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ARTICLE
Comic Book Review: Jamming with Aleksandar Zograf
by R.J. Carter Published: November 5, 2002
Aleksander Zograf (known better to some as Sasa Rakezic) is a cartoonist living in Serbia. His dream comics are some of the weirdest and most hypnogogic you will ever find. You'll read them from front to back, back to front, and back again.
In this special book, Jamming with Aleksandar Zograf, he teams up on stories with some of the best writers and artists comix has produced.
In the leadoff tale, Zograf (almost always the lead character in his own comics) decides to see if he can fly, since he is, after all, a comic book character. He finds that he can, and zips across the ocean to Baltimore to meet with fellow cartoonist Bob Kathman. Bob shows Zograf how we "cowboy Yankees" live, and the pair end up robbing a comic shop. Along the way, they encounter Jim Woodring's alternative comix character, Frank, and a chase ensues that ends most surealistically.
In another tale, Zograf finds himself wandering about Belgrade, when whom should he bump into but R. Crumb's bewhiskered cult icon, Mr. Natural! Philosophy and the nature of reality are the topic of the reticent old man, until Flakey Foont appears to interrupt.
Ever wonder what it is about American junk food that makes it so addicting, and why the marketers hawk it at us so relentlessly? Pray that Zograf and Pat Moriarity are way off the beam in their psychedelic tale, "Crunchy Squirt Loops." Otherwise you may find yourself eating organically grown tofu the rest of your life!
"Pivotal Moments In History, Starring A. Hitler," was a tale I initially found more than a little disconcerting. In it, artists Wostok and Zograf illustrate a young Adolph bear witness to the humiliation of his impoverished mother at the words of 'Mr. Jewish,' the neighbor from down the hall. Mr. Jewish is every Jewish stereotype rolled up and overblown to the point of lampoon. Charles Alverson (co-screenwriter of Jabberwocky and Brazil) uses humor that, if not entirely black, requires that we create a whole new shade of dark, to illustrate how people can generalize from a single instant and apply that generalization to an entire class of people.
There are more comics in this anthology, and readers would do well to procure themselves a copy of this book. For American readers reared on the mainstream output of the four-color industry, it's an opportunity to learn how folks in other countries view themselves and the world, and how they translate those views through the medium of cartooning. You can order yourself a copy of Jamming with Aleksandar Zograf by sending an international money order (or well-concealed cash) in the amount of US $5 (or 5 EURO) + US $3 (or 3 EURO) for postage to:
Sasa Rakezic
P.F. 163
26000 Pancevo
Yugoslavia (Serbia)
Aleksander Zograf (known better to some as Sasa Rakezic) is a cartoonist living in Serbia. His dream comics are some of the weirdest and most hypnogogic you will ever find. You'll read them from front to back, back to front, and back again.
There are more comics in this anthology, and readers would do well to procure themselves a copy of this book. For American readers reared on the mainstream output of the four-color industry, it's an opportunity to learn how folks in other countries view themselves and the world, and how they translate those views through the medium of cartooning. You can order yourself a copy of Jamming with Aleksandar Zograf by sending an international money order (or well-concealed cash) in the amount of US $5 (or 5 EURO) + US $3 (or 3 EURO) for postage to:
