Comica Conversation: Richard McGuire and Steven Appleby

Richard McGuire is a highly influential illustrator whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, children’s books and toy designs. Back in 1989 Art Spiegelman included his groundbreaking 6-page comic strip Here in Raw magazine, an experimental piece of work that played with time and space and the entire way that comics work. Chris Ware (Jimmy Corrigan) wrote a lengthy essay in appreciation of the man and that one particular non-linear strip, whose influence deafeningly loud in everything he does.

McGuire is also an accomplished animator, but before he turned to illustration he was a the man responsible for the oft-sampled bassline in this song as a member of the post-punk band Liquid Liquid. Anyone here know the top-notch Glaswegian DJ duo Optimo? They got their name from a Liquid Liquid song! When the LCD Soundsystem played their farewell gig earlier this year at Madison Square Garden in New York City Liquid Liquid was their support band. Basically, McGuire is like Zelig, or (I guess) Forrest Gump. Everywhere you look he’s done something notable, somewhere. Do a Google. It’s ridiculous.

McGuire will be appearing here at Gosh! on Monday the 14th of November between 7pm and 8pm in a Comica Conversation with Stephen Appleby. There’ll be a slide show of images and McGuire will be playing some of his animated films for us too.

Stephen Appleby’s cartoons have been appearing in British newspapers for decades, and he has a new book coming out through Square Peg called The Coffee Table Book of Doom which lists the 27 horsemen of the apocalypse we should really be worrying about. The evening will be hosted by comics guru Paul Gravett (1001 Graphic Novels You Must Read Before You Die) as part of the Comica festival.