This is a work in progress. Please observe that I claim all applicable rights to concepts and conceptual art - which is one of the main reasons for publishing sketches and ideas here. Planting my flag in the mud, so to speak.
The Astoria project is a collection of short(er) graphic pieces. I’d say ‘comics’ but, well, y’know … Conceptually, the project is a way of making comics the way musicians play music. In my case, that means rock and metal. The concept is reflected in the final product - a book of the same dimensions as an old school vinyl record cover; the individual pieces representing single songs or tracks on the album. Please refer to sidebar (’Sections’) for individual song details and samples — and no, I do not mean mp3’s …
Now obviously, music communicates entirely different than ‘normal’ or mainstream comics. It is perceived in a more intuitive manner, on an emotional level. In comics, reading is often a matter of decoding and reading text and pictures simultaneously, which conflicts with the purpose in this case. Pictures alone, on the other hand, can be as intuitive and, not least, ambiguous as music. Ergo, Astoria will be entirely wordless.
In short, this will be a one-man Kramer’s Ergot.
Allan Haverholm @ March 31, 2008
