August 08, 2005

The Cute Manifesto

Images P 1891867733.01. Sclzzzzzzz The Cute Manifesto is a small-but-thick anthology (168 pages, 6" x 6") of cartoonist James Kochalka's cartoon-embellished musings on the meaning of life. My favorite is the titular story, "The Cute Manifesto," in which Kochalka defends cuteness as not being trite, but as one of the most important qualities of life to seek out.

Kochalka developed his talents in the world of self-published mini-comics, and even though he now has a publisher, he still thinks like a self-publisher. In a recent interview in The Comics Reporter, Kochalka said, "I feel like I can do anything I want. Which is the best thing about being an artist, that you can do anything you want. As soon as you start feeling you can't do whatever you want because you're afraid how the readers are going to react, then it's just a job. I don't want to have a job." Fortunately, when Kochalka does whatever he wants, it results in good stuff. Link/