The Forbidden Planet International Blog

Time again to play the music, as the waves gently lap at the shore of another one of our special islands (they were a job lot, we’ve got a string of them across the Pacific, perfect for the job) and another comiker wakes to find themselves marooned with just sun, sea,sand, and collection of their favourite 8 comic works and that one special luxury…..

This week it’s the turn of Andrew Godfrey, the writer and artist of The CF Diaires (Issue 1 reviewed here, and a page from issue 2 above), where he describes his life, his dealings with his Cystic Fibrosis and how it affects his life.

He’s also collborating on a series of comics written by Emma Mould about her experiences with Borderline Personality Disorder and staying in a mental health ward.

Andrew’s comics are available from his blog It’s All About The Comics. He has an exhibition of drawings, sketches, and original pages starting on 1st February at Bristol’s Cube venue, proceeds going to The CF Trust. More on that tomorrow.

But without further ado….

Desert Island Comics – Episode 43 – Andrew Godfrey

Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far On Foot: The autobiography of a dangerous man – John Callahan

Ok so I kind of cheated with this one as its not a comic or a graphic novel (although it does have cartoons in it) but this is a book I could read over and over again without ever getting bored, which is kind of an essential thing when it comes to desert island living. It’s the autobiography of John Callahan (1951-2010) who was famous for his sick, twisted, and extremely politically incorrect gag cartoons such as the one below. He was also a former alcoholic who through a drink driving incident at the age of 21 severed his spine and was wheelchair bound for the rest of his life. But despite what could be pretty downbeat subject matter this book is extremely uplifting, laugh-out-loud hilarious, and at times downright wrong!

Callahan’s uncompromising vision of the world has been a big influence on me as a cartoonist and a writer and if I was stuck on a dessert island I’d certainly like to think that he would help me to find the funny side, after all it could be worse!

The Big Yum Yum Book – Robert Crumb

Although Crumb himself looks upon this work with embarrassment, blaming it on his youth, naivety, and his desperate virginity, I think it demonstrates what I like best about Crumbs work, and what I feel often goes unsung when talking about him. The Big Yum Yum Book is a sweet little fable, an allegorical fairytale about life that goes after the pretentious outlook of the beat generation, college students, artists, intellectuals, and sensualists, and yet Crumb does not allow himself to get off lightly.

Considering Crumb’s path of trajectory through the 60s counterculture (he hated the music, fashion, and despite being celebrated as a counterculture hero never truly felt like he fit in) The Big Yum Yum Book strikes me as being thinly veiled autobiography. Crumb is more often than not remembered for his questionable attitudes towards women and his representations of race but I like to pick away at the surface to find the outsider in his own field, critiquing things from the inside.

Monsters – Ken Dahl

This could be a bit of a hard sell, as I often find myself telling anyone who will listen: “trust me, this is the funniest, scratch that, probably the only graphic novel you will read about herpes!” Ken Dahl is the pen name of cartoonist Gabby Schulz, and this short but sweet comic charts the breakdown of one relationship after he gives his partner herpes, and his desperate attempts to get back into the world, and get over the stigma and shame. His self-aware brand of self-pity and self-loathing is painfully funny and the over-the-top and highly imaginative imagery he uses to represent the herpes virus is grotesque and brilliant.

His pacing and his efficiency as a comic artist are also highly enviable –I could pour over this continually, he’s the kind of cartoonist I would kill to be as good as, and maybe reading this too much whilst stranded might cause depression and regret…

(if you order Monsters from the artist (which is what my friends did for my birthday) he’ll do you a little sketch inside)

Stuck Rubber Baby – Howard Cruse

For all who accuse the comic medium of being two-dimensional and built up on stereotypes this is the one I like to turn them to. Inspired by Cruse’s own upbringing in the Deep South, this is a coming-of-age tale of sorts set against the background of the civil rights movement, in which the story’s protagonist struggles to come to terms with his own sexual identity. To say it is novel-like in scope is only a way of getting certain blind-sighted critics to stand up and take notice, but this is not a novel, it’s so much more than that.

Cruse’s characters are flawed and ultimately human, there is real drama, real laughter, and real tears here, and this is probably the most immersive reading experience that I have ever had with a comic, save for the ending of Barefoot Gen. Cruse pulls you in and makes you feel for the characters so much so that for a second you almost forget they are just marks on paper.

This book is a pretty steadfast reminder of how much the comic medium can achieve and a nice reminder of why I got into this in the first place, it’s just a pity it’s less suitable as an escape raft.

Alec: The Years Have Pants – Eddie Campbell

This phone book sized collection of Campbell’s own life stories (filtered through his alter-ego Alec) is funny, poetic (both in its visuals and its turn of phrase) and sweet. The section on the British small press tends to make me nostalgic for a time I wasn’t a part of and will probably make me mourn for all the wonderful comics I’d be reading if I wasn’t stuck on some godforsaken island.

It’s size and weight also makes it a useful weapon against any fierce predators or cannibals that might be lurking on the island.

Heavy Metal presents Ulysses – Lob and Prichard (and Homer)

This one gets on to the list for the pure fun of it. It’s good to switch off with something trashy every once in a while in order to forget your troubles, and this gem of pop art cartooning certainly does the job. It’s s silly and colourful and visually energetic, a kind of Art Deco of the future filtered through 60’s aesthetics and Victorian erotica. I’ve never read The Odyssey, but after reading this reimagining, I don’t think I ever will need to.

The Explainers: The Complete Village Voice Strips 1956-66 – Jules Feiffer

I like my newspaper strips with an equal measure of brains and belly laughs so it was a tough choice between this and something a bit more classic like Walt Kelly’s Pogo or Calvin and Hobbes. This is neurotic cartooning at its best, brilliantly written and with an economic and idiosyncratic line that happily chipped away at the national façade for 42 years. This collection is also very long which makes it ideal for the life of a castaway.

Art School Scum – Tom Humberstone

Back when I was discovering the potential of comics for the first time this was one of the first small press comics that I picked up, so rereading it always indulges my nostalgic side. Like Dan Clowes’s Art School Confidential although with a nice touch of the sardonic wit that we Brits are famous for, Humberstone takes us on a tour of the various archetypes you might hope to avoid whilst studying at art college, such as The Self-Obsessed Neurotic, The Mature Student, and (heaven forbid) The Bitter Vindictive Cartoonist!

This comic can act as a nice companion piece to the brilliant satire on London media types Nathan Barley written by Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris, and has certainly proved its value beyond the mere pocket money I paid for it, as its proved its appeal to the uninitiated amongst my friends time and time again.

Luxury item:

I’d have to say some sort of music listening device (avoiding product placement here). Because if I’m going to die of starvation or get malled to death by a giant Polar Bear, I’d at least like to do so to a decent soundtrack!