Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in NewsTagged Eleanor Davis, linda fite, m. s. harkndess, paty cockrum, paty greer

Sally Ingraham

Posted on March 15, 2018March 15, 2018

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05/13/2016

Sally IngrahamMay 13, 2016NewsSally here on this Friday the 13th, with nothing spooky to offer. Instead, I’ve got tons of press about Koyama Press, a bit of hero worship for Rokudenashiko, and a whole lot of longing for TCAF… ————————————————————————————————— The National Post had a write up about Annie Koyama and Koyama Press this week, detailing how truly “kick-ass” they both are. And it’s definitely their week! Mental Floss hyped two of Koyama Press’ new books – What is Obscenity by Rokudenashiko, and Night Air by Ben Sears – as 2 out of 5 favorites. “This is Sears’s first graphic novel and it reads like a marriage between the character designs of Mike Mignola, the childhood wonder of Farel Dalrymple, and the low-key humor of Adventure Time.” – Rich Barrett via Mental Floss “In What is Obscenity?…Rokudenashiko tells the story of her arrest in a funny, engaging, and eye-opening way. Interspersing photographs, legal documents, and news articles with her comedic cartooning, she re-enacts the unbelievable experience of being arrested, filmed by the local news in the back of a police car (labeled with the insulting on-screen chyron as a “so-called artist”), and dealing with male lawyers and policemen who are too ashamed to even talk about what she did.” – Rich Barrett via Mental Floss ————————————————————————————————— While the book deals with Rokudenashiko‘s original imprisonment in 2014 for building a kayak, among other things, modeled on her vagina, this “so-called artist” has been fighting obscenity charges in Japan right up until Monday of this week. The New York Post reports that a Japanese court found Rokudenashiko “not guilty of obscenity for displaying figurines modeled on her vagina, signaling a step towards freedom of expression, although the court fined her for distributing digital data of her genitals.” She isn’t about to take that fine (400,000 yen, or $3,700) on the nose – ‘”I am of course indignant. I will appeal and continue to fight in court,” she told a news conference, where she displayed several pink vagina figurines that prosecutors had argued were obscene.‘ Read the rest of the NYPost report HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Over on The Comics Beat, John Seven digs into What is Obscenity? and finds it to be – “…a passionate memoir and meditation on art, censorship, and societal attitudes towards women, but just as important, it’s a charming and amusing rundown of Rokudenashiko’s experiences that wraps in many aspects of Japanese culture, most fascinatingly, Japanese prison conditions.“ With the recent court ruling weighing on his mind, John Seven clarifies the “real beauty of Rokudenashiko’s book”- “Despite the understandable outrage, despite the big issues that her experience tackles, despite corruption and misogyny and incompetence she faced, despite the gloominess of prison and her own emotional traumas, she still puts it together in a form that is extremely personable even as it informs. She is the best possible messenger. That’s a real feat, but it also tells you something about the artist they were gunning for, about her intent and outlook and why the persecution was such a major misfire. It also tells you why people like her work so much. She made a kayak modeled after her own vagina. How is that not great? How is she not a hero?“ Read the rest of his excellent review HERE. ————————————————————————————————— John Seven was concerned that Rokudenashiko might be prevented from coming to Canada for TCAF this weekend, but according to the Koyama Press blog she has landed in Toronto and is set to strut her fabulous stuff there, and also at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York on May 18th. Check out the event page for that HERE. I don’t want to switch gears to talking about TCAF just yet (especially because a quick glance through their featured guest list is enough to make me cry…due to not being able to go this year…!) so let’s stay on the topic of “This Week with Koyama Press” for a bit longer. ————————————————————————————————— I’ve got another review of a new Koyama Press book! None other than Katie Skelly unpacks Cathy G. Johnson‘s Gorgeous on The Comics Journal. Skelly lets loose some snazzy writing, proving that she can scribble about other people’s comics just as well as she can draw her own. And she makes a good case for the need to get your hands on a copy of Gorgeous – “Gorgeous itself is a gorgeously drawn comic; Johnson’s strengths lie in lush atmospheres and the sprightliness of the character’s faces, which carry tons of gesture despite their simplicity. As the tendency for younger cartoonists to eschew ink for pencil-only work grows, Johnson stands out by demonstrating an otherwise unparalleled skill in expressive lighting and texture, especially in the smoky and anxious woods that surround her highways. Her generous panels also allow for some deft experimentation in expression of time; one particular sequence, the strongest and most effective in Gorgeous, holds a diner table in wide focus for six pages, recalling the stillness of films by Chantal Akerman while still communicating panic and frustration.“ You know you want to read it, but in case you need more incentive, check out the rest of the review HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Taking a slight turn here – let’s catch up with Alyssa Berg as she finishes her 3-part series for Comics Workbook – Sunday is a Good Day to Visit a Museum. Her continuing reflection on her visit to The Rubin Museum of Art inspired Alyssa to seek the input of a few other cartoonists. This week, in the series finale, she is joined by MariNaomi, Simon Hanselmann, Sophie Yanow and Vanesa R. Del Rey in answering the question, “What are the rituals, meditations, or devotions in your artistic process?” As you can probably guess from the lineup, the answers are wildly varied, thoughtful, and entertaining. Check out the whole piece HERE. And a big shout-out to Alyssa for writing such a rad series for Comics Workbook! ————————————————————————————————— Speaking of MariNaomi, as you hopefully noticed above, she will be reading with Rokudenashiko at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York on May 18th. Again, check out the event page for that HERE. Over on Unicorn Booty recently, MariNaomi was the first guest on the new INQ Podcast. Apparently, “The goal with this show is to create a ‘comic-con in your ears’, and have guests on to do a deep dive into some aspect of the comics world. … In the podcast, we talk about the ins and outs of autobio comics: how to do it right, how to do it wrong, how to do it without pissing people off (or at least how to learn not to care quite so much if you do.)” Sounds pretty good to me – check out the podcast HERE. ————————————————————————————————— And speaking of Simon Hanselmann, he’s buzzing around with HTML Flowers these days, hyping Megg and Mogg in Amsterdam. Last seen being kicked out of Desert Island Comics in Brooklyn, NY…he’s most likely on his way to Toronto now to make some mischief at TCAF. And here we are again at the subject of TCAF – or the Toronto Comic Arts Festival – which starts tomorrow. I can’t even begin to unpack it, honestly, so you’ll just have to wait for the after-party pile of news and stories we’ll be sharing all next week! ————————————————————————————————— Instead, to wrap up this week and this post, here’s a great check-in with Daniel Clowes, via NPR. Read some highlights from the interview, or listen to the Fresh Air program online. Here’s one such highlight: On why his speech balloons sometimes drift off the page – “It’s one of those things that just sort of happens by necessity. I think I started with that Mr. Wonderful book, and the idea was that I wanted the book to be all inside his head. So you see his thoughts and they’re always in the foreground, and whatever anybody else is saying is covered up by those thoughts. It’s sort of the way that we normally are talking to each other where we’re thinking about, like, “I really gotta go,” and somebody is telling us something and we’re not focusing. I wanted to capture that.“ Find the rest HERE. Oh, and PS: GhostWorld is now streaming on Hulu. ————————————————————————————————— Catch ya next week! – Sally Share this page: [...]

Frank Santoro @ SPX 2016

Comics WorkbookOctober 8, 2016Santoro School / School Updateshttps://vimeo.com/185881298 SPX – September 17th 2016 Exerpts from the workshop with Cameron Weston Nicholson and Frank Santoro Filmed and edited by Tyler Q Tucker and Sally Ingraham (Watch the rest of the workshop footage HERE.) Share this page: [...]

03/05/2018

Caleb OrecchioMarch 4, 2018NewsCaleb Orecchio here with, yet again, thoughts on Barry Windsor-Smith and his excellent adaption of Red Nails, plus the usual gang of links. ————————————————————————————————— All images herein are scans from Marvel Treasury Edition #4. Long story short, I think Barry Windsor-Smith’s Red Nails should be considered a masterpiece among the pantheon of comics. Old school fandom has more or less made this claim over the years, but the later “intellectual” generation (particularly the cartoonists and distinguished readers coming up out of the 80s) sees it as “good for the time”—at least, that’s what I sense. I also think many indie comics fans look down on adaptions as if adaptions are not a valid form of expression or something; or that a Marvel sword and sorcery comic simply is not good comics as a matter of principle and should basically be forgotten except when waxing nostalgia or appreciating good inking. I think independent comics and mini comics culture has come far enough to the point where we don’t have to demonize these old mainstream comics anymore. Yes, Red Nails is more or less violent, swashbuckling entertainment for young adults (or young adults at heart), but that’s what it was intended to be. No, I don’t walk away from it with a deep emotional revelation and it doesn’t cause me to rethink my life, but I had a damn good time looking at it. Smith’s images return to my thoughts for weeks on end and I marvel at the visual sensationalism. Is not the basic goal of a cartoonist to make something visually interesting and worth looking at/reading? I’d argue that this is the cartoonist’s most basic goal, and I’d argue that it’s in this manner that Barry Windsor-Smith achieved one of thee great works in comics. ————————————————————————————————— if you don’t know, now you know Good news for Chicago locals and CAKE 2018 attendees! The Monday after CAKE (June 4th) John Porcellino will be “running an All-Day Comics Workshop at the Chicago Publishers Resource Center.” More details are on the way, but save the date fer crying out loud! To raise funds to publish Linework 8, an anthology by Ivan Brunetti’s Columbia College Chicago students, Brunetti and company are holding a silent auction on Facebook from March 5 through March 9. This auction will feature select Brunetti originals(!) and other good stuff. Learn more about the silent auction here. And/or preorder Linework 8 here. Lauren Weinstein is the latest guest on Process Party. She also recently graced the airwaves of The Virtual Memories Show. RiYL has featured an extra dose of cartoonists recently including, Joseph Remnant, Emil Ferris, and Gina Wynbrandt. ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 3-5-2018 – by Gabriella Tito Share this page: [...]

09/17/2018

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: [...]

07/07/2017

Sally IngrahamJuly 7, 2017NewsSally here with news and comics from Emily Flake, Eleanor Davis, Becky Cloonan, Karen Green, Ulli Lust, and more! ———————————————————————————————— The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum has officially announced their acquisition of “113 pieces of original artwork by fifteen influential underground and alternative female cartoonists, donated by friend and longtime donor Scott Jonas.” “Included in this collection is work by Mary Fleener, Phoebe Gloeckner, Roberta Gregory, Dame Darcy, Nina Paley, Lynda Barry, Dori Seda, Shary Flenniken, Carol Lay, Leslie Sternbergh Alexander, Caryn Leschen, Nicole Hollander, Dot Bucher, Lee Binswanger, and Donna Barr. The collection consists of original drawings, cover art, multi-page stories, and comic strips, all created between 1975 and 2007. “We are very thankful to Scott Jonas, a comic collector with a great eye,” said curator Jenny Robb. “There is so much variety in this collection, but also a common theme. Each piece is an important contribution to the documentation of contemporary women creators in our collections, and in the context of alternative and underground comics.”“ Read more about the collection HERE! ———————————————————————————————— Jon Day reviews Eleanor Davis‘ You & a Bike & the Road (Koyama Press, 2017) for The New York Review of Books. The book is about Eleanor’s cross-country bike trip and is built from the diary comics she made along the way, “On a bike the road ceases to be an abstraction on the map but becomes a physical reality. There’s something inherently cinematic about the way you take in your surroundings on a bike, too, with sweeping pans, lingering close-ups, jump cuts as the lights change and you roll into gear. Perhaps one reason there are so few truly great films about cycling (Jørgen Leth’s documentary about the Paris-Roubaix one-day classic, A Sunday in Hell, and Sylvain Chomet’s animated The Triplets of Belleville being notable exceptions) is because the act of cycling—just sitting in the saddle and watching the world roll by—is itself more dynamic than any film can convey. … Comics lend themselves to representing how a cyclist sees: the flatness of the bird’s-eye-view map set in contrast to the scene-by-scene illustrations of Davis’s daily experience. We are pulled into Davis’s perspective, seeing from her position on the road as well as from a close third-person view as if slightly above.“ Read the rest of the review and see some excerpts from the comic HERE. For those readers who may not know, Becky Cloonan was the first woman to draw Batman in the main series, when she was a guest artist on an issue in 2012. Check out some of her pages and her thoughts on the project HERE. ———————————————————————————————— On The Comics Beat David Nieves reviews Becky Cloonan‘s upcoming collection By Chance or Providence (Image Comics, July 26th 2017). Containing three stories previously self-published by Becky, and with colors provided by Lee Loughridge, the collection startled and impressed the reviewer with it’s emotional intensity. “Getting back to what makes these tales unique. First, they aren’t for everyone. While they could certainly appeal to the crowd reading Gotham Academy, it’s not likely they’ll land with the audience reading Cloonan’s Punisher run. It speak’s to her ability as a well-rounded storyteller to be able to branch out and have created Shakespearean tales like these then move on to more traditional comics. The weight these characters carry is conveyed, not only through Cloonan’s sparse and effective use of dialogue but through the raw emotions the eyes everyone in these tales possesses. By Chance or Providence is your chance to read what goes on in the mind of a true metal loving storyteller like Becky Cloonan. Love stories that combine poignant comic style with rich dark Castlevaniaesque lore in a way that could only happen in these pages.“ Read the rest of the review HERE and look for this in stores later this month. ———————————————————————————————— Emily Flake has a comic strip in The New Yorker titled Things I’m Afraid My Daughter Will Be Doing in 2026. See one example above – for the rest, go HERE. ———————————————————————————————— Karen Green was on NPR’s “Meet the Expert” recently, talking about her two passions – ancient and medieval history, and comics. Karen Green is the Curator for Comics and Cartoons at Columbia University, and the Librarian for Ancient and Medieval History, so she certainly is an expert – check out the conversation HERE. You can read more about Karen’s “life in comics” by perusing Nick Sousanis’ 6 page story on her – HERE. ———————————————————————————————— Glynnis Fawkes details her daughter’s struggle with picking an outfit from a pile of clothes that may have once, maybe even last week, contained clothes we liked… – something we can all relate to – on Mutha Magazine HERE. ———————————————————————————————— Ulli Lust‘s most recent The Simple Stroll is pictured above. These strips appear in the English language German magazine EXBERLINER. Ulli collected the strip into a small riso booklet and brought copies to TCAF this year, so perhaps you will bump into a copy somewhere! Otherwise, keep up with the strip HERE. ———————————————————————————————— M. S. Harkness was visiting Pittsburgh this past week, here for a Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency. She checked out the Pittsburgh Comics Salon on Wednesday and got to meet some of the local zine and comics makers, and hung out with Audra Stang (a new member of the Pittsburgh scene!) and myself throughout her time in town. It’s great to have this kind of energy moving through the city, and the conversations that come out of meetings of minds like these are what keeps the form vibrant and evolving. Check out work by M. S. Harkness HERE and keep an eye out for her upcoming comic Tinderella. See what Audra Stang is up to HERE and follow her adventures in teach comics this summer via Instagram! ———————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 7-7-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 7-7-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

03/16/2018

Posted on March 15, 2018March 15, 2018 by Sally Ingraham

Sally here with a look at work by Paty Greer/Cockrum, notes on the Drawn to Purpose show at the Library of Congress, and new comics by M. S. Harkness and Eleanor Davis!

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*The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 No. 264*, May, 1985 – art by Paty

A comics long box find inevitably leads to an internet wormhole…which I both love and hate…but it is all in pursuit of expanding my knowledge of the women who worked and continue to work in comics. An issue of The Amazing Spider-Man from 1985 surfaces, with art by “Paty” – WHO IS PATY?

She is Paty Greer, who became Paty Cockrum when she married Dave Cockrum (the artist/writer behind X-Men characters like Nightcrawler). Paty Greer/Cockrum worked in the Marvel bullpen of the 1970’s under both names, and often just Paty. She did a lot of production work, but was also a colorist and occasional artist. In addition to the issue of The Amazing Spider-Man shown above, I know that she was the artist on The Claws of The Cat #3 (along with Bill Everett; a page from the comic is shown below).

The Claws of The Cat (1972) was a short-lived series written by Linda Fite, and was one of the first Marvel attempts at bringing a female superhero to the comics page. (I’ll write more about this series soon – I desperately want to get my hands on the first issue, which was penciled by Marie Severin.) The title character – when she isn’t The Cat – is named Greer Nelson, which naturally leads me to believe that Linda Fite and Paty Greer were pals in the Marvel bullpen. Like Paty, Linda Fite was a production and editorial assistant at Marvel (and she married Herb Trimpe soon after).

I found a piece of an interview with Paty where she describes the Marvel bullpen in her day, and specifically the day she noticed Dave Cockrum using the Xerox machine…read that story HERE.

I’ll be keeping an eye out for Paty’s name as I continue to dig through long boxes and fall down internet wormholes…

A page from *The Cat #3* with art by Paty Greer

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An early *Little Lulu* strip, actually drawn by **Marge Henderson Buell**

Check out the official website for the fantastic show that is on display this year at the Library of Congress – “Drawn to Purpose: American Women Illustrators and Cartoonists“. I recommend taking a look at the Online Exhibition, which offers a taste of the full show (which is so large that it will be completely switched out half way through). If you are in the D. C. area anytime this year be sure to check out the events associated with the exhibition as well – recently Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and the show curator Martha H. Kennedy had a conversation with Whitney Sherman, Barbara Brandon-Croft and Jillian Tamaki. There’s plenty more going on – keep up with it HERE.

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M. S. Harkness‘s new comic Tinderella (partially inked during her Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency last summer) will be coming out as part of the Kilgore Books & Comics 2018 Releases – consider preordering a copy HERE.

If you can’t wait until June for more Harkness then order Normal Girl, another new release, from her HERE. It is sold gold. Or anyway, the cover is gold so you probably need it in your life. See what else she is up to HERE.

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HERE is an excerpt from Eleanor Davis‘ Why Art? on The New York Review of Books. And HERE is a review of Why Art? by Eleanor Davis on the A.V. Club.

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Suzy and Cecil – 3-16-2018 – by Sally Ingraham

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Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in NewsTagged Eleanor Davis, linda fite, m. s. harkndess, paty cockrum, paty greer

Sally Ingraham

Posted on March 15, 2018March 15, 2018

Explore

Chicago, IL Scene Report

Frank SantoroJanuary 8, 2012Riff Raff / Scene ReportsThis week’s Scene Report is brought to you by Edie Fake. Thanks Flakes! —– It’s important to say one thing straight off the bat: Chicago loves comics like no other place I’ve ever been. It’s town is full of oddballs and oddities, a fermented blend of cheap rent, cheap beer, bad weather and good house shows…and somehow the result is a veritable hotbed of activity in all directions. Let’s start this report on my block. Down four flights of stairs from my apartment you’ll find Anya Davidson working furiously on her next graphic onslaught in a studio surrounded by many animals and no windows. She’s made these super lush silkscreened comics for years, usually in itty-bitty editions of five or so, but now she’s also got some killer pages in the Kramer’s E. that just came out, so get on it. When we make it out the door of the building and just head down the block, we’ll be at Robin Hustle’s house. Hustle not only draws perverse zine-comic hybrids about hair, milk and sex economies, she’s also spearheaded the reawakening of a Chicago punk free paper, to be known henceforth as The Land Line. This is the reincarnated version of the monthly paper called The Skeleton News that ran itself fabulously ragged for about two years while I was outta town. The Land Line is going to be quarterly and also free, content-rich and dirty, just like good soil. The first issue debuts right around the new year. There’s a million folks meeting, working and partying to make it happen…on the visual end, Grant Reynolds notably took on the helm of “Comics Editor” and recent transplants Mika Lee and Otto Splotch are throwing down some real brain bender drawings for it. A couple blocks further down the street towards my P.O. Box we run into this household that is a crazy pit of comics talent. Leslie Weibler, Andy Burkholder and Max Morris are all holed up together living with a collective library of approximately a million great comic books, spurring each other onward towards greatness. Dane Martin used to live here and Blaise Larmee too. Max can talk comics in a real way for days without stopping and he just launched a great Chicago comics anthology called “Vacuum Horror” at this year’s BCGF. There goes the neighborhood! Let’s expand a little…One of my favorite places in town is Spudnik Press. Started four years ago by Angee Lennard (who also draws the geriatric comic Mossdale Estates), the press has grown exponentially even during the year I’ve been a member. Part of the thrill of this shop is you might run into the likes of Lilli Carré printing some gorgeous, witty edition, or Sanya Glisic blowing your mind with her cosmic-ly perverse Struwwelpeter prints. Artist book maker Aaron Smith just got the AB Dick offset press up and running and it’s a force to be reckoned with, along with the functional facilities for letterpress, silkscreen, etching, woodblock and litho printing. Add to this the number of active copy scams in town and the fact that Aaron Renier just scored a free Risograph machine and we’ve got a print renaissance on our hands. …Which reminds me of Keith Herzik’s big show that just happened at the historic Hyde Park Art Center which included 4 zillion comics and posters he’s made plus a frozen pizza he accidentally cooked for 6 hours. Keith’s got colors on lockdown that no one has names for yet. That’s the sort of thing we encourage round these parts. …Which reminds me of the “Cartoon Ink” show Christa Donner, Jeremy Tinder and Surabhi Ghosh curated a few months back at the School of the Art Institute which showcased some of SAIC’s young guns like Sua Yoo, Wax Wing, Emily Fundis, Sarah Drake and William Cleveland next to the likes of Chris Ware, Anders Nilsen and Jeffrey Brown. Hey -right- Chicago’s a great place to learn comics in a school, if that’s your bag! When local rabble-rouser Anne Elizabeth Moore isn’t busy teaching zinemaking in Cambodia, starting her own tripped-out grad school or calling the comics industry on its own shit, she also teaches comics at the ‘tute. The comics-inclined SAIC student body has staged an impressive Small Press and Comics Symposium two years running and puts out an anthology Xerox Candy Bar. Comics historian Hillary Chute is down at University of Chicago, as is Paul Hornschemeier, as will be Alison Bechdel in the spring. Curmudgeon-with-a-heart-of-gold, Ivan Brunetti teaches at Columbia College where his passionate students like Onsmith and David Alvarado crank out the gorgeous anthology Linework. Ivan just re-released his iron-clad comics syllabus as a concise and potent little instruction volume that I am working through with Marian Runk at our biweekly gay comics coffee klatch. Jeremy Tinder is a good guy to know – not only is he awesome in a general way, he’s also one of the solid forces behind the weekly rendez-vous of Chicago’s notorious Trubble Club. TC roll call will break your drawing-chops-o-meter: frequent offenders include Aaron Renier, Nate Beaty, Carrie Vinarsky, Corinne Mucha, Grant Reynolds, Lilli Carré, Joe Tallarico, Sam Sharpe, Rachel Niffenegger, Ben Marcus, Bernie McGovern, Jo Dery, Becca Taylor, Travis Lampe and the unstoppable Laura Park– plus a rotating cast of out-of-town visitors. When I started going to this thing I thought that no way was I going to enjoy drawing against someone else’s panel, but it turns out that it’s actually utterly inspiring. Trubble Club is a beast unto itself! Not only is it a running contest to see who can be the most vile and crude, it keeps you loose and lucid and it’s like DIY drawing school, to boot. Trubble will be putting out it’s first full color edition momentarily courtesy of some Post Family support and we get to do an installation and curate a comics reading room at the DePaul Museum next year for a Chicago Imagists show they’re staging. On the note of shows staged, I wanna be sure to mention that people are doing some pretty amazing things with performative comics here. Does this even happen in other towns? Ezra Clayton Daniels used to throw infamous and rowdy Comics Art Battles back in the day, and since he just moved back to town I guess that means we should all look out. Brett Koontz makes brilliant comic books about post-apocalyptic sci-fi lifestyles and then turns them into these (also brilliant) backyard theater productions so you can figure out who he based each character on. Lyra Hill just started the world’s most exciting comic book reading series, Brain Frame, that alternates between feeding you jell-o shots and splashing you with fake blood. Lyra herself always goes above and beyond at these happenings and then hands the stage over to hams like Ian McDuffie and Krystal DiFronzo. It’s made me cry tears of joy and laugh food into my nose and I look forward to it every month like as if it were Halloween or something. It’s definitely a town where comics and art have met, fallen mad in love and now they’re having a baby. Just take a look at Paul Nudd’s crud, or check out Kerry James Marshall’s RYTHM MASTR paintings. And check out Deb Sokolow’s drawings. Did I mention the Imagists? That Yoshida shit runs deep! Even the Museum of Contemporary Art here is down, staging the giant Jim Nutt show last year as well as a special exhibit called “New Chicago Comics”. A few months ago Ruby Thorkelson got the local feminist gallery, WomanMade, to put on a great show of comics work from women and trans identified artists called “Underground” which included an amazing, amazing reading room. Also of underground note, The Chicago Underground Library got a new home and a new name after sustaining major damages last winter. Now it’s called Read/Write and it’s still rad all over. Additionally, Joe Tallarico has not-so-secretly been improving the underground comics stronghold in the Art Institute Library, as well as rooting some old-school Hot Nuts like George Hansen out of the woodwork. Joe’s been busy on the print end too, doing comics making and editing for the long running freak sheet, Lumpen which just up and turned 20. Also aging gracefully is Roctober, the best music/comics magazine in the universe; they’re about to turn twenty just as the clock strikes issue #50 Who else turned twenty this year? Oh, why, Quimby’s Books, the infamous weirdo comics and zines shop, my current place of employment and a truly astounding place to hang. I’ve been coming to Quimby’s since shortly before it moved to its current location in ’94, back when I was a zitty, obnoxious teenager and Dan Clowes was probably down the street drawing Eightball. Twenty years in now, this beast has made itself an international hub of self-publishing and small press comics, not only by keeping our eyes peeled for interesting experimental stuff on paper but also by accepting anything and everything folks send our way. For a good part of it’s run, the shop has been owned by Eric Kirsammer, who guides with a gentle hand and keeps us stocked in twisted art. Traditionally, the floor has been handled by rabid self-publishers like my powerhouse co-workers Liz Mason and Neil Brideau. There’s no telling how many minds have been blown in these walls, I certainly count mine among them. Deep scene resource 4eva. Can’t forget the other stores around here- Quimby’s is not the only game in town, especially if you’re a traditionalist. Our sister store, also under the mindful proprietorship of Kirsammer, is the stocked-to-the-gills Chicago Comics which I will proceed to call whenever I am confused about Marvel. There’s also Brainstorm for a passionate mix of superheroes, videos, and funny jokes. Challengers carries its own eccentric combo of local and mainstream work. I’ve only been into Vigilante once, but I liked it, and then if you go up so north it’s suburbia, Comix Revolution holds court and holds down the fort. What’s a better place to wrap things up than the future? For Chicago, that means getting a solid annual independent comics festival started here. Originally dreamed up by my Quimbyian coworker Neil (who also helped jump start the Chicago Zine Fest a few years ago), the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (or CAKE, for short) finally has its ducks in a row – a plum location at Columbia College’s Ludington Building, a solid date (June 16th and 17th, 2012) and a gorgeous promotional poster by Laura Park. Applications are open until the first of January, the tables are truly affordable and things are really starting to get up and rolling to make it happen. CAKE’s core team of organizers (Neil, my neighbors Max and Andy along with Grace Tran, Jeff Zwirek, Nick Drnaso and myself) are starting the exciting work of mapping how we want the space set up and imagineering what the programming will look like. …So things are brewing in Chicago, in the past, in the now, and in the near next- If I were you I’d come check it out. Share this page: [...]

06/07/2018

Comics WorkbookJune 6, 2018NewsSam Ombiri with reflections on John’s Worth #3 by Jon Chandler! ———————————————————————————— Sam Ombiri here: As I impatiently wait for Jon Chandler’s John’s Worth issue 4, I wonder to myself what caused him to make these kinds of comics; these comics that go in certain specific directions? These comics really hit in a way that’s tough to articulate. I heard that the first issue, at least, was made with the idea of the first mark being the final mark. There’s the feeling that Jon has put himself at risk with each drawing, and that he has to think quickly, on his feet, to solve any design issues that arise. Of course, in comics there’s always an element of improv – whether it’s early in the process or late. With John’s Worth it feels late in the process. I especially want to talk about the 3rd issue – there’s something special about issue 3. John calls himself “Jack” in this issue so as to be able to do his job with anonymity. There’s no direct reference to the sPeX unit in this issue. The sPeX unit is this Borroughs-esque/Cronenberg-esque creature that is a living organism, but also a drug; or rather, who knows what it is. The characters only refer to sPeX as a drug, seemingly because they have no idea what else to refer to it as. Jon, as the author, isn’t in a rush to comment on anything and specify what’s what. Make no mistake – it’s not out of laziness. Rather, it’s something like CF said – “Imagine inviting someone over and taking their coat, then offering them snacks, then getting them a drink, then putting a blanket on them and putting their feet up for them and asking them if they’re comfortable, then telling them where the towels are and so on. By trying so hard to be a good host, you become the worst host ever.” Jon isn’t overbearing on any of the concepts at play within the work, but there’s a real precise construct going on in the work, and there’s nowhere it’s more apparent than in the 3rd issue. For example, there’s a gun that was introduced at the beginning of the story, when “Mary” and “Larry” thought that John (whom they were approaching) might be a threat. Later on, a lot of time has passed since they realized that John was the person they were supposed to complete their job with. So then, while they’re just relaxing and unwinding,, the story simultaneously unwinds, and it’s signified simply by the gun being on the floor. The gun speaks to how, for the time being, they have no care in the world. The fact that there is a construct present convinces me that this environment I’m in is real. If there’s disorientation, then the disorientation is real, because there’s a rhythm to latch onto. John’s hallucinations in issue 3 are really tame. I found that if I blinked twice I could miss whatever effect the sPeX unit was having on John, but the effect of the sPeX unit is felt more as a result. If the story was a rollercoaster, I get the sense that the rollercoaster is stopping briefly, after it had been climbing so that it could drop. So this leisure is utilized for us to get a sense of potential participants of the next issue, and we learn about John himself a bit. I’m really dissatisfied with suggesting that these moments of leisure are nothing but a stepping stone for something else. I’ve noticed a certain attitude that’s especially prominent among people who watch all the popular anime and read the popular manga – a complete lack of gratitude. Readers will look at great moments of a chapter or episode or whatever, as something to just set up something else which will happen down the line. They don’t revel in what they’ve been given thus far, despite how generous the creator has been. I guess this attitude is in the alt comics community too; always looking at what comics could be, completely forsaking what they are now. I really wouldn’t want to devalue that marvelous knife throwing scene especially, as it’s a worthwhile read. Do yourself a favor and read all of the John’s Worth comics. – Sam Ombiri ———————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 6-7-18 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

Art Trip: Little Black Dress

MardouJune 2, 2016Art Trip / EssaysI just wandered into ‘The Little Black Dress: from Mourning to Night‘ at the Missouri History Museum, not particularly interested in the subject at the get-go. Once I whipped out my pencil, I found myself getting kind of into it. It was popular, lots of people, mainly ladies, many of them dressed up on a Sunday afternoon. There was a nostalgic enjoyment in the air, like people window shopping, remembering old dresses of their own. People felt comfortable here. And it was fun listening into the conversations around me. I got asked some unusual questions whilst I was drawing (including “are you a pattern maker?”) (I also kept thinking of that line from Dan Clowes, whenever he’s stuck watching a boring film, he watches the clothes move and studies the folds. Good advice. Watch the folds.) My favorite part was the glass case containing the sewing machine and dressmaking tools. Suddenly I was thinking about my step-grandma, Ethel, who died a few years ago and of all the years she spent behind her own sewing machine. That special sort of concentration of cutting a pattern out of fabric, transforming the flat material to the body’s shape. When I was in college she reversed-engineered my favorite dress so I suddenly had three of them in different colors. People would ask me about those dresses whenever I’d wear one of them. ————————————————————————————————— Art Trip is a series that features reflections on art and comics, and the adventures that transform those who seek it out. ————————————————————————————————— Sacha Mardou is a Brit making comics in St Louis, Missouri. Sky in Stereo is her most recent comic. Share this page: [...]

04/04/2018

Juan FernándezApril 4, 2018los Cómics / NewsRaquel Echenique, Jim Puk, y un poquito sobre El Fruto Prohibido! —————————————— 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 Raquel Echenique acerca de sus influencias, el lugar en donde pasó su infancia, su trabajo, muestran sus referentes, hablan de su amor por el cómic y se Echenique confiesa como rabiosa, entre muchas otras cosas. ————————————————————————————————— 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. ————————————————————————————————— Caricaturista colombiano ‘Matador’ deja de usar redes sociales por amenazas de muerte Julio César González, más conocido como ‘Matador’ por sus caricaturas en el diario El Tiempo, anunció en la madrugada de este martes su retiro de las redes sociales, después de haber estado en el ojo del huracán durante varias semanas luego de haber personificado al candidato uribista, Iván Duque, como un cerdo en varias de sus publicaciones. Aunque hace menos de dos semanas la Jueza Hilda María Saffon negó una tutela interpuesta contra el caricaturista por el dibujo titulado ‘Duque reflexiona’, argumentando que “la creatividad e ingenio del caricaturista no debe limitarse por quienes no comparten su opinión”, los simpatizantes del Centro Democrático y el expresidente Uribe no han cesado de expresarle su descontento con insultos y agresiones en medio de la contienda electoral. Léanlo todo en El Espectador ————————————————————————————————— Jim Pluk – @jimpluk Estaré publicando en las historias de mi Instagram ( @jimpluk ) algunos cómics de autores contemporáneos que recomiendo personalmente, por si quieren indagar más sobre estos, tanto Colombianos como extranjeros. Estos posts estarán bajo el hashtag #leacomix y #hagacomix ————————————————————————————————— 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 ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 4-4-2018 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 4-4-2018 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

03/28/2016

Juan FernándezMarch 28, 2016NewsJuan Fernandez here today to start your week off with the latest: Comics readings, workshops and expos in Pittsburgh; Bill Griffith and Art Spiegelman reflect with Karen Green; HTMLFlowers’ sincere and open interview on Inkstuds; Jessica Campbell with the hyucks; OpenToonz in the hands of millions . ————————————————————————————————— BLITZBURGH No beating around the bush here, there’s a load of comics happenings this week in Pittsburgh, big and small. Comics readings, free workshops and PIX. Lots of different ways to soak up the comics! More information on PIX. This Friday, the Lili Café in Polish Hill will celebrate PIX by hosting a night of comics readings and performaces by Carl Antonowicz, Juan Fernandez (me), Sophie Goldstein, Cynthia Lee, Jennifer Lisa, Rachel Masilamani and Noah Van Sciver. Copacetic Comics, on the third floor, will be open late for a post-reading hang out. Find out more here. To celebrate PIX 2016 on Saturday, Comics Workbook is offering a full day of hands on comics instruction and training in partnership with the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – South Side. Come bring work for critique, practice your comics composition, or simply try your hand at comics making for the first time. We have activities to embolden the hearts and enliven the spirits of professional and amateur comics makers alike. 3:30-4:30 PM Legendary Underground comics artist Bill Griffith will be conducting a FREE hour-long drawing workshop (with handouts) as part of this year’s PIX activities. That’s right, learn how to draw from the creator of Zippy the Pinhead. There will be Comics Workbook workshops all day long at the Carnegie Library on the South Side. Please RSVP. – More workshop schedule updates to come. – ————————————————————————————————— Green, Griffith and Spiegelman Here on the site, John Kelly has brought us some snippets from Bill Griffith and Art Spiegelman’s latest public talk. Former Arcade magazine editors and Underground Cartooning legends Bill Griffith and Art Spiegelman discuss their early days as artists at a talk given March 16, 2016 at Columbia University commemorating Griffith’s announcement that he will be bequeathing a large portion of his personal art archives to the University. The talk was moderated by Karen Green, Columbia’s Librarian for Ancient & Medieval History and Graphic Novels. Check ’em out here! ————————————————————————————————— Inkstuds: HTMLFLOWERS HTML Flowers aka Grant Gronewold joined Robin over on Inkstuds to talk about his art, comics and music. We also coverchronic health conditions in modern medical bureaucracy, mortality, and the urge to make comics. His series of mini comics, No Visitors, is availabe for order right now,. Grant’s also got a book out from Space Face Books called Virtual Candle as well as his collaborations with Simon Hanselmann in Werefolf Jones and Sons. This interview right here, It’s a good one, folks. Listen to it over on Inkstuds. ————————————————————————————————— Best Jokes? Jessica Campbell is back with the hyucks. Dig into them all over on her site, bestjokes.tumblr.com. ————————————————————————————————— OpenToonz Last but not least, the robust 2D animation software suite, OpenToonz was made open source through a partnership between Italian developer Digital Video and Japanese company Dwango. Big ups to them. If you hadn’t caught wind of this yet, it is a game changer for 2D animation production, the kind that is going to lead to an increase in drawn animation production. For the comics maker and animator in a pinch, this powerful, free alternative to Adobe and Toonboom is a godsend. Go forth and make! Download it here – https://opentoonz.github.io/e/index.html A How to get started tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMskd30Y9Js For more info in case your install doesn’t work properly on that check this forum out. https://groups.google.com/forum/… Share this page: [...]

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