Top Four Comics with Seth

Sitting down with comics and cartoon artist Seth is a history lesson in the medium. He is a self-taught historian and collector of cartoons and comics, and also one of the most respected artists in North American comics. Here Seth gives a few pointers for those looking for places to start with graphic novels. His graphic novel Wimbledon Green chronicles the fictional adventures and intrigue of comic collecting. His latest book, George Sprott: 1894-1975 was serialized in The New York Times Magazine, then published in a beautifully bound and designed book, which Seth designed himself.

In no particular order, Seth’s picks for comics to look into are the following:

1. Ben Katchor - “He is a very interesting New York cartoonist. What he is doing is very close to pure poetry. He won the McArthur genius grant.”

2. Dash Shaw -  Seth describes Dash Shaw’s work as “pretty fascinating”. Dash is a prolific comic artist, known for his web-published comics and his book Bottomless Bellybutton.

3. Sammy Harkham - Harkham has been published in Kramer’s Ergot, an anthology of more avant-garde style comics. Seth describes Harkham as “a promising young artist.”

4. Chris Ware - Chris Ware, with Seth, is one of the most famous and respected comic artists of contemporary times. The two are friends, and Seth has the highest regard for Ware’s works, like Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth. “He’s the best cartoonist working…in the world,” praised Seth. “He knows exactly what he is doing.”