Tuesday, November 2, 2010

From the Beanworld Archives!



8 1/2" x 11"
The cheapest bond paper imaginable
Black markers and color pencils
Late 1970s


At recent convention appearances, I've made it no secret that Beanworld Book Four: Something More has been slowly taken over by the Boom'r Band.

I set out telling one story and this other one, in a direction I hadn't foreseen, took over. Recently I've learned that this does fold back into the story I originally set out to tell.

The side track is the Origin of the Boom'r Band.
This tale of the Beanworld has been hinted at from time to time, most significantly in a frame of
Beanish Breaks Out! (TOTB #4 and/or page 112 of Wahoolazuma!).

While going through my accumulation of notes regarding the Boom'rs, I found the drawing above. This is part of the going-backwards process I often talk about.

Beanworld started out as a complicated entity and I kept simplifying it, parsing it down, narrowing its scope intil I discovered Gran'Ma'Pa (or maybe Gran'Ma'Pas discovered me...not quite sure!).Then I started moving forward with the comic that became Tales of the Beanworld #1.

I cant say with certainty what year this piece was drawn.
I think late 1970s.

If I recall correctly it an early attempt at a Beanworld story about a human being (it might have been me) who is transported to Beanworld (I've forgotten how) and finds himself (assuming it was me) in a Bean-body.

And in a (clumsy) Wizard of Oz-ish riff finds himself on a red and yellow boardwalk that he follows on his adventures until he...he...I'm not sure as I don't think I ever finished it.

That's The Visitor, surprised, in the lower left hand corner.
That's about all I can recollect.

By 1980 I had come up with the Boom'r Band trio.
They had a different look but they had their current instruments.

In the sky are the four symbols of the Beanworld Tarot.
Two of those symbols came down to the ground as Mystery Pods.
The other two came down even further and became two of the Four Realities.

I really like some of these Beanworld-ed of instruments.
The bass balalaika still works for me.
And the Bonging-thing with the hammers too.
The Harp-ish thing isn't so bad either.

What really jumps out at me though is wooden structure sure looks like something from Angry Birds doesn't it?


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love this drawing.

But your mentions of Beanworld Book Four leave me hungry for more. When do you anticipate it being ready?

jasonturner said...

It is interesting to see things that remained (prominence of dancing and music) and things that changed (little... feathers? wooden architecture).

I just reread book 3 on the weekend and was eagerly anticipating the next!

JB said...

You say Bass Balalaika and I have no choice but to say "(Previous incarnations of) the Red Elvises!"
(http://www.redelvises.com/slideshow/gallery-2008.htm

(And I, too, am eagerly awaiting book 4... and 5. and 6....and and and...)

JJA said...

One question: where's the Laser Bean?

Rodneylives said...

Every time I see new Beanworld stuff here I'm entranced.

Hurry with the next book, please!

ZenMondo Wormser said...

Yes! Conor will be so pleased that the Boom'r Band will play a big part AND WE GET THEIR ORIGIN! Yay! Hooray! Wahoolazuma!