartoonists and illustrators of all stripes could benefit from its study. My next project after Tonoharu is going to be a graphic novel that attempts to explain what makes the art form so unique.

You're a cartoonist, you love Japan, you lived in japan so you must be a fan of manga, are you ?

Manga and anime are what introduced me to Japanese culture when I was in high school. Ironically, the more time I've spent in Japan, the less interested in these art forms I've become. Other interests started to vie for my attention, like American alternative comics and Japanese calligraphy. But I still like some anime and manga. Like everyone else I *love* the Studio Ghibli movies. Otherwise the anime I gravitate towards isn't well known in the West; Poppee the Performer and Oden-kun spring to mind. For manga, I really like the work of Yoshihiro Tatsumi and Sensha Yoshida.

The covers of Tonoharu are tributes to Hokusai. Japaneses prints are a real inspiration for you or just something you like as a viewer?

A little of both, I guess. Japanese prints led me to East Asian calligraphy, so for that I owe them a great debt.

You are deeply indebted to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, can you explain us why ?

There are two reasons. The first is that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was one of the first comic books I ever read in elementary school, so it influenced my thoughts about comics in a fundamental way. The second reason is because one of the creators of TMNT, Peter Laird, gave me a grant to self-publish the first volume of Tonoharu. TMNT was originally a self-published comic, so Peter Laird established a foundation to help other self-publishing cartoonists. I couldn't have self-published the first book without his help.

Do you know French comics/cartoons ? Have you ever heard of a French comic or an European one?

When I was young I used to read English translations of Tintin comics that belonged to my cousins, and I remember really enjoying them. These days I really love the work of the Norwegian cartoonist Jason, but other than that I have to admit I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to European comics.

Tonoharu is published/will be published in France by Le Lézard Noir. Is it going to be published in other countries ?

I hope to see Tonoharu published in other languages, but haven't worked out any arrangements with other foreign publishers yet. Here's hoping!

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By the way, La Fabriquerie said I should let them know if I noticed anything in their translation that didn't seem accurate I should let them know. So if any French-speaking readers take a look at both the English and French versions, let me know if you notice any mistakes! Thanks!

Minnesota Original Segment

The Minnesota Original segment about my work that aired last night is now available online!

You can watch it at:

http://www.mnoriginal.org/art/?p=4275

They also have another shorter clip up that includes other footage:

http://www.mnoriginal.org/art/?p=4237

These videos have a few images from the forthcoming Tonoharu: Part Three,  so check 'em out!

My thanks to Angie Prindle, Steven Flynn, Joel Zimmerman, and all the other folks at Twin Cities Public Television / Minnesota Original for putting together such a wonderful piece.

Also, thanks to everyone who joined me for the viewing party last night! I appreciate it!

Me on TV

Hey Minnesotans! I'm going to be appearing on an upcoming episode of Minnesota Original, a series about Minnesota artists produced by Twin Cities Public Television!

The episode that includes the segment with me will air on channel 2 this coming Thursday, 4/28/2011, at 7:30PM and on Friday 4/29/2011 at 1:30AM. So, check it out!

Otherwise, it will be available online eventually as well (maybe the same day it airs?) at http://mnoriginal.org . I'll let you know when it's up.

This is the first time I've ever been on tv, so I'm anxious to see how it turned out. I'll probably come off as a moron. Also, remember the camera adds ten pounds, *cough cough*!

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Speaking of making an ass of myself, the good folks at the Geek Report were kind enough to have me on their podcast recently. You can listen to it here:

http://theblatshow.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/the-geek-report-04162011/ or on iTunes. My segment comes on at about the 11 minute mark.

Thanks for having me on, guys! I had a blast!

Oden-kun

Direct YouTube Link

My friend Ted Anderson is a huge fan of the new My Little Ponies series, a show I wouldn't even know existed were it not for his tireless efforts to spread the My Little Pony gospel.

I still haven't seen it yet so I'll reserve comment on that, but there is a Japanese children's cartoon that I really love called Oden-kun. The first episode heads this entry.

It's not one of those ironic, winking-at-the-adults shows; instead, it's sweet and earnest. (Although the super-long intro in this episode is weirdly dark.)  Oden-kun just has a quality to it that always makes me smile, and I've met other adults in Japan that felt the same way. I suppose in that sense it possesses that rare quality that Peanuts has, in that it could be enjoyed by nine year old girls or 34 year old cartoonists.

English subtitles are available by pressing the "CC" button. Enjoy!

Volcano Bakemeat!

Youtube Direct Link

Just a Youtube video of a couple guys playing a Vietnamese bootleg of a Pokemon game. I "LOL"ed.

Via Mr. Bryan Roberts

Japan Relief Odds and Ends

Regular readers may recall that for the second half of March, I donated all Paypal profits for copies of Tonoharu sold to the Red Cross, to benefit Japan earthquake/tsunami relief. The promotion ended yesterday. I sold ten books, for a total of $155 going to the Red Cross. My thanks to all those who purchased books during that period!

So that ends that, but I'm still involved in a couple another relief efforts:

1) The JET Alumni Association of Minnesota will be holding a benefit for Japan on Saturday, April 16th at Moto-I Sake Bar in Uptown Minneapolis. All proceeds will go to the JETAA USA Japan Earthquake Relief Fund. All the details can be found here:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=203477753010794

2) My friend Adam Pasion is creating a comics/art anthology called Aftershock: Artists Respond to Disaster in Japan, with proceeds going to Japan relief. I'll be contributing something. I'll update with more details when I have them, but in the meantime, check out the website:

http://aftershockcomic.blogspot.com/

That'll do it for now. Peace!

Neat Old Japanese Cartoon

YouTube Direct Link

Here's a neat old Japanese cartoon my dear friend C.W. Kelly sent to me a while back. Has a very Fleischer-esque feel to it.

*Reminder* Until the end of this month (i.e., for the next seven days), I'm donating the profits from Paypal sales of Tonoharu: Part One and Two to the Red Cross, to help with the earthquake and tsunami relief in Japan. (Details here)

So far I've sold five books, with a total of $77.50 donated to the Red Cross (my thanks to those who ordered!). I think it'd be cool to get that total up to at least $100, so if you've always wanted a copy of Tonoharu, please consider making that purchase now! Otherwise, please consider donating directly to the charity of your choice. Thanks!

"Tonoharu" in French, Other International Stuff

This is pretty cool: a French translation of Tonoharu: Part One and Two will be published by Le Lezard Noir for release this May! Above is the cover design for the French edition. Some of the translated panels can be found on Le Lezard Noir's blog:

http://lezardnoir.blogspot.com/2011/03/tonoharu-paraitre-en-mai.html

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As previously blogged about, the Tokyo-based magazine Metropolis ran a cover story about Tonoharu last month. Editor James Hatfield was kind enough to send me a copy of the print version, which looks pretty snazzy:

The article can be found online here.

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And finally Hashi, a Finnish magazine devoted to Japanese culture, ran a translation of some blog entries I wrote about East Asian calligraphy. It's an absolutely gorgeous magazine, with a lot of really interesting looking articles; I sure wish I could read Finnish! Thanks to editor Mirja Paatero for translating/including my inane rants!

The original blog entries can be found (in English!) starting here.

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*Reminder* Until the end of the month (March 2011), I'm donating the profits from Paypal sales of Tonoharu: Part One and Two to the Red Cross, to help with the earthquake and tsunami relief in Japan. (Details here)

So far I've sold four books, with a total of $62 donated to the Red Cross (my thanks to those who ordered!). I think it'd be cool to get that total up to at least $100, so if you've always wanted a copy of Tonoharu, please consider making that purchase now! Otherwise, please consider donating directly to the charity of your choice. Thanks!

Support Japan Disaster Relief

 

As you all know, Japan was recently hit by its worst earthquake since they started keeping formal records a century ago. The places in Japan where I have lived have escaped the worst of the devastation, and I'm happy to say that none of my friends & colleagues have been injured. But it breaks my heart that Japan, a country I consider to be a second home, is hurting so much right now.

As an artist of limited means, I don't really have the money to make a big donation, so I've decided to try something else. For the rest of the month of March, 2011, I will donate all profits from sales of Tonoharu: Part One and Tonoharu: Part Two to the Red Cross. (This offer only applies to orders placed through my website, not books bought in bookstores or at Amazon.com; I don't have any control over those sales).

Just so this is completely on the up-and-up, here's a breakdown of where your money would go. (This example is for U.S. orders; international orders will pay more for postage, but the final donation amount will be the same.)

What you pay me: $22.33

Minus Postage, Paypal Transaction Fee, and Book Production Cost: ($2.38, $0.95 & $3.50, respectively)

Equals: $15.50 donated to the Red Cross per book sold.

To order, please visit my store:

http://larsmartinson.com/buy/

Or if my books don't interest you, please consider donating what you can directly to the charity of your choice.

Book orders have slowed down to a trickle recently so I can't say how much money I'll raise, but I figured I'd give it a shot. If you've been thinking of buying a copy, now's the time! Thanks!

Note: My inspiration to do this came from fellow cartoonist/friend Adam Pasion, who is also donating profits from his book sales to charity for the rest of the month. Check out his offer on his website: http://sundogscomix.blogspot.com/

"Tonoharu" in the Park Bugle!

Tonoharu received a nice little write-up in the Park Bugle, a community newspaper. You can read it online here: http://bit.ly/h6KPgx

My thanks to reporter Ruth Weleczki for the thoughtful coverage!

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Also a quick reminder: I'll be doing a book signing here in Minneapolis this Monday, March 7th, 2011. Details here. Come out it you can!