The Culture Vultures from 'Cultural Jet Lag'.
Jim Siergey is an American alternative comic artist, most notable for the satirical intellectual comic 'Cultural Jet Lag' (1990-2012), which he co-created with Tom Roberts. These gags about a variety of cultural, but also political-social topics ran in various alternative magazines and, between 1997 and 2001 in Time. From the 1980s until the early 1990s, Siergey was mostly an assistant-inker and collaborator of the underground cartoonist Jay Lynch. Siergey has also drawn the sports cartoon series 'The Foul Pole' in The Chicago Baseball Magazine, 'Mythological Mashups' in American Bystander and 'Nartoons' (2019- ) in Lansing Journal. In addition, he has been active as an animator.
Early life and career
Jim Siergey was born in 1949. His brother Jeff Siergey later became an artist too, illustrating the Looney Tunes book 'The Good, The Bad and the Tweety', but is most notable as an animation director and producer, for instance for 'Animaniacs'. Jim Siergey enjoyed drawing since childhood. His main graphic influence was Mad Magazine, singling out Harvey Kurtzman, Will Elder and Jack Davis as his favorite artists. He was additionally inspired by Bill Holman's 'Smokey Stover', E.C. Segar's 'Popeye' and the cartoons of Max & Dave Fleischer. Later, he underwent further inspiration from Ivan Brunetti, Daniel Clowes, Kim Deitch, Mary Fleener, Jay Lynch and Joe Sacco. Among his other cultural heroes are The Marx Brothers, Looney Tunes cartoons, Bob Dylan, Kurt Vonnegut and the Surrealist Movement, particularly Salvador Dali.
In the late 1960s, Siergey was a true hippie. With his girlfriend (and future wife) he even attended the legendary 1969 Woodstock festival. The only downsides were that they came home to angry parents - they didn't know where their children were for days - and that they both didn't have a camera with them to memorize the event. Siergey lived in Chicago until 2018, after which he and his wife moved to Munster, Indiana.
Siergey studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where, in the summer of 1971, he first met underground comix artist Jay Lynch, who taught a class on the history of U.S. comic strips. The final project was making one's own comic strip, something Siergey had never done before. It made him more determined to become a comic artist himself and he always regarded Lynch as his mentor.
'Perry Noid'.
Underground & mini-comics
In 1972, Siergey contributed some stories to the sole issue of the underground comix publication Roxy Funnies, published by Head Imports. His contribution 'Hey Kids, It's Time for… Ethnic Jokes' was basically a visualization of jokes at the expense of various nationalities, regional people and races, which he signed with "Aldous Peapull". He also drew two short stories starring a character named Razzle Bathbone, a pun of Hollywood actor Basil Rathbone. Razzle is a tramp with a big white beard and floppy nose, who finds himself in surreal adventures.
'Sam Cat' from the digest-size mini anthology 'Surf and Turf' by Jim and Jeff Siergey (1981).
Later in the 1970s, Siergey was introduced by Jay Lynch to the California journalist/photographer Clay Geerdes, who had his own comix newsletter and spearheaded the new movement of DIY mini-comix. Siergey drew some cartoons for Geerdes' newsletter, and also began creating mini-comix. Between 1979 and 1981, Siergey contributed to Geerdes' mini-comix series 'Babyfat', and collaborated with his publisher on the second issue of 'Animal Revolt' (1979). Around the same time, Geerdes released Siergey's own 'Anus 'n' Andy' title. With its title a pun on 'Amos & Andy', the main heroes are two average guys, one with a mustache, the other with a literal behind as a face. Siergey credited Geerdes with providing him with a lot of information about printing techniques and getting him in touch with other notable comic artists. At the underground imprint Everyman Studios, in 1979, Siergey made parodies of funny animal comics, for instance 'Pubic Hare' in Animal Bite Comix, the mini-comic 'The Existential Slapstick of Waldo and Emerson', and the character of 'Wilbur Worm' in 'Funny Animal Lust'.
Cover artwork for Centrifugal Bumble-Puppy #2 (1987) and Jim Main's Sheesh #3 (2011).
In the early 1980s, Siergey took an animation course at Columbia College in Chicago, where Tom Roberts (1959-1999) was one of his fellow pupils. Together with their respective brothers, Jeff Siergey and Ken Roberts, Jim Siergey and Tom Roberts created a humorous zine, Anti-Social Comics, published between 1982 and 1985. Of the five issues, the final two also had contributions by Mary Fleener. Since the 1980s, Jim Siergey has remained a frequent creator of mini-comics, including solo efforts, collective team-ups and cartoon jam books created during comic cons. During the 1990s and 2000s, he appeared frequently in mini-comic series like Hilary Barta's All-Cover Comics (1980s), Cartoon Loonacy (1990-2000s) and Buzz Buzzizyk's Buzzizyk (2000s).
Jam comic with Hilary Barta (2004).
In addition to mini-comics, Siergey wrote and drew stories for Honk! (1986) and Centrifugal Bumble-Puppy (1987-1988), both by Fantagraphics, and Rip Off Comix by Rip Off Press. In the early 1990s, Siergey was one of the regular artists in the free monthly Chicago newspaper Planet, edited by Carole Sobocinski. Siergey also wrote and drew a story with Skip Williamson's 'Snappy Sammy Smoot', printed in Smoot issue #1 (1995).
'Phoebe and the Pigeon People' by Jay Lynch and Jim Siergey.
Work with Jay Lynch
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Siergey remained a notable associate of Jay Lynch. He was assistant/inker and occasional pencil artist on several of Lynch's projects, including the back covers of 'The Garbage Pail Kids' trading cards and Topps' baseball cards. Along with Lynch and his girlfriend (and future wife) Carole Sobocinski, Siergey made additional contributions to the political satirical tabloid The Chicago Spitune (a pun on The Chicago Tribune). Releasing the title anonymously, the creators could viciously mock everybody and everything without fear of reprisals. In a way, it was a predecessor of the satirical news weekly The Onion, launched in August 1988 in Madison, Wisconsin. He also helped out with inking Lynch and Gary Whitney's comic strip 'Phoebe and the Pigeon People' in The Chicago Reader, until its final episode in 1996. In addition, he assisted Lynch on the mini-series 'Duckman: The Mob Frog Saga' (Topps, 1994-1995), starring the arrogant private detective duck created by Everett Peck.
'WASP like me' (Cultural Jet Lag, 1996).
Cultural Jet Lag
In 1990, Jim Siergey and Tom Roberts launched a strange gag comic called 'Cultural Jet Lag', which originally appeared in New City, a weekly newspaper circulating in Chicago. Scripted by Roberts and drawn by Siergey, the gags offer commentary on cultural topics, like music, literature, television, film, comics and high art. Some are inspired by recent events, like the death of composer John Cage (1992) or the wedding between Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley (1994). 'Cultural Jet Lag' is nevertheless difficult to pigeonhole. Siergey described it as "an illogical combination of high and low culture with no regard for time and space." Sometimes the authors made a straightforward serious biographical comic strip, to reflect on a cultural figure they want to give more attention, like film director Luis Buñuel or pop musician Gary Puckett. Other episodes are parodies, for instance of 'Twin Peaks' or 'The Jerry Springer Show'. Occasionally, the duo mashed up two completely different works, like in one of Siergey's favorite gags, where the cast of the film 'The Maltese Falcon' looks at a small figurine of 'Star Trek' character Spock and calls it 'The Maltese Vulcan'. Many references are so intellectual or obscure that most readers wouldn't get the punchlines without consulting an encyclopedia. In one gag, for instance, Robinson Crusoe doesn't meet Man Friday, but the newspaper comic character 'Friday Foster' (created by Jim Lawrence and Jorge Longaron).
'Cultural Jet Lag': Robinson Crusoe with Friday Foster, and 'The Maltese Vulcan'..
Recurring protagonists in 'Cultural Jet Lag' are a duo of nameless vultures, simply nicknamed the "Culture Vultures". One wears glasses, the other does not. Whenever they appear, they reflect on some recent phenomenon or event, or the passing of a cultural icon. The birds also met people like novelist Williams S. Burroughs, composer Stephen Sondheim and film directors Robert Altman and David Lean. Despite their high brow discussions, they can't neglect their natural instincts and often eat these dignified special guests (even if they were already deceased before the comic strip ever went into print). A minor recurring character is an anthropomorphic revolver, Hank the Handy Handgun, which spoofs U.S. gun politics.
'Cultural Jet Lag' episode from Time magazine (1 September 1997), satirizing The Rolling Stones.
'Cultural Jet Lag' soon ran in more than 150 alternative publications in the USA. Remarkably enough, a separate version of 'Cultural Jet Lag' was picked up by Time Magazine between 1997 and 2001. Some episodes also appeared in the Sunday magazine supplement of USA Weekend. Two book compilations were published, one by Caliber Comics in 1992 ('The Culture Vultures'), the other by Fantagraphics, with a foreword by Jay Lynch. Among the celebrities who praised 'Cultural Jet Lag' were Art Spiegelman and Camille Paglia.
Unfortunately, co-creator Tom Roberts was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. He passed away in 1999, at age 39. Siergey continued 'Cultural Jet Lag' on his own for another decade, and has since then occasionally published new episodes on his social media accounts, for instance to commemorate the death of novelist Gore Vidal (2012) and special effects maker Ray Harryhausen (2013).
'Cultural Jet Lag' episode with Hollywood actor Charlton Heston and Hank the Handy Handgun (1997).
Further magazine work
For The Chicago Baseball Magazine, Siergey has also drawn one-panel cartoons and occasional comics. Appearing under the title 'The Foul Pole' (sometimes 'The Foul Ball'), they reference recent baseball games, with caricatures of trainers and players. For American Bystander, Siergey has made 'Mythological Mashups', using comic and cartoon characters to tell famous Greek, Roman, Norse or other mythological stories. He additionally drew 'Public Speaking', a short-lived comic in The Chicago Reader.
'The Foul Pole'.
Since March 2019, Jim Siergey has frequently contributed cartoons (nicknamed "nartoons") to the monthly Lansing Journal. Interviewed by Carrie Steinweg for The Lansing Journal (4 May 2023), he described his nartoons as: "If it's art, it's art. If it's nart, it's nart." It's a genre of his own. It's often, but not always black and white. It sometimes has a nostalgic, throwback vibe. It sometimes has little hints or hidden symbols. There's humor. There's irony. Sometimes his works make you laugh. Sometimes they make you think. Sometimes they make you smile as you reminisce the past."
Nartoons by Jim Siergey from Lansing Journal (1 July 2021 & 1 August 2023).
Graphic contributions
Jim Siergey has also been active in character animation, making educational, industrial and advertising films. As a book illustrator, his art appeared in Greg Simetz' 'If They Did It: A Hypothetical Account of How the Chicago Cubs Might Have Won Every World Series Since 1908', Anita Evangelista's 'Backyard Meat Production', Max Gutmann's 'Rewriting History', Bob McKenty's 'Fair Game: Open Season', Camille Paglia's 'Vamps & Tramps' and Scott Rowan's 'Albert the Orca Explains Echolocation'. Siergey also designed "Smart Aleck" greeting cards and made comics for an exhibition about dinosaurs at Chicago's Field Museum.
Drawing for Animation Magazine (1997).
In 1993, Jim Siergey and Carole Sobocinski contributed 'Where's Jerry?' to issue #7 of the Kitchen Sink Press celebrity comic book series 'Grateful Dead Comix', based on the rock band The Grateful Dead. His metafictional gag 'If Life Were Like the Comics…' appeared in The Comics Journal issue #155 (January 1993). He contributed 'Spiel Tuff' to Dennis P. Eichhorn's 'Real Stuff' issue #19 (Fantagraphics, July 1994) and 'The King of Love' to David Greenberger's 'Duplex Planet' issue #11 (December 1994).
"If Irving Klaw Drew Nancy", depicting Ernie Bushmiller's Nancy and Sluggo.
In May 2016, Jim Siergey designed the back cover of 'Classic Popeye' issue #46, a reprint collection of Bud Sagendorf's 'Popeye' stories. To celebrate the 90th anniversary of E.C. Segar's 'Thimble Theater' and the 80th of its breakthrough character Popeye in 2019, King Features published a special topper comic, 'Popeye's Cartoon Club', where guest artists could draw their own graphic homage to the spinach-chumping sailor. Siergey was one of them.
Recognition
Between 18 May and 30 June 2019, Jim Siergey's artwork was exhibited at Paul Henry's Art Gallery in Hammond, Indiana. In 2023, he received an award at the Art Barn exhibition in Valparaiso, Indiana.
Self-portrait.