Juan Fernandez with: Berliac’s Gwai-Lo of the Heart; Jessica Abel on becoming a professional; Sara Lautman and Sophia Foster-Dimino; Matt Furie; Abhay Khosla on Dan DiDio; New comics from Matt Seneca + Cameron Weston Nicholson; Comics in the Globe and Mail.
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Gwai-Lo of the Heart
We’re happy to feature Gwai-Lo of the Heart by Berliac on the site this week.
Made in 2015 for Comics Workbook, Gwai-Lo of the Heart is a clever and mysteriously striking series of 4 panel comics that plays with the associations usually made with the West’s gaze towards manga.These little comics pack a poetic. punch. Can you dig it?
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Art and Commerce – Raising the Bastard
Jessica Abel has put together an honest look over on her site at why you shouldn’t be disregarding the finances of your comics making practices if you want to be a professional.
Jessica Abel: I hear so many aspiring cartoonists, writers, artists, audio producers, and other creatives saying something along the lines of: “I’m hoping to really master this art form so that I can achieve my dream of becoming a professional _____.” But mastering the art form, finishing work that is at a professional level, this counts for maybe 40% of what it means to become a professional…whatever.
Mastering your art form is how you become a great artist.
It is not how you become a professional.
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Sara Lautman and Sophia Foster-Dimino in Conversation
Foster-Dimino: Making art, even commercial illustration, is a tricky premise, because you want to distinguish yourself from the crowd, but not so much that you become an aberration, so you look within yourself to try to mine what makes you unique, but you also look out to confirm that your uniqueness is still relatable—it’s a very delicate balance, a struggle between wanting to experiment and make progress versus wanting to play it safe and stay predictable.
People want to see growth from themselves and the world, but not too much too quickly. I think many folks have an innate sense for this. But a mood disorder by nature warps your metrics.
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Myspace -> Meme -> Mainstream
Creator of Boy’s Club, Matt “Big Dog” Furie getting the credit he’s due. It’s about time!
- Here’s a great look at Furie’s invisibly effective comics technique by George Elkind.
- L.A. TACO interview (2016).
- VICE interview (2015)
- TMSIDK Podcast interview (2012)
Boy’s Club is now available from Fantagraphics!
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ISSUE, RULE, APPLICATION – Abhay Khosla on Dan DiDio
For many years, I know I’ve complained about Dan DiDio, and this has seemed like an especially worthy topic to discuss given recent events. So below is some of my own reasoning that I’ve had in believing that Mr. DiDio should have been removed many years ago from his position at DC, a belief I only feel more urgently given recent events. In an ideal world, he would be promoted higher in a corporate hierarchy to a position of irrelevancy, to a position that actually utilized whatever strengths Mr. Davis and others might see in him, while removing him far from the day-to-day nuts & bolts of the mainstream comics industry, where I will argue below he is unsuited.
Read it all in depth over at Savage Critic.
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Burgundy
Cameron Weston Nicholson’s got a new comic for sale post-TCAF.
Visual Poetry, mixing the hue with who. Illustrated Poetry with visual definition, feeling. An 18 Page Poem comic. Will come signed with a doodle by yours truly.
Get ’em while you can! Only 22 left 😉
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Frankie Teardrop and 200 Deaf Boys
Matt Seneca’s latest comics are now available in his webstore. Frankie Teardrop, a brutal, action packed superhero parody and the 4th and final part of 200 Deaf Boys, a Christian mysticism horror show.
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2016 Igntatz Submissions Deadline – June 7th
Since 1997, the Ignatz Awards have been intended to recognize outstanding achievements in comics and cartooning by small press creators or creator-owned projects published by larger publishers. If you would like your recent work to be considered for the Ignatzes, now’s the time to send in your comics.
Submission details are available here!
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The Globe & Comics
Sean Rogers over at The Globe and Mail has reviewed After Nothing Comes by Aidan Koch,, Bird in a Cage by Rebecca Roher and, Kramers Ergot 9. It’s exciting to see quality, independently produced work reviewed online and in print by a publication with such wide range.
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Until next time!
Juan