Meet Ray Sumser, a twenty something artist in Residence at the Tannery Arts Center of Santa Cruz, California. He has not one, but two pieces of parchment from the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design (Alumni: Seth Macfarlane & Tara Packard) which state that he can color in the lines and direct nudie pictures. Whilst the letters B.F.A. may impress the bluebloods and those snobs over at Juggs magazine, I feel much as my wise grandfather used to say, “Show me yours and I’ll show you mine?” With this piece before me, “Comicosm”, Ray has shown.
“Comicosm” sits before me on the sidewalk just outside the walls of Castle Geekdom here in San Diego, better known Comicon 2009, much like a lost kitty waiting for a richass home. Ray has chosen this spot for his guerilla showing of this 9ftx6ft visual representation of all characters iconic because, “Hopefully Matt Groening or Macfarland will pass by and need it”. Over the course of 9 months and amount of pot he won’t divulge, “Because my granma might read this man”, Ray transformed copious amount of acrylics, oils, and a box of Sharpies into a visual encyclopedia of pop-culture. While scanning over this massive collection of 1,547 characters on a personal safari for that asshole Waldo, I note iconic images from the likes of Marvel, Disney, and even several real life figures like Sponge Bob and Jesus. With this as my visual guide, I can easily understand how the influences of Mad magazine, the DC character roster, and Saturday morning television have supplanted themselves dutifully in the American psyche.
Ray has set up shop at, www.comicosm.com, so that you to for the low-low price of $25 can posses your very own poster sized copy. I shall guarantee it as a more potent aphrodisiac than “Khan” cologne.
Words and photos by Dustin Downing
