Comics Workbook

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Posted in NewsTagged caleb orecchio, gabriella tito, jeff purves, the incredible hulk

Caleb Orecchio

Posted on March 19, 2018

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07/04/2018

Juan FernándezJuly 4, 2018los Cómics / NewsEntrevista con Emil Ferris; Broken Pencil Zine Award Deadline Extended; the Airtight Garage in Galicia – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – El Cómic como Reflejo y Abismo – Emil Ferris entrevistada Elisa McCausland, El Salto El formato del diario está muy ligado al género de la autoficción. ¿Hasta qué punto es Lo que más me gusta son los monstruos autoficción, un relato inspirado por tus vivencias personales? Es evidente que en mi novela gráfica hay mucho de autobiográfico, empezando por su ambientación en el Chicago donde nací y donde transcurrió mi infancia, como la de Karen, a finales de los años 70. Mucho de lo que cuento son cosas que me pasaron a mí por entonces o que le pasó a gente que conocí. También comparto muchos de los intereses de Karen, como su pasión por el terror, tanto cinematográfico y literario, como cuando adquirió un carácter muy pulp a través de las historietas y revistas de aquella época y décadas anteriores. Sin embargo, hay un dicho que me gusta recordar cuando se habla de estos temas, que viene a decir básicamente que no es importante que los hechos narrados en una ficción hayan sucedido o no, pero sí que la historia que reflejan sea verdadera, responda a una pulsión profunda, auténtica. En este sentido, la ficción funciona como un espejo que nos permite reconocernos a nosotros mismos, y también como un abismo que nos descubre aspectos de nuestra personalidad y la de otros que desconocíamos. También en lo que respecta al amor, ese monstruo tan extraño, que está en todo lo que somos y hacemos y que sin embargo es tan invisible y se le echa siempre tanto de menos. Por eso me gusta considerar la ficción como un remedio paliativo contra esa enfermedad tan difícil de abordar que llamamos la realidad. Puede sonar pretencioso, pero creo que, en definitiva, la ficción nos ofrece las armas para afrontar con ánimo la realidad. Las historias son nuestra fortaleza. Léanlo todo AQUI. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – The Broken Pencil Zine awards are open for submissions. This year the winner will recieve a free subscription to Zine-o-Matic. Lots of categories. $200 + other goodies for winners in each category. $25 to enter. DEADLINE TO ENTER THE ZINE AWARDS IS NOW JULY 15, 2018 Learn more. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Comics Education: Galicia’s “Airtight Garage” Paula Castiñeira – ABC Galicia Galicia’s O Garaxe Hermético, established in 2012 is the first professional center of comic and illustration in Galicia. It offers up a relatively avant garde approach to comics education for Spain. Born in 2012 by the hand of cartoonist Kiko da Silva, who is also its director, this private school is a revolution in terms of the teaching model. When he started with the center, Da Silva brought together a team of friends and professionals of Galician illustration to organize a syllabus from scratch, with a very clear purpose: “To teach our profession in the most realistic way possible,” says the director.With an unconventional training and without evaluating the students with a numerical score – the works are classified as “not publishable”, “publishable” and “publishable collectible” -, what is intended is to show the students “what they are going to find later ». For this reason, apprentices receive classes not only on illustration and comics, but also on what they must do to dedicate themselves to it, from how to register for freelancers to how to make contracts with publishers so that they are not abusive. Learn more about O Garaxe Hermético, HERE. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Cozytown – by Juan Fernandez – 07/04/2018 Share this page: [...]

07/21/2016

HarrisonJuly 21, 2016NewsDaily News with Harrison returns with drones, thoughts about war, dark animation, and ends with a question. ————————————————————————————————— Ride or Die “Jasper. We’re picking up a lot of drone noise. I think there’s a watch coming.” Sam Alden‘s Test of Loyalty at Hazlitt. Here ————————————————————————————————— Shadow and Form Jonathan Djob Nkondo’s Dark Day is a conflation of everything I want from contemporary animation; moody, inventive, stark, humorous, surreal, frightening, and impeccably illustrated. Pts. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. ————————————————————————————————— Before ” “NOddIN” is a collective launched by filmmakers and artists in the wake of the 3.11 Great East Japan Earthquake and related Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. With the cooperation of a large number of Japanese animation artists, we spearheaded this self-production with the aim to animate the words of the book round-robin style, and our collaborative project was begun. After over a year of production including the conception period, we completed our short film.” – The NOddIN team, October 2, 2015 More about the film project here. More about the collective NOddIN here. ————————————————————————————————— Visions of Heroes Friend of Comics Workbook Chris Visions has a collection of fun drawing videos shot by Richmond photographer/videographer Tyler Q. Tucker on his site. Here. ————————————————————————————————— Why? Share this page: [...]

Charles Forsman at Comix Experience

Chris Anthony DiazJanuary 31, 2018The Diaz ArchiveCharles Forsman toured for I Am Not Okay with This as well as for the hardcover release of The End of the Fucking World (which also premiered recently on Netflix as an 8-episode live action series), both published by Fantagraphics Books. Bay area stop was at Comix Experience in San Francisco, Wednesday, December 6, 2017. (Click images for different external links related to Charles Forsman.) Share this page: [...]

07/12/2018

Comics WorkbookJuly 12, 2018NewsSam Ombiri here: I found myself reading and re-reading Ganges 4 by Kevin Huizenga. Of course I have to re-read it as it is a very intricate comic. There’s a lot of information conveyed, but especially for this comic it seems that for Huizenga it’s important for the nature of the encounter to be felt. I very much felt the nature of the concepts, thoughts, and anxieties that Glenn Ganges encounters. At one point, for example, Huizenga’s stand-in (whom we know as Glenn) attempts to bore himself to sleep with information. This bland and life-less information that we, the readers, are given, is through the comics form brought to life. This information, being juxtaposed cohesively with a bunch of goofy nonsense, is delivered in the same fashion as actual facts. As a result, the comic stirs a deep emotional reaction from me as a reader, in a manner that isn’t contrived in any way shape or form. It’s often off-putting when a comic is contrived. It’s often off-putting when a maker demands that the reader be compelled, as opposed to allowing the reader to just feel what they feel. I realize that measuring how contrived something comes off as is difficult, and it’s even more difficult to design a system that avoids it, but following a construct can back an artist’s honesty and sincerity – as it does in this installment of Ganges. This issue showed me that serving a construct can really vouch for an artist’s sincerity. Part of the what makes reading this comic an amazing experience comes from me knowing the intent of Huizenga’s experimentation. I mean knowing this from reading his work as opposed to reading his interviews. I know that the comic is first and foremost concerned (but not too concerned) with me as the reader comprehending these moments that transpire all throughout the comic, and more importantly, it’s at the service of a construct. This in turn vouches for the sincerity of the work. The comic, while dealing with these various concepts, is at its core inviting the reader to think of those moments where sleep refuses to come. Which is something all humans have experienced. Huizenga is working in this setting; this space in order to reveal certain patterns in “being”. Like the spontaneous way our thoughts manifest and then vanish even quicker than they came. In the comic it’s all brilliantly displayed at the service of the comics form, and by the nature of the story itself. There are some moments we only catch brief glimpses of as in the majority of the panel cuts off at the bottom of the book. That these events stretch beyond the book. As we only see some speech bubbles without seeing the part of the panel that shows the characters, or sometimes we catch brief glances of moments we can’t fully perceive as readers. There’s an aspect of this method of sequencing that resonates with the idea of seeking the truth or the essence of the moment by cutting crucial aspects. By implying that there’s a comic to read, that the reader has been reading. Then this comic that’s at the service of a construct, that has intricate rhythm, suddenly deprives the reader of moments the reader has been made so keen to read. The comic plays with the reader’s patience. All that’s happening in the comic feels to me as if it’s at the service of delivering these delightful punchlines which are at times hilarious, at times melancholic. Even the melancholic punchlines in Ganges 4 are delightful. For example Glenn’s conversation with Death which was discouraging because it displays a way we ourselves may approach life. What was portrayed was discouraging. Death is attempting to comfort Glenn in the most earnest way it can, and the whole encounter with Death is thankfully not turned into a punchline. Rhythm didn’t dictate that Death in itself to be the punchline. Rather, it’s treated as something to pass over – that Death’s presence in the following panels aren’t supposed to be registered as a spectacle. Likewise in those panels that Death spoke in, Death didn’t speak in a fashion that would be perceived as a spectacle. It was still an incredibly emotional moment. Death’s ultimate morbid punchline was being delivered by the running gag in which instead of seeing an actual book title and author on a book’s cover, we’re given Glenn’s idiosyncratic goofy projection of what a book contains according to him. Even this running gag doesn’t present itself as a spectacle. The moments leading up to Death’s timely arrival is of equal weight and distinction. It’s up to the reader to engage with what’s given, and Huizenga is incredibly generous with what he has given to engage with. I’m still re-reading it! – Sam Ombiri Share this page: [...]

Richmond, VA Scene Report

Frank SantoroOctober 23, 2011Riff Raff / Scene ReportsThis week’s scene report is brought to you by AdHouse Books brainiac, Chris Pitzer. AdHouse is one of the best publishers around – and Chris is one of the nicest guys around (a rare combination!). He lives in Richmond, Virginia and was kind enough to write up a report on the local comics goings-on there. Check it out below the new DeForge cartoon. Speaking of Mr. DeForge – holy shit – I can’t stop looking at his story in the new Thickness – I can’t stop looking at the whole issue more precisely. It’s a perfect object. Editor slash publisher Ryan Sands is a print genius. Students of the form will wanna pick this one up. It’s a clinic on how to print your own magazine and make it look better than anything you could ever get from “professional” printers. ————– Top 5 Marvel Lay Offs of All Time 1. John Byrne 2. Jim Shooter 3. Pond Scum 4. Alejandro Arbona 5. Jody LeHeup **Honorable Mention: The guy who got fired for writing nasty things about his boss in the backgrounds. I think this past week’s Marvel layoffs news is reflective of how corporate comics culture eats its young. Marvel doesn’t give a fuck about supporting folks who make good comics for them – who work for them. Boycott Marvel! ————— MINI-COMICS LEGEND JOEL ORFF NOW AT WHATTHINGSDO WEBSITE!! Stop the presses! One the biggest influences on my work in the early ’90s was Joel Orff. He made slow moving “landscape comics” about working on riverboats or driving taxis or being trapped by winter. Orff self-published sincere, heartfelt comics that read like poetry – and WHATTHINGSDO has archived one of his best works here. Don’t sleep on this unearthed gem from the ’90s zine scene. Also – Looking at WTD – I feel like it’s a type of digital anthology that has been around for awhile – like since the dawn of websites – but now I look at it differently than before… in a good way. Maybe it’s just that Jordan’s a good designer and he makes it all look so new every time I look at it. ————– Don’t forget! My CARTOONING CORRESPONDENCE COURSE starts the first week of November! Hurry up and apply – you can do it! I will make you a comics expert in eight weeks! Applications due this Friday the 28th! ————— INTERMISSION FUNNIES by MICHAEL DEFORGE —————————– Richmond VA scene report by Chris Pitzer So the other day I get an email from good ol’ Frankie asking me if I’d be interested in giving a “scene report” for my locality (Richmond, VA). The James River This is Frankie, so how could I not? I mean, I look at this as if him and let’s say Jim Rugg or Tom Scioli or Dan Nadel were coming down to RVA to visit and this is what we’d do! Now, I hate to admit it, but sometimes, my mindset is to NOT share this type of info. Because what if some of my favorite haunts become to crowded, picked over, or popular? Ugh! But again, THIS IS FRANKIE… and I just can’t say no. So, I guess I’d imagine those guys getting in around noonish, so we’d probably have to get a bite to eat. Since our first couple stops would be in and around the VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) area, I think we’d hit The Black Sheep for a bite. And I do mean a bite. This place has become VERY popular over the last couple years, and has even been on at least one foodie show. One of the things they do is take your typical submarine and upscale it to a battleship. One weekend while my wife was away, I got one of these battleships and made it last into three meals. And the decor is to die for. Their menu changes throughout the year, so enjoy what you can. Also, save room for that fantastic peanut butter pie! Now the next two places we’d hit are actually in walking distance to The Black Sheep, so if parking was OK, we’d probably just leave our car there and walk on up to Broad Street and hope that the Richmond Book Shop is open. The Richmond Book Shop is one of those weird funky places that you NEVER know if they’ll be open or not. Most of the times I drive by, they aren’t. So, if you stumble upon them being open, it’s like finding Shangri-La. It’s run by Bob Lewis, who is himself sort of an “establishment” to the scene. Before I “knew” Bob, I knew of his selling spots. I would covet the original Montgomer Flagg, Seth or Charles Vess illustration that he had in an antique store. Bob has had his pulse on comics since forever, so you can talk about the old days and wax nostalgic… But back to the shop! The last time I was able to get into the store, I came away with the following: Eclipse Magazine #1 (oddly, the only one I was missing from my collection), something called The Mercenary (which I haven’t read yet) and the first three volumes of Pluto… which I fell in love with! Here’s a pic of Bob with Greg and Joel from the great DC-Area Big Planet shop. You can sort of see the shop in the background across the street. I took this photo as we were walking towards our second destination: Velocity Comics! Of the few places I’ll talk about in this report, Velocity is probably the biggest scene. It’s just the best comic shop in Richmond (if not Virginia?), so a LOT of customers, creators, etc. stop by and peruse it’s fine selection. Also, with it’s proximity to VCU, it always seems to be hopping. Patrick Godfrey runs the store, and he does a great job of it. I like the fact that I’ll more or less find anything I’m looking for, as well as enlighten me to some locally produced work. He also organizes get togethers with local creators that I wish I could attend… but it seems I’m always busy. After we hit Velocity, I feel like I need to take them to one of those “great American comic shops”. You know the one. It’s the one we all know. The one that is like the Simpson’s comic shop. Comics in the front, porn in the back, and untold riches in between… Stories. Stories actually has three locations. (I think at one point they had five?) But for the sake of this trip, I think we should hit the mothership… even though that means we have to cross the James to go to the Southside. Once there, the mural will let you know you’ve hit your destination. Once inside, it’s tough to really figure out what you want to look at first. They essentially have outgrown one store and become three in this one location. They really do seem to have everything. I tend to hit this shop when there’s something old I’m looking for. Back issues, old graphic novels, toys… whatever. I found one of those Floyd Farlands at either this one or the West End location once. And I actually found a few mini-comics here one time too. After all this exploring, I’m sure we’re bound to be hungry, so then we’d hop back in the car and actually head back to where we just were. Two of my favorite RVA restaurants are in walking distance of Velocity Comics. Those establishments are Ipanema and Edo’s Squid. I’d probably hit Edo’s first, but if the line was crazy long, we’d end up at Ipanema. Edo’s is fantastic Italian & Seafood. Probably the best calamari and eggplant parmagian I have ever had. Ipanema is vegetarian, but still have a few meat entrees. Great bar and was used as a scene in the series Local by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly. Heck, I guess we could hit both if we had it in us. Now, before I close, I know that when Frankie was asking about a “scene report” he was asking about all the wonderful people who live in Richmond, and the fantastic stuff they do. Honestly, I don’t make it out all that often. I’m old. I try, but sometimes I just can’t get out there. But there are a LOT of great comic-associated peeps. A few weeks back I was lucky enough to have lunch with Johanna Draper Carlson, who writes that fantastic blog Comics Worth Reading. The other day I picked up the local magazine RVA, and there was a feature on Julia Scott. (Julia just happened to with the Afrodisiac contest we had at Velocity Comics back on the tour.) And this weekend I’ll probably see our pal Oura at the Richmond Zine Fest. He did do the poster, after all. (And there are MANY, MANY more people I could mention… like Rick Spears having his party for his new book release, or the fact I need to schedule a fall dinner with Tom De Haven… but down that road lies the names I will eventually forget…) Well, I hope this helps convince some of you to visit Richmond, VA. It’s a nice place. Share this page: [...]

03/19/2018

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Caleb Orecchio

Caleb Orecchio here with thoughts on a temporary comic book artist, Jeff Purves, and other news.

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I really liked Sally’s report last week on Paty Greer/Cockrum. I had a similar experience with a comic book artist’s name I did not recognize. For me it was the name “Jeff Purves” in a copy of The Incredible Hulk #349–I found that Purves, after some digging, had a 19-issue run on The Hulk in late 80’s with Peter David. He’s taking over after the McFarlane run, which is self-evident in the contrived effort of maintaining a McFarlane-y looking Hulk. That’s not a knock on Purves, just something I noticed. This is work-for-hire comics after all.

When I initially read the issue, the layouts and action were interesting to me because the clarity and simplicity of the images wreaked of professionalism (as opposed to fanboy-gone-pro, though I’m not ruling that possibility out), which to me meant he had to be some sort of successful illustrator trying his hand at comics. I was more or less right. According to Lambiek and IMDb, he’s an animator. I mean, look at that Spider-Man above, the guy is clearly an educated drawer.

from *The Incredible Hulk* #354 with inks by Marie Severin and colors by Glynis Oliver

I found Purves’ style to be bit stiff at first, but I think it had more to do with the inking of Terry Austin of issue 349; I eventually warmed up to the drawing and am now rather impressed by Purves’ professional, hired-gun vibe. I have a feeling Purves was pretty dependable schedule-wise due the successive amount of issues he contributed to. The work has both a sense of urgency and careful calculation like he knows how to bust out the good stuff that kids love, but ultimately understands that the issue must get out on time.

from The Incredible Hulk #359 with inks by Marie Severin and colors by Glynis Oliver

Just thought this was interesting. I’m interested in these weird here-today-gone-tomorrow comic book artists (though nearly 2 years is not an amount of time to sneeze at), because it adds to the wacky history of comics. This guy probably wanted to draw comics as a kid but needed something more financially stable as an adult, so he quits comics and goes to work in animation on such titles as The Simpsons and Mulan.

from The Incredible Hulk #347 with inks by Mike and Valerie Gustovich and colors by Petra Scotese

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if you don’t know, now you know

Dash Shaw on How to Read Nancy at The New York Review of Books.
David Barnett offers up the possibility of Kirby finally getting the praise he deserves from the public at large due to the upcoming New Gods movie.
Due to the popularity of his characters in the current line-up of Marvel movies, Jim Starlin allegedly has his own museum exhibit, according to Todd Allen at The Beat.

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Suzy and Cecil – 3-19-2018 – by Gabriella Tito

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Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in NewsTagged caleb orecchio, gabriella tito, jeff purves, the incredible hulk

Caleb Orecchio

Posted on March 19, 2018

Explore

08/10/2018

Sally IngrahamAugust 9, 2018NewsSally Ingraham here with Penelope Bagieu’s “California Dreamin'” – plus a look at “Dakota North” and other news and comics! ————————————————————————————————— I thoroughly enjoyed Penelope Bagieu‘s California Dreamin’: Cass Elliot Before The Mamas & the Papas (2017). It’s a great use of the comics medium as a vehicle for biography. Bagieu tells the story of Ellen “Mama Cass” Elliot’s life leading up to the formation of the band The Mamas & the Papas, using the narrative voice of dozens of people who were part of her life. Her childhood and teens are revealed by members of her family and her first voice teacher, and then the story is picked up by friends, lovers, and bandmates. A complexity of prose-based biography is introducing and keeping straight all these people who surround a famous figure – providing the context for their relationship and explaining why their view matters. Handled poorly, it can be confusing and boring. However, Bagieu uses comics to neatly circomvent any such issues – each chapter simply begins with the name of the new narrator, and then plummets into their version of the story. Bagieu’s characterizations brilliantly capture the personality of the narrator while continuing the construction of the larger-than-life Cass Elliot. The humor and warmth of her drawings make the story wonderfully compelling. Cass is lovingly brought to life, full of passion and awkward grace. The musical world she tumbled through is well captured, and somehow even the sound of her voice seems to float up out of the pages of the book. The moment when she and future members of The Mamas & the Papas begin to write California Dreamin’ is a highlight of the comic, hilariously revealed from the viewpoint of Cass’ mother. Penelope Bagieu is a French cartoonist who has followed up her first graphic novel – (Exquisite Corpse, 2015) – with two terrific offerings published in America recently – this book (2017), along with the excellent 2018 collection Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World. Keep an eye on her – I can only assume and hope that she will continue to make good work that will entertain and enlighten us! Check out Michael Cavna’s Washington Post review of California Dreamin’ HERE for more thoughts on this comic. ————————————————————————————————— There’s an excellent writeup on Dakota North over on The Comics Journal, a “revisit” by Keith Silva of the 1980’s 5-issue series. I am really fond of this series, but am somewhat astonished to note that there is a deluxe reprint now available. Exciting times! The series was the only comic written by Martha Thomases (ever), and it’s female, regular-powered hero, was remarkable for it’s time. Keith Silva has all the details on how Dakota North came to be, what the series was up against, and why it was cancelled, so I won’t reiterate that here – read the article. Briefly: “And yeah, like any (super)hero worth her salt, Dakota does indeed ride a motorcycle out of a service elevator and into a New York fashion shoot. She also rides the same motorcycle up an escalator in a chic Manhattan department store. She shakes off sheikhs, battles a bloodthirsty raptor, and outfoxes a monster truck in Rockefeller Center. And does so with fierce aplomb, style, and a sense of adventure. Dogged and defiantly independent, Dakota North is a fashion-forward comic whose style never caught on. To say Dakota North was an outlier is a disservice to outliers. The moment Ms. North starts stylin’ is when the ground began to shift under comics—Dakota North #3 comes out the same month as Batman: The Dark Knight #4 and Watchmen #1 . Now, it would be an act of hubris and hyperbole to say two neophyte creators like Thomases and Salmons (even with a wily vet like Hama at the helm) would come close to equaling the murder’s row of Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, Lyn Varley, Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and John Higgins. Proximity to greatness does not make something great, and Dakota North is not on par with the craft, canniness and inventiveness of those ’80s masterpieces. And yet what Dakota North lacks in artistic pedigree it makes up for in chutzpah, idiosyncrasy, and how it outdistances its peers in representation and female agency. So subtle is it in its subversion, representation, and agency it almost passes as insignificant, almost. What Dakota North wanted was be seen as an equal in her world and the world writ large. She was a disruption of the status quo and way ahead of her time, perhaps even today. That’s why Dakota North matters.” Read the rest HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Other News of Note Phoebe Gloeckner is the Guest Editor of 2018’s Best American Comics – more info HERE. For any UK readers – Posy Simmonds has an exhibition of original artwork and unseen sketches – details HERE. Also, Paul Gravett recently listed Posy Simmonds’ Tamara Drewe as one of four highly recommended graphic novels – HERE. The New Yorker has a short feature on it’s Women Cartoonists – Then and Now. The Harvey Award nominees have been announced – lots of good stuff on the list – check it out HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Share this page: [...]

01/12/2017

Sally IngrahamJanuary 12, 2017NewsSam and Sally here to share info on the 5th Annual Black Comic Book Festival, work from Derick Jones and Shannon Wright, a whole pile of comic strips, and thoughts from Sam on influences in film. ————————————————————————————————— Sally here – This Friday and Saturday the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library will be hosting the 5th Annual Black Comic Book Festival. You can register to attend HERE. Expanded this year to fill two days, the schedule of events includes panels with Kyle Baker, Trevor Von Eeden, and Ronald Wimberly among others, a tribute to Jackie Ormes, and a number of “how-to” workshops including “How to Draw Afrakan Superheroes” with Akinseye Brown. There will be a comics exhibition both days as well. More details on the event HERE. Ronald Wimberly is pumped about going – he reported via Instagram: “Of course white people are welcome! Who’d exclude white commerce after the opium wars?! …. This weekend I’ll be at the Black Comics Festival (@schomburgblackcomics) at the Schomburg Center. I’ll be selling and signing copies of Prince of Cats, the Attack on Titan Anthology and maybe something else… On Saturday 5:30-6:45, I’ll be on the Comics and Hip-Hop panel moderated by Jonathan Gray featuring Andre Leroy Davis, Eric Orr (@orrdesigns), and Sole Rebel in the Langston Hughes Auditorium.“ Be there! ————————————————————————————————— Shannon Wright drew this cute comic about “A proud father recording his son demolish DDR” and went on to comment on these rare cool Dads: “…in a lot of cases it’s shocking because we don’t see that involvement, especially when the hobby or interest doesn’t revolve around a sport or a prominent musical instrument. It was refreshing to see.“ I love when Shannon makes these quick comics – her skill set is incredible and I enjoy her more illustrative work – but her 4-panel strip comics and work like the piece above really capture moments in a special way. More please! ————————————————————————————————— Derick Jones is publishing a webcomic called Dead Days in Kowloon – he’s been at it since October of 2016. He updates it twice a week – read it from the beginning HERE. I really like the work Derick has been posting on his Instagram recently – check it out @skudsink – straight inks, no midtones is his tune for the year so far! ————————————————————————————————— Sam Ombiri here: The quote of the week comes from Jafar Panahi – “Every film is worth watching.” This is from his last risky movie that he “didn’t make”, using a security dash cam, called Taxi. (Editor’s Note: Jafar Panahi has been making films while under house arrest in Iran since 2010…!) He’s more optimistic than his buddy Abbas Kiarostami was. I read somewhere that Abbas Kiarostami was optimistic about the idea up until he realized, eventually, that the public having cameras wasn’t enough, and the promise he had felt about the general population having easy access to the camera didn’t yield what he had hoped. What Jafar Panahi says reminds me of Andrei Tarkovsky’s whole thing of “zen in art”, that it can be something like nature – you can choose to interact with it or not. I think it’s really interesting the amount of danger both directors put themselves in for their movies. (They also each made great movies called The Mirror.) At the beginning of Powr Mastrs 3 CF says, “I see you all imitating me – Disappointing – Follow your own star.” One hope with looking at how movies are made – it’s something like what Robert Bresson said, something along the lines of “I’m often influenced by other mediums.” (He was actually quoting someone else whom I can’t remember. He was about to walk off the interview because he thought they were going to ask questions that he didn’t want to engage in. or in the context with which they were asking.) Anyways, I’m thinking about the way people like Lynne Ramsay, Jafar Panahi, Abbas Kiarostami, and Michael Haneke process their Bresson/Tarkovsky influences. (With Panahi I’m only guessing that he’s influenced by them – the other two I know for sure, and with Ramsay I only sense Bresson). Whereas there are others who are processing that influence in a way that can feel… I don’t really know the right word. I don’t want to be more harsh than necessary. I think Haneke’s work studies the relationship between projected reality and reality as it’s happening. In White Ribbon, which I haven’t seen for a long time, I think it’s the relationship between the photos taken in that time in relation to what could have been going on in those photos, that could suggest that this generation of kids will be the ones that accept Hitler. There is the ideal image being imposed…or, well…because of being caught up in these ideal images that are being imposed, the adults remain naive and too blind to see this other mysterious “behavior” rise from their romanticization of their children. The behavior is only being suspected, as you can’t tell whether or not the children are lying. – Sam Ombiri ————————————————————————————————— Adam Griffiths brings us another ‘Zine Tree Interview – this time with JB Brager – a Philadelphia-based cartoonist and writer, and a PhD candidate in Women’s & Gender Studies at Rutgers University. Tarantula by Alexis Ziritt & Fabian Rangel Jr. & Evelyn Rangel is coming out via AdHouse Books any minute now – and they have released a gorgeous full color preview for us to drool over – HERE. ————————————————————————————————— From the Comics Workbook school store – Zona #3 – all student work – 40 pages of comics – stories by Kurt Ankeny, Jacqueline Huskisson, Paddy Lynch, and Tyler Landry. Covers include an additional unique hand drawing by Frank Santoro – edition of 100 – signed and numbered. Get a copy of this book HERE! ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 1-12-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 1-12-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio ————————————————————————————————— 1-12-2017 – by Juan Fernández ————————————————————————————————— Dungeon Lollers – 1-12-2017 – by Tyler Landry Share this page: [...]

01/24/2017

Aaron CockleJanuary 23, 2017NewsAaron here today with Sophie Yanow on the ground in DC; what we talk about when we talk about Chinese Comics; Paper Jazz Festival; Frank Johnson; some light reading (courtesy of The New Inquiry); Dr Seuss, political cartoonist. ————————————————————————————————— Dispatch from D.C. Intrepid reporter Sophie Yanow was at this past weekend’s U.S. presidential inauguration. ————————————————————————————————— The 174th meeting of the NY Comics & Picture-story Symposium will be held on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at 7pm at Parsons School of Design, 2 West 13th Street, in the Bark Room (off the lobby). Free and open to the public. Orion Martin on The Largest Comics Industry Ever: China’s Pulp Comics Beginning in Shanghai in the 1920s, a vibrant culture of mass produced comics developed in mainland China. These pocket-sized comics, called lianhuanhua, became one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the country and were printed in tremendous quantities. In 1985, the peak year of lianhuanhua production, more than eight billion comics were printed in genres ranging from historical parables to adaptations of Star Wars. Demand for the comics has decreased since the 1980s, but hundreds of thousands continue to circulate in antique stores and online. R. Orion Martin is writer and translator based in Brooklyn, New York. He writes about comics, art, and the ways new understandings of comics can make them more meaningful to our lives. His work has been featured on Hyperallergic, The Comics Journal, and The Hooded Utilitarian. You can find him on Tumblr or Twitter. Here’s the Spring 2017 Symposium schedule as well, if you are interested: ————————————————————————————————— Paper Jam is now Paper Jazz Rising like a phoenix from the ashes, or like Jean Grey/Phoenix, or whatever, The Paper Jazz Festival has emerged as a replacement for the much-loved and now-defunct Paper Jam Festival. We do this in recognition of free-to-table/free-to-attend (or donation-based) fairs that have been running as long or longer than us like Pete’s Mini Zine Fest, NYC Feminist Zine Fest, Zinefeast, Locust Moon, Etc. We will also continue to never repeat exhibitors, which was inspired somewhat by the Toronto Comic Arts Festival’s policies. Our fest has always been a collective of influences, we want everyone in the zine/small press/comics/chapbook/editions community to feel welcome and appreciated. With this rebrand we want to emphasize safer spaces, inclusivity, accountability, and transparency. We encourage folks to reach out to us on tumblr or paperjazzfest@gmail.com. ————————————————————————————————— Frank Johnson, Outsider Cartoonist The Outsider Art Fair was held this past weekend at the Metropolitan Pavilion in NYC, and one of the highlights was the Dan Nadel-curated work of Chicago cartoonist Frank Johnson (1912-1979) at the Chris Byrne booth. From Nadel’s curatorial statement: From as early as 1928 until 1979 he filled 28 notebooks, totaling approximately 1800 pages, with a continuous comic strip detailing the adventures of a fantasy group of friends, “Wally’s Gang”, and completed approximately 100 cartoon drawings. This work was found by his widow after he died. Neither she nor anyone else knew that he drew them, and there is no record of his having published anything or even corresponded with any cartoonists. Nadel’s been aware of Johnson’s work for some time, and wrote an essay about it in the Summer 2005 issue of Folk Art: The American Folk Art Museum Magazine, pages 57-63. ————————————————————————————————— A reading list created by a group of Black, Brown, Indigenous, Muslim, and Jewish people who are writers, organizers, teachers, anti-fascists, anti-capitalists, and radicals. WE studied and pursued methods for revolutionary social change before Trump came to power, and our core focus remains the same: abolishing the ever-enlarging systems of hierarchy, control, and environmental destruction necessary to sustain the growth of capital. With the ascendance of White nationalist ambition to the upper echelons of empire, we have given special attention to struggles waged and endured by marginalized people for whom the fight against capital has always been a concurrent fight against Anglo-Saxon supremacy. Via The New Inquiry ————————————————————————————————— ‘… and the wolf chewed up the children and spit out their bones… but those were foreign children and it really didn’t matter.’ As always, Dr. Seuss provides us some vital context for these times. More of his political cartooning work has been posted as part of the UC-San Diego digital collections. ————————————————————————————————— Look into Donald’s eyes – look DEEPLY. ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 1-23-2017 – by Sally Ingraham Suzy and Cecil – 1-24-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 1-24-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio ————————————————————————————————— 1-24-2017 – by Juan Fernández Share this page: [...]

05/03/2018

Comics WorkbookMay 3, 2018NewsSam Ombiri on Daniel Clowes’ Eightball No. 20: The Further Adventures of David Boring! —————————————————————————————————————————— Sam Ombiri here: More often than not, I sense some dishonesty when people talk about their work – as opposed to when their work does the talking. When I say “people’s work doing the talking” I’m not commenting on the overall quality, necessarily, but on how much the creator believes in the power of the form with which they are engaging. If they have to talk so much about what they’ve done with their work, do we really need the work at that point? Is it anything less than a prop for a prepared monologue? I couldn’t get a specific statement out of issue #20 of Eightball: The Further Adventures of David Boring – and this was for the better. It was all about characters being pushed in certain directions, and through engaging fully with the characters the story really goes places. The comic doesn’t need to convince me of the reality the story is taking place in – the story is so engrossing and captivating. There are turns that seemingly come out of nowhere, but fit in. Are these characters really just “characters”? They seem like humans to me. I’m going to risk navel gazing for a moment and I hope I won’t come off as Νάρκισσος falling in love with his own reflection, talking about what I’m about to talk about…but when confronted by a name like Dan Clowes, these days I’m skeptical of my reaction to it, because my reaction might be based on a large number of other people’s reaction to it. I feel like I run the risk of attempting to replicate variations of that collective reaction towards his wonderful work. I guess in some ways that can show that I’m not really one to think for myself, but I read comics to feel first and think later, and I personally think it’s good to gauge my reaction. I question whether my reaction is sincere, however, under these circumstances. I could just be having a sincere attempt without lucidity, which is the last thing I want to have! Luckily, this didn’t happen when I read David Boring. All that happened was I was hit by the story with an unforgiving gravity. David Boring didn’t seem to be pandering to a sensibility – it felt like it was doing its own thing, which happened to catch on. There’s a whole thing of, “No, duh,” with me saying this, but I was really struck with it. This issue of Eightball, like all issues of Eightball, feels like it exists in spite of a trend – and not at the service of a trend. The first time I read something by Clowes, I think I was 13-ish or 14. I could feel a bowling ball form in my gut and sink – there was so much gravity in the work, and I wondered, “Who is this, who has so much contempt for his characters?” Whenever I read Clowes work now, I really feel there’s something special about how we’re following the characters that we follow. When I opened the comic it’s so sudden, and for some reason or another I was really taken with that. At a certain point in the story I’m told, “You’ve placed yourself above another individual based on your own morality or whatever, so that it is only you who decide who should be dehumanized while pretending it’s at the service of humanity.” Manfred, possibly the most despicable character, is accused, but the accusation that’s made of him isn’t dehumanizing – still his actions seem foreign and distant, but not unhuman. The story between David and Pamela; the story between Manfred and Iris; the story of David and his father, told through David reading a comic that his father drew, David trying to savor every panel, not reading more than a panel a night, not knowing what he’s looking for – we’re suddenly presented with all these things that are equally compelling. I was suddenly presented with the issue, and then just as suddenly I am so involved in these people’s lives. This was the realization for me – that when Clowes is remembered and canonized the way he is, it isn’t done as a favor to him. It’s done as a favor to his readers. Clowes’ work cares about your understanding of what it is and what’s going on, even if what’s going on is supposed be a form of estrangement. From panel to panel, there’s plenty to read into. Clowes is putting things on display that are very straightforward. It doesn’t feel like dishonest work – even when it’s optimistic or pessimistic about humanity and the way that it can be. – Sam Ombiri Share this page: [...]

12/5/2016

Juan FernándezDecember 5, 2016NewsJuan with the Pittsburgh Zine Fair’s Winter Market; Frank Santoro on The Art of Vanesa R. Del Rey; Erotica in the NYPL; Richard McGuire and tiny drawings; Gabriella Tito does Suzy and Cecil. ————————————————————————————————— Pittsburgh, PA – The Zine Fair’s Winter Market The Pittsburgh Zine Fair (PZF) partnered up with WorkshopPGH (5122 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15206) to host a small and cozy winter zine and print market last Friday, December 2, from 7 – 10 pm. This event was free and open to the public! I organized it with Maggie Negrete, Christina Lee and Raiona Gaydos. It was a blast. Exhibitors included: Jenn Lisa, Ceci Ebitz, Small Press Pittsburgh, Jayla Patton, Higu Rose, Copacetic Comics, Madeleine Campbell, Maggie Lynn, Danny Devine, Jerome Charles, the Pittsburgh Comics Salon, Comics Workbook, Lizzee Solomon, Christina Lee, City Slicker Press & more! Since its debut at AIR: Artists Image Resource in 2011, the PZF has attracted a diverse group of artists, writers and activists from across the region whose content may vary but the format remains the same- the zine. An icon of DIY ethos and radical info sharing, the zine decentralizes media and vaults individual expression while remaining inexpensive. Almost 700 people attended our main event last October – if you’re around Pittsburgh, keep an eye out for more events and announcements for next year! Here are some photos I took! Wish you coulda been there: ————————————————————————————————— ⚡ Pittsburgh, PA – The Art of Vanesa R. Del Rey Thee great Vanesa R. Del Rey has generously agreed to let Comics Workbook publish selections from her sketchbooks. We designed it to look like a 1980’s comic book artist’s art book. The text is a transcription of an interview she did at The Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency in 2016. Vanesa is a once in a lifetime talent who studied with George Pratt and who has worked with Grant Morrison. We are offering pre-orders now at a lower price than we will be offering the book for in the new year. Great stocking stuffer. Follow her on Instagram – @vrdelrey – and http://vrdelrey.com/ $15.99 plus shipping – We had Frank chime in on what makes Vanesa such an unstoppable, ferocious force in comics: FS: “Vanesa, I’m quite taken aback by your sheer technical ability which seems to be married to a poetic sensibility. There’s a lightness there. Sometimes illustrators with that ability get heavy-handed. Yet you manage the push-pull between these two sides of yourself–because you’re like a samurai. The humble samurai.” VRDR: “It’s about trying to remember that. I can get all this praise, I can get all these amazing responses from strangers, but at the end of the day—I’m still a student. I’m still learning. The crown doesn’t fit. The crown should never fit.” This exchange was taken from an interview Frank did with Vanesa R. Del Rey which took place here at the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency in Pittsburgh, PA USA. In May. 2016. FS: I first encountered VRDR at a comics festival in Toronto (TCAF) in 2014. She had just started making comics professionally after a stint as an animator. Startled by her chameleon-like ability to switch styles, I asked to see more. She unearthed piles of sketchbooks from her days in Cuba studying Soviet Realism and from working with George Pratt, a master of painted comics. Vanesa’s very education as an artist smoothly balances high and low as well as east and west. It’s an astounding foundation. She is, at once, aware of art history, comics history and animation history in a NEW way that almost seemed impossible fifteen to twenty years ago. I must admit as a student and fan of comics makers who truck in blending “high and low” and in “painted comics”—I have never seen such a skill set. Ferocious. Unstoppable. A fierce competitor. Michael Jordan-esque? Is that possible in comic book making? I’ve always said that there would be a “vertical invader” in comics who could employ the “naturalism” of the Noel Sickles / Alex Toth school but who could paint like an Alice Neel or a Jenny Saville. I think that “the invader” has arrived in the form of Vanesa R. Del Rey. ————————————————————————————————— New York, NY – Erotica in The New York Public Library Here’s something for you: Erotica through the ages. Ancient Erotic Dreams and Explicit Scenes in the New York Public Library Collection. Porn in print. Claire Voon has collected a wonderful assortment of images from deep in the NYPL archives over on Hyperallergic. It’s from earlier this year, but well worth revisiting. NSFW, though you might be able to claim that it’s for a historical research project. Maybe save it for later so it can help you get to sleep 😉 The NYPL has never censored anything or kept especially arousing printed matter under lock and key, its librarians stress heavily (although the Gray Lady may have you think otherwise). It does have a “triple-star” system, and although that name may sound like it polices X-rated artifacts, that classification is really intended to protect certain items from vandalism, theft, or damage. Comic books, for instance, often receive the distinction; there was a copy of Bambi (yes, the children’s story) deemed triple-star because of its sheer fragility. “It’s not kept separately, and everybody has access to it,” curator Madeleine C. Viljoen said of the library’s steamier materials. “They receive no special treatment, and we don’t perceive them as being any different from any other artwork in the collection. That’s not our goal here. We are not censors.” ————————————————————————————————— New York, NY – Richard McGuire: Virtuoso of the Tiny If you haven’t already come across Richard McGuire’s latest book, Sequential Drawings: The New Yorker Series, the collection of his drawings for the New Yorker, Luc Sante waxes some poetic on the book over on the New York Review of books. Check it out! Super versatile cartoonist, his latest book of cartooning – Sequential Drawings: The New Yorker Series – definitely invites discussion on why it isn’t or is comics. This look at McGuire is great. Really nice at contextualizing McGuire’s latest endeavor. (Of course, there is still the discussion of Sequential drawings… constitute as comics. Is it comics? We here at CW tend to be purists so you’ll likely imagine where we stand on this (ever present) taxonomic pedantry 😉 ) Luc Sante: Consider the spot illustration, the unsung toiler of the magazine page. It is small; it does not call attention to itself; it is missed by many insistent readers as they chase the progress of a story across columns and ads. It is kin to the textual space filler at the bottom of a page, but its language is visual, so it is there to make a spark as well as to balance out column inches. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the protean Richard McGuire has been quietly reveling in the form. From Copacetic Comics’ Bill Boichel on this book: This chunky little book contains 250+ individual (very) clean line drawings – each appearing alone on its own, faced by a blank, numbered page, for maximum concentrated focus on each single drawing – by the masterful designer/illustrator/comics-maker who brought us the startlingly original Here, Richard McGuire. The volume leads off with an erudite introduction by fellow New Yorker contributor, Luc Sante, that serves, among other things, to help put McGuire’s drawings in a specific cultural / art historical context, after which we are treated to the simple joys of following a sequence of drawings to see where it goes; 28 discrete – and ingenious – sequences in all, each with a unique twist. More fun than you might think! You can purchase Sequential Drawings: The New Yorker Series from Copacetic Comics and it enjoy its simple pleasures at home! Buy it here. ————————————————————————————————— Orlando, FL – The latest Suzy and Cecil strips by Gabriella Tito! Suzy and Cecil is a collaborative daily comic strip project based on characters invented by Bill Boichel and Frank Santoro. It is primarily drawn by Gabriella Tito and Sally Ingraham, who are teammates in the Comics Workbook Roller Derby League. The strip is part of their continuing development as cartoonists – follow @suzy_and_cecil on Instagram to see the project unfold and keep an eye out for guest strips drawn by other Comics Workbook students and friends! New comics Daily! ————————————————————————————————— Until next time! Juan Share this page: [...]

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