Each issue featured a character and a Leditor (a letter from the editor):
January 14, 2006Purchasing and managing images of people for a company’s printed and electronic media is a risky business. Even though stock photography has become more creative and diverse, it still sends out the message that the company’s actual employees are not as sharply dressed, good-looking or happy as a hired-for-a-day model. The “Who are these people?” knee-jerk reaction to such images increases the divide between employees and employers. Taking pictures of staff is just as tricky. There are legal questions of permissions to consider and a change of heart or termination means swapping out photos, more expensive photo shoots and unnecessary headaches. Introducing a cartoon mascot to a company is a smart and diplomatic move. A cartoon mascot is an ideal employee and it does not alienate anyone in the work place. It is not going to take anyone’s job. A cartoon mascot can be anything; a person, object or even an idea. It can act as an ambassador, comedian, scapegoat, foil, competitor or messenger. A cartoon mascot can be the company pet or voodoo doll. A cartoon mascot can exist simply as a small, electronic icon or live on billboards. It can be indoor (internal), just for your employees, outdoor (public), or both. The best thing about a cartoon mascot for the employer is that there are no strings attached, no commitments. A cartoon mascot carries the weight and personality of an employee, but does not require the perks and benefits.
February 13, 2006Pablo Picasso once remarked: “Drawing is no kidding. It is something very grave and very mysterious that a simple line could represent a living being. Not only his image, but moreover, what he really is. What a marvel! Isn’t it more surprising than all of the prestidigitation and all the coincidences of the world?” If it is not too late to answer this question I would reply, “No,” because it is even more remarkable that a simple line has the ability to become a vital creature. A drawn character literally takes on a life of its own from the moment of conception when a pen touches paper and the ink flows, like blood, into the new character. Most characters have a name and a body, which they articulate with human purpose even if they are non-human. The personification of a character is most evident in speech/thought, through which a dog, for example, can philosophize and a lamp can expound truths. A character eventually becomes not only accepted by human readers but anticipated as well; and, the other end of a relationship, which in certain regards is nothing less than a friendship. We fool ourselves into taking up this relationship because it has its advantages. Characters are a constant in a world where relationships are often disrupted by relocations, falling in and out of love, envy, illness and death. Characters can be so constant that they can be found in the same place every day and maynever change their clothes or expression.
March 14, 2006The most insightful, honest and interesting character you can think of and develop is yourself. Sketching your likeness is a good way tostep back and look at yourself, slay childhood dragons, rewrite your history, make your life an adventure and save money on therapists.In a cartoon you can exorcise brooding thoughts, turn the table on a ruthless enemy, breathe water and spit fire, fly through space, save the world or just hang out and have a good time. Making a character of yourself puts a “me” in media and is forthright about the reason to extend your personality into the world; to bear your soul, to spread your tail feathers and to send out the distress signal, “Am I all alone?” Philosophically, emotionally and practically you and your “you” character are a perfect match. Not only are your moods and personality aligned but the precision of your “you” character is something that cannot be truthfully copied by others. Your “you” character lives and dies with you so it is never orphaned or widowed like other characters. Your “you” character can live in the past to keep your childhood alive; tag along with you in the present and be a shoulder to lean on; and, even scout out your future. The only limits of your “you” character come from how you see yourself. Perhaps you will decide to be invisible, invincible, impossibly large or small, as lively as a flame or as still as a stone.
April 13, 2006Characters are best known for their character. In fact, a character is simply a manifestation of character. Characters are defined by their physical and “vocal” expressions, and special, if not super, powers. Characters’powers are either “polytheistic” where talents are delegated to several associated individuals or “monotheistic” where a character is all-powerful. Powers are usually super-human abilities but they can also be very human, like Greek Mythology’s Chiron, the Centaur who was blessed with the ability to teach well. The most interesting characters are perhaps the hapless underdogs, the “mortals,” who lack brawn and socially embraced cuteness and are challenged by their inabilities. Their recourse in dire situations is not a display of their powers but chance, luck and desperation. Though we may not aspire to be like the underdogs, we certainly cheer them on with admiration during their efforts to escape, avoid and survive threats and injustice. Perhaps this is because we know the fragility and rank of our own powers and that challenged underdogs in their best moments are more powerful than the strongest of us when caught off guard. A truly mortal character dies. Although such a conclusion seems pointless to the creator and fans, it is perhaps in the abstract death and sacrifice of a character that we can recognize and learn about the distractions with which we occupy ourselves to avoid the conclusion of death.