For 25-year-old Brooklyn graphic novelist Dash Shaw, the world is beautifully absurd-at least when it comes to his comics.
As he constantly redefines his personal style, from his altering drawing techniques to the varied topics of his cartoons, Shaw reveals a rare talent for uniting distinctive dissonances in his work.
Shaw's exhibit Bottomless opens today at the John Hope Franklin Center Gallery. Sponsored by the Duke University Center for International Studies, the show features never-before-displayed original drawings, storyboards, color background overlays and animation.
All the excerpts are from his story-based works, including his latest graphic novel, Bottomless Belly Button, and web comic BodyWorld.
Shaw grew up with a father who loved comics, and he became interested at a very young age. He is especially a fan of Japanese manga, a passion that grew when he lived briefly in Japan during high school. Though not thoroughly apparent, his cartooning style is heavily manga-influenced.
"The whole storytelling technique of Japanese comics is so different, and it [has] influenced my work more than American cartoonists," Shaw explained.
The Asian persuasion reveals itself in the hefty, character-driven Bottomless Belly Button, published this summer. Although the book appears dauntingly long, the story reads rather quickly thanks to Shaw's mastery of flow.
"[Belly Button's] ability to have image drive narrative, yet keep the two closely attuned, is astounding," said Rob Sikorski, executive director of DUCIS and gallery curator. "Reading 700 pages in a sitting has got to be a singular experience."
The novel is a good representation of Shaw's love for contrast. Through juxtaposition, such as the framing of "really ugly-looking drawings" in some larger, beautiful sequence, Shaw cleverly creates visually stimulating models.
"A comic for me... you have pictures and words," he explained. "They aren't repeating the same information, although sometimes they can, but it's how the two relate and make a third thing [that's] not the drawing [and] not the words. I'm excited by it."
The ambiguity of the "third thing" is highly appropriate-the nuanced elements scattered throughout Bottomless Belly Button are best experienced by viewing his drawings first hand. Shaw strives to carry out this experimental attitude in all his work, including BodyWorld, his current project.
Unlike Belly Button, which was completed in two-toned minimalism and could be categorized as a family drama, BodyWorld is a sci-fi thriller that uses a full range of colors. Additionally, Shaw chose to upload new weekly installments of the comic on his blog.
"When I think about comics, I think about the properties of a book: facing pages, page turns, formalist elements," Shaw said. "But online comics aren't like that because you can view them on a screen, but obviously there is a very strong relationship to comics."
In times where paper is expensive and publishing is difficult, Shaw said the Internet brings a lot of energy to the comic world.
"I think it is beneficial because it's open to everyone, and 99 percent of [online comics] are free," Shaw said. "It's extremely easy to put something online."
Even with the large amounts of comics floating around the web, there is no doubt that Shaw's widely-acclaimed talent is recognized by critics and fans alike.
But after completing BodyWorld, Shaw will work on another graphic novel and concentrate on animation, all within the safe confines of his own world.
"I just want to put myself in that place because when you get out of art school, there are all these other things people want you to think about: business things, style things, trying to market yourself," he said. "I just feel like focusing on this imaginary world and working on it all the time is the thing that makes the most sense to me."
A reception for Bottomless will be held today from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the John Hope Franklin Center Gallery, 2204 Erwin Road on Central Campus. Shaw will be joined by noted graphic artist Gary Panter, Shaw's former teacher at the School of the Visual Arts, to discuss his work Friday at noon in Franklin Center 240. The exhibit will be on display through Oct. 31.
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