King of Comics
- Sonja Mason
- Feb 5, 2017
- 2 min read
The View from the Cheap Seats
by Neil Gaiman
“We shouldn’t have to choose between the books we love and the books that are good for us.”
Neil Gaiman
Gaiman is a well-known author of science fiction, fantasy, horror and comics. He is also a huge fan. This book is a collection of introductions, speeches and interviews that he has written over the years. It is a Who’s Who of the artistic world, with special emphasis on comics and children’s literature. Authors such as Diana Wynne Jones, rock singers such as Amanda Palmer (his wife), and writers such as Terry Pratchett are featured here. He shares his frank admiration for their genius and explores the craft of writing with their assistance.
In these pages, Gaiman encourages young writers to imagine the world differently and to “make the art that only they can make”. He praises individuality and risk taking; he extols the unique and the strange, the bizarre and the unconventional. Gaiman demonstrates a tremendous curiosity about the world and the people in it. At a time where conformity is the norm, he takes the narrow, winding path of originality. Active in film and television as well, he is a Renaissance man of the art world.
One of my favorite bits is an interview with singer Lou Reed on the nature of creativity and the development of the artist as an individual. Famously prickly with journalists, Reed hit it off with Gaiman and they spoke very candidly and at length, mere moments before going onstage to perform.
Another topic of note was the need for authors to adapt to modern technology. Copyright laws might not be a sexy theme, but they affect all artists who no longer control their published works due to pirating on the Internet. Citing the example of Charles Dickens, who faced a similar problem years ago, Gaiman emphasizes the need to be flexible rather than combative. Who knew Dickens had these worries?
Overall, this is a fascinating wander through the long list of Neil Gaiman’s friends and acquaintances. I could go on endlessly, but then you would never read the book!
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