Looshkin is one mad son of a bitch, probably the craziest fucking cat that any kids comic has featured (prove me wrong). He reminds me of a kid in care I knew when I was younger, who told me he was sexually abused by another kid in the home he was adopted in, and who at the age of eighteen was sleeping rough, and spent one night asleep in my shed (he left me a note ‘get fired up sunshine’, which he left on the snooker table he slept on). He died in his thirties.
How Looshkin gets into the world of kids comics is a miracle. He’s like the evil cousin of Monkey. But what is more intriguing for me, is the evolution and genesis, perhaps we can say the forefathers of Looshkin – in the comic Bear. That is definitely not for kids. Well not for most kids. I don’t know if the kid I knew – who reminded me of Looshkin – might have found some solace in it – probably a lot more than reading the Beano or Shoot.
Bear and Looshkin represent a fabulous exploration of something – quite what I can’t say – acting out perhaps – mental retardation – brain damage – I’m not really sure what. But they are not just representations. They are works of art – both in the ways that they explore the psychology and map it out – but in the way they also just tell a story without explicitly mapping out any psychology – they just follow the behaviour. The things that are said – and move at such a pace that you can’t possibly stop to think and consider what is gong on – its something you have to meditate on much later if you want to try and understand why
And the behaviour – well its so fucking sadistic – and you want it to stop – and you kind of identify with Bear – the victim – looking for any hope or sign that Looshkin might care, might be able to show love and affection – you so want to interpret any ambiguous moments as a positive moment – you want to desperately find an in, into giving that crazy nasty fucker the benefit of the doubt – Stockholm Syndrome – I’m not sure he ever does – ever.
A chance encounter between Cartoon Network Europe director of animation Daniel Lennard’s mom and graphic novelist Jamie Smart’s sister at an art show last year turned out to be an incredible stroke of luck for the London, England-based freelance artist. Smart had attracted a devoted fanbase with his two-year-old graphic book series Bear, but he always craved a spotlight on the small screen. And so he used the art show entre to land two show concepts onto Cartoon’s development slate. At the storyboard stage in preparation for cutting a three-minute trailer later this year, Bunny vs. Monkey is a Flash toon about two adorable pets who duke it out to control the forest when their owners are away from home. 2005