RICK SMITH ON THE ROAD REALLY LESS TRAVELED

[MattBrady]

by Chris Arrant

One of the quintessential reasons why people delve into fiction, and even non-fiction material is to see something they wouldn't normally get to experience. People live vicariously through the movies, music, books & television around them; each experiencing through the eyes of the creator the possibilities they haven't (and sometimes cannot) have. From the high-concept, big budget summer movies to intimate stories of a lackluster life, every form of media allows, and encourages, some degree of escapism.

In Baraka & Black Magic in Morocco, coming in March from Alternative Comics, 2002 Ignatz nominee Rick Smith allows us to tag along with him and his wife during their travels. “It’s about the few weeks Tania and I spent in Morocco in 2000,” Rick explains. “It’s about meeting Moroccans, getting to know other travelers, getting frustrated with another culture, learning about how my wife sees the world, and independent travel in general.

“Morocco came on the heels of a stint in Western Europe - during a longer, six month trip, and for me it was the first place we visited that challenged me as a ‘traveler’ instead of as a ‘tourist.’” Smith explained. “Looking back, I realize that I enjoy going places with that quality: where it is necessary to travel, not tour, the place. Essentially, this means going along with and accepting the unexpected: for example, getting roped into the carpet sale when you thought you were buying bread. And then being drugged without your knowledge so that you’d be more apt to buy said carpet. Or smaller things: like expecting western-style toilets and dealing with the squatters of the East. That sort of thing.

“Morocco is a difficult place to visit - some of the interactions with Moroccans were quite intimidating and sometimes frustrating,“ Smith continued. “It has its own set of rules - and you either go with it or get sucked into a sea of anger and despair. It was good hanging out with those guys for the days we did because during the time, that anger and frustration was channeled instead into humor. Things the Moroccans did that made no sense weren’t infuriating anymore; they were funny - comical even. Shopkeeps and hustlers were hilarious, not aggravating. There were these guys along the highways - and Morocco, to its credit, has good highways, selling those fat geocrystal things you see in New Age shops here. They would fling themselves in front of your car to show you - ‘just for one look!’ Scary at first, but with Patrick – side-splitting. He turned it all into sport.

As mentioned earlier, Smith and his wife, Tania, met a unique assortment of locals and fellow travelers during their time in Morocco. A quick bond formed between the travelers as they found comfort in their relative similarities compared to the cultural and linguistic differences with the Moroccans they met. From the duo of Alan & Alex to the somewhat paranoid Patrick, these traveling companions offered interesting times for all of them. But it seems just as soon as they got to know each other, their paths split up and they had to say goodbye to their companions. Although their time together was short, they did keep in touch. “We all set up Yahoo! Instant Message accounts and whenever they stopped in to write email at an Internet cafe, we’d IM. Alex and Patrick traveled extensively after Tania and I got home. After they returned from traveling and embarked on new adventures at home as I did, we eventually stopped writing. I actually got a message from Patrick recently - he’s in India, as we were, but in completely different parts.”

One of the re-occurring complexities of traveling abroad is the language barrier with the Moroccan people. As strangers in a strange land, it was imperative that they at least be able to communicate with the Moroccans on some level. “We brought a ‘Rough Guide to Morocco’ book along with us, and it had a conversational glossary in the back – for Arabic, Berber and French. We were able to communicate greetings, some questions - got to learn the names of different foods, that sort of thing.” Along the way they ‘Shokran,’ which means ‘thank you’, came in handy. ‘La bes,’ ‘hello.’”

Since Baraka documents a trip to Morocco before the events of September 11th, some people might wonder how it would be different for our travelers now. This is very evident to Smith, and he addresses such thoughts in the introduction of the book. He explained that “the book would tell a completely different story if we had traveled after 9/11. I’ll probably revisit the country sometime and compare travel in Morocco before after that tragedy. But reading the book again, knowing now what’s happened in America and the world… it changes the tenor of the book. It’s interesting.”

For most readers, this might be one of the few brushes they’ve had with Morocco outside their high school World History class. Although quite informative, you shouldn’t believe this to be the definitive view of Morocco. “It’s one glimpse,” Smith explained. “Like anything autobiographical, readers will have to know that the story I tell in Baraka might have been told in a completely different fashion by Patrick, Alex, Tania - even the Moroccans. We shared the same experiences, but our perceptions of those experiences were most likely interpreted in different ways. The book’s part of a conversation I’m having with the reader where I tell them about my trip to Morocco. I look forward to hearing what they think of it.”

Obviously, Smith didn’t have time to create these pages during his travels. In fact, the end result we all get to read wasn’t even planned. “Doing comics in earnest never crossed my mind while traveling. But I did want to preserve in some form what transpired on the trip. I kept a journal that is included in the back of Baraka and Black Magic in Morocco. It was a big help when recreating the events that happened to us while in Morocco. Tania helped fill in the gaps and holes - she had kept a journal as well.”

After the trip as over and Smith examined his notes, he had another challenge in depicting what he experienced. His previous book, Shuck, focused and thrived on fantastical setting ands characters; illustrating his autobiographical travelogue was a far different task. “I don’t typically draw from life,” Smith stated. “So that was hard – drawing real people, real places. I had a photo reference from the photos we snapped while there [in Morocco], which was helpful.”

Also, capturing conversations from real life events isn’t as easy as you might think. Unless you have a perfect memory or a tape recorder handy, it’s very trying. Smith said that “the dialogue is not so much written as reconstructed. You have to remember snippets from great conversations and hope you capture them adequately enough on the page. Patrick, Alex and I think, Alan, have seen and read the book when I had it online. They enjoyed it and didn’t seem to mind their portrayal on the comics page.”

While there were some hairy moments for Rick & Tania, it’s not all about the dark side of those encounters. “Sometimes I feel like only the frustration shows on the pages - not the humor or the friendliness or whatever,“ Smith explained. “Others disagree. I guess I’ll find out.”

With Baraka & Black Magic in Morocco finished, Smith has already started on a new project that, again, is completely different than what he’s done before. Based on a dream journal that he keeps, Sawlogs is a weekly online comic available at www.sawlogs.net starting in February. Subtitled “Stories About Last Night”, readers can expect a whimsical and interestingly odd tale every Monday. “I’ve got a dream journal full of 600 dreams, so I’ve got my work cut out for me on this project, “ Smith explains. “I would have started in December, except Tania and I spent the month in India.”

As you might guess, Morocco isn’t the only place Smith has been to. He and his wife are a truly traveling couple, with time spent in Central America, the Greek Isles, Nepal, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and India. “We just got back from Goa, India, to see Tania’s parents who spend part of the year at the little paradise now that they’re retired. It was a test to see how we would travel with Sage, our eighteen month old. She passed with flying colors. To not get sick in India during a month stay is miraculous.”

When asked if any more overseas adventures are in store for the future, Smith has something different in mind. “With the latest trip to India behind us, we’re sticking closer to home and going to explore the Rocky Mountains.”

As some astute comic readers might remember, Baraka & Black Magic in Morocco was originally an online comic. With the popularity of the internet in our global culture, savvy comic creators have used the web to their advantage. “The web translates to instant feedback,” Smith said. “I figured I’d go the web route, as opposed to the mini-comic route since I knew I could put together a good website and show it to readers and potential publishers. I was on limited funds as well, so getting the word out in the ether was easier and cheaper than traveling to a few comic shows like APE or SPX. Once I figured out I had an audience who seemed to like the work, I took the plunge and booked travel for DC.”

As with most independent comic creators, it isn’t their full-time job. Finding time to complete these projects that are close to your heart is something all creators struggle with. “I work in communications and marketing for a telecom company,” Smith said. “I help handle the websites the company provides to employees and customers. With Sage, my schedule has grown tight, so I typically work on comics at night and on the weekends. It’s sad because the best time of the day for me is the morning - when I drew Baraka & Black Magic in Morocco I was unemployed and just ploughed through the book each morning. It was great, but I had to work, so, alas.”

Most creators have something going on in the background while they create, from music to tv/movies, while others prefer stark silence. Smith has a unique soundtrack that accompanies his time working. “I tend to listen to something for a while to get into whatever mood I’m evoking on paper, even listen to NPR sometimes,“ he explained.” But then I turn it off while inking and just hum or make up mantra-like songs that are easy to sing. Yeah - when I’m penciling I listen to music and when I’m inking I’m singing to myself or talking to the cat. When I’m on the computer finishing the pages I prefer silence. It’s weird: I can have discussions with others - I mean, really good conversations - while inking but can’t speak, let alone listen, to others while penciling or doing work on the computer. When I write, I have to be alone and quiet.”

“Dark lines, white spaces and strange stories” is how Smith described his comics. His interest in comics began at an early age, with the help from an unlikely source. “Ms. Kackaledus - I think that’s how you spell it - was my second grade teacher. She had us all do a drawing of a monster she described. We had to try and remember and draw each of the creature’s characteristics as she listed them: long nose, yellow tail, big teeth, etc. I guess I got the closest to representing the most features in my drawing. I won a copy of Star Wars from Marvel. I forget the issue number - one of the early ones with Carmine Infantino illustrating. Luke was angry on the cover and standing over something as I recall. It’s in my basement somewhere. It was beat up and tattered. She must have either nicked it from another student from another year... or had been reading it herself!”

This early influence of comics not only laid the groundwork for his work in comics, but also his love for comics. When asked for some of his favorite comics he’s picked up recently, he detailed his habit. “Yikes. I haven’t been to the shop in a while. I found that I like to buy in bulk at shows, a few times a year. The last thing I read was Jeffrey Brown’s Clumsy, which I enjoyed. I’m looking forward to James Kochalka’s collected Sketchbook Diaries in American Elf. I’m looking forward to Damon Hurd’s White Elephant. I’m probably going to buy Fantagraphics’ Peanuts hardback. And Cerebus #300. “

For those still hesitant about giving this book a try, imagine it not as just a comic or a travelogue, but as a ticket; an inexpensive ($11.95) ticket to visit a country that most might never get to see. With Smith's ear for dialogue and apparent ease with the pencil, it won't be a bumpy ride at all.

[Cartoon Jay]

This looks like a good read. Nice to see some non-genre stuff getting press here on Newsarama. Kudos.

[JSAWildcat]

I am lucky enough to have worked close to Rick and was given an advance copy and the only thing I can say is it is an AWESOME read. I really recommend this to everyone.
It was one of the rare books that I picked up and couldn't put it down til I was done

[patrickd]

Paranoid! Why does this article call me paranoid? I'm not paranoid!