While he does, of course, have a number of major book projects under his belt, going all the way back to the immensely influential late-1990s work, Skibber Bee Bye, along with numerous contributions to a wide range of anthologies, for thirty years and counting Ron Regé, Jr. has been preaching the gospel of hand-made, self-published comics, and the personal salvation to be found in the practice. In the process, he has emerged as one of the truest disciples of William Blake, carrying forth the Blakean spirit into the comics realm. Since 2016 this practice has been flowing through his most sustained self-publishing project yet, The Shell of the Self of the Senses.
As the series title suggests, the point of departure for these works is an acknowledgement that there is more to life than that which we experience through the senses, that the self that is composed of sensory input forms a (protective) barrier that stands between the external world and another, distinct but dependent, internal self. Yet this title also suggest that, paradoxically, in creating work that must be apprehended through the senses, the only way we can communicate this internal self is through the shell self that that contains it.
The comics and drawings that we are presented with here explore internal states of consciousness in lines on paper and work – to varying degrees – to inscribe these interior states into forms that can be transmitted through the "shell." This process can stand as a metaphor for comics making itself, with the shell being the paper through which we can share – through the senses – that what the "shell" of the senses contains. While that statement could be considered as belaboring the obvious, we do not generally have that in the forefront of our minds while reading comics. Here, we do, and it is Regé's placing of these considerations front and center that define his comics. As with Blake, Regé's ultimate aim is to transport readers to the realm of the spiritual, to share the spiritual self within the shell of the self of the senses.
Ron Regé, Jr. is a true original, but he does have some peers, notably Frank Santoro here in Pittsburgh, and including – but certainly not limited to – Marc Bell, Theo Ellsworth, John Hankiewicz, Kevin Huizenga, John Porcellino, and Lynda Barry, specifically in her works What It Is and Picture This. All of whose comics careers can be said to embody, in one way or another, self-publishing meaningful, personal comics as a way of life. Anyone currently unfamiliar with Regé's work, who responds to and enjoys the work of any of these cartoonists stands a very good chance of connecting.
The Shell of the Self of the Senses is soon to hit its landmark 100th issue and the comics that fill this Shell Collection are harvested from the first 75 issues. Its 176 oversize pages contain a heaping helping of comics, illustrations and texts, many in full color here for the first time, also in tri-tone, duo-tone, monochrone, and black & white. Also included are brief intro and outro essays by Regé and an essay by Brandon Avery Joyce that was originally written for the 2018 exhibit, From the Word of First Thought: New Work By Ron Regé,Jr. held at VCUArts' The Anderson Gallery in Richmond, VA.
As all of the work included here has only previously appeared in Regé's self-published, subscriber-only series of mini-comics, it is "all new" to everyone but those subscribers. So, a real treat for the next tier of Ron Regé, Jr. readers and fans.
Learn more about Ron Regé, Jr and his practice in this 2017 TCJ interview by Kim Jooha. Then gain some further insights into his recent work by reading this 2023 critical essay by Hagai Palevsky, also on TCJ.
Deets: Pages: 176 | Format: Paperback / Softback | Color: Full-color | Dimensions: 9.4" × 11.1" | ISBN-13: 9781683969747
