Dean Haspiel's Newsletter #3

(at the opening for "Dynasty" group art show at PS122 gallery)
 

DINO DYNASTY: Even though I'm often surrounded by artists of all calibers, I'm naive when it comes to the fine art world. As a dedicated comix artist whose work is intended to be multiplied and distributed for a cheap price (or free) and, miraculously, has his plays produced by theater professionals, I'm not sure what it means to have my art presented in a gallery. I'm not a painter, sculptor, or sound & video artist, and because I show and tell stories via pulp, pixel, and on stage, I just don't know how to feel when it's hung on a wall.

I used to feel uncomfortable performing my slide projected comix out loud in front of people until I started writing some of them with that in mind. Maybe it's time I started to think about large, out-of-context panels, and preliminary sketches as candidates for fine art? I'm inspired by some of my comix peers outlier art, the likes of Dave Proch and David Trustman. Whenever they publish a detail, I always think, "That could hang on a wall." I just learned that Prince used to draw his own comix like me and my pals did in our high school notebooks. Comix are innate, one of the very first ways humans communicated and connected to each other; dating back to the stone age. Back when stories were drawn on cave walls...nee art galleries. OH SNAP!

Whenever I socialize with comix pal, Paul Pope, he encourages us to draw bar napkin scribbles to help pay for the drinks. He dubs them "mini-Picasso's." A random Batman sometimes gets me a free whiskey on the rocks.

LIFE IMITATES ART: Speaking of mini-Picasso's, one of the concepts I posit in my New Brooklyn series THE RED HOOK, is that art can be bartered for food and services. A few months ago, my cat Belle needed some serious and expensive dental work and, before I could bust out my credit card and accrue mounting late fees, the veterinarian was aware of my vocation and commissioned me, that is, asked if I would make a trade. An original piece of art for Belle's surgery? Very rarely do I get offered such a deal and I happily accepted, confirming my comic book concept. With the mandated colors of magenta, teal, and indigo, I crafted a superhero poster for the Vet's baby daughter and her kitty cat flying over the Brooklyn Bridge.

COMIX CROSSOVER: Speaking of The Red Hook! I co-wrote a collaboration with local writer/publisher, Dave Kelly, illustrated by Brett Hobson, colored by Sonia Liao, and lettered by DC Hopkins! Super-thief meets superhero as The Red Hook teams up with The Night Watchman to travel back in time to save Brooklyn’s first superhero, a woman of mystery named Luna, who has been erased from history by a male super villain harboring an unhealthy obsession for her. Come smash the patriarchy with us in this loving and epic tribute to comics’ Golden Age!

Comes in three covers:  Cover A by Dean Haspiel (colored by Clare DeZutti); Cover B by Emily Pearson; and Cover C by Simon Fraser, a special fundraiser for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund that pays tribute to Jack Cole, Tarpé Mills, and Bill Finger! 100% of the proceeds from Cover C will go to CBLDF.  Limited to 500 copies! 

Exclusive preview and order details at The Comics Beat!

AND FUCKING UP MOTHER FUCKERS IS MY GAME! Big Ups to my buddy Phil Cruise for inviting me to the NYC/SAG screening of DOLEMITE IS MY NAME, starring Eddie Murphy. I've been a fan of Rudy Ray Moore since I discovered him in the 1980s, and I can't believe his legacy is the subject of a mainstream movie. Eddie Murphy is back in form and leading the charge of a heart-charming film that sits brilliantly next to Quentin Tarantino's ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD, as the two best movies of 2019 (thus far). Eddie, Keegan, Titus & Spike put it best during the Q&A, "Dolemite is about a loser who refused to lose." Some folks are equating Dolemite to James Franco's THE DISASTER ARTIST but, truly, it's a soul brother to Chris Smith's AMERICAN MOVIE.

Gather your best friends and make art -- together.

Happy Halloween!

--Dino

Listen to SCENE BY SCENE WITH JOSH & DEAN, the podcast that breaks down American Splendor the movie, Josh Neufeld & Dean Haspiel's relationship with the late/great Harvey Pekar, and growing up in NYC learning to make comix.

Read THE RED HOOK saga for free at Webtoon:
Season 1:  THE RED HOOK
Season 2:  WAR CRY
Season 3: STARCROSS

THE RED HOOK vol.1 New Brooklyn is also available at ComiXology
THE RED HOOK series published by Image Comics

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