Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted on October 15, 2018October 16, 2018

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07/06/2016

Juan FernándezJuly 6, 2016NewsJuan Fernandez here with your Spanish language comics news: Cuadernos de cómic número 6;los consejos de Inés Estrada; Novedades de Fulgencio Pimentel; la historia del cómic Chileno; una reseña del PLAYGROUND de Berliac. ————————————————————————————————— CuCo, Cuadernos de cómic número 6. Junio de 2016 La nueva edicion de la revista de estudio y crítica de la historieta, CuCo, hay sido publicada este fin de semana! Puedes descargar Revista 6 aqui – GRATIS. Entre sus ensayos, debates, y estudios esta edicion incluye entrevistas con Martin Lopez Lam, Mirion Malle, y Sergio Garcia. En CuCo, se toma lo del cómic en serio! ————————————————————————————————— Consejos de Inés Estrada Hot tips and encouragement from Inés Estrada on how to make comics and illustration work for you. Lots more over on her site. *Expensive tools aren’t mandatory I draw all my comics with just a mechanical pencil and I have a 10 year old wacom tablet. I only splurge on nice Fabriano paper. This is what I’ve found that works for me. Find whatever works best for YOU, it doesn’t have to be the same as what other people use! *Share your work anywhere you can If you can go to fests or shows, that’s great, but if you can’t, use the internet! I grew up in Mexico City where there is no “comics scene” but I was still able to make it because I’ve been consistently posting my work on the internet for years. Commit yourself to posting your work on Tumblr, Twitter or Instagram as often as you can. Try to have a separate account for your professional work that doesn’t feature a million photos of your beautiful cat and the delicious breakfast you made today. NEVER STOP DRAWING, NEVER STOP MAKING, DON’T LET ANYTHING DISCOURAGE YOU! STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF! ————————————————————————————————— La historia del cómic Chileno La Biblioteca Nacional de Chile le ofrece una vista cronológica del desarrollamiento del cómic chileno desde 1906 hasta el presente. Aunque no sea exhaustivo, es un buen punto de partida para quienes quieran aprender mas sobre el mundo del cómic Chileno. Edúcate! La historia del cómic en nuestro país se encuentra estrechamente relacionada con el desarrollo de la historieta y el humor gráfico, que iniciaron su recorrido entre el siglo XIX y la primera mitad del siglo XX. Este desarrollo, en sus inicios, estuvo centrado principalmente en la sátira política, y más tarde en publicaciones orientadas al entretenimiento infantil. El primer personaje de historietas nacional, Von Pilsener, fue creado en 1906 por Lustig (Pedro Subercaseaux), y sus aventuras fueron reeditadas en la década de 1990 por el poeta e investigador Jorge Montealegre. De estos años datan gran cantidad de publicaciones con historietas extranjeras y nacionales, entre las que destacaban algunas como El Pibe (1923), Don Fausto (1924), Pulgarcito (1938) y Pobre Diablo (1946), así como otras más conocidas por los lectores de hoy, como Topaze, dedicada al humor político, y El Peneca, dirigido desde la década de 1920 por Elvira Santa Cruz. Nació también antes de 1950 el más famoso de los personajes ilustrados de nuestro país: Condorito. ————————————————————————————————— Reseña de Playground por Berliac “ ‘Playground’ is a fundamental work to understand comics of today. It’s a complex, postmodern piece, about the medium and its limitations (…) Berliac breaks through these limits and starts from scratch (…) using, in short, all the posibilities of comics”. – Jesús Jádiva, Zona Negativa Y no se pierdan la reseña de Playground que Frank Santoro hizo pare TCJ en 2014. Te dara otra perspectiva en el valor de esta obra de Berliac. ————————————————————————————————— Novedades de Fulgencio Pimentel Editorial Fulgencio Pimentel a lanzado su nueva suscripción, y como mola: 1. Beverly de Nick Drnaso 2. Meeting Jari de José Ja Ja Ja 3. Melancolía de Simon Hanselmann 4. Talco de Amanda Baeza 5. La yaya Meti de Aapo Rapi 6. Mi pequeño (edición integral) de Olivier Schrauwen Suscríbete por 89.00€ hoy! Presentación DMLQL en Barcelona Y si estas en Barcelona, no te pierdas la presentacion de Gabriel Corbera este Sabado en Fatbottom! 9 de julio a las 12:00 horas. Fatbottom C/ Lluna, 10. Barcelona DÍAS MÁS LARGOS QUE LONGANIZAS de Gabriel Corbera es sencillamente uno de nuestros tebeos favoritos ever. Deudor del manga más cinemático tanto como de las novelas de Marcial Lafuente Estefanía, salpicado de referencias a videojuegos, envuelto en una atmósfera ominosa y risible a un tiempo, DMLQL es mayormente una lección acerca de cómo se ordenan los silencios y los blancos de un poema; o para el caso, de un tebeo. Para nosotros, desde la primera lectura, este tebeo es El Rock y El Verano, los dos en uno, y eso a pesar de que DMLQL es un cómic de tormenta. ————————————————————————————————— hasta la proxima! JF Share this page: [...]

04/07/2016

HarrisonApril 7, 2016NewsFor April 7 News and insights; Cameron has visions of cats on top of beats, comics about haircuts and squirrels, and artists you should know. ————————————————————————————————— RVA (RICHMOND,VIRGINIA) SHOUT OUT! ? ? ? ? ? Cameron here, this time I’d like to shout out a RVA artist who’s been killin’ the game for some time now, Chris Visions. I’m not citing a back story other than that he was born to be a great artist. From doing covers for Marvel and DC to having a full series of his own, written by Chris Sabela; Dead Letters, I advise you to check it out like right now! There are infinitely great things I can say about Chris so I’ll keep this short. This dude’s Illustration work is marvelous; the shapes create striking figures with unforgettable poses. He knows how to really put a story to each of the characters he draws/paints. Man, all I can say about his comic pages is CHECK THEM OUT! Seriously, go see them. You’ll see how great they are. Last but surely not least this man’s portfolio is filled with more colorful, striking, masterful pieces then anyone could did, Ya Dig?! Here’s a link to his website, AND if any of ya’ll are at Emerald City Comic Con this weekend, go see him at TABLE X-01! He makes rad videos too: EVERY WEEK I’m going to try and feature an RVA artist. I won’t be able to feature EVERYONE, but here and there I’ll mention some great people! ATTENTION ATTENTION! ? ? ? ? ? ? If you haven’t heard, Ronald Wimberly’s PRINCE OF CATS WILL BE GETTING A REPRINT BY IMAGE COMICS. If you don’t know who Ron Wimberly is then let me fill you in. He is a kick ass, bad ass, comic artist who constantly puts out beautiful pieces one after the other. He also has an updated comic on STELA called GratNin! Check it out on your cellular devices. Here’s a link to his Tumblr so you can follow and support a great comic artist! MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC! FAT BEATS since 1994. I wont say much, go listen for yourself. Marvelous beats for the everyday grind. Comics are for EVERYONE! ————————————————————————————————— Home Kurt Ankeny’s latest update to his series In Pieces: Someplace Which I Call Home is on ComicsWorkbook. The sharp marks for pupils, eye glasses, and flesh against the softer graphite borders create an inviting contrast. More so, Kurt’s script works as the consistent foreground for his narration throughout the series. Pre Order Some Copies Read from the beginning ————————————————————————————————— Buddies Filmmakers Charles Huettner and Sean Buckelew of L8Night WorkClub have a movie discussion/animation art talk podcast called Movie Buddies. This episode they rightfully gushed over Ryan Coogler’s second movie Creed with fellow filmmaker Brian Smee. In the second half of the show I asked them who some of their favorite black artists were and they gave some good answers that others should check out. Listen Here ————————————————————————————————— it’s the vestiges of my “career” that I should abandon anyway Kimball Anderson ? (Not a squirrel but close) ————————————————————————————————— Sticks and Stones Share this page: [...]

About

Comics WorkbookNovember 13, 2016Santoro SchoolHere at Comics Workbook we’re testing a new type of learning institution for comics-making. We are committed to: the exploration of comics as a community form, rather than as a commodity form. creating a hub for comics-making and writing about comics-making that emphasizes the healthy growth and development of its contributors and readers. maintaining a space for makers by makers. Got something you want to contribute? Email me at juan@comicsworkbook.com. I’d love to hear about what’s on your mind. – Juan Fernandez, Managing Editor Share this page: [...]

09/03/18

Caleb OrecchioSeptember 3, 2018NewsGone fishing ———————————————————————————— We will be back tomorrow at our normal programming schedule. Have a good one! ———————————————————————————— Share this page: [...]

Frank’s Soapbox plus Philly Scene Report

Frank SantoroOctober 9, 2011Riff Raff / Scene ReportsOhhh, I gotta preach up in here! I can’t take it anymore, Lord, help me find the strength to control myself! They make me so angry – I wanna get all Old Testament on them. Fire. Brimstone. Who? You! Every week you come here and read this column – but what do you do? You just take, take, take. What’s happening in your comics scene? Do you have a comics scene? Well, why not? Is the Wednesday comics scene all you’ve got? Then you gotta do more. I live out in the middle of nowhere and I bend over backwards to bring you CONTENT week after week. And you just link to me on your blog or tumblr. Tweet about this post. Oh, wow, thanks, champ. You do so much. Where would we be without you? Go write a review of some corporate comic book brand like it matters. I love all comics. But I want a divorce. No more superhero comics. Ever. As historical documents – fine. Kirby? Yes, all day. But don’t talk to me about what DC or Marvel is doing today. I don’t give a shit. Playtime is over. Crisis on Infinite Fanzines Blogs. So, within the hallowed walls of this venerable institution – The Comics Journal – I am devoting more space towards local scene reports. Up with local comics scenes. Down with Marvel. Down with DC. Boycott Disney. Boycott Time Warner. Up with writing about small press comic books. No more writing about Marvel and DC comic books. At all. Ever. A pox on the houses of the Big Two. TOO BAD, SO SAD, BYE BYE. ————————- INTERMISSION FUNNIES with MICHAEL DEFORGE ———————— Philly Scene Report By Ian Harker At the center of the Philly underground comics scene is the Philly Comix Jam. The jam started as an informal drinking and drawing session in the fall of 2007. While jam comics are still drawn at the meetups, the monthly gathering now serves primarily as a networking and brainstorming session for local cartoonists. Before the jam, there was very little infrastructure in Philly for anything that could be described as an alternative comics scene. From Comix Jam has sprung various projects such as the free tabloid Secret Prison, the Philly Alternative Comic Con, and upstart publisher Retrofit Comics, which have all helped Philly’s developing cartoonists find a broader context for their work. Jam regulars include veteran cartoonists such as Art Baxter and Terry LaBan, young cartoonists in full stride such as Box Brown and Pat Aulisio, and newcomers like the girls of the Dirty Diamonds mag. Institutions vital to the Philly scene include the comic shops Brave New Worlds and Locust Moon Comics. Brave New Worlds is a mainstream-centric comic shop in the gallery section of Old City. BNW has a great gallery space featuring local comic art in the front of the shop that regularly draws hundreds of visitors during First Friday festivities. Locust Moon Comics, by contrast, is a smaller DIY operation in University City that is always happy to stage events for local artists looking for an excuse to drink cheap beer. Other important spaces include the world renowned SPACE 1026, which often features great art comics work from around the world; Pterodactyl Philly, a great gallery space that moonlights as the small run digital press Fireball Printing; and Cha Cha-razzi, a studio space that has recently hosted various comics-meet-music events. Important figures in the scene include the aforementioned Art Baxter, who organized the Comix Jam for close to 3 years and is a source of unlimited wisdom in the craft of comic making; double Ignatz winner Box Brown, by far the most productive cartoonist of the bunch, whose Retrofit Comics venture looks to revive the alternative floppy; and Pat Aulisio, up-and-coming artist and organizer of Philly Alternative Comic Con, who lends the scene its “Yeah Dude” street cred. Orbiting on the perimeter of all of this, of course, is comics legend Charles Burns, whose appearance at any local event serves as the ultimate blessing from the Alt-Comic olympians. Oh yeah, and Robert Crumb was from Philly, so take that New York! ——————- Frank here again…Don’t forget! I’m starting a cartooning correspondence course. An 8-week workshop. Application deadline is October 28th, 2011. Check out the details here. ——————- Share this page: [...]

10/16/2018

Posted on October 15, 2018October 16, 2018 by Aaron Cockle

Mid-October Process Post

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I was out of town last week. As with my last trip, I wasn’t really able to work on comics, but I tried to keep busy with sketching when I had the chance. Mostly quick exercises with negative space, nothing too intense. I was drawing in sketchbooks I made out of a portable speaker user’s manual and some books made out of tea bag wrappers. Examples below.

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I picked up some books as well:

Moron der Schwachsinnige, by L.G.X., 1995
L.G.X.

André Breton + Max Ernst
Mad Love, by André Breton, translated from the French by Mary Ann Caws, 1988
(Coincidentally, Caws participated in a panel discussion at Printed Matter this past Friday to promote Ideas Have No Smell: Three Belgian Surrealist Booklets

Ideas Have No Smell collects the first English-language translations of three works: Transfigured Publicity, visual texts by poet and photographer Paul Nougé (1895-1967); the whimsical, hand-drawn artist’s book, Abstractive Treatise on Obeuse by Paul Colinet (1898-1957); and For Balthazar, a collection of aphorisms and observations by the ever skeptical author, lawyer, and anarchist Louis Scutenaire (1905-1987).

https://www.printedmatter.org/programs/events/729)

Star Warriors : A Penetrating Look into the Lives of the Young Scientists Behind Our Space Age Weaponry, by William Broad, 1985
Star Warriors : A Penetrating Look into the Lives of the Young Scientists Behind Our Space Age Weaponry, William Broad

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Cement Mixer – 10-16-18 – by Caleb Orecchio

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Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Aaron Cockle

Posted on October 15, 2018October 16, 2018

Explore

07/02/2018

Caleb OrecchioJuly 1, 2018NewsCaleb Orecchio here with thoughts on “Dream World!” by Steve Ditko, and other news! ———————————————————————————————— Okay so Frank was selling this comic, Chamber of Chills no. 19 on Instagram (a 1975 Marvel reprint comic mostly re-presenting comics from Tales to Astonish), and I had to steal it for the time being until it was sold. It contains the Ditko strip, “Dream World” which is really striking. In glorious 9-panel grid, Ditko (and Lee) very tactfully build upon layers of dreams that wake the protagonist only to find he is still dreaming. Think Inception. Ditko uses the 9-panel grid expertly and waltzes us through this man’s dream layers. 1-2-3, 1-2-3-, 1-2-3. Something I find interesting is that the action takes place in the middle tiers whereas the top and bottom tiers are close-ups which show the protagonist’s expressions and emotions (or realizations and reactions). He expertly zooms in and out for emphasis in a way that isn’t tedious, but useful (and natural somehow). Look! you can “read” the strip across the spread without having to follow the rigid comics zigzag reading format and it still makes sense visually. You could also scan the spreads randomly and easily decipher the idea of the pictures. It’s so simple. Really this is a comic where “nothing happens,” which is its strength. It actually reminds me of David Hockney’s Gregory Swimming, Los Angeles, March 31st 1982 (below). Hockney is thinking about and showing how we see and look. An argument could be made that Ditko is showing how we think, and in such a simple way that it resembles how we look or see. ———————————————————————————————— if you don’t know, now you know Michael Dooley talks to Robert Williams and over at TCJ.com. While you’re there, read the latest installment of Austin English’s column, “10 Cent Museum“. Here on the site we have Ian Densford’s Rowhouse Residency report! Happy to see a new episode of Make It Then Tell Everybody. ———————————————————————————————— 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! ———————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 7-2-18 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

06/06/2018

Juan FernándezJune 6, 2018los Cómics / NewsAntonia Herrera y María Soto Aguilar, Rosa Colón, Kelly Fernandez, Sol Díaz Castillo, and Love and Rockets #5 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Los cómics y las noticias que me han llamado la atención esta semana: ~ en Español y “sometimes in English” ~ – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – La Polola #77 – Antonia Herrera y María Soto Aguilar; las Punkrobotinas Sol Díaz Castillo y Marcela Trujillo tienen una nueva edicion de La Polola Podcast! Las chicas conversan con con Antonia Herrera y María Soto Aguilar, primas, amigas y las dos socias de Punkrobot Estudio, autores de “Historia de un Oso”, ganadora del primer premio Oscar en Chile! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – “We have only begun to mourn our dead.” Rosa Colón‘s latest comic for The Nib reckons with Hurricane Maria’s real toll. Nobody knows exactly how many people were killed, but it’s more than the government says. Read it HERE. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Starting from Mini-Comics with Kelly Fernandez Loso Perez has put together a profile on the multi-talented Kelly Fernandez over on Prime Vice Studios. Kelly Fernandez is a cartoonist from Queens, New York. She was the recipient of the CAKE’s annual Cupcake Award in 2017 and a winner of Scholastic’s “Get Published by Graphix” competition. Her work has appeared in various comic anthologies such as Mine! and Dates: Volume 2 , as well as the teen literature and comics magazine CICADA. Her work often stars Latino women, and usually has something to do with folklore, monsters, or video games. When she’s not at her desk, you might find her looking for new places to eat or singing karaoke with friends. Take the opportunity to get yourself more acquainted with her work, HERE! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – La dibujante Sol Díaz Castillo fue entrevistada por Vicio y Virtud! ¿Cuáles son las ventajas y desventajas de tener estudios formales? ¿Le recomendarías la carrera que estudiaste a alguien que aspira a ser historietista? ¿Por qué?: Mmm, creo que estudiar cualquier cosa, por muy lejos que pareciera estar de tu interés más específico, sirve y aporta en un bagaje cultural, social e incluso emocional dentro de una persona. Me parecen importantes las herramientas no sólo técnicas, sino conceptuales, sobretodo en un contexto educacional básico que busca sólo resultados y obediencia. De todas maneras las Universidades también tienen cosas muy cuestionables, muchas veces son más aire que contenido… Yo creo que para ser historietista no hay una sola carrera, se necesitan varias cosas, podrías venir de Arte, de Diseño, de Literatura incluso… Aún así, desde mi experiencia, Diseño me aportó mucho en cuanto a comunicación visual, a contar con imágenes, creo que eso es lo que hago como dibujante, cuento historias y los dibujos son mi herramienta principal. Léanlo todo AQUI! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Love And Rockets concludes its Locas reunion with bittersweet nostalgia Over on the AV Club, Oliver Sava takes a look at Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez‘s latest issue of Love and Rockets (#5). Memory and the effect of time, explored by Gilbert and Jaime’s different narrative techniques and aesthetic focuses – good stuff! It’s a nice comparison of emotional techniques that they employ in this issue. The differences in the brothers’ tones can be seen in how they start their stories in this issue. Like Gilbert, Jaime begins in the middle of a conversation, but the dialogue invites readers into the action rather than keeping them at a distance. Hopey is looking back at messy moments in her angsty, aggressive past, her first line recounting the time she and her friends beat up Hilary Pute and stole her lunch box. Readers might have already forgotten that this story was presented in the previous issue, putting them in Maggie’s position. Hopey continues by lamenting how she treated her old boyfriend, Tex, during their time together on the East Coast. Once again there are multiple options for engagement that depend on the readers’ retainment of past Love And Rocketsstories. Read it all HERE! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Suzy and Cecil – 06-06-2018 – by Gabriella Tito – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Cozytown -06-06-2018- by Juan Fernandez Share this page: [...]

01/06/2017

Sally IngrahamJanuary 5, 2017NewsSally here, with work by Karine Bernadou to share, info on Gert Van Houten, praise for Annie Koyama, plus the spotlight on two local Pittsburgh creators, lots and lots of lists…and your daily dose of Comics Workbook Daily Strips! ————————————————————————————————— Here’s a wonderful tribute to Koyama Press and Annie Koyama via the Torontoist – as part of a reflection on the best and worst of 2016, they are voting for the Heroes and Villains of Toronto and Koyama Press has been nominated for “re-defining kickass in the local arts scene“. The write up about Annie and Koyama Press is lovely – check it out HERE. The ballots will be counted this morning and we’ll know by noon today who Toronto’s Superhero and Supervillain of the year will be – of course, the obvious choice for superhero to me is Kickass Annie! (Also, check out more work by Emile Compion – who made the image above of our favorite gal – HERE or via Instagram – @montevarious) ————————————————————————————————— The comic above was made by Gertrude Van Houten, who is considered to be the first known female cartoonist in the nation who made cartoons about a specific locale. She worked for the Grande Rapids Press in the 1920s and ’30s and her comics appeared on the front page of the paper every few days. Readers referred to her as “Gert” and as you can see in the piece above, the character “Little Gert” always made an appearance in a corner of her strips. Learn a bit more about her HERE, or get a copy of Drew Damron’s booklet Her Pitchers: The Life and Work of Gert Van Houten from Issue Press. ————————————————————————————————— A happy discovery for me this week was French cartoonist Karine Bernadou. I read a copy of Canopy (Retrofit Comics, 2016) while working at Copacetic Comics and laughed and grimaced my way through it. A young woman is abandoned in the woods by her mother and left to discover on her own the means to deal with a strange faceless man, a loving ogre, beautiful sirens, and the frightening/magical forest itself. I enjoyed Karine’s pantomime style and the somewhat violent, but hilarious tumble I took through her world. Get a copy of Canopy from Copacetic Comics or Retrofit, where it is also available digitally. ————————————————————————————————— Shout-out to local Pittsburgh cartoonists and creators Hannah Leach and Em DeMarco who attended the Pittsburgh Comics Salon this past week. There is an incredible richness of badass women working in the city these days and I’m always excited to meet, and get to know them better. Check out Em DeMarco’s work HERE – she is a comics journalist whose work appears regularly in the Pittsburgh City Paper, as well as a talented photographer who you are almost sure to bump into at more than one punk show on any given weekend. She works relentlessly, and is even turning her hand towards teaching comics this year. She’s definitely an inspiration to me! Hannah Leach draws and SEWS too! She recently opened an Etsy store which you should certainly check out – WolfWitchStitch. Also follow her Instagram for more drawings and stitchery in progress – @wolfwitchstitch. ————————————————————————————————— Heidi MacDonald over on The Comics Beat has The Beat Annual Creator Survey 2017. It contains thoughts on what was cool in 2016, what to expect in 2017, and – thankfully, in the face of plenty of negative energy going around – what inspires the creators that Heidi interviewed. Autostraddle has their list of the 10 Best Comics of 2016 – part of their Drawn to Comics series, which focuses on comics by, featuring, and for queer ladies. The Comp Magazine has a nice list of 10 Comics Read Twice in 2016 – including Anya Davidson’s Band for Life, Pushwagner’s Soft City, and the new Black Panther series which are all books I can totally get on the hype wagon for myself. The rest of the list is solid too, so if your “to be read” list needs rounding out, you’ll find some books to add there. Since I’m listing lists here, I may as well add The Comic Journal‘s The Best Comics of 2016 (According to Some) – and speaking of Anya Davidson, she was one among the “according to some” and had some thoughts on lists like these: “Can I say that I think these kinds of lists are arbitrary, because there is a dizzying number of brilliant books out there that I haven’t read, so this is more of a “list of things I read that I greatly enjoyed” than a best of?” Yes, you can say that, and thanks. Last list for today – The Guardian has one that is looking forward to The 20 Comics to Watch Out for in 2017. Lots of good stuff including new books by Eleanor Davis and Jillian Tamaki, and more of the Worlds Of Wakanda and Shade: The Changing Girl series’. ————————————————————————————————— I was just flipping through Zona #1 (above) today, looking for Gabriella Tito‘s story specifically – which you can read online HERE – but of course I ended up perusing the whole thing since Harry Moyer, Jack Brougham, and Frank Santoro’s stories are equally rad. This is one of my favorite Comics Workbook publications and if you don’t have a copy I highly recommend it – 60 pages of work in black and white, with screen printed covers made by Frank, out of an edition of only 100. Check it out HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 1-6-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 1-6-2017 – by Sally Ingraham Share this page: [...]

04/14/2017

Sally IngrahamApril 13, 2017NewsSally here to wrap up the week with new work by Ulli Lust; an Easter Comix reading at KGB Bar; a conversation with Carel Moiseiwitsch; a look at Saving Grace; plus much more! ————————————————————————————————— Ulli Lust has printed up a small comic that collects the strips she has been making for the magazine EXBERLINER. She will have copies available at TCAF in May! Meanwhile you can read the strip HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Check out the Annual Easter Comix & Graphic Novel Night on April 16th, 7-9PM at the KGB Bar in New York City. Five local cartoonists will offer slideshow readings that are “sure to entertain, bewilder, and amuse.” Co-hosted by Robyn Chapman and Robin Enrico, the reading will also feature Lauren Barnett (some of her work is pictured below), Jim Campbell, Ada Price (above), and Kelsey Wroten. ————————————————————————————————— RJ Casey interviewed 76-year old Carel Moiseiwitsch for The Comics Journal this week. Carel was born during the Blitz, and her first memories are of playing in the rubble of London following the war. This is probably why she drew, as RJ Casey puts it, “dangerous comics“. Among many interesting stories about hanging out with the Rolling Stones and getting drunk with Francis Bacon, plus the complexities of making art and raising kids, Carel answers a question posed by RJ Casey that I’ve been thinking about almost constantly for the last year: “I was thinking about your era of comics and how many fantastic artists just drew for a couple years, then got out completely. Or ones that went into fine art and never made comics again. Why do you think that time period of the late ’80s to early ’90s had so many artists like that? It’s not fruitful and it requires such hard work. Also everything became kind of corporate. It’s very hard to survive in that kind of atmosphere. Where I came from — London and Paris in the ’60s — you could go there and draw, record music, and create art, then shuffle around to the cafes and have a drink, meet up with friends, write poetry, or whatever it is you wanted to do. People took you seriously without you having to be famous or successful. You just had to be true to yourself. But now it’s like if you’re not famous or successful, you’re nothing.“ Carel has continued to make comics and other artwork, has worked as a teacher, and has spent a lot of time turning her attention to mental health activism. The whole interview is fantastic and it’s a real treat to get a look around Carel’s head space – she’s a powerhouse. Read the whole thing HERE. ————————————————————————————————— A good friend of Comics Workbook and her fellow artists are in need of your signature – Naomi Nowak (painter/jeweler/fashion designer extraordinaire) is in danger of losing her studio space. “sad news! your signature is needed. me and my artist friends/colleagues are being evicted from our beloved studio space in stockholm, pannrummet (the boiler room). it’s practically already a done deal and we haven’t been given a fair chance to have our say or be part of the proceedings around this. so this petition is our very last, desperate plea to our landlords that they reconsider their decision and let us continue to work and create in the space we have loved and cared for. last year we renovated the place and built a bar + showroom where we have barely had time to show art and host exchanges, something were very much looking forward to. please sign to save studio pannrummet! we’ve never disturbed our neighbour and all 9 of us are now without a studio #savepannis“ Sign the petition HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Saving Grace by Grace Wilson just turned up at Copacetic Comics – it was published late last year in England. The Guardian has a review of it that should spark your interest: “Saving Grace is, first of all, a brilliant commentary on the housing crisis. Its author, Grace Wilson, knows all about the queasy feeling that comes with not knowing where you will soon be sleeping, and the way it affects everything – everything – else in your life, from work to relationships to, ultimately, your self-confidence. But it’s so much more than that. It’s hilarious, not only about rapacious landlords and their creepy ways, but about friendship, work, holidays and sex, too. It’s hard to imagine a funnier scene than the one when Maxine, drunk and having rowed with her boyfriend yet again, makes the mistake of going home with an Iggy Pop-alike who wants to spank her with a bit of precious rock memorabilia (“Did I ever tell you about when I used to roadie for the Who, Max?”). On the tube, where I read it, people looked at me warily, this sniggering woman with a large rainbow-coloured comic book in her hands.” – Rachel Cooke Read the rest HERE. Get a copy of the book at Copacetic Comics! ————————————————————————————————— I thought Lauren Weinstein‘s strip in The Village Voice this week was particularly funny – but maybe that’s because I am increasingly of the opinion that cats are the cartoonist’s true enemy…! ————————————————————————————————— Scallions or Chives The winners of 2017’s Cartoonist Studio Prize are Eleanor Davis for Libby’s Dad (Best Print Comic) and Christina Tran for On Beauty (Best Web Comic). A recent New Yorker cover illustration is being reproduced be female surgeons around the world – check it out HERE. Katherine Collins will be inducted into the Giants of the North hall of fame this year – and the nominee list for the Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning includes Julie Doucet among others. ————————————————————————————————— Blinkers – 4-14-2017 – by Jack Brougham ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 4-14-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 4-14-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

05/08/2018

Aaron CockleMay 8, 2018NewsChitra Ganesh; Matthew Thurber; Frank Santoro: The Eulogy of Drawing ————————————————————————————————— Chitra Ganesh has work in Beyond Transnationalism : The Legacy of Post-Independence Art from India. Bau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai, curated by Dr. Arshiya Lokhandwala, through June 19, 2018. The exhibition ‘Beyond Transnationalism: The Legacy of Post Independent Art from South Asia’ undertaken at the cusp of India’s 70 years of independence seeks to understand the many positions of artists of South Asian descent living in the United States. The artists in this show assert new and complex aesthetic and geopolitical propositions that question, complicate and travel far beyond conventional notions of home, nations, and belonging. This exhibition seeks to question the relevance of the terms diaspora and transnationalism and their attendant significations. The term diaspora – derived from a Greek word meaning ‘to disperse’ or ‘to scatter’ its geography, or its complex geopolitics – has been a default frame used to understand and signify the mass migrations, and exoduses. At Hyperallergic, Sharmistha Ray looks at animation work by Ganesh currently on view at the Rubin Museum. Although the postcolonial debate has changed, Ganesh is among the few artists to retain its original strategies to embody brown, feminist politics and critique systems of power. Her earliest, and still one of her boldest, innovations was her appropriation of the immensely popular Indian comic book series Amar Chitra Katha (which literally translates to Immortal Picture Stories). Initiated in 1967 by Anant Pai, the series was intended as a pedagogical tool to educate children on their cultural heritage through the retelling of stories from Indian epics, mythology, history, folklore and fables. Not surprisingly, the stories reflect the racial, religious, socio-economic and gender prejudices of India’s predominantly patriarchal and religious orthodoxy, which privileges fair-skinned, upper-caste Hindu males (caste is a toxic, hereditary class system particular to the Hindu religion). The comic books were visual and narrative minefields for Ganesh’s subjective interpretations. ————————————————————————————————— The 218th meeting of the NY Comics & Picture-story Symposium will be held on Tuesday, May 8, 2018 at 7pm at Parsons School of Design, Kellen Auditorium (Room N101, off the lobby), Sheila C. Johnson Design Center. 66 Fifth Avenue. Free and open to the public. Matthew Thurber on “The Hallucination of the Art World” Matthew Thurber will speak about his forthcoming book from Drawn and Quarterly, Art Comic. This graphic novel is a paranoiac-critical examination of the art world seen through the eyes of four graduates of The Cooper Union. As each student attempts to reconcile their ideals with the realities of capitalism, love, alien invasion, anarchist pigs, and sex robots, they find themselves careening toward madness, extremism, death, or becoming Matthew Barney’s stunt double. Matthew Thurber’s unpredictable practice has included: Mining the Moon, full length musical play; A novel posing as an interactive handwriting analysis project; A week of movies made in one day each; an olfactory performance, dressed as a giant nose; a mosaic labyrinth installed in an elementary school; Terpinwoe, choreographed noise dance about a carrot-based economy; innumerable illustrations and drawings; a longstanding engagement with the narrative scroll, as well as other pre-cinematic devices. In collaboration with Brian Belott he has performed at the Serpentine Gallery in London, Abrons Art Center, and in an eyeglass store. He co-founded Tomato House, an art gallery in operation from 2012-2015, with Rebecca Bird. Finally he is the author of 1-800-MICE, INFOMANIACS, and Art Comic. ————————————————————————————————— “Pompei” di Frank Santoro: l’elogio del disegno The Italian edition of Frank Santoro’s Pompei is reviewed by Daniele Barbieri at Fumettologica. It’s in Italian, but, you know, it can be translated: There is a famous historical case in the history of art. Look at the statues of Antonio Canova: their extraordinary elegance and expressiveness is offset by a classicist rigidity, which is the price that Canova pays to the trends of his time – when it was important to build a visual art that opposed the frivolities of the rococo. It is true that the immobility of his figures is compensated by a dynamic tension that often makes them extraordinary; but they are not less immobile for this, they are not less icily, neoclassically statuesque, monumental. Now look at the Canova sketches. Small objects with very rough modeling, definitely at the antipodes of marble statues. They are made of clay or chalk; let us see the tracing of the hand or instrument that shaped the matter; we understand the afterthoughts. They are certainly private objects, tests carried out on the wave of inspiration – which then gave life only occasionally to a definitive work that may appear very different from its sketch. ————————————————————————————————— Vision Box – 5-8-2018 – by Cameron Arthur ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 5-8-2018 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

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