Cartoon showcase brings more than laughs at Donkey
By Kristin Nehls, Staff Writer
October 19, 2007 | 2:41 a.m.
While it’s no Gotham City, the back room of Donkey Coffee and Espresso may feel a bit different lately. Beginning last Thursday, Sandy Plunkett of DC Comics opened his art showcase at Donkey.
Plunkett’s showcase, entitled “Draw Blood,” features over 40 different comic strips and one-panel illustrations that are centered around Athens and popular culture. The majority of Plunkett’s work consists of social satire, ecological criticism and traditional political cartoons.
Notable for his work at not only DC Comics, but also at Marvel and Gold Key Comics, Plunkett began his artistic endeavors as a high school student. Plunkett was always interested in art expressed through the medium of comic strips. After spending one year at a university, he dropped out to begin his work within the growing comic book industry.
After working through the '70s and '80s, Plunkett moved from Manhattan to Athens in the '90s. Much of the art featured in the “Draw Blood” showcase is relevant to the city of Athens and, therefore. pertains heavily to the students at Ohio University. Because much of Plunkett’s art is often a social analysis, OU students have every reason to be intrigued.
One comic seems to critique the small-town lifestyle stereotypical of rural areas such as Athens, only to end on a note that hints at commending and praising the simplicity in rural life.
Other comics depict the corporate influence that has been relevant in the Athens area. Plunkett draws a bombarding and intrusive Wal-Mart and PetSmart with the caption “Athens just seems to have lost its small-town charm.” In a similar comic Plunkett depicts Wal-Mart as OU’s newest version of The Ridges.
The expression of art through the style of comic strips allows students to draw critical conclusions regarding Plunkett’s intentions. “I think it is really easy to get across the artist’s voice in this kind of art because you can put it into the characters, whereas [with] other art… the viewer has to interpret and does not necessarily understand what the artist is going for,” freshman Lindsay Wright said.
Plunkett is able to turn complex and underrated social problems into easily accessible narratives. Many people constantly discuss and debate issues such as the war in Iraq and alleged governmental mishaps. Plunkett, however, addresses issues that are not in the public spotlight, such as the destruction of the rain forest.
He does so by relating current ecological problems to the political issues our society finds so intriguing. For example, Plunkett has a comic simply captioned “Ecoterrorism” that depicts the grim reaper destroying the rain forest.
“[Plunkett is] amazingly good at just really pinpointing a lot of the things that are going on with Bush’s reign… especially [Plunkett’s] views on ecology and a lot of the lies that have been told about these issues,” Athens resident Leah Miller said.
Plunkett does not limit himself to the undervalued problems of society. He comments on various aspects of American politics that have proven hot topics of media scrutiny and public debate. One comic addressed the ongoing problem of global warming through an illustration of President Bush in an arctic region, floating in the middle of a lake of water on an iceberg labeled “Deniability.” Another example of Plunkett’s attitude towards the President is shown in a comic that depicts Bush as a statue that a crowd of people labeled “truth” is knocking down.
Many may be turned off by the liberal and often cynical view that Plunkett seems to have towards America’s current geopolitical situation. “[This art is] pessimistic, although, you know, scratch a pessimist and you will just find a jaded optimist,” Donkey employee Robinson Earle said.
Despite political disputes and differing opinions, Plunkett offers social commentary relevant to the entire population of America, not just those seeking an outlet for political angst. He addresses the issues of reality television’s dominance in American lives and the affect of consumerism on American’s youth.
As political comentary and artistic talent pulsates through Donkey’s back room, crowds made up of more than just students are drawn to Plunkett’s unique expression of art. As an employee at Donkey, Earle watched people file in and out of the showcase during its premiere, and he sums up the fascination with Plunkett quite simply: “It is very cool to be able to get literal information out of what would at first [appear to] be the funny pages.”
---
To preview “Dr Faust's Compendium of Risible Tales,” a novel Plunkett is currently working on, visit http://plunkettart.com/novel/novel.html.