Sally here with new work from Kyle Baker, old work from Jay Jackson, and more!
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The work of Jay Jackson – a pioneering African-American cartoonist who died in 1954 – has risen to the surface of the internet sea, and Steven Thompson shares pages from the strip Home Folks, and a little info on the creator, over on his blog Booksteve’s Library.
“His weekly panel HOME FOLKS, always crowded with many characters and variations on a theme a la a number of classic cartoon panels dating back to the 1920s, is brilliant. Running exclusively in small African-American newspapers, week after week he managed to hit the nail on the head regarding not just exclusively the black experience but human life in general–even animal life at times. It was all recognizable and relatable…“
See more of Jackson’s work HERE. (via tcj.com)
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Kyle Baker has turned his comics know-how to Gumby recently.
“The A.V. Club has an exclusive look at Baker’s entire story in next week’s Gumby #1, and he’s using a style that he previously tried out on Plastic Man, removing black outlines so that the images on the page look like they’re made out of layers of construction paper. It adds a tactile quality to the art, which makes a lot of sense for a property that started with three-dimensional clay figurines. The characters still have the exaggerated expressions that Baker is known for, and this rendering choice makes the entire story feel lighter and more childish. This first issue also features stories by writers Ray Fawkes and Jeff Whitman (Managing Editor or Papercutz), artist Jolyon Yates, and colorists Laurie E. Smith and Matt Herms, and reader can discover each creative team’s take on the property when Gumby #1 goes on sale July 5.“
Read more and see The A. V. Club‘s exclusive look HERE.
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The Comics Journal features an interview between Gary Panter and Dash Shaw – they break down Panter’s new book Songy of Paradise (Fantagraphics, May 2017) in a number of different ways, but it was these comments from Panter about working within your limitations that stuck with me:
“Shaw: One time, I can’t remember how you said it, but it’s always stuck with me. I was at your place and you were telling me about your beaded necklaces or something that you were working on, and you had all these different, experimental, non-commercial projects– projects that might not have any audience– and you said that being raised Christian helped you follow all these unusual ideas, because you always had the impression that you were being watched.
Panter: Yeah, I’m not sure about the first half, if it propels me, but I do have the feeling of being watched. I was thinking about that today, it’s odd. We were taught that there’d be the Day of Judgment, it’d all play back. And it would be really fucking embarrassing, you know? [Shaw laughs]
[Jokingly] Why did he spend all this time drawing comics?!
Well, I dunno, you just decide what you’re good at, what fascinates you, and you kind of go for it. I don’t really have giant resources, I’m limited in a lot of ways, so I can do these… Like if I take up lanyards, which I have as part of my little projects—lanyard making, like you made at summer camp, those woven plastic gimp things. When I learned how to do that—I’m completely untalented at it, but I can invent my version of it, I can get as far as I can get. It’s the same with my candles, my comics, my paintings, my music—everything. I’m working within my limitations. So if you’re working within your limitations, you can actually get stuff done. “
Read the rest of the interview HERE.
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Julian Lyte talks to Ulises Farinas about Farinas’ publishing imprint Buno, and his ideas about comics distribution and pre-ordering, on the Ignorant Bliss podcast. Check it out HERE.
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Connor Willumsen is having a screen print sale!
The screening series is called Cinema1999 – prints are 20 bucks and shipped rolled, editions of around 25 – limited supplies. Check it out HERE!
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We are already in the midst of our second summer running the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency! Above is a collection of photos from our first summer, into the winter of 2017, and beyond.
More photos and info on the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency can be found HERE!
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7-6-2017 – by Sam Ombiri
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Suzy and Cecil – 7-6-2017 – by Sally Ingraham
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Joanie and Jordie – 7-6-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio