Sally here with Free Comic Book Day 2017 offerings, Eisner Award nominees, and a Conosaurus (a what now?) – plus work by Madeleine Witt, Julia Alekseyeva, and more!
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Free Comic Book Day is tomorrow – May 6th – and this year’s offerings look fantastic. As Caleb mentioned in the news on Monday, it will be definitely be worth standing in line for a copy of Fantagraphic’s book (above)! Drawn & Quarterly has a collection for kids, and a second offering that includes excerpts from two French comics that are debuting in English this year. Nobrow Press and First Second also have free comics for the day, and of course there is a whole slew of items from the mainstream publishers – you can see the whole list HERE. Find a participating comics shop near you using the Store Locator.
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Madeleine Witt has a new comic on Guernica called Under the Water. It’s about baptism, rising seas, and the end of the world. Read it HERE. She and Andrew White are editing an anthology about “the end of the world” together – debuting at SPX this year. You can see a sampling of the contributors to the anthology HERE.
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The Eisner Awards Nominations for 2017 were announced this week. Congratulations to everyone who was nominated! Over on The Comics Reporter Tom Spurgeon posted the list, complete with links to every book and story and webcomic, so be sure to investigate what caught the eye of the judges this year.
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Meg Lemke shares a excerpt from Soviet Daughter by Julia Alekseyeva on Illustrated PEN. Meg writes:
“In this current moment of xenophobia in our country, reading this story is a powerful reminder of how little support remains for families seeking refuge—if they are not in fact barred at the border. Alekseyeva’s book is published by the indie Microcosm, and its lovingly hand-drawn style reminds me of xeroxed zines passed hand-to-hand, the kind of micropublication the press was founded to distribute. But the intimacy of the art accomplishes the ambitions of a multilayered, generation-spanning graphic novel. This is a book to read now and a creator to watch into the future.“
See the full excerpt and read more HERE.
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Check out the Conosaurus, created by Stephanie Zuppo (cartoonist and publisher of The Ladybroad Ledger) and John Wojtkielewicz (developer). The Conosaurus is a database intended to help creators manage their comics convention schedules.
“Currently, Conosaurus is focused on indie and mainstream comic conventions, zine fairs, and independent publishing festivals. We will expand to other convention types to meet the demand of the community. This is just the beginning!“
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On The Comics Journal R. C. Harvey shines the light on an interview he conducted in 1996 with Playboy comics editor Michelle Urry. The piece is a fascinating look at the history of gag comics, their adventures in Playboy magazine (comics were officially discontinued in 2016), and the fascinating career of Michelle Urry herself. Check it out – you’ll need a nice chunk of time to really dig into it, but the article/interview is worth the effort.
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I love Street Angel so I was delighted to note that the newest story by Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca is already available for pre-order! STREET ANGEL GANG!
“What if Kal El had been found by the Warriors instead of the Kents? The deadliest girl alive accidentally joins a super violent street gang. Are the Bleeders the family Jesse never had, or is Jesse the child they never wanted? What? Free snacks at the gang tryout party! Also, SCANDAL – one of the Bleeders is a spy!“
Get your comic book shops to pre-order Street Angel Gang asap – it’ll be out August 1st! Meanwhile, be sure to check out Street Angel: After School Kung Fu Special (Image Comics, April 2017).
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Announcing the Summer Semester of the Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers!
8 weeks! 500 bux! Payment plans are available! Summer Course starts June 1st 2017!
Applications are due by May 25th.
Visit THIS page for more details and email santoroschool@gmail.com with applications and questions!
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The Cherry on Top
- M. K. Brown has a really nice new website – check it out HERE. Among her recent projects are comics for the new publication The American Bystander.
- Kate Lacour‘s comic currently being released on Study Group – The Disciple – is reviewed on The A.V. Club.
- Keep an eye on this new project by Mitra Farmand and her sister Maryam – Childhood Memories of the Iran/Iraq War. They are telling their own story, and are also looking for submissions from other folks about their experiences during the Iran/Iraq war.
- Rob Clough reviews November Garcia‘s Foggy Notions on The Comics Journal. November is an established cartoonist, but she is also a recent graduate of the Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers. See her course comic – Cycle – HERE.
- Katherine Collins was profiled in Quill and Quire – she will be inducted into the Doug Wright Awards’ Giants of the North hall of fame this month, and we will also see the release of The Collected Neil the Horse in May.
- Katie Skelly spoke on The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Podcast about the erotic comics of two classic European creators – Guido Crepax and Milo Manara. Listen HERE.
- G. Willow Wilson still has faith in comics – according to an article on The New Yorker.
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Suzy and Cecil – 5-5-2017 – by Sally Ingraham
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Joanie and Jordie – 5-5-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio