Here you will find information on comics produced by Isaac Cates and Mike Wenthe, with more general comment on comics & collaboration; recommended reading; and sundry matters pertaining to the craft & criticism of comics. Particular attention will be paid to the two series Satisfactory Comics and Elm City Jams.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Miniature Dogsbody
Page 6 of the Stepan story has a lot of tiny details in it. (It's my own fault. I know.)
Here, for example, is a very, very small image of Kalbi, sitting on the back of the stagecoach.
This is enlarged around 4X for your viewing pleasure.
Speaking of Kalbi, it occurred to me last night that Kalbi's name might just owe something to Hebrew? I suspect that I'm pointing out the obvious and betraying how many light years behind I am in my learning, but I was personally very excited about making the connection.
I think Mike told me once that "Kalbi" sounds like the words that mean "my dog" in Arabic. Or something like that. He's always the one for the polyglot pun, that Mike...
Yes, "Kalbi" means "my dog" in Arabic. Arabic kalb is cognate with Hebrew kelev, so full marks to Shira for spotting the connection!
I think kalbi might also mean "my dog" in Aramaic, but I don't really known Aramaic so I can't say. I just know that there's a figure mentioned in the Talmud (Rabbi Akiva's father-in-law) known as "Kalba Savua," which means "Satisfied Dog" (in the sense that the man thus nicknamed hospitably made sure his guests were well-fed, apparently). I like to think of him as the spiritual ancestor of Dante's patron, Can Grande della Scala ("The Big Dog of the Ladder").
It was precisely Kalba Savua, whose story was mentioned at a recent talk (on Yerushalayim Shel Zahav), that made think about the Kalbi-kelev connection!
Incidentally, "Kalbi" also happens to be a delicious Korean beef dish, but don't tell the doggy that! Also interesting: "Kalbi" also sounds like "Qalbi", or "my heart", for those who speak a dialect where "Q" is /q/ or /k/.
Aw, he's so cute! Small as it is, this may yet be my favorite drawing of Kalbi. Such an unexpected expression he has.
ReplyDeleteThe adjacent "Mutt" is a nice touch, too...
Speaking of Kalbi, it occurred to me last night that Kalbi's name might just owe something to Hebrew? I suspect that I'm pointing out the obvious and betraying how many light years behind I am in my learning, but I was personally very excited about making the connection.
ReplyDeleteI think Mike told me once that "Kalbi" sounds like the words that mean "my dog" in Arabic. Or something like that. He's always the one for the polyglot pun, that Mike...
ReplyDeleteYes, "Kalbi" means "my dog" in Arabic. Arabic kalb is cognate with Hebrew kelev, so full marks to Shira for spotting the connection!
ReplyDeleteI think kalbi might also mean "my dog" in Aramaic, but I don't really known Aramaic so I can't say. I just know that there's a figure mentioned in the Talmud (Rabbi Akiva's father-in-law) known as "Kalba Savua," which means "Satisfied Dog" (in the sense that the man thus nicknamed hospitably made sure his guests were well-fed, apparently). I like to think of him as the spiritual ancestor of Dante's patron, Can Grande della Scala ("The Big Dog of the Ladder").
It was precisely Kalba Savua, whose story was mentioned at a recent talk (on Yerushalayim Shel Zahav), that made think about the Kalbi-kelev connection!
ReplyDeleteWell, there you go, then! (And yet another eerie coincidence at satisfactorycomics.blogspot.com...)
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, "Kalbi" also happens to be a delicious Korean beef dish, but don't tell the doggy that!
ReplyDeleteAlso interesting: "Kalbi" also sounds like "Qalbi", or "my heart", for those who speak a dialect where "Q" is /q/ or /k/.