"I've always liked to find beauty in the ugly. It became the point of transformation in my drawings" -Rafael Grampa

Here's an artsy little promo piece starring visionary comics creator Rafael Grampa (Mesmo Delivery) that was recently released by Absolut Vodka as part of their ABSOLUT Transform Today series.


Rafael Grampa is the sheet. I ABSOLUTely loved Mesmo Delivery, with its beautifugly girls, bar room brawls, and redneck characters. 

Dope, right? And now, here's a few words from a review I wrote a while ago:

Grampa really has an artistic vision, and writes a story here designed to let him show it. Since Mesmo Delivery came out a in 2010 from Dark Horse Comics, Grampa has become a go-to cover artist, but this book serves as a reminder of what he can do as a storyteller. Your local store might still have a copy of Mesmo Delivery . So ask them, or click here to cop it on Amazon.com. It's a sexy, ultra-violent mess created by an under-appreciated master of our medium.

So anyways... I think we have established that I liked Mesmo Delivery. So there's that.  CLICK HERE for the latest art from Grampa on his blog... 

When my friend and frequent GhettoManga contributor Michael Lagocki shared that Absolut video on Facebook, he mentioned that the profile of comics in general has improved to the point that we are seeing more instances of comicbook artists being treated like celebrities in the press. I don't think it's anything new.

Okay, let me walk that back. I mean, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Absolut promo. If anybody deserves rock star status, it's Grampa. Culturally, I think these things are cyclical. Drawing comics has probably been seen as a "dream job" for a long time. And the internet and the surge of the super hero movie genre is helping people to see comics as a cool medium, even people who don't really read comics themselves.

What do you think? Is the identity of comics creators and/or readers changing?

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