Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, February 25: BETTER THINGS: THE LIFE AND CHOICES OF JEFFREY CATHERINE JONES
Maria Paz Cabardo’s portrait of the comic book artist and fine art illustrator made its debut at Kansas City’s Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! event in 2012. It went on to screen at Belfast, Leeds, and Hoboken, among other fests.
Jones, who passed away in 2011, had a career that spanned four decades, including sequential comic book art, fantasy/sci-fi book cover illustrations, and regular strips in National Lampoon and Heavy Metal. While this work is greatly admired by fellow artists, it hasn’t extended much beyond a niche fanbase. Cabardo’s film, in great part, aims to correct this obscurity, serving up countless examples of Jones’ impressive work, and offering points of curiosity, such as the influence of the 1979 art book, THE STUDIO, produced together with workspace-mates and now-notable fellow illustrators Bernie Wrightson, Michael Wm Kaluta, and Barry Windsor-Smith. While this is an admirable mission, it still feels somewhat too insider and anecdote-driven, and serves to dilute the more intriguing personal elements that make Jones’ story unique, chiefly his transition from male-identified Jeff Jones to female identified Jeffrey Catherine Jones, but also her complicated friendship with artist – and, at that point, fellow crossdresser – Vaughn Bode, and bouts with depression which at times interrupted her ability to create art. While the film addresses these biographical details, the more general artist appreciation often competes with them, holding the project back from transcending its limited scope or likely audience. Still, Cabardo succeeds in creating a tribute to Jones’ work that demonstrates the late artist’s exceptional talent.
