Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in NewsTagged Alison Bechdel, caleb orecchio, gabriella tito, Iona Fox, jack brougham, mickey z, sally cantrino, women in comics collective

Sally Ingraham

Posted on March 17, 2017

Explore

06/08/2016

Juan FernándezJune 8, 2016NewsJuan Fernandez with: a Studio Visit with Steven Weissman; COTTONOPOLIS on CW; School Store Restock Selling Fast; Hostia un Libro; Pablo Besse’s ANTITIERRA; El Capitan Trueno; un look a Locas; Club Fosfatina 2000 Vol. 2. On the site: New in the DIAZ ARCHIVE: http://comicsworkbook.com/a-studio-visit-with-steven-weissman/ ————————————————————————————————— Cottonopolis Week continues on CW Made from November 2014 through January 2015 by Oliver East for Comics Workbook, Cottonopolis is a series of 6 panel comics that unpack moments in a life that swirls in the history of Manchester, UK. Spend some time with them today. ————————————————————————————————— School Store: Recent Restock SELLING OUT FAST We have some new items up on the school store that have been selling fast. Don’t miss your chance to grab: ZONA #03, Cold Heat Specials and Blades & Lazers set, Gary Panter postcard set, and Mikey Z’s Venom. Off the site: ¡HOSTIA UN LIBRO! Just around the corner in Madrid, Spain is ¡HOSTIA UN LIBRO! a small press festival in its 3rd year. Comics, poetry, literature, all in the small press mix in this outdoor book fair. Organized by Elisabeth Falomir Archambault, Alberto Haj-Saleh, Francisco Serrano, Pedro Toro, hosts of Hostia un Podcast. ————————————————————————————————— Antitierra – Pablo Besse Real purdy, sexually charged digital edition of a book by argentine cartoonist, Pablo Besse. If you like what you see there, be sure to take a dip into Pablo Besse’s drawings over on his site. ————————————————————————————————— Reflecting on 60 Years Capitan Trueno Jesús Jiménez has wonderful look at the history of Spain’s best selling comic book over at RTVE.es. Inspired by Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant, El Capitan Trueno was a rock ’em sock ’em action comic full of o’ hyucks that took Spain by storm under Franco. Smash that Google Translate button to read it all! ————————————————————————————————— Dandole un look a Locas Ruth García Martín os da un look al primer volumen en la serie Love and Rockets de Jaime Hernandez, Locas 1. RGM: A lo largo de las 272 páginas y 24 vemos una notable evolución narrativa como discursiva en la que se va despojando de lo accesorio para utilizar, o innovar, los recursos necesarios en cada escena. En cierta medida, salvaguardando todas las distancias, su evolución es equivalente a la de Mike Mignola. Ambos tienen una narrativa muy particular con la que han recreado un personal universo y un arte que ha ido limpiándose de artificios innecesarios con el paso del tiempo sin mermar, más bien al contrario, un ápice la calidad. En este primer tomo Jaime Hernández sienta las bases de lo que será su universo Si no han leeido Love and Rockets, os toca empezar vuestra aventura con Los Hermanos Hernandez hoy! ————————————————————————————————— CLUB FOSFATINA 2000 VOL 2. Galician publisher Club Fosfatina has just released a peek at Julia Huete’s killer looking Gran Danes (Above), the first book in Club Fosfatina’s second bimonthly A4 Risograph comics subscription. Subscriptions can be made up until June 30th. Don’t sleep on ’em! FOSFATINA 2000 es una colección bimensual de cómics a dos colores tamaño A4 impresa en RISOGRAFÍA, con una tirada limitada de 150 ejemplares. El segundo volumen de la colección está conformada por las obras de los siguientes autores: Julia Huete, María Ramos, Cynthia Alfonso, Berliac, Nacho García, Los Bravú,Óscar Raña y Berto Fojo. Ocho ediciones repartidas durante todo el año, cada dos meses con dos lanzamientos dobles (Cynthia Alonso / Berliac, Óscar Raña / Berto Fojo). Share this page: [...]

04/12/2017

Juan FernándezApril 12, 2017los Cómics / NewsEmpezamos el día con el Fanzine Chileno; Martin Lopez Lam; El Museo Nacional de Japón; El Víbora; Sole Otero; Edd Muñoz; Conxita Herrero; Arturo Porras sobre Jack Kirby; Alexis Ziritt; y los tebeos de Comics Workbook. ————————————————————————————————— Uhu, papel y tijera – Constanza Gutiérrez y el Fanzine Chileno Hace dos semanas, el New York Times publicó un artículo titulado “¿Por qué internet no mató a los fanzines?”, y a los pocos días el diario El País también hizo lo suyo. Actualmente existen plataformas gratuitas para crear blogs y álbumes de fotos, y si la idea es conectar con otros o propagar una idea, se supone que la web es el medio adecuado, pero para un montón de gente no basta. Los fanzines viven hoy una época dorada y en Chile, como en varios otros países, están circulando muchos. Esta es una pequeña muestra. ————————————————————————————————— Alejandro Serrano entrevista a Martin Lopez Lam artista gráfico,editor, agitador cultural. De hablan? De todo. ALEJANDRO SERRANO: ¿Cómo surgió la idea de organizar un festival como Tenderete? MARTÍN LÓPEZ LAM: Surgió de casualidad. En septiembre del año 2010 vinieron a Valencia los portugueses de Chili Com Carne, que estaban haciendo una muestra-gira por Europa y llegaron a Lavakerí, que por entonces la llevaba Susana, con ayuda del Parras y mía. Ahí montamos una muestra, conocimos a los portugueses y éstos nos dijeron que hacían un festival en Lisboa, la Feria Laica. En diciembre del mismo año fui al festival y vi cómo la organizaban, a la vuelta pensé que no parecía tan complicado montar algo así, siempre y cuando hubiera gente interesada. Una de esas personas fue Clara Iris. Al final, fue todo muy improvisado. ————————————————————————————————— Cómics y noticias que me han llamado la atención esta semana: El Museo Nacional de Japón publica en su web casi 70 animes de la primera mitad del siglo XX. Tebeosfera os ofrece una galería con varias portadas la mítica revista El Víbora. Poncho Fue – Crónica de una relación tóxica, magníficamente contado por la argentina Sole Otero. Otero describe magníficamente en su novela gráfica los extremos de una relación sentimental dañina. Edd Muñoz abrió un blog, El Ojo Erratico, donde estara hablando de cómics. La primera entrada está dedicada a The End de Anders Nilsen. It’s Nice That le pone el spotlight a Conxita Herrero. Lanzate dentro su mundo lleno de color y emoción! Arturo Porras celebra el Centenario de Jack Kirby. Analiza y explora la vida y obra del Rey de los cómics en la ZONA NEGATIVA. Get an original page from #SpaceRiders volumen uno!!! Last opportunity to pick up art by Alexis Ziritt!!! Out of Step Arts had taken these SPACE RIDERS pages down, but so many folks asked about them so they’re now back for one last run. ————————————————————————————————— Blinkers – 4-12-2017 – by Jack Brougham ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 4-12-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 4-12-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

08/08/2017

Aaron CockleAugust 7, 2017NewsAaron Cockle here today with Flipism in the USA; New York Comics & Picture-story Symposium Fall 2017 Schedule; The Black Hood; Whit Taylor/Miranda Harmon; Workers of the World, Conform!; Book-making in the USA ————————————————————————————————— ‘At every crossroad of life, let Flipism chart your course!’ On an episode of the new season of the streaming Netflix series House of Cards, a political crisis in the United States may have to be decided by a coin flip (as determined by that country’s originating document of fundamental principals and established precedents), and the President in this alternate history extols the benefits of Flipism, a philosophy created by Carl Barks for a story in a Donald Duck comic in 1952. To date, Flipism remains as valid as any other belief system currently in practice. ————————————————————————————————— New York Comics & Picture-Story Symposium Fall 2017 Schedule Lectures of specific interest to readers of this newsblog include: September 26 – Katie Fricas October 3 – Sue Coe October 10 – Kurt Ankeny ————————————————————————————————— ‘A number of the cartoonists focus in on the grey, hazy feeling of depression.’ Rob Clough reviews the excellent anthology The Black Hood: An Anthology of Depression and Anxiety, edited by Josh Bayer and Mike Freiheit. With regard to trying to find a way out, Lizz Hickey’s “My Lamictal Side-Effect Diary” is another great fit for this book. There are many cartoonists here who do weird and unnerving autobio as well as bizarre fiction, so it makes sense not only to include them, but that they’d be willing to talk about it in such a blunt manner. Hickey goes week by week and talks about the doses of medication she’s taking and the effects, which range from nervous to sleepy, to normal, to frustrated. The final week seems promising at the highest dose, until she becomes manic, teary, and tired once again–and that’s the end of the strip. No further conclusions are offered. ————————————————————————————————— In other Rob Clough News… At his review blog, High-Low, Clough has started a new series, High-Low Intersection, an occasional (and hopefully soon to be regular) feature that will highlight reviews, essays and interviews by other writers about comics, specifically for this site. They will be posted on High-Low’s regular blank day (Friday) when they appear. There are so many excellent writers about comics and too few of them have a regular outlet for their work. In this first edition, Whit Taylor interviews Miranda Harmon: What advice would you give to fans of your work who are looking to make their own comics? People should come before work if you can help it. When you’re making friends, find your peers instead of chasing down your heroes. Keep reminding everyone that you exist by making comics and showing up. It can feel lonely at first but in my experience people respond to sincerity and kindness. Really listen and get to know people and draw from your own experiences when you make comics. ————————————————————————————————— But, Ostwald complained, in the realms of science and geistige Arbeit—which roughly translates as intellectual work—there had been “virtually no level of organization.” At Triple Canopy, Nader Vossoughian about the history of information standards, standardization of information, and what it all means for someone reading this on a computer screen (or printed out on regular paper, I guess): The imposition of uniformity that was achieved before and after WWII by the German state and party organizations is now more likely to be undertaken by software companies, industrial consortiums, and groups such as the ISO and ASTM International. They claim only to ease the circulation of information and goods, but in fact they make highly political decisions about, for instance, the flow of data in packets through broadband cables. As Andrew Russell asserts in Open Standards and the Digital Age: History, Ideology, and Networks (2014), the rhetoric of openness that characterizes the Internet belies the role of sophisticated (and nearly invisible) forms of hierarchical control. Russell scrutinizes the “system builders” who create the infrastructure on which we rely, and who are “always engaged in ideological and discursive work, not merely technical work.” ————————————————————————————————— Never Comes Tomorrow – Frank made a graphic novel about his parents and he needs help making handbound copies for each of them. Frank Santoro, our illustrious founder/editor-in-chief, is raising some money for a book-making project, and is offering a good deal of historical comics documents in support of this. Please consider helping out. ————————————————————————————————— And remember: ————————————————————————————————— A Cosmic Journey – 8-8-2017 – by Cameron Arthur ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 8-8-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 8-8-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

06/22/2017

Sally IngrahamJune 22, 2017NewsSam Ombiri brings thoughts on C.F.’s Powr Mastrs 3 – plus other links and comics for your Thursday! ————————————————————————————————— Sam Ombiri here: I read Powr Mastrs 3 by CF very often. Very, very often. Even more often than Powr Mastrs 2, but that could just be a result of me lending it to someone else. Powr Mastrs is the type of book you lend to other people. I’m more invested in Powr Mastrs 3 than 2, maybe as a result of the pace at which the characters are moving. The story doesn’t have a fast moving energy, but a slower more contemplative progression – not to say that this wasn’t the case for Powr Mastrs 2, it’s just there was only one real moment of action in 3 that I can think of. Only one complete, concrete, certain action that transformed the landscape of other events to come. So then, with 3 more so than 2, a certain weight is added to the momentum that was fueled by what had happened before 3. Of course I haven’t read 1 because I was kind of late to the party with CF. He begins the book by telling those who mimic him to “follow your own star.” Can you, the reader, draw like CF does? The way he draws seems impossible. It’s a very stubborn way to draw. He drew amazing characters – an amazing cast that you can imagine doing various things even before the story begins. So then it’s a real thrill to be seeing them moving in the story, mixing with your presumptions and what you imagined them to be like, and acting in accordance to their committed role. The beginning with the Circuit Runner feels like, as the reader, you’re being told to travel with the Circuit Runner. The beginning hints to us about what will come to fruition. The characters are quiet before they address us. They occupy their own moments before they address the reader, if at all. The first person who addresses us is Jim Bored, who is stretching his imagination to his limits. He asks “what was entertainment?” while stuck in his prison in Mosfet’s lab. Really similar to like what we do with art and stuff I guess – I wonder what question CF is asking here? Maybe it’s something about what symbolically happens when our deteriorating memory and alienated imagination reaches its limit. I felt that Jim Bored is still making stories that attempt to keep the mind going when trapped in an inescapable pit. Meanwhile, CF is drawing a reconstruction of perception after perception is lost or is slipping away. New China is an easy place to navigate, thanks to the way CF guides the reader from panel to panel. One moment floating gently into the next moment without any scheme to rush, beyond what feels like the needed pacing. The reveals that happen are slow as we pan to some hidden factor in New China of some unrevealed element that hasn’t come fully into fruition but is sure to be big when it does. The people we meet in New China are reduced to a fetishization of action figures. It’s a bit dizzying, the intense encounters with what feel like mirrors reflecting an energy present in our lives, but CF catches that energy in a jar and releases it in every page. The ways the characters look, and the way color comes in, is that similar feeling to when you’re a kid and the colors of packs of candy stick out to you, and part of the candy and enjoying the candy is the bright colors of the wrappers and the bags you rip – or all those cool action figures that you could never have and imagine playing with. – Sam Ombiri Get a copy of Powr Mastrs 3 HERE. ————————————————————————————————— 6-22-2017 – by Sam Ombiri ————————————————————————————————— Sally here – Ariell R. Johnson has been in business for over a year now, and her plans for Amalgam Comics & Coffee Shop are only getting grander. The Knight Foundation recently picked Johnson out of over 4,500 applicants to receive a grant of $50,000 – she will be expanding her space, and implementing more educational opportunities for the local community. Read more about her shop and her plans HERE. ————————————————————————————————— There’s a review of Space Riders: Galaxy of Brutality #2 on Nothing But Comics – they write: “I can’t say enough about Ziritt’s art, as it really is unlike any other style you see in comics now. It’s like the album art you saw on 70’s covers, bright and glaring, its subject matter seizing your eyes. On reflection, Ziritt’s style is like a spiritual continuation of Jack Kirby and Jim Steranko’s work in the 60’s. The bold body shapes, the sublime color combinations, and the geometric technology, it all was prominent in the heyday of comics and its mostly vanished in modern times.“ Read the rest HERE. Get a copy of Alexis Ziritt’s and Fabian Rangel Jr.’s other new comic, Tarantula, HERE from AdHouse Books. ————————————————————————————————— Work by Jim Pluk – he recently had a solo show in Mexico at the gallery TOBA. Check out more of Jim’s work HERE – and get a copy of his most recent comic Canosa’s Welcome HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Frank was the guest on Episode 219 of of Brian Heater’s RiYL podcast: “…unlike the Bay, his hometown is actually livable for an artist. In fact, he own two houses on the same street. The second, a mirror image of his own residence, is the headquarters of the Rowhouse Residency, an off-shoot of his long standing comics correspondence course that he likens to “a dojo for students much like a martial arts academy.” It’s an immersive school from which Santoro broadcasts lessons and publishes the work of the artist in residence, fueled by home cooked meals prepared by his mother who lives up the street. Santoro and I met up at his row house to discuss Pittsburgh comics, self-publishing and the shadow of Andy Warhol.“ Give it a listen HERE! Learn more about the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 6-22-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 6-22-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

08/23/2017

Juan FernándezAugust 23, 2017los Cómics / NewsEmpezamos el día con “Notas al pie” de Nacha Vollenweider; Elisa McCausland sobre la politica de Kate Evans y Catherine Meurisse; Vanesa R. Del Rey; Brian Sanchez; Andrea Galazina; Guerra de Soda de Jazmin Varela; FERIA RARA; y los tebeos de Cómics Workbook! ————————————————————————————————— Pablo Turnes escribe sobre Notas al pie de Nacha Vollenweider en Revista Kamandi. Nacha Vollenweider nació en 1983 en Río Cuarto, Córdoba, el último año de la dictadura militar que hizo de uno de sus tíos (Ignacio Manuel “El Corcho” Cisneros, militante montonero) uno de los 30.000 detenidos-desaparecidos, marca indeleble del país. Nacha (Ignacia) comparte nombre con aquel otro presente en su ausencia, cuyo rostro – entre otros – se multiplica en la casa de la abuela, una Madre de Plaza de Mayo, la Vasca. La autora carga con esa herencia familiar, que es expuesta como introducción a Notas al pie de forma sintética y didáctica, pero por sobre todo sincera, sin sobre explicaciones ni efectismos. Es una declaración identitaria y, por lo tanto, también política. Un salto nos traslada a Alemania – Hamburgo, más específicamente – donde Vollenweider reside desde hace algunos años junto a su pareja Carina (Chini), con quien se va a casar. El diálogo entre las dos, en lo que sería el “presente” del relato, siempre se produce arriba del tren. A partir de esos intercambios surgen recuerdos, reflexiones, vidas que se cruzan, se acercan y se alejan – y se extinguen – como las vías férreas. A la idea del movimiento y el traslado se le une la de lo rizomático: todo gira mientras va haciendo su propio camino en múltiples direcciones a la vez. Léanlo todo AQUI. ————————————————————————————————— Judaísmo + Robots Gigantes + Angustias adolescentes = El robot gigante del rabino – Una nueva historieta de Brian Janchez ————————————————————————————————— Andrea Galaxina necesita tus fanzines: ¡Hola! He empezado a colaborar con la Biblioteca de Mujeres de Madrid llevando el departamento de fanzines. De momento no contamos con una grandísimo número de fanzines en los fondos de la Biblioteca ¡pero eso tiene que cambiar! Por eso hago un llamamiento desde aquí para que te animes a donar tus fanzines y que estos formen parte de la gran iniciativa que es la Biblioteca de Mujeres. Aquí os dejo toda la información sobre por qué y cómo donar tus fanzines. Por supuesto estoy a vuestra disposición para solucionar cualquier duda que podáis tener, tan solo tenéis que escribirme un email a bombasparadesayunar(a)gmail.com y os contestaré encantada. Puedes saber más sobre la Biblioteca de Mujeres consultando estos enlaces. Catálogo e información general: http://www.mujerpalabra.net/bibliotecademujeres/index.htm Artículo sobre la BdM: http://ctxt.es/es/20170524/Culturas/12929/biblioteca-mujeres-fondo-libros-ctxt.htm ¡Difunde y Comparte este flyer a todas las autoras de fanzines que conozcas! [Puedes descargarte el flyer aquí: https://goo.gl/ukvBRB] ————————————————————————————————— Este fin de semana en Chile:FERIA RARA – 26 – 27 de agosto – la FERIA RARA en el maravilloso lugar de Axolote Matta, Santa Rosa 955, Santiago. Bandas – Editoriales – Sellos – Ilustradores y más ————————————————————————————————— Los cómics y las noticias que me han llamado la atención esta semana: ¿Qué hace que un cómic sea político? Elisa McCausland explora la propuestas recientementes de Kate Evans con La Rosa Roja y Catherine Meurisse con La Levedad. Sol Díaz Castillo y Marcela Trujillo tienen una nueva edicion de La Polola Podcast! Las chicas conversan con Sofía Flores y Catalina Cartagena, dos amigas dibujantes que han recorrido su carrera juntas, desde la música, las escuelas de arte, química, ilustración, la publicación de sus historias, fanzines y mucho más. Nos mostrarán sus ideas, secretos y animales guías. BEYOND REDLANDS: THE COMIC ART OF VANESA R. DEL REY – Over in the UK, Vanesa R. Del Rey will have my original pages and sketchbooks on display at Orbital Comics for a September exhibition. Brits, this is for you to drool at and be inspired by! Anteayer empezó la venta anticipada de “Guerra de soda”, el primer libro de Jazmin Varela que va a publicar la editorial Maten Al Mensajero. “Persecuciones en bici, divorcios, veranos con los abuelos, piojos. En “Guerra de soda”, Jazmín Varela es una niña tramposa y sensible que atraviesa como puede los pequeños espantos de la infancia. Construida a sí misma en el terreno mutante del fanzine, logra un retrato áspero y festivo sin engolosinarse en la clausura total de lo autobiográfico y estirando lo anecdótico a sus costados más reveladores. Para Jazmín, la niñez es un lugar más problemático que idílico donde los cambios, la negligencia de los adultos, el dolor y la incomodidad conviven naturalmente con los cumpleaños, los recreos y las piletas. Batallas que cuando se es niño parecen gigantes e igual de significativas, como llegar al club con la malla equivocada o acostumbrarse a una nueva configuración familiar. ¿A quién le importan? Si el día puede terminar comiendo un helado con doble cono y bañado en lluvia de rocklets.” Andrea Guzmán, periodista cultural y amiga de las comiquitas. Vino Joven: “Justin Green y el surgimiento del cómic autobiográfico”, un artículo de Irene Costa Mendia en CuCo 1. ———————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 8-23-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ———————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 8-23-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

03/17/2017

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Sally Ingraham

Sally Ingraham here to finish your week with Alison Bechdel, Iona Fox, Sally Cantrino, the Women In Comics Collective, and more!

—————————————————————————————————

Keep an eye out for new Dykes To Watch Out For strips from Alison Bechdel! After drawing them continually from 1983 to 2008, she now makes new ones when inspiration strikes – which it did this week, along with the “Ides of Trump” campaign. See the rest of the strip above at Seven Days – HERE.

—————————————————————————————————

The Women in Comics Collective has a show up at the Grace Gallery in Namm Hall at the New York City College of Technology in Downtown Brooklyn from March 16th – April 20th. The show was curated by Sara Woolley and includes artwork by these rad ladies (@etc. are all Instagram handles, FYI – look them up!):

Laura Alvarez @bigeyesworld, Lara Antal @sowhatpress, Selina Briggs @thejellyempire, Marguerite Dabaie @mdabaie, Micheline Hess @gamera2000, Janet Lee @dapper_janet, Alice Meichi Li @alicemeichi, Ellen Lindner @ellenlinda, Alitha Martinez @ariotstorm, Paige Pumphrey @paigey_pumphrey, Regine Sawyer @rslockettdown (panel discussion moderator & exhibitor) and Dr. Shamika Mitchell @blackbootie (panel discussion moderator)

Via Ellen Linder – from the show, her painting of the cover of *Black Feather Falls*, and work by Lara Antal and Marguarite Dabaie

The Women in Comics Collective “(WinC for short- Pronounced Wink), is an Artistic and Informative Initiative that began in May of 2012. It serves to educate communities about the role and merit of Women working in the Comic Book/Multimedia industries as well as highlight the importance of Literacy through Comic Books.” They do a lot of outreach through panels and workshops, and a traveling art exhibition. Learn more about them HERE.

Check out the Women in Comics Con on March 25th at The Bronx Library Center – more details HERE and Facebook event details HERE.

—————————————————————————————————

Adam Griffiths interviewed Sally Cantrino for his latest Zine Tree. They talk about how music plays a roll in Sally’s storytelling.

“I pretty much always build a playlist or end up with one specific song/album attached in my head to whatever comic I’m working on, The starting point for a lot of my comics is “I was listening to a song and it reminded me of/made me feel like…” and building from there.

For Mysteries in particular I wanted to express the intense emotional experiences and catharsis I’ve had involving music, especially at live shows – feeling completely in a moment to the point where time and space don’t matter, where you’re just overwhelmed with love and joy or sorrow or whatever emotion is being evoked in the song, or with dancing or moshing or keeping your head above the crowd, sharing that experience with your closest friend or total strangers. Or how songs or albums get associated with specific experiences and places and times in your life, that big swell of emotion and longing that you feel.“

Read the rest of the interview HERE!

—————————————————————————————————

The A.V. Club released a list of 10 Female Cartoonists You Need To Know. Composed by Zainab Akhtar (of Comics and Cola) it recognizes the work of folks like Mickey Z – whose Instagram comic Space Academy 123 (above) is currently my favorite thing online – and Vanesa R. Del Rey, Laura Park, and Aphton Corbin among others. Zainab’s comments on why such lists are still needed ring 100% true.

“On the one hand, it’s absolutely strange to continue to have “women in X field” features when women make up more than half the world’s population, and sure, it’d be nice to be beyond the engagement of these reductive stances. On the other hand, we’re not even close to parity, and lists like this can be very effective in quickly introducing work that’s overlooked. So, yes, these are all female artists, but these are all excellent artists, full stop. Here’s a selection of artists who you may not be as familiar with, but who are producing interesting and brilliant work—work that is resonating within the medium and with audiences. And that’s what we aim to recognize and celebrate.“

Check out the whole list HERE.

—————————————————————————————————

Page 1 of *The Most Important Love of Every Woman Should be Herself* by Guadalupe and Iona Fox

The Vermont Folk Life Center has shared their project The Most Costly Journey (in Spanish, El viaje más caro). It is “an ethnographic cartooning project that employs collaborative storytelling as a tool to mitigate loneliness, isolation, and despair among Latin American migrant farm workers on Vermont dairy farms.” Learn more about it HERE. Among the 8 contributing cartoonists are Tillie Walden, and Iona Fox (whose story is pictured above).

—————————————————————————————————

P. S.

Paste Magazine interviews Liz Prince and Amanda Kirk about their comic Coady and the Creepies – the latest “girl-band” romp, coming out from Boom! Studios – more HERE.
Katie Skelly on Eleanor Davis‘ Libby’s Dad – for The Comics Journal.

—————————————————————————————————

The Spring Semester of the Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers is upon us – rolling start date – just apply!

The course is 8 weeks long – 500 bux – payment plans are available.

More details can be found HERE – or email santoroschoolATgmail.

Not ready to commit to an 8 week course but still want to put some thought towards making comics or leveling up your skill set? Check out thee Santoro School Handbook – 16 pages of comics-making gold!

—————————————————————————————————

Blinkers – 3-17-2017 – by Jack Brougham

—————————————————————————————————

Suzy and Cecil – 3-17-2017 – by Gabriella Tito

—————————————————————————————————

Joanie and Jordie – 3-17-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio

Share this page:

Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in NewsTagged Alison Bechdel, caleb orecchio, gabriella tito, Iona Fox, jack brougham, mickey z, sally cantrino, women in comics collective

Sally Ingraham

Posted on March 17, 2017

Explore

Thee Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers

Frank SantoroMarch 21, 2018ClassesHi, Frank Santoro here! I’ve been teaching my comics correspondence course since 2011. You will never meet someone as enthusiastic about comics as me. I’m a good coach. The course is 8 weeks – I run several semesters a year but I will work with you if you want to start the course between semesters. 500 bux for 8 weeks plus access to my coaching for as long as you need. Payment plans are available. Floating start date! Apply anytime – I can run the course for you whenever it fits your schedule! Email santoroschoolATgmail for more details. The most common questions I get about the Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers is: “How does the correspondence course work?” The way the course works is that there is a private blog where you get all of your assignments. This blog is updated every day with demos related to each assignment. We do a lot of fast drawing to get you thinking about sequencing much like a storyboard artist. Over the 8 week course you will create a 16 page “signature” – that means that you will basically draw two pages a week. Email me – santoroschoolATgmail – and I will send you an invite to the course that just wrapped so you can see how it works for yourself. “What if I have a full-time job? Do you think I can manage to find the time to do the course within the 8 week time frame?” I’ve had many students in the past who have had full time jobs. I designed the course so that you can do it when you have the time – at night, weekends, etc. If you “fall behind” it doesn’t matter because I will work with you to complete your 16 page comic even after the course ends. The idea of the eight week course is to impress upon you the structure of a deadline which, I believe, is central to comics making. I know lots of talented comics makers who never seem to be able to finish anything. Comics is all about the deadline. So 16 pages in eight weeks is what we aim for – however if your job or other commitments prevent you from completing the comic, I will work with you until the comic is finished. “What if I can’t afford to pay for the course all at once?” Not a problem. I’m very flexible with payment plans. Talk to me about it and I promise you that I will make you an offer that you cannot refuse. If you think there is no way that you could afford this course then think again. Often I have found that people chicken out about actually doing the work by using the “I can’t afford it” excuse. I will work with you in ways that no “real” school would ever work with you. Also my course is way more affordable than just about any other comics program out there. 500 bux for an 8 week course plus access to my coaching for as long as you need. Thanks! Please email me santoroschoolATgmail with any questions regarding the course. I accept applications at all times. Santoro School Application guidelines: -3 figure drawings done on blank 3 x 5 index cards -3 landscape drawings done on blank 3 x 5 index cards -3 still life drawings done on blank 3 x 5 cards -draw in a contour line style – Think Matisse – no under-drawing – draw directly in ink -just send me small jpgs of images – dont post to your blog pls -specific url links to any comics work you have done. If you haven’t done comics before that is not a problem. Send applications to: santoroschoolATgmail Thanks xo Frank @santoro.frank on Instagram http://www.tcj.com/category/columns/riff-raff/ http://coldheatcomics.blogspot.com/ http://www.coldheatcomics.com/ Share this page: [...]

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: [...]

03/23/2016

Juan FernándezMarch 23, 2016NewsHagio Moto in the limelight; Julie Doucet’s latest; New York Review Comics announced; Rolling Black Outs stacked; Denver Indepent Comics Expo. ————————————————————————————————— Hagio Moto spotlight on Urasawa no Manben There is a great sub of the 1st episode of the 2nd season of Urasawa Naoki no Manben with author Hagio Moto. Don’t miss a behind the scenes look at the life and work of the founding mothers of shōjo manga! For those hungry for more, check out Matt Thorn’s TCJ interview of Hagio-san from 2005. Urasawa Naoki no Manben (which, roughly translated, means “Naoki Urasawa‘s Manga Exertions”) is hosted by veteran manga artist Naoki Urasawa (Monster, Pluto,20th Century Boys) and follows different artists each episode, watching them draw their manga from scratch and exploring what differentiates their styles. Amazing show, with a great format for comics makers by comics makers. Watch the subbed episode over on Daily Motion. ————————————————————————————————— Carpet Sweeper Tales There’s Nice write-up of the new Julie Doucet book, Carpet Sweeper Tales book by Joe McCulloch over at TCJ. Doucet, in a four-word introduction, requests you read everything in the book out loud – this is much harder than it seems, as some of the text is made up of symbols, and many of the words are broken down to some (not all) of their component letters. In this way, the book also evokes experimental vocal performance – Meredith Monk, for instance. Check it out over on the Comics Journal. ————————————————————————————————— New York Review Comics New York Review Books has announced their new line of classic comics reprints, New York Review Comics. In the tradition of NYRC Classics, NYRC will present new editions of out-of-print masterpieces and new translation of books that have never been published in English. The books will be of all sorts, from intimate memoirs to absurdist gags, from graphic novels to dizzying experiments. NYRC is coming out of the gate reprinting Mark Beyer’s Agony, an impeccable first choice. This is very, very exciting. If you’ve never had a chance to before, Mark Beyer’s delightfully mordant Agony, at Lithub now. ————————————————————————————————— http://sarahglidden.tumblr.com/post/141552146632/5-years-279-pages-rolling-blackouts-is-finally Rolling Black Outs Sarah Glidden shows how all her hard work piles up. You can get a look at Sarah’s process on the book over on her site. Lots of behind the scenes looks at her thumbnails, watercolors and all around design. Rolling Blackouts details Glidden’s two-month long journey through Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. Glidden accompanies her two friends—reporters and founders of the journalistic non-profit The Seattle Globalist—as they research stories on the Iraq War’s effect on the Middle East and, specifically, the war’s refugees. Joining them is a former Marine and childhood friend of one of the journalists whose deployment to Iraq in 2007 adds an unexpected and sometimes unwelcome viewpoint, both to the people they come across and perhaps even themselves. Rolling Black Outs will be published by Drawn and Quarterly this October. ————————————————————————————————— Denver Independent Comics Expo – DINK The inaugural DINK is this Weekend. Get the scoop on DIN over on their site. They’ve got a crazy amount of panels and workshops. Check out the smorgasbord and see what’s up your alley. Share this page: [...]

03/10/2017

Sally IngrahamMarch 9, 2017NewsSally here with comics by Leslie Stein, Tyler Cohen, Anna Krzton, Posy Simmonds, and Martha Thomases, plus other interesting news and events to wrap up your week! ————————————————————————————————— I read Gemma Bovery this week, the comic Posy Simmonds based on Madam Bovery which originally ran as a weekly strip in The Guardian (concluding in 1999, leaving it’s readers inconsolable, apparently.) Simmonds’ way of combining text with comics is quite marvelous, and astonishingly well done. As a reviewer wrote back in 2000: “Simmonds has, in this sense, two kinds of blank paper staring at her every morning, and she should be honoured for filling them so perfectly, with such a combination of daring and what looks like effortlessness.” – Nicholas Lezard for The Guardian The book is wildly entertaining, with wonderful pacing and characterizations – which comes from both Posy’s drawing chops and her storytelling. Read the rest of Nicholas Lezard’s excellent review HERE. I highly recommend this and Posy Simmonds’ other graphic novel, Tamara Drewe (which was also serialized in The Guardian.) I went down a Posy Simmonds rabbit hole after finished Gemma Bovery, and resurfaced with this terrific piece of research and writing about the strip that started it all for her – The Silent Three – which was published weekly in The Guardian from 1977-87. The strip was collected but the collections haven’t been reprinted, despite Posy’s continuing popularity (both her graphic novels were turned into very well received films). It’s nice then that on the blog Sunday Comics Debt there are scans of a dozen of Posy’s strips, and the writer’s thoughts on the development and content of the work. Good stuff – check it out HERE. His only real complaint is that at times the strips are SO British they can be mysterious to an American reader! Here’s a recent interview with Posy Simmonds, now in her 70’s and not slowing down a bit – she was a judge at this year’s Angoulême festival, and is currently working on a new book. Here also is a peak into some of her sketchbooks. And there ends THAT rabbit hole for the moment! ————————————————————————————————— I’ve also been reading Dakota North Investigations this week. It was a short series from 1986 written by Martha Thomases and drawn by Tony Salmons. I’ve gotten a kick out of it – I always enjoy a smart, badass investigator who has rad style, and Martha Thomases script is pretty engaging. She mentions the series much later in her regular column on ComicMix: “Over the years, Dakota North has appeared in a few other comics, most recently in Daredevil. These takes are interesting, but they are not my story. No one has ever really understood what I was trying to do with the character. They see her as another tough broad action figure, and that’s a part of her. I modeled her physically on a friend of mine, who had the height and the hair and the beauty to capture the attention of those in any room she entered. But Dakota’s also a woman trying to win her father’s approval while she pushes him away, that tug-of-war adult children have with their parents.“ Although 20 years passed between her script for Dakota North and the next time Martha wrote for comics, she kept busy with other writing and research. She still writes regularly about comics for ComicMix, and will go so far as to say “Everything I need to know, I learned from superhero comics.“ ————————————————————————————————— Just Indie Comics shares three short comics by Polish cartoonist Anna Krztoń. “These three stories depict only some of the many nuances of her cartooning, starting with the realism we find both in Constant Sorrow and Early Mornings, similar for mood and topic to First Weeks, a self-published mini-comic I briefly reviewed in this Misunderstanding Comics episode (only in Italian, sorry). Room of My Own is instead a different work, less narrative and more impressionistic, an example of a dreamy mood, abstract and naive, that is an essential feature of Krztoń’s comics.” – Gabriele Di Fazio Check out the comics HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Leslie Stein returns to VICE with 1994 – wherein she “falls in and out of love with Green Day, and goes to a barbershop quartet convention.” The first part is above, the rest is HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Tyler Cohen‘s comic Evident Truths is on MUTHA Magazine – it was originally published as part of PEN Illustrated’s State of Emergency feature: #ArtistsResist. Read the whole thing HERE. ————————————————————————————————— High Tide Line Check out this cool event on Monday if you’re anywhere near The Strand Bookstore in NYC – I’m Drawn This Way: Cartoonists on Cartooning – details HERE. It’s the launch of Pénélope Bagieu’s new book, and a discussion with panelists Natalie Andrewson, Katie Skelly, Julia Gfrörer, and Whit Taylor, moderated by Meg Lemke of the Brooklyn Book Festival, PEN America, and MUTHA Magazine. The Comics Journal just published an interview with Sophie Yanow, who is a very busy lady these days – maintaining her status as one of the best non-fiction comics makers while also teaching and doing translation work – more HERE. Disa Wallander has a comics shop, full of her Sparkle zines and plenty of sarcasm – HERE. The Chicago Reader has a nice feature about Trina Robbins and her past and future work – read it HERE. She says the East Village Other strip Gentle’s Tripout created by “Panzika” was her inspiration for making her own comics – after she made the startling discovery that this favorite strip was actually drawn by a woman (underground cartoonist Nancy Burton)! Since we’re on the topic now, here’s an interview from last year with Nancy Burton on The Comics Journal. Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers alum Mary Shyne has a comic on The Nib – Trumpian Timekeeping. “ISIS, weirdly, has not been defeated yet.“ Rob Clough wrote about Cathy Johnson‘s Gorgeous recently – review HERE. ————————————————————————————————— We are diving into a busy 2nd year of the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency. Gabriella Tito is here this week, already our 4th resident of 2017, and we are starting a wait list for the summer months. It’s amazing and exciting to have these aspiring and professional cartoonists alike come to work on comics in Pittsburgh, plugging into our vibrant local scene, and infusing it with fresh energy. Interested in joining us for a week or more? Email santoroschool@gmail.com to learn how to apply. There are still openings in April and May, with that wait list available for the summer months. After a break for show season we will be picking up scheduling once again in late October. 500 bux for a week and a life-changing experience. Read some of our Residency Reports HERE. Email santoroschool@gmail.com for more info. ————————————————————————————————— Blinkers – 3-10-2017 – by Jack Brougham ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 3-10-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 3-10-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio ————————————————————————————————— Cozytown – 3-10-2017 – by Juan Fernandez Share this page: [...]

05/30/2017

Aaron CockleMay 29, 2017NewsAaron Cockle here today with Saul Steinberg and Cauleen Smith at SAIC; Kevin Czap at CCS; FBI Art; Writers’ Woes; Douglas Wolk ————————————————————————————————— Along the Lines: Selected Drawings by Saul Steinberg At The Art Institute of Chicago through October 29, 2017: Steinberg defined drawing as “a way of reasoning on paper,” and he remained committed to the act of drawing in an era dominated by large-scale painting and sculpture. Throughout his long career, he used drawing to think about the semantics of art, reconfiguring stylistic signs into a new language suited to modern life. He was, as the title of one of his books puts it, the “inspector,” seeing through every false front, every pretense. Sometimes with affection, sometimes with irony, but always with virtuoso mastery, Steinberg peeled back the carefully wrought masks of 20th-century civilization. While you’re there, you can also check out the Cauleen Smith: Human_3.0 Reading List exhibit: In this series of 57 drawings—each produced on 8½ × 12- inch graph paper in watercolor over graphite, occasionally elaborated with acrylic—the artist proposes a selection of books that is both personal, conveyed by the frequent inclusion of fingers or a thumb shown holding up a given book, and idiosyncratic. Harriet Tubman, C. L. R. James, and bell hooks find their place alongside Starfish, Sea Urchins, and Their Kin by Nelson Herwig. Together the drawings ask challenging questions: Have you read these books? Will you read these books? What will they mean to you? What do they mean to us now? Which titles might be missing? An artist whose primary discipline is film, Smith has incorporated various influences and references in her images—science fiction, the black diaspora, and the lyrical potential of landscape. She first garnered national recognition with her feature-length film Drylongso (1998), which she completed during her graduate training at UCLA’s film school. In 2010, Smith moved to Chicago, where her work has grown increasingly site-specific and engaged in social activism. She created the Solar Flare Arkestral Marching Band Project, which has organized flash-mob appearances of a marching band composed of youth groups from the city’s South Side. This and other recent works have explicitly invoked the legacy of pioneering composer and performer Sun Ra, whose music and elaborate self-defining mythology also propelled the broader artistic movement of Afrofuturism. ————————————————————————————————— GOOD NEWS! Kevin Czap is The Center for Cartoon Studies 2017-18 Fellow Congrats, Kevin! ————————————————————————————————— On Bodies & Redaction A photo-essay from J.K. Trotter at the sorely-missed Black Bag blog about the human hand of the state, using art supplies: In their most common form, government-sanctioned redactions obscure text: names and code names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers, the classified and top-secret—each a tiny black site housing a discrete, unknowable entity. For all of their apparent precision, each redaction expresses a set of underlying assumptions about identity and recognition, about the way we discipline noise into information. ————————————————————————————————— The Dadaists had Cabaret Voltaire; Dorothy Parker, the Algonquin Hotel. Margaret Atwood cut her teeth in Toronto coffeehouses. Jason Guriel looks at the life and the writer, the lives of writers, and which is better: the individual or the community. “‘What is the role of the writer to her society?’ was a question Wallace Stevens took up and his answer was: none,” says Souvankham Thammavongsa, a poet whose strange poetic miniatures underscore her belief that she represents a constituency of one. A writer’s real responsibility, she suggests, is “to build a voice and to keep building that voice.” This stands in stark contrast to the civic-minded suggestion that writers apply their bricks and mortar to some cloud-city of togetherness. The latter sounds lovely, the former, merely honest. ————————————————————————————————— I’VE DONE IT!! I’M DRIFTING INTO A WORLD OF LIMITLESS DIMENSIONS!! Noted comics and culture critic Douglas Wolk has a process blog at All of the Marvels: ————————————————————————————————— A Cosmic Journey – 5-30-2017 – by Cameron Arthur ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 5-30-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 5-30-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply