Kyle Baker is a name I come across on more than one occasion. He’s an artist inspired by the surreal satirical funnies like Mad Magazine. Hoping for animation or news strips, he gets the opportunity to work the general absurdity at Marvel. But between that and DC, he gets a little bitter about editorial and hardcore fans so he makes a career by making fun of them. Which isn’t to say he isn’t opposed to working in mainstream comics so long as he can freely express himself, just ask both of the Big Two’s funny men. He eventually goes the extra mile for creative and representative rights by working with the people who brought him so far.
The Love In Satire
Some of the early influences of Kyle Baker are from his parents who worked in the arts. His father John would draw pictures to entertain his kids when he wasn’t making junk mail. Not only that but the 70s are a time for some expressionistic comics including the Peanuts strips and MAD Magazine. The artwork of Steve Ditko and Jim Aparo employ dynamic minimalism to allow energetic movement. It is what inspires Baker to go experiment in the sequential arts. Flip books, Super-8 movies, claymation, and mini-comics on the cheap; because why limit to one format when the small changes make all the difference? Just ask NBC’s The Slap.
Absurdity Meets Kyle Baker
As luck would have it, Baker lands an internship at Marvel Comics through a connection. Between all of his work photocopying and filing fan mail, he got firsthand work as a background assistant. Because hey, if you can get the chance to rub elbows with the likes of Walt Simonson, Larry Hama, and John Buscema; what’s there to complain about? This proves to be a better experience than an education at the School of Visual Arts. Pretty soon Baker tries to get his work out in the funnies. But with newspapers rejecting his illustrations, his full professional debut is a comic adaptation of the Howard the Duck movie. Which in all consideration looks way better than its source material; because Kyle Baker wouldn’t have it any way other than cartoony.
Simplistic Absurdity
Some of Baker’s strips he works on in his spare time get the notice of certain publishers. But here’s the fun part, one of those strips The Cowboy Wally Show was built on lies. Nothing serious, Baker lied when he said he had more Cowboy Wally material. So to make up for it, he recreates most of his content from the strips into copies with more elements. Like there are so many beer cans on the table of Wally’s interview that he’d be drunk or have kidney failure if it was serious. Baker also self-inserts as the host to Wally’s onscreen interview, Noel, who much like Wally bluffed his way to success.
Why Kyle Baker Hates Oppression
Despite the absurdity of that situation, Kyle Baker used Cowboy Wally to get more work. He was able to draw comics and not just ink them. This would include pulp hero The Shadow and a few adaptations of Dick Tracy and classical story Through The Looking Glass. It was at that point Baker also took up writing because it got him more money. Possibly this even includes meeting people like acclaimed comic scribe Peter David. At the same time, there were some resentments building up in him. In spite of all of his success, Baker was starting to have less fun with mainstream comics. Editors disliked Baker’s cartoony art style and DC wouldn’t let him create his own material and own it. Alternative publishers like First Second and Fantagraphics meanwhile didn’t have the money to take a risk from Baker.
So to vent his frustrations, Kyle Baker does arguably his most famous creation, Why I Hate Saturn. This Harvey-Award Winner embodies Baker’s frustrations with the comic industry. It’s the story of a columnist (Anne) venting her frustrations as a way to have cathartic pleasure in her crummy life. From editors, being single, and not having enough alcohol, she eventually finds that her mundane life is nothing compared to her sister’s. Being a space adventurer is no picnic and she would easily take Anne’s place if she could. Which by all accounts, she would seem happy to do so considering Anne blows her off.
And Tells Hard Truths
Kyle Baker would eventually leave comics for a while to focus on commercial illustration and animation. Those caricature styles would eventually find way from newspapers to eventually Looney Tunes. But even Looney Tunes: Back in Action can’t keep Baker away from the funny papers. Although to be fair most of them are anthologies so he can freely show off his cartoony designs. It certainly helps that his Elseworld’s story is a collaboration with his wife Elizabeth Glass. “Letitia Lerner, Superman’s Babysitter” even won an Eisner; because situations like trying to take care of a baby Superman can get weirdly funny in context. Out of context however, a baby Superman in a microwave can imply some really disturbing stuff to the point of withdrawals. It’s a paradox at it’s finest.
Sometimes More Than One
But that’s not the only time human limits can be tested with Kyle Baker. At Marvel is an overlooked but highly praised story revolving around Captain America’s super soldier serum. Taking cues from the Tuskegee experiment, Baker’s cartoonish art style belies a dark history that challenges views on people. Truth: Red, White, and Black is the story of another Captain America who takes it upon himself to define himself in defiance to the racism aimed at him. Rather than be a sacrificial pawn, Isaiah Bradley fashions his own shield and standing up for what’s right until the very end as Captain America.
The series itself shows some ugly truths about comics as well. When it looks like people are tinkering with continuity to suit a narrative, fans are ready to bash creators. Baker could only look at this with disappointment as attitudes quickly changed at the fifth and sixth issues. After all the only reason this became Marvel continuity was because editorial needed to calm the masses.
Kyle Baker Just Wants To Have Fun
Despite all of this Kyle Baker holds no ill will towards the medium itself, he just wants to be able to enjoy himself. For one thing, whenever Baker does do work in mainstream comics, he never wants to take himself too seriously. Case in point, Plastic Man! This character (who deserved better than The Mask for a Jim Carrey movie!) was created for the sole purpose of humorous expressionistic art; a malleable physiology can do that. It’s right up Baker’s alley where he does most of the series (save for two issues by Scott Morse).
Now in terms of storytelling, Baker’s Plastic Man puts no emphasis on character development or overarching plots. It’s mostly a bunch of Looney Tunes-inspired gags where Eel O’Brian is surprisingly the most sane person in the room. Although he can be quite clueless when it comes to avoiding death traps like asking his wife to pull the lever of his crank form. However there are plenty of satirical jabs at DC as well; like how all main female characters are the same body type and dress in semi-revealing outfits despite the reputation of appealing to kids and teens.
Max Maturity
Then there’s Deadpool Max, an (even more) adult oriented comic about Marvel’s funny man. Thanks to the Merc With The Mouth’s healing factor there are plenty of opportunities for cartoony slapstick. With no editors in the way, Kyle Baker uses his art to make fun of every situation. At one point things look realistic to make fun of action movies. Another point features semi-cartoony looks to poke fun at the notion of swearing means the content is more mature. Only in situations like these can Deadpool be the least insane person in the room.
Animate Without Animation
At some point Baker decided to make his own publishing company, aptly titled Kyle Baker Publishing. It’s here that Baker decides to push his creative styles to their limit. After about a decade Baker renames his company “5150 Glasscherben (Media)”. Here Baker reclaims his original series Cowboy Wally and Why I Hate Saturn and creates more. All of which look like storyboards for series that could have been animated; which makes the slapstick and actions so eye-catching. Through expressionism, the characters and use of implication create senses of anticipation. One dramatic scene can turn funny with slow but steady revealed details. Say a person is in a tub full of a red liquid and a knife is in the same room; turns out it’s just tomato juices because the guy got sprayed by a passing skunk.
There are things to take from Kyle Baker’s creative sides. His cartoony art which can be endearing; just look at his strip style series The Bakers, which is about his family life. There’s also a desire to express his social beliefs. Some of his comics outright ditch the comedy like in his Nat Turner series about a slave rebellion. Examples like that don’t need comedy or dialogue to tell the story, just pure expressionism.
Kyle Baker The Activist
Activism combining with entertainment kind of has a bad reputation for how inauthentic it can be. Kyle Baker however believes in bringing up issues whether they’re about comics or anything else. Take for example Special Forces, a satirical take on representation in certain fields; teen-soldiers, exhortation of felons, and disabled people in the military is generally a bad idea. If anything it says putting these kind of people in dire situations is not only irresponsible but how they’re twice as expendable. Which can clash with arguments for and against trans people joining the military.
But in less controversial ways, artistic activism can explore the ways of life of one or more people. In recent years Baker has been joining people like Reginald Hudlin for more visible and authentic African American representation. It’s for that reason he goes onto Marvel Action: Black Panther to… mixed results. But perhaps one of the most notable actions is when he advocates for the return of Milestone Media, the legacy of Dwayne McDuffie. To that extent, Baker serves as artist for the rebooted Static graphic novel.
Kyle Baker: Artists Need To Express
Kyle Baker is just one of several artists who finds what he wants the most out of situations. Satire gives way to using absurdity to reveal hard truths, corporate or otherwise. Art is meant to be expressed in ways artists enjoy, not conforming to the ideals of the publisher. Within the language of expressionism come narratives that can easily transition from comics to animation. But best of all, Baker uses the time he has to spread his voice and share his ideals with people he calls friends.
If any of you feel like supporting him, here’s a link to his Patreon Account to see all of the stuff that he does for fun. In the meantime, thanks for coming and as always remember to look between the panels.