Tales of the Beanworld: A Most Peculiar Comic Book Experience

AUTHOR: Marder, Larry

ARTIST: Larry Marder (illustrator)

PUBLISHER: Beanworld Press; Dark Horse Comics; Eclipse Comics

FIRST SERIAL PUBLICATION: 1985-1993

FIRST BOOK PUBLICATION: 1990 (issues 1-16); 2009

Publication History

Tales of the Beanworld, originally a black-and-white comic book series, was initially self-published by Larry Marder under the publisher name Beanworld Press. The production schedule was irregular, as Marder worked on the comic while also maintaining a full-time career in advertising. Although Marder intended to publish the comic twice per year, the first three issues were published in 1985. After 1986, issues 5-21 of Tales of the Beanworld were published by Eclipse Comics. Issue 5 indicates that the comic was to be published on a quarterly basis, but 1989 was the only year in which four issues were released. In 1990, Tales of the Beanworld was collected into four volumes published by Eclipse Comics; these included additional artwork and stories that were not part of the comic’s original run. Dark Horse Comics published the full collection of Tales of the Beanworld in a two-volume, hardcover set titled Larry Marder’s Beanworld in 2009. A volume of new stories, Larry Marder’s Beanworld Book 3: Remember Here When You Are There! was published later that year.

Plot

Marder first developed the beans that populate Tales of the Beanworld for a series of editorial cartoons published in his campus newspaper during the 1970’s. The Beanworld, which Marder refers to as a “process,” began to take shape over time, particularly after the introduction of Gran’Ma’Pa as the sole food source for the beans. The stories incorporate elements from popular culture, ecology, and various world mythologies, particularly western Pueblo cosmology. Tales of the Beanworld is accessible to readers as young as eight, but the series is intended for readers of all ages. From the first issue, Marder cautioned readers not to look for deeper political meaning in the comic, noting that “it is what it is.”

Tales of the Beanworld is an ecological fantasy about beans and those upon whom they rely for survival. The spiritual guardian Gran’Ma’Pa is the center of bean life. Each day, Mr. Spook assesses Gran’Ma’Pa to determine whether a “sprout-butt” will fall. If no sprout-butt falls, he declares a “goof-off day” during which beans relax and have fun. If a sprout-butt falls, Mr. Spook attempts to catch it with his trusty fork on the first bounce. The sprout-butt will be unhappy if he does not catch it quickly, and this will lead to bad-tasting chow at the end of the process.

Once he catches the sprout-butt, Mr. Spook leads the Chow Sol’jers over the legendary edge of Beanworld, into the Thin Lake, past the Four Realities, past the Bone Zone, and finally in among the Hoi-Polloi Ring Herd. The Hoi-Polloi are one-armed gambling folk whose currency happens to be chow, the foodstuff of the beans. The Chow Sol’jers attack a ring of Hoi-Polloi and steal their chow. In exchange for the pain, loss, and suffering, the Chow Sol’jers leave behind the sprout-butt. The Hoi-Polloi surround the sprout-butt with love, and it eventually makes the ultimate sacrifice: turning itself into chow.

The Chow Sol’jers return to the Proverbial Sandy Beach, where they are greeted by Professor Garbanzo and the Boom’r Band. They deposit the fruits of their chow raid into the chowdown pool, the communal feeding place. The beans all soak in the pool, absorbing vitamins and nutrients through their heads and trace elements through their feet. Professor Garbanzo spends her time creating and repairing tools for the Chow Sol’jers and other beans, using the elements of the Four Realities as building materials.

The beans encounter various threats to their orderly way of life, eventually learning that they are not the center of the universe. As the beans discover, there is more to life and the “Big-Big-Picture” than their own food chain.

Characters

•Mr. Spook, a protagonist, is the hero of Beanworld and leader of the Chow Sol’jers. His origin story and appearance suggest that he is a mutated bean who was later trained to be a hero and assigned to the Beanworld. As the hero, he sometimes feels justified in taking action without consulting others. He has a trusty fork that serves as his weapon, but he must cope with the transformation of his fork halfway through the series.

•Professor Garbanzo, a.k.a. Proffy, a protagonist, is the bean charged with inventing, repairing tools, treating the wounded, and thinking. She wears a unique hat that is decorated with symbols representing the elements of the Four Realities. She is obsessed with finding a purpose for twinks, star-shaped items that are connected to the mysterious float factor phenomenon. A distractible but rational individual, she often tries to temper the rash actions of Mr. Spook.

•The Boom’r Band is a trio of musician beans and former Chow Sol’jers that provides music for dancing and recreation. The band uses the power of music to help heal injured beans and release some of the powers within the mystery pods.

•Beanish is a former Chow Sol’jer and the artist in residence of Beanworld. He earns his share of chow by contributing to the artistic culture of Beanworld, staging fabulous “look-see-shows” for the other beans. He has a secret friend named Dreamishness whom he meets in the sky each day.

•Gran’Ma’Pa is the spiritual and culinary guardian of Beanworld and the parent of the beans. This treelike entity is the source of sprout-butts, which are eventually converted into chow. Its condition must be interpreted by Mr. Spook, as it does not speak except occasionally through the sprout-butts.

•Big Fish is a large fish that swims through the skies looking for “notworms.” He is the source of Mr. Spook’s trusty fork, which had gotten stuck in his tongue and required the bean’s assistance to remove.

•Dreamishness is Beanish’s secret friend and muse. She lives in the midday sky and gives Beanish new knowledge and special powers in exchange for his efforts to help her to become something more.

•Goofy Service Jerks are creatures who reside in service stations that are part of the Big-Big-Picture and service many worlds besides Beanworld. They bring reproductive propellant to entities such as Gran’Ma’Pa who want to reproduce and expand their worlds. Like the other Goofy Jerks, they are composed of notworms.

•Mr. Teach’m is a teacher within the Big-Big-Picture beyond the Beanworld. He has three large growths resembling leaf fronds on top of his large-mouthed, floating head. He trained Mr. Spook to be a hero.

•Goofy Survey Jerks are Goofy Jerks who investigate customer satisfaction after the reproductive propellant has been delivered by the Goofy Service Jerks.

•The Goofy Sermon Jerk is the Goofy Jerk in charge of the service stations and the other, smaller Goofy Jerks.

•Goofy Surveillance Jerks are investigators who are sent out when a complaint reaches the Goofy Sermon Jerk.

•Heyoka is a former Chow Sol’jer who begins to talk and act backward after leaving the army. She asks Gran’Ma’Pa for help and eventually floats away to a service station.

Artistic Style

Marder’s artistic style is highly iconic and abstract. The high-contrast black line work and occasional gray screen tones are often put in relief by the liberal use of white space on the page and within the frame. Few of the objects or characters have direct referents in the “real” world, although some characters, including Gran’Ma’Pa, Big Fish, and the beans themselves, are recognizable as abstractions of objects most readers would recognize. This abstract style easily conveys the idea that Beanworld is a fantasy world.

The beings and objects that are native to Beanworld tend to be smoother, rounder, and less angular than creatures or objects originating within the broader expanse of the Big-Big-Picture. Mr. Spook has sharp features and is in stark contrast to his surroundings, while the beans are rounded like their guardian, Gran’Ma’Pa. Beans are at times depicted differently based on their roles in Beanworld. When Beanish leaves the Chow Sol’jers, he uses native materials to alter his appearance and transform into the artist in residence of Beanworld; the Boom’r Band likely underwent a similar transformation. Professor Garbanzo’s origin story is vague but clearly demonstrates her affinity with the elements of the Four Realities, from which she makes most of the tools for the beans. When she unlocks the door to her fix-it shop, her hat begins to sport images that represent the Four Realities.

Marder utilizes many one-page panels that include a great deal of detail and often depict simultaneous events, offering the reader a “big-big-picture” of the scene. Most of the panels are angular, but their diversity of size creates a dynamic visual style. He frequently takes a cinematic approach to framing, presenting extreme close-ups and similar camera-like angles. This dynamic and complex approach to framing meshes well with the abstract character and object designs.

Over the course of eight years, Marder produced twenty-one issues with a style that remains consistent throughout, even after the broader Big-Big-Picture and the characters who live there are introduced. This consistency is at least partly due to Marder’s role as the sole writer and illustrator of the series.

Themes

The major themes of Tales of the Beanworld are interdependence, cooperation, and evolution. As Marder notes, the comic is about the affinity of life. The Beanworld begins as an orderly cycle of life in which every bean and adversary has a role to play. The early issues depict the beans as they struggle with a few minor external threats and with overabundance, exploring the ways in which these challenges shape their world and their understanding of it. By issue 8, it becomes clear that the Beanworld is part of the Big-Big-Picture; Beanworld is not the center of the universe, and there is more to life than keeping the food chain intact, though that is certainly important. Much of the rest of the series focuses on how the beans cope with their changing understanding of their place in the world. The gift of the Pod’l’pool Cuties—baby beans that need to be cared for and socialized—changes everything in Beanworld.

The comic also explores the ways in which different styles of management and leadership sometimes come into conflict. As the hero of Beanworld, Mr. Spook is accorded respect by all of the beans. However, both Beanish and Professor Garbanzo come into conflict with him because of his attitude toward the mystery pods and the float factor. Professor Garbanzo believes these phenomena are important to study and analyze, while Mr. Spook is much more conservative in his attitude toward the unknown. Mr. Spook attempts to ban all experimentation with the float factor without even calling a council meeting, while both Beanish and Professor Garbanzo continue to experiment behind his back, reasoning that there are potentially valuable uses for the float factor despite Mr. Spook’s concerns about safety and fear of the unknown.

Impact

Tales of the Beanworld was first published during the late 1980’s black-and-white boom in independent comics publishing. While Dave Sim is likely the best-known and most successful creator of that era, Marder has also been an important figure in independent self-publishing. Despite the relatively few published issues, the comic has been identified as a favorite by comics creators such as Scott McCloud, who praised it for being open to such a variety of interpretations. The reprinting of the original run of stories and the publication of a new volume attest to the lasting impact of Tales of the Beanworld.

Further Reading

McCloud, Scott. Zot! (1984-1990).

Millionaire, Tony. Maakies (1994- ).

Smith, Jeff. Bone (1991-2004).

Bibliography

Boerner, Leigh Krietsch. “Ecology: A Story of Symbiosis.” Science 324, no. 5932 (June, 2009): 1270.

McCloud, Scott. “Introduction.” In Larry Marder’s Beanworld Book 1: Wahoolazuma! Milwaukie, Ore.: Dark Horse Books, 2009.

Smith, Jeff. “Introduction.” In Larry Marder’s Beanworld Book 3: Remember Here When You Are There!, Milwaukie, Ore.: Dark Horse Books, 2009.