Almost Homeless
Local SF artist Matt Salidy has been nominated for an Eisner award. For those who don’t know Eisner awards are the “Oscars” of the comic book world. Being nominated is an honor and it is also an opportunity to get exposed to a larger audience. I was exposed for a number of different reasons. Matt works part-time at Isotope Comic Lounge in San Francisco so there have been many days when Matt grabbed my pull list and rang me up. Once I read that he was nominated I picked up a copy of his book. You can pick one up from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Homeless-Channel-Matt-Silady/dp/193205149X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209601510&sr=1-1.
The first thing that jumped out at me was the unique use of photo realism and real “actors”. The second thing took a while to set in but I was finally able to put my finger on it after a recent conversation with Matt. Matt explained that one of the things he tried to do with this book was to somehow articulate the range of emotions he had regarding the homeless. I learned from our talk that he was working on the book back during a period of especially aggressive panhandling by the homeless in the San Francisco Bay area. San Francisco and Berkeley are known for their somewhat acceptance of the homeless and support for municipal programs for the homeless. Good weather and plenty of corners made that summer 2 years ago a hell for those of us that lived or worked in San Francisco. I mean you hate to be cold and heartless but I also won’t react positively when some of the homeless yell and berate me as I walk into my building. If I do give a few dollars will it help or just encourage more begging and badgering? I asked Matt if he experienced some of the situations in the book. In a case of reverse irony Matt explained that his real nexus with the book occurred well after he completed it.
Apparently Matt had exchanged one his books for the cash while on the street. At that moment a homeless person noticed the transaction and approached Matt for a handout. This situation is an example of the dilemma the homeless often present. Matt had just published his first book and with $12 earned in hand for the sweat of his art he looked at the sad face with his hand out. The amount of money wasn’t important it was how it was earned and Matt had to think hard about parting with it. Matt’s book The Homeless Channel wrestles with everything from compassion to frustration, that and a cable channel. How? Well you’ll have to read it yourself to find out. Besides being a fine comic creator Matt is also an all around nice guy who lives his art and passions in a way that makes me jealous. He is a teacher, creator, participator, and to my knowledge never a manipulator. Congratulations Matt! 
Links:
Eisner Info: http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.shtml
MATT SILADY dot COM: http://web.mac.com/msilady/Pro_2.1/Welcome.html
Isotope Comics: http://isotopecomics.com/
Sean Wheatley has been reading and collecting comics for over 35 years. Send comments and suggestions to: Seanwheatley1@earthlink.net