Women was the first novel I ever read by Charles Bukowski, at the age of 21, which is close to exactly the right age to read Bukowski. I’m more a fan of his poems and especially his reading of his own poems than I am his novels, but this passage from Women has always been one of my favorite from any book. I remember vividly coming to this phrase while walking to work, and suddenly sort of “getting” the whole book, which I had been struggling with. This is back when I used to walk a half-hour to work every day, and I’d read while walking down the sidewalk.
I loved this passage so much that, throughout a lot of my early/mid 20′s, I would carefully deface bathrooms across Charlotte with it, trying to put it as high on the walls as I could, so it would be harder to cover over with the regular penis drawings and racial slurs endemic to bar bathrooms.
Anyway, so here it is. It took way too long–coloring is sure complicated, I don’t think I’m cut out for it. But it looks better with color than without, so there’s that. I like the idea of adapting stuff though, as it means I can concentrate on HOW to lay it out and get the point across, which I don’t do much in my regular comics, especially the autobio ones. Anyway.
Hi!
I've been reading your comic blog for a while and as a fan of your work, and of Charles Bukowski, I really love this strip. The color is excellent and I especially love the woman's gesture and frilly collar in the second panel. It makes me want to go back and read "Love is a Dog From Hell" all over again. I hope you do more "infringistrated" strips.
Cheers,
Sophie
Oh man thanks Sophie! I may, we'll see–this one took an awful long time. Color is PHEW hard work.
Wow….
things worth noting….
You showing just the cranium of the waiter.
In the background, we see that the couple is separated by a bottle of liquor.
I assume the couple in the background are in disagreement about "the reality" of their relationship. She is laughing; his face is hidden.
I also loved the subtle statement regarding Bukowski's overall unhealthy state of mind; the room is obviously well lit–maybe even bright and he thinks of it as "dark"
Well done Dustin!
More, more!!!!!!
Ha! If anything the brightness of the room is just poor color choices on my part!
This is great. I just recently finished reading "Women" for about the 4th time. I always read it in between women… in order not to take them too seriously.
-Kenn Minter