Sketching the wretched

>> A new book gathers the nightmarish kneeslappers of local cartoonist
Howard Chackowicz

VINDICATION: From Howie Action Comix

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

The raw and vivid drawings of Montrealer Howard Chackowicz range from straightforward gutter gags in the tradition of vintage National Lampoon to poetic and even abstract meditations on disgust, desolation and, amid an ocean of ugliness, the occasional sparkle of sweetness. Long familiar to followers of local comic art, the material has been gathered by Conundrum Press into the new collection Howie Action Comics. Up for a little hot Howie action, the Mirror reached Chackowicz by e-mail.

Mirror: Cruelty, degradation, abject failure, shame, loathing, sexual depravity and cynicism permeate your gag cartoons and comic strips. Is this your way of subtly suggesting that hey, things aren’t really that bad, kids, so have a laugh—or is this book a heart-rending scream of pain from a man at the edge of the abyss?

Howard Chackowicz: Yeah, I’d go for the pain thing, definitely the pain. In a world ablaze with war and suffering, and seemingly on the verge of environmental disaster, I look and see everyone obsessed with money, shopping, technology and celebrities. They always say, “You can either laugh or cry,” but doing both at the same time opens the soul a little easier. A little screaming mixed in doesn’t hurt either.

M: Is there any form of human immorality or debasement that you won’t address with a joke?

HC: If I feel something is wrong, I’ll want to address it and, in my art, it’s often with some form of humour. Sometimes it’s simply about challenging censorship, drawing things we’re not supposed to draw. So everything is fair game to me—just as long as my mother doesn’t see it.

M: What’s with all the funny animals?

HC: I love drawing people and animals. Maybe it comes from traditional cartooning with all the cute li’l animals, I dunno. But in their naturalness and innocence, they make perfect subjects for cruelty, a common theme for me.

M: Some of the pieces in Howie Action Comics are less gag cartoons than simple but pathos-heavy sketches from daily life—the panhandler in front of Schwartz’s, for instance. Why do you feel they fit in with the wacky stuff?

HC: I kind of see all my art in the same way, whether they’re cartoons, comics, paintings or illustrations, they are all part of my self-expression. I think a lot of people wouldn’t even get my gag cartoons, rather they would seem like arty drawings with bizarre text or something. Even the title of the book is supposed to be ironic as there really isn’t any action, but rather mostly sad, disturbing and dark images.

Book launch with music by Nutsak and Bug-Eyed Mosnter
at Casa del Popolo on Friday, March 14, 9 p.m., free