Art School Confidential

by Daniel Clowes

by Dan Clowes
Art School Confidential follows Jerome, an art student who dreams of becoming the greatest artist in the world. The short comic story by Dan Clowes was originally published in his comic book series Eightball , but it is presented here with an entirely new narrative only tangentially resembling the original comic. For this book, the strip will be presented in full-color for the first time. This scrapbook/screenplay also features the shooting script for the film adaptation, including several scenes edited out from the final cut. It also boasts two full-color sections jammed with photos, artwork, and many other surprises.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction

181 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2006

About the author

Daniel Clowes is an American cartoonist, graphic novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter whose work helped define the landscape of alternative comics and bring the medium into mainstream literary conversation. Rising to prominence through his long-running anthology Eightball, he used its pages to blend acidic humor, social observation, surrealism, and character-driven storytelling, producing serials that later became acclaimed graphic novels including Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron, Ghost World, David Boring, Ice Haven, and Patience. His illustrations have appeared in major publications such as The New Yorker, Vogue, and The Village Voice, while his collaborations with filmmaker Terry Zwigoff resulted in the films Ghost World and Art School Confidential, the former earning widespread praise and an Academy Award nomination for its screenplay. Clowes began honing his voice in the 1980s with contributions to Cracked and with his Lloyd Llewellyn stories for Fantagraphics, but it was Eightball, launched in 1989, that showcased the full range of his interests, from deadpan satire to psychological drama. Known for blending kitsch, grotesquerie, and a deep love of mid-century American pop culture, he helped shape the sensibilities of a generation of cartoonists and became a central figure in the shift toward graphic novels being treated as serious literature. His post-Eightball books continued this evolution, with works like Wilson, Mister Wonderful, The Death-Ray, and the recent Monica exploring aging, identity, longing, and the complexities of relationships, often through inventive visual structures that echo the history of newspaper comics. Clowes has also been active in music and design, creating artwork for Sub Pop bands, the Ramones, and other artists, and contributing to film posters, New Yorker covers, and Criterion Collection releases. His work has earned dozens of honors, including multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards, a Pen Award for Outstanding Body of Work in Graphic Literature, an Inkpot Award, and the prestigious Fauve d’Or at Angoulême. Exhibitions of his original art have appeared across the United States and internationally, with a major retrospective, Modern Cartoonist: The Art of Daniel Clowes, touring museums beginning in 2012. His screenplay work extended beyond Ghost World to projects like Art School Confidential and Wilson, and he has long been a touchstone for discussions about Generation X culture, alternative comics, and the shifting boundaries between the literary and graphic arts.

Reviews

[Wes Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

While fairly barebones, this script for what is a pretty entertaining movie is thankfully peppered with stills from the film, and some artwork from the movie. However the best part about this book is the original short comic that the movie was based on. For those that haven't read the Clowes' Reader, it's a cheap alternative and a decent collector's item!

[Mike Jozic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would go to 3.5 stars if I could. I'm a fan of the movie so this script-book was entertaining but I wish there was more supplemental material. Even an intro by Terry Zwigoff would have been a nice touch but all we get are a few pages of bonus stuff and a crudely formatted script. After writing this review and reflecting on my comments perhaps 3 stars is actually sufficient.

[MarilynLovesNature]

I absolutely LOVED the original, but haven't seen this one. Where is the original??? Why "fix" something if it's not broken? The original is my favorite graphic story of all time! It was perfect.

[Brett Plaxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time reading a feature length screenplay and I haven’t seen the movie before. Not too shabby. I almost liked the eightball comic that inspired the screenplay better.

[Michael Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Kathryn Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really funny at the time. Loved it so much.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too self-indulgent and predictable. The characters were not fully realized but one-dimensional stereotypes and clichés. Though a quick read, rather unsurprising.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually preferred the screenplay to the actual film. Not Daniel Clowes' best (probably due to not being an actual graphic novel), but I did like how much it poked fun at art school and the art world.

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm writing a screenplay, so I've started reading them. The author is an artist and much of the direction was highly visual; reading this wasn't that interesting.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another ironical jibe at the art scene from Mr.Clowes. Again really funny but not as good as his graphic novels.

[Rachael]

For Comic book movies film study