After 31ish days of recognizing the best entertainment media of 2013, it's time to abandon medium specific honors and cross the streams. Artists of the Year is the top prize at The Sketchys. This is a recognition for the best media creators of the year. It is not a ranked list, but a celebration of artists to remind us all of the bar the new year has to climb. A new year in media is not an excuse to accept inferior work. These artists prove that passionate creators can produce extraordinary work at any budget. Let's look back one more time to propel us into a brand new year of media.
The Cast of Orange is the New Black, for putting the ensemble back into ensemble casting
Orange is the New Black has the best new ensemble cast in television. We learned from Lea DeLaria that the showrunners were willing to create roles for actors they liked but didn't cast in the originally scripted episodes. We learned from Laverne Cox that her character was actually written to be played by a trans woman, with a running joke of casting someone with an identical twin so they could do the flashback episode (Cox's twin brother played her pre-transition on the show). Actors like Laura Prepon, Taylor Manning, Natasha Lyone, and Kate Mulgrew were cast against type, and stage actors like Uzo Aduba and Lea DeLaria were cast in big roles where their training to perform for the back of the house helped create far more believable moments. The screen was filled more often than not with a lot of diverse actors committed to bringing this woman's prison to life even in the most absurd circumstances, like chasing down a mythical chicken that may not actually exist in the yard.
Jen and Sylvia Soska, for crafting an intellectual horror film tackling real world issues all too often brushed aside in media
Jen and Sylvia Soska struck gold with American Mary. This layered tale of monsters and the madness that creates them riffs on the morality of Frankenstein without being a literal adaptation. The characters are constantly circling each other, impacting the direction of each other's lives with unexpected acts of kindness and mayhem. The title character goes from promising would-be surgeon to in demand extreme body modification artist because of money, a terrible act of abuse, and the faith of a woman who knows all too well the price of bad body modifications. Mary's abuser goes from tough love teacher to monster to monstrosity because of his power and privilege. Mary transforms everyday people into their ideal vision of themselves, creating happier, more satisfied members of society; however, every positive transformation brings Mary and her clients closer to people who don't support extreme body modification. Jen and Sylvia Soska took a huge risk with American Mary and it paid off with one of the most thoughtful and creative horror films to come out in many years.
The Artists of Cartoon Hangover, for producing high quality animation in a wide variety of styles for the love of animation
Cartoon Hangover blew up in 2013. The massive success of Bravest Warriors allowed Cartoon Hangover to invite other artist/creators to produce animated shorts for YouTube. That project is called Too Cool! Cartooons and the results are excellent. From Mike Rosenthal's "Our New Electrical Morals" to Kelly Martin's "Doctor Lollipop," these cartoon shorts show off a growing series of artists who are clearly passionate about their creations. Natasha Allegri's Bee and PuppyCat is the only new series pickup so far, but I have no doubt that, resources permitting, Cartoon Hangover will assist in creating longer runs of many of the Too Cool! Cartoons shows. Even if concepts like "Rocket Dog" don't continue, artists like Mel Roach will be introduced to a wider audience already tuning in for Bravest Warriors, Cade Hiser's behind the scene vlogs, and all the bonus content on Cartoon Hangover. That's a concept worthy of recognition.
Cliff Martinez, for composing one of the most haunting, shocking, beautiful, and innovative scores in modern cinema
Only God Forgives is a film that can be interpreted in so many ways. Cliff Martinez's score is the only consistent point of analysis: it's amazing. Martinez was left to pick up the pieces when the original vision of the film failed and he succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. The haunting sound of the Cristal Baschet has become his signature and it's perfect for the metaphorical ghost story of Only God Forgives. Pay attention to when the score is purely synthesized versus where the otherworldly ringing of the Cristal Baschet takes over. Specifially, pay attention to who is onscreen (or being talked about onscreen). That's the key to the film. Only God Forgives is still a troubled film. Too much of the exposition had to be left on the cutting room floor for the sake of realism and tension. Cliff Martinez's score elevates the experience and exceeds any other film music in 2013.
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The Strip Search Finalists, for throwing themselves into a wild experiment of creating art under great stress
The only thing anyone who applied for Penny Arcade's Strip Search knew for sure was that they were auditioning for the chance to be embedded in the offices of Penny Arcade for a year. Over 1000 comic creators applied for the show (myself included) and 12 were chosen to compete. The Penny Arcade team created a grueling reality show shot in under two weeks with seemingly endless challenges. Every day, the artists did a quick challenge for a prize or advantage and a main challenge to determine who would be up for elimination. Those in-danger artists then had 90 minutes to create a full comic strip while Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the creators of Penny Arcade, heckled them. The remaining contestants would wake up and start all over again.
Though the process was challenging, the brave participants were always put first. This was meant to be a positive experience for everyone. You saw Mike and Jerry hop in the SUV with the eliminated designer for a pep talk. You didn't see that Robert Khoo, the business mastermind that turned Penny Arcade into one of the most success webcomics of all time, took each eliminated contestant out to a dinner of their choice and discussed business plans to help make them successful.
The dividends are huge. More than half of the contestants have launched new or expanded comic series with crowd funding. Two of the contestants even took over the creation of a Penny Arcade side project, The Trenches, and a whole lot of contestants have jumped ship to Seattle to be closer to the Strip Search family for future collaborations. Reality TV is normally not a positive experience for anyone but the winner (and even the winners often regret participating). These 12 artists won the reality show lottery by appearing on one of the rare programs to reward that sleepless production schedule with continued support and a whole lot of positive recognition. What's a week of mind-racking challenges for a lifetime of creative fulfillment?
Destin Daniel Cretton, for tackling layers of social issues in Short Term 12 without ever preaching or pandering to the audience
Writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton adapted his award-winning short film "Short Term 12" into one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2013. Short Term 12 is one of those films that leaves you excited for the future work of artists you didn't really know before. The cast is incredible (especially Brie Larson, Kaitlyn Dever, and Keith Stanfield), but Cretton is the real breakout star of the production. One criticism I've seen of the film a few times is actually one of the biggest compliments a film like this could receive. There are people who wish the film focused more on the other characters living and working in this foster care facility. Do you know what that really means? The creation of the ensemble scenes is so strong that people want to spend more time in a universe that is sad to say the least.
The main story closes in on three aspects: caretaker Grace's relationship with the facility, new girl Jayden's reason for closing herself off from her peers, and long term resident Marcus' aging out of the facility. In those stories, Cretton develops meaningful relationships that draw all of the workers, administration, and children into focus. The result is something so honest and true that you will be motivated to do all that you can for the children you can have an impact on in your life. That's huge.
Greta Gerwig, Sarah Polley, Brit Marling Ethan Hawk, Julie Delpy, for having the courage to turn the camera on themselves in hugely emotional works nothing like the vanity projects you might expect from writer/actors
Actors writing their own projects is nothing new. 2013 is a year where the more high profile and acclaimed films could never be called vanity projects. Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha), Sarah Polley (Stories We Tell), Brit Marling (The East), Ethan Hawk, and Julie Delphy (both, Before Midnight) collaborated on film productions about real people. Real people aren't perfect. Real people are flawed, irritating, and inspiring in equal measure.
These characters could easily have turned into Mary Sues and Larry Stus. The actors could have cast themselves as less believable versions of Mary Poppins--practically perfect in every way--in stories of their own design. Instead, they set the foundation for gripping portraits of real people with real struggles and committed to those characters, no matter how dark and disturbing the stories turned.
Gone Home, for forcing people to discuss the nature of video games and shining a light on how far the gaming industry must go to prove itself a mature medium worthy of real criticism
Love it or hate it, Gone Home created a lot of discussion about the nature of video games in 2013. A small indie exploration game concerning a young woman returning home from college, trying to find out what happened to cause an empty home when she returned, became one of the most polarizing moments of the year. The Fullbright Company caused a lot of debates, some more valid than others. The subject matter of the game created a lot of knee-jerk reactions spawned by discrimination and hate. Simply put, the game deals with homosexuality and that made far more people uncomfortable than it should. Vocal critics dismissed the game as nothing more than a publicity stunt because of that content. Others claimed it was too short because they raced through and didn't actually explore the environment. Still others tried to claim that it wasn't a game because...reasons.
That is the major shift in narrative that occurred because of Gone Home. Other games, like Dear Esther and Flower, have been subjected to that criticism before. The difference here is video game critics, as a whole, embraced the beautifully dark narrative of Gone Home. There is so much incredible design work in this game and so many opportunities to interact with the environment that it has to be called a game. Opponents suggest separating games without a "win condition" from the "real" games, but that divide would eliminate games as varied as the original Donkey Kong, The Sims, and Mario Kart from being considered games. There is no overall win condition--a singular objective that ends the gaming experience--in a significant amount of games.
The objective in Gone Home is discovering what happened when you were gone; you win when you complete the story. It's no different than winning when you defeat the final boss in an action shooter or RPG game. The Fullbright Company created a massive discussion about layers of the gaming industry--what is a game? what can be covered by games? what defines a rewarding experience?--and deserve to be celebrated for the game that created that discussion.
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Sofia Coppola, for creating one of the most memorable and debatable films of 2013 with The Bling Ring
Not every flawed film is worthy of discussion. Some films just don't pull all the pieces together. That's okay. No art can be called objectively good or bad, but some art is more easier to pin down and evaluate than others.
Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring is the kind of films that deserve to be discussed because it defies so many industry trends. The Bling Ring is an exercise in exposing light on the vapidity of tabloid culture. The characters are unlikable and sympathetic at the same time. Their actions repeat over and over again, only growing worse from the repeated action. They skip school, get high in their bedrooms, get drunk in the clubs, and go rob celebrity houses. Coppola is discussing the Id of society created in the post-Reality TV era, where instant fame is achievable by anyone despite a lack of character, work ethic, or talent. The more I watch The Bling Ring, the more I get out of it. That kind of film doesn't come around everyday.
Anita Sarkeesian, for standing up against one of the more vile online bullying campaigns just for daring to suggest that maybe video games could have better female characters
I wrote a lot about Anita Sarkeesian in 2013. I hope to write more in 2014 and beyond. Sarkeesian's profile exploded in 2013 because of her Kickstarter campaign for Tropes vs. Women in Video Games and she is making the best of it. The vicious campaign of abuse, threats, and bullying is one of the most disgusting I've seen in years. It makes my own encounter with a troll site--years of systematic abuse so bad that I became severely depressed, ripped down the original Sketchy Details right when it started to turn a profit, and fell into a routine of hiding my identity and denying credit for my work while others got famous off of my writing--seem like child's play.
I reiterate what I said yesterday: what's getting lost is the nature of the project. Sarkeesian wants to use pop culture as a tool to introduce students to academic criticism, specifically feminist critiques. She just as easily could have made this a project about sitcoms, cartoons, anime, film, novels, news reporting, web series, art history, or politics. She has never claimed video games are the only problem in media. She has never claimed that all video games are bad and should not be enjoyed. On the contrary, she has constantly said throughout this process that video games can be enjoyable even if their subject matter and presentation of female characters are problematic. That's a world away from the anti-men, anti-video game, and anti-fun message her critics have put in her mouth.
Anita Sarkeesian is a far stronger person than I am. I buckled when my life and writing was put under the microscope because someone decided I deserved to be treated like garbage; she stood tall and emerged as one of the strongest critical voices working today. We can all learn something from how Sarkeesian handled these personal attacks. Supporting her does not mean creating a hive mind culture where hers is the only voice that matters. You can criticize an argument, but you surrender any role in the debate when you choose to attack the messenger instead of the message.
Allie Brosh, for using humor to tackle mental health awareness in such an honest way
Speaking of arriving in a big way as an inspirational figure in 2013, Allie Brosh released her cartoon memoir Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened. Brosh has been, whether she meant to or not, one of the most vocal advocates for mental illness working online. Yes, she creates a lot of silly comics about crazy dogs and poor grammar.
Her true accomplishment is opening up her story of depression and anxiety for a wide audience. I can send her comics, like "Sneaky Hate Spiral," to anyone I know trying to understand what it's like to live with a mental disorder. I know they're going to walk away with a better understanding of that challenge. The intentionally bad MS Paint illustrations and humor make it easier to understand these struggles for an audience that never experienced them for themselves.
Her book goes even further, adding in a lot of new content that creates a concise narrative arc of living with mental health problems. The popularity of the comic leads to more book sales, which leads to increased visibility for people living with depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders. Visibility is important. Visibility helps people who do not suffer from those problems understand what it's like. Visibility helps other people suffering from mental disorders feel like they're not alone. Yes, you'll laugh at her book, but that humor helps destigmatize mental illness for a much wider audience.
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Who do you think were the best or most influential artists of 2013? Share your picks below.