Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Aaron Cockle

Posted on October 17, 2016October 18, 2016

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04/20/2017

Sally IngrahamApril 19, 2017NewsToday Sam Ombiri looks at work by GG and Gloria Rivera, and Sally shares new work by K. L. Ricks, updates from Yona Harvey, Shannon Wright, and more! ————————————————————————————————— Sam Ombiri here, going through š! #25 ‘Gaijin Mangaka’: GG’s comic in š! #25 ‘Gaijin Mangaka’ (above) had a poetic, slow, rhythmic passage of time, with a mystery unraveling – and simultaneously, less clarity is achieved as time progresses. Even so, there is density present in the simple things going on, and elements of the story are moving towards something unrelenting. We come back to our senses with a very grounded comic from Gloria Rivera (above). It almost feels like it does not fit in this book. It certainly does not stick to the gimmick of recycling manga tropes for alt comic readers, as I initially anticipated. It is then surprising in how sincere it is about this simple interaction – someone’s terror of the complications of being. The work was explained by Gloria Rivera in the introduction of Gaijin Mangaka – “The more you do research, the more you end up at the ‘weird part.’ ” For her, this included the special genre of Josei manga, made by and for adult women, which Rivera considers an alternative form in itself, in which “women are no longer in the background, or victims. They are given their own stories with true breadth. Although sometimes they can seem villainized, the discourse that comes attached with those characters has a profound effect on its audience.“ I’d like to think that Gloria’s success in her comic is independent of the manga she read. I’m sure the manga helped her, but at the end it was all her. I mean, am I just reading this work because there are artists who make compelling work somewhere else? I highly doubt it, otherwise I wouldn’t be compelled myself by the work. While the introduction of the book is great, there are points where you are being told which aspects of the work to be compelled by. It then proves to be a challenge to engage with the work, because a foreign entity has entered the work and proceeded to guide you, the reader. It places the reader in the role of someone who is there to regurgitate the feelings of the one who is contextualizing the work. The real exciting moments of the anthology are the points at which the selling point of Gaijin Mangaka – being manga themed – is almost entirely ignored, or not prioritized at the expense of the comic. This happens with Gloria’s contribution, or Mickey Zacchilli’s contribution. I hesitate to say, but it’s the work itself turning into the selling point, as opposed to the way it’s being contextualized in the book. It is more that at the end of the day, I like the work. I like all this stuff in the book – I have my preferences, but it is not motivated by a simple idea like, “Because the manga has influenced the comic, it means I like the comic.” When I was getting into alt comics, what I saw as “alt” was really unspecific. One of the main attitudes I saw as “alt” was whatever the crazy thing might be, “it’s not such a big deal” – and that even applied to artists appropriating the typical manga drawing styles. The works that I really responded to in Gaijin Mangaka were the ones where manga’s influence wasn’t so apparent, or it wasn’t what was carrying the comic. I probably felt that way because the work felt like it was being sold to the audience as “alternative cartoonists” doing a bunch of manga-influenced work. Manga’s influence is increasingly present. In fact, the book gags you with this influence, and overloads you with it. The problem is that it almost distracts from the work – but still it’s a great anthology all together. – Sam Ombiri ————————————————————————————————— Sally here – K. L. Ricks has a new comic up on her site – Nesting (first page is above). It was made for the Critical Chips anthology, edited by Zainab Akhtar. You can see the rest of this, and plenty more of her work HERE. ————————————————————————————————— There’s a good piece on Fusion about the new Black Panther & The Crew, co-written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Pittsburgh’s Yona Harvey. The first issue kicked off recently, and has been garnering admiration and excitement. It is proving to be quite topical as well, but this shouldn’t be surprising. “While Coates and Harvey might not have set out to write Black Lives Matter: The Comic, it’s obvious that they’re writing from perspectives shaped, in part, by their experiences as black Americans. Black Panther & The Crew isn’t a “black story” solely meant to appeal to black fans. It’s a story written by black authors, centered around black characters, and featuring themes that reflect the lived experiences of real black people. That distinction is important.“ Read the rest of the article HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Ebony ran a feature on Shannon Wright recently, focusing in a series she did on the hairstyles of black women. Although her work has been leaning toward illustration more so than comics lately, I’m hoping she will direct her energy and passion back into the medium soon. Regardless, her word of advice to other creatives holds true: “Make work that you’re passionate about because people can definitely tell when you’re not in it. Be kind to people. Don’t create work that’s going to make people feel like they don’t belong. Honesty goes a long way in your work. People notice when you stand by your values.“ Read the rest of the feature HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Check out the Cartoonists of Color Database. Built and maintained by MariNaomi, you can find the names and information of almost 1,000 cartoonists of color. ————————————————————————————————— Everyone wants to spend time outside as spring pulls itself together in earnest – you need good books and comics to read on blankets spread out in the sun. Consider adding The Art of Vanesa R. Del Rey to your picnic basket, for a compelling afternoon read that will also inspire you to head back into your studio to try and make new and better comics yourself! Check it out HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Blinkers – 4-20-2017 – by Jack Brougham ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 4-20-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 4-20-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

07/24/2018

Aaron CockleJuly 24, 2018NewsNatural Process; Bell/Porcellino/Duchamp; More ‘R. Mutt’; More Grip ————————————————————————————————— “Will you come see the ‘real’ webpage painting at the museum? Or will you see it ‘virtual’ through the web?” Via Rhizome.org’s Net Art Anthology: Natural Process is an installation that translates the iconic circa-2003 Google search engine home page to the form of a large-scale painting, and then back to digital media via webcam. This double remediation, enacted by Japanese net art duo exonemo (Kensuke Sembo and Yae Akaiwa) was exhibited at the Mori Art Museum in 2004, at a moment when artists were increasingly interested in the slippage between art’s circulation online and in the gallery. The painting was purchased by Google, and has not been exhibited publicly until now; it is on view through March 10, 2019 at ICC Tokyo and as part of Net Art Anthology. ————————————————————————————————— A Trip to the Museum With Cartoonist John Porcellino Always nice to see cartoonists visiting museums. ————————————————————————————————— Speaking of Marcel Duchamp… The iconic Fountain (1917) is not created by Marcel Duchamp In 1982 a letter written by Duchamp came to light. Dated 11 April 1917, it was written just a few days after that fateful exhibit. It contains one sentence that should have sent shockwaves through the world of modern art: it reveals the true creator behind Fountain – but it was not Duchamp. Instead he wrote that a female friend using a male alias had sent it in for the New York exhibition. Suddenly a few other things began to make sense. Over time Duchamp had told two different stories of how he had created Fountain, but both turned out to be untrue. An art historian who knew Duchamp admitted that he had never asked him about Fountain, he had published a standard-work on Fountain nevertheless. The place from where Fountain was sent raised more questions. That place was Philadelphia, but Duchamp had been living in New York. … Who was living in Philadelphia? Who was this ‘female friend’ that had sent the urinal using a pseudonym that Duchamp mentions? That woman was, as Duchamp wrote, the future. Art history knows her as Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven. She was a brilliant pioneering New York dada artist, and Duchamp knew her well. This glaring truth has been known for some time in the art world, but each time it has to be acknowledged, it is met with indifference and silence. Via Theo Paijmans. ————————————————————————————————— Grip Vol. 1 If you didn’t get the chance this past Friday or over the weekend, please take some time to read Sally Ingraham’s review of Lale Westvind’s excellent new book, Grip, out now from Perfectly Acceptable Press. ————————————————————————————————— Vision Box – 7-24-18 – by Cameron Arthur ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 7-24-18 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

San Francisco, CA Scene Report

Frank SantoroDecember 10, 2011Riff Raff / Scene ReportsThis article originally appeared on The Comics Journal 12/10/2011 This week’s scene report is brought to you by my old friend Gabby Gamboa. I remember meeting Gabby in 1992 when I walked into Comic Relief on Haight Street in San Francisco to sell my zines. She was the mini-comics buyer. I lied and said that I didn’t make them. I was too shy. She became a good friend and I’m happy that she agreed to do a scene report for that cow town known as SF. Please enjoy. Also, I will be posting a full Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival report soon. Thanks to Dan, Gabe, Bill and everyone who helped put on the show. It was the best con ever on the fun meter for me. XO. INTERMISSION FUNNIES with MICHAEL DEFORGE San Francisco CA Scene Report by Gabby Gamboa It seems like a million things have happened recently, there is so much to report. Fall started with SF Zine Fest, which was once again held at the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park. It was an inspiring, energetic show that reminded me a lot of APE when APE first started. APE itself was a bit too large and unfocused for my taste this year. There seemed to be a larger emphasis on selling crafts and prints, much less on books and comics. Most people I spoke to said that sales were way down (curse this economy!) and everyone seemed to have a different opinion on what was wrong with the show and how to fix it. It will be interesting to see what direction the show will take in the future, especially now that Wondercon has moved to Anaheim. As a former Comic Relief employee, I was saddened when the Berkeley store shut down recently amid chaos, but from the ashes grew two new very good comic shops that are worth a visit: Fantastic Comics on Shattuck Avenue, and The Escapist on Claremont Ave. Here in San Francisco, the institution that is Al Kizziah just closed his Al’s Comics store after 22 years, and will be selling comics online and at trade shows. After a long absence, Marc Arsenault has restarted Wow Cool, his comics, zines, and music mail order empire, proving that it is indeed the 90’s all over again. You should buy some great comics at wowcool.com. Isotope (The Comic Book Lounge) continues to be a friend to creators and the indie-comics crowd. They recently presented their Isotope Award for excellence in minicomics to Katie Longua for her comic “Rok.” Seeing her around APE in a viking helmet made me nostalgic for some of the cool comics dames who have since moved away. Isotope also hosted a Halloween-themed book party with local cartoonists Lark Pien, Thien Pham, and First Second Books’ Mark Siegel. Isotope is currently hosting a series of comics creation classes taught by Ed Luce, creator of the seriously awesome Wuvable Oaf. Matt Wobensmith and Ed Luce run Gotblud Vintage Zine Store, which sells and buys vintage zines and minicomics, stocks all of your Wuvable Oaf needs, and hosts events with visiting artists like Tom Neely and Dave King (designer of the Crass logo). Needles and Pens continues to be another good place to get hard-to-find minicomics, much like the Rock Paper Scissors Collective in Oakland. Mission Comics and Art on 20th Street just celebrated its 2nd anniversary. It is a brilliant store with the best of everything. Like Isotope, Mission Comics takes comics seriously, so if you want action figures or trading cards, look elsewhere. Owner Leef Smith is very knowledgeable and he is a great supporter of the local comics community. He turns his store into an all-night studio for 24 Hour-Comics Day, he hosts a graphic novel book club and a lending library. In October the Mission Comics Gallery exhibited the Francois Vigneault-curated show Tales, which featured quirky fantasy art by cartoonists such as Dylan Horrocks, Jesse Reklaw, Ben Catmull, Andrice Arp, Kane Lynch, and many others. The December show will be original art from Mari Naomi’s Kiss and Tell graphic novel. Another great thing about Mission Comics is that they host a monthly creator meet-up. There are several other on-going creator meet-ups happening in the Bay Area, including a Berkeley Jupiter Comix Jam that has been happening for at least a decade. And I suppose that OWS is a meet-up of sorts. Cartoon journalist Susie Cagle was arrested along with a lot of other journalists and legal observers for standing off to the side during the riot that followed the shut down of the Port of Oakland. I have been enjoying her sketches from the scene. The Cartoon Art Museum had a great retrospective of local legend Lloyd Dangle’s now defunct Troubletown strip. One of the worst side effects of the demise of the newspaper is the end of great strips like this. They have an exhibit up now that I’ve been meaning to check out celebrating 100 years of The Wizard of OZ comics and newspaper strips. Opening December 17 is “Black and White and Read All Over: Comics of the New Millennium” featuring post-2000 comic strips, including Richard Thompson, Stephan Pastis, Keith Knight, Mark Tatulli and others. And ordering goodies from the online museum store is a great way to support them. Rina Ayuyang and Thien Pham are putting out the monthly Comix Claptrap podcast. Imagine The View, but about comics. Or Fresh Air, but about comics. Thien’s Elizabeth Hasselbeck is a great counter-point to Rina’s Terry Gross. Okay, it’s not like either of those things, but you should give it a listen if you haven’t already. Lit Quake is a weeklong San Francisco literary festival during which a dizzying variety of authors read from their works at venues all over the heavily mustachioed Mission District. I attended When Pictures Speak Louder Than Words at ZSpace. The highlights were a reading /mock-bickering session from Game Over by Gene Yang and Thien Pham (man that guy is everywhere!), Jon Macy reading his classy, yet sexy Teleny and Camille, Christine Shields reading from her beautiful limited-edition children’s book, and MariNaomi reading a creepy comic about bedbugs that can be found on the delightful therumpus.net. I was sad to have missed the LitCrawl event the next night at Mission Comics where Kane Lynch, Justin Hall, Rick Worley, and MariNaomi, but I heard it was smashing. In mainstream news, local publisher Image comics is still making up for torturing us in the 1990’s by putting out great stuff like the Walking Dead and the upcoming Danger Club. Besides stealing some of the best former Comics Relief employees (shout out to Todd Martinez and Biggles @Biggletron), they are also planning to celebrate themselves at the recently announced Image Expo at the Oakland Convention Center on February 24-26. They are welcoming exhibitors and artists, so a Wondercon replacement this may become. We suffered a tragic loss this Fall of cartoonist and Sparkplug publisher Dylan Williams. Though he had lived in Portland since the late 1990’s, he grew up in Berkeley and had a great impact on the Bay Area comics scene. He had been an employee of both Stand Up Comics and Comic Relief. He was an artist and founding member of the Puppy Toss collective, of which I was also a member. He was the main drive behind the unwieldy Puppy Toss minicomics publishing and distribution catalog, which he would finally get right all on his own with Sparkplug. He left behind many friends here, and we memorialized him with a gathering generously held at cartoonist Scott Hsu-Storaker’s house, and then again at a very teary-eyed panel at APE. He will be profoundly missed. As I write this I am getting ready for the East Bay Alternative Press Book Fair at Berkeley City College on December 10. Cartoonists such as Jaime Crespo (winner of Season 2’s America’s Favorite Vato! ), Kane Lynch, Sophie Yanow, MariNaomi, and many others will be there. I will be sharing a table with Primahood creator Tyler Cohen, and I will be selling my new Miss Lonelyhearts minicomic, and original art. By the time you read this, this event will already have occurred. I hope to have seen you there. If you had a time machine, you could go back and visit me on this night as I write to share in my eager anticipation of my future/your past event. Then we could both travel to the future and enjoy the release of my upcoming work concerning a group of young people who abuse their time machine to visit insignificant historical events. But then I would have to travel back again to this night to stop myself from writing this passage so no one can steal my awesome idea for my time travel comic before I get a chance to write it myself. Share this page: [...]

09/19/2016

Juan FernándezSeptember 19, 2016NewsJuan here! SPX just wrapped up. Wotta whirlwind! I’ve got loads to share but I’m on the road today, so only the essentials: Reflecting on our CW workshops; Ignatz Winners; Dash Shaw on instagram. ————————————————————————————————— We had the honor and privilege of presenting our one of a kind comics programming to eager creators at SPX this year. It was a joy to see cartoonists experienced and amateur to gather round for some spirited drawing and discussion. Although n depth coverage of our workshops and the full SPX experience is soon to come this week, a short recap of what went down in THE DANGER ROOM. Saturday September 17th 12:00-1:00 PM Comics with Jeffrey Brown Mr. Brown truly brought the “Star Wars Academy” to a packed audience! Jeffrey Brown was on hand to share storytelling tips and drawing advice. Jeffrey Brown challenged all participants to follow along with creation of a 4 panel slice of life comic. After some diligent work, sll participants recieved personalized reviews of their work. 1:00-3:00 PM Comics Workbook Hangout We were joined by a packed audiencefor an afternoon of comics-crafting. We explored the history of tracing and its benefits. It’s safe to say we are take your comics-making game to a new level. Simple exercises will push you in mind-bending directions. Drop in for a minute or an hour. 3:00-5:00 PM Spanish Fever (Spanish Language Workshop) This SPX, Comics Workbook, was joined by Spanish cartoonists José Domingo and David Rubín for some lively Spanish language instruction and presentations. Many thanks to SPX, Fantagraphics and the Spanish Cultural Ministry and Fantagraphics. 5:00-6:00 PM Cameron Nicholson and Frank Santoro Cameron Nicholson expanded minds as he examined his notions of the comics form and methodologies for creating and refining one’s own comics. Comics Workbook founder and internationally known cartoonist/teacher Frank Santoro piped in with color commentary. Spirits were very high during this uplifting, talk. Sunday September 18th 1:00-2:00 PM Comics with Carol Tyler The great Carol Tyler taught us the ins and outs of her unique mode of autobiographical comics, her history as a painter and the importance of cornering the market on her nibs. A maker who has been defining the form since the 1970’s, Tyler had her audience ebtranced. Carol Tyler will discuss her adventures in comics and share drawing tips and storytelling advice. 2:00-3:00 PM Comics Workbook Hangout Participants took a break from circling the ballroom and channeled their energy into a heaping helping of Dan DeCarlo and Harry Lucie studies. This hangout hammered home the idea of drawing as an exploration of drawing as a way of seeing and knowing. 3:00-4:00 PM Comics with Charles Burns The inimitable Charles Burns brought us a very special presentation wherein we explored his sometimes dark but always thrilling worlds. Participants drew along with him and got one of the heartiest Q&A sessions one could ask for. 4:00-5:00 PM Comics Workbook Hangout In our last, more laid back session, we hopped to it and explored the relationships between filmic techniques and cartooning. Participants left having completed an entire 8 panel, one page More to come this week! ————————————————————————————————— Ignatz Winners 2016 If you haven’t been checking Twitter feverishly to see the results of Saturday night’s Ignatz Winners, Tom Spurgeon’s got what you need! It’s all over on comicsreporter.com ————————————————————————————————— Dash Shaw is on instagram. I’m not messin’ around. It’s true! Hop on over to his account, follow him, and take a look behind the curtain on his latest projects. No better way to glean some insight into the american masters’ cartooning and animation process. All from the comfort of your home. ————————————————————————————————— See you next time with some JUICY, in depth, SPX Coverage. -Juan Share this page: [...]

05/12/2017

Sally IngrahamMay 11, 2017NewsSally here with thoughts from Annie Koyama, Shee Phon, and Ann Telnaes, a new direction for The ToonSeum, and other news and comics! ————————————————————————————————— Koyama Press is officially celebrating 10 years as a publishing company at TCAF this weekend. Fearless leader Annie Koyama has been tapped a few times already this year for her thoughts on her publishing venture – most recently Quill & Quire interviewed her. Check out her continuing reflections and some well-deserved praise of her efforts HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Over on The Comics Beat Philippe Leblanc has conducted a series of interviews with comics makers who are attending TCAF. It’s a great list of folks – including Shee Phon, Iona Fox, Alabaster Pizzo, Tyler Landry, and others. Philippe identifies a few distinguishing characteristics of each maker’s work, the scene they’re a part of, or their target audience, and breaks it down with them. It’s great to see The Beat focusing this attention on makers outside of mainstream comics. This series documents an interesting moment in the community, and I appreciate the effort Philippe Leblanc has put into educating himself about the scene. I noticed in the interview with Shee Phon that Philippe found her work through last summer’s Comics Workbook Composition Competition, where Shee Phon won 2nd place for her comic I know it’s not about me, but I don’t want to die. It’s worth noting how many makers find a broader audience for their work through this competition, or in fact are “forced” to complete their first comic. And so the community keeps on growing, thanks to the stewardship of folks like Frank Santoro – and Philippe Leblanc, and of course Heidi MacDonald (editor extraordinaire of The Comics Beat!) ————————————————————————————————— Ann Telnaes delivered a speech to the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom recently, and the Washington Post shared a version of it. Ann is a Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist, and the current worldwide threats to her colleagues weighs on her mind. In theory, she and her American fellows are protected by the First Amendment, but some days she doesn’t feel very safe. “I’ve always felt in the United States that an editorial cartoonist is the bastard child of journalism. This is because most editors see us only as comic relief, less than the serious, legitimate opinion writer. In reality, the only difference is that we use images and satire to express a point of view. And specifically because of the visual language we use, cartoonists will always be first in the line of fire when controversial subjects are being debated and free speech is threatened. Editorial cartoonists are a barometer for all our free speech rights; a silenced cartoonist is an indicator of an unhealthy environment for freedom of expression in any given society. If we want to protect free speech and the free press, we must vigorously protect the editorial cartoonist.” – Ann Telnaes Read the rest of the speech HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Emily Flake has a comic on The Nib called Beyond “Bridezilla” which is amusing – see the rest of it HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Here in Pittsburgh, PA, The ToonSeum is directing new focus towards comics education – check out the I Can Draw! Generosity fundraiser. The funds raised during this campaign will go directly to developing and running educational programming for kids and teens interested in making comics. Executive Directer John F. Kelly has rounded up some truly amazing donation rewards which must be seen to be believed. Pittsburgh is becoming a hub for comics education, and those of us at ground zero know how important this is to strengthening the community and ensuring it’s growth and staying power. I’ll be personally involved in this new direction for The ToonSeum, helping to teach and channel fresh energy and talent straight into the heart of things. If you can donate to the fundraiser, thank you! If you can share the campaign, thank you! You can do both HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Found In the Button Box Chris Gavaler reviews Eleanor Davis’ You & a Bike & a Road (Koyama Press, 2017) for PopMatters – HERE. Hope Nicholson, who wrote the recently published The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen (a sort of history/small encyclopedia of notable women in the comics community) has a guest post on Nerdophiles that features 5 Female Publishers Who Changed Comics. Hyperallergic reviews Miror Miror II, the second anthology collection from 2dcloud, edited by Sean T. Collins and Julia Gfrörer, calling it “a porn stash you’d find in the cupboard of a medieval demon” which is about what I would have expected – read more HERE. Cara Gormally has a comic on Mutha Magazine about making a baby with IVF – check it out. ————————————————————————————————— Blinkers – 5-12-2017 – by Jack Brougham ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 5-12-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 5-12-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

10/18/2016

Posted on October 17, 2016October 18, 2016 by Aaron Cockle

Aaron here today with Mould Map 6; Leela Corman; Comics from Spain; Colette Gaiter on the work of Emory Douglas; More Pepe (Sorry, Pepe); Cecily Brown; (Notes For/Towards) Some Capsule Reviews

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Mould Map 6: TERRAFORMERS

Group Exhibition & Events Series
Bonington Gallery, Nottingham
17th September to 21st October 2016

In a break with the publication format of earlier editions, Mould Map 6 will take place as an exhibition / walk-in magazine running over 5 weeks and including talks, screenings, performances and open workshops. Set against the background hum of sci-fi imaginaries common to all Mould Map projects, TERRAFORMERS brings together over 50 practitioners whose work encompasses various approaches to world making, alongside historical visualisations of possible futures and their role in shaping the present.

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Life is an ambush. My two birth stories.
A Leela Corman comic.

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Spanish Fever Panel Discussion from SPX now on Youtube

Cómics, tebeos, and novelas gráficas have been making waves on the European comics scene for decades. SPX, in partnership with the Spanish Cultural Center, proudly presents some of the most exciting Spanish talent in the comics scene! Bienvenido a David Rubín, Javier Olivares, Ana Galvañ, José Domingo, and Santiago García. Moderated by cartoonist and teacher Matt Madden.

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The 164th meeting of the NY Comics & Picture-story Symposium will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016 at 7pm at Parsons School of Design, The New School, 2 West 13th Street, in the Bark Room (off the lobby). Free and open to the public.

Colette Gaiter on “Emory Douglas: 50 years of Revolutionary Art”

Colette Gaiter will talk about former Black Panther Party Minister of Culture, artist, designer and illustrator Emory Douglas’s work on The Black Panther newspaper in the 1960s and 70s. His subversive and proactive political cartoons, collages and drawings visualized the Black Power movement and galvanized activism that persists into the twenty-first century. He currently travels globally to give talks about his previous work and collaborates with indigenous activists in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico—any place where people use art for liberation from injustice and oppression.

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Pepe Pepe Pepe

Heer/Pepe
The great Jeet Heer has a piece about Pepe the Frog at the New Republic:

When the alt-right kidnapped Pepe the Frog, they weren’t just seizing control of Matt Furie’s character, but also defiling an entire artistic tradition of using animal allegories to comment on racism. They were returning cartoon animals to the crudity of blackface creations like Flip the Frog and denying the artistic depth found in works ranging from Krazy Kat to the Muppets to Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus (where the cats are Nazis and the mice Jews). Pepe the Frog, as perverted by its captors, is a kind of inverted Kermit: a frog drained of any humanity.

Furie/Pepe
Matt Furie: political cartoonist?

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Cecily Brown at the Drawing Center through December 18

Via the NY Times:

For years, Ms. Brown has taken the images that stay with her and drawn them, not just once but again and again. Sometimes these images are the overwhelming examples of her predecessors, like the masterly 18th-century debauchery of William Hogarth’s painting “Strolling Actresses Dressing in a Barn” or the postmedieval, religiously-tinged excess of Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s “Fight Between Carnival and Lent.” But she also plucks shimmering fragments out of the contaminated tide of sexual imagery that is a fact of modern life — and whether it’s the ecstatically endless variation of the unchanging act itself or the compulsive repetition of pornography, sex seems especially apropos.

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Brief, Ephemeral Capsule Reviews

Open Country #1, Michael DeForge, 2011, self-published
According to Wikipedia: DeForge self-published Open Country #1 in May 2011 and issue #2 in fall 2011. Originally planned as a five-part series, DeForge abandoned it “midway through, destroyed all the artwork for and then threw away all the unsold copies”. We take great comforts in these assured and abandoned works.

Late Era Clash #24 & #27, Mike Taylor, 2011 & 2015, Pegacorn Press
Fin de siècle Bushwick etc apt-dwelling and loneliness, questionable behavior, the lure of the internet & a workbook about death, respectively.

Les nouvelles béguines, Julie Delporte, 2015, self-published
Paint and colored pencil and some tape collage. Placement of tape is extremely important. Use of tape in one’s art practice in general. Use of white space on paper – Negative Space etc etc.

Hands: An Anti-story, Kimball Anderson, 2015, InkBrick
Anderson as a body artist, transcription of hand gestures, process of talking to oneself, balance of pages panels and worded space rubbed out and smudged, first issue in a series.

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden Part 1: My Own Private Portland & Part 2: Ken Death is Death, Annie Murphy, 2015 & 2016, self-published
Murphy writing about ghosts. River Phoenix, balance of / cohesion of ruled notebook paper and space for image, lab books and writing out text, pacing it out. Portland as a haunted space. Gus van Sant/My Own Private Idaho/River Phoenix. Where it exists in Murphy’s memories. Part 2 and white supremacy in the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. + Portland history 20 years on. A note on the printing aesthetic: photocopied inkwash.

A note on printing aesthetic in general — OC: printed-out greyscale or Riso, maybe? LEC: Riso, screenprinted cover; LNB: Laser-printed?; H: good photocopier probably; INPYARG: see above. Also: wondering about the size of these print runs?

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Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Aaron Cockle

Posted on October 17, 2016October 18, 2016

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03/15/2017

Juan FernándezMarch 15, 2017los Cómics / NewsEmpezamos el dia con Sol Diaz; Miguel A. Giner y Cristina Durán; Vanesa R. Del Rey; Chicks on Comics; Alvaro Ortiz; Fran Meneses and the ugly side; Billar de letras new comics club y los tebeos del dia! ————————————————————————————————— Cómics y noticias que me han llamado la atención esta semana: Sol Diaz – spotlighted over on Es Mi Fiesta y lanza un nuevo libro: La historia ilustrada de un embarazo. Miguel A. Giner and Cristina Durán tell the story of the adoption of their daughter in their latest comic, Una Posibilidad Entre Mil. They talk shop over on RTVE3’s La Hora Del Bocadillo + there’s a fresh interview with Miguel A. Giner and Cristina Durán on their new book over at Bilbao24Horas. Constantine #3-4 original art by the great Vanesa R. Del Rey available NOW over on Cadence Comics Art Gallery. Don’t miss your chance to own some of the action. CHICAS DE COMICS/CHICKS ON COMICS Siete mujeres historietistas de distintas partes del mundo expusieron sus trabajos en la Fundación Proa de la ciudad de Buenos Aires. Nice interviews and video documentation of the exhibition over on Argentina’s TV Publica. (Start at 34:00) @Kikeinfame picks back up with his tradition of interview comics makers – this time around, take a tour of Alvaro Ortiz’ tebeoteca y mas! ————————————————————————————————— Billar de Letras esta poniendo en marcha un club de novela gráfica y cómic donde, de la mano de Gerardo Vilches, codirector de CuCo y una de las personas que mejor conoce el mundo del cómic en España, una vez al mes se analizará de manera exhaustiva una obra para descubrir sus mecanismos narrativos y desentrañar los recursos gráficos empleados por su autor. Nuestra intención es mostrar la gran riqueza del lenguaje del cómic y sus posibilidades narrativas, a través de la lectura crítica de obras que ya forman parte del canon de la novela gráfica. En las últimas décadas, el cómic ha experimentado un gran crecimiento como medio artístico, de forma que sus posbilidades narrativas y estéticas se están desarrollando en obras de extraordinaria calidad. En la web de Billar de letras tenéis toda la información para inscribiros. ————————————————————————————————— Fran Meneses, Chilean comics maker and illustrator in England, gets real with the ugly side of freelance life. Really nice, honest lens that invites us to dispel the glorification of work-a-holism in the freelance life. It gets unhealthy fast, if unchecked and the glamour that gets associated with it winds up being destructive and causes a lot of silence and erasure of the honest struggle. ————————————————————————————————— We are in the midst of our 2nd year of the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency! Gabriella Tito was here recently, our 4th resident of 2017, and we already starting a wait list for the summer months. Interested in joining us for a week or more? Email santoroschool@gmail.com to learn how to apply. There are still openings in April and May, with that wait list available for the summer months. After a break for show season we will be picking up scheduling once again in late October. 500 bux for a week and a life-changing experience. Read some of our Residency Reports HERE. Email santoroschool@gmail.com for more info. ————————————————————————————————— Blinkers – 3-15-2017 – by Jack Brougham ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 3-15-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 3-15-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

09/19/2016

07/07/2017

Sally IngrahamJuly 7, 2017NewsSally here with news and comics from Emily Flake, Eleanor Davis, Becky Cloonan, Karen Green, Ulli Lust, and more! ———————————————————————————————— The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum has officially announced their acquisition of “113 pieces of original artwork by fifteen influential underground and alternative female cartoonists, donated by friend and longtime donor Scott Jonas.” “Included in this collection is work by Mary Fleener, Phoebe Gloeckner, Roberta Gregory, Dame Darcy, Nina Paley, Lynda Barry, Dori Seda, Shary Flenniken, Carol Lay, Leslie Sternbergh Alexander, Caryn Leschen, Nicole Hollander, Dot Bucher, Lee Binswanger, and Donna Barr. The collection consists of original drawings, cover art, multi-page stories, and comic strips, all created between 1975 and 2007. “We are very thankful to Scott Jonas, a comic collector with a great eye,” said curator Jenny Robb. “There is so much variety in this collection, but also a common theme. Each piece is an important contribution to the documentation of contemporary women creators in our collections, and in the context of alternative and underground comics.”“ Read more about the collection HERE! ———————————————————————————————— Jon Day reviews Eleanor Davis‘ You & a Bike & the Road (Koyama Press, 2017) for The New York Review of Books. The book is about Eleanor’s cross-country bike trip and is built from the diary comics she made along the way, “On a bike the road ceases to be an abstraction on the map but becomes a physical reality. There’s something inherently cinematic about the way you take in your surroundings on a bike, too, with sweeping pans, lingering close-ups, jump cuts as the lights change and you roll into gear. Perhaps one reason there are so few truly great films about cycling (Jørgen Leth’s documentary about the Paris-Roubaix one-day classic, A Sunday in Hell, and Sylvain Chomet’s animated The Triplets of Belleville being notable exceptions) is because the act of cycling—just sitting in the saddle and watching the world roll by—is itself more dynamic than any film can convey. … Comics lend themselves to representing how a cyclist sees: the flatness of the bird’s-eye-view map set in contrast to the scene-by-scene illustrations of Davis’s daily experience. We are pulled into Davis’s perspective, seeing from her position on the road as well as from a close third-person view as if slightly above.“ Read the rest of the review and see some excerpts from the comic HERE. For those readers who may not know, Becky Cloonan was the first woman to draw Batman in the main series, when she was a guest artist on an issue in 2012. Check out some of her pages and her thoughts on the project HERE. ———————————————————————————————— On The Comics Beat David Nieves reviews Becky Cloonan‘s upcoming collection By Chance or Providence (Image Comics, July 26th 2017). Containing three stories previously self-published by Becky, and with colors provided by Lee Loughridge, the collection startled and impressed the reviewer with it’s emotional intensity. “Getting back to what makes these tales unique. First, they aren’t for everyone. While they could certainly appeal to the crowd reading Gotham Academy, it’s not likely they’ll land with the audience reading Cloonan’s Punisher run. It speak’s to her ability as a well-rounded storyteller to be able to branch out and have created Shakespearean tales like these then move on to more traditional comics. The weight these characters carry is conveyed, not only through Cloonan’s sparse and effective use of dialogue but through the raw emotions the eyes everyone in these tales possesses. By Chance or Providence is your chance to read what goes on in the mind of a true metal loving storyteller like Becky Cloonan. Love stories that combine poignant comic style with rich dark Castlevaniaesque lore in a way that could only happen in these pages.“ Read the rest of the review HERE and look for this in stores later this month. ———————————————————————————————— Emily Flake has a comic strip in The New Yorker titled Things I’m Afraid My Daughter Will Be Doing in 2026. See one example above – for the rest, go HERE. ———————————————————————————————— Karen Green was on NPR’s “Meet the Expert” recently, talking about her two passions – ancient and medieval history, and comics. Karen Green is the Curator for Comics and Cartoons at Columbia University, and the Librarian for Ancient and Medieval History, so she certainly is an expert – check out the conversation HERE. You can read more about Karen’s “life in comics” by perusing Nick Sousanis’ 6 page story on her – HERE. ———————————————————————————————— Glynnis Fawkes details her daughter’s struggle with picking an outfit from a pile of clothes that may have once, maybe even last week, contained clothes we liked… – something we can all relate to – on Mutha Magazine HERE. ———————————————————————————————— Ulli Lust‘s most recent The Simple Stroll is pictured above. These strips appear in the English language German magazine EXBERLINER. Ulli collected the strip into a small riso booklet and brought copies to TCAF this year, so perhaps you will bump into a copy somewhere! Otherwise, keep up with the strip HERE. ———————————————————————————————— M. S. Harkness was visiting Pittsburgh this past week, here for a Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency. She checked out the Pittsburgh Comics Salon on Wednesday and got to meet some of the local zine and comics makers, and hung out with Audra Stang (a new member of the Pittsburgh scene!) and myself throughout her time in town. It’s great to have this kind of energy moving through the city, and the conversations that come out of meetings of minds like these are what keeps the form vibrant and evolving. Check out work by M. S. Harkness HERE and keep an eye out for her upcoming comic Tinderella. See what Audra Stang is up to HERE and follow her adventures in teach comics this summer via Instagram! ———————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 7-7-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 7-7-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

11/02/2016

Juan FernándezNovember 2, 2016los Cómics / NewsJuan con un poquito sobre: Arnau Sánz; Convocatoria Tragaluz; Sacapunta.cl; lanzamiento del informe de Clima Escolar; Tarantula a todo color en AdHouse; el Proceso de Vanesa R. Del Rey. ————————————————————————————————— ⚡“Quiero publicar mis libros desde mi editorial” Entrevista a Arnau Sánz P.: La autoedición ofrece tanto ventajas como inconvenientes al autor a la hora de crear la obra. ¿Cuáles son para tí los más importantes? R.: El control del trabajo. Yo he sacado tres libros en editoriales. En algún caso, con problemas de distribución, control de ventas, etc. De esta forma, sigo haciendo el mismo trabajo que hacía antes (dibujar, buscar firmas y entrevistas, moverlo, etc ), pero al menos sé que si algo no funciona es mi responsabilidad. Por suerte, tanto en Edicions de Ponent como en Apa Apa, la libertad a la hora de afrontar la historia, tanto gráficamente como narrativamente siempre ha sido total. El único inconveniente que encuentro, es el desembolso económico para imprimir las copias. El resto, a nuestro nivel de ventas, se puede hacer poco a poco. ————————————————————————————————— ⚡La editorial colombiana, Tragaluz, viene de anunciar una convocatoria para los cómics! Por supuesto, como no es un concurso sino una convocatoria pública, la propuesta debe estar firmada y llevar datos de contacto. Para que sepan: pueden participar autores de cualquier lugar del mundo! Hace un año nos inventamos una metodología para abordar una situación con la que lidiamos todas las editoriales del mundo: la cantidad tan grande de proyectos que recibimos todos los días de parte de escritores e ilustradores interesados en publicar. Quisimos que las propuestas que llegaban una a una a lo largo de todo el año se concentraran en solo dos semanas, para luego sentarnos a sistematizar todo lo recibido y programar cuándo y cómo leer, evaluar y tomar una decisión. Viendo que podíamos aprovechar los errores para mejorar la experiencia, este año decidimos repetir: de nuevo, entre el 1 y el 15 de noviembre habilitaremos el correo quieropublicar@tragaluzeditores.compara recibir todo tipo de proyectos editoriales terminados. Todo lo que necesitan saber sobre la convocatoria, en este enlace. Muchos más detalles por allá! ————————————————————————————————— ⚡ Pablo Selin, el Comics Workbook master-mind chileno del diseño de nuestro website, y un equipo de dibujantes y amantes de los cómics estan armando un nuevo website que sirvira como foro para los cómics chilenos y latinoamericanos (críticas, reseñas, noticias y otros cómics), se llama “SACAPUNTA”. Ponte a explorarló! ————————————————————————————————— ⚡Hoy es el lanzamiento del informe de Clima Escolar. Acá un detalle del trabajo ilustrado por Sindy Elefante, para verlo completo: Hoy, 1° de noviembre de 2016, es la presentación de la primera encuesta nacional de clima escolar a niños LGBT de Colombia que lleva por nombre “Mi voz cuenta”, realizada por Sentiido y Colombia Diversa. Esta fue hecha entre diciembre de 2015 y marzo de 2016 de forma totalmente anónima, distribuida en redes sociales. Más de 550 niños y adolescentes entre 13 y 20 años la respondieron. Las cifras evidencian una preocupante realidad. ————————————————————————————————— ⚡Han oido las buenas noticias? Ya pueden pedir Tarantula a todo color! AdHouse esta publicando este primer volumen de la novela policíaca, psicodelica y a la vez satanica del equipo Alexis Ziritt y Fabian Rangel Jr. y Evelyn Rangel. Si no has leido Tarantula – aquí tienes un preview 😉 Psychedelic pulp. Satanic noir. The story of three unusual agents of order trying to bring justice to a world on the brink of chaos. The pulp of yesterday retold through the lens of modern, over-the-top, psychedelic storytelling. The team that took the indie world by storm with SPACE RIDERS sets their sights on pulpy supernatural action/adventure! ————————————————————————————————— ⚡El proceso de la gran Vanesa R. Del Rey en acción! Estudia estos videos, jóvenes padawans. Seguro que aprenderas algo! 👻 ✨magik ✨👻 WIP pic.twitter.com/QOVfoDUDgJ — Vanesa R. Del Rey (@VDelRey) October 31, 2016 ✨🔮✨ pic.twitter.com/UNGp0Z7ZBs — Vanesa R. Del Rey (@VDelRey) October 31, 2016 ————————————————————————————————— ⚡Echale un vistazo a este medallón estilo Pompeii! “Le encargué a la gran Airi Maeno que hiciera unos medallones de plata con sede fuera de mis dibujos. Este dibujo viende de mi libro Pompeii. Es algo que puedo imaginar que alguien se pondría hace dos mil años. Un simple medallón de un ser querido. Un retrato. Algo permanente para desafiar a la desaparición”. – Frank Santoro Puedes comprar uno aquí! ————————————————————————————————— hasta la próxima! Juan Share this page: [...]

8/31/2016

Juan FernándezAugust 31, 2016los Cómics / NewsJuan here with your weekly Spanish language comics news round up! El fin del CW Composition Contest;Sol Díaz Castillo y Marcela Trujillo charlan con Katherine Supnem; la evolucion de Spanish Fever; Mireia Perez sobre Ben Marra; Edd Muñoz sobre El Publicadero en Manizales; el nuevo libro de Connor Willumsen, Portraits. ————————————————————————————————— Le concours – C’est fini The Comics Workbook Composition Competition 2016 is over! You can read all the entries HERE. Entries were still pouring in until the stroke of midnight, but it is over! – we are trying to get everyone’s comic reblogged here and added to the master list – if you don’t see your comic on the list yet, today DO NOT WORRY – if it was in our email before 11:59pm EST tonight then you are officially entered in the competition! We will post the final list later today! This has been the biggest explosion of comics we’ve ever gotten for this competition! We will be spending the next few days working with our judges to pick the winners – be patient – check out all the entries – reblog your favorites – AND THANKS FOR JOINING US THIS YEAR! ————————————————————————————————— [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/279783030″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] Escucha @lapololapodcast, un podcast del cómic femenino con Sol Díaz Castillo y Marcela Trujillo! It’s always a fun, relaxing and enlightening listen. If you haven’t tuned in to La Polola just yet, Póngale Play 😉 En este capítulo se habla de los discursos y el dibujo, de como cuestionar las cosas y a uno mismo en lo que hacemos, de la marginalidad, el underground, la filosofía y más. Las chicas conversan con Katherine Supnem, dibujante chilena, sobre estos temas y su experiencia como dibujante de cómics feminista, profesora de filosofía, dibujante de escenografías, under y marginal. ————————————————————————————————— Charlando con Emma Rios Kaboom, la nueva seccion de El País dedicada a la exploracion del mundo del comic contemporaneo, compartió una mañana con la artista y arquitecta gallega, Emma Rios. Léanlo HOY! Angel Luis Sucasas: ¿Cómo cambia tu método cuando escribes y cuando dibujas? Emma Rios: Escribiendo, trabajo mucho desde los personajes pero al mismo tiempo soy muy conceptual. Nunca doy demasiadas explicaciones. Como escritora no me mola nada hacerlo. Lo que quiero es que el lector se sienta parte del mundo, que escuches cosas. Hablábamos antes de Dark souls y de cómo te enteras de las cosas por lo que dicen los personajes, por el contexto. En ID lo transmitía mucho a través de la gestualidad corporal. Normalmente se trata de decidir de qué coño me apetece hablar. En ID estaba claro que quería hablar de la aceptación… Es un cómic muy político. Tiene mucho que ver con una situación en la que yo me encontraba en el curro. Yo trabajo para gente extranjera. Eso significa una barrera idiomática y cultural. Y soy relativamente introvertida y me cuesta enfrentarme a esto. Me cuesta ser el centro de atención y me cuesta tener esa actitud, que allí es tan natural, de “¡Compra mi tebeo, compra mi tebeo”. Así que acabé distribuyendo eso en varios personajes para enfrentarme a ello. Yo estoy hasta las narices de que se me trate como alguien especial. Mira, lo que hago no es especial. Tu idea de lo que hacen las mujeres no es la realidad. Las mujeres hacen muchas cosas. ————————————————————————————————— Sobre Panorama//Spanish Fever – La Historia de su publicación, su importancia y mas… La antología de cómics española, Panorama cruza el charco! Sergio Jiménez Foronda le da un gran vistazo a la nueva edición de Panorama (Astiberri 2013), ahora Spanish Fever (Fantagraphics 2016). Los creadores han gozado de total libertad para producir sus trabajos, permitiéndoseles ser ellos mismos en cada palabra y en cada trazo. El resultado es una heterogénea panorámica de estilos y temáticas que hace más de un año llamó la atención de Fantagraphics, que se puso en contacto con Astiberri para exportar la obra. “Ha sido fundamental la participación de la Fundación Spain Arts & Culture de la Emabajada de España en Wahsington, que apoyó esta edición sufragando la traducción del libro y permitiendo que una selección de los autores que participan en el libro puedan viajar a EEUU y participar en diferentes eventos que servirán para promocionarlo”, explica García. Entre ellos se encuentra el festival de cómics norteamericano Small Press Expo, que se celebra en North Bethesda (Maryland), una cita a la que García ya había acudido numerosas veces y a la que le hace ilusión volver “para participar desde el otro lado de la mesa, para estar en el papel de profesional publicado en EEUU“. ————————————————————————————————— Mireia Pérez sobre Ben Marra Mireia Pérez escribe una carta de amor, bien merecida, a los comics del dibujante americano Ben Marra. Llevo puestas las gafas violetas desde la facultad y ya nunca me las podré quitar. Este punto de vista me acompaña a donde voy, sea de paseo, al cine o a leer. Tienes que saber esto, querida lectora, porque los tebeos de Marra transcurren en un universo donde los hombres llevan armas y son siempre los protagonistas y las mujeres son casi siempre putas o stripers, van en ropa interior y suelen ser vejadas a la primera de cambio. Y es que todo lo que fabrica Marra con sus manos (dibuja prácticamente sin boceto y a mano alzada cargada de tinta) emerge de la sátira y está cincelado con una pátina de ironía, algo que no tenían los tebeos en los ochenta y que viene exactamente de la misma cocina donde se fraguó la novela gráfica: el cómic undergraund americano. ————————————————————————————————— Edd Muñoz y El Publicadero En La Patria, Edd Muñoz nos cuenta sobre lo que nos podemos esperar en este segundo año de El Publicadero, encuentro de autoedición. Hoy es común encontrar muchos cómics de autores colombianos en las librerías, lo que no ocurría antes. ¿Es un buen síntoma? Claro. El Publicadero existe para debatir sobre el trabajo de esas personas y responde a unos eventos sobre cómic que se están realizando en Colombia, unos con más apoyo que otros. Hay una movida alrededor de la historieta y buscamos despertar el interés por los contenidos dibujados con una programación que incluye conversatorios y talleres. ————————————————————————————————— Portraits by Connor Willumsen. Este libro de 16 páginas bellamente impreso (por WestCan – que también imprimio el Manual de la Escuela Santoro) de retratos del gran Connor Willumsen está disponible para pre-pedido. De momento, sólo ofrecemos pre-pedidos para los Estados Unidos. Ofreceremos pre -pedidos para pedidos fuera de EEUU después de que mandemos el libro a los impresores. Dalé click AQUI para pedir tu pre-order! http://auction.comicsworkbook.com/2016/08/18/portraits-by-connor-willumsen-pre-order/ ————————————————————————————————— hasta la proxima! JF Share this page: [...]

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