But in recent years a new movement has emerged: a return to traditional, analogue bubbling. And at the forefront of this movement is Matt Buckley, co-writer/artist/bubbler for the independent comic Rock 'n' Roll Ninja Aquarius. At the tender age of 22, Buckley is a relative newcomer to the scene, a fact not lost on his critics - a recent article in Letterbug described him as "... a regrettable, yet inevitable throwback to those oft-sentimentalised days when our predecessors would expend twice as much time and effort for an inferior result... a hack." Harsh words indeed, but perhaps tame when compared to this dismal appraisal of Buckley's work from Serious Ink: "(the) most embarrassing exponent of the current retro-bubbling craze... (writers like) Buckley would like nothing more than to see speech bubbling cast back into the dark ages of ball-points and drawing boards. An enemy of progressive speech bubbling artists everywhere."
But for every detractor, it would seem there are a horde of imitators. Though young, Buckley's influence is observable in every facet of comics, from action to romance, manga to fantasy, and beyond. In the Bubble recently caught up with this controversial virtuoso to discuss topics as diverse as bubbling, comics, and his many critics.
In the Bubble: How did you first get involved in bubbling?
Matt Buckley: Well, I hate to say this, because I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed, but I really just kind of fell into it. We were all writing the comic, and then one of us, I can't remember who, raised the point of, "Who's gonna draw the damn thing?" So I drew the short straw (laughs), and once I was doing the art, it was just a given that I was going to do the bubbling, I guess. But, y'know, it wasn't long before I fell in love with it.
ITB: We heard you were doing the bubbling for an upcoming comic as well -
MB: How'd you know about that?
ITB: Word gets around pretty quick here (both laugh). Anyway, what can you tell us about that? Is it into the production stages yet? When can we expect to see it?
MB: Jesus, yeah, you guys must have my phone tapped (laughs). Yeah, I got a call a couple of months back from Ben Elwood, who I think is one of the best writers in comics today, and he was like, "I've got this idea, blah blah, but I'm not even gonna think about doing it unless you're on board. Don't say no. I need you." So, y'know, what was I gonna say? But, yeah, I can't say too much about it except it's set in space, it's something different for both of us, and... I'm definitely excited about it, it's the first thing I've done exclusively as a bubbling artist, so there's a lot of nerves there too. But the buzz about it has been really... encouraging, I just hope I can live up to people's expectations.
ITB: How will you go dividing your time between Ninja Aquarius and this new project?
MB: Well, I never want to give the impression that Ninja Aquarius isn't my first priority, because it definitely is. It's just, as an artist, whether you're talking about drawing, or bubbling, or anything else, you have to constantly try to expand your horizons, to keep growing. That's what it's all about.
ITB: You recently spent some time in London?
MB: That's right.
ITB: How did you find the bubbling scene over there, as opposed to what we have down here?
MB: Well, the main thing that leaps out at you right away is the amount of support bubbling artists get over there, the amount of interest, and that goes double for the public. I mean, I was doing signings, and even some of the kids, who I only expected to be interested in the pictures, themselves were asking me about what techniques I use, what kind of stationary I use, how they should go about getting into bubbling. I mean, I don't want to give the impression that I was being mobbed on the streets or anything, but there's definitely a lot more support and enthusiasm over there than there is here.
ITB: So, the million dollar question - what are you trying to achieve, where do you want to see bubbling go to in the coming years?
MB: I don't know... people ask me that question all the time, and all I can tell them is, I'm just trying to do what I do and do it well. Simple as that. When I'm bubbling, whether it's speech or thought, I'm not thinking about the broader social context, the implications for the future, whatever. I'm thinking about the bubble. I'm inside the bubble, I'm right down there on the page with it, it's like a... like a cocoon. And when the bubble is complete, I kind of... emerge from it, and I move on to the next one. So anyone who wants to say I'm trying to initiate some kind of movement, or that I'm fake, or whatever, they can look at the work and tell me if they still think I'm fake. It's all there on the page, and at the end of the day, that's what people are gonna remember. Most of the people who criticize my work, they haven't even seen it. They're just jumping on the bandwagon.