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Posted in NewsTagged adam baumgold gallery, caleb orecchio, Cameron Arthur, Charles Burns, christina ramberg, comics for grownups, daniel clowes, evie wyld, Frank Santoro, gerhard richter, j.hoberman, joe sumner, juan fernandez, metropolitan museum of art, michey zacchilli, r. sikoryak, risograph, sally ingraham
Aaron Cockle
Juan FernándezMay 18, 2016NewsJuan Fernandez bringing you: Gutter Fest #4; Inés Estrada's Alienation #1; SAVE THE FANZINE; Feira Dente; El Día de Julio; y Para leer al Pato Donald. ————————————————————————————————— GUTTER FEST #4 – Fira d´Autoedició i de Microedició – It's right around the corner in Barcelona, the 20-21 of May. Gutter Fest just released this promo videa… watch it. Full screen. Good luck making a promo for your zine fest fresher than this! Stay up to date with Gutter Fest over on their tumblr. ————————————————————————————————— Alienation #1 by Inés Estrada Estrada's new science fiction series about the future, sex, love, virtual reality, paranoia and rock and roll! It's available via her shop, GATOSAURIO. Dig into her work. ————————————————————————————————— SAVE THE FANZINE "Who knows their own story? Certainly it makes no sense when we are living in the midst of it. It's all just clamour and confusion. It only becames a story when we tell it and retell it. Our small precious recollections. That we speak again and again to ourselves or to others. First, creating the narrative of our lives, and keeping the story from dissolving into the darkness…" Nick Cave, 20.000 Days on Earth SAVE THE FANZINE is a digital and online archive for self-published books. Not intended to replace the physical object, its purpose is to pay homage to the self-publising culture and to record these unique publications. It's a killer record of contemporary zine making in Spain! Make an account and take dip. Water's fine 😉 Check out SAVE THE FANZINE's physical home, Sandwich Mixto, if you're feeling adventurous today. Based in Madrid, they run a shop and workshop space that's become a hub of Madrid's self-publishing community. More on that in a future week. ————————————————————————————————— Passion and Militancy: the fanzine's resistance as an art object. Madrid's Libros Mutantes Zine Fest has prompted a little reflection on zines and their cultural significance in Spain over at El Confidencial. Smash that translate button 😉 ————————————————————————————————— Feira Dente Coming up in June in Brasilia, Brazil. Mark, your calendars for what's to come! This is Dente's second iteration. The programming schedule of workshops and More information to roll out, so keep it locked to their facebook and instagram accounts. ————————————————————————————————— Reseña de El Día de Julio Jesús Játiva reviews Julio's Day over on Zona Negativa. Es esa capacidad magistral de plasmar en cien páginas cien años de historia familiar lo que hace esta obra tan buena: la muerte de muchos y el nacimiento de otros, la vida retratada en toda su miseria y también en su esplendor. Da la sensación de que Beto Hernández es pesimista, y parece caer en cierto fatalismo mostrando a todos y cada uno de los familiares bajo las más horribles desdichas y envejeciendo y engordando y volviéndose cada vez más feos. El contacto con la muerte y su presencia durante todas las páginas es constante, pero no parece Beto tan interesado en ese momento en el que dejamos de existir como en el momento que nos ha hecho lo que somos y nos ha marcado para toda la vida ————————————————————————————————— Para leer Al Pato Donald – Mass Communication & Colonialism This one is a throw back, but is well worth looking into if you haven't before. How To Read Donald Duck (1972) by Ariel Dorfman (Argentina-Chile) and Armand Mattelart ( Belgium ), is a key piece of political literature of the seventies. An essay, or a "decolonization manual" in their own words that analyzed comic books published by Walt Disney for the Latin American market from the point of view of mass Marxist literature. Its main thesis is that Disney cartoons would not only be a reflection of the dominant ideology -the ruling class , according to the tenets of Marxism , but also be active and conscious accomplices of the task of maintaining and disseminating that ideology. It highlighted qualities of Disney characters and their world, notably that parents, or ancestors, generally were not present. Hay un desfasaje entre la base económico-social en que vive cada individuo y el estado de las representaciones colectivas, y es precisamente lo que asegura la eficacia de Disney y su poder de penetración en la mentalidad comunitaria en los países latinoamericanos dependientes » ————————————————————————————————— hasta la próxima, chiquillos, Juan Share this page:Read More:01/24/201809/17/2018The Alabaster Pizzo…06/06/2018...
Juan FernándezMarch 5, 2017NewsWe begin the week with Ryan Cecil Smith on risograph printing; Adam Griffiths on ReDistricted; the passing of Jay Lynch; the coming of Conosaurus; some thoughts from Hellen Jo; and much more! ————————————————————————————————— Frank Santoro interviews Ryan Cecil Smith for Part 3 of his Risograph Workbook on The Comics Journal. "FS: Ryan, legend has it that you were one of the first American small press comics makers to employ risogragh printing of your comics, and that you basically introduced the process to the States. I remember you were in Japan making comics around 2008. Can you give us your "Risograph Origin Story"? Smith: I heard that risograph was "a thing" but I didn't know what it was. I guess I'd heard that Mickey Z was using it and Ryan Sands was using it. I discovered that my office workplace (in Japan) had this weird photocopier that was used for mass handouts on cheap paper. It was manufactured by "Ricoh" not "Riso," but I eventually figured out it was the same technology. (This was 2008.) I loved how the prints from this machine lay on the paper; they seemed to soak into the paper, yet they lay flat and matte. They weren't glossy or threadbare like laser prints/Xeroxes tend to look. So I was very happy that I had this machine that could make prints which didn't look like anything else I'd ever seen! I made several books and tens of thousands of prints on my office risograph machines over the next few years." Read the rest HERE! ————————————————————————————————— Jay Lynch passed away yesterday (Sunday, March 5th 2017). The Comics Beat has some details about his life – but it is the Facebook messages of folks like Caitlin McGurk (Associate Curator at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, and John F. Kelly (Executive Director at The ToonSeum) whose testimony and heartbreak speaks most eloquently about the impact Jay Lynch had on their lives and on the alternative comics scene. Rest in peace, Jay. ————————————————————————————————— Take a stroll around ReDistricted – an online comics anthology focused on lesser-known historical stories about Washington, D.C. Most recently Adam Griffiths was the featured comics artist on the story Staying Stylish, about the DuPont Circle Fountain. You can see the comic and download a printable PDF HERE. Adam Griffiths recently spent a week in Pittsburgh for a Rowhouse Residency – read his thoughts about the experience HERE and check out more details about the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency. ————————————————————————————————— Hellen Jo riffs on Taiyo Matsumoto, Love and Rockets, and Steven Universe. Over at the House of Vans. (You know, the shoe people?) Jo's got some great stories in that interview. Dig into it. "Did you have a first comic shop you haunted? What did you fill your comic art hunger with? Being a super sheltered teen with not-great social skills, I was lonely my first semester, so I would lurk at Cody's Books and Comic Relief every single day after classes. I read the entirety of Xaime Hernandez's Love & Rockets volume, The Death of Speedy one afternoon at Cody's, and it literally made me high; I was so hooked. I amassed some massive credit card debt buying and reading as many amazing comics as I could those first (and only) couple years of school: all of Los Bros Hernandez's Love & Rockets, Dan Clowes' Eightball, Julie Doucet's Dirty Plotte comics, Peter Bagge's Hate series, Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan, Charles Burns' Black Hole, Taiyo Matsumoto's Black and White, Junji Ito's Tomie and Uzumaki volumes… I could not believe the scope and breadth of the alternative comics genre, and the stories were so insanely good; they literally mesmerized me. I was so obsessed; I even skulked around the tiny comics section at UC Berkeley's Moffitt Library in search of books I hadn't read, and amid the fifty volumes of Doonesbury strips, some sick university librarian had included an early English translation of the Suehiro Maruo collection, Ultra Gash Inferno. That book blew my tiny mind about a hundred times; it's totally fucked up erotic-grotesque horror porn, but the art is unbelievably beautiful. I read that entire thing sitting on the floor in the aisle, feverishly praying to God to forgive my sins after I finished the book, because I was way too ashamed to check it out of the library." You can read the whole interview with Hellen Jo HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Do you do the wretched long haul of comics show after comics show? Eking out a pittance trying to just get your comics and zines into the hands of others? You'll want to check out Conosaurus. Conosaurus is a resource that helps independent creators and fans manage their convention schedules. You've been grinding on that custom made Google Doc of yours, synced with google alerts… This might make your life a little easier. There are quite a few convention databases already in existence, but not all of them are exactly as useful as they could be for exhibitors. The team building Conosaurus, Stephanie Zuppo, John Wotjtkielewicz, and Kazimir Lee, is designing it to be as useful to exhibitors as possible… And most importantly, it's free to use and it will stay that way! As of yesterday, the first ever Conosaurus convention digest is here. Sign up for weekly updates HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Bread & Butter Patrick Kyle is a special guest at The Millionaire's Club, Leipzig's annual Comics & Graphics Festival which will take place March 24-26th, 2017. There's a lengthy interview with Patrick on their website – check it out HERE. In case you missed it, the 2017 Autoptic Festival in Minneapolis has been pushed back to 2018. Jonas McCluggage shares a sneak peak of process from his upcoming book Godshaper and some process steps. You can see the extent of the backbreaking love he's pumping into this joint with writer Simon Spurrier. It's hitting shelves on April 12th via Boom Studios. Here's a little interview with Jonas and Simon for you to get hyped. Five trans cartoonists respond to bathroom hysteria over on the Nib. C.F. has released CleanSweep, a collection of work printed on rolled receipt paper, with stories by himself (Comics Mosaic Edition), GHXYK2's Your Son is the Kuso Guy, and Carlos Gonzalez's Basic Content – get copies HERE. ————————————————————————————————— The Spring Semester of the Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers starts March 7th! There is a rolling start date for this semester of the course, so we will continue taking applications beyond that date. The course is 8 weeks long – 500 bux – payment plans are available. More details can be found HERE – or email santoroschoolATgmail to apply. ————————————————————————————————— Blinkers – 3-6-2017 – by Jack Brougham ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 3-6-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 3-6-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio ————————————————————————————————— Cozytown – 3-6-2017 – by Juan Fernandez Share this page:Read More:02/20/2018The Hannah K. Lee Interview01/29/201802/26/2018...
Caleb OrecchioJuly 17, 2017News / Residency Reports / School UpdatesCaleb Orecchio here with my week in Pittsburgh at the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency ————————————————————————————————————— I come into Pittsburgh At six-thirty flat. I found myself a vacant seat An' I put down my hat. -Bob Dylan Lo and Behold! or Where The Wild Cartoonists Are: A Pittsburgh Story And thus it came to pass that I returned to Pittsburgh, PA, the land of the wild cartoonists. I say wild because they certainly are not domesticated like most cartoonists who live Brooklyn or LA. The Comics Workbook crew being the most savage and barbaric of the Pittsburghers—I should know, I am one of them. Though I am not a native, I have been taken in and raised as their own. I've been taught the ways of the wolf and to speak in tongues. I come out of desert and back to Pittsburgh when I am called. This story largely documents my meeting and interacting with the young Texas cartoonist, Cameron Arthur. The Cast: Cameron Arthur Frank Santoro Sally Ingraham Audra Stang Juan Fernandez with a special cameo by Nate McDonough and narrated by me, Caleb Orecchio Our Story begins… I left Dayton, OH for Pittsburgh, PA on Sunday to pick up Cameron Arthur who was flying in from Houston, TX. My dog, Zoe, looked at me with the look she gives when she knows I'm leaving her for an extended period of time. Thankfully a couple friends, including comic-book blood brother Jason Hart who agreed to babysit her at his house, took care of her. I am eternally grateful for these pals. After a four hour drive, I arrived in Pittsburgh where the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency resides. As always, Frank and Sally greeted me with the warmth and welcome that makes me feel like family. We hung out for a bit before I had to go pick up Cameron. Sally left to hold down the fort at thee Copacetic Comics Company. The proprietor of Copacetic, Bill Boichel, was "at the beach" so he unfortunately does not come into this story. I got settled in and claimed my room at the Rowhouse and went back to hangout with Frank who showed me secret works of art that left me shattered and speechless. My tongue was cut out so I couldn't speak to him about them, but it grew back in time to talk to Cameron at the airport. Cameron came out of the terminal glowing with excitement. He never gets to talk to cartoonists in real life so he was purging all the comics-related thoughts, and we'd had a million different conversations before we even left the airport; plus a million more on the way to Copacetic—the first stop on Cameron's Pittsburgh journey. Cameron Arthur is a really bright kid from Texas, the land of his heroes: Gary Panter and Matt Brinkman (what 17-year-old has the taste to know Gary Panter is the greatest? Cameron does). I've "known" Cameron from corresponding online for years now. He was 14 then. This is the first time we've met in real life. This is the summer before his senior year in high school and already he is a powerful cartoonist. The force is strong with this one. Maybe you don't like his drawing or storytelling or whatever, but you fail to see the boundless potential that is below the surface. This week, he would start to unlock it. Cameron and I arrive at Copacetic to find Sally working and Audra Stang shopping (I think I saw Blaise Larmee exiting the coffee shop that resides in the same building). Audra is dear friend, a terrific cartoonist, and recent Pittsburgh resident. At some point in the week she did over 40 portraits of students from the school she works at. Juan later told me, "I know those kids–she killed it." We chatted and hung out with the dynamic duo before closing time. As Sally was locking up and we were leaving, we saw Nate McDonough (a Pittsburgh resident with some connections to my Dayton). I love Nate. I told him we should get together this weekend and have a beer. I always say that when I'm around, but I never have time. Please forgive me Nate! Audra went home and Sally, Frank, Cameron and I talked comics back at HQ. Frank told stories of Gary Panter and Fort Thunder and PitcureBox and Paper Rad and Francesco Clemente and Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and PeeWee Herman and Bob Dylan and Alan Moore and Cold Heat and Basquiat and Andy Warhol among many other things. Cameron and I went back to the Rowhouse full of knowledge and weary from our travels. Our Story continues… What follows is most of the week as I remember it. Specific days and activities are blending together so I will do without keeping track of exact times and dates. This is my impression of the week that already seems so long ago now that I'm back in the wilderness of Dayton, OH. Cameron and I drew a lot over the week of course, but we talked just as much as we drew. I feel that we really got to know each other, like I have another brother in comics. I felt that we clicked immediately being two easy-going dudes who just want to talk about comics all day. He really schooled me in the ways of Gary Panter and Fort Thunder and the surrounding entities. I could school him in some aspects, but his breadth of knowledge at his age is staggering. He just knows whats up. He also schooled me about his homeland, Texas. The land of western fever-dreams finally had a human face that I could talk to. He knew a lot about his homeland. Had some interesting personal stories of friends and family. In the beginning of the week, he drew very slow. Drawing his comics almost exclusively first-take, he developed a painstaking pace. Frank, and by extension, I, would work to unlock the maniac in him. At night, when we would go to Frank's to talk and listen, Frank would give Cameron exercises to quicken and loosen Cameron's drawing up. He talked about the difference between Matt Brinkman and other more traditional cartoonists. Most cartoonists try really hard to get their point across. "Multiforce just is," I remember Frank saying. He showed him how Brinkman can draw very large and very small. He talked about how Gary Panter is an artist. "Gary Panter wouldn't have to do eight months of research to learn cubism to do a comic about cubism, Gary Panter IS cubism!" Frank showed us a photo of one of Panter's latest paintings—our brains blew out the back of our heads and we went back to the Rowhouse and tried to be cartoonists again. Frank, Sally, Cameron and I went to New Dimension Comics. It was amazing. More $1 back issue boxes than I've ever seen in one place! And we didn't even get to see the basement that they open up to the public once or twice a year. I hardly got through a small section of the place before we there for a while and had to go. Throughout the back-issue digging, Cameron and I would show each other the cool shit we'd pull out. So many Kirby comics, Ditko's Shade the Changing Man, Archie, Charlton comics, romance comics, sports comics, dusty comics, fresh comics, comics with covers, comics without covers, comics with artists mimicking Kirby, comics with artists mimicking Neal Adams, comics by Neal Adams, comics about Boris Karloff, propaganda comics, how to comics, how to not comics, good comics, bad comics, ugly comics, comics by men, comics by women, comics by boys, comics by Kentuckians, comics by West Virginians, comics comics comics. Frank would periodically bring over a stack, "Here a made you a stack. You don't have to buy them…" He gave me look a of disappointment when I put back an oversized Dick Tracy collection for two Barry Smith Conan Treasury Edition books. Frank bought the Dick Tracy book. We went back to Frank's to look at our booty and a wondrous time was had by all. Juan Fernandez, a valiant cowboy of comics. He's the man behind the curtain—along with rest of the CW crew—educating the young minds of Pittsburgh about comics. He stopped by to meet Cameron and chat. It was good to catch up with Juan who is a genuinely sweet guy and a great thinker of comics. His enthusiasm for comics is only outmatched by the hours in the day. Still Juan tirelessly carries on against the wind. He is a key figure in comics, though he probably won't be truly recognized for it until later—he is one of the Wild Ones. Let no one stand in his way. One night, Frank was showing Cameron and I how to better our respective drawing styles. When Frank teaches you something, it almost changes your entire life because you level up just by one interaction with him. He stressed to me the importance of being able to draw with one line and equated it with Dylan. He showed Cameron how to draw as his heroes draw. He showed Cameron how to draw in color. A loud "YES!" rang through the house once Cameron figured it out. Cameron went back to work on his comics, determined to fulfill his destiny. Frank also drew for me, upside down, his best Kirby impression. Frank is the best because he can draw in any way shape or form. Another night, Frank brought out a bunch of comics and books to look at. I zeroed in on a Kirby collection that had a bunch of Xeroxed pencils of Thor, while we watched Masters of American Comic Book Art. Kirby is the greatest. We'd been talking about the great Gary Panter all week. Gary Panter an artistic and cultural phenomenon regardless if you know it or not. Really he can do it all. Panter, Mazzuchelli, Westvind, Herriman, you name 'em; true masters of the form. But anyone can learn all they want and practice and practice – there is only one Kirby. I almost had an emotional breakdown looking at his pencils, quite literally read and wept. For most of the days, I was Cameron's primary teacher. I quickly realized that Sally and Frank had tricked me into it. I can not thank them enough, because I had the extreme pleasure of seeing Cameron LEVEL UP: Cameron was starting to feel the burn. Comics Workbook expects you to draw until your hands hurt. A lot of the drawing is redrawing the same thing over and over. This was starting to tax Cameron and he wondered if there had to be somewhere out of here. I sensed his pain. His drawing was starting to slow down again. "Faster!" I screamed. "NO! Don't slow down!" I made him draw four 8-panel one-page gag strips. "You have thirty minutes to do each one! Start in color and then go to black like Frank showed you! Pretend your Gary Panter!" We are about to make the jump to lightspeed! The ground shook and the winds were a gail! I looked over and Cameron's hands were on fire! Sweat poured from him and he breathed heavily. He was doing it. He was Luke doing a handstand with Yoda on his foot and moving rocks with the force. He was Goku gathering the energy of the people in the tri-state area. In the middle of the frenzy, I get a call that a friend's relative had died. Cameron's power was reaching the far corners of the universe. He was unstoppable. The hairs on my neck stood on end. I tried to capture the event but no man or woman could render the awesome might of Cameron's breakthrough. When he was done I noticed one of his hairs had turned gray in the process. He was a man now. We looked at the four comics he had done. Remember, one comic page per 30 minutes. He did each one in less than that and the last comic was his personal best at 21 minutes. These four comics were the best he'd ever done. He had willed them into existence. They floated, crackling lightning, fresh from the fire. They just were. Our story ends… After Cameron's great breakthrough, we had tacos. We met up with Sally, Audra, and Frank and had a good ol' time. I bragged about Cameron who was still recovering from it all. It was great to hang out because tomorrow we would be gone—the last hurrah. Got to talk more with Audra and Sally, while Frank had Cameron do more and more drawing. Sally and Audra and I talked endlessly about our current and future comics. Who we liked, who we hated. Sally and I discussed the woes, pros, and cons of the daily strip. I cursed Audra for being such savage cartoonist. Sally too. We talked about our old embarrassing poetry and past adolescent romances and mix tapes and hopes and dreams. Some real solid quality time with my comics family. As I looked around at Sally, Frank, Cameron, and Audra I felt a real sense of family. I've never lacked a loving family, fortunately, but this family seemed more like a wolf pack kind of family. We learn as a pack. We go to shows as a pack. We draw as a pack. We kill as a pack. We eat as a pack. The dreaded morning came when Cameron and I had to go. I grow weary as I type this overlong account so I'll keep it short: I love all the cartoonists I mentioned and I feel really fortunate to have finally met Cameron in person. This stupid blog post does not do the trip justice. It was life changing–as always when I meet up with the CW crew. And now I'm back in the wilderness until it's time to go back home again. THE END Goin' back to Pittsburgh Count up to thirty, Round that horn and ride that herd, Gonna thread up! -Bob Dylan special thanks to everyone mentioned above, particularly Sally Ingraham who did a lot of the leg work to get me and Cameron here at the same time and kept the machine working; and of course Frank Santoro who is undoubtedly the master and without whom this past week (among other things) would not exist. ————————————————————————————————————— anyone still here? Well if you are, here are a few links Pepe has a lawyer. The ToonSeum of Pittsburgh is having a fundraiser. An interesting Five for Friday —————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 7-17-2017 – by Gabriella Tito —————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 7-17-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page:Read More:09/21/201810/10/201803/14/201806/14/2018...
Juan FernándezApril 11, 2018los Cómics / NewsAle Acosta, Pablo Delcielo, y Liv Strömquist! —————————————— Los cómics y las noticias que me han llamado la atención esta semana: ~ en Español y "sometimes in English" ~ ————————————————————————————————— Sol Díaz Castillo y Marcela Trujillo tienen una nueva edicion de La Polola Podcast! Las chicas conversan con Ale Acosta acercae su trabajo, de su forma de trabajar, de los proyectos y de su amor por la docencia, entre muchas cosas mas. ————————————————————————————————— Por qué lo llaman vagina cuando quieren decir vulva – Elizabeth Casillas Puede que sea uno de los tebeos más controvertidos que vayas a leer este año, y no precisamente por decir sandeces. La historietista sueca Liv Strömquist firma El fruto prohibido (Reservoir Books, 2018), un cómic que repasa la historia cultural de la vulva con argumentación teórica pero, sobre todo, mucho humor. Anuncios de compresas o tampones que recurren, en exceso, a las palabras "limpia" y "segura". Señores que se preocupan, en exceso, de lo que suele denominarse «el órgano sexual femenino». Autoridades, organizaciones, periódicos, médicos y demás organismos empeñados, en exceso, de producir (des)información sobre el sexo. Y así sucesivamente, Liv Strömquist termina enumerando una serie de cosas que están mal (muy mal) en nuestra sociedad en lo que a la mujer y su sexo se refiere. Léanlo todo en REVISTA CACTUS ————————————————————————————————— Entrevista a Ghor Bosch (2015) – dibujado por Pablo Delcielo – publicado en Buenos Aires por Yegua ediciones. Este comic es parte de una serie de entrevistas imaginiarias, que son bastante graciosas y serias con Ghor Bosch aunque. Léanlo AQUI. ————————————————————————————————— ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 4-11-2018 – by Gabriella Tito Cozytown – 4-11-2018 – by Juan Fernandez Share this page:Read More:06/06/201802/28/201804/27/201805/23/2018...
Sally IngrahamMarch 30, 2016NewsHighlighting Retrofit Comics and bringing some words of wisdom from Jillian Fleck, along with a new comic – plus a kitchen disaster from Byron Alaff and dating woes from Julia Wertz. ————————————————————————————————— Retrofit Comics has 9 days left on their Kickstarter campaign! Take a gander at their list of artists, and you'll immediately recognize the publisher to be a general force for greatness in the comics community. The crop of books they're currently publishing is particularly spectacular. It includes titles by the likes of James Kochalka (Elf Cat in Love), who has the distinction of being the first Cartoonist Laureate of Vermont. Eleanor Davis has an offering (Libby's Dad), and Kaeleigh Forsyth and Alabaster Pizzo teamed up on Hellbound (here's a process post from them about the "raw material" the book was sourced from). Also among the comics that may get loosed on the world, should the Kickstarter make it to the stretch goals, are works by Anya Davidson and Tyler Landry. Pretty rad. Please support Retrofit Comics by pitching some funds their way, or helping to spread the word. Check out the Kickstarter HERE! ————————————————————————————————— Jillian Fleck joined us today on the Comics Workbook website with some thoughts about finishing your comic, and the type of value you place on your own work. Jillian is a cartoonist from Calgary, Alberta, who is currently going to school in Scotland. She still finds time to draw Bad Thoughtz on a regular basis (check out this achingly hilarious comic HERE) and recently made a lovely observational piece for the Comics Workbook tumblr. This one demonstrates how Jillian follows her own suggestions regarding keeping the process playful, mixing it up. From her article: This is why I encourage you to finish your comic, so you can get up tomorrow and begin your next one. It can be about whatever you want, and can be drawn however you choose. It's entirely new and up to you. Just think, if you finish it in one day, tomorrow you won't have to suffer under the decisions of the past. If you finish your comic in one go, you could put it up on the wall and look at it, think about why you did what you did. Then the day after, maybe you can build on that. Or do something different. You can set challenges for yourself. Can you tell a complete story in a single page? Inside a triangle? On a roll of toilet paper? Please read the full piece HERE – lots of good stuff to consider. ————————————————————————————————— Byron Alaff published a one pager today that cracked me up. We've all had that kitchen mishap I'm sure! Byron keeps up a steady stream of comics on his website – take some time to scan through and find your favorite among the various styles and topics he lands on. ————————————————————————————————— The Denver Independent Comics Expo (DINK) went down last weekend (March 25-26) and although we're still waiting for a proper scene report for this brand new event, Julia Wertz gave us a little glimpse of the action: Indeed it is. (Noah Van Sciver will be one of the guests at PIX this coming weekend, incidentally.) ————————————————————————————————— That's a wrap on your Wednesday news! I'll bump into you with more tidbits next week. – Sally Share this page:Read More:05/07/2018Comics Workbook…04/03/2018The Alabaster Pizzo…...
Sally IngrahamDecember 14, 2017NewsSally here with comics by Zimbabwean cartoonists and writers Bill Masuku and Amanda Chaniwa, plus new work from Mohammed Sabaaneh. ————————————————————————————————— I found this write-up on the Zimbabwe comics scene, from back in March on Hyperallergic. It is an interview with Bill Masuku, who created the characters/comics Black Zeus (with Dananayi Muwanigwa), Razor-Man, Arcadia Knights, and more. In his writing and comics Masuku can't avoid social justice issues, and as a Zimbabwean his perspective on the industry is particularly unique. There are socioeconomic issues that he is forced to deal with – for example, "Because of economic sanctions, Zimbabwean artists can't use services like PayPal or Kickstarter." The avenues to funding and visibility that so many cartoonists rely on are crossed off the list for cartoonists in his homeland. Just like his character Razor-Man, however, Masuku operates under "the Zimbabwean idea that no matter your situation, you can "make a plan." Every Zimbabwean knows that catchphrase. It reflects the idea that no matter how bad things get, you'll make it to the other side." He also comments on the idea that the world needs more black people representing themselves, but not in isolation. There can't be this tokenism, one character representing "an entire race on their own." "Hyperallergic: Why do you think it's important that we have Zimbabwean comic books specifically? How can Zimbabwean artists address the social issues Zimbabweans face in a way international artists can't? Bill Masuku: It all comes back to context. Because of intersectionality, race, gender, and class are all big things that affect us globally. But then colorism, tribalism, and the intricacies of intersectionality come into play when you're in a different socioeconomic location, or even just a different geographical location. As a writer, it's crucial to be able to raise awareness about these issues at home. For example, there's no one talking about being gay in a country where that's illegal, and what actually happens to you when you come out to your parents. When someone who is not from here , they'll miss the subtle nuances that make the issue relevant to someone who is here and going through it. Having an open-minded writer who talks about these issues creates hope for the reader." Read the rest of this article/interview HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Bill Masuku collaborated with Amanda Chaniwa on the comic Drama Mama. She talks about the comic and her hopes for the scene in Zimbabwe in the video below. Chaniwa is the first professional female comic book writer from Zimbabwe. ————————————————————————————————— In the Forward to the White and Black collection by Palestinian cartoonist Mohammad Sabaaneh shown above, "veteran American political cartoonist Seth Tobocman notes the influence of Picasso and Braque on Sabaaneh's work, and asks: "Can there be an accurate depiction of an insane situation? Why should we draw in perspective when the world has lost its perspective? When reality becomes bizarre social realism gives way to social surrealism." " Sabaaneh published the book earlier this year – you can get a copy HERE. More recently, he's turned his attention and his cartoons toward Trump – not surprisingly. You can read more about Sabaaneh's life and often controversial work over on Al-Monitor. His most recent strips and caricatures can be seen on the website of the daily paper al-Haya al-Jadida. ————————————————————————————————— The Winter Semester of thee Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers starts January 18th 2018! 8 weeks – 500 bux – coaching for as long as you need. The course is hard, but Frank will push your comics making practice to a new level, getting you to think about timing and color in new ways. Makes a great holiday gift for yourself – or for a loved one who is interested in comics. Apply by midnight (EST) on Dec. 25th and get $100 off the course price. Full details and how to apply can be found HERE! ————————————————————————————————— Share this page:Read More:03/20/201804/06/201809/21/2018Rowhouse Residency…...
Sally IngrahamMarch 9, 2017NewsThursday comics news! Sam Ombiri on Yokoyama and Lane Graff, plus the latest from Ben Passmore and Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse. ————————————————————————————————— Sam Ombiri here: I was reading Yokoyama recently – I remember first seeing his comics aaaand there was an attraction that's a tad unutterable. Many others seem to have nailed down what it is – I myself can't specify. It's kind of like how sometimes Yokoyama's explanation of his work is simple. Like, for example, he draws someone paying a clerk at a kiosk because it's just beautiful. I think that's what his explanation was for this one sequence he did. Now I wonder if his idea, or attempt, at "drawing as if a bird is watching" applies to this? Well, he might've not been talking about the work I'm talking about when speaking of this idea of drawing a bird's objective view. He's perceiving the beauty which is apart from the drawing I've seen, and still see in memory, or at least feel like I've seen – a different version of this, literally speaking. There's also another meaning to me of this phrase; a different version of something I've seen. This version is perceived maybe as a scent that comes with nostalgia, or like when you dream and then think you've seen something before, even though you haven't necessarily seen it before. You end up asking yourself for days where you saw this thing, and you continue to do that – for maybe weeks, maybe months – and then one day you admit that it was in the dream and never existed, hesitantly. This is maybe not a good comparison – but a thing I like a lot about FLCL is the ambiance, and the very familiar mundane evening – or opening up a can to drink from…it's very familiar, and it's like this mecha anime I perceived in my mind watching at one time, when in fact I never did. Like when this one character in World Map Room – I think his name is EXPRESS – pulls out a laser gun to show a blast he previously shot. I talked about this with Lane Graff – about how his work has this quality or properties that I've read before. I don't mean that it's cliche – or maybe it's a cliche that's not tired. It's a very welcomed cliche. Or "cliche" is maybe the wrong word. It's a similar in the sense that it's a cliche of a thing I think I experienced, but didn't. If I was better at writing I could straighten all these thoughts out! It's the way the cutesy misadventures in Lane's work, and the sudden horror, all feels "right" and distinctly familiar from a specific place. I'm mostly bringing Lane up because I tried to explain this to him, and without much success, haha. I'm not saying the works mentioned are similar – it's just a quality that they posses, that I've sensed, that I can't properly render. – Sam Ombiri 3-9-2017 – Sam Ombiri ————————————————————————————————— New Orleans-based cartoonist Ben Passmore spoke to Newsarama about his comic Your Black Friend (which AdHouse Books will be distributing starting in May 2017). The mini-comic (originally published by Silver Sprocket last September) is a "necessary contribution to the dialogue around race in the United States…an open letter from your black friend to you about race, racism, friendship and alienation." Ben talks about the origin of the comic, the effect it has had on others and himself in recent months, and current/future projects. "Passmore: …if my survival is on the line it's not really a conversation. In my own life, I only really talk about "race issues" with friends, I'm not invested in coming to an understanding with anyone that isn't already invested in my well-being. I have to prioritize myself and I'm not trying to teach anyone anything. Comics are a nice way to communicate without some of the tensions that make discussing race annoying. Nrama: Has doing this comic as a means to communicate this without teaching someone changed how you view comic books? Has the process of doing it affected what you think about for future works? Passmore: Before Your Black Friend I think I tried my own comics as an exercise for my own brain and I didn't really think about how other people were going to receive them. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from individuals and the comics industry, which is tight, but the thing I've enjoyed the most is how the book has engaged other black cartoonists. I feel like there's a burgeoning radical black comics milieu, which is right on time given the political environment. Now that I feel like I'm part of a national conversation I'm more excited to write with other people in mind. It's been nice doing pieces for The Nib because I get to do stories along that continuum of black struggle." Read the rest HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Wendy Browne of Women Write About Comics sat down with Ariell Johnson, who found herself in the spotlight last year when she became "the first black woman to open and manage a comic shop on the East Coast. In an industry that too often has pushed back against diversity, Philadelphia's Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse, Inc. has made diversity the foundation that it is built on." After a whirlwind first year, Ariell Johnson isn't slowing down – she sees 2017 as a time to really get herself and the shop organized, after reaching more milestones in her first bout than she could have ever imagined. Having established a reputation as a community space and a safe haven that celebrates geek culture (where you can also enjoy a good cup of coffee) Ariell knows her focus for the present has to be simply maintaining and finding balance. Anyone who has been involved in operating a small business can relate – and we're all cheering her on. Read more about the shop HERE and send Ariell some good luck vibes! ————————————————————————————————— Check out the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency! Now in our 2nd year, the 2017 schedule is already filling up. Aspiring and professional cartoonists alike are coming to work on comics in Pittsburgh, plugging into the vibrant local scene, infusing it with fresh energy, and taking their comics making skills to a new level. Interested in joining us for a week or more? Email santoroschool@gmail.com to learn how to apply. There are still openings in April and May, with a wait list available for the summer months. After a break for show season we will be picking up scheduling once again in late October. 500 bux for a week and a life-changing experience. Read some of our Residency Reports HERE. Email santoroschool@gmail.com for more info. ————————————————————————————————— Blinkers – 3-9-2017 – by Jack Brougham ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 3-9-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 3-9-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio ————————————————————————————————— Cozytown – 3-9-2017 – by Juan Fernandez Share this page:Read More:03/01/201809/19/201805/17/201802/15/2018...
Sally IngrahamFebruary 1, 2017NewsSally has the comics and news today – Ronald Wimberly and Jim Pluk on tour, Ladycastle on shelves, Aya on the big screen, Adam Griffiths in Pittsburgh – and Sam Ombiri brings thoughts on changing minds. ————————————————————————————————— From Ronald Wimberly: "Happy Black History Month The last two years, to celebrate the impact black people have had on our history, I've drawn 12 Black luminaries, past and present, alongside their own words. This year I've drawn 14 new ones and collected them and those from the last two years together in a book coming out on the 8th (2/8/2017) from Image Comics. Ask for it at your local book stores, galleries, museum shops, etc. You can even cop it on your kindle or comixology. I'm even working on an audiobook version where I describe the picture to you while simultaneously reading the quote. Nah. This month I'll be making several stops alongside the east coast, signing and talking. If you're around, please come say hi! 2/15/17 1900-2100: WASHINGTON D.C.; FANTOM COMICS Catch me at Fantom Comics from 7 till 9pm signing books and chatting with the homie Julian Lytle. 2/19/17 1300-1700: COLUMBUS, OHIO; CMA I'll be doing a signing followed by a closing reception for my show at the Columbus Museum of Art. Come by, drink some wine, eat some cheese and chat me up. 2/22//17 1800-2000: PITTSBURGH, PA; COPACETIC COMICS Still working out the details on this, but pretty excited to check out your town Pittsburgh! 2/24/17 RHODE ISLAND TBA " We are super excited that Ron is coming to Pittsburgh this month, and if he is coming anywhere near you be sure to look him up! ————————————————————————————————— I paused my perusal of the excellent tumblr Superheroes In Full Color to go look up what Marguerite Abouet has been doing lately. She is an Ivorian writer who currently resides in Paris, and is the author of the award-winning series Aya (the artwork is by her husband Clément Oubrerie). The series was adapted into a movie, which has recently been screened at a number of French and African film festivals. In November of 2016 Aya of Yop City was screened at the 4th Ake Arts and Book Festival, in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Nmadiuto Uche sat down with Marguerite to talk about the film and the comic series and their conversation was recently posted online. "You have mentioned on two different occasions here at Ake that you were not sure how Nigerians will receive Aya. Why were you so anxious? Even though Nigeria and Cote D'Ivoire are not far from each other geographically, the culture may not be familiar. Thus, there is a lot of prejudice. Nigerians think that Ivoirians are people who party all the time and drink a lot. I mean, someone even asked after the movie screened if I was sponsored by a beer company. Often, we have a simplistic vision of other African countries and this is not good. I am African first before being Ivoirian. I do not allow countries in the West to speak badly about Africa and we should not do the same among ourselves. When I mentioned I was coming to Nigeria, people said I was crazy and the country is dangerous. As I said, I do not like prejudice. In every country, there are dangerous and good places. So, all of this was going through my mind before Aya was screened. I was happy that people laughed and had a good time with the film. It is important to respect others. We share almost the same customs. For example, when Adunni and the Nefertiti band performed, I loved it. It reminded me of something similar from an ethnicity in Cote D'Ivoire, which is why we have this profession, to create dialogue and discuss. Even though, I do not like to fly, I make the time to travel and have conversations with people at festivals like this." Read the rest HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Sam Ombiri here: This one guy was telling me that he doesn't like comics, but he was lumping all comics to fit the singular context of "the comics that he read that he wasn't too fond of". "Comics" were one thing in his mind, and this wouldn't shift. No matter how much I tried to change his trajectory of thought regarding "what comics are", his stance wouldn't budge. He kind of presented a similar attitude when talking about what magical realism is. He said "No, I don't like comics I like books." While I had the floor in the conversation, he kept repeating "Comic books? Graphic novels? Comic book? Graphic novel? Comic book? Graphic novel?" One thing I can't quite explain was the subtle tone he was using when he was saying "Graphic novels? Comic books?" He wasn't abnormally impolite, he was just super opinionated about comics and what they are. It felt like terminology he was really hanging onto…and I find here, just as I found in that conversation, that I'm very bad at explaining things. There was this other guy I was talking to about different rappers whom we were familiar with – and then out of the blue he asks "Are you talking about rap or hip hop?" To which I respond ??? – as this was a distinction that he had clearly created in his mind, which only he had access to. It kind of reminds me of when people say "Oh, X genre is not music." To which I say "Who cares?" I certainly don't. The associations barely play a role in how I interact with the work (or at least I try to keep it that way, and I fail more often than not. Haha.) This person going around insisting on what's music and what's not is, again, creating a distinction in their mind that only they have access to. Which is fine, I'm fairly certain everyone does this – but this expectation that everyone will automatically be on board with it seems a bit…(I can't come up with the word). I could kind of peer into the mind of the first person whom I was talking to (or trying to talk) about comics with. He kind of had a dismissive tone when talking about these "Comic books? Graphic novels?" I couldn't bring myself to bring, say, "art comics" or, uhhh, "literatury comics" into the conversation. I feel that if our conversation had gone on, and I might have gotten him to say something other than "Comic books? Graphic novels?" He'd probably have eventually thought, "I could probably find comics that I'd like, but who has the time?" It was a tad frustrating, and I wish I could hide my frustration better and act calm and collected, but it was like, "Not all books are Twilight or whatever – why apply this principle to comics like this guy is?" I guess what this has got me wondering is (and this is putting my question in a very clumsy way – this question is still abstract in my mind, and I'm not too good at forming it) "What role do these associations play?" Or no, maybe it's "Are these associations there to make a space for people to speak with authority, even when they're still ignorant of what they're talking about, and are unable to bring up specifics, or interact with what they're talking about?" Or no, maybe that's still not my question well represented… – Sam Ombiri This Is Totally a 4-Panel Comic – Sam Ombiri ————————————————————————————————— Ladycastle #1 was just released! I've been eagerly awaiting this new feminist take on the princess left in a tower trope… Ladycastle is a 4-part mini-series written and created by Delilah S. Dawson, with art by Ashley A. Woods (who is also part of the creative team for the series Niobe: She Is Life). Geeks of Doom describe Ladycastle as a "candid look into what would happen if all the knights and soldiers went off to war and (mostly) got themselves killed. Bordering on satirical, this story focuses on a group of ladies that refuse to accept the roles that their society tries to place on them. From a picky princess who isn't going to marry a prince just because the king insists, to a blacksmith's wife who is apparently just as good of a 'smith as her husband." Back in November the ComicsAlliance spoke to Delilah Dawson and Ashley Wood about the project (which comes from Boom! Studios): "CA: Feminist takes on fantasy and princess stories seem to be having a real moment right now, especially in comics. Do you see this book as part of a conversation or movement? DD: I come to comics from the world of novels and mainstream publishing, where Young Adult books led the charge for putting women in power. Both publishing — especially Science Fiction and Fantasy — and comics can often feel like arenas with a tradition of older straight white dudes being in power, and I love that new voices are bringing in better representation of the real world and new ideas of who gets to wield power there. It feels less like a moment and more like a much-needed charge for balance. AW: Most definitely. Delilah tackles certain tropes head on and flips them around to show that all female characters aren't the same, just like women and people in real life. What I like most about the princess of Ladycastle – Aeve – is that she refuses to let another person define her life or put her in a box. She rejects that with every fiber of her being, from the way she expresses herself (not what one would typically call "ladylike"), to the way that she dresses. I think redefining who a princess is and how she acts is a powerful way to show young female readers that they don't have to wait to be rescued to be their own person." Read the rest of the interview HERE – and look for Ladycastle in your local comics shop. Also be sure to check out Niobe: She Is Life (#4 just came out) which is written by teen actress Amandla Stenberg and drawn by Ashley A. Wood. It is, to quote Amandla, "officially the first comic book to be written by a black girl, starring a black girl , and illustrated by a black girl ." More about the comic and Amandla's mission HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Jim Pluk and the Starchild Tour 2017 is coming to your town – if you live in Berlin or Rome, that is! Catch Jim Pluk – a fantastic cartoonist from Columbia – in Berlin on February 3rd and in Rome on February 11th. At both events Jim will be releasing new fanzines and his comic Canosa's Welcome (Perfectly Acceptable Press, 2016) along with 150/200 drawings and paintings. In Rome there will also be a little conversation about Canosa's Welcome with Gabrielle di Fazio of the blog Just Indie Comics. If you're in the area be sure to go see Jim in person. Check out more of his work HERE – get a copy of Canosa's Welcome HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Adam Griffiths has joined us in Pittsburgh for a week-long Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency. He is a cartoonist from Takoma Park, MD, whose mission in life is to "Draw forever!" About his work, Adam has written: "In its purest form, cartooning is a medium for simple, intellectual storytelling. I approach my cartooning as a visionary agent, skating the edges of contemporary art, illustration, outsider art, and underground comics art. Through my drawing process, I can play out the various symbolisms and mutabilities of historical imperialism and the class system. The images I complete are a mix of preconceived ideas and stream-of-conscious drawing; I want the drawings to pose conceptual riddles about the structure of society." It is a great pleasure to host Adam this week and we look forward to seeing more of what he makes here, and in the future. Keep up with Adam via Instagram – @grifftones. For more information about the Rowhouse Residency visit this page – and keep up with the project via @rowhouseresidency ————————————————————————————————— Bread Crumbs I missed this when it came out and now it's extra depressing but…Keith Knight has a comic essay on Fusion that is a tribute to Obama. Here's the New York Times Book Review's take on the new George Herriman bio – Invisibly Black: A Life of George Herriman, Creator of Krazy Kat Chris Ware also writes about Krazy Kat for The New York Review of Books – To Walk in Beauty ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 2-2-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 2-2-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page:Read More:Rowhouse Residency…08/10/2018Rowhouse Residency…05/29/2018...
Caleb OrecchioSeptember 17, 2018NewsCaleb Orecchio here, writing from my hotel the morning after SPX 2018 ————————————————————————————————— Like an idiot, I didn't take any photos at SPX 2018. I don't like taking pictures at comics festivals for some reason, but usually I suck it up because I know I will have to write about it on Monday. This year I did not suck it up. A bunch of us from Pittsburgh met up at our Pittsburgh Comics Salon headquarters Kaibur Coffee and caravanned up the turnpike to the Marriott here in Bethesda (or North Bethesda or Rockville or wherever this is) where SPX is held. It's fun to go as a pack. You know there will be someone you can hangout and tag along with. Once again at SPX, Comics Workbook held workshops all weekend. Sally Ingraham brilliantly facilitated the workshops and kept the engine oiled. We didn't have a table this year which gave us plenty of time and energy to channel into the workshops which filled the Glen Oak room to the brim with hungry learners almost every time. Comic enthusiasts young and old, green and seasoned lined up along the walls to make comics with Juan Fernandez, Dash Shaw, Molly Ostertag, The Latin American Youth Council, Mosi and yours truly. Liz Reed and Camilla Zhang broke up the comics-making pattern by instructing a sculpting class and giving a presentation on Kickstarter campaigns respectively. Saturday, I was the doorman for the Glen Echo room and was able to catch a glimpse and sit in on most of the workshops. Juan as always began the batting line-up as the sure hitter. Juan is a natural educator and genuinely wants people to learn and understand the way comics work. His workshop was energetic and comfortable for all. Dash was an unsurprisingly great instructor. As the attendees drew comics from his prompts he gave constant feedback and helped to instill the fundamentals in them. Sunday I had a bit more freedom and was able to catch Rachel Miller's interview with Julie Doucet. Doucet is a humble badass who has no intention of not following her own path. What can I say? You had to be there. In theory a video recording will be available to watch soon. Got to take some time to walk the floor between Doucet's panel and my workshop. I didn't have a whole lot of time but managed to say hi to Jim Rugg and buy Lauren Weinstein's new book from Youth in Decline and then head back down to the Glen Echo Room. I had a really fun workshop. Juan helped me figure out exactly what I wanted teach and made a few suggestions to work out the kinks. I made the attendees make a six-panel comic, and then redraw that comic in different ways with different layouts. We started with a six-panel grid, then redrew it as a nine-panel comic, then redrew that as a three panel comic. Same story each time with a different layout. Everyone quickly caught on to the idea of how to expand and simplify the amount of information depending on the layout. It was really fun to watch. That's it for me, I gotta get to Pittsburgh before the rain does. Special thanks to the team at SPX, especially Warren Bernard, Lynda Bernard, Rob Clough, Danethin Mejia and Eden Miller for helping us with making these workshops happen! WE had a great time! Also thank you to all of our workshop instructors! Personal thanks to Sally Ingraham and Juan Fernandez who move mountains to ensure Comics Workbook is a fun and interesting team to be on! ————————————————————————————————— 9-17-18 – By Niall Breen Share this page:Read More:MoCCA Arts Festival 201802/06/2018San Diego Comic-Con…03/13/2018...
Posted on February 14, 2017 February 14, 2017 by Aaron Cockle
Aaron here today with Podcasts for Grownups; Gerhard Richter Comics; (SOME)BODY at Adam Baumgold Gallery; Open Access at the Met; Frank S and Mickey Z, talking Risography; Daniel Clowes, talking on u-tube (with French subtitles!)
R.Sikoryak after Dave Gibbons
The Comics for Grownups crew takes a look at Last Look by Charles Burns, Everything Is Teeth by Evie Wyld and Joe Sumner, and The Unquotable Trump by R. Sikoryak.
Often standing alone, the Biped is a loner in a world of the replicas.
J.Hoberman looks at some lost Gerhard Richter cartoons at the New York Review:
Comic Strip's austerely sketchy terrain is sometimes darkened by the artist's thumb and palm prints. On other pages, Richter employs clusters of dots to suggest a desert. (The Biped dives into the sand on one page to surface in the next.) Richter's drawings are annotated by pages or passages of elegantly blotchy, largely indecipherable writing with a family resemblance to Cy Twombly's calligraphy; the use of ominously unreadable dialogue balloons, obscure crypto maps, and ornate official stamps suggest Saul Steinberg as another point of reference.
CHRISTINA RAMBERG
Graphite, colored pencil
10 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
(SOME)BODY
February 18-April 8, 2017
Adam Baumgold Gallery
60 East 66 Street, NYC
Featuring work by: LYNDA BARRY • POLINA BArSKAYA • Marc bell • BARTON LIDICE BENES • todd bienvenu • BETTE BLANK • VARUJAN BOGHOSIAN • ERNIE BUSHMILLER • DANIEL CLOWES • JOE COLEMAN • WILLIAM COPLEY • STUART DAVIS • ROY DeFOREST • MARCEL DZAMA • RAFAEL FERRER • dan fischer • JOHN GUTMANN • AL HANSEN • KIRK HAYES • NADIRA HUSAIn • SUE GERARD • JAIME HERNANDEZ • ALeX KatZ • ella kruglyanskaya • TALA MADANI • RICHARD MCGUIRE • JIM NUTT • christina ramberg • PETER SAUL • SETH • SAUL STEINBERG • MARK TANSEY • ADRIAN TOMINE • Ernest tino trova • CHRIS WARE • RACHEL WHITEREAD • DAVID WOJNAROWICZ • CRYS YIN • RAY YOSHIDA
Creative Commons Zero at the Met
The Metropolitan Museum of Art recently released a massive amount of work to the online masses:
As of today, all images of public-domain works in The Met collection are available under Creative Commons Zero (CC0). So whether you're an artist or a designer, an educator or a student, a professional or a hobbyist, you now have more than 375,000 images of artworks from our collection to use, share, and remix—without restriction. This policy change to Open Access is an exciting milestone in The Met's digital evolution, and a strong statement about increasing access to the collection and how to best fulfill the Museum's mission in a digital age.
Quilt Top, Crazy pattern, 1885
O Risograph, My Risograph!
Over at the TCJ blog, Frank Santoro has several questions for Mickey Zacchilli about riso printing:
Personally, I am fascinated with how risograph printing has changed making color comics. Before risograph was around the choices were expensive offset or expensive print on demand. And often dealing with those printers was difficult. The "pro" riso printers I have engaged are not faceless sales reps on the phone who have no experience making comics. So riso printers and their enthusiasm for the materials has reinvigorated the small press scene – which has drifted into "book publishing" (like giant offset press books) – and I was hoping you could speak to that?
Yeah, I think that riso printing really has opened up a lot of options for people in a lot of ways! Especially in terms of self publishing! I really prefer being able to do something myself if I can, when I can. I think it's important to keep the overhead low, because I think that books and zines are really important to offer to people at a price that is reasonable, that they can afford. I guess that's why I don't really like the "art chic" end of riso-printing, because it really is an affordable way to make a book or zine extra fun, and playing like it's "high end" or "high art" is unfair and also just not true. But who am I?
À l'occasion de son exposition à la Galerie Martel, Daniel Clowes nous parle de son parcours
Clowes talking about comics and film, film and comics, in his usual way.
Announcing the Spring Semester of thee Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers!
The course starts March 7th 2017. Apply by February 26th to get 100 bux off! The course is 8 weeks long – payment plans are available.
Application guidelines:
– 3 figure drawings done on blank 3 x 5 index cards
– 3 landscape drawings done on blank 3 x 5 index cards
– 3 still life drawings done on blank 3 x 5 cards
– draw in a contour line style –think Matisse – no under-drawing
– draw directly in ink
– just send me small jpgs of images – dont post to your blog pls
– send specific url links to any comics work you have done. If you haven't done comics before that is not a problem.
Email santoroschoolATgmail to apply! More details HERE.
A Cosmic Journey – 2-14-2017 – by Cameron Arthur
Suzy and Cecil – 2-14-2017 – by Sally Ingraham
Cozytown – 2-14-2017 – Juan Fernandez
Developing a New Festival Toolkit
Juan FernándezOctober 21, 2016Festivals and ShowsI've just come back from CXC and I have only glowing reviews of it. It was such a breath of fresh air. To that effect, I've been thinking about the future of comics events in America. How we move into that future. I'm typing out loud, hoping for some conversation. Festivals like Entreviñetas are the future. Period. If you're not up to date on the incredible work that is being done in Colombia, check out Frank's tour diary from 2 years ago. And then hop on over to their site. It's time that the rest of us caught up. Why? Because as it stands, in it's current, commodity focused culture, comics are facing a cultural choking point with respect to the role that comics making can play in broader cultural discussions. We need to give comics making and comics reading practices more breathing room. To grow. To continue expanding. We need to nurture interdisciplinary approaches to experiencing comics. We need our festivals to make this a guiding principle. Comics making no longer needs to limited to being a collectible, genre oriented narrative art form. It can take its ascendant role as the 21st Century visual art form. It's time that it be seen as a modality of communication with breadth and depth, that can survive in any kind of market driven cultural ecosystem. It's time for our festivals to foster that. Hear me out. Here's the nuts and bolts of something that's been taking form across the discussions that I've been having in Pittsburgh and last weekend in Columbus… Festival Shop: I've been kicking around this idea with Frank Santoro of creating a show that completely does away with the flea market model. No more standing behind tables hawking wares. Instead, you establish a festival shop. So how do you run a festival shop? You get an experienced comics retailer to run the shop. You have them hire a trusted staff. You pay that staff. The shop gets a cut. 50/50. In a model like this it costs you no money to have your work available. Our current system is embarrassingly inefficient. It is an ineffective use of getting dozens of skilled comics makers and storytellers in one city for a week or weekend. With everyone behind tables, there's cross pollination that just doesn't happen. Under this new kind of model, if you are a guest you sign up to be involved in city wide comics programming. Signings, gallery exhibitions, lectures, workshops. This is the kind of thing that you get Arts and Cultural councils involved in. You sign up because you want to be part of the programming. With a model like this, you free up the artists and suddenly new horizons open up. Among those horizons are sources for financing. Imagine collaborating with a city's municipal parks: guided bike tours where throughout the tour you make stops, learn about the city, while doing landscape drawings and comics strips of the experience… A series of readings at a book store. Gallery exhibitions. Movie screenings at an arthouse theater. There are so many venues that would be amenable to programming: libraries, universities, community centers, theaters, bookstores, parks… Most of these venues have programming budgets that could fund materials and labor for artists. It's a path way towards equity. Book Debut Hub: The fear of course is of course that comics makers won't attend a festival that they are not tabling at. It's too foreign a concept to many comics makers. They might balk at the idea of having to be involved with programming as opposed to hand selling their books. So, one idea proposed is to make the exhibition aspect of the fest to be geared towards book debuts. The festival becomes an event for press. In such an ecosystem, everyone in local and national press knows that if they want to interview artists, this is where they do it. Like a "Comics-Cannes". CXC is doing this well, already in its second. While it's true that SPX is where a lot of people shoot to debut books, that's not the focus in the market place. For the most part it's a free for all. If a festival handled this in a way that was across the board… that'd be interesting. Start small and semi-annually What if you're afraid that one big annual event is unsustainable? What if comics don't have enough cultural momentum in your city? Well you don't have a huge comics explosion once a year from the get go. You create a series of small events that invite a couple cartoonists to come together for some talks, workshops, interviews, and collaborative projects. You don't want to make an event like this break the bank or be a social stressor on a local comics scene. You want the growth of an event like this to be sustainable. Fundamentally, you want to foster a culture of comics readership, with a focus on the reading habits of an entire city. How do you do this? You seasonal programming in clusters. do workshops in the public schools. Do workshops and lectures at the libraries and universities. Fold comics makers into the reading and lecture series in theaters. Keep them free. Limited guests Imagine this. You bring 4 special guests. A comics journalist, an art comics maker, a storyboard artist, a memoirist. They all have unique expertise. Not only in their craft but in the subject matter that they work with. Pair the journalist up with a panel of other journalists and have a discussion on geopolitcial instability in the middle east. Bring the art comics maker and have them do a performance with a dance troupe. Record a conversation between the memoirist and an archival libraries memoir specialist, get the storyboard artist to discuss their work with paleontologists. You organize community programming around those specific guests. You look at their strengths and their areas of expertise. You show your city that comics are a pathway to expertise. Why limit the number? You want to foster a cultural conversation across your city that is not diluted by droves of artists. Anyone who is interested in comics in your city will experience the perspectives of those invited. Together. Rather than seeing a list of 80 exhibitors and only engaging with 7 of those artists an attendee will in some way or another experience all the invited guests. You suddenly have a city on the same page. They've heard the same talks. They've seen the same demonstrations. Those artists impacts ripple out through that local area with much greater intensity. This is effective. Also, it is more cost effective. You can focus on certain artists and pair them up with institutions that wish to fund your activities. You get way more bang for your buck from your programming. Your programming funds your festival and it pays the artists an equitable wage. Is it more challenging than charging admission and charging exhibitors + selling ad space? Yes, a little more challenging, but far more promising. Of course, all this can and should be co-programmed with local artists. Your local artists will be the beating heart of this cultural project as time progresses. You are building a cultural institution that is fostering the arts, with a focus on comics and cartooning. This allows for an international and regional dialogue to develop organically among makers and readers tied to where you're at. For the record, I want to see what we can do here in Pittsburgh to this effect. We have the ToonSeum, Copacetic Comics, Phantom of the Attic Comics, the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency, the Pittsburgh Zine Fair, the Pittsburgh Comics Salon, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, a half-dozen comics hungry universities, and a slew of independent book stores. We have an existing regional show, PIX. We can make something happen. That's on my end in Pittsburgh. What do you have where you live? What could you imagine coming together? What kind of programs would you develop if you could wrangle the necessary arts funding in your city? Don't be shy to comment, this is a long overdue conversation. It can get messy. We're just figuring stuff out. I especially want to hear young makers and organizers in conversation with the grizzled veterans. Some of you are in the trenches already, I want to hear what you're doing. For the rest of our complete CXC coverage check out the special "round up" report HERE. Share this page:Read More:02/27/201810/10/2018Rowhouse Residency…09/21/2018...
Sally IngrahamAugust 3, 2018NewsSally Ingraham here with a look at Aisha Franz's Shit is Real – plus other news and comics! ————————————————————————————————— Aisha Franz's new comic – Shit is Real (Drawn & Quarterly 2018) – begins in a wilderness at the edge of a city. The main protagonist, Selma, is crawling toward a city, and you realize that this may be a sort of dream or fantasy – one that she abruptly snaps out of, just in time to be dumped by her boyfriend. Selma drifts in and out of this fantasy world as the comic continues, which accurately portrays the ways that such fantasies both help us through difficult times, while probably causing more harm than good. Selma struggles, for the majority of the story, to relate to her best friend, to connect with other people she encounters, to do laundry or cook for herself. She is lonely and just as lost in the urban monotony of the city as she is in the bizarre sci-fi world of her dreams. The only creatures whom she seems to connect to are a giant fish (who occupies the fantasy) and a cat who belongs to the woman in the next apartment. When Selma discovers that she can access this apartment, some of the fantasy becomes reality, and the line between the two blurs. Aisha Franz uses the comics medium quite effectively to tangle and untangle the threads of the story. There are many quiet moments, where the sequencing of simple movements or no movement at all conveys immense emotion. The comic is about the inner life of Selma – whether that is inside her head, or inside the lonely space she occupies in her life – and Franz is able to show this very well. The fantasy sequences mesh with the slightly futuristic urban environment of the "real" world, and there is a vibrancy to the drawing despite the softness of the pencil lines. Thoughtful and actually funny in a few spots, this is an excellent followup to Earthling (which also dealt with female loneliness). You can read an excerpt from Shit is Real HERE. For other reviews of the comic check out these ones at Publishers Weekly and Broken Frontier. LA Review of Books also has an interview with Aisha Franz HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Comics News of Note The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum has a spotlight on their Nicole Hollander collection – read about it HERE. Lauren Weinstein is the guest on Episode 31 of Comic Book Decalogue – HERE. Philippe Leblanc has his Small Press & Indie Comics Galore roundup on The Comics Beat – he always finds the good stuff! Margaret Stohl talks Captain Marvel and why now is the best time to be a female hero – on The Guardian. Columbus Alive has a feature about Annie Koyama and her donation to The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum – read it HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 8-3-2018 – by Gabriella Tito Share this page:Read More:03/02/2018San Diego Comic-Con…MoCCA Arts Festival 201804/06/2018...
Juan FernándezMay 17, 2017los Cómics / NewsEmpezamos el día con Álvaro Pons; DisTinta; 11 autoras latinx; #HUL2017; Mujer y Comic; Bas; #gutterfest; Peter Jojaio; y los tebeos de Comics Workbook. ————————————————————————————————— La Cárcel de Papel nació como "el diario de un lector de tebeos" y en poco tiempo se convirtió en la referencia en la red para los amantes del cómic. Ahora, Álvaro Pons recupera en un volumen las mejores entradas que han ido apareciendo desde 2002. Se dice pronto en alicanteplaza.es: – El ritmo de La cárcel era frenético, una entrada al día durante mucho tiempo. Y era una dosis intensa, no cuatro líneas. – Confluyeron varias cosas. Al abrir La cárcel, pensaba más en un recopilatorio de artículos que iba escribiendo por ahí, siguiendo el ejemplo de los primeros blogs americanos. Pero luego mi verborrea natural me lleva a generar nuevos contenidos. Cuando me doy cuenta estoy escribiendo todos los días y, cuando se introducen los comentarios, eso tenía repercusión, la gente participaba y eso me animaba a hacer más contenidos. Al final se convirtió en una auténtica cárcel. – ¿Acabarías un poco hasta los güevos ¿no? – Sí, como te digo, acababa casi convertido en una auténtica cárcel, aunque igual no me daba cuenta porque lo hacía a muy a gusto, todo sea dicho. ————————————————————————————————— Andrea Guzmán le da un vistazo a la nueva antología argentina, DisTinta compilada por Martín Pérez y el dibujante Liniers: La historieta argentina debería estar muerta. Así de rotunda es la primera frase que abre el prólogo de DisTinta, la nueva antología compilada por Martín Pérez y el dibujante Liniers. Aunque esta contundente afirmación, aseguran los autores, no se trata de un deseo personal ni de una premonición pesimista, sino apenas de una constatación realista acerca de nuestra actualidad y nuestra forma de consumo cultural. Cada vez más digital, más efímera, menos narrativa, más pirotécnica. Lo bueno, es que aunque quizás debería estar muerta –o como afirman ellos, con suerte relegada a la nostalgia– la historieta argentina no solo continúa con vida, sino que respira con una energía renovada y sorprendente. Tanto así, que incluso esta selección –con sus imponentes 400 páginas a todo color, sus treinta y tres dibujantes y sus seis guionistas– llegaría a parecer pequeña para abarcar todas las aristas de su actualidad. Por este motivo, Pérez y Liniers se propusieron pensar en un libro bien específico. El recorte que eligieron no busca reunir a la nueva historieta con sus representantes más actuales o más vanguardistas, sino ser retrato de la generación de los años 2000, que ellos consideran la generación huérfana y una bisagra entre la gloria editorial que gozó la Argentina de antaño, y el universo de la historieta actual, que ya encontró su vía para renovarse y seguir existiendo de forma independiente. ————————————————————————————————— Cómics y noticias que me han llamado la atención esta semana: Sol Díaz Castillo y Marcela Trujillo tienen una nueva edicion de La Polola Podcast! En este capítulo las chicas conversan con Ana Tijoux acerca de sus inicios en el rap, su forma de hacer canciones, su vida como inmigrante, la diversidad y mucho más. Alex Serrano, les ofrece una lista de 11 autoras latinx que representan el presente y el futuro del cómic en español. ¡ Tienes una editorial o un fanzine? Ya está abierta la convocatoria para el #HUL2017 en Madrid! Mujer y Comic – Sobre la visibilidad de las autoras de cómic. Bas: la representante de las autoras en el TBO, entrevistada por Elisa McCausland. El fin de semana que viene llega el @gutterfest en Barcelona con un montón de sellos internacionales y actividades. Quieres saber quien viene? Kike Infame entrevisto a Peter Jojaio, autor de Febrero para galgos en @bilbao24horas. ————————————————————————————————— Blinkers – 5-17-2017 – by Jack Brougham ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 5-17-2017 – by Sally Ingraham Share this page:Read More:08/17/201804/18/201805/09/201802/21/2018...
Aaron CockleMarch 21, 2017NewsAaron here today with Sikoryak; Feiffer/Eisner; Drawing Lessons with Victoria Lomasko; Intensive Publication Intensive; Till Doomsday; Fit to Print. ————————————————————————————————— 'Other than that, there's very little in the book that has any connection, visually, to the text.' Rachel Davies interviewed R. Sikoryak on the occasion of the release of Sikoryak's Terms and Conditions collection: RD: Both of your most recent projects—Terms and Conditions, and the Unquotable Trump—were first realized online. How does your attitude toward a work change when transitioning it from the internet to something tangible? RS: It's funny, they were first seen online, but the iTunes project started as a mini comic. I published the first two parts of the iTunes book in April 2015, and I published the second two parts, the finale of the iTunes book, in September 2015. I had been selling them at conventions, and I'd been distributing them a little bit online through a mini comics distributor called Birdcage Bottom, I had gotten them out a little bit and I showed the mini comics to Françoise Mouly, and she said, Oh, you should put these on Tumblr! I did that, and then I sent out an email to everyone I knew in the world, and said, I'm doing this thing! The minute I sent out that email, this was like 20 or 30 days after putting it on Tumblr, the day I sent that email, Boing Boing had done a story, NPR called me to do an interview, The Guardian, all these other places came in, and started writing about it. I tip my hat to Françoise for knowing enough about the internet to tell me to use it. I kind of like to know what my work is before I release it to the world, like the iTunes book, I put out the first mini comic after I'd finished the first half of it—I wanted to stake my claim to it, but I'd already done like 35 pages. By the time I put it on Tumblr I was done, and I was really astounded by the response. I don't know if it would have been more paralyzing to have seen all those people be very excited about it. It was a little startling to see how fast it clicked in with people. With the Trump book, again I made a mini comic, but this time I already knew I was going to start putting it on Tumblr. But I did make all of it, 16 pages, and I published the comic—published, I photocopied it, and then I put it on Tumblr. The response to that was so great that I was encouraged to make more. In this case, for Trump now [The Unquotable Trump], I'm making images, and posting them on Tumblr, and in some ways I'm certainly open to suggestions, people have , Oh, you should do this or that! But most people don't have it all thoroughly worked out, so you end up just having to do what you're doing. I'm certainly keeping my ear open if anyone has any ideas. In the Trump case, I kind of have my approach, and I've mapped out where I'm going, but who knows what he'll say tomorrow! He's a different case because the iTunes thing is a living document, they do update it, but he's a living human, and a volatile one, so I don't know what he's going to do next. I'm happy if he stops giving me material! I don't need anymore, but we'll see what happens. I have to admit, I'm really glad that Françoise suggested Tumblr to me, it's definitely increased my visibility. I don't know what I'll do next online, but I might post my next project there. It is part of what comics are now, and I hadn't embraced it before. I feel like the iTunes thing in a lot of ways has just made me think about how comics work, and how I can make comics in a new way. I also think that's what I'm all about is thinking about comics, so it's definitely achieved way more than I expected it would! – via The Comics Journal ————————————————————————————————— Jules Feiffer Honors Will Eisner at 100: A Will Eisner Week Event The 182nd meeting of the NY Comics & Picture-story Symposium will be held on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 at 8 pm at Parsons School of Design, 2 West 13th Street, in the Bark Room (off the lobby). Free and open to the public. Please note 8 pm starting time! Will Eisner (1917-2005) innovated and pioneered comics in two different eras. Eisner helped invent the comics industry in the 1930s and created The Spirit in the 1940s as a heroic crime-fighting figure who appeared in a Sunday newspaper comics insert. The Spirit walked through a world of noir-inflected, urban drama, one suffused with humor and insight into the human condition, a world not afraid to essay the occasional Yiddish in-joke or Bronx social drama vignette. Then after producing comics for training and education, Eisner, in 1978, re-invented himself―and the medium of comics―with his first graphic novel, A Contract With God, followed, until his 2005 passing, with many additional graphic novels and textbooks. From 1946 until The Spirit's end in 1952, Eisner counted as part of his close-knit, talented staff, a precocious teenager named Jules Feiffer, who worked on The Spirit and Clifford for Eisner, and also took on the self-appointed role of Eisner's social conscience and resident smart-ass. In the years since, Feiffer's own multifaceted career as satirical cartoonist, screenwriter (Carnal Knowledge), playwright (Little Murders) and children's book author (The Man in the Ceiling)―and most recently, creator of his own trilogy of graphic novels (so far Kill My Mother and Cousin Joseph have been released, with the third volume in the works)―has blossomed in a unique and spectacular manner. But he did get his start with Will Eisner, with whom he was friend and colleague―and admirer―through the rest of Eisner's life. Tonight, Jules will speak about his experience working for Eisner, what he learned from him and how Eisner influenced his own work, and why Eisner, a century after his birth, is still an important figure in the past, present and future of comics and graphic novels and in our culture as a whole. Jules will speak and present via Skype, and will be joined by in-person panelists, including Paul Levitz (author of Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel) and Danny Fingeroth (co-editor of The Stan Lee Universe and Chair of Will Eisner Week). ————————————————————————————————— 'On the outside, I drew cartoon characters.' Other Russians, by Victoria Lomasko, excerpted at n+1: In August 2010, I visited the Mozhaysk Juvenile Prison for the first time, as a volunteer for the Center for Prison Reform, and gave a drawing lesson to some of the inmates. I taught drawing classes at the girls' penitentiaries in Novy Oskol and Ryazan and the boys' penitentiary in Aleksin, but Mozhaysk is the only place I visited more or less regularly. I was originally trained as an educator, and before I came to Mozhaysk I prepared an experimental syllabus with ten lesson plans. There was almost no funding for the trips. We traveled by commuter train, carrying everything we needed for classes in our backpacks, so, with rare exceptions, we used the simplest materials during the lessons: paper and black pens. The Center organized the trips once a month. If you missed a trip, you had to wait for the next time around. There is a constant turnover of inmates at the juvenile prison. Some are released on parole, others are transferred to adult prisons, and new inmates show up all the time. Over a six-month period, the roster of my drawing groups changed completely. Some of the teens were well educated, while others were hearing everything for the first time. Many of them had psychological problems. In short, teaching classes at a penitentiary was tricky: you had to experiment and develop your own lesson plans. ————————————————————————————————— Publication Intensive at Triple Canopy: July 19-30, 2017 Triple Canopy is pleased to announce its fourth Publication Intensive, a two-week program in the history and contemporary practice of publication. During the Publication Intensive, Triple Canopy editors and invited artists, writers, and technologists will lead discussions and workshops with twelve participating students, who will research, analyze, and enact an approach to publication that hinges on today's networked forms of production and circulation but also mines the history of print culture and artistic practice. The program will take place at Triple Canopy's venue in Manhattan, and will include visits to studios of artists and designers, archives, and cultural institutions. Apply online through 11:59pm on Monday, April 17 2017. Participants will be notified no later than Friday, April 21. If you have further questions, please write edu@canopycanopycanopy.com. Read a conversation between participants in 2014's program here. ————————————————————————————————— TILL DOOMSDAY Coming up on March 30th: John Malta & Siobhan Gallagher launch new doomsday anthology zine and Desert Island window installation, and Ezequiel García visits from Buenos Aries to sign his Fantagraphics book "Growing Up In a Public". One big event Thurs the 30th at 7 pm! Come hang and meet the artists. ————————————————————————————————— FIT TO PRINT Fit to Print brings together a selection of art and editorial illustration created by 17 graduates of the Haute école des arts du Rhin (H.E.A.R.) in Strasbourg, one of the preeminent art schools in France. First presented at the Tomi Ungerer Museum in Strasbourg from January–April 2016, the exhibition debuts in New York in two parts — one at the Society of Illustrators, and another at The New York Times. Since 2012, The New York Times's Opinion section has commissioned more than 100 illustrations from H.E.A.R.-educated artists to accompany a wide range of articles, or "All the News That's Fit to Print," in the words of the famous Times slogan. These artists caught the art directors' attention with their excellent drawing and printmaking skills, strong sense of visual storytelling, and an often surreal, poetic approach to composition and concept. On view here is a selection of the artists' personal and collaborative projects, primarily created for galleries or self-initiated publications. The exhibition continues at The New York Times with a collection of the artists' commissioned illustrations. My hope is that these two shows demonstrate the power of editorial illustration, not only in its functional role as visual communication, but also as a unique form of fine art. – Alexandra Zsigmond, curator and art director at The New York Times ————————————————————————————————— Among many interesting offerings on the CW School Store is this set of comics (above) by Jake Terrell and GG – check it out here and explore the rest of the site while you're there! ————————————————————————————————— A Cosmic Journey – 3-21-2017 – by Cameron Arthur ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 3-21-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 3-21-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page:Read More:04/17/201807/25/201804/10/201806/14/2018...
Sally IngrahamJuly 6, 2017NewsSally here with new work from Kyle Baker, old work from Jay Jackson, and more! ———————————————————————————————— The work of Jay Jackson – a pioneering African-American cartoonist who died in 1954 – has risen to the surface of the internet sea, and Steven Thompson shares pages from the strip Home Folks, and a little info on the creator, over on his blog Booksteve's Library. "His weekly panel HOME FOLKS, always crowded with many characters and variations on a theme a la a number of classic cartoon panels dating back to the 1920s, is brilliant. Running exclusively in small African-American newspapers, week after week he managed to hit the nail on the head regarding not just exclusively the black experience but human life in general–even animal life at times. It was all recognizable and relatable…" See more of Jackson's work HERE. (via tcj.com) ———————————————————————————————— Kyle Baker has turned his comics know-how to Gumby recently. "The A.V. Club has an exclusive look at Baker's entire story in next week's Gumby #1, and he's using a style that he previously tried out on Plastic Man, removing black outlines so that the images on the page look like they're made out of layers of construction paper. It adds a tactile quality to the art, which makes a lot of sense for a property that started with three-dimensional clay figurines. The characters still have the exaggerated expressions that Baker is known for, and this rendering choice makes the entire story feel lighter and more childish. This first issue also features stories by writers Ray Fawkes and Jeff Whitman (Managing Editor or Papercutz), artist Jolyon Yates, and colorists Laurie E. Smith and Matt Herms, and reader can discover each creative team's take on the property when Gumby #1 goes on sale July 5." Read more and see The A. V. Club's exclusive look HERE. ———————————————————————————————— The Comics Journal features an interview between Gary Panter and Dash Shaw – they break down Panter's new book Songy of Paradise (Fantagraphics, May 2017) in a number of different ways, but it was these comments from Panter about working within your limitations that stuck with me: "Shaw: One time, I can't remember how you said it, but it's always stuck with me. I was at your place and you were telling me about your beaded necklaces or something that you were working on, and you had all these different, experimental, non-commercial projects– projects that might not have any audience– and you said that being raised Christian helped you follow all these unusual ideas, because you always had the impression that you were being watched. Panter: Yeah, I'm not sure about the first half, if it propels me, but I do have the feeling of being watched. I was thinking about that today, it's odd. We were taught that there'd be the Day of Judgment, it'd all play back. And it would be really fucking embarrassing, you know? [Shaw laughs] [Jokingly] Why did he spend all this time drawing comics?! Well, I dunno, you just decide what you're good at, what fascinates you, and you kind of go for it. I don't really have giant resources, I'm limited in a lot of ways, so I can do these… Like if I take up lanyards, which I have as part of my little projects—lanyard making, like you made at summer camp, those woven plastic gimp things. When I learned how to do that—I'm completely untalented at it, but I can invent my version of it, I can get as far as I can get. It's the same with my candles, my comics, my paintings, my music—everything. I'm working within my limitations. So if you're working within your limitations, you can actually get stuff done. " Read the rest of the interview HERE. ———————————————————————————————— Julian Lyte talks to Ulises Farinas about Farinas' publishing imprint Buno, and his ideas about comics distribution and pre-ordering, on the Ignorant Bliss podcast. Check it out HERE. ———————————————————————————————— Connor Willumsen is having a screen print sale! The screening series is called Cinema1999 – prints are 20 bucks and shipped rolled, editions of around 25 – limited supplies. Check it out HERE! ———————————————————————————————— We are already in the midst of our second summer running the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency! Above is a collection of photos from our first summer, into the winter of 2017, and beyond. More photos and info on the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency can be found HERE! ———————————————————————————————— 7-6-2017 – by Sam Ombiri ———————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 7-6-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 7-6-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page:Read More:06/08/201804/23/2018Comic Arts Brooklyn 201803/12/2018...
Sally IngrahamFebruary 16, 2017NewsHappy Friday! Sally here with another amazing group of cartoonists and comics scholars – joining me today are Lucy Caswell, Mickey Z, Dominique Goblet, Jillian Fleck, Vanesa R. Del Rey, Gabriella Tito, Caitlin Rose Boyle, and many more. I invite YOU to join me as well in celebrating a special anniversary! ————————————————————————————————— The Lucy Caswell Research Award is roaring to life! The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum is partnering with the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation to create an endowment that will provide funding for comics scholars to travel to Columbus, OH, and conduct research at the BICLM. The Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation issued a challenge – if the BICLM and Ohio State University Libraries can raise $35, 000, they will match that amount, generating $70, 000 for comics scholars. During the "Buckey Love" campaign over the last week, the Libraries raised $11, 061 which is a tremendous start to the project! You can make a gift to the Lucy Caswell Research Award HERE. The Award is named after the great Lucy Shelton Caswell, Professor Emerita at Ohio State University and founding curator of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. "Prior to her retirement, her scholarly work and teaching focused on the history of newspaper comic strips and the history of American editorial cartoons. She has curated more than seventy-five cartoon-related exhibits and is the author of several articles and books, the most recent being the revised edition of Billy Ireland. Caswell is co-editor of The Ohio State University Press Studies in Cartoons and Comics series. She also serves as the vice president of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, the annual citywide celebration of cartoon art." It's hard to actually put into words the importance of Lucy in the comics community, and this award is just one of many ways that her influence will continue to impact the coming generations. More details about the award can be found HERE. ————————————————————————————————— In Mickey Z's recent interview with Frank Santoro about risography (HERE on The Comics Journal) she mentioned that she was experimenting with online comics. I immediately went on a hunt for them, and found the (mostly) daily comic that she has been publishing on Instagram for awhile – Space Academy 123 (the latest episode is pictured above)! It is a hilarious story about "space school" that I insist you go and read NOW. Once you're in the Mickey Z mood check out her RAV collection from Youth and Decline – HERE. She is a cartoonist to keep on your radar – she's always making terrific work and doing interesting collaborations while holding up her corner of the comics community tent in Providence, RI! ————————————————————————————————— Paste Magazine has a review of Dominique Goblet's Pretending is Lying (translated by Sophie Yanow). "In many ways, the book is a mess. The narrative is scattered and patchy, and the characters are often frustrating. On the other hand, it holds an immediate power. Goblet conveys her messy childhood, her difficult relationships with her parents and her lasting problems from her upbringing. The mess is the point, even if it can feel smothering. If pretending is lying (something one character says to another in the heat of anger), these pages avoid deception by being as raw and direct as Goblet can render them. Characters also lie to one another (or to themselves) throughout. It's complicated. Life is complicated. There's no clear, overarching storyline because forcing experience into a narrative is a kind of lying." – Hillary Brown This is the latest release from New York Review Comics, an fairly new imprint that has already published a bunch of really neat comics, including some of my favorite books from last year – the reissue of Mark Beyer's Agony, the collection of Glen Baxter's wild single-panel gag strips, and Pushwagner's Soft City. I'm excited to see what else they put out, and will definitely be taking some time with Dominique Goblet's Pretending is Lying soon. Read the whole Paste review HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Rob Clough recently reviewed Jillian Fleck's Lake Jehovah. "Jillian Fleck's debut book Lake Jehovah is the sort that an artist with a lot to say tends to throw at the world; there are multiple levels of meaning, metaphor and symbol in the comic that take a long time to unpack, along with a complex visual playbook that riffs on all sorts of formal tricks like the use of the grid and repeating visual motifs. Fortunately for the reader, Fleck was up to the task that she set for herself in telling a story of multiple apocalypses, mysterious illnesses, horny demons and talking animals, and a remarkable balance of the absurd and the deadly serious. Along the way, there's a serious examination of the value of poetry, the utility of language in general and a restless exploration of gender and sexuality, It's done with a humane and sympathetic take on all of the characters, no matter their experiences." Read the rest HERE! Get a copy of the book from Conundrum Press. Jillian is an alum of the Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers and a member of the Comics Workbook Roller Derby League. ————————————————————————————————— Vanesa R. Del Rey's artwork launched Marvel's Scarlet Witch back in 2015, and then the series continued with collaborations between writer James Robinson and a number of other artists. Keeping things mixed up like this was always the intent of the series. Now, Vanesa returns with issue #15 – out on February 22nd 2017! There's an interview with her over on Marvel News and some preview pages of her inks for the story – check it out HERE. Be sure to follow Vanesa in Instagram, where she shares tons of process drawings and other artwork – @vrdelrey – and check out the Comics Workbook publication The Art of Vanesa R. Del Rey HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Women Who Write About Comics is expanding their reach through a publishing project – their new imprint, Bleating Heart Press, will be releasing Secrets of the Goat People #1: Voice (above) in late March 2017. "In this inaugural double issue, you'll find 40+ pages of original comics, illustrations, and prose from 17 international creators. Learn about the power of silence, how a superhero finds her inner strength, the strength of goat women, and what it means for these creators' voices to be heard." This website is a great resource for comics news and reviews – take a minute to explore it. Recent posts include this roundup of mini reviews of work by Anya Davidson, Eleanor Davis, and more – HERE. ————————————————————————————————— The A.V. Club offers up a review of Marvel's new series The Unstoppable Wasp: "Written by Jeremy Whitley with art by Elsa Charretier and colorist Megan Wilson, The Unstoppable Wasp is a book full of good intentions: It focuses on bringing girls into the male-dominated STEM field (including backmatter interviews with real-life female STEM professionals), features a cast of characters from different ethnic backgrounds, and prioritizes fun and compassion in its storytelling. The artwork from Charretier and Wilson is dynamic, expressive, and bright, with imaginative layouts and detailed linework, particularly when it comes to the messy science lab environments. Charretier has quickly risen through the ranks of comic artist with her animated, effervescent style, and she's the perfect artist to handle a story about a joyful new superhero." – Oliver Sava Sounds pretty good, right? The reviewer makes a point of noting, however, that this is yet another series where a female hero is being written by a man. "That's not to say that every book about a female superhero should have a woman writing it, but the overall message of The Unstoppable Wasp makes it difficult to ignore the lack of female creators in superhero comics while most of Marvel's superheroine titles are written by men." – Oliver Sava This is followed by a hefty list of Marvel stories with female leads that are being written by men. At least the rest of the creative team for The Unstoppable Wasp are women – check out more work by Elsa Charretier and Megan Wilson! The A.V. Club piece can be read in full HERE – and among the four comics reviews is a nice write up about Lady Castle, so bonus! ————————————————————————————————— From the Comics Workbook TV archives – Frank met up with Caitlin Rose Boyle around the time the first issue of Jonsey was released. Check out more of Caitlin's work HERE. We're up to issue #10 of Jonsey now – read about Jonsey's recent adventures as an activist HERE. ————————————————————————————————— It's my Comics Workbook Daily News 1 Year Anniversary! I've been with you on 50 of the past 52 Fridays and shone my face plenty of other days too. It has been tremendously satisfying to keep an eye on the comics scene and share what I think is interesting and important with this community. Thanks for hanging out with me and the rest of the CW News team for a year and more – we look forward to continuing to provide quality content and commentary for many years to come. For the record, here's my first Friday Daily News post! ————————————————————————————————— Popsicle Sticks Julia Wertz's The Infinite Wait and Other Stories is reviewed on Fantasy Literature. Reminder to check out Fiona Smyth's weekly strip – CHEEZ. Last I checked there were 499 drawings posted there! Emma Lawson reviews Jessica Campbell's Hot or Not: 20th Century Male Artists over on Comics Alliance. One of my favorite comics from last year. The Argentinian women's comics collective Chicks on Comics has released a fanzine – you can view it on Issuu – HERE. It includes work by 150 women from around the world. A reviewer on Forbes believes that Emil Ferris' My Favorite Things Are Monsters is about to transform graphic literature – find out how HERE. The Comics Journal has the first long form interview with Emil Ferris EVER – check out Part 1. Jessica Abel blogs about working smarter, not harder, even in your creative life. She is also offering a "live-journal" experience to subscribers who wish to follow her current project – writing and publishing a book about creative focus in 3 months. Check it out. Can we talk about the fact that Jillian Tamaki, creator of SuperMutant Magic Academy, and co-author of This One Summer, also makes the most incredible quilts (pictured below)?! In my mind there is a strong connection between quilting and comics. See more of her work HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Announcing the Spring Semester of thee Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers! The course starts March 7th 2017. Apply by February 26th to get 100 bux off! The course is 8 weeks long – payment plans are available. Application guidelines: – 3 figure drawings done on blank 3 x 5 index cards – 3 landscape drawings done on blank 3 x 5 index cards – 3 still life drawings done on blank 3 x 5 cards – draw in a contour line style –think Matisse – no under-drawing – draw directly in ink – just send small jpgs of images – dont post to your blog pls – send specific url links to any comics work you have done. If you haven't done comics before that is not a problem. Email santoroschoolATgmail to apply! More details HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Blinkers – 2-17-2017 – by Jack Brougham ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 2-17-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 2-17-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio ————————————————————————————————— Cozytown – 2-17-2017 – Juan Fernandez Share this page:Read More:10/10/2018The Alabaster Pizzo…09/21/201803/08/2018...
Juan FernándezApril 18, 2016NewsNorth American independent comics focus today; Comics Workbook Benefit Auction in its final days; Submitting comics to VICE; Marc Bell reflects on the past couple of months; Jay Lynch Collection joins the Billy Ireland; The Garden of Earthly Delights invites you in. – Juan Fernández —————————————————————————— Ecuadorian Earthquake Victims I wanted to take the time before we talked comics to ask for your help after the 5.1 magnitude earthquake in Ecuador that happened yesterday. There are cities that are completely devastated, people trapped under debris waiting to be rescued, towns without electricity, running water or communication. There are some initiatives receiving donations to send help to those in need. Here is a link to one of them that my friend Luis Eduardo is involved with: https://www.gofundme.com/hqzjghm4 Also, here's an article where you will find other organizations at the end that are also receiving donations: http://www.bustle.com/…/155170-how-to-help-the-ecuador-eart… Any and all help is appreciated. If you are not able to donate, please help us by sharing these initiatives. Thank you so much for your help! —————————————————————————— COMICS WORKBOOK BENEFIT AUCTION ENDS SOON There are ONLY TWO DAYS left for our benefit auction. Take a gander at the INCREDIBLE AUCTION of original Chris Ware artwork that is being held to benefit the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency.You don't want to miss this opportunity to make this incredible art yours. Check it out: The auction is live HERE, and will continue through mid-day Wednesday. We need your support and you need this art! —————————————————————————— VICE | Comics | Accepting Submissions If you are looking for a good venue to publish some stand alone comics work, take not that VICE is taking submissions. You get a regular deadline, to make work in color, get an audience and they pay. From Nick Gazin: I need new comics for VICE. The basic guidelines of Vice Comics is that the comics should all be: -in color -at least a page -have characters, dialogue and stories -not serlialized or to-be-continued -each page should be a 2000 pixel wide jpeg no larger than 1mb. -no racism, sexism or homophobia -no comics about VIce or "hipsters" -no genitals or sex acts -should contain dialogue and moment-to-moment panel transitions -should not rely heavily on narration. Actions and interactions should tell the story. Show, don't tell. Check out what I'm running at vice.com/comics If you have stuff that's already done or samples of comics you've made send them as low resolution email attachments to nick.gazin@vice.com This might be a good opportunity for you. Shoot Gazin an email if you're interested. —————————————————————————— Pouring Melted Snow in a Pan Marc Bell does a couple life recap posts a year, he's just posted his first one for 2016. Catch up with Marc Bell here. —————————————————————————— Jay Lynch Collection finds Home The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum has acquired the Jay Lynch Collection. This collection includes original art, comics, correspondence and other material from Lynch, who is now 71. Lynch is best known as the creator and editor of "Bijou Funnies" in the 1960s and 1970s. This collection is a real underground gem. And it's a huge one! The collection totals to nearly 250 cubic feet of manuscript materials, original art, underground comix, merchandise from Lynch's work at Topps, and letters from R. Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Lenny Bruce, Woody Allen, and other icons of the popular culture dating back to 1956. Additionally, the collection is home to an extensive number of fanzines and college humor magazines, often offering the earliest look at work from Harry Shearer, Art Spiegelman, Gilbert Shelton, and more. Also in the collection are some famous (and infamous) publicity campaigns, including groundbreaking satirical work such as Oingo Boingo's anti-clown movement, Ed Sachs's Irreverent Newsletter, Alan Abel and Buck Henry's Society for Indecency to Naked Animals press releases, and early press kits from Jay Ward Productions. Get into the nitty gritty here. —————————————————————————— Visit Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights https://tuinderlusten-jheronimusbosch.ntr.nl/en Here's a site that offers an interactive online adventure through Hieronymous Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights. There are two ways to virtually visit. You can choose to take a fifteen-step museum style tour, narrated by Redmond O'Hanlon, or you can "freely explore," an option that allows you to zoom in on any part of the painting at will, clicking here and there to hear O'Hanlon discuss its motifs. Your choice! Don't get too lost. The Garden of Earthly Delights is a story about moral and sin in a particular time. The painting however is timeless. The journey that the visitor sets out on in the interactive documentary is a personal one. Beneath the surface we aim to invite the visitor to reflect upon and question their sins and morals. The interactive documentary Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Delights is part of the transmedia tryptich: 'Hieronymus Bosch'. The transmedia tryptich consists of the documentary film 'Hieronymus Bosch, touched by the devil', the interactive documentary 'Hieronymus Bosch: Garden of Earthly Delights' and the Virtual Reality documentary 'Hieronymus Bosch, the Eyes of the Owl'. Website: http://jheronimus-bosch.nl —————————————————————————— I'll see you Wednesday with South American happenings. I've got a ton of things I have to share! Share this page:Read More:Comics Workbook…03/05/201803/08/2018Rowhouse Residency…...
Sally IngrahamOctober 4, 2018NewsSally here. Busy week. I'm working on completing, and starting, a couple of personal comics projects. I'm also (as usual) reading three different comics at once – Rina Ayuyang's Blame This on the Boogie, Emma Rios' I.D., and Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. Whichever one I finish first I'll write about next week! For the time being, here's a roundup of what everyone else has been writing and thinking about, comics-wise, lately. Laura Howell (pictured above) was the first female cartoonist to produce a strip in The Beano (an 80-year old British children's comic magazine) – 12 years later she is still working for them. Read about her HERE. The mysterious "Olivia Jaimes", current and much discussed artist behind the rebirth of the strip Nancy, made an appearance at CXC recently (in a disguise) – Rocko Jerome was there and offers a full report. Annie Koyama announced the spring lineup of books for Koyama Press – including the latest from Emily Carroll (above). See what else is coming up HERE. Joe McCulloch reviews Lale Westvind's Grip #1 over on The Comics Journal – and words fail him. The Washington Post compares notes on the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation process with Ann Telnaes and Signe Wilkinson, among other editorial cartoonists. The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum is now accepting applications for the 2019 Lucy Shelton Caswell Research Award – details HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Sally Ingraham Share this page:Read More:MoCCA Arts Festival 2018Comic Arts Brooklyn 2017Rowhouse Residency…10/18/2018...
Sally IngrahamMay 25, 2018NewsSally here today with a report from Sara Sarmiento on Kriota Willberg's "Draw Stronger", plus comics and other news! ———————————————————————————— Today on the site Sara Sarmiento shares her experience with drawing-related injury, and her appreciation for Kriota Willberg's new comic about how to avoid such things! Sara writes: "I've been in a slow recovery for years from a shoulder injury sustained during a couple hard falls on ice and hit the point not long ago where I had to admit to myself that I didn't have the tools to heal any more on my own. In conjunction with that, following the completion of my submission for the 2017 Comics Workbook Composition Competition, my wrist and hand pain associated with drawing I'd experienced for years had shifted from a mild annoyance to pain shooting up my forearm. It was curtailing both my ability to draw, and the swing dance habit I'd developed in the last year. A few months into the forearm pain, my thumb started twitching. While it's a good party trick to get people to hold my hand, the twitch needed to go. Starting physical therapy in January was an immensely good decision for me, physically and mentally. I'd been left disheartened after completing my CWCC comic. How am I supposed to start shifting creative pursuits into my primary gig when I can't finish a personal project without spending months in recovery? One of my big goals coming into therapy was to set me on the path towards being able to draw for extended periods of time. Physical therapy got me going on that path, but from past experiences in PT, I know that you're not fixed and done the moment you are discharged. I was nervous about nearing the end of my PT sessions, so the release of Kriota Willberg's new book Draw Stronger couldn't have been better timed." Read the rest of Sara's thoughts on Kriota Willberg's book HERE! Here's the opening spread from Sara Sarmiento's CWCC 2017 comic, titled Deep Clean. Read the whole comic HERE! ———————————————————————————— Comics Alternatives interviewed Kriota Willberg recently, which provides a nice follow-up to Sara Sarmiento's piece. Listen HERE. ———————————————————————————— The New York Times has a feature on Aline Kominsky-Crumb, calling her the Yoko Ono of comics – read the article HERE ———————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 05-25-2018 – Sally Ingraham ———————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 05-25-2018 – by Audra Stang Share this page:Read More:10/18/2018MoCCA Arts Festival 201804/06/201804/17/2018...
Caleb OrecchioSeptember 3, 2017NewsCaleb Orecchio here on this Labor Day edition of the Daily News with thoughts on Connor Willumsen's new book from Koyama Press, Anti-Gone–and other news. ———————————————————————————————— Connor Willumsen is one of thee premier drawers in comics. His prowess envelops the many styles of drawing found in comics, from expertly rendered figures, cars, and buildings–to minimal, child-like characters that would be at home in kid's manga magazines. His new book, Anti-Gone—from thee great Koyama Press—to me really pushes Connor's ideas as a cartoonist beyond just the pretty drawings. I feel he's really digging deep into his bag of "tricks," and expanding the language of the comics medium to a degree. First I want to say, that when I started to read Anti-Gone, I pinned it as a sci-fi comic–almost Brandon Graham-esque with a hint of Moebius (or vice versa); but as I read on, it was clear (to me at least) that this takes place in a "cartoon world." Allow me to try to explain: In this world, you wouldn't call a talking gorilla a "talking gorilla"–you would simply say, "that person is a gorilla." if you would even care to make the distinction between a gorilla or human or whatever at all. Does that make sense? It's like the fox and cat who sell Pinocchio to that puppeteer I think. Nobody says, "whoa a talking fox and cat!" they are just characters. Anyway, this detail of a cartoon world is not particularly pertinent to the story, but I felt it was worth pointing out. It's our world, through Connor's eyes. Something that made this crystal clear to me was when the seemingly alien girl undos her hair (directly below). What were once strange sacks on her head were now obviously a Connor-fide version of the double braid–see Kylie Jenner reference directly below the below excerpt. Two prominent formalistic tools Connor really utilizes well and to a very singular degree, particularly, is 1.) the economic use of visual reference, and 2.) the depiction of movement through sequential images–most notably the former, often they are used together with great success. The below page is from the perspective of our heroes as they float along a river watching a dog in a window as they pass by. We see the buildings in the background (where we get our main, big picture reference–the buildings–a sense of place) and Connor zeroes in on the doggy in the window giving us a simultaneous impression of where we are and where we are moving to without showing the characters (whose POV we are experiencing) within the page. Another good example is the below two-panel sequence of one of the protagonists making their way up a flight of stairs. First, Connor shows us the entire scene of the stairs with all it's intricacies and hustle and bustle. Then he quiets it down by stripping away all the noise to show the girl going up the stairs (obviously the same stairs moments after the panel before it). This use of visual reference from detailed rendering to stripped down essential detail is both formalistically economical and tonally/emotionally important to the narrative–two birds with one stone. A+ I could go on and on about this book. Connor Willumsen is a blackbelt of formalism in comics. There is an unending sense of "thinking" in this book. Every angle and every option is considered. Highly recommend this book both for the tasteful, passive reader AND to the comics scholar looking for forward-thinking new work. -CO ———————————————————————————————— Frank Santoro made a comic book about his parents and now he needs help making a handbound copy of the book for each of them. It's a good story. Check out the Indiegogo campaign HERE – or if you want to contribute via PayPal, look at the campaign HERE. ———————————————————————————————— if you don't know now you know Hey not to brag but Comics Workbook will be at SPX conducting workshops so don't miss out! After looking at the workshops you want to go to, sign up here. Gilbert Hernandez, Mardou, Alexis Ziritt, Connor Willumsen, Liz Reed, Juan Fernandez, Sally Ingraham, Audra Stang–what more could you possibly want?! Did you catch Joe McCulluoch's final "This Week in Comics" entry? Jerry Moriarty is the latest guest on Inkstuds. Did you know you can download this San-Diego Comic Con Kirby 100th Celebration book for free? Have you missed Brandon Graham's idiosyncratic blogging?? Well look no further because he's back with a new one. Looks like he'll have other contributors involved–firstly with A Sarah Horrocks entry about 2-page spreads. ———————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 9-4-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ———————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 9-4-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page:Read More:06/14/201810/24/201803/02/201801/18/2018...