Matt Feazell(born 1955) is anAmericancartoonistfromHamtramck,Michigan,primarily working inminicomics.He is best known for his wryly humorousThe Amazing Cynicalmanseries and the simple "stick figure"art style he uses for it. Cynicalman appears in the introduction toScott McCloud's bookUnderstanding Comics,in which Feazell's work is cited as an example of "iconic" art taken to its greatest degree.
| Matt Feazell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Matthew Jordan Feazell[1] 1955 (age 68–69)[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Cartoonist |
Notable works | Cynicalman |
| mattfeazell | |
Early life and education
editFeazell was born inAmes, Iowa.[2]In high school he experimented with stick-figure comics, but also developed a more traditional comics style.[3]Feazell's comics influences includedJack Kirby,Hank Ketcham,andWill Eisner.[1]
He received his B.S. in Community/Fine Arts fromSouthern Illinois University.[1]
Career
editIn addition to self-publishingCynicalman,Feazell's work has been published byAardvark-Vanaheim,AC Comics,Arrow Comics,Caliber Press,Fictioneer Books,Last Gasp,NBM Publishing,Eclipse Comics,andFirst Comics.[1]Steeldragon Press published his seriesAnt-Boyfrom 1986 to 1988.[3]From 2004 to 2007, he was also a regular contributor toDisney Adventuresmagazine with his strip "Dizzy Adventures."[3]
A regular on the small press comics festival scene, he has appeared at multiple local comic-cons throughout theMidwest.
The Amazing Cynicalman
editIn the 1980s Feazell produced short pieces entitled "The Adventures of Zot! in Dimension 10½" which appeared as backup stories in issues of Scott McCloud's seriesZot!.
In 1987, Feazell created astick figurecharacter namedCynicalman.Asked about the character's name, Feazell explained that he "was having a bad day."[2]Discussing his choice to draw stick figures, he described them as "art (that's) so simple – it verges oncalligraphy,"and added that thin characters let him condense more information into panels. He also expressed hope that stick figures would inspire people to draw their own comics, advising," Don't try to fool people into thinking that you're a great artist. Draw what you want to draw. Discover the comic within you – just draw that. "[2]
Cynicalman and his supporting cast (includingAntisocialman,CuteGirl,andStupidBoy) have been featured in Feazell's minicomics, and in a weekly newspaper strip carried in a few Michigan papers from 1997 to 2002. Some of his work has been collected in paperbacks entitledCynicalman, The Paperback(1987, minicomics material),ERT! Not Available Comics(1995, minicomics), andThe Amazing Cynicalman(the newspaper strip). A weekly color strip,Cynicalman, America's Laid-Off Superhero,ran onSerializer.net.[2]
Feazell has made a graphic novel calledThe Death of Antisocialmanfeaturing Antisocialman and multiple characters from the Cynicalman comics. There are 12 chapters in the novel series, all of which are available on Feazell's site.
In 2012, Feazell releasedThe Amazing Cynicalman,a feature-length film he wrote and directed, based on his comics work.
References
edit- ^abcdeFeazell entry.Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999.Accessed March 28, 2016.
- ^abcdJiompkowski, Michelle O. (2003-03-05). "Cartoonist creates dizzy adventures for the young".The Detroit News.
- ^abcFeazell entry,Lambiek's Comiclopedia.Accessed March 28, 2016.