Volume 12–4 (Low Res).pdf - U&lc

B
A, B, C. From The Coward's Almanac, or Yellow
Pages, by Marvin Kitman.
or a psychiatrist joke, the depth of his
indignation is pungently articulated.
About the latter, for example, he believes
"They are the enemy, Before
psychoanalysis, a comic or tragic play
would help man see his foolishness—
that was a Greek concept. Now all the
fools remain idiots because psychiatrists
merely adjust people to the
system. Sometimes it's better to be
radicalized?' Indeed, Myers has so many
radical feelings about issues and currents,
it is difficult to classify his output.
Only his myriad advertising deadlines
limit the exercising, or rather exorcising,
of his feelings.
It is certainly ironic that such a strident
critic as he—particularly of the advertising
game—gets as many advertising
jobs as he does. But the agencies no
doubt see Myers' beguilingly funny
calligraphy as a convincing sales tool.
Indeed, is not satire a form of propaganda,
and isn't advertising a form of
satire? For Myers (who did political
cartoons for The New Masses in the late
'30s, and never lost his innate rebelliousness)
these assignments afford
opportunity to expand on already existing
creations—and perhaps to subtly
subvert. Often a campaign will require
Myers' direct creative input, which is
decidedly an enjoyable activity for him.
Mother Jones
Poster for La Cage aux folles
C
Ultimately though, the most memorable
Myers achievement is satire, but sadly,
few outlets are open to the committed
visual satirist these days. As if to compensate,
as much as to open new creative
territory, Myers has picked up
another pen—the writing instrument.
His witty and moving short stories,
published in The New Yorker, about his
late mother's nursing home experiences
expose a remarkably human side
of this comic visualizer. Once a portrait
painter in the Navy, Myers weds the
talent for realistic depiction with the
comic frenzy that governs his cartoons,
into a splendid, warm-hearted, descriptive
prose. In the tradition of James
Thurber, S. J. Perelman, and Alexander
King—writers/artists all—Myers may
soon be equally as well remembered
for his writing.
Today's jesters are not as susceptible to
bodily harm or legal interference as in
feudal times. The dwindling marketplace
is now the major cause for worry
in the marketing age—and no clever
masking will alter that situation. However,
despite the paucity of outlets,
Myers shows us there is plenty of raw
material to be churned into the satirist's
grist, and if one has equal commitment
to both art and commentary the word
and image will definitely get out.
Horizon
Absent and Accounted
HEADLINE' ITC MIXAGE BLACK
13
TEXT/CAPTIONS' BOLD