Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Juan Fernández

Posted on April 11, 2018

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11/14/2017

Aaron CockleNovember 14, 2017NewsAaron Cockle today with Comic Sans; Yayoi Kusama; Claes Oldenburg; Jason Shiga; Nancy; Michelangelo Buonarroti ————————————————————————————————— ‘Hating Comic Sans Is Ableist’ Lauren Hudgins looks at the Comic Sans font, its detractors, and how people with dyslexia use it to read: Comic Sans and Arial are readily available because they are included by default in many operating systems and word-processing programs, and they are web-safe fonts. A pamphlet from the office of student services at my sister’s school on accommodations for dyslexic students is printed in Comic Sans on blue paper in both English and Welsh. Other common fonts suggested by the British Dyslexia Association include Century Gothic, Verdana, Calibri, and Trebuchet. (Trebuchet was also designed by Connare.) ————————————————————————————————— Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors On Instagram, the Broad’s geotag summons a seemingly endless stream of photos of museumgoers – individuals, couples, children – holding smartphones up to Kusama’s reflective surfaces. The rise of art selfies like these has become a bone of contention among the art world elite, inciting a backlash in Kusama’s case. The New York Times’ Roberta Smith called her “a bit of a charlatan” who “stoops to conquer with mirrored ‘infinity’ rooms that attract hordes of selfie-seekers”. The LA Times went further: “The most interesting feature of the rooms is that looking at the ubiquitous photos of them is as fulfilling as actually being there”. Apartment Therapy meanwhile, declared her David Zwirner exhibition “the Instagram exhibit to end all Instagram exhibits”. ————————————————————————————————— Claes Oldenburg: Shelf Life Taken together, the sculptures in Shelf Life represent a compendium of the ideas and objects that have resonated throughout Oldenburg’s life and practice, now revealed in completely new relationships. As an artist pivotal to the evolution of contemporary art throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, Oldenburg has approached this latest period of his career as, he said, “a time to decide what one keeps.” These are the images he has chosen to keep. ————————————————————————————————— ‘The Science of Demon’ Jason Shiga guest-blogging at Locus Mag: Science fiction has always been my favorite genre, especially when the story takes the form of scientific discovery itself. There’s something incredibly satisfying about the classic scientific method of observing, imagining, testing and finally getting a clear answer from the universe about some fundamental way it’s structured. I feel the human mind has a science shaped keyhole in it and hearing a good story or joke or cleverly designed experiment all satisfy that same part of the brain. It could be Sherlock Holmes figuring out that what everyone else thought was a ghost was just a (spoiler for 100 year old story) dog covered in luminescent paint. In a way, I think all great fiction is science fiction of a sort. ————————————————————————————————— Mark Newgarden and Paul Karasik on How To Read Nancy: The Elements of Comics in Three Easy Panels The 200th meeting of the NY Comics & Picture-story Symposium will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 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. Cartoonists and scholars, Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden use a single three-panel Nancy strip to explain how the medium of comics works. Everything that you need to know about reading, making, and understanding comics can be found in a single Nancy strip by Ernie Bushmiller from August 8, 1959. Mark Newgarden and Paul Karasik’s groundbreaking work How to Read Nancy (Fantagraphics Books, 2017) ingeniously isolates the separate building blocks of the language of comics through the deconstruction of a single strip. As much a lecture about visual literacy and the benefits of deep-reading, students, academics, scholars, cartoonists and casual fans will be stunned to understand that the secret language of comics is right before their eyes. Paul Karasik is the co-author (along with David Mazzucchelli) of the perennial graphic novel classic City of Glass, adapted from Paul Auster’s novel. His cartoons appear in the New Yorker. Paul teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design. Mark Newgarden is an acclaimed cartoonist and author of the book We All Die Alone, the co-creator of “Garbage Pail Kids”, and the co-author (with Megan Montague Cash) of the award-winning Bow Wow series of children’s books. Mark teaches at Parsons and Pratt Institute. ————————————————————————————————— Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman & Designer This exhibition presents a stunning range and number of works by the artist: 133 of his drawings, three of his marble sculptures, his earliest painting, his wood architectural model for a chapel vault, as well as a substantial body of complementary works by other artists for comparison and context. Among the extraordinary international loans are the complete series of masterpiece drawings he created for his friend Tommaso de’ Cavalieri and a monumental cartoon for his last fresco in the Vatican Palace. Selected from 50 public and private collections in the United States and Europe, the exhibition examines Michelangelo’s rich legacy as a supreme draftsman and designer. ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 11-14-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 11-14-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio ————————————————————————————————— Cozytown – 11-14-2017 – by Juan Fernandez [1] Share this page: [...]

08/12/2016

Sally IngrahamAugust 12, 2016NewsSally here on this August Friday, where the temps are hot, hot, and the comics are too…! Today we’ve got Sarah Glidden with new reportage comics, Brigid Alverson and Rob Kirby bringing the review roundups, an Art Trip with Gabriella Tito, self-help from Yumi Sakugawa, Shapereader from Ilan Manouach, and something new from Inés Estrada. ————————————————————————————————— First off, we have the TOTALLY AMAZING AUCTION of an Eightball era time capsule box, donated by Daniel Clowes to help support the school. Check out the video above for a taste of the contents and the firecracker commentary of Jim Rugg and Frank Santoro. Personal items, artwork…we weren’t sure we even wanted to part with things like Clowes’ Windsor-Newton Series 7 brush #3…!! However, all the items in the box could be yours, so jump into the mayhem – auction runs until Wednesday, August 17th at noon EST. Check it the auction HERE! ————————————————————————————————— The School Library Journal recently published a great roundup of comics that display a bicultural America. Compiled and thoughtfully investigated by the amazing Brigid Alverson (editor of the Good Comics for Kids blog and 2012 Eisner Awards judge) the list includes many self-published and small press works, and features insights from the makers and perspective on what makes the comics medium especially well suited for telling culturally specific stories. ‘Many creators are drawn to how the visual aspect of the graphic novel medium enriches their narratives. “My story has a lot of awkwardness, and not all awkwardness is verbal,” says Brosgol (author of ‘Anya’s Ghost’). “I want the reader to feel for my protagonist, and being able to see her eyes when she’s going through something is so effective. I have big stretches with no text at all; those are the biggest treat to draw because it’s pure acting. I also love comics’ breezy ability to show physical humor—it’s much funnier to see someone falling in a ditch than to read a laborious description.”‘ Read the whole thing HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Staying very much on topic, Yumi Sakugawa guest posted over on the Angry Asian Men blog this week (see image above for a description of what you can get into) – check out the rest HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Gabriella Tito visited the Orlando Museum of Art recently and scribbled down some thoughts on the work she saw there and how it related to her own comics process. “…there was a video of Dawn Roe’s Mountain Field Studies being projected onto the wall. I almost felt like I was looking at a comic of fleeting observations of a mountain. In this series, she carefully put together details of a mountain into a series of blocked out images, and even some grids thrown in there! I couldn’t help but think about the observations I make when I’m creating a comic based on the environment around me. When I’m making an observational comic, I’ll usually make broader “statements” at first, meaning I don’t go too much into detail with the environment. These drawings will usually be wide shots of the scene, or even quick silhouettes of the subject matter. Then, I’ll start zooming in more and capturing those details in different ways. I like holding the tempo sometimes and lingering on a subject for a panel or two and then moving on. I apply this concept to other works I make as well and it hasn’t failed me yet!“ Read the rest of Gabriella’s Art Trip HERE! ————————————————————————————————— Hyperallergic caught up with Ilan Manouach, the artist who is making up an “entire new language composed of sculptural, touchable symbols and patterns, which are pieced together to tell a story.” Comics for the blind. With the Shapereader system, Manouach has made a 57-page comic called Arctic Circle. ‘The tundra of Lapland served as inspiration for Arctic Circle. “My whole visual landscape consisted of layers of dense snow imprinted by different animal traces, leftovers of a frenetic night activity,” Manouach says. Readers feel their way through the textural narrative, piecing together the story of two climatologists exploring the North Pole, research an ice column containing records of climate change in past ages. On their journey, they encounter traders, human rights activists, and Inuit dwellers. “They hope to decipher cryptic patterns, pretty much the same way the readers of Arctic Circle engage with the work,” Manouach says.‘ Check out more pictures of the book pages HERE and find out more about the Shapereader project. ————————————————————————————————— Sarah Glidden made a comic about Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein for The Nib this week. See the whole thing HERE! ————————————————————————————————— Rob Kirby’s Review Roundup, August 2016 Edition, wound up on Panel Patter this month, and as usual it’s full of excellent comics odds n’ ends. Of particular interest to me were his notes on work by Sophie FS – “…a mere 15 years old, she has a strikingly fluid, organic style of drawing—the antithesis of the manicured digital art that’s everywhere these days.” He reviewed three of her comics, settling on Iced Tea as his favorite. “…I was most struck by the emotionally direct Iced Tea, a short memoir about an incident of childhood emotional abuse. Sophia relates the time she and her brother were deliberately dropped off on the side of a country road by their mother for unspecified reasons: “She was angry at us and needed some time to cool off, I guess.” The bewildered pair, wondering if she will return, wander off into some sort of woodsy artist commune, where a simple act of kindness—something the children are clearly unused to—triggers a deep emotional reaction. Readers may find this story triggering memories of their own childhood sorrows—I’ve rarely seen such an honest depiction of vulnerability. The piece is made all the more moving by its straightforward presentation. I look forward to seeing what Sophia FS will be doing in the future—she is a talent to watch.” – Rob Kirby See what Sophie is getting up to HERE – and check out the rest of Rob’s August 2016 reviews HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Inés Estrada has a new book out called Sixth Mass Extinction, available via Perfectly Acceptable Press. It’s a “…psychedelic vision of creatures and ecosystems in decline. 20 (!!) new 4-color Risograph drawings. We fucked up and nature knows.” More picture samples HERE. ————————————————————————————————— This is Sally, signing off. Cheers! Share this page: [...]

04/19/2018

Comics WorkbookApril 18, 2018NewsSam Ombiri on Joe Daly’s The Red Monkey – plus Frank Santoro at Naples Comicon in Italy! —————————————————————————————————————————— Sam Ombiri here: When reading comics, or engaging with any art form really, there’s this confrontation with internal noise that I have to dealt with – that for unknown reasons I feel desperate to make sense of. I wonder…this whole comics thing…what’s it for? Different artists at different times speak to me, to help make sense of it all, and I’m certain this is what it’s like for everyone who reads comics. For me this week, I’m not saying Joe Daly’s The Red Monkey rectified ALL of this ongoing anxiety, but reading The Red Monkey was in some ways an answer to some of my questions – in a big way, really. This isn’t the first time Joe Daly’s book has given me a real gut punch. Daly’s comics in general feel like a really sincere reaction to the energy that comics poses. When I say sincere, I mean he makes comics that don’t seem concerned with the reception that will be given to the book that he’s made. Every drawing he made was at the service of the form, and engaging with the ideas he is engaging with, as opposed to aiming to get attention and accolades. Telling a story means less and less for people. It’s too simple; too boring. People feel desperate to make comics more useful, and as a result can forsake the form altogether, and that’s not without its consequences – comics feel increasing impotent. With The Red Monkey, it doesn’t feel like Daly wonders how people will consume it. He engages with comics like it’s something to make things that are difficult to understand, understandable. As though comics are an effective way for any reader to be confronted with what’s not understandable. I remember Stan Brakhage quoting Bresson (in a conversation Bresson was having with Godard) about how it’s important to convince your audience to like you – and making a thing aesthetically pleasing so that you can take your audience certain places. The Red Monkey was so easy to read, without it’s simplicity being a big deal, and the environment was so well rendered – never did I have to ask where I was or what the the character was doing. It’s this clarity that’s important when making stories. With that in mind, I’m reminded of a moment in Daly’s Highbone Theater and how I was sucked into Palmer’s idea about 9/11 without questioning it or mocking it, because of how infectious the narrative was. It’s in the same fashion that I’m sucked into the madness going on in The Red Monkey. That’s what art can do. I keep having this recurring stupid mini revelation, or rather I had this thought a year ago, and it’s nothing impressive, but it’s really stuck with me. This revelation has to do with how potent attitude is, how it goes into making any piece of art have a certain energy that defines it. There’s a moment towards the beginning of the story when the main character gets roped into babysitting for his neighbor. He tries to find a comic for the kid, and he tells the kid that he’s babysitting (who is a fantastic character), to be careful with the comics, and that comics are like his religion. That’s the energy I’m referring to that I find over and over in Daly’s comics. – Sam Ombiri Get a copy of The Red Monkey by Joe Daly over at Copacetic Comics, where coincidentally there is a wicked deal on the book as Bill Boichel is also eager to get more folks hep to Daly – check it out HERE. —————————————————————————————————————————— Sally here – the Naples Comicon Instagram account was buzzing yesterday, as famed Italian paleontologist Alberto Angela was caught at the National Archeological Museum of Naples, in Italy, looking at original artwork from Frank Santoro’s Pompeii (above). Alberto Angela is a popular TV presenter and commentator for science-based programs. He is the author of A Day in the Life of Ancient Rome, among other texts, and has lectured on the tragedy of Pompeii. He seemed taken by Frank’s depictions, or as the Naples Comicon put it, he “could not resist the charm of the show“. There are over 30 pages from Pompeii on display at the museum, in an exhibition which is being held in conjunction with Frank’s appearance as a special guest at the Naples Comicon (April 28-May 1 2018). The show opened yesterday (April 18th) at MANN and will continue until May 31st 2018. More details on the show can be found HERE. During Comicon Frank will be participating in a panel with Blutch, whose graphic novel Peplum also takes a look at Ancient Rome. Details on the panel are HERE. If you’re in the area, be sure to attend Comicon and meet Frank, and don’t miss the exhibition at MANN! —————————————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 4-19-2018 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

10/26/2018

Sally IngrahamOctober 26, 2018NewsSally here with some comics curiosities to fill your Friday lunch break! ————————————————————————————————— Abraham Riesman has a conversation with Julie Doucet on Vulture – he concludes by reminding us not to ever believe that we “know” her. Interesting and thoughtful read – HERE. Abraham Riesman also interviews Fiona Staples for Vulture, talking Saga (of course) – check it out HERE. The Comics Journal features a new interview with Ariell Johnson, owner of Philly’s Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse, which is now over 2 years old and still going strong – chart the progress HERE. Catch up on the Dear Pepper advice column by Liana Finck that comes out every other Thursday on The New Yorker – HERE. Here’s a recent interview with Liana Finck on The Comics Beat, where she talks about her new book, Passing For Human. I found an article about female cartoonists in Turkey, including Ramize Erer, whose work is pictured above. Read about her HERE. Check out the Publishers Weekly review of Mickey Z‘s Space Academy 123. Gil Roth talked to Nora Krug on his Virtual Memories Show recently – she is the creator of the newly released memoir Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home, which is on the top of my TBR pile at the moment. Listen HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Cement Mixer – 10-26-18 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

02/26/2016

Sally IngrahamFebruary 26, 2016NewsEmil Friis Ernst offered up a new comic this morning, based on a text by Cathrin Peterslund… …and Simon Moreton recently posted his Hilltop Walking Comics (see the whole thing HERE). Drop yourself into two different wordless worlds, and find yourself floating in a cosmic pond or blustered along a hilltop ridge. Stay awhile, if you like. Then go lose yourself entirely in Si Fuera un Alma en Pena/If I was a suffering soul, a comic by Colombian cartoonist Jim Pluk – online HERE. After that, check out this awesome interview with Ronald Wimberly, up on Paste! The topic is Ron’s new comic GratNin, which is being published exclusively on the comic book app Stēla. He and Paste talk process (designing for a mobile-only platform), origins and inspiration, and what the heck a “Proust Knuckle” is anyway. Inspired by 80’s martial arts movies and manga, GratNin may strike one initially as more lighthearted than Ron’s previous work. However, while Ron admits to an indulgent element to the comic, he definitely isn’t just playing around. “As for GratNin specifically, I have looked at Sanpei Shirato in how he used genre as a tool to address social issues. I am also interested in continuing or countering dialogues on race, sex, gender and ethics that I have found in shonen manga. My goal is to continue the discussion with the manga vernacular, though I often just slip into my own thing.” Read the whole interview HERE. Over on Greenpointers there’s an interview with Julia Wertz which is also well worth a read. Check it out. She’s working on a new book about Greenpoint which will indulge her love for drawing cityscapes. “…I always enjoyed drawing random things and sets for apartments way more than I liked drawing people. People don’t interest me… things and spaces do, at least from an artistic standpoint.” She sends out a bit of advice to her younger self or anyone else who is considering getting into comics: “… just get to work. Don’t sit around waiting for the right publisher or the right pen or notebook, just do it. Start right now. The only people who survive in comics are those who truly love making comics, and if you truly love it, you’ll already be doing it, you won’t be wasting time trying to figure out how.” The new issue of Tender Journal was just released! This UK online publication is a platform for female-identified writers and artists, and the current issue features work by cartoonists Sarah Ferrick and Maggie Umber among other worthies. Read it HERE. And that’s our Friday morning comics news walkabout. Enjoy the weekend! – Sally Share this page: [...]

04/11/2018

Posted on April 11, 2018 by Juan Fernández

Ale Acosta, Pablo Delcielo, y Liv Strömquist!

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Los cómics y las noticias que me han llamado la atención esta semana:
~ en Español y “sometimes in English” ~

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Sol Díaz Castillo y Marcela Trujillo tienen una nueva edicion de La Polola Podcast! Las chicas conversan con Ale Acosta acercae su trabajo, de su forma de trabajar, de los proyectos y de su amor por la docencia, entre muchas cosas mas.

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Por qué lo llaman vagina cuando quieren decir vulva – Elizabeth Casillas

Puede que sea uno de los tebeos más controvertidos que vayas a leer este año, y no precisamente por decir sandeces. La historietista sueca Liv Strömquist firma El fruto prohibido (Reservoir Books, 2018), un cómic que repasa la historia cultural de la vulva con argumentación teórica pero, sobre todo, mucho humor.

Anuncios de compresas o tampones que recurren, en exceso, a las palabras “limpia” y “segura”. Señores que se preocupan, en exceso, de lo que suele denominarse «el órgano sexual femenino». Autoridades, organizaciones, periódicos, médicos y demás organismos empeñados, en exceso, de producir (des)información sobre el sexo. Y así sucesivamente, Liv Strömquist termina enumerando una serie de cosas que están mal (muy mal) en nuestra sociedad en lo que a la mujer y su sexo se refiere.

Léanlo todo en REVISTA CACTUS

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Entrevista a Ghor Bosch (2015) – dibujado por Pablo Delcielo – publicado en Buenos Aires por Yegua ediciones.

Este comic es parte de una serie de entrevistas imaginiarias, que son bastante graciosas y serias con Ghor Bosch aunque.

Léanlo AQUI.

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Suzy and Cecil – 4-11-2018 – by Gabriella Tito

Cozytown – 4-11-2018 – by Juan Fernandez

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Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in los Cómics, News

Juan Fernández

Posted on April 11, 2018

Explore

Our Reflection in Comics

Gabriella TitoApril 22, 2016Art Trip / EssaysGabriella Tito reports in from Orlando, FL, with this process meditation. ————————————————————————————————— Hi all! I’m here to talk a bit about how we reflect ourselves in comics. Now, I won’t break down the psychology or anything, or go into how “mainstream comics” are a reflection of our society, but I think it’s safe to say that whether we realize it or not, a part of us is “merged” into our comics. The most obvious would be an auto-bio comic. Even if it’s not about a character that looks like you or is intended to be you, they still could represent a certain ideology or interest you may have. So what about comics without characters? Abstract comics? Excellent point! From my own experience in making abstract comics and comics without relatable humans, I realize I have drawn content from a particular emotion or thought I was feeling at the time. Maybe a song inspired me to put something on paper. You probably have done this too, given the nature of abstract works. Usually, the less I thought about the content, the more fluid the comic was. Abstract comics, and it goes without saying, abstract art in general, is filled with more character than meets the eye. Abstract works can be charged with so many emotions, and the thoughts the creator has, and they can grab the audience so much that they might even relate themselves to that specific work. It’s not a mistake that this leads to why good representation is always important, simply because of the fact that the audience is always trying to find themselves in characters or concepts. Where do they fit into this? If the characters are reflections of the creator or intention, what can it say about them? Now, this doesn’t apply 100% of the time, but it is a real possibility that does happen. These are thoughts a creator should always be aware of, but also be mindful of how far they push it. In any case, this brings us back to how we reflect ourselves in creative mediums. I’m aware that what I’m saying may not line up with your opinions and that’s OK. These are just some reoccurring ideas I’ve thought about when in the process of making a comic. I’m curious if other cartoonists think of the same things. ————————————————————————————————— Gabriella Tito is a cartoonist living in Orlando, FL. She is currently contributing to Comics Workbook through her own comics and article tidbits and is a graduate of Frank Santoro’s Correspondence Course. You can find more of her work HERE. Share this page: [...]

CXC 2016: Report Card

Whit TaylorOctober 24, 2016Festivals and ShowsComics Crossroads Columbus (CXC), is a 4 day long comics festival in Columbus, Ohio, that is now in its second year. Organized by comics industry professionals with a track record of both artistic contributions and service to the independent comics community, the show has largely been touted as a soon-to-be American version of France’s Angouleme; that is, a multi-day festival that explores the various facets of comics, and serves as more than just a marketplace for cartoonists, but a support of their careers and celebration of the medium. CXC is situated in Columbus, a cozy Midwestern college town (home to Ohio State University) that is quickly building up its reputation as a “cartoonists” town due to its arts friendly institutions, reasonable cost of living, and the number of artists who have either grown up or elected to move there. Tom Spurgeon, CXC’s Festival Director, credits Columbus-native Jeff Smith, Vijaya Iyer and Lucy Caswell with the initial idea for the show, as well as Jenny Robb, Caitlin McGurk and Jared Gardner. Caitlin McGurk, CXC committee member and Associate Curator at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, explained to me that planning for the first festival began in 2012. “The idea for CXC was born out of the realization that there were a significant number of institutions in Columbus paying attention to/promoting/working with comics,” she explains. “From the obvious like The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (BICLM) and the Thurber House (James Thurber’s childhood home turned museum), to Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) kicking off a new comics major, to the Columbus Museum of Art hosting regular comic art exhibits (including the first US show of R. Crumb‘s Book of Genesis), and a dozen other examples, it occurred to us that few other cities have that kind of institutional power behind comics.” The events of the first two days, held on Ohio State University’s campus, included professional development for cartoonists, tours of the BICLM, programming for young students of color through Sol-Con (a convention celebrating black and brown creators), and a scholarly symposium organized by OSU professor and CXC organizer, Jared Gardner. The weekend “marketplace” at the newly renovated Columbus Metropolitan Library, served as a small convention with exhibitors and programming, including the Comics Workbook workshop sessions. I missed checking out Ron Wimberly’s CMA Thurber House Graphic Residency as well as seeing Raina Telgemeier speak (more on this later), but I do believe that I was able to get a nice snapshot of the show. It was one that reflected the goals of the organizers, according to McGurk – “We want it to include everyone from comic strip artists to punk mini-comics makers to political cartoonists, web cartoonists, mainstream cartoonists and the “indie” folks. Animators, too! A place where someone who has just made their first mini-comic can stand beside a MAD Magazine legend in the BICLM galleries and chat about Winsor McCay. A place to learn about developing professional skills for artists, be it from inking to legacy planning, from foreign rights to how to fill out your taxes, etc. We want to create a support system for comics, in a place that already serves as a home and shrine to comics.” I decided to approach my write up as a “report card” absent of a final grade, but with some notes on the strengths of the show, some areas for improvement, as well as some notes concerning the future of the show. I would like to thank the show’s Executive Committee: Tom Spurgeon, Jeff Smith, Vijaya Iyer, Kathleen Glosan, Lucy Caswell as well as Caitlin McGurk (Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum), Laurenn McCubbin (CCAD), Jared Gardner, Neil Cameron, Frederick L. Aldama (Sol-Con), Comics Workbook, and countless volunteers. Strengths & Highlights Versatility: Overall all, CXC’s greatest asset was its understanding that comics culture is multidimensional. The show welcomed cartoonists, comics scholars, publishers, fans, and those with specific interests within the community. It strove to be inclusive, even if it was not fully realized. Talk and Teach: There were two days of professional development workshops and talks before the weekend convention commenced. For those who were able to make it out, it was a wonderful way for cartoonists, who are usually stuck behind their tables at shows, to take time for themselves to learn and grow. Two highlights for me included Sacha Mardou’s long form fiction planning talk and Kriota Willberg’s Drawing with No Pain! Injury Prevention for Cartoonists workshop. Dustin Harbin, T. Edward Bak, and Ann Telnaes also led Talk and Teach workshops. Scholarly Symposium: In its first year, the theme chosen for this 2-day symposium was “Canon Fodder”, as the goal of the gathering was to “seek to test and remix the still-damp concrete of comics histories and canons before they set.” Chaired by OSU Professor of English (and comics scholar), Jared Gardner, the symposium was intended to bring together academics to present, learn, and open a dialogue about everything from representation in comics to who is responsible for dominant narratives. I spoke with some attendees later at the marketplace. Comics scholarship seems to be a relatively small field at this point and one that is not always directly tied into the comics industry itself. That’s why I think it was smart to include the symposium in this show. Plus, it provided academics a chance to observe small-press culture and acquire comics and graphic novels from indie artists whose work they may not have encountered otherwise. Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Tours: On Friday, tours were given on the hour of the archives. This provided us with a fascinating look at their vast collection, which included everything from original art, graphic novels, and manga, to fan letters written to cartoonists. Additionally, librarians selected a diverse display of original art to look at in the reading room. Upstairs was the Little Nemo:Dream Another Dream exhibit featuring contemporary artists who contributed to the Eisner-winning book from Locust Moon Press, as well as Good Grief! Children and Comics, an exhibition featuring original art from everyone from Charles Schultz and Bill Watterson, to that of the late Richard Thompson. Garry Trudeau Talk: Trudeau spoke with writer Glen David Gold at the Wexner Center for the Arts on Friday night. The event provided a snapshot of his cartooning career and a reflection on his work. I was most interested in their discussion about covering war in comics strips and Trudeau’s admitted struggle to fully capture the experience of those serving in the military. I was also surprised by Trudeau’s relative outsider status as a cartoonist, as he shared that he was not very involved in the comics world as an industry person or as a reader. Other notable talks at CXC included “Animator and Author John Canemaker on Windsor McCay’s Little Nemo”, “25 Years: Seth in Conversation with Ben Katchor“, Charles Burns at CCAD, and Raina Telgemeier in Conversation with Jeff Smith. Social Opportunities: The organizers also understood the necessity of socializing. Again, perhaps this is because many are cartoonists themselves and have an understanding of the rather solitary nature of the craft. The show provided ample opportunities to socialize beyond the marketplace, including after parties each night hosted by different cartoonists (Katie Skelly, Stan Sakai, Julia Gfrorer, and Sean T. Collins) at local bars. Awards: On Friday, the CXC 2016 Master Cartoonist Awards went to Carol Tyler and Sergio Aragones, honoring their bodies of work, while Garry Trudeau received the CXC 2016 Masterwork Award for Doonesbury. At the weekend’s marketplace, cartoonist and publisher, Kevin Czap was honored with the Emerging Talent Award. Discussing his award with CW presenter Alyssa Berg, Czap said “I didn’t expect it at all. It felt nice in that regard—plugging away at this thing and trying to be a part of the larger conversation of comics, which I feel a part of is being represented at CXC. So the award felt like acknowledgement, that you are being noticed and heard, which feels nice. I’m doing all of this stuff without expectation of reward, it’s just what I want to do, but it’s nice to see some traction.” In the same way that it is important to celebrate seasoned artists with “lifetime achievement awards”, supporting artists in their formative years (and even more so with funds) shows respect and appreciation for cartoonists in a unique part of their career. Location: Columbus was a nice choice for a comics festival given its small size, affordability, and comics foundation (including the local talent and facilities). The facilities, including those at OSU as well as the newly renovated Columbus Metropolitan Public Library, were a major asset to this show given their accessibility and presenter-friendliness. Hospitality and Support: Many exhibitors told me that CXC organizers and volunteers made them feel very welcome. Whether it was arrangements being made to pick up individuals from the airport or snacks made available to exhibitors, the little touches conveyed a sense of pride about the show as well as for the show’s city. Raina Telgemeier: As evidenced by the massive line of young girls and their families waiting in line to see her for her spotlight panel and signing of her new bestseller, Ghosts, one can assume it was a success! Seeing young, particularly female readers, develop a passion for comics is inspiring and hopeful for the medium. Weaknesses and Room for Improvement Tom Spurgeon was in agreement with my perception that there were some logistical flaws to this year’s show. “The big change will probably be adding a showrunner for just that day,” he elaborated. “I’d also like to add an element of shining a spotlight on 2018 in comics. I think we need to do a better job hitting our diversity goals across the board.” Sol-Con Omission: Let me say first that I stopped by Sol-Con’s expo and programming on Friday and was heartened by all of the black and brown school children who had been invited to learn about comics and meet cartoonists. It was clear that participants had a passion for engaging youth as well as discussing topics relevant to the black and Latino creators, publishers, and other comics professionals. The problem was that CXC’s program did not have enough specifics on Sol-Con, including locations for the weekend programming (they were available on OSU’s site for the convention). I spoke with Sol-Con’s Project Director Frederick Luis Aldama, and he told me that detailed info on the workshops had been submitted in time but were not included. He expressed that he did not believe this to be malicious, but an oversight that nonetheless upset many Sol-Con exhibitors and participants. Unevenness of Panels: I attended as many panels as I could, despite exhibiting. There were many highlights for me, including the Political Cartoons panel which featured Lalo Alcatraz, Nate Beeler, Keith Knight, and Ann Telneas discussing their coverage of the 2016 presidential election. There were also some less consistent panels, including the State of the Industry panel. Image’s Eric Stephenson dropped out, leaving Rich Tommaso (cartoonist), Keith Knight (cartoonist) Chip Mosher (ComiXology), Shena Wolf (GoComics.com), and Brendan Burford (King Features Syndicates) to do a syndicate-heavy panel without a print publisher present. Tom Spurgeon moderated, asking insightful and well-rounded questions, but I sensed a hesitancy to answer questions around creator incomes or anything wage-related. The panel avoided being overly negative, but tense exchanges on diversity and what being a “good artist” means in some ways reflected greater industry hot topics. The details: While some of CXC’s greatest successes were in its attention to detail, it’s also clear that some remain to be worked out. Issues such as not having assigned tables on an exhibitor map or the scheduling of multiple sought-after events at the same time, are worth re-visiting. I chalk this up to it being a new show more than anything else. I’m curious to see what the future holds for this festival. I look forward to seeing what happens as comics scholarship grows and CCAD’s Comic & Narrative Major moves beyond its launch year. Given the great experiences I’ve been hearing, it seems likely that applications will go up in coming years. CXC will have to figure out what type of show its going to be, similar in some ways to what SPX is now facing. Given that its festival setup is unlike any other in this country at this point, it may not be able to rely on shows that have aged gracefully, as role models. If demand for the marketplace grows, logistics concerning lodging, transportation, and show curation will be unavoidable, as will its connections with the scholarly symposium and Sol-Con. When I asked Spurgeon what he wanted for this festival in coming years he said he hoped that CXC would “not just having a strong show but driving attention to the entire world of comics in a kind of Cannes Film Festival way.” He talked of developing a housing program as well. “I’d love for the show to become successful enough we can aim it at some of comics intractable problems!” I truly hope the best for this show, as it left me with a homey feeling that was a testament to it’s passionate featured talent and its hardworking organizers. ————————————————————————————————— Whit Taylor is a New Jersey-born cartoonist, editor, and comics writer. Her most recent books are Ghost and Wallpaper. She has previously reported on CAB 2014, SPX 2014, and the 2014 Comics & Medicine Conference. She lives in New York City. ————————————————————————————————— (For more Comics Workbook CXC 2016 coverage check out our special “round up” report HERE.) Share this page: [...]

02/13/2017

Juan FernándezFebruary 13, 2017NewsJuan and Sally tag teaming it today: Drew Alderfer’s THE ROOK; Pixels, tones and the aesthetics of granularity; Berliac on Vice; Fantom Comics Signing and Roundtable; Juan Fernandez at the ToonSeum; Frank Santoro’s Comics Corner #2; and much more! Take note! We are featuring the work of Drew Alderfer – or Meaty Comics – on the site this week. His comic The Rook was made for the Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers in 2014. Check it out HERE! ————————————————————————————————— Pixels, Tones and the Aesthetics of Granularity Juan here! I wanted to share with you a digital painting method I’ve come across, created by Dan Fessler, where he’s developed for his environment work on Chasm a way of turning Photoshop into the most powerful pixel art tool. What he calls “HD index painting”. What’s interesting about this? It works on the granular level of the pixel and plays with abstraction for story telling and evocation in the way that comics and cartooning does. It also does it in an incredibly robust and non-destructive way. It got me thinking about a lot of things. But first, have a look at what makes this technique tick. Why “HD?”: The backbone of this method that makes all the magic happen is the concept of manipulating higher resolution data than the end result. Instead of painting directly with an indexed color palette, you’re always painting in HD which then procedurally gets mapped to the indexed palette. For every color ramp you define your source data is 8bit allowing for a possible 256 colors, with no limit on the number of ramps you define. Typically when dealing with pixel art you’d map that to 32 colors or less. What’s most important though is the indexing is non-destructive. All of the high resolution detail is retained allowing you to do things that no other index painting tool allows, essentially making this the most powerful “pure” pixel art tool in existence. I’m not, necessarily a pixel artist, but I’ve been working extensively in exploring color and compression across digital file formats. Especially through collaging animations. I don’t know why, but I’m really interested in it. It’s the same way that I’m interested in how Jordan Crane and other master screen printers separate their colors in their prints. All of this has me think about halftone and more generally the voice of a story in a visual tradition. For some examples, I’d like you to think about how certain contemporary comics makers, like Laura Knetzeger, Kevin Huizenga, Dan Zettwoch, Sophie Yanow, Ron Wimberly, Mickey Z, or Berliac all use halftones. While many artists use halftone traditions in ways that are used to evoke an aesthetic of nostalgia (most effectively used by Ed Piskor in The Hip Hop Family Tree) these previous artists use them in ways that break from the print based traditions and the limitations of halftones. Instead, they use the half-tone as a framework that provides an aesthetic tool to help create their sequences. They all do this in different ways that create hums, and musical tones in the work. Different line qualities with different size tone dots that result in different feelings. Different voices for the soundless music of their comics. In a way that harkens back to previous technologies and grounds the work within a larger tradition, but that also side steps certain associations and assumptions related to genre. It’s great to think of these tools in a way that allows for more technologically mediated impressionist painting than commercial illustration. If you’d like a bit of a look into different coloring ideologies at the nuts and bolts level, take a look at this post by Dan Fessler on Pixel Purism. And of course, in the weekly “Please think about contemporary AI” department I have an article for you to read – HERE. ————————————————————————————————— There is a new weekly comic by “the mysterious Berliac” on Vice – titled Asian Store Junkies it is about “MSG-addicted youngsters who crave ramen“. Read it HERE. Follow Berliac on Instagram – @yung_qin_berliac. ————————————————————————————————— Reminder to go check out this signing and roundtable if you are in the Washington, D.C., area this week – catch up with Ronald Wimberly, Chris Visions, Shannon Wright, and Chris Kindred at Fantom Comics on Wednesday, Feb. 15th, 7-9 PM! ————————————————————————————————— PCS’s Artist Lecture Series 007: Juan Fernandez Join Juan and the rest of the @pittsburghcomicssalon this Thursday! Come on down to The ToonSeum to catch Juan talk about strip cartooning, expanding & teaching visual literacy, and comics making systems. He’ll cover principles in youth and adult comics education. He’ll show a little of what he’s making & how he does what he does. We’ll play some keygen tunes, dive into Photoshop, and talk about oblique strategies in comics making. The presentation will be followed by Q+A. You can join the Comics Salon at The ToonSeum (945 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15222) – art, conversation, and an atmosphere of solidarity. ————————————————————————————————— Frank’s Comics Corner #2 is here! Gather round one and all. ————————————————————————————————— The Ebb and Flow Enter the lottery for a table at the Small Press Expo this year – the registration form and more details are HERE. You have until February 24th 2017! Get to it. There will be a second issue of RESIST!, due to be released around July 4th. It’s message will be “Picturing the America We Want to Live In.” Submit work. Julia Wertz spoke to Sarah Glidden about her book Rolling Blackouts – via The Comics Journal. Pepe the Frog is making a new appearance in MAD Magazine – the story is HERE on Vulture. And in greater, more personal detail, HERE on the Huffington Post. Françoise Mouly and Genevieve Bormes offer a preview of Emil Ferris’ My Favorite Thing is Monsters for The New Yorker – check it out. There is a review of Charles Burns’ Vortex on Just Indie Comics – for those of you who read Italian! ————————————————————————————————— Announcing the Spring Semester of thee Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers! The course starts March 7th 2017. Apply by February 26th to get 100 bux off! The course is 8 weeks long – payment plans are available. Application guidelines: – 3 figure drawings done on blank 3 x 5 index cards – 3 landscape drawings done on blank 3 x 5 index cards – 3 still life drawings done on blank 3 x 5 cards – draw in a contour line style –think Matisse – no under-drawing – draw directly in ink – just send me small jpgs of images – dont post to your blog pls – send specific url links to any comics work you have done. If you haven’t done comics before that is not a problem. Email santoroschoolATgmail to apply! More details HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Blinkers – 2-13-2017 – by Jack Brougham ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 2-13-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 2-13-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio ————————————————————————————————— Cozytown – 2-13-2017 – by Juan Fernandez Share this page: [...]

09/04/2018

Aaron CockleSeptember 3, 2018NewsLisa Hanawalt Interview; Austin English at the National Gallery; Tadao Tsuge; John P. at Autoptic ————————————————————————————————— Illustrator Lisa Hanawalt on Her New Comic Coyote Doggirl and the Appeal of ‘Horse Girls’ Following up from Sally’s review of Lisa Hanawalt’s newest book, here is an interview with Claire Shaffer at Jezebel: I noticed that the map that you have at the beginning, at the very opening page of the book, looks vaguely like a map of L.A., but I’m not sure if that was the intent. [Laughs]. Does it? I guess, now that I’m looking at it, it kind of does. The way that the river forks, I’m like, “Oh yeah, that’s the L.A. River.” And that’s the Valley above the Red Mountains. Maybe I’m just projecting. No, I did not think about that. I made this map last-thing in the book, because I was just suddenly like, “Oh god, this book should have a map in the beginning, that would be so cool.” I’ve always wanted to make a book with a map. Every good book has a map at the beginning. So I went through the whole story and tried to map out where she went, but it was really difficult. I was like, “How does this fit, and then also seem like a long journey from place to place?” So it was pretty random how it ended up. But you could totally look at it and be like, “That’s Silverlake!” The Old Lady’s Cabin is in Silverlake. It totally is. I live in it. I’m the old lady. ————————————————————————————————— Sense of Humor at the National Gallery Austin English looks at the current show at the National Gallery, Sense of Humor, and talk with its curator, Judith Brodie: You mention that much of this work is on view for the first time. After going through the process of making this show into a reality, do you have any insight into why museums and institutions so rarely show comic art on their walls, but have made space for film and architecture? Are there specific challenges the work poses? Much of the work is being shown for the first time not because it has been hidden away but because it is new to the National Gallery’s collection, acquired within the last decade or so. The exhibition is drawn entirely from the Gallery’s collection. As to why comic art is less visible on the walls of museums, are you referring to art that is humorous or specifically the art of cartoonists? If the former, I would say that it is simply less abundant, especially in terms of painting and sculpture. If you mean work by cartoonists, art museums have long kept cartoonists at arm’s length. Nevertheless, attitudes evolve, as evidenced by the National Gallery exhibition. I meant more what are some of the unique qualities of the work that presented challenges that, say, painting or sculpture might not? Definitely the lack of such work in permanent collections is a factor. Institutions such as the National Gallery never collected this sort of art. In truth, it wasn’t even considered art. I could be wrong in assuming this, but historically were cartoonists even aiming to be in art museum collections? It strikes me that their aim was to get their work published and most paid little regard for the original drawings. I have heard purists say that the work that we should be exhibited is the published cartoon and that curators such as myself are fetishizing the original, unique work. Also bear in mind that probably more than 90 percent of the works in the National Gallery’s collection came as donations. Our holdings reflect what our donors were collecting. This is the case at almost all art museums. ————————————————————————————————— SLUM WOLF Granta has an excerpt of the new Tadao Tsuge book, translated from the Japanese by Ryan Holmberg. ————————————————————————————————— AUTOPTIC REPORPTIC John Porcellino blogs about the recent Autoptic Festival: Anyhow, we went in and did the show. Autoptic is in an amazing space, some kind of massive vaulted former warehouse. In that way alone it feels very different than most comics shows. It doesn’t feel claustrophobic or oppressive. It also attracts a slightly different crowd than your average comics con. There were a lot of older people attending, as well as families and groups of friends. A number of people came to my table and told me they had just happened to be in town for the weekend and saw the show listed in the paper, and decided to check it out. So there was a kind of openness and curiosity to the attendees that I usually only feel at a zine show. (It should be noted, Autoptic has a somewhat larger scope that just a “comics show,” featuring zines, printmaking, and other small press publications as well.) ————————————————————————————————— Vision Box – 9-4-18 – by Cameron Arthur ————————————————————————————————— Cement Mixer – 9-4-18 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

06/21/2017

Juan FernándezJune 21, 2017los Cómics / NewsEmpezamos el día conFebrero para galgos de Peter Jojaio; Frank Santoro en vivo;Pati Aguilera e Isabel Molina; Galería Plop!; Álvaro Pons; y los tebeos de Comics Workbook! ————————————————————————————————— Peter Jojaio: La Violencia de lo Sublime Elizabeth Casillas comparte sus impresiones sobre una de las mejores sorpresas que nos ha llevado este año: Febrero para galgos de Peter Jojaio en Revista Cactus: Febrero para galgos es una obra sublime porque implica dolor, porque se aleja de la complacencia o el agrado y entra a formar parte de ese otro círculo que conforman las obras que nos enseñan la decadencia de la sociedad –sin atisbo de humor, sin redención– y en el que podríamos englobar algunos relatos de Adrian Tomine, como el devastador Búhos de Intrusos (Sapristi, 2016), o ese compendio de dolor que es Beverly de Nick Drnaso (Fulgencio Pimentel, 2016). De hecho, lo primero que uno tiende a pensar al terminar esta novela gráfica es que no ha podido hacerse aquí, en España. Por lo arriesgado de la propuesta, por su estilo. Aquí es cuando salen a relucir los referentes del autor, porque más allá de los evidentes –como Daniel Clowes, Chris Ware o Charles Burns–, surgen nombres de disciplinas variadas. «Intentaba usar como buenamente podía todo aquello que iba viendo y me gustaba: de Aki Kaurismäki, el tipo de intensidad que alcanza a través de un lenguaje y un humor frío y áspero. De Jean Pierre Melville, cómo hace que los actores se muevan como piezas de un reloj, cómo explica los personajes y el mundo en el que viven a través de la acción, sin apenas recurrir al diálogo. El uso de la perspectiva en las pinturas del gótico. Leer Hijo de la ira de Jim Thompson y El señor de las moscas me dio algunas ideas de base. Los cuadros de Paula Rego, James Ensor, Caspar David Friedrich», enumera Jojaio. Léanlo AQUI. ————————————————————————————————— RiYL Episode 219: Frank Santoro Our fearless leader, Frank Santoro speaks up in the latest edition of RiYLcast with Brian Heater. They met up at the Row House Residency in Swissvale, PA for a rich, cafe style discussion: Pittsburgh comics, regionalism, self-publishing and the long shadow of Andy Warhol – it’s all there. Póngale play! ————————————————————————————————— Cómics y noticias que me han llamado la atención esta semana: Sol Díaz Castillo y Marcela Trujillo tienen una nueva edicion de La Polola Podcast! Las chicas conversan con Pati Aguilera e Isabel Molina, ilustradora y periodista, además de ser el elemento femenino de Galería Plop!. Hablan acerca de la historia de la Galería, sus aventuras, proyecciones, momentos altos, y momentos complicados. Plop! Galéria ha compartido un trozito de la exposición Casa Ajena, de Mathias Sielfeld, Nico González, Matías Prado y Pablo Luebert. Denle un vistazo. La fanzinoteca del Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno (IVAM) calienta motores con una exposición con los fondos de Álvaro Pons. Al igual que ocurre con nuestras parejas de baile, en los contratos también debemos elegir bien a quien concedemos nuestra obra. Ceder o no ceder en exclusiva? Esa es la cuestión de la que hablan hoy en el post, ¿Me concedes esta obra? en firmado por. ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 6-21-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 6-21-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

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