scott roberts tumbls

mostly my comics, some animations and other stuff. also: http://www.ubutopia.com

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Newly restored photos of the very first coin-op videogame arcade in 19th century Paris, co-founded by Jules Verne and Georges Melies.

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castletown

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This weekend, I’ll be tabling with Keiler Roberts at TCAF (the Toronto Comic Arts Festival) for the first time in 3 years. My new book won’t be there yet, but I’ll have these 2 brand new 4-color book-related riso prints. I’ll also have a bunch of books that have never before been seen in any Canadian provinces or territories! Come see the debut of Keiler’s phenomenal new book from Koyama Press! We’ll be at table 125…right next to Gary Panter, Jason, Ron Rege, and Noah Van Sciver 😳

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selfie

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spider mens

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technicolor on-screen kiss

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Trump does #MLKDay

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a variation on Wittgenstein, after my daughter Xia’s rabbit drawing

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playing around with a new brush

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a collaboration with Dominika Smetek, from a work in progress film, The Hound & The Musch 

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Review: Happy Trails by Scott Roberts

Scott was kind enough to send over a copy of his latest comic, Happy Trails, before SPX this year. Roberts is a constant formal experimenter, and Happy Trails, which is a 112 page risographed book, is both a comic, and a two-way flip book. Happy Trails is also probably the most frightening comic I’ve read all year.

I pulled the video from Robert’s website to show you how the book works, because there’s not a great way to show you in a conventional way – the risoprint Fluorescent Pink doesn’t capture well on traditional scanner beds, and you wouldn’t get the full experience of how the flip book works. As flip books go, this one is a bit bigger than your standard, clocking in at 5” x 3.75”. It’s not a traditional flip book in that the “narrative” of flip books is usually explained through the flip, a silent piece of animation for the reader, whereas in Happy Trails the animation is more abstract. People and clouds move and shift, but it’s not exactly clear what’s going on unless you read the comic. Happy Trails is a two-sided flip book, but the front-to-back flip works better than the back-to-front.

In Happy Trails, Roberts tells the story of three scientist/think tank employees on a walking meeting. The goal of the meeting – “to make life better for the people!” Members bring up weather manipulation, dispersal of a mood-altering compound into the Jetstream, with all the parts and pieces ready to be lined up and set into motion. As the group discusses possibilities for their latest project and how it would be integrated into other projects at the unnamed institution, it becomes clear that their “innovations in citizen life quality enrichment initiatives” will have serious geopolitical consequences, including drought, famine, and subjugation of the poor. The whole plan is fascism dressed up in the clothes of public service.

Roberts’ art avoids the standard dark inked lines and goes for color blocks throughout, which gives the comics of Happy Trails a unique dream-like quality. The comics are bright, almost lurid, which emphasizes the plot of the book in an unsettling way. Often flipbooks use dark inked lines to draw the eye, but in this case the movement of forms feels more organic, which I appreciated.

There is a lot going on with this book, and I think it’s safe to say that Happy Trails is the most interesting art comic I’ve read this year. The combination of animation, comics, and the flip book form give Happy Trails a playfulness that is immediately contrasted with the darkness of its story. This is a real zinger, and a comic you should be reading. Recommended.

Scott Roberts (tumblr: @ubutopia) is a cartoonist and animator, among a lot of other things, based in Chicago, IL. You can find more of Scott’s work at http://ubutopia.com/

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Happy Trails by Scott Roberts

Finally, a story about chemtrails! Also, a comic that actually uses risograph printing to its full effect instead of issuing it top-billing as a pink-hued novelty act! Also, a flipbook about the size of a deck of cards! I didn’t see this one coming.

Happy Trails is about big questions and solving them as efficiently as possible. When it approaches altering weather patterns and human behavior by adding fluoride and aluminum to our atmosphere, it’s more about the how we do it rather than the should we do it. That lack of moral dilemma expressed on the pages gives you more time to appreciate the dream-like artistry therein.

You can read this comic slowly, tracking the layers of hazy color and the deliberate movements of characters, text, and abstractions. Or you can place your thumb on the outside of the pages and let ’er rip. I found it equally as intriguing letting it flow from the front or from the back, just as intriguing focusing on the left of the spine or the right. The most impressive sequence is when a scientist’s head, explaining “international peacekeeping operations,” is spiraling to your left, a hurricane is spinning concurrently on the right side. Wild stuff.

With meticulous layouts and a distinct lack of throwaway mark-marking, Happy Trails is true auteur-theory-level artwork, making it one of the most captivating comics of the year.

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Come see Happy Trails in person this weekend at SPX, at table H8!

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My new hybrid comic/flip book HAPPY TRAILS is officially debuting this weekend at SPX, The Small Press Expo, in DC!  It’ll be at table H8 with my fellow Chicago H8ers: Keiler Roberts and Brad Rohloff (of Bred Press).

HAPPY TRAILS is a 3-color experimental comic book/flip book, hand-crafted and Risographed. Read the story page-by-page as a comic, and also view the pages as flip book animations from both sides.  The story follows three public servants as they work to make life better for the people. 112 pages, 5" x 3.75"

Daniel Elkin recently reviewed HAPPY TRAILS in his excellent small press review column, Tiny Pages Made of Ashes:

I love the look and feel of this book. The Risographed art is soft, yet jumps off the page, and Roberts doesn’t sacrifice layout for function — I wouldn’t have known it worked as a flip book had he not drawn my attention to it. It feels like something made with care. It resonates as a work of art.

The story itself reflects the book’s dual usage. It is both dark and beautiful — full of hope as it is full of rather draconian machinations. You’re left looking at its intent with both hope and fear, placing you in a moral gray area punctuated by rainbows.

SPX is Saturday, Sept. 17 and Sunday, Sept. 18 at the Marriott North Bethesda Hotel http://www.smallpressexpo.com/ @spx @SPXcomics 

If you can’t make it to SPX you can order a copy of HAPPY TRAILS (and other comics) from my web store http://ubutopia.storenvy.com/ See you in DC!