Chris Ware

I don't really know Chris Ware. I've seen his books at the comic store, but have never picked one up. I'm attracted by the crisp, sparse-but-potentially-detailed art style, and the amazing use of colour, but the subject matter doesn't really grab me. I think I'm going to grab something of his at this week's huge Chapel Hill Comics sale, though. (Any suggestions?) I love the way he uses clean lines and simple vector-inspired shapes to create an attractive image, as well as his clever compositions that invite you to just stare and ponder and investigate. So much comic art these days is all flash and no substance, comic books full of complicated-looking drawings that both overwhelm and dull the eye, resulting in a quick read that leave you feeling you wasted your $2.95 (or more!) on a five-minute experience that you quickly forget. Chris Ware's drawings make you want to look at them for a long time and appreciate their structure.

Anyway, all of this rambling was inspired by the animation Ware did for an episode of This American Life on Showtime. Very nice.

I think I might try to do some stuff in this style. I really like it, and it might be cool to try and do some lucha-style comic strip with a clean vector look.

Seriously, any suggestions for a first buy? I know that Jimmy Corrigan is his most famous thing, along with the Acme Novelty stuff, but I also know he uses a number of different styles, and it's the clean-line vector-y almost isometric look from this animation that I really like. What to get?