A Treatise Upon The Jam...

Title: A Treatise Upon The Jam; Being A Dialogue in the Socratic Style Between the Authors of an Unnam'd Interlocutor; Concerning Collaborative Approaches To Art, In Pictorial Narrative & Otherwise
Date: 2004
Publisher:Isaac Cates (isaac.cates@aya.yale.edu) & Mike Wenthe (michael.wenthe@yale.edu)
Writer: Isaac Cates, Mike Wenthe
Artist: Isaac Cates, Mike Wenthe

Yes, that really is the title.

This is a dialogue, in comic form, about the nature of collaboration in comic book creation. They also discuss the difference between true collaboration and the "assembly-line" process used in the "bullpens" of major comic book publishers. The conversation touches on the concept of comic jams and the serialization of comic stories. There are comparisons to theater and poetry, and finally an examination of the nature of art itself. Quite a bit of territory for a tiny minicomic.

The art is charming. As the three characters have their discussions, the artists have provided a constantly shifting series of backgrounds that thematically reflect the topics of conversation.

This is a quick read, but it's a good quality discussion, and one that I'd recommend to anyone who does collaborative work on any kind of creative process.

Rating: 8/10

This is the fifth review of a small stack of indy comics I picked up on Saturday at Million Year Picnic in Cambridge MA.