Over the weekend, two major comic artists, Art Spiegelman and Gary Panter, discussed their inspiration at a symposium organized by NYU and The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. Via Artforum's report:
The letters L, S, and D rolled off their tongues frequently, to nervous audience laughter every time—one of Panter’s drawings, done on acid, was even projected onscreen. They both admitted, however, that they didn’t do any good work while on the drug; it was merely a source of inspiration for later projects, including Panter’s production design for Pee-wee’s Playhouse. Spiegelman did get the seed idea for Maus while on some speed that the Funny Animals editor sent him to hasten his contribution to an issue: Having heard a theory that Mickey Mouse was based on Al Jolson in blackface, Spiegelman envisioned a strip with Ku Klux Kats. Soon realizing he knew next to nothing about African-American culture, but plenty about Jewish culture, he transposed the concept and a classic was born.OK, then.
Comic Relief [artforum]
