"The Next Day" is the latest project from Canadian multimedia upstart Pop Sandbox, the guys behind last year's graphic novel (and soon to be documentary) Kenk. That project was fortunate enough to have as its subject matter a highly controversial bike-thief/convict/urban legend, Igor Kenk, which helped it generate a truck-load of publicity.
Their latest project tackles the somewhat weightier (and perhaps harder-to-sell) subject matter of suicide. What really caught my attention about The Next Day graphic novel is that it will feature art by John Porcellino, the legendary minimalist cartoonist behind King-Cat Comics (which have been collected as King-Cat Classix, Map of My Heart, Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man and Perfect Example). The book itself looks great, with Porcellino's simple line-work paired nicely with the first-person accounts of depression and attempted suicide. (Here's an excerpt.)
But what really perked up my ears was a trailer I just saw for an "interactive documentary" that Porcellino has apparently worked on, that expands on the subject matter in the book. It's a blissful, haunting little clip that brings John's art to life perfectly:
The Next Day - Trailer from Pop Sandbox on Vimeo.
Looks great, no? I want to say this is the first time his art has been animated, but that just seems wrong. Surely this can't be the first time?
The Cultural Magpie: the blog of writer Brad Mackay
