





Serving as a teaser, this full-color comic whets the appetite for what's to come, and is informed by Larry Marder's fifteen years as CEO of McFarlane Toys. For the young beans, toys or "action effigies" serve as important tools of education and communication when nothing else seems to work. But beyond intros, teasers and toys, it's also a primer for a way to think about Beanworld, paving the way for the themes that Marder's most interested in, and which will be explored in the new major volume to be released Fall 2009, Remember Here When You Are There. In Beanworld, simple comparative words, terms and concepts like here and there, up and down, look and see and then and now become downright metaphysical. According to Wikipedia, metaphysics "...is concerned with explaining the ultimate nature of being and the world." And with Beanworld Marder isn't just concerned with the nature of Beans in their World. The brilliance of Beanworld is that the basic nature of the art and language at once belie and work in tandem with the deep philosophical concepts explored in its pages, and more importantly, in the minds of readers. Beanworld's surface appearance draws in a reader with its fun and charm and simplicity, and before one knows it, they're contemplating the nature of being human, finding their place and coexisting with others in the world, and then beyond to the larger universe. Collecting the original first nine issues, Beanworld Book 1: Wahoolazuma! contains the origins of many main concepts, characters and pieces of the World. But we're always reminded by Marder," It's not just a place, it's a process." And indeed, process is very important in Beanworld, from how they come to be, "breakout", hunt and gather and prepare their "chow," and discover their world and how it works. If some bean doesn't do their part, or someone comes along to put a kink in the process, things get out of whack quickly, which happens in the very first story. When I first read the first couple stories twenty-five years ago, I found the artwork crude and too simple. And a couple of the creepy corn characters in The Legend of Pop! Pop! Pop! are my least favorite in entire Beanworld saga. So it wasn't love at first sight for me. But the story is integral to the mythos, and by the second story, I began to be hooked. And by the fourth, Beanish Breaks Out, it clicked in my head, got under my skin, and I was seriously addicted, a Beanworld Fan For Life. But what it means to each reader depends on them. To paraphrase Marcel DuChamp, a prime influence for Marder, "the viewer makes the painting." Beanworld can be read as myth, metaphor, an ecological fantasy, a superhero adventure, or just a plain good story. What you take from it is up to you. For me, it's about metaphysics, art and the relationship between artist and audience, parenting, love, community and finding your personal niche. You may see yourself in one or many of the characters, be it hero, artist, soldier, teacher, musician, spiritual leader, scientist, parent or inventor. It's also just good fun. Order Wahoolazuma through our Blue Moon store to support this blog. I've written of Beanworld before here. And for more on what's up with Beanworld, visit Marder's blog. There are many resources there at the top left to introduce and explain Beanworld. Volume 2 is due in July, 2009.
I pulled this out of the archives since I've drawing more of Wilbur the Pig again lately, though he doesn't usually have wings.