Hello to readers from new York City’s Coffee Talk . We love Ali’s House and hope you do too. You can see more below and see if we have a Facebook page. I think we do!
Tom
I’m going to start posting up various Ali’s House sketches. Some of them are conceptual, some of them move on to final pieces and some of them are just plain bizarre.
A double feature!
Here’s some very early Maisa concept art. We were trying to figure out a good name and we originally wanted to name her after an object or food and use the Arabic word for said object. I wanted to name her the Arabic word for “chicken,” which is “dijaj.” But it doesn’t really have a good ring to it. Also, she started out much more feminine than her final design. It just didn’t match her personality at all.
Second!
All awesome Arabs have awesome noses! I wanted all of the main characters to have their distinctive profile. Maisa was named “Mouna” at the time and Omar and Sahib weren’t named yet. And Ali had a neckbeard.
As Tom has promised, I’m hear to talk about the famous “Talban Scarves.” I can’t actually take credit for finding this gem, and the original site is here:
http://www.newyorkshitty.com/?p=13805
But here we are:
This actually was taken in my neighborhood! I can’t think of any other clothing accessory that is either completely stripped of its political relevance (AKA the “Bedford Avenue Scarf”) or given over-the-top militant-political relevance, and nothing else.
(I think they make a bit of a political statement myself. But not too much!)
So Margo and I are now gearing up to launch!! Target date: May 3.
We could use your help- write your local daily newspaper editor, tell them you hear there is a new strip that you would like to read, called Ali’s House. Tell them the truth- you’re interested in our work, you’re interested in the project, in the culture of the strip, whatever, just tell them you want to read it.
Below are a few favorites as teasers.
Thanks!
Tom and Margo
So, the Palestinian Keffiyeh has become a “Bedford Avenue Scarf.”
It’s sad that this lovely scarf has frequently been seen as a “terrorist scarf.” Maybe we should be glad for the above store trying to mainstream and disconnect it from violence in people’s mind.
I’ll let Margo post later about the “Talban Scarf.”
Drawn.ca recently linked to these posts of Arabic versions of western brands:
http://ministryoftype.co.uk/words/article/arabic_retail/
and this Flickr set here.
I think the Chili’s is my favorite. This is the only place in which I would even imagine myself typing such a thing.
Starting a new category here: Ali Sightings. Here’s one from a Sergio Aragones MAD book I found while in Florida. Leela alerted me that that is almost certainly publisher William Gaines in the other role.
Aragones Ali Page 1
Aragones Ali Page 2
Aragones was/is one of those artists who has a perfect visual memory and effortlessly draws detail. God how I want to steal from this panel! Look also how the only solid black in these pages is exactly where your eye needs to be. Great!