Blackwing Volume 64
In 1837, the Swiss professor Rodolphe Töpffer published a collection of illustrated stories that narrated the adventures of a character named Mr. Vieux Bois. Each page featured six panels with images and captions to convey the action and dialogue. It was something different that readers had never seen.
Töpffer distributed these stories to the children of the boarding school where he worked and to European literary circles. Of course, it was a success. Without realizing it, he had made history by creating the world's first comic.
Blackwing 64 is a tribute to all comics and to the minds that, like Rodolphe Töpferr's, bring them to life.
Deserved tribute.
200 years have passed since that first comic, which, by the way, you can see below, and these have gone from being something very niche to being part of our imagination. Writers, cartoonists, printers, letterers, and colorists have brought iconic characters to life, explored profound themes, and deftly pushed the boundaries between pop culture and art.
Comic panel Mr. Vieux Bois by Rodolphe Töpferr
We can no longer imagine a world in which comics do not exist. What has influenced and continues to influence youth in its original format, or by taking its characters to series or movies, is now part of our day-to-day lives. That is why Blackwing wanted to pay homage to all those first comics and to the creators who one day imagined them. Each pencil features a duotone design that is a nod to the 64-color palette used in some early comics, which you can see here:
The Blackwing Volume 64 has a double print in its design that reminds us of the technique that was used to create many of the comics that we could find in stores. It comes with a firm graphite, perfect for starting to imagine worlds or sketch characters, and a black cap.
This edition features erasers and tips in CMYK colors (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) in another nod to the way comics are printed. If you are a fan of reading them or if you are one of those lucky ones with enough skill to make them come true, you cannot not have a Volume 64 on your desk.
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