Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in NewsTagged andrew white, cartoon crossroads columbus, jacob khepler, madeleine witt, sam ombiri, warmer

Sally Ingraham

Posted on September 27, 2017

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04/30/2018

Caleb OrecchioApril 29, 2018NewsCaleb Orecchio here with thoughts on, you guessed it, cartooning–and other news! ————————————————————————————————— “Be aware of your surroundings,” my dad always said to me as a kid. Just after I’d run into some inanimate object or unlucky pedestrian, incidentally located in my path while some shiny object distracted me. Be aware of your surroundings. Of all the great film directors, Brian De Palma knew this best. I bring up De Palma because I’ve become obsessed with his obsession (no pun intended–get it? it’s a filmography joke) with a character’s environment. It’s interesting to me because he thinks like a cartoonist in a way. Ever seen Carrie? There’s this long take, a series of long takes really, during the prom where De Palma is setting up the “prank” John Travolta and Nancy Allen will, literally, pull on Sissy Spacek, aka Carrie. He takes his time to really show the audience all the factors involved as he leads up to the climax. He takes us all around the gym where the dance is held. He shows all the players involved and their positions. Nancy Allen holds a rope and De Palma guides us up the length of the rope and into the rafters where a bucket of pig’s blood awaits its destiny. Then, once we the audience understand the potential energy involved, De Palma knocks over the dominos and the payoff is classic. Now, what I’ve just explained may sound fairly simple. It’s basic storytelling. It’s rising and falling action. However, De Palma’s use of visual information is the key to the tension. We know where all the exits of the gym are. We know where the characters are in relation to these exits. So when Carrie closes off these exits and we realize many characters we were sympathetic too don’t escape due to their respective positions, we panic alongside the characters. It escalates the horror and, dare I say, joy of the rush of the thriller. Even when the split-screen is implemented, we are not disoriented. In fact, speaking for myself, it further intensifies the adrenaline for me while I watch this familiar environment become a deathtrap. How does this relate to comics. Well, that’s what I’ve been thinking about. I think “the environment” can be an afterthought for most cartoonists. Or at least the power of knowing your surroundings can be an afterthought. The best recent example of a cartoonist being aware of their surroundings is Connor Willumsen and his latest book, Anti-Gone. I’ve wrote about Connor’s work and how this very subject relates to it. You can read it here to save me some space. But the basic idea is to present an environment, then allowing the story to breath by highlighting certain aspects of objects within that environment. In Connor’s case, it often entails omitting unnecessary information as a “scene” progresses. The result is a very effective and a deceptively simple tool that allows for sophisticated comics. The reader follows the action very smoothly because Connor can expertly iconize the objects within an environment and isolate them in a way that is completely logical and uncluttered. It’s very similar to Bushmiller’s work in Nancy. In fact, I’d argue De Palma’s methods are most comparable to Bushmiller’s as far as a comics comparison goes. There’s a purity of form that both Bushmiller and De Palma apply which cuts to the essence of their respective crafts. If you haven’t read How to Read Nancy, you should. A lot of effort is concentrated into the set up of a payoff. The domino effect. Simply put, think of Chris Ware. Every character, object, and environment is paired down to bare essentials visually. Everything is a symbol. There is very little confusion in a Chris Ware comic despite its intricacies due to the use of the symbolic rendering of the environment therein. When a character walks in and out various rooms, we can easily follow them. In fact, I feel I have actual awareness that is lacking in other comics because Ware often will show the reader the sum of the parts before exploring the individual pieces. Look at the above cutaway image of the building. Imagine if Ware wanted a bucket of pig’s blood to fall on our heroine on the top floor because the old lady on the bottom floor wanted to “prank” her. What De Palma did with the set up for his prom set piece in Carrie, which probably ate up at least ten minutes of movie time, Ware (or any cartoonist) could have done in one page. Do you see my point? What is my point? I’m just thinking out loud and have a platform to write it all out in all it’s raw rambling. Is anyone still here? Thanks for reading. See you next week. ————————————————————————————————— if you don’t know, now you know Frank Santoro is in Italy in support of the Italian release of his book Pompeii. Go check out an interview conducted at the show here. The great Marc Sobel reviews the great Ed Piskor’s X-Men: Grand Design at TCJ.com. I really like when The Comics Reporter’s “Five For Friday” gives some insights into comics’ past. Somehow missed Comic Books Are Burning in Hell’s latest episode. ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 4-30-18 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 4-30-18 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

Lale Westvind: Sometimes an overgrown golf course will do

Sally IngrahamJune 9, 2016InterviewsLale Westvind parked her bike outside the Comics Workbook rowhouse in Pittsburgh, PA, on a cool early summer night – and was immediately pulled into conversation with the neighbors. They wanted to know everything about this motorcycle riding, pencil wielding samurai of a cartoonist. Their interest was well founded – her work includes the recent Breakdown Press publication HAX, which has been rocking boats and knocking socks off ever since it’s release at CAB last year, as well as many self-published comics (Hyperspeed to Nowhere, Hot Dog Beach, and Express Less). Her spectacular forays into animation include pieces like Flesh Gun (2010) and the official music video for Lightning Bolt‘s The Metal East (2015). When she’s not making comics or riding her motorcycle or playing the guitar, Lale teaches animation at Parsons. When I met Lale at PIX this year, I knew I wanted to interview her for Comics Workbook. With her busy schedule in mind, I was content to conduct a conversation via email. However, as luck would have it, Lale decided to stop by the CW headquarters on her way to CAKE in Chicago this week. She knocked out 4 pages of a new comic in the course of an evening, explored the amazing library at the rowhouse, and matched Frank story for story until late in the night. A few hours later she got back on her motorcycle and zoomed off to the next adventure. I’m pleased to share our email exchange below, some photos from Lale’s visit, and a peak into the new comic that she is debuting at CAKE this weekend. ————————————————————————————————— Sally Ingraham – Thanks for taking the time to chat with me! I’ve got a few questions that I’ve really wanted to ask ever since finding your work. To start off though, what are you really hyped about right now – planned adventures, current projects, the Philly scene? What’s going on? Lale Westvind – I’m hyped about getting a break, gettin’ away somewhere on my motorcycle for a little bit and the end of a large project I’ve been working on for months. I’m hyped about getting into some comics projects that were started and left unfinished due to more urgent deadlines, about making weird paintings. I’ve been fending off a lot of anxiety and stress for a while and I’ll be very relieved when the pressure’s off a bit. I don’t know the Philly scene much yet, I kind of came down here to hide out and I’ve been cooped up in my house mostly trying to churn out an animation thing, but! Will Laren is down here at Space 1026, as is Mark Beyer who I keep trying to meet up with. I consider him legendary. There’s also Ian Harker and Pat Aulisio. I’ve met Jenna Brager, who lives in my neighborhood, an academic badass who makes excellent personal comics. There is an awesome group called Metropolarity down here that writes and sometimes reads excellent speculative fiction. There is a comic/coffee shop up north I have yet to visit called Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse that seems really cool. I have to go out more now that it’s warm. I’m looking forward to CAKE in Chicago, when I’ll have a mandatory break from working and can see some of my most cherished friends and peers. Sally – Okay, now for my pressing questions. When you were a teenager, what were you into? What was the dream life? Lale – I wanted to be an environmentalist working in the Siberian tundra or living in a pristine wilderness working to keep it that way. My dream lives involved travel to isolated places and writing. It’s increasingly difficult to get to a space where there are no people – sometimes an overgrown golf course will do though. Canadian environmentalist/writer Farley Mowat, was/is my hero. He had a lot of wild solitary adventures and wrote beautiful compassionate books. Counter to that I fantasized about making my own films and cartoons too, ha. I would love to make work that inspired the kind of compassion and awareness that Mowat inspires. Sally – Your colors are super intense and key to the overall telling of the story. Tell me how you approach making comics directly in color as opposed to making black and white line art first and then coloring it all. Lale – I use colors as an energy conduit, like the line, to direct energy outward from the work. They are the same primary color combinations of advertising, used for the same reasons. I like to create visually exciting imagery. I get the most joy from drawing that. I don’t think I’ve ever made comics directly in color, though I do make notes as I am penciling. If the comic is to remain black and white I’ve usually made that decision before starting the drawings. I’ve done some experiments with cartooning directly in colored pencils that I have not published anywhere. Sally – Are comics and music connected in your head? Is making music with your metal band anything like making comics for you? Lale – No, they’re not. Not at the moment any how. And unfortunately since moving I haven’t been able to play with Gun Tit for a while. If anything the connection is that it’s a total break from comics where I can still be creative. My approach to music is idiotic and unproductive but that’s ok with me, I just love to play guitar. It gives me a lot of joy to pick it up and try to make something up on the spot even if I usually forget it afterward. I keep a guitar by my desk so if I get stuck I play. Perhaps the connection is that I try to create both out of joy, or total desire to create, the difference being that with comics I follow up with the grunt work of parsing it together to be read, (mostly) and with guitar I don’t usually. I think I just do it for myself. Gun Tit is definitely metal influenced, but I think calling it a metal band is a stretch. I’m a little embarrassed to describe it actually – improvisational sludge incantation maybe? Freaky art band? Sally – You went to a LOT of shows last year – just generally speaking how would you like to see shows change for you as an exhibitor? Lale – I have no ideas about changing them. But…I think smaller shows put on by the people who are excited about making comics is a great thing. I like the idea of it being a community building/educational model rather than a capitalist event although it’s definitely both. I get very worn out after awhile being a salesman. I have more fun if I talk to my peers and attend panels, so sometimes a slower show sales-wise is better, long as you’re not counting on it. I think that alternative comics roots in self-publishing is very important as a political act, increasingly so. Even if the work is not political, the way one depicts characters in a story is inherently an expression of personal morals and/or desires. My favorite comics shows are the one which are open and encouraging to all types of people. It should be a place where we exercise our freedom of speech, in an intelligent way conducive to love, change, appreciation, mutual respect, new construction. Having people tabling at different levels in their career, from different backgrounds. Comics, specifically alternative comics, have the potential to be a space for idealistic expression, which is important for generating and encouraging hope and faith in a better future; in solutions to issues facing our society. For that reason I think we should stress accessibility, stress exchange, stress discourse and stress vigilance. In it’s best form I think a convention would stimulate everyone, in different age groups, experience, race, class, to make work that is more aware and more challenging while still encouraging experimentation. I think the more voices in comics, the better. Sally – Thanks so much Lale! Good luck at CAKE and wherever else the road takes you. ————————————————————————————————— Keep up with Lale Westvind HERE – buy her comics HERE Share this page: [...]

Residency Report: Homemake at the Rowhouse

Comics WorkbookJune 15, 2016Residency Reports / School UpdatesWe kicked off the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency over Memorial Day Weekend with a visit from Matthew Conway and Mahmoud Hashemi. Matt is an architect and very recent Harvard grad (congrats Matt!), and Mahmoud is the lead developer of the Python Infrastructure team at eBay/PayPal. Neither of them had ever made a comic before. However, Matt and Mahmoud were men on a mission. They arrived at the Rowhouse with the clear intention of using its many resources and the full breadth and depth of Frank’s knowledge and techniques to make something great. They were challenged and inspired during their time here, and in return they challenged and inspired the whole Comics Workbook team. And yes, they did end up making their first comic! During his flight home Mahmoud wrote a detailed report of his experience at the Rowhouse, and it offers a lot of insight into what made the experience extraordinary for everyone involved. Below you will find excerpts from Mahmoud’s report along with some commentary from me. There’s a lot to unpack! – Sally ————————————————————————————————— Mahmoud Hashemi wrote: “From May 28th to June 2nd, 2016, I visited Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I went to work with Frank Santoro on Matt Conway’s game Homemake. Overall it was a great vacation because it wasn’t your typical beachside retreat. Rather, it was mounting an effort to renew creativity and productivity on Matt Conway’s longstanding project, Homemake. The timing was great, as it was right before Ramadan for me, and right after Matt Conway’s graduation from Harvard GSD. Started in 2013 and Kickstarted to the tune of 18,000 in 2014, Homemake is an experimental art game that is unique for its focus on architecture and music, and its lack of traditional game elements like enemies and time limits.” Mahmoud, who serves as an editor, instigator, and cheerleader for Matt and the game, recognized that his friend needed a burst of new energy and that the game itself needed more concentrated story development. Mahmoud continues: “Homemake was designed as a system, meaning that it was designed nonlinearly. It was a procedural way to achieve certain preconceived moments. But there were no sentences between the punctuation. Almost all games, including HM, result in linear gameplay. The player sequential acts or chapters. My goal became to quickly build the best linear structure with what was already there. In a way, there was a middle act, but no opening or closing. So, the goal was to use a comic book as a storyboard to create the opening act.” Sally here – like I said, these fellows arrived at the Rowhouse with a fire under their tails! Mahmoud had known for a while that he needed to sit down with Matt and really hash out a narrative for the game. When he discovered Frank’s Kickstarter for the Rowhouse last fall, Mahmoud knew that he wanted to support this new comic book institution, and guessed that a residency might provide the right sort of space for he and Matt to work. He wasn’t 100% sure that Frank’s methods would be the magic pill they needed, but he was willing to come to Pittsburgh to find out. Back to Mahmoud’s report: “Frank’s own creative methods have a focus on systems, especially jazz-inspired rhythmic systems, making them an exceptional fit with Homemake‘s motivations and goals. I was skeptical at first, but it worked wonders. This effectiveness may have been magnified because half of Homemake‘s vision was disparate moments, a grab bag of mental notes about certain aesthetics. This method allowed Matt to express all his thoughts and editors, like me and Frank, to come through, see the patterns a reader would want to see, and develop the most coherent narrative. Everyone wins.” ‘With Frank’s method, images come first, then words. There should be no script. The images tell almost the whole story, and those images must be allowed to find their own rhythm. A script disrupts that. Similarly, a grid is like an empty script. Frank’s method of modular, card-based creation was as effective as it was simple. Hard-earned simplicity. … Matt ended up drawing 52 cards. I found a cohesive story with 40, and we expanded that to use 48 cards to create 6 pages, 3 spreads. … With this new direction, and Conway’s drive, I expect that development will continue on the comic book and game. For the comic book, we’ll start having real deliverables within a couple months. The game has 80% of what it needs now, and may be approaching a playable version within the year.” Matt and Mahmoud did more work in about three days than most people get through in three weeks. They also found time to explore Pittsburgh a bit, catch a hockey game, and even read a few comics in the midst of drawing their own. However, the majority of Matt and Mahmoud’s time here was spent in a lively discussion which looped back to comics regularly, but ranged all over the place. It was almost a bonus that some work got done, but really it was this discourse, this rapid-fire exchange of ideas and experiences that made the time uniquely valuable. It certainly made the line between “teacher” and “student” very fluid. Mahmoud had incredibly generous things to say about the experience as a whole, and I’ll let him finish this report in his own words. Mahmoud concluded: “Frank is inspirational, completely earnest, and almost totally pure. He is not jaded, not burned out. He is hopeful and hard working. He has lived a lot of places, from Pittsburgh to New York to San Francisco to New Mexico and back to Pittsburgh, just down the street from his mom (who is very nice). Compared to my expectations of independent comics artists, Frank is well-adjusted and well-equipped, with good taste in more than just comics. This expectation is likely skewed by my reading of so many “journal comics” artists. I feel like I learned about creating and collecting in general, not just about comics. Frank never stops relating things to comics, education, and community-building. Passion is fleeting compared to this. His motivation is closer to second nature. This nature was my original hopeful realization with Frank, before I met him. I feel a deep kinship with him, as I think about creating code the same way he thinks about creating comics. Independent, expressive, and individually valuable. Corporate partnerships are inevitable and, while they can be good, ultimately these looming entities don’t care about the potential of comics/code, they just use creators opportunistically. I see Frank doing for independent print comics what E-40 does in hip hop. He seems to know everyone past and present. E-40 and Frank both act upon this knowledge, combining it with the deeply ingrained understanding that respect is the real currency of the business. Money is an inescapable reality, but it’s possible and laudable to address the group as a community first and an industry second. Economies have a tendency to be treated as zero-sum. But respect is not zero-sum. Through his music, E-40 pulls everyone together, adding to their respect, and his own. And above all he respects himself, setting a good example. So it is with Frank. Suffice it to say, we need more creator-mentor-educators like Frank (as well as Sally, who I think recognizes all this and more, and actively assists Frank in the mission). In my ideal world I would be able to spend one week per year with a creator of his caliber, but I feel lucky to even have this one trip. … Long story short, I wish Frank and team the best of luck in “reddin up” the residency in time for another visit in the next year or two.” – Mahmoud Hashemi Many thanks to Mahmoud and Matt for coming to the Rowhouse and contributing their considerable energy and talents to Comics Workbook. We’re humbled and thrilled to have hosted them, and look forward to channeling what we learned from them into future residencies. ————————————————————————————————— Please take a moment to check out Homemake, as well as some of Mahmoud and Matt’s other interesting projects. Homemake (coming soon! – keep up with the progress) Chill Anime Beats (a musical curation collaboration) Matt Conway’s website Sedimental (Accretionary thoughts by Mahmoud Hashemi) Listen to Wikipedia (seriously, check this out it is SO COOL!) Here’s a taste of what Homemake will offer – P.S. Mahmoud and Matt had a funny encounter with Frank’s Mom and a real pap-pap (Mr. Greene) at the airport. Check it out below. Share this page: [...]

06/21/2018

Juan FernándezJune 21, 2018NewsHartley Lin Interviewed at Comix Experience; Zak Sally’s latest zine; the Summer Santoro School Correspondence Course – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Hartley Lin (Pope Hats, Young Frances) is interviewed by Brian Hibbs, live at Comix Experience in San Francisco. This is a great interview that in addition to giving great insight on where Lin is coming from as a comics maker, also notably discusses the world before and after the Xeric Grant. A little on Hartley Lin before you dig in: Lin is a cartoonist and illustrator from Toronto. His comic book series Pope Hats has received a 2013 Ignatz Award, 2012 Doug Wright Award and 2010 Joe Shuster Award. He has illustrated for Slate, HarperCollins, Chronicle Books, COMPLEX, Wired, The Walrus and The Believer. He now lives in Montreal. Hartley debuted Young Frances, his first major graphic novel with AdHouse Books at TCAF this year. Watch it over on Youtube. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – FOLRATH PART 2 – Zak Sally $9.00 at La Mano At long last, here it is. Starting mere moments after where Part 1 left off, it’s 159 pages of stories about landing in punk rock Oakland, CA circa 1993. It was a hot fucking mess. Still printed on shitty newsprint (blue ink !!!) then folded/ assembled by me. Unbelievably, this ain’t the end: part 3 wraps it all up (it’s way shorter than the other 2), but it’s not quite done yet. I’ll let you know but in the meantime, come wrestle with me down the verdant horse-trough of memory lane why don’t you. – Zak Sally – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Thee Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers Summer Session starts NOW! Floating start date! Apply anytime between now and July 12th 2018 to join the summer course. Email santoroschoolATgmail for more details. Ask about the Fall Course if now is too busy for you! The course is 8 weeks – 500 bux for 8 weeks plus access to Frank’s coaching for as long as you need. Payment plans are available. Put your summer to good use! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Cozytown – 06-21-2018 – by Juan Fernandez – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Joanie and Jordie – 6-21-18 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

04/21/2016

HarrisonApril 21, 2016News Daily News returns for April 21, 2016. In the classifieds we’ll hear conversations about careers in comics, near the editorials we examine new formats in web comics, and near the back page ads we traverse the Aquazone. True + Real Talk Julian Lytle and Martheus Wade delve into the topics of fandom, career decisions, industry mire, Decepticons, and haters in this episode of Ignorant Bliss. The discussion about fandom and popularity is one that I hope gets explored by other artists in the future. Memories Check out this web comic from Australian artist Sutu about his grandfather. Wear some good headphones if you can, and make sure to keep scrolling downwards. Experiments with interactivity are areas that I hope other comic artists explore more in the future. Samir and Dunia al-Ahdath “Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum has recently added first year print-runs of two important Arab comics magazines: The Egyptian magazine Samir (founded in 1956) and the Lebanese magazine Dunia al-Ahdath(founded in 1954). Both collections reflect early articulations of mass print culture for children in Egypt and Lebanon and reveal intriguing intersections between popular culture, nationalism, mass education, and gender in a period of early postcolonial nation building.” – Caitlin McGurk. Here. Archives “ZINES OF THE ZONE is a traveling library dedicated to self-published photo books, photo zines, fanzines using photography (even as a document) – any DIY printed matter related to photography. Since January 2014, we traveling across Europe by van – in order to show our collection to people, organize pop-up events, collect new books and meet local publishers. More than a library, it is a traveling zine-exhibition.” Not comics (I know), but going along with the digital archives of zines from earlier in the week, these guys in Europe have an interesting collection practice going on. Look through the rest of their collection, and if your curious check out the submission guidelines. Detroit vs. Everybody Read up here, and enjoy your Thursday. Share this page: [...]

09/28/2017

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Sally Ingraham

Sam Ombiri takes a look at the anthology Warmer, and Sally brings a CXC events update and other comics and news.

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Sam Ombiri here: When I was at SPX I bought a copy of Warmer from Madeleine Witt and Andrew White. A Lot of the time whenever I pick up an anthology, the anthology seems to be having an identity crisis. It is really trying to convince me that it’s something it’s not, as if the anthology is insecure about the area it occupies. If not insecure, then it’s probably going to be insular. This insecurity I project onto the anthologies I pick up comes from the extreme fear of mediocrity that most anthologies suffer from. Whenever someone is really desperate to surpass this mediocrity, they don’t have to go too far to do so. This desperation and insecurity really turns me off as the reader, and I’d rather just read the comics without considering them in an anthology altogether.

My first and lasting impression of Warmer was that it didn’t suffer from any of that! “Complacency” is the last word I’d use to describe the anthology – especially with the subject matter being tackled (climate change). It doesn’t feel like it’s “tackling an issue” as much as remaining in this space where we’re humans who are experiencing this deterioration in ourselves. Meanwhile, so is the planet, and this can be seen in things we do that are altogether unrelated to what we might do to perpetuate the pollution of the environment.

There’s no complacency in the book, just people trying to fight against that urge to be complacent both in their art and in their lives. Whenever something is contrived, which is rare in the book, it doesn’t work against the anthology because the following strip will have a good response to it. This shows the strength in numbers that can come out of an anthology, beyond having an easy way to access a variety of work – the strip before and after can strengthen the work. Some of these comics I wouldn’t read or engage with properly, if I wasn’t reading them in Warmer.

For example, the first two strips are immensely enticing. They’re followed by this strip that seems out of place. The author of this strip (William Cardini) isn’t in any rush to make a connection between the style being utilized and the words being utilized. I just found myself, as a reader, really wanting that connection. The strip also confused me tonally because of this whole vibe I had been set up for from the first and second strip (which are by Caitlin Skaalrud and Tor Brant respectively). The second strip had a more familiar looking 4 panel structure that suggested a punchline would be waiting for me at the fourth panel, but instead it beautifully invoke a longing for things to set right. Much like the first strip. Then on the third strip I get this goofy looking face, seemingly drawn by someone who I mistakenly imagine to be a gag cartoonist. I mistakenly read the tongue sticking out of the character drawn as a character mocking me for having this other expectation. Then I read more and discovered that while doing poetry comics, one can feel the inclination to jump into expression sooner than warranted, but it’s not the case at all with this book. The third strip was actually fantastic and it speaks to both the contributors of this anthology and the curation of Madeleine and Andrew.

In this whole book, the images and words further each other really well, and it’s wonderfully curated to accommodate the reader in the best way from beginning to the end. – Sam Ombiri

Keep an eye out for this anthology in the next few weeks – Andrew and Madeleine are fulfilling the Kickstarter and sold out of the copies they brought to SPX a few weeks ago! However, Andrew says Warmer will be for sale online asap – so stay tuned.

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Sally here! Comics Workbook and Connor Willumsen are coming to Cartoon Crossroads Columbus this weekend (Sept. 28-Oct. 1st)!

Workshops with Connor will be almost every hour on Saturday and Sunday.

“The educational workshops hosted by Pittsburgh’s Comics Workbook focus on visual theory applied in practical fashion to any kind of comics making a cartoonist can imagine and can benefit any way a student of the form might wish to improve. This year’s special host is the remarkable visual talent Connor Willumsen, with guest-star teachers dropping in and out throughout the weekend. Walk-ins welcome.”

Full schedule can be found HERE!

Connor teaching earlier this month during SPX 2017

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Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game, as seen by Connor Willumsen – Sept. 26th 2017

Just had to share the above drawing, made by Connor Willumsen during his weeklong stay in Pittsburgh between SPX and touring for Koyama Press, and his upcoming stint at CXC. For the baseball fans out there.

Check out Connor’s new book from Koyama Press – the incredible Anti-Gone, which you can get a copy of HERE.

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Jacob Khepler, “the publisher of Mothers News“, has started a new blog. So far he’s written about the zine shown above by Edie Fake, Family Circus, and books by Pushkin and Rimboud – something for everyone! Check out 100% Publishing HERE and be sure to bookmark it so you can keep up with one of the finest writers around.

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The fall semester of thee Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers starts October 1st 2017. 8 weeks of comics instruction that will bang your practice into shape – 500 bux. Full details about the course and how to apply can be found HERE.

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Frank Santoro made a comic book about his parents and now he needs help making a handbound copy of the book for each of them. It’s a good story. Check out the Indiegogo campaign HERE – or if you want to contribute via PayPal, look at the campaign HERE.

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Suzy and Cecil – 9-28-2017 – by Sally Ingraham

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Comics Workbook

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Posted in NewsTagged andrew white, cartoon crossroads columbus, jacob khepler, madeleine witt, sam ombiri, warmer

Sally Ingraham

Posted on September 27, 2017

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Sally Madden’s Personal Scene Report

Frank SantoroDecember 18, 2011Riff Raff / Scene ReportsFrank here. I asked my friend Sally Bloodbath to do a New York scene report. But she moved back to Philly and I already had a Philly report up in here like two months ago. Sally also got married to Matt Wiegle and has changed her name to Sally Madden. Go figure. Trying to clean up her image I guess. I meant the name part – not the marrying Matt Wiegle part 🙂 – Take it away, Sally! ——————- Sally Madden’s Personal Scene Report by Sally Bloodbath Madden Thank goodness the year is almost over! Isn’t it torture knowing something’s about to end but it won’t just hurry up and get here? Whether the worst documentary or the best novel, once I can see the ending in my sights, it’s exhausting waiting til when you can stick a fork in the thing and call it done. While waiting for winter, we’re fortunate to pass the gray hours with some wonderful comics of 2011. I caught up with several authors to find out what’s next and what they’ve taken away from the year: Eye of the Majestic Creature (Fantagraphics) by Leslie Anne Mackenzie Stein collects the first issues of one of my psychedelia favorites, and expected completion of EOTMC #7 in the next few months. She mentioned, “…work is the most important thing. You can spend a lot of time self-promoting utter crap and it’s still utter crap”. That reminds me of one of the people who asks me to re-tweet for them the most, Katie Skelly, whose compiled futuristic soap-opera Nurse Nurse (Sparkplug) will arrive in April 2012. Her next project is a series about a motorcycle girl gang, in which she will focus on “some kind of utopia one could achieve through method and/or geometry” from her studies of op and kinetic art. Far out! Fellow Syracuse ex-pat, Lizz Hickey has spent 2011 churning out zines like her ass was on fire, exploring her three alter-egos Jeremy, Danny and Carol, as well as some straight autobiographical comics about newlywed life in my favorite, Ladies Night. Her process changed this year, for the first time bringing work past the penciling stage, “I always rushed to finish so I can see instant results. I’ve taught myself to slow down!” CCS alum Melissa Mendes has been speeding it up lately, delivering online dailies, mostly of the subject of her debut book Freddy Stories. Usually, I find daily public comic output add up to little more than a pissing contest, but Mendes’ strips, while clearly an exercise for her, will bring enrichment to the reader as well. Truly, I have discussed some most excellent comic books, and you may be thinking in an expletive-riddled email, “Sally, what about the non-excellent comics? What about the lousy ones, like the three you released this year?”. While I like the idea of making something disposable, often a comic becomes garbage long before it reaches the trashcan. Fear not, gentle reader, for here is Sally’s Activities for Disappointing Comics: 1. Hungry? Why not spare The Times and set aflame some funnies for your weenie roast? A rolled-up floppy is less work than crunching up wads of newsprint, although a larger book like the final issue of Mome will go a long ways, as well. Warning: Glossy magazine-style printing leaves a black film on hot dogs, but not to worry! Still delicious! 2. Rip your way through unwanted comics for inexpensive and delightful linings for receptacles (quality litter is expensive!) for furry friends. Cats and hamsters alike find the experience refreshing, while you have more money to spend on your honey. 3. Remaining cash flow concerns regarding the upcoming holidays? Have more Archies than Benjamins? It’s time to make some gifts from the heart! I recommend some audio stimulus (I prefer Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality) to get through this one- cut out the juiciest panels from unwanted comics to make stories you want to read! Children and adults alike find delight with a one-of-a-kind comic! Don’t be afraid to mix and match- you’ll marvel at the natural romance of Casper and Harley Quinn unfolding in your capable hands. Happy Holiday’s y’all! Share this page: [...]

Angoulême International Comics Festival Report 2017 (Part 1)

Juan FernándezFebruary 6, 2017Festivals and ShowsThis is the first of a 3 part series on the Comics Workbook Experience at the 44th Angoulême International Comics Festival. Before we get into all dissecting and reflecting on this latest edition of the heavy weight championship of comics expos, Angoulême, let’s go for a stroll, take it easy and soak it all in. What do you say? Intentionally presented free of commentary, this series of photos invites you to take a look and see what tickles your eye. In depth reflections on this edition of the annual festival appears in the next next installment of this Comics Workbook Festival News series. See something you like? Write down some book names and follow that curiousity! You’re sure to find more with an online search. In the next installment I’ll unpack some of these photos and with some links to outposts and hubs online to explore the perspectives that were present at this spectacular Festival. -JF Share this page: [...]

07/04/2018

Juan FernándezJuly 4, 2018los Cómics / NewsEntrevista con Emil Ferris; Broken Pencil Zine Award Deadline Extended; the Airtight Garage in Galicia – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – El Cómic como Reflejo y Abismo – Emil Ferris entrevistada Elisa McCausland, El Salto El formato del diario está muy ligado al género de la autoficción. ¿Hasta qué punto es Lo que más me gusta son los monstruos autoficción, un relato inspirado por tus vivencias personales? Es evidente que en mi novela gráfica hay mucho de autobiográfico, empezando por su ambientación en el Chicago donde nací y donde transcurrió mi infancia, como la de Karen, a finales de los años 70. Mucho de lo que cuento son cosas que me pasaron a mí por entonces o que le pasó a gente que conocí. También comparto muchos de los intereses de Karen, como su pasión por el terror, tanto cinematográfico y literario, como cuando adquirió un carácter muy pulp a través de las historietas y revistas de aquella época y décadas anteriores. Sin embargo, hay un dicho que me gusta recordar cuando se habla de estos temas, que viene a decir básicamente que no es importante que los hechos narrados en una ficción hayan sucedido o no, pero sí que la historia que reflejan sea verdadera, responda a una pulsión profunda, auténtica. En este sentido, la ficción funciona como un espejo que nos permite reconocernos a nosotros mismos, y también como un abismo que nos descubre aspectos de nuestra personalidad y la de otros que desconocíamos. También en lo que respecta al amor, ese monstruo tan extraño, que está en todo lo que somos y hacemos y que sin embargo es tan invisible y se le echa siempre tanto de menos. Por eso me gusta considerar la ficción como un remedio paliativo contra esa enfermedad tan difícil de abordar que llamamos la realidad. Puede sonar pretencioso, pero creo que, en definitiva, la ficción nos ofrece las armas para afrontar con ánimo la realidad. Las historias son nuestra fortaleza. Léanlo todo AQUI. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – The Broken Pencil Zine awards are open for submissions. This year the winner will recieve a free subscription to Zine-o-Matic. Lots of categories. $200 + other goodies for winners in each category. $25 to enter. DEADLINE TO ENTER THE ZINE AWARDS IS NOW JULY 15, 2018 Learn more. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Comics Education: Galicia’s “Airtight Garage” Paula Castiñeira – ABC Galicia Galicia’s O Garaxe Hermético, established in 2012 is the first professional center of comic and illustration in Galicia. It offers up a relatively avant garde approach to comics education for Spain. Born in 2012 by the hand of cartoonist Kiko da Silva, who is also its director, this private school is a revolution in terms of the teaching model. When he started with the center, Da Silva brought together a team of friends and professionals of Galician illustration to organize a syllabus from scratch, with a very clear purpose: “To teach our profession in the most realistic way possible,” says the director.With an unconventional training and without evaluating the students with a numerical score – the works are classified as “not publishable”, “publishable” and “publishable collectible” -, what is intended is to show the students “what they are going to find later ». For this reason, apprentices receive classes not only on illustration and comics, but also on what they must do to dedicate themselves to it, from how to register for freelancers to how to make contracts with publishers so that they are not abusive. Learn more about O Garaxe Hermético, HERE. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Cozytown – by Juan Fernandez – 07/04/2018 Share this page: [...]

12/29/2016

Sally IngrahamDecember 28, 2016NewsWe are back! The Comics Workbook Daily News resumes today. We have fresh ideas to launch in the new year and a few tricks up a few sleeves – but for the moment, while the team is still on its way back home and the last days of 2016 tick away…we have just a few comics and stories to share and many good wishes to send out to you all. ————————————————————————————————— To kick things off, a very relevant comic from Kyle Baker on The Village Voice (above). And another comic by Kyle that I somehow missed can found on The Village Voice – HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Also on The Village Voice this week, Gilbert Hernandez has a new 4 page story…!! Page one below – the rest is HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Keith Knight has a review of Rogue One that I can happily get behind – a little spoilery – so if you haven’t seen the flick skip this one: Keith also has a holiday-themed comic on The Nib, which offers some alt-right gift ideas… – HERE. ————————————————————————————————— While the team was resting this piece (above) by Cory Thomas was published on Fusion – The Weirdness of Being Black in White Spaces After the Election. Check out the whole thing HERE. Cory Thomas is an Atlanta-based cartoonist who publishes the webcomic Watch Your Head HERE. (Also check out the full Graphic Culture series at Fusion – plenty more political-themed comics to stir your blood…) ————————————————————————————————— Paste has all 20 pages of Ronald Wimberly‘s story in the Attack on Titan Anthology – HERE. “…it’s an intriguing change of pace for cartoonists like Ronald Wimberly, who contributes the 20-page chapter “Bahamut.” Known for his rhythmic, hyper-stylized works like The Prince of Cats and GratNin, Wimberly takes a trip from his usual setting of Brooklyn to AoT’s turn-of-the-century Germanic landscape for a dark, hilarious take on the fiction.” – via Paste (If you choose to cruise around Paste for a minute after reading Ron’s story, there is a pretty decent “best of” list for comics HERE.) ————————————————————————————————— The Winter semester of the Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers started today, which means a new crew of talented artists are beginning what is often a transformative journey. If you missed out on getting a spot on the course this time round, keep an eye out for the Spring semester announcement in a few months, and meanwhile get yourself a copy of thee Santoro School Handbook – HERE. ————————————————————————————————— The Suzy and Cecil strips did NOT take a holiday break – in fact Gabriella Tito and I (Sally Ingraham) let the seasonal cheer creep into our stories – here’s a taste: There are more holiday strips HERE. Daily updates are HERE – and will resume as a regular part of the Daily News tomorrow! ————————————————————————————————— Hang in there as we ride the rest of this year out – and thanks for making Comics Workbook part of your life in 2016! Cheers – thee Comics Workbook Daily News Team Share this page: [...]

11/06/2018

Aaron CockleNovember 6, 2018NewsVote Aquí; Art of Native America; Comic Arts Brooklyn Panels ————————————————————————————————— A Brief History of Bilingual Voting José -Luis Olivares at Popula. ————————————————————————————————— Art of Native America At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 4, 2018-October 6, 2019. This landmark exhibition in the Museum’s American Wing showcases 116 masterworks representing the achievements of artists from more than fifty cultures across North America. Ranging in date from the second to the early twentieth century, the diverse works are promised gifts, donations, and loans to The Met from the pioneering collectors Charles and Valerie Diker. Long considered to be the most significant holdings of historical Native American art in private hands, the Diker Collection has particular strengths in sculpture from British Columbia and Alaska, California baskets, pottery from southwestern pueblos, Plains drawings and regalia, and rare accessories from the eastern Woodlands. ————————————————————————————————— Comic Arts Brooklyn 2018 The CAB show is this Sundayn November 11, here is some info about the panels and additional events: ————————————————————————————————— Share this page: [...]

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