After the birth of their first child, Julia, Justin would leave…almost abandoned…Carol expecting her to take care of all domestic duties while working long hours as a sign painter. Julia was a difficult child, and Carol resented being alone and, worse, putting her career on the back burner.
From here, Justin and Carol’s marriage just spiraled downward. With Justin rarely around, Carol had to deal with essentially being a married single mother with the accompanying anger and resentment that comes with it. Justin would inevitably have an affair, and the two would split up, but after Julia began to show signs of Justin’s OCD, the two realized they needed to come back together for their daughter. The documentary now shifts from documenting the career of two great Comix artists, but one of a truly unique marriage and family.
Married to Comics starts as an homage to the great Justin Green and the global influence of the Binky Brown comic. The artwork from both Green and Tyler is wonderful to look at, particularly surreal stylized comics from the Underground Comix Movement. Kinhart dives pretty deep into Green’s work and features interviews with the likes of Robert Crumb, Phoebe Gloeckner, Art Spiegelman, Trina Robbins, Chris Ware, Denis Kitchen, MariNaomi, Glenn Bray, Ron Turner, and Patrick Rosenkranz.
“There’s nothing simple or easy about Justin and Carol’s life and marriage…”
During the interviews, Kinhart gives us a glimpse into the life of a person struggling with OCD. While on camera, Justin would almost direct all of his interviews, telling Kinhart when to cut, discard takes, and where to insert film or photos. Justin then delves into various conspiracies regarding 9-11, the Pentagon explosion, and one that ultimately broke Carol…COVID.
On the other hand, Carol had a polar opposite personality. She was outgoing, prolific, and ambitious. Almost offended that she’s not included in the list of great autobiographical comic artists. She worked for Weirdo, a feminist anthology of Wimmen’s Comix. After her first break-up with Justin, she published the You’ll Never Know series about death and her father. She was a free spirit tethered to Justin Green and sees herself as “married to comics.”
What drew me to Kinhart’s documentary is this unique marriage and character study. For both Carol and Justin, their union can be described as long-suffering (mostly for Carol), full of conflict, and high on admiration for one another…to a point. Not to paint Justin in a completely bad light, but we get a glimpse of not only living with someone with OCD but, at times, being placed in his shoes. Justin’s behavior can be off-putting, but we understand that he can’t help it most of the time.
Married to Comics falls right in my wheelhouse of comic books and complex character studies. There’s nothing simple or easy about Justin and Carol’s life and marriage, and Kinhart tells their story in a loving and dramatic fashion. I think if my marriage was like this, I might have left long ago. Ultimately, I walked away, understanding that marriage is not so easily defined and, in almost all cases, not as idyllic as one dreams it to be.
For screening information, visit the Married to Comics official website.
"…their union can be described as long-suffering (mostly for Carol)..."
This excellent documentary, Married to Comics joins the growing list of films spotlighting the underground comix movement and its rippling effects over time. Like Crumb, Comic Book Confidential, Pig Headed, Bad Attitude, Mr. Bitchin’, and more to come, the movement that changed comics forever goes streaming to today’s young hopefuls and radicals.