Comments on: Garage Band by Gipi

By: Everyone’s A Critic | A roundup of comic book reviews and thinkpieces | Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources – Covering Comic Book News and Entertainment

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:31:56 +0000

[...] Frank Santoro reviews Gipi's Garage Band at Comics Comics. [...]

By: andrea q

andrea q — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 03:23:23 +0000

hi frank, you need to know that Garage Band (“Questa è la stanza” in italian “This is The room”) is the only story, with “Gli Innocenti”, that Gipi did by a script plot.
all the others Gipi’s works was in some ways draw directly on the board without a precise story.
and of course gipi draw directly with ink, and hand-made the lettering in the original version.

By: Rob Clough

Rob Clough — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:43:54 +0000

BVS–good comment on Gipi’s insights into boys and young men. I love that he explores that world not necessarily in a laudatory way, but simply tells the truth, warts and all.

Wish You Were Here #2 (“They Found The Car”) was one of the best comics of the last decade. It’s chilling and gripping, with a great ending.

By: Aamer

Aamer — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:07:45 +0000

Wonderfull review. Your explanation of much of it, especially the beach scene was something I would never have picked up on on my own. Great job Frank.

By: BVS

BVS — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:34:03 +0000

Gipi awesome. I’ve been hooked since I read that first ignatz book of his, wish you were here. I also loved notes for a war story. Gipi opens this weird window into the mind and world of young men and male friendship. despite comics being a boys club for ages. I can’t think of many other cartoonists(certainly not in the north american tradition) who have ever explored this very boys club like territory. he’s also a pretty infectiously inspiring artist. I read one of his comics and I get the itch to put aside the pencils and india ink, and instead experiment and make some hand colored color comics.

By: Paul Karasik

Paul Karasik — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:19:35 +0000

Really nice read of Garage Band, Frank!
You may know that Gipi sets rules for himself with each project, constricting parameters to keep the process challenging. Unbelievable as this may sound, he told me that the restriction on Garage Band was “No pencils”. He drew this book directly in ink!

By: Frank Santoro

Frank Santoro — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 04:33:23 +0000

Thanks Oliver. I think I know what you mean. Gipi and I have similar approaches. However, I was unaware of Gipi in 1995 when I drew Storeyville. Back then I was trying to mash up Roy Crane and Ben Katchor.

By: Oliver East

Oliver East — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 22:37:18 +0000

Gipi is the first comics artist I was ‘in to’ and Garage Band led me to buy Storeyville. I thought Gipi was making comics the way I wanted to and saw a lot of Gipi in Storeyville. Naturally I’m quite excited by this review.

By: Matt Seneca

Matt Seneca — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:38:50 +0000

Love the way you’ve zeroed in on the “comics-musical” nature of this book. Great review.

By: inkstuds

inkstuds — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:34:05 +0000

Gipi’s work is really something quite amazing. I wasn’t familiar with him when I read this all those years ago, and was blown away. I need more!