Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in News

Juan Fernández

Posted on August 22, 2016August 22, 2016

Explore

06/12/2018

Aaron CockleJune 12, 2018NewsMoore/Mendes; Drnaso & Kupperman; Regé, Jr. ————————————————————————————————— Understanding Detroit: The Nonfiction Work of Anne Elizabeth Moore & Melissa Mendes Sally linked to this last Friday, Alex Dueben’s interview with Anne Elizabeth Moore and Melissa Mendes, about their collaborative non-fiction comics: What do you two think comics can do that an essay or report couldn’t? Moore: This is a question I get a lot, since I’ve done both text-only reporting and comics journalism. There’s a particular story in Threadbare I did with Julia Gfrörer called “Let’s Go Shopping,” about fast fashion retail work. I went into a local H&M—it was years ago, now, so that worker’s not there anymore—and started chatting with one of the retail workers. Now, like factory workers, and many many other workers along the entire garment production and display assembly line, retail workers for most fast fashion outlets sign non-disclosure agreements stating that they agree that they have the right to be fired if they share information about their benefits or wages. This is a nutso clause in any contract designed to keep people from sharing information and organizing to improve their lives, and it’s basically a knife wound to the project of basic democracy, since it means that even though a LOT of people work in the garment industry, few people talk about what it’s like and so, for example, reporters usually struggle to write about it because no one will go on record. But no one knows, or cares, what comics journalism is, so I walked into this H&M and was like, “Yeah we draw this thing and it works like this and I do need a photo for reference but we can hide your identity to protect you and if you want we can draw you in your favorite outfit even if you aren’t wearing it right now, I just need to ask you a few questions that are in complete violation of your NDA are you OK with that?” And she answered everything I asked. Because with comics we were able to protect her, but also depict her in an interesting way, and she was invested in contributing to something she would be excited about. (That Julia drew it was super helpful. She is very very popular with models and fast fashion workers.) That’s an actual example of information that wouldn’t have been accessible without the form of comics. In “Scenes from the Foreclosure Crisis,” Melissa and I were able to do a very similar thing, depict a nonbinary figure, who still has a very clear personality, history, and set of concerns, in a way that wouldn’t bring them undue attention or frustration. Or violence, to be frank. (Detroit is very conservative, actually, so that’s a concern.) In text-based journalism, you’d have to give some kind of identifying distinction, and almost anything I could think of in this case would put my source in danger. Also audience, of course: comics journalism is read by a far less newsy crowd. More young people. I hear from a lot of students that this was sort of their gateway drug to text-based journalism. But it takes a long time, so you have to plan it all carefully. Mendes: Whenever I get this question I always think of Joe Sacco. There’s no way his work (Palestine, The Fixer, etc.) could ever be anything other than a comic. He’s going into these terrifying places, these war zones, and instead of just taking photos, which can be sort of voyeuristic, he’s drawing. There’s no question that it’s through his lens, that it’s his own point of view– he’s making those marks on the paper. There’s no way it could be taken as objective, while it’s possible to write or photograph or record in such a way that you forget there’s a person behind the camera or the keyboard. (I’m sure there are smarter words for what I’m trying to say but I haven’t written a college paper in like fourteen years so…) Does that make sense? Sacco is reporting, but it’s personal, and you feel that as a reader. You can’t escape it, it’s more raw somehow. The handmade aspect of cartooning makes it more human, and we are still able to protect identities, like Anne was saying. ————————————————————————————————— Can You Illustrate Emotional Absence? Ed Park looks at recent work by Nick Drnaso and Michael Kupperman: RE Drnaso: With his fluid framing — fitting anywhere from two to 24 panels to a page — he dictates information delivery, allowing the mind to breathe. His drawing style is at once poetically attuned to details of neighborhoods and interiors (the lit canopy of a gas station at night, the banquette at an antiseptic diner) and deceptively plain when it comes to the people who inhabit them. RE Kupperman: For an artist known for his off-kilter tableaus, this book has a static look, especially in its rendering of boldfaced names from the past. More problematic are the gaps: mysteries unsolved, re-creations that collapse under the weight of a disclaimer. Of a 1943 meeting between Joel and Henry Ford (once a vocal anti-Semite), Kupperman wonders, “What did they think of each other? There’s no way of knowing.” ————————————————————————————————— ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 6-12-18 – by Caleb Orecchio ————————————————————————————————— Share this page: [...]

06/02/2016

HarrisonJune 2, 2016News @h_gprince is collecting comics and arts news for Thursday, June 2, 2016. Today we’ll board the drunken boat, take a glance at process, and finish off by hunting heads. On a Boat PLEASE SHARE: Drunken Boat, the venerable online literary journal for experimental writing (15+ years running), is introducing a dedicated comics section beginning with our fall 2016 issue. We are seeking both form-melting and traditionally formal comics from a diverse range of artists, so whatever comics or comics-like things you’re making, send us your best. Submitted work should be previously unpublished (though feel free to contact us if this distinction is hazy), between one and twenty-five pages, and comprising either one or multiple pieces. Works will be displayed online, which offers some leeway with regards to size specifications. We simply ask that you familiarize yourself with the journal and use common sense when submitting. We’re open to figuring out a way to present your comics in the best possible fashion. The submissions deadline for our fall issue is 6/30/2016, so get to work! You’ll find our submissions page here. If you have any questions, feel free to email at nick@drunkenboat.com. -Nick Francis Potter, Drunken Boat comics editor Processing “Reading about other cartoonists’ process always interests me, but I’ve never really written about my own way of creating comics art because it’s usually as simple as can be – pencils, letters, inks, and colors all on the same sheet of paper in that order, no computer intercession to speak of. But for my latest comic, the bootleg Punisher/Dazzler blowout TRAP: FRANKIE TEARDROP, I employed a pretty different way of working that I thought one or two of you might be interested in looking behind the scenes of.” – Matt Seneca. This is how I do most my drawings. First attempt at using a time lapse thing, what do you think? #illustration #sketchbook #timelapse #animegirl #process A video posted by Matt Layzell (@m_layzell) on Jun 1, 2016 at 8:36am PDT Processing(g) “This is how I do most my drawings. First attempt at using a time lapse thing, what do you think?” – @m_layzell http://layzellbros.com/ Hunters Share this page: [...]

10/12/206

Juan FernándezOctober 12, 2016los Cómics / NewsJuan les presenta: Tierra de fanzines; Teen Wolf de Fosfatina Ediciones; Catalina Bu en La Polola; Laura Andrea Garzón con Aidan Koch; Puño en el Tiempo; “Animal Collective” el cómic europeo de vanguardia; Los Space Riders se acercan; y MAS! ————————————————————————————————— Comics Workbook participará en dos festivales ESTE fin de semana: En el Reino Unido The Lakes International Comic Art Festival, Octubre 14-16. Frank Santoro, Aidan Koch, and Connor Willumsen en Kendal, UK. Buscános para y visita la mesa 67 en el Comics Clocktower para conocer a Oliver East y Jack Brougham, entre otros. Tendremos 3 talleres especiales, “Visual Poetry” con Aidan Koch, “The Hammer Party” con Connor Willumsen y “Composition Competition” con Frank Santoro. Las entradas para los eventos principales en el Festival Internacional de Lagos Arte cómico de este año están a la venta.ickets for the main events at this year’s Lakes International Comic Art Festival are on sale now. Visita nuestra página de eventos para más información.. En los Estados Unidos Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, October 13-16. Ofreciendo talleres y tendremos libros de venta. Júntate con la boca y dibujantes Alexa bar y Kurt Ankeny para disfrutar un fin de semana Juan llenísimo y de creación de cómics. Examinarémos el arte y la cuadricula, uniendo las pracitcas artísticas de Berg y Ankeny junto con la disciplina y el ritmo de la cuadricula, según lo principios establecidos por Frank Santoro. Cuatro horas a través de dos días, llenas de la exploración de una variedad de técnicas y métodos – que inspirarán el principiante, y desafiarán al dibujante avancado. Cómics como el jazz; cómics como la arquitectura; cómo una simple tarjeta de índice puede transformar su proceso de secuenciación y la narración. El horario completo del Festival CXC esta disponible AQUI. ————————————————————————————————— ⚡ Gerardo Vilches anuncia “Tierra de Fanzines” una nueva iniciativa en su blog. ¡Fanzines, todo fanzines! ⚡ Fosfatina ha sacado una nueva antologia: Teen Wolf – Mejores amigas, selfies, transmutaciones en la cancha, superpedos, misiones secretas, hombres malos, drama adolescente, sexo tinaguer, coreografías licántropas… y lo que queda por llegar. Así reza la entrada de esta maravillosa serie creada y alojada por TIK TOK y que ahora aparece recopilada y extendida en este volumen, que ahora se publica en colaboración con FOSFATINA. ⚡ Escucha la nueva edición de @lapololapodcast, un podcast del cómic femenino con Sol Díaz Castillo y Marcela Trujillo: En este capítulo las chicas conversan con Catalina Bu acerca de cómo: … Empezó en el mundo del dibujo, la soledad de venirse a santiago a estudiar, el tema de lo cotidiano, la aceptación de uno mismo en la forma en que tenemos de dibujar, cuestionamos al “éxito” impuesto desde afuera y recomendamos varios libros, entre muchas cosas más. Póngale play! [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/286263657″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] ⚡ Laura Andrea Garzón habla con Aidan Koch en Colombia – De camino al taller hablamos de la estructura laberíntica del barrio. Pienso que es una buena estructura para perderse o para jugar a las escondidas. Curiosamente es algo que se repite en la exhibición de la que ha hablado Aidan. Me interesan los laberintos, aunque no son propiamente juegos. Uno sabe por donde entra pero no puede estar muy seguro de por dónde va a salir. Está esta idea de que se puede ganar o que se puede salir pero no es necesariamente cierta, no es la manera en que funciona la realidad. Usar estas figuras de manera metafórica es lo que más me llama la atención a la hora de incorporarlas en mi trabajo. ⚡ Puño en el Tiempo – ¿Desde pequeño tuvo talento para dibujar? Yo no creo en el talento, creo en el trabajo y en las horas de experiencia. Siempre he sido muy mal dibujante, pero he dibujado tanto que inevitablemente he tenido resultados. Dibujar es fallar miserablemente una y otra vez. Por eso hay mucha gente que lo deja, porque estamos acostumbrados a recibir recompensas inmediatamente y para dibujar bien hay que hacer entre 3.000 y 10.000 dibujos, según tu habilidad para aprender. Entonces, lo que he sido siempre es muy obstinado. ⚡ No te pierdes esta exhibicion – Animal Collective – en Madrid. En un lugar puedes saborear la vanguardia de cómics internacionales. Uuf, que delicia! Solo tenemos que pasear diez metros y habremos visto cuales son los proyectos más innovadores y auténticos del cómic europeo. De Finlandia a Austria pasando por Noruega, Letonia o Bélgica sin olvidar Barcelona o Madrid. Todo es parte de una exposición que pretende ofrecer una amplia visión de los movimientos artísticos y las tendencias colectivas que trabajan la viñeta en la actualidad. Es Animal Collective y se podrá ver en la cuarta planta de Centro Centro madrileño (Plaza de Cibeles, 1) hasta el 29 de enero de 2017. ⚡ SPACE RIDERS – el segundo volumen llegara el año que viene en 2017. Alexis Ziritt y Fabian Rangel Jr. nos vienen FULL FORCE. No se lo pierdan! Apurate y lee el primer volumen cuando puedas! Apúrate, apúrate y lée di el primer volumen cuando puedas! ————————————————————————————————— Echa 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: [...]

03/02/2016

Sally IngrahamMarch 2, 2016NewsMarch is Women’s History Month, and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is celebrating female cartoonists. First up was Barbara Hall, the main artist for Girl Commandos, which appeared in issues of Speed Comics in the 1940s. Read a bit more about her HERE, and check the CBLDF throughout the month for more biographical snippets of women in comics. How about a female cartoonist who is working today? Anna Mancini, or Manzanna, is a Brazilian artist. Click on the image above for more info about that particular comic. You can find much of Anna’s work on her tumblr, but it is nice to experience her comic Sadnesses HERE. A simple slideshow format brings a different rhythm to the panels, forcing, or allowing, you to slow down and really see it. This different type of viewing experience leads to a discussion of Stela, a subscription-based iOS app for reading comics that just hit the stores. The app was reviewed over on Polygon. Stela is experimenting with a variation on a format known as…the Infinite Canvas, a term coined by that mad scientist of sequential art, Scott McCloud. For obvious reasons, comics on screens don’t have to obey the physical limitations of print, and in his 2000 book Reinventing Comics, McCloud proposed that the screen could be treated as a window. Will it work or won’t it? That’s probably up to personal preference and the quality of the content. Fortunately comics like Ronald Wimberly’s GratNin are trying the app on for size, and if Ron can make the endless scroll bend to his will then there’s probably hope for it. On a somewhat related note, Simon Reinhardt has just released Mystery Town #4 and announced that it is going to be “officially a monthly thing for 2016″…! Who else is excited? Follow the link above to check out the whole thing, and read issues 1-3 as well. Tyler Landry has finished publishing The Jaundiced Eye on Comics Workbook. Stumble into a shadowy state that mesmerizes and terrifies almost equally. If you’re hungry for more CLAV after this, Tyler just loaded all of Shit and Piss #3 on Ello – check it out HERE. I hope these bits and bobs help you get through hump day! Cheerio – Sally Share this page: [...]

Providence, RI Scene Report

Frank SantoroNovember 26, 2011Riff Raff / Scene ReportsThis article originally appeared on The Comics Journal 11/26/2011 This week’s scene report is brought to you by Jacob Berendes. A couple of years ago at SPX someone left a copy of Mothers News at my table – at the time it was a one sheet newspaper with comics and weird local flavor bits of gossip, funny drawings and funny puzzles. I thought it was great – figured out it was from Providence – but didn’t know who made it. I subscribed to it – yes an honest to goddess monthly publication – and it quickly became one of my favorite rags ever. Somewhere along the way I found out it was Jacob who was stoking the fire – so I asked him to write about the comic book goings on of Providence, Rhode Island. Please enjoy! —————– PROVIDENCE COMICS SCENE REPORT by Jacob Berendes (by Frank’s request) Providence RI was big for comics in the 1990s and the first decade of the 2000s, especially for works in the “art comics” genre, which doesn’t exist. People ask all the time what the fabled comics scene is like now, and I should say, with some caveats, that it’s pretty sweet. There’s a few crazy fuckers going hard as hell, and that’s almost all you need. Some institutions first: Ada Books is a good independent bookstore that sells zines and comics and hosts comic-related events (Anders Nilsson came last month, Porcellino Dec 5th). The RISD library has a great comics section that is a wonderful place to spend a rainy day (although they are maybe cracking down on non-alumni, boo dat). AS220 is a nebulous non-profit show venue / bar / developer / print shop that has a nice offset press that you can take classes on, then use whenever to print 1000 of your shitty thing. Time Capsule Comics in nearby Cranston has a nice selection of back issues, this past summer they had a wild $1 everything sale, it was like get get get, everyone was stacking up. Armageddon Shop is a metal / hardcore / punk record store co-run by Ben from DROPDEAD, but they also stock local zines, comics, and noise tapes, and recently started stocking a ton of old LAST GASP comics, which is weird. Amigos is a small publisher that this year opened a retail location in Providence’s historic erotic dance district. There used to be other comics stores around but they dried up / got priced out. Since the Borders closed down there isn’t even a place to shoplift manga from! C’est la vie… C’est la guerre… People: well, most of the Paper Rodeo / Fort Thunder alumni are gone to other (not necessarily greener) pastures. List of ex-pats: Jim Drain “went real” in art terms, which in this context means “moved to Miami”. Mat Brinkman is in Colorado, and just released a board game called Cave Evil that is appropriately mega-sick. Leif Goldberg and Erin Rosenthal moved to Vermont and have a totally cute child. Leif also has a new collaborative poster project called Exploded View. Melissa Mendes has a new book out of her Freddy stories, but I haven’t seen it yet, since her and Chuck Forsman moved out of Providence for some reason (I think it had to do with how Providence can be a complete nightmare hellzone). Chuck has a new comic out called “The End Of The Fucking World”. Still here / new: Paul Lyons still lives in town and last year published the excellent anthology MONSTERSand drew AND screenprinted great goopy covers for it. Brian Chippendale still haunts the streets, goes to shows, puts out CDRs,sleeps in papier mache huts, and twitters turd jokes into the void. He has a newish record out on Load, under the name “Black Pus”, which is technically a one-person band but at the same time is like a multi-character band, if that makes any sense. CF has really been burning the night lately, he’s got a few new tapes coming out (as Mark Lord), the first one is out already on Mickey Z’s bizarre PRICE TAPES label. What’s really wild about the new tapes is that they are all recorded in the off moments when he’s not grinding away on the next POWR MASTRS book, which is going to be a face melter. I think he’s at like three 9 kill right now (that’s 99.9% kill), he’s on fire, let the motherfucker BURN. James McShane is allegedly working on a new book for BCGF, though it might just be a nice folio edition of his “City Sketchbook” column from Mothers News, which is still going to be super nice, as he is a master of nuance. He’ll be kicking at BCGF with me and Mickey Zacchilli, who is definitely NOT a master of nuance, but will have a new issue (#5) of her insane and mighty comic book RAV, and maybe some posters (ps- buy these shirts before they’re gone forever). Katrina (last name not necessary, like Jason, or Freddy) is not new on the scene but is maybe someone you haven’t heard of- they have an excellent zine called ROT that really is a zine, not an idiotic whiny SPXy autobio comic or a loosely bound pile of psychedelic farts. Also Katrina has a comic coming out in the next issue of MRR, a cool band called GROKE (Moomin ref), AND they’re allegedly related to Walt Kelly! I tell you an apple doesn’t fall far from a tree unless thrown, and even then, it remains an apple… I would say that the number one most hotly anticipated book of the year (and last year) is the Providence Comics Consortium collection. PCC is a comics class for kids, that takes place in a variety of public libraries. One thing they do is put together a sort of Guide To The Marvel Universe book of characters the kids create, then the characters are given out to local cartoonists to script up and draw. Chippendale, CF, Mickey Zacchilli, Jackie H Curtiss, and plenty of other heavy hitters all drew up stories that they are just WAITING to see in printed form. I keep calling them like “where is the book? why aren’t you printing it right now?”. They stopped picking up the phone… Are you reading this, PCC instructors? Is there anything I can do to hasten the printing of this book? It’s driving me crazy!!!!!!!! As for me, I publish a newspaper called Mothers News that is free and good. It is 12 pages long and has 2 pages of new comics from CF, Brian Chippendale, Mickey Zacchilli, Katrina, Mike Taylor, Chuck Forsman, Melissa Mendes, Charlotte DeSedouy, Kate Schapira, Jackie H Curtiss, Mike Deforge, James McShane, and kids from the Providence Comics Consortium. It is not a goofy newspaper in the Paper Rodeo model, it is a real newspaper with columns, writing, and information. Please see mothersnews.net for more about it, to order a subscription, to place an ad, or for any reason you might visit a website. Alsooooo in the “full disclosure” department, I run a distro for Providence and New England underground art, it’s called Chipsylvania. Uh, and for the record it’s not named after Chippendale, he doesn’t run the town. It’s named after Chip King, guitarist for the excellent doom band The Body. He runs the town. In conclusion, I would like to say that Providence is a lot like the wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Providence_(comics): Providence, located in the South Pacific Ocean, southwest of Hawaii at 20°N 165°W, is an artificial island made of parts from Cable’s old space station Graymalkin. It first appeared in Cable & Deadpool #6. Providence was intended to be a place where the best minds on Earth could gather, live, and find new ways of doing everything in hopes of giving the world a peaceful future. Providence is open to all who wish to immigrate there, though all residents must undergo various psychological and skills tests. —————— Except for location and first appearance, I’d say that’s about right! We are supportive of each other, we party and jam together, but the psychological tests part is very accurate- those tests are called “winter”, “bringing something to the table”, “unemployment”, and “probably no one paying attention to you for at least one year”. Subscribe to the paper. SEE U IN THE PIT! Live Aid 1985 Queen-Radio Ga Ga Share this page: [...]

8/22/2016

Posted on August 22, 2016August 22, 2016 by Juan Fernández

Juan here with the latest over here at CW: Hernandez Brothers’ Rowhouse Residency Benefit Auction; Gabriella Tito’s HOMESICK; PORTRAITS by Connor Willumsen pre-orders; MORIYAMA’S DOG by Berliac; Sloane Leong’s MAPS TO THE SUN; Julia Gfrörer BLACK IS THE COLOR back in print; new STREET ANGEL from Jim Rugg; Ben Sears’ print sale.

———————————————————————————————————————

Los Bros Hernandez Benefit Auction
You heard it hear first, folks, thee great Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez have generously donated art and comics to benefit the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency! Our auction runs through Saturday August 27th at 3pm. Get in on it while you can!

———————————————————————————————————————

Gabriella Tito revisiting Homesick

I’m happy to announce that we are featuring Gabriella Tito’s Homesick on the site this week. Tito made Homesick for the first issue of Zona (Comics Workbook, January 2016), channeling her considerable drawing chops into a story of quiet exploration in black and white.

During her recent Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency, Gabriella revisited her comic in a unique way. She decided to color it, experimenting with different mediums ranging from airbrush to pencils, taking this burst of new energy directly to the printed pages of Frank Santoro’s personal copy. The results are quite amazing.

We are thrilled to share those pages HERE!

———————————————————————————————————————

Portraits by Connor Willumsen
Comics Workbook is very pleased to present a new book from Connor Willumsen – Portraits. Available now for pre-order – get your copy HERE!

Connor is one of our original CW samurais. He will be joining Frank Santoro at The Lakes International Comic Arts Festival this fall, teaching workshops and sharing his process. Look for him there!

———————————————————————————————————————

Moriyama’s Dog – Berliac

Berliac‘s got a new comic up on Vice! The printed version of Moriyama’s Dog was originally published Kus! #25: “Gaijin Mangaka”.
———————————————————————————————————————

Maps to the Sun – Sloane Leong
Sloane Leong‘s got a new one for ya. It’s a short comic about two girls during a hot whirlwind of a summer. Leong knows how to make a comic breathe. Check it out, it’ll make your heart heavy.

———————————————————————————————————————

—————————————————————————————————

Black is the Color: Back in Print
It’s true, Julia Gfrörer‘s Black is the Color is back in print from Fantagraphics Books! – to celebrate we have a review by Bill Boichel up on the site. Check out the video above for an in depth discussion from 2014 between Julia Gfrörer & Tucker Stone on Black is the Color at The Strand in NYC.

———————————————————————————————————————

Ben Sear’s Printsale
Ben Sears’ is having a print sale on his site to cover some unexpected expenses. Here’s your chance to pick up some of his delicious prints for that special someone. For discounts, enter “printsale” at checkout. There’s so much to choose from when it comes to Sear’s art!

———————————————————————————————————————

until next time!
JF

Share this page:

Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in News

Juan Fernández

Posted on August 22, 2016August 22, 2016

Explore

Cartoon Crossroads Columbus 2016, Part ll of ll

Chris Anthony DiazDecember 14, 2016The Diaz ArchiveSacha Mardou Sacha Mardou Seth and Craig Fischer Seth Keith Knight, Rich Tommaso and Tom Spurgeon Caitlin McGurk Sergio Arragonés, Carol Tyler, Jeff Smith and Tom Spurgeon The Billy Ireland Museum Galleries The Billy Ireland Museum Galleries The Billy Ireland Museum Galleries The Billy Ireland Museum Galleries The Billy Ireland Museum Galleries The Billy Ireland Museum GalleriesThe Horseshoe aka Ohio Football Stadium Wexner Center for the Arts Gary Trudeau and Glen David Gold in conversation at the Wexner Center’s Mershon Auditorium Columbus Metropolitan Libary, Downtown Branch Columbus Metropolitan Libary, Downtown Branch Sacha Mardou Sacha Mardou Joseph Remnant, Noah Van Sciver and Robin McConnell Alyssa Berg Rich Tommaso Noah Van Sciver Kevin Czap (backturned), Tom Spurgeon and Jeff Smith (on Spurgeon’s right)Charles Burns Live at CCAD Canzani Center Auditorium Charles BurnsTom Spurgeon, Ben Katchor and Seth in conversation at the Columbus Museum of Art SethTom Spurgeon, Ben Katchor and Seth Sacha Mardou Sacha Mardou Juan José Fernández Juan José Fernández and Sally Ingraham (top far right)Sally Ingraham, Juan José Fernández , Caleb Orecchio, Sacha Mardou, Whitney Taylor and Alyssa Berg Peter Arno original at the Billy Ireland Museum Reading Room Robert Crumb Charles Schulz Ohio State Buckeye running back and Heisman Trophy winner and favorite son Eddie George, Columbus Airport Titans running back Eddie George, Columbus Airport Share this page: [...]

01/11/2018

Comics WorkbookJanuary 10, 2018NewsSam Ombiri here with thoughts on DNA Failure: British Weapon Comics by Leon Sadler, Jonathan Chandler, and Stefan Sadler ————————————————————————————————— Sam Ombiri here: DNA Failure: British Weapon Comics is Leon Sadler making comics with Jonathan Chandler and Stefan Sadler. The deal is Leon’s comics are really good, Jon’s comics are really good, and Stefan’s comics are really good, and together they compliment each other’s energy, better than ever. They all have this playful reverence for storytelling in comics that exist for existence’s sake. Or a “sake” not spoken of yet. This sensibility that’s really attractive doesn’t deviate from their enthusiasm for the story. Far from it – it only serves to take their stories to higher heights. As I’m reading this, I’m wondering what corner of a human’s mind can possibly have the capacity to make this stuff up? I’m not thinking of just the especially surreal events in the comic. I’m also thinking, for example, of how quickly these guys can ascribe a character’s role purely from their facial features. This is a wonder. As I read I’m really savoring each moment. This book is so much fun. What’s astounding is the complete lack of cynicism, which I know stems from sincerity, and it’s just what they do, but I can’t help but commend their lack of cynicism. It’s hard to talk about this comic, about this stuff, partly because I’m guilty of this too in my own comics. What is it I’m guilty of? There’s this one corner of webcomics – you see it in a lot of deviant art pages…probably the easiest place to find stuff like this is if you go to the Bad Webcomics wiki – and it feels like this is the stuff these guys are into. I’ll try to explain more clearly. (I’m not sure about Jon and Stefan, but I’ve read Leon has an intensely visceral reaction to things because there’s too much emotion in them.) This comic and what I’m trying to get at partly reminds me of what Jessica Ciocci of Paperrad said about amateur work: “When you see amateur work, you see the mistakes a professional would try and cover up – like when a person’s homemade Web site has a JPEG scaled up incorrectly. That’s the kind of stuff we like. It’s acknowledging that there are these unspoken rules about how you are supposed to do something – and when you break that rule you are acknowledging that the rule exists.” I think the inclination for most people is to pat themselves on the back instead of pushing further when they realize this rule exists. They try to outsmart the inherent perceived stupidity, instead of just engaging with this stuff as it is (if they don’t just flat out turn it into a punchline). It’s what puts Paperrad above Everything Is terrible (as cool as they are). It’s that same thing that is so great about people like Leon, Jon, and Stefan. I can’t help but think about how Dash Shaw was once talking about how for the most part, in the west at least, whenever people approach limited animation, it’s rarely without cynicism. Take those Adult Swim cartoons like Perfect Hair Forever or 12 OzMouse, in contrast to this community on YouTube which used to use programs like Pencil or the Corel software that would come with their Wacom tablets, to make wolf animations. Animations without cynicism. People like Tribble of Doom or Fluffylovey. What I’m saying is that with DNA Failure the success is three tier. Tier 1 is the lack of cynicism towards this zone of comics, Tier 2 is pushing enthusiasm – as in, they don’t feel compelled to contextualize this stuff just to prove that they’re smart. People (myself included) don’t always believe in the potency of this stuff. They don’t think it is independent of our recognition of it. I mean, sometimes it can be good to give it contextualization, but I don’t think it helps in cases where the potency of the work that one might be re-appropriating (at least for this bad webcomic stuff) is purely based on your recognition of it. It reveals this masked cynicism and masked vanity, or maybe arrogance is a better word. So then it’s not Tier 2 – it’s more like you’re in tier -2. DNA Failure reaches Tier 3, which is a complete mystery to me. I just don’t know – it’s not even three tier success now, it’s like a 2,000,000 tier success. There are many places comics can go if you open your eyes – DNA Failure opened mine. The comics in here are really fantastic. That’s another thing; when people (like me) re-appropriate this stuff, if it’s comics, they (by they, I mean we) tend to completely both forget and dismiss the comics aspect of it. We forget that it’s a comic with a story of some sort, and they (again, me included) maybe even forget that it’s a lot of fun to draw. Although when I say “fun” I don’t mean to say that you always have to draw with a bunch of wild strokes. (CF’s impression of Jack Kirby crosshatching) It doesn’t have to be fun but it certainly can be, especially when we’re talking about this zone of comics. The impulse to draw these types of comics commonly comes, after all, from having fun. (I’m using “fun” for lack of a better word, though not at the complete lack of it. I’m also thinking about how CF said that the spirit of cartooning is “just go ahead and draw.”) However, all the fun is taken out of it when it becomes a contest to see whose work is superior because of how “smart” it is. When I see this type of re-appropriation done (again, myself included), so much of it is this masked cynicism propelled by pretension. DNA Failure is amazing for so many reasons, number one because it doesn’t have any of that. There are really terrific moments in these comics and really great sequences, and instead of these guys patting themselves on the back, they just reach higher and higher and it’s really cool to see. I was very sad when I ran out of pages to read. – Sam Ombiri Read more about the comic HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Frank Santoro and Simon Hanselmann, CAB 2013 – photo by Chris Anthony Diaz, colored by Graham Willcox International Students: The Winter Semester of thee Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers starts January 16th 2018! 8 weeks – 500 bux – coaching for as long as you need. The course is hard, but Frank will push your comics making practice to a new level, getting you to think about timing and color in new ways. His experience and ideas have influenced the likes of Connor Willumsen, Michael DeForge, and Simon Hanselmann (quote “I consider Frank Santoro to be my L. Ron Hubbard”) among many others. Dig into something new in the new year! Full details and how to apply can be found HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 1-11-2018 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

05/10/2016

Aaron CockleMay 4, 2016NewsSouffles-Anfas; Roz Chast; Shapereader; Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus; The Prinzhorn Collection ————————————————————————————————— Souffles-Anfas: A Critical Anthology from the Moroccan Journal of Culture and Politics by Olivia C. Harrison and Teresa Villa-Ignacio: ‘A repository of seminal 1960s texts from across the colonized and postcolonial world, Souffles-Anfas provides a window onto the transnational cultural and political movements that mark the heyday of Third Worldism and anticolonial theory. The sentiments and political grievances expressed in Souffles-Anfas are precursors to contemporary progressive movements—from the pro-democracy revolts collectively termed the Arab Spring to struggles for racial justice in the West. The journal proved instrumental in establishing dialogues between writers, artists, and activists from Africa, Asia, and the Americas. It published seminal works by tricontinental writers and political activists the likes of Haitian writer René Depestre, the Syrian poet Adonis, and Amilcar Cabral, the leader of the struggle for independence from Portugal in Guinea-Bissau, as well as key revolutionary and postcolonial texts, such as the Black Panthers’ Ten-Point Program or the Argentine manifesto for a Third Cinema.’ Podcast with Olivia C. Harrison, University of Southern California and Teresa Villa-Ignacio, Tulane University ‘Souffles-Anfas: A Critical Anthology from the Moroccan Journal of Culture and Politics introduces and makes available, for the first time in English, an incandescent corpus of experimental leftist writing from North Africa. Founded in 1966 by Abdellatif Laâbi and several other avant-garde Moroccan poets and banned in 1972, Souffles-Anfas was one of the most influential literary, cultural, and political reviews to emerge in postcolonial North Africa. An early forum for tricontinental postcolonial thought and writing, the journal published texts ranging from experimental poems, literary manifestoes, and abstract art to political tracts, open letters, and interviews by some of the period’s most important artists and intellectuals, including Abdelkebir Khatibi, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Albert Memmi, Abraham Serfaty, Etel Adnan, Sembene Ousmane, Amilcar Cabral, René Depestre, and Mohamed Melehi. This talk charts the journal’s evolution from Francophone poetry review to French and Arabic tribune of the radical left and highlights its interventions into key postcolonial debates, including the uses of French and Arabic in the Maghreb, studies of the Maghrebi Jewish diaspora, and the question of Palestinian sovereignty. Reflections on the journal’s resonances with the recent pro-democracy protests across North Africa and the Middle East as well as the renewed struggle for civil rights in the United States will allow us to assess the journal’s enduring legacy in Morocco, the Maghreb, and the decolonizing world.’ ————————————————————————————————— Roz Chast at Museum of the City of New York: April 14-October 9, 2016 ————————————————————————————————— Shapereader Shapereader is a repertoire of forms and patterns that constitute an attempt to translate words and meanings into tactile formations. It was designed from scratch with the goal to transpose works of graphic literature to a blind and visually impaired readership, Shapereader advocates for new publishing grounds and challenges visual predominance of graphic storytelling. While it is mainly addressed to people with visual disabilities it can also be experienced by the acquainted regular user. Through circumvention of the visual sensorimotor stimuli, it activates the reader’s repressed tactile-sensory realm and helps foster a new diegetic experience. The creation of Shapereader has been generously funded by the Finnish Institue Koneen Säätiö in 2013 for the Art & Multilingualism grant call. Shapereader and the graphic novel Arctic Circle have both been designed by Ilan Manouach.’ ————————————————————————————————— What we talk about when we talk about Chester Brown’s Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus Tina Horn and Caty Simon at Tits and Sass: ‘But I think the real reason Brown didn’t include tales like Judith’s is because he seems more focused on outlining these sex work-related Biblical narratives in order to glorify sex workers’ clients. He has a convoluted thesis going about men whoremongering as a transcendent challenge to rigid religious dogma. This ascribes nonexistent significance to an activity which is really morally neutral, and it obscures all these awesome sex working Biblical women in stories which are about them. In a memoir about being a sex work client like Paying for It, centering the client perspective makes sense. But in a book like this, it feels beside the point. I’d love to see how this material would look tackled by a sex worker amateur Biblical scholar/comic book artist.’ Ng Suat Tong at The Hooded Utilitarian: ‘While most sex workers are in fact women, Brown seems less interested in recovering the central status of women in the Bible. He has a somewhat different feminist (?) mission. Is it possible to be a sex worker and still be a good Christian? Even Brown seems to admit that it is impossible to reconcile prostitution or any form of sexual immorality with Biblical laws and Jesus’ admonitions. His new comic simply charts the curious areas where the profession turns up in the Bible and where its position in that moral universe is played out most sympathetically. While Jesus commands the woman taken in adultery to go and sin no more, I know not one Christian who has not continued to sin in some shape or fashion. Shouldn’t we be exercised about our own sins before those of perfect strangers? One would have to posit that the sin of sexual immorality is greater than all other sins (including our own) for one to be primarily concerned about its deleterious effects.’ ————————————————————————————————— The Prinzhorn Collection at the Drawing Center ————————————————————————————————— Share this page: [...]

09/20/2016

Aaron CockleSeptember 20, 2016NewsAaron here today with the post-SPX malaise/norovirus update; Some upcoming shows of note; ‘We are Pepe/Pepe is us’; T. Edward Bak; Storyboarding for the movies; Seymour Chwast; ‘This amusing textile’ The Small Press Exposition was held this past weekend in scenic and sprawling Bethesda, MD. This is a big show, and each year it provides an overview of some of the best comics being made in North America, in Europe, and other parts of the world. There really is something for everyone at this show, some works seen this weekend of specific interest to readers of this news-blog include: Powdered Milk vol. 15, Keiler Roberts Roberts was handing out freebies in promotion of her Ignatz nomination for Outstanding Series, which she ended up winning on Saturday night. Congrats, Keiler! The Black Hood: An Anthology of Depression and Anxiety, edited/published by Josh Bayer, co-edited/designed by Mike Freiheit Including work by CW favorites E.A. Bethea, John Porcellino, Katie Fricas, Mike Taylor, Bayer, and a very remarkable list of fellow contributors. BLAMMO #9, Noah Van Sciver The time jumps in the White River Junction story were used really well, and reminded me of how Chester Brown’s Louis Riel jumped around in random places. Van Sciver is consistently doing high level comics, and this issue is a really nice chronicle of work. The Shirley Jackson Project, edited by Robert Kirby Another terrific lineup of contributors here: Colleen Frakes, Robert Triptow, Jennifer Camper, Eric Orner, Josh Simmons,Annie Murphy, Pinc Roq, Dan Mazur, Gabrielle Gamboa, Ivan Velez Jr.,Hannah Blumenreich, Maggie Umber, Asher & Lillie Craw, Jon Macy, W. Woods, Rob Kirby. Rob Clough was in attendance this weekend. He gave CW a quick peek of his heavily annotated map of who he wanted to see at which table, but we were unable to get a picture of it for the record. One of these years. Rhode Island Independent Publishing Expo Saturday-Sunday, September 24-25, Providence, RI Paper Jam Small Press Festival 6 Saturday, October 1, Bushwick, NY Indigenous Comic Con Friday-Sunday, November 18-20, Albuquerque, NM Furie on Pepe Abraham Riesman talks with Matt Furie about the Pepe meme phenomenon: Furie says people email him Pepes “retty much everyday.” “Someone just sent one that was based on a quote I said at a comic convention panel,” he adds. “Something about a new frog in town and it had ‘Dat Boi’” (referring, of course, to the year’s best meme so far). That said, he doesn’t seek Pepes out. “I don’t sit there and trip out on Pepe all day like you seem to think,” he says. “I’m just a normal guy trying to connect with people and have a good time.” He doesn’t seem that interested in discussing the other characters and comics, either. “They are what they are: just weird comics about a bunch of weird fraggles hanging out in mysterious nothingness,” he says. I ask him if he sees any sadness in the quartet’s gross lives and his reply is blunt: “No, they are just dumb cartoons.” T. Edward Bak has an essay comic about family history at High Country News In a dream that follows my grandfather’s death, everyone is familiar but I recognize no one. Passengers drift on and off the train as it wends through the prairie. The dream unfolds as a temporally distorted vignette, like a comic strip. My grandfather’s death seems a strange plotline, half-remembered. Storyboarding Blood Simple …photographer Grant Delin created a video that compares scenes from the film to their original storyboards. Featuring commentary by the Coens, Sonnenfeld, and actor Frances McDormand, this fascinating glimpse at their creative process highlights the careful planning that went into the film’s construction. The 160th meeting of the NY Comics & Picture-story Symposium will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016 at 7pm at Parsons The New School for Design, 2 West 13th Street, in the Bark Room (off the lobby). Free and open to the public. Seymour Chwast on GOD WAR SEX P.W. Herman at Brooklyn Museum This amusing textile was clearly manufactured as a commercial tie-in for Paul Reubens’ enormously successful TV show Pee-Wee’s Playhouse that aired from 1986-1990. The show was designed by Wayne White, Gary Panter, Craig Bartlett, and others, and this brightly printed textile faithfully depicts the characters and props of this wildly inventive program. Manufactured commercial product tie-ins to motion pictures and television programs are almost as old as the media. The acquisition of this textile helps to explain the myriad impetuses for the production of textiles and to elucidate the taste and preoccupations of a specific historical moment. The actual printer of this textile is not known, but the company was formulated specifically to manufacture promotional souvenirs. Posted by Barry R. Harwood, Lark Morgenstern, and Caitlin Crews. Share this page: [...]

02/27/2018

Aaron CockleFebruary 26, 2018NewsAaron here today with Color Giants; Leonora Carrington; Torkwase Dyson and the Wynter-Wells Drawing School for Environmental Justice; The Millionaires Club; Autoptic 2018 ————————————————————————————————— Color Giants – New York Animation Exposition Special encore of the entire 2017 Color Giants program at Superchief Gallery NY, with a couple of special new suprises! New York’s Underground and Experimental Animation Festival In association with Comic Arts Brooklyn Wednesday, February 28, 2018, 7pm-10pm At Superchief Gallery NY, 1628 Jefferson Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385 $10 at the door Featuring works by MIKE DIANA, DAME DARCY, JOHN GORAS, NOURI ZANDER, JEN DEUTROM, CATHY AISON, LILLI CARRÉ, LISA CRAFTS, ANNA FIRTH, BILLY GRANT, JAMES MERCER, RUBBER O CEMENT, SETH SCRIVER, SICK ANIMATION, FELIX COLGRAVE, DAVID LEWANDOWSKI, JAIME R, HAHN BROTHERS, MATT REYNOLDS, BEN MEINHARDT, GEORGIA KRISS, HENRY THURLOW, SCHLONGLORD, and others to be announced. ————————————————————————————————— “She hated art historians” At The New York Review of Books, Regina Marler looks at Leonora Carrington, artist, writer, Surrealist. Chadwick’s chapter on Carrington and the Argentine-born painter and designer Leonor Fini springs from her access to a fantastic trove of newly discovered letters between the friends. Found in Fini’s Paris studio by the executor of her estate, they offer an account of the dark prelude to Carrington’s mental breakdown—as described in her memoir, Down Below (first published in 1944)—beginning in 1939 when her lover, Max Ernst, was jailed by the French as an enemy alien. Later, after the Germans invaded, he was jailed again as a degenerate artist. Carrington was left alone among suspicious villagers in Saint-Martin-d’Ardèche, writing everyone she knew, frantically trying to free him. “I thought I knew the story behind these letters,” Chadwick writes, but the letters themselves had a rare and raw immediacy. Written almost day by day with the urgency of one fighting to remain sane, they had the feel of a diary or a personal journal. Addressed to a dear friend by a narrator who is isolated, terrified and enraged, they are both descriptive and intimate…. The world they describe is neither that of the surrealists in Paris, nor one in which women propel the male imagination. Instead they delineate a harrowing mental universe that parallels and intersects with a real world. ————————————————————————————————— Winter Term at The Drawing Center For the first session, which will take place from February 24 through March 11, 2018, The Drawing Center has invited artist Torkwase Dyson to create an installation and organize a two-week series of classes, discussions, and formal experiments developed from her incipient project the Wynter-Wells Drawing School for Environmental Justice—named for Jamaican writer Sylvia Wynter and American Civil Rights leader Ida B. Wells. The School will present an experimental curriculum employing techniques culled from the visual arts as well as design theories of geography, infrastructure, engineering, and architecture to initiate dialogue about geography and spatiality in an era of global crisis due to human-induced climate change. Participation in each class will be by application only (the afternoon sessions will be open to observation by the public). Drawings and sculptures by Dyson will be on view throughout the program’s run and Dyson will present during select “office hours” to discuss her work and the school with the public. ————————————————————————————————— Leipzig’s annual Comics & Graphics Festival will take place again March 16th and 17th, 2018. At CONNE ISLAND, Koburger Str. 3. 04277 Leipzig Program 2018 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – F R I D A Y 16 / 0 3 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Messe / Market 14:00-22:00 / 2-10 pm Lesung / Reading 15:00-16:00 / 3-4 pm Antonia Kühn “Lichtung”, Reprodukt und Magdalena Kaszuba “Das leere Gefäß”, Avant-Verlag Buchvorstellung / Talk 17:00-18:00 / 5-6 pm “Lampedusa. Bildgeschichten vom Rande Europas” Spector Books, 2018 mit Paula Bulling und Jonas Engelmann Ausstellungseröffnung / opening reception 19:00-00:00 / 7-12 pm Margot Ferrick (Chicago, US) Jul Gordon (Hamburg, GER) Stefanie Leinhos (Leipzig, GER) A wild collection of QSL cards by various artists from the US! Paul Paetzel & Marc Hennes (Berlin, GER) BALD MEHR / MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – S A T U R D A Y 17 / 0 3 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Messe / Market 11:00-18:00 / 11 am – 6 pm Lesung / Reading 12:00-13:00 / 12 am – 1 pm “Megagute Comics von Jaja“ Valérie Minelli, Hanna Gressnich, Mic, Jan Vismann Künstlergespräch / Artist talk 14:00-15:00 / 2-3 pm mit / with Margot Ferrick, Jul Gordon und Stefanie Leinhos in der Ausstellung / in their show Lesung / Reading 16:00-17:00 / 4-5 pm The Millionaires Club all stars mit / with: Max Baitinger, Jul Gordon, Anna Haifisch, Margot Ferrick, Julia Kluge, James Turek und anderen / and more BALD MEHR / MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED ————————————————————————————————— Autoptic 2018 The Autoptic Foundation is pleased to announce that Autoptic 2018 will be happening Sunday, August 19th, 2018 in Minneapolis, MN at the amazing Aria Event Center from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. A one-day festival celebrating comics and independent print culture, Autopic 2018 will feature table exhibitions by over 120 artists from the worlds of comics, posters and beyond. With a strong focus on publications and artwork that features original, creator-driven content and compelling DIY-aesthetics, Autoptic 2018 will give exhibitors an opportunity to connect with other like-minded artists and audiences while also offering attendees a chance to support and discover all manner of exciting, new and independent artists and creators. The Autoptic Foundation is also thrilled to announce a few changes and updates to Autoptic’s curatorial and application process. In the past, all of our exhibitor applications were reviewed and voted on exclusively by the founders and board members of The Autoptic Foundation. While we were pleased by the quality of the exhibitors we arrived at through this process, we also felt that there were many improvements that could be made in an effort to create an application and jurying process that was more open, transparent and inclusive, with the goal of developing an exhibition with as wide and diverse a gamut of creative voices as possible. With those goals in mind, all exhibition applications for Autoptic 2018 will be reviewed, curated and voted on by an amazing group of Guest Jurors, all of whom share Autoptic’s commitment to promoting and evangelizing independent creative culture. We will be announcing our jurors soon! For those interested in applying to be an exhibitor at Autoptic 2018, please visit our Exhibitor FAQ, or start your application now by completeing our Exhibitor Application. For those interested in more information about Autoptic 2018, please visit our Autopic FAQ, or send your questions to info@autoptic.org. ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 02-27-2018 – by Caleb Orecchio ————————————————————————————————— Share this page: [...]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply