Manifestly Cute Kochalka Art

I first noticed James Kochalka's interest in combining real-life photos with cute monster bodies on the cover of this year's Alternative Comics Free Comic Book Day release.

It seems like an artistic theme Kochalka has continued to follow, as you can see in the Eli Monster thread at the American Elf Forum. The thread followed Wednesday's posting of a daily diary comic strip at American Elf that told the story of the creation of the painting you see here.

When I asked James why this artistic theme seems to be holding his attention, the answer was typical of the surprising depth of thought that goes into the best of the artist's work. "I guess it's another way of trying to express what is special about people," Kochalka said. "The mysteriousness and wonder of our lives. We are strange monsters, separated from the rest of the world within our individual bodies."

I wonder if eventually we will see an entire story told in this style? Already in Super-F*ckers, Kochalka has experimented with photo collage combined with his own cartooning. I'd like to see more.