Last Thursday, Patrick joined author Michael Tisserand for a fun and educational presentation at Labyrinth Books in Princeton, New Jersey. Michael is the author of Krazy: A Life in Black and White, a new biography about the life and work of cartoonist George Herriman, who created the iconic Krazy Kat comic strip.
Krazy Kat, lauded by many experts as the greatest comic strip of all time, has greatly influenced Patrick’s work—as well as the work of other popular cartoonists, poets, and authors. Below is one of Herriman’s Krazy Kat comic strips, published on February 11, 1917.
Michael’s new biography details George Herriman’s heritage in a profound way, exploring not only the compelling intricacies of Herriman’s work, but also the contentious history of 19th and early 20th century America.
After a warm and poetic introduction, Michael kicked off Thursday’s event by thanking Patrick and his wife Karen for their work in publishing Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman, a 1986 volume of Herriman’s drawings, photographs, and letters. This collection, Michael said, “brought Herriman out of true obscurity” and helped him to begin the process of writing this much-anticipated biography.
Throughout the evening, Michael read passages from his book and shared many interesting anecdotes about Herriman’s life. Later, Patrick joined for an open discussion and an admiringly analytical look at some of Herriman’s most characteristic work.
It was a celebration of Herriman, a prolific and wildly influential artist, as well as a deep dive into the culture of early 20th century America. We recorded the entire event on Facebook Live, and the archived video is available below if you haven’t yet had the opportunity to check it out. Please enjoy!
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