Various comics and illustrations by Uno Moralez
Uno Moralez, writer/artist
self-published, 2011-
Read them for free at UnoMoralez.com
I’ve been struggling mightily to put my finger on what the art and comics of Uno Moralez remind me of. I got that he draws the faces and figures of his characters to evoke that weird frisson you get when you see commercial illustration from other cultures, where what’s perfectly normal in (say) Eastern Europe or the Indian subcontinent or Southeast Asia or Central America looks just slightly off-kilter and disconcerting to us. And I got that he paces his horror comics with the attention to narrative economy and rhythm of a dark Nick Gurewitch. (That comic about the kid and his telescope gave me panicky giggles with each subsequent reveal.) And I got that there’s a massive, in-your-face dose of kink and smut, tying it to similar traditions in Japanese illustrations and comics and also reinforcing that “I shouldn’t be seeing this” feeling. But that weird, glitchy computer drawing style — what is that all about? Then it hit me: It looks like a black-and-white version of the still images they used as cut scenes in old 8-bit Nintendo games. It feels wrong to apply that aesthetic to these horrific images and stories; and because the style is so mechanical, it’s a wrongness that feels as though it has settled into and infected the very digital medium conveying it — the computer equivalent of Pim and Francie‘s Golden Age animation studio gone horribly wrong. Put it all together and you’ve got one of the most impressive and fully formed horror aesthetics I’ve seen…well, since Michael DeForge, I suppose, coupled with that same “whoa” factor I got from the format and pacing of Emily Carroll’s brilliantly assembled “His Face All Red.” Jeepers creepers, does this person hit my buttons.
(Via Zack Soto via Jillian Tamaki via Ryan Sands)
Tags: comics, comics reviews, Comics Time, reviews, Uno Moralez
“I’ve been struggling mightily to put my finger on what the art and comics of Uno Moralez remind me of.”
Your homework assignment: Hunt down and read the comics of Moralez’ closest artistic equivalent, ero-guro artist Suehiro Maruo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suehiro_Maruo
Definitely saw the Maruo influence, Dirk and Zom — thanks!
hmmm, I’m not really seeing the Maruo influence. Maruo is like poetry, his work comes off as very serious, he doesn’t “joke” with the viewer, i’m loving the moralez, but i’m not seeing a connection worth noting between these two. if you’re going to compare Moralez to someone in ero-guro land i’d say it’s Kago.
Wow, good find. That is some killer stuff.
I’ve been meaning to write something about Moralez for quite some time.
Suehiro Maruo? We’ve got that covered: http://mindlessones.com/2008/10/13/the-dread-divinity-of-suehiro-maruo/
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