08-03-07

Damn it
Well, once again, I find myself in a position where I have to eat my words.  Damn it.  If you are one of my six remaining readers (and not just popping over from a link), you'll remember that some time ago I had to eat my words regarding my deep and abiding hatred for Cut-and-Paste and 3-D comics.  Well, now, it appears I may have to do the same for photo comics.  One of them at least.

I will explain in a minute why Aarin's Desk and Debasement, both by Aarin Edwards, are not really photo comics.  For now, just let me explain why I dislike photo comics as a genre.  I dislike them because there are two types of photocomics:  There are photocomics that suck, and there are photocomics that are a waste of the artist's time.  Photography is an excellent story-telling medium.  If it weren't, motion pictures would not gross hundreds of millions of dollars.  Unfortunately, photography inserts realism into the world of comics, and the addition of speech and though balloons and narration boxes force a logical disconnect when one sees them laid in a photographic frame.  The result is that you have photo-comics that are either cheesy poses with text to tell you why they're so cool, or you have beautiful masterworks that would probably have worked out better if the artist had just gone ahead and shot a movie (or a series of YouTube shorts).  There is no middle ground, because once you alter the photographs enough that the inserted text is no longer jarringly intrusive, it is no longer a photograph.

And that's where we are with Edwards's comics.  Technically, neither AD not Db is a direct photocomic.  Both are more accurately described as photo-manipulation cut-and-paste comics.  But even that fails to fully describe the genre.  The photography serves as a single brush in Edwards's artist kit.  He uses individual cut-outs and pastes them into the picture, but each one is individually recrafted for each comic in the series.  The result is a comic that looks like a photocomic, except... a comic that might be cut-and-paste, but...

I won't lie to you; the art can be off-putting.  Despite Edward's careful reconstructions and his amazing eye for composition, there are occasions when scale and perspective don't match for all the elements of a panel, and that can be jarring.  His choice of subjects may also seem strange to some.  Aarin's Desk and Debasement are worlds filled with knick knacks and clutter.  That Edward's manages to bring these intrinsically inanimate objects to life is a credit to his skill as an artist, and as a writer.

And the writing is where Edwards shines.  Aarin's Desk is a surreal tableau of diplomacy, manipulation, and warfare, where foul-mouthed poker chips seek to gain control of the "world" through their worship of what appears to be an old Samsung SVGA monitor.  Individually weak, they become powerful by collective action,  seriously threatening the other denizens of the Desk, who lack the poker chips stacking ability, and are therefore subject to the difficulties of individual cooperation.  I'm sure a more studious writer could come up with some amazing metaphors regarding the inevitable conflict of socialism and capitalism or the conflict between societal subjugation and individual will.  Of course, there's a reason people call me a Philistine.

Far below, in the basement of Edwards's house, you have Debasement (get it?).  The word is a double entendre for a number of reasons, not the least of which is Edwards's regular use of the comic as a personal blog where he comments on the mysteries of internet pr0n (get it?).  The plot of Db, such as it is, centers around the Japanese goddess of the Underworld, Kaoru, and her quest to understand the mortal world above her.  To this end, she is aided by her loyal advisors, a roboraptor toy named Fenrir and an old Sony Walkman knockoff (named Cassie, because it's a cassette deck).  Fenrir is by far the most sensible of the group, spouting what I assume to be Edwards's personal philosophies and social critiques in a calm manner (this may be an homage to Dinosaur Comics...I don't know and I don't really care enough to ask).  Cassie acts like a twelve-year-old h4xx0r, speaking entirely in large-font bold 1337 (leet), and demanding more and more degrading porn on the old monitor that serves as the backdrop for most strips.  Kaoru, herself is disengaged, and generally asks questions meant to highlight Fenrir's or Cassie's comments.

Neither comic is going to be for everyone.  Both comics have more than their share of expletives, and Debasement is very much Not Safe for Work, but there is something of substance to both, and they are both very much worth a look.

Aarin's Desk by Aarin Edwards
Updates:  Irregular
Caveats:  Photo manipulation, foul-mouthed knick-knacks
Rating:

Debasement by Aarin Edwards
Updates:  Irregular
Caveats:  Photo manipulation, often NSFW, 1337
Rating: