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Nominees
VPRO GRAND PRIX OF HAARLEM
(Winner to be festively announced May 31, 2002)
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Daniel Clowes
Discomforting and weird, thus is the work of Daniel Clowes.
But also painfully realistic. With ‘Eightball’, Clowes
has been authoring one of the major comix series of the last
decade. In ‘Eightball’ Clowes unmasks the neurotic
‘feel good’ mentality of his contempories. His
characters have many all too human qualities and come to
life with stunning, appearant ease: an important explanation
of the success of his ice cold, convincing character study
‘Ghost World’ and Terry Zwigoff’s recent film
adaptation. The successor to ‘Ghost World’ is titled
‘David Boring’ and is guaranteed to be unadaptable to
film because of many inventive comix-specific reflections on
film.
Typically Clowes, the jury thought appreciatively.
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Joe Sacco
Virtually on his own Joe Sacco has invented a new genre:
comix journalism. Not only that, but Sacco’s reportages
answer to high journalistic standards, too. Like very few
others Sacco knows to tangibly present the day to day
realities of the conflicts in the Gaza strip and Bosnia. In
books like ‘Palestine’ and ‘Safe Area Gorazde’ he
alternates his personal experiences and historic background
information in a virtuoso comix style. The result is an
overwhelming mix of seriousness and lightness, which is both
socially and politically highly significant.
The jury was
certain: Sacco is a world class pioneer
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Chris Ware
‘One day I will be old and lonely…’ Not many authors
sign their book like that. Chris Ware does. But that is why
Ware is the author of the intensely tragic comix ‘Jimmy
Corrigan’. In this hefty work the 34 year old American
brings to life the sad search of lonely Jimmy after his lost
father. On virtually every page Ware pushes the limits of
the comix medium. His book is filled with clever inventions
both regarding visual language and design.
Notwithstanding
all formal inventiveness, Ware’s book is emotionally
gripping until the very last page, the jury opined.
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Winner
VPRO Debut Prize: Benno Vranken |
It almost seems like Benno Vranken invented his
own visual language for 'Kustbewoners'. His images of
desolated coastal regions, where the wind mercilessly blows
over the heads of the bent-down inhabitants, are almost
impossible to compare to other visual styles. Nonetheless
they stick with the reader immediately and, like the best of
visual art, are instantly recognizable. Benno Vranken is an
inventive and authentic artist. 'Kustbewoners' tells
bizarre tales of a bizarre world. On the sad and startling
side, the jury concluded. Not all stories in the book were
found to be fully original. However, all breathe a fully
convincing haunting atmosphere. This suggests a bright
artistic future for Benno Vranken. Especially in these times,
when autobiographical comix are dominating, the jury
appreciates Vranken's masterful fantasy images.
See
also: http://www.lambiek.net/vranken_benno.htm |
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updated
04-05-02
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