Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Juan Fernández

Posted on April 18, 2016May 21, 2019

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11/19/2018

Caleb OrecchioNovember 19, 2018NewsCaleb Orecchio here with a wonky layout from a Gray Morrow page. ————————————————————————————————— Mindy Newell serves an incredibly personal PSA to readers in 1986. Within the pages of this two-issue mini-series, aggressive ace reporter Lois Lane investigates the epidemic of missing children sweeping Metropolis and the nation. Nothing will stop her in her pursuit, but is Lois taking on too much by herself? Will she except the help from her friends and estranged sister? The story, though heavy-handed at times, is sincere and written by an author with a purpose. I picked these issues up for the Gray Morrow art and Joe Orlando colors. I’m impressed by Morrow’s resistance, or the appearance of resistance, of relying on photo reference. As a result, there is little in the way of awkward, collage-y images that feel stiff and contrived; a common, yet not always unwelcome (by me), plague of Morrow’s comics. The pages herein are smoothly and professionally cartooned. More or less. Actually Morrow struggles as usual to make a format that even resembles a coherent structure. Below is an interesting example. A variation on the “shattered-glass” approach to comic page formatting. This way of making comics almost always looks clunky. The word balloons are unorganized, the space allowed for figures and backgrounds seems cramped, and the eye has a hell of a time knowing where to look. If you are following the dialogue, the page is divided into two tiers. The middle horizontal gutter dividing the top half from the bottom. I have shown the sequence of panels in accordance to the word balloons below: However, I think Morrow meant the page to read clockwise. Like this: Follow the sequence of the images as I see it. In the third panel, Lois slaps a newspaper with her backhand. In panel 5 the paper is still on the editor’s desk. She appears to pick the paper up in panel 6. They way the dialogue determines the sequence, Lois would have smacked the paper, picked it up, and put the paper back down again. Visually, it doesn’t make much sense. Still, the way I think Morrow intended the sequence to work makes for tricky reading due to the horizontal middle gutter because the reader would have to abandon the traditional rules of comic book reading. I think the editor, Robert Greenberger, made an executive decision and made the page read traditionally not only due to the middle gutter, but due to the fact that the clockwise reading presumably intended by Morrow ruins the flow of the spread by making the reader start in the top left of the spread, down to the bottom left corner and back up to the top left corner of the facing page. As oppose to the traditional pattern of top left to bottom right of the page, and top left to bottom right of the facing page. These are things that jump out at me and urk me. This is a flawed page and makes for confusing comics. I feel that cartoonists make these kind of pages in service to some strange sense of making personal art. Cartoonists must learn from these formatting mistakes and not fall victim to such practices. Keep it simple, stupid. ————————————————————————————————— Share this page: [...]

04/28/2017

Sally IngrahamApril 28, 2017NewsSally here to close the week, joined by some of the cornerstones, gatekeepers, and “keepers of the flame” of the comics community – Lucy Caswell, Caitlin McGurk, Karen Berger, Dash Shaw, Frank Santoro, and more! ————————————————————————————————— Some weeks you get to meet and hang out with your heroes. Here in Pittsburgh we were lucky enough to not only get a screening of Dash Shaw’s new film My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea, but Dash himself came to town for a few days. He and Frank Santoro, who created the main exterior background paintings for the film, were interviewed onstage before a special screening at the Row House Cinema, and then there was a meet and greet after the film (photos from the event are above). I had been eagerly anticipating seeing the film, and it exceeded all my expectations. It’s beautiful and funny, with characters that I immediately identified with. I plan to see it in the theater several more times before it leaves town, and will be harassing all my friends into going as well. It plays in Pittsburgh at the Row House Cinema April 28th-May 4th. For a complete list of showings around the country, visit the official website HERE. It was cool to hear Dash talk about this type of animation and storytelling, dig into his inspirations and plans for future projects, and hear Frank’s take on being part – for a unique moment – of an animation “studio”. Most of the comics community in Pittsburgh came out for the special screening. This support of Dash and Frank was well deserved, of course – but I was even more excited that one of my comics students – a 9 year old boy – was in the audience as well. I heard afterward how much he liked the film and how thrilled he was to see the creators in real life. I can only hope that he will be inspired to keep making his own work and really invest his energy in the things he’s passionate about. Maybe he’ll be the next torchbearer. Who knows? It’s an interesting moment in the timeline of comics history, and Dash’s film, and Frank’s school, and the Pittsburgh scene, and my 9-year old student are all part of that moment. I can’t wait to see what happens next. In the meantime, go see My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea – go meet your heroes – go make your comics. ————————————————————————————————— In other news (and following a theme here, in a way), Columbus Alive celebrates the 40th anniversary of of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum with a nice feature piece. They spoke to Lucy Caswell, founding curator of the museum, about the collection’s origins. “…Caniff himself dubbed “the keeper of the flame.” “It’s hard to go back, in a way, because people think about cartoons and comics in a very different way than they did 40 years ago,” Caswell said when asked to recall those early years, when clarity and stability were in short supply. “We were outliers. When I started, I did what all good researchers would do and tried to find out what similar people had done in similar circumstances, but I found that there were no similar circumstances. We were trying to make something new, different. But I believed it was important, and there were administrators on campus who also felt it was important. Funding was always competitive, and they — the administrators in the School of Journalism and in University Libraries — had to convince higher-ups this was something to pay for.” “We were very fortunate that Milton Caniff … lived until 1988 and was a wonderful advocate for us. I can’t emphasize how important that was,” she added.“ Read the rest of the article HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Congratulations to Caitlin McGurk, Assistant Professor and Curator for Outreach for the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum – she is the recipient of the Annual Award in Teaching Excellence for 2016 from Ohio State University! “Caitlin’s agility in teaching across a wide range of courses demonstrates her adaptability and resourcefulness in bringing the unique resources of the BICLM collections to life for many faculty and students, and for others in the local community. Her outreach role has brought increasing national attention to the resources of the BICLM and to their potential for enriching curricula and deepening community engagement, and for enhancing the creativity of students and community members themselves. “ I am as much a fan of the work Caitlin does for the comics community as I am of any of my favorite cartoonists – so thanks Caitlin, and good luck as you continue! ————————————————————————————————— John Porcellino is working hard to bring the work of Jenny Zervakis back to the attention of the comics world – he has been raising funds to print The Complete Strange Growths, 1991-1997, which he hopes to debut at CAKE this year. Jenny is one of his favorite cartoonists, and this is a publishing project that he has hoped to do for over 20 years. He writes: “Jenny Zervakis is one of the great unsung creators of 1990’s DIY comics. Her zine Strange Growths was gentle and sincere at a time when most alt-comics were loud and sarcastic. They were poetic and allusive, delving into the heart of the human experience, and they were one of my biggest influences as a cartoonist.“ John P. is currently selling old and rare copies of his own work in order to fund the printing of this book – check it out HERE. You can see work from some of the Strange Growth issues and hear another glowing opinion from Kevin Bramer over on Optical Sloth. ————————————————————————————————— Karen Berger, editor extraordinaire, is starting her own imprint – Berger Books – under the banner of Dark Horse Comics. “As founder and head of DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint, Karen Berger brought ambitious, outré series like “Sandman” and “Preacher” to mass audiences, helped prove that comics weren’t limited to superhero adventures and kickstarted the careers of writers like Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore.“ Karen was at DC for 30 years – she left in 2013, but is now returning – to the sound of trumpets and general fanfare. Considering that she likes “weird shit“, and that part of her incentive for returning to comics stems from the need she sees for an artistic response to the Trump election, I can only imagine her line of graphic novels are going to be exciting! “In the next few months, Berger Books will announce its first titles. “I think I’ve been known for not publishing expected stuff,” Ms. Berger said, “and I think people will see that the first few books I’m publishing are not expected.” Among the first batch of titles, she hints, are “a near-future eco-fiction love story, a psychological crime horror thriller, a personal tale of race and identity, (and) an unseen side of a notorious legendary figure.” “ The Wall Street Journal has the rest of the details – HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Extra, extra! Teen Vogue featured an excerpt from Melissa Mendes‘ and Anne Elizabeth Moore‘s ongoing comic series about the water crisis in Detroit. The full series so far can be found on Truthout. The Comics Beat speaks to Mariko Tamaki about her new series Supergirl: Being Super (which features art by Joelle Jones, of Lady Killers) – apparently the new comic captures “lightening in the bottle“. ————————————————————————————————— Blinkers – 4-28-2017 – by Jack Brougham ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 4-28-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 4-28-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

07/28/2017

Sally IngrahamJuly 28, 2017NewsSally here with Lale Westvind’s work at Printed Matter, Ellen Forney’s Virtual Memories, Fabulous “Flo” Steinburg, and more. ———————————————————————————————— You have just a few days left to catch the “Something Unusual Is Happening” show at Printer Matter – it is up until July 31st 2017. Featuring work by 15 international comics artists, it delves into experimental comics and the art of visual narrative. More details about the show HERE. Over on the LA Review of Books Megan N. Liberty writes about the show and features the work of some of the specific makers. “Lale Westvind’sJoan the Drone Pilot & Mary the Drone (2017), printed with blue ink on pink pages (except the cover which is red ink on cream), is the story of a world that exists in several dimensions, with those in charge controlling those trapped in the lesser plane for profit, until Mary arrives and attempts to escape. A heavy-handed metaphor for our use of technology, or technology’s use of us when in the hands of advertisers, it has a more traditional structure, with spreads divided into panels and text in word bubbles and boxes. But its dense imagery, heavy lines, and block shading, reminiscent of ‘70s and ‘80s pulp comics, make it at times visually dizzying and challenging.” Read the rest of the report HERE. ———————————————————————————————— Gil Roth of Virtual Memories sat down with another female cartoonist of note recently, inviting Ellen Forney onto the show for Episode 228. “The great Seattle cartoonist Ellen Forney joins the show to talk about comics, civic art, being bipolar, and the challenges of maintaining! We get into her 2012 graphic memoir,Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me, finding a graphic representation of her depressive states, the evolution in her drawing style, the letter she stole from Michael Dougan, the process of going from comics panels to enormous murals for a light-rail station in Seattle, the influence of the Moosewood Cookbook, the importance of a psychology stats class she took in college, how she learned to teach comics, the moment when she felt she was using all her artistic tools, and why she needed Kaz to design her back-tattoo!“ Listen HERE. I went back through some of the past episodes and bookmarked shows with Posy Simmonds, Leslie Stein, Jennifer Hayden and Summer Pierre, Phoebe Gloeckner, Glynnis Fawkes, and Karen Green. I’m sure there are more good ones to dig up as well! Check out The Virtual Memories Show every Tuesday for a new interview about books and life. ———————————————————————————————— Flo Steinburg, longtime secretary to Marvel’s Stan Lee, died this week. She was 78, and still fabulous. At the San Diego Comic Con 2017 there was a panel on “Women of Marvel” which understandably kicked off with a remembrance of Flo. Rachel Maurer reported for The Comics Beat: “Many of the panelists have worked directly with Flo at some point in their Marvel careers, noting that she was more than Stan Lee’s assistant – she was the original Woman of Marvel, someone who forged a path for female comics creators and whose legacy will continue to do so. One major indicator of this is the panel itself, a useful benchmark for progress in gender equality. Nine years ago Marvel had zero female-led titles, while this year’s panel had nearly 20 on the roster.“ Read more about how these women are walking in Flo’s footprints – HERE. ———————————————————————————————— New page from Iona Fox‘s Almanac – check out more of her work HERE and keep an eye out for her strips in Burlington, VT’s alt paper Seven Days. ———————————————————————————————— Supplemental “A Brief Appreciation” of Leslie Stein – by Ken Perille on The Comics Journal. Also on tcj.com – An Interview with Katie Skelly. Carta Monir on Process Party Episode 42 – HERE. Gabrielle Bell‘s July Diary is close to concluding – here’s Thursday’s offering. —————————————————————————————————— Here it is – get ready to comic your socks off – thee Comics Workbook Composition Competition 2017 has been announced! This year it’s a riff on the 6-panel grid, in the traditional North American comic book size – but with a twist! Full details HERE. ———————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 7-28-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 7-28-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

01/02/2018

Aaron CockleJanuary 1, 2018NewsAaron here today with the New York Comics & Picture-Story Symposium Schedule; Käthe Kollwitz and Sue Coe; Whit Taylor; Imagined Communities, Nationalism & Violence ————————————————————————————————— The 2018 schedule of the Ben Katchor-organized New York Comics & Picture-Story Symposium has been posted. This line-up looks great, including presentations by Joe McCullough (on Steve Ditko), Julia Gfrörer, Eleanor Davis, Keren Katz, and Matthew Thurber. ————————————————————————————————— ALL GOOD ART IS POLITICAL: Käthe Kollwitz and Sue Coe At Galerie St. Etienne until February until February 10, 2018. ALL GOOD ART IS POLITICAL: Käthe Kollwitz and Sue Coe will present more than 30 drawings and prints by Kollwitz (1867-1945) and more than 30 paintings, drawings, and prints by Coe (b. 1951). The exhibition borrows its title from writer Toni Morrison, who once noted, “All good art is political! The ones that try hard not to be political are political by saying, ‘We love the status quo.’” The exhibition coincides with the publication of a book of woodcuts by Sue Coe entitled The Animals’ Vegan Manifesto (OR Books, New York and London). Despite their differences in background – Kollwitz was born in East Prussia in the 19th century and lived in Berlin, Germany; Coe is an American born in the U.K. and living in upstate New York – both artists share a career-defining attraction to social issues, undergirded by the belief that art can inspire constructive change. Each is considered among the most important political artists of her time, unmatched in her fearless approach to profoundly difficult subject matter, unerring humanity and eloquence, and an uncanny ability to disturb the viewer’s complacency. ————————————————————————————————— Alternative to Avocado Toast for 2017 Whit Taylor at the NY-er. ————————————————————————————————— Imagined Communities, Nationalism & Violence At Rubber Factory until January 31, 2018. Benedict Anderson’s seminal text “Imagined Communities” investigates the origins of Nationalism as a modern condition and serves as the starting point for our group exhibition. From the influence of rationalist secularism to the conception of homogenous, empty time, Anderson outlines the convergence of factors which led to nationhood as a vehicle for the creation of meaning and ultimately self-sacrifice. As Nationalism is revitalized through increasingly extreme rhetoric whether it is nativism or protectionism, the exhibition explores this new wave of anxiety around nation-hood and ways nation-ness is constructed. Whether it is through the oblique nature of our informational channels which function as echo chambers reminiscent of the earliest ways Nationalism spread through print media or the conflation of meaning with sacrifice, it is clear that there are precedents for how Nationalism as a construct has led to and sustained cycles of violence. ————————————————————————————————— 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. ————————————————————————————————— Vision Box – 1-2-2017 – by Cameron Arthur Share this page: [...]

09/14/2017

Sally IngrahamSeptember 13, 2017NewsSam Ombiri on Patrick Kyle’s Everywhere Disappeared, plus other comics and news! ————————————————————————————————— Sam Ombiri here: I had a chance to read an advanced PDF copy of Patrick Kyle’s new comic Everywhere Disappeared. (The book has now come out from Koyama Press.) At first I had trouble with this book, but I took the time to read through it twice and I made many discoveries. There is part of the book that feels rather navel-gazy and a bit vain as a result, (for him to be showing work like this). This was an initial misinterpretation on my part, because it looks at first like this new book is just a reflection of how Patrick is a private person. From what I’ve heard him say about this, he is pretty private, and he’ll keep many elements of his work that could be interpreted as personal, hidden. The work then feels somewhat rigid when he’s documenting what we might see as his artistic struggles, and personal struggles. Being who he is, he is doing this in a really roundabout way, and while I enjoyed the book, it’s a little bothersome to sit through. (Although the bothersome aspect became the interesting aspect later.) When I first read the second strip I thought to myself “Does Patrick think his work is in so much demand that we’re willing to sit through this nonsense?!” It’s not as focused as his last book (Don’t Come In Here, 2016), which might answer why any emotional triumph in the beginning of the book feels unearned, and this made me a little nervous, because that was a problem I had with certain parts of Don’t Come In Here. Now I had to read a whole book that was filled to the brim with that problem? I discovered that I should not have worried. I felt at first that there wasn’t any long term investment to be had with Everywhere Disappeared, but as I read more and more of the book, I was proven wrong. Patrick has a big artistic triumph. Everywhere Disappeared is a collection of stories in the form of comic strips. Taken together the book seemed to me to be about taking risks, and people reacting to your insincerity, be it through art or just normal interaction. The first strip functions really well in telling the reader what mindset Patrick is in. The strip that follows just baffled me in how much he’s testing the reader’s patience, as I mentioned above. Then I had to eat my words with the following strips, which were just amazing – hilariously portraying his solutions to his dilemmas in his current role (with the sentiments expressed in the first and second strip, and the answer being the third strip.) Point being, though I felt at first that the second strip was a lousy strip, it really served the book well. It was a step up from just being a self-conscious comic, a major step up – instead of stagnating with his self-consciousness, he advanced. Not only that, but it tells you as the reader that Patrick isn’t suddenly making these big conceptual leaps as a maker. He’s still this guy who you come to to read some fun stuff, and he’s still very much thriving in this territory. At a certain point as a reader of Everywhere Disappeared, even looking back at the Dracula story (the second strip), I realize it’s been really fun and it’s going to continue to be fun. The illustrations are getting tastier and the punchlines are getting funnier. The ridiculous concepts are more acceptable to the reader. There a style that was introduced in the Dracula strip, then a couple strips later we get the pay off with it. Amazing pay off too, when a character does a print with Bart Simpson with Nike for eyes (and that gag only manages to get better). It reminds me of a gag I’d see from Ben Jones, but it’s all Patrick Kyle. By the time I read the strip titled “Glory of the Pile” I knew that I was completely wrong in thinking that Patrick was running out of his bag of tricks. That strip hit me hard. There’s a real impressive element to how Patrick is recycling shapes he normally draws and just uses them here and there, to elicit some kind of emotion or feeling or sentiment he’s trying to get across to the reader. The book speaks its own language now and is super comfortable in it, and this seemingly comes out of nowhere (or everywhere?). – Sam Ombiri Get a copy of Everywhere Disappeared HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Sally here – The Art of Vanesa R. Del Rey was reviewed as an Orbital Comics staff pick recently (Orbital Comics is currently hosting a show of Vanesa’s work!). “Thomas says: I wasn’t aware of Del Rey’s art until her work came in for the show that is currently running in our gallery (until the end of the month) and was absolutely blown away by what I saw. Her work is gorgeous, her line work free and energetic with an exuberant life of it’s own. Even static figures seem to be in motion, breathing with a life of their own. This sketchbook serves two functions; it is a beautiful selection of Del Rey’s work but is as much a glimpse into her life, past, present and future as it is anything else. Interviewed by Frank Santoro, Del Rey is open and forth coming about her work explaining as best as she can her thoughts regarding the human figure, to the influence art has had on her life and is also quite open about her life and her childhood. With a new book out this past month written by the wonderful Jordie Bellaire, Del Rey’s star is in the ascendant and you would be foolish to ignore this talented young artist. Excitingly, Vanesa will be signing here on Saturday 16th September 2017, from 17:00 till 19:00 so come along and pick up a copy of her sketch book or Redlands and say ‘Hi’. Click here for more details.“ Get a copy of The Art of Vanesa R. Del Rey HERE. ————————————————————————————————— There’s a piece in the Washington Post‘s Comic Riffs about Shawn Martinbrough, and how he came to draw Hellboy in a recent one-shot issue of Hellboy and the B. P. R. D. Heavily influenced by the artwork of Mike Mignola as a kid, this was a dream project for Martinbrough, who has been storming the mainstream comics scene for a few decades (more on his story HERE). “Martinbrough…is known for going out of his way to add diversity to the comics he works on. If a story’s script doesn’t specify the race of a supporting or background character, he’ll frequently draw that character as a person of color. That wouldn’t be necessary with this Hellboy story (written by Mignola and Chris Roberson), in which Woodrow, Hellboy’s partner, is a brilliant African American from Chicago. In the story, Woodrow is offended but not shocked when he brushes up against some racism even noticing that the white man he and Hellboy have questions for is more comfortable around a giant demon from hell than a black man. “Hellboy is an average Joe in the form of a large, fantastical red demon with a large stone hand and tail,” Martinbrough said. “The idea of a white guy accepting Hellboy without skipping a beat, but questioning the legitimacy of a black scientist is tragic but, unfortunately, very realistic. The social commentary was a very pleasant and welcome surprise.”“ Read more about it HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 9-14-2017 – by Sally Ingraham Share this page: [...]

A Studio Visit with Jim Rugg | Part III: THE STREET ANGEL GANG

Posted on April 18, 2016May 21, 2019 by Juan Jose Fernandez

Jim Rugg, creator of “Street Angel” and “Aphrodisiac” [ jimrugg.com ], shows Comics Workbook TV how he takes a story from script to final. Part III details the creation of a full color page from “THE STREET ANGEL GANG”, which is available from Copacetic Comics:copaceticcomics.com/comics/street-angel-the-street-angel-gang

Video by Michael Pisano | michaelpisano.com

Get The Street Angel Gang PROCESS PACK here: copaceticcomics.com/comics/street-angel-the-street-angel-gang-process-pack

Soundtrack | Johann Sebastian Bach // Gott fähret auf mit Jauchzen, BWV 43 – 7. Aria: Er ists, der ganz allein // performed by
Michel Rondeau

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Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in ClassesTagged Jim Rugg

Juan Fernández

Posted on April 18, 2016May 21, 2019

Explore

08/25/2016

Sally IngrahamAugust 25, 2016NewsSally here, bringing you a look at some of Pittsburgh’s born or borrowed cartoonists (Ed Piskor, Yona Harvey, Ben Sears) as well as another read through that Trevor Von Eeden interview. ————————————————————————————————— Yona Harvey is a Professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh – and Marvel’s first black female writer. She is working on a 10-page story for the upcoming Black Panther spin-off series, World of Wakanda. “Harvey says, as a poet, she’s always considered herself a visual thinker, and explained how poets, like comic writers, have to condense life into as few words as possible. “I think it’s more in the thinking, like when you’re a poet you do sort of shrink moments,” she said. “A lot can happen across the day, from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. There’s something about when you’re a poet, you’re able to sort of zero in on very specific moments, maybe the most tense or terse moments of the day, and I like putting that way of thinking to use for a comic. Because you do have to be super precise.” Though the writing shares some craft elements, the audience crossover between poetry and comics isn’t one-to-one, according to Harvey. “I’ve had friends who have said, ‘Man, it’s been years since I’ve read a comic book,’ or ‘I’ve never read a comic book and this’ll be the first time that I’m reading a comic,’ and that’s really exciting to think about poets who are reading comics for the first time,” she said.“ Read the rest of the article HERE and keep an eye out for this series soon (the bulk of which has been written Ta-Nehisi Coates and Roxane Gay, with artwork by Alitha Martinez and Afua Richardson.) ————————————————————————————————— Ed Piskor‘s Hip Hop Family Tree Vol. 4 was featured on NPR recently – Etelka Lehoczky wrote about the “bubbles” in the work, “phenomena that inexorably head skyward, pop suddenly and create a roiling surface“, or the numerous artists who kept the stew at the boil throughout ’84 and ’85. She revels in Piskor’s use of color, always part of the wonder of these books. Check out the whole thing HERE. Another Piskor-related thing that’s been on my mind is this picture that showed up on his Instagram a few weeks ago. What gives?! Giant HHFT cover burner on the wall at the Smithsonian in DC. A photo posted by Ed Piskor (@ed_piskor) on Aug 1, 2016 at 12:08pm PDT I know where I’ll be headed in the summer of 2018…! Ed Piskor has always been an unstoppable force, quietly conquering the world, and now with the announcement last week that Hip Hop Family Tree will soon be an animated TV series (yes you heard me right! – check it out HERE) – it seems like the world has noticed and won’t soon be forgetting. ————————————————————————————————— Ben Sears is in Pittsburgh this week for a Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency – which of course includes field trips to Copacetic Comics to look for treasures with Frank. Check out Ben’s book Night Air (Koyama Press, May 2016) and stay tuned for more of his Rowhouse adventures! ————————————————————————————————— Last week we mentioned the incredible interview with Trevor Von Eeden, and if you haven’t gotten a chance to read it yet, here’s your reminder. There was one detail from the interview that’s worth another look. There’s a yet unpublished – “…Black Lightning/Superman comic book called Sources commissioned by DC Comics, written by new Batman writer Tom King especially for Von Eeden to draw when he was both undergoing and recovering from cancer surgery.” – Rich Johnson via Bleeding Cool Find more of Von Eeden’s artwork (below) for this future project HERE. Also be sure to give Trevor Von Eeden’s Kickstarer campaign for the series The Hard Code (with Ramon Gil) a look! ————————————————————————————————— This is Sally signing off – Harrison will be back with your Thursday music choices next week! 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: [...]

11/21/2017

Aaron CockleNovember 20, 2017NewsAaron Cockle here today with Amy Lockhart at Anthology Film Archives; Jerry Saltz on Bill Taylor; Austin English on ‘Feininger’s Grandkids’; Spearfishing Explained (in comics format) ————————————————————————————————— SHOW & TELL: AMY LOCKHART At Anthology Film Archives, Thursday, December 7, 7:30pm An animator with a style and sensibility entirely her own, Amy Lockhart has been drawing pictures of creepy ladies since she was seven years old. Utilizing everything from paper cutouts and puppets to digital tools, Lockhart’s films exude a handcrafted, rough-edged surrealism. Populated primarily by female figures whose body types are as distinctive and transgressive as those of R. Crumb, as well as by a cavalcade of anthropomorphized animals, objects, and shapes, her universe evokes kids-show animation seen through a distinctly demented lens, while also displaying a genuinely childlike, pre-socialized preoccupation with bodily functions. Profoundly intuitive and endlessly surprising, Lockhart’s mysterious and delirious world behaves according to a logic that’s as astonishing as it is inscrutable. “Amy Lockhart works across a range of mediums including zines, sculptures, paintings, drawings, and animations. Her work exudes an imperfection and oddness that feels very human, at once unpredictable, heartfelt, funny, and disturbing. Many of her works feature an array of stumbling, distorted cartoon characters whose misshapen bodies limp, bend, and bulge, often while smoking, licking, drooling, or crying. Also recurring in her work are disembodied facial features, hands, and limbs, as well as various joyfully rendered muscly women, frequently missing their arms. Such characters drive her work, but there is as much pleasure and interest to be taken in the way they are drawn, animated or constructed as in what they do or who they are. The form of her work has its own rich, non-verbal meaning and content.” – Edwin Rostron, EDGE OF FRAME SYLVA LINING (1998, 1 min, 16mm) THE DEVIL LIVES IN HOLLYWOOD (1999, 6 min, 16mm) MISS EDMONTON TEENBURGER 1983 IN, IT’S PARTY TIME! (2001, 17 min, digital) MISS EDMONTON TEENBURGER 1983 IN, YOU’RE ETERNAL… (2002, 6 min, digital) WALK FOR WALK (2005, 10 min, 16mm) THE COLLAGIST (2009, 2 min, digital) LANDSCAPE (2012, 8 min, digital) JESSICA (2014, 5 min, digital) Total running time: ca. 60 min. ————————————————————————————————— Jerry Saltz on Instagram ————————————————————————————————— Austin English at TCJ I have a personal theory as to why Doucet abandoned comics, one that relates to the context of this column but might not bear out factually. Anyone who wants to correct me should do so. But bear with me: Doucet, being a extremely sophisticated artist, continued to sharpen and evolve. Her mature comics work, My New York Diary, is as sharp a piece of traditional cartooning as one can find in the alternative era. But after that story, Doucet leaves comics. My theory is that Doucet looks at what people define “real” comics as, pushes her work in that direction, and thinks, “Well… why bother with all this if this is what people want?” Her early and later work are, to me, without flaw. But I’d argue that the comics community’s view of what a serious artist must apply themselves to is a pressure that doesn’t need to be grafted on to every artist. And yet the view is so dominant that it’s hard to avoid. Someone like Doucet can master the ins and outs of traditional cartoon integrity but probably notices quicker than most what a closed system it is, how much feeling it excludes and how much one gives up to offer one’s entire art up to it. ————————————————————————————————— ‘Instead of opening a sketchy attachment on your computer, upload it to Google Drive and look at it in your web browser.’ ————————————————————————————————— Vision Box – 11-21-2017 – by Cameron Arthur ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 11-21-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Caleb Orecchio – 11-21-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

03/21/2016

Juan FernándezMarch 21, 2016NewsClowes vs. Nadel, Kurt Ankeny with tool talk, Eleanor Davis on the road, Rob Kirby with comics reviews and a look at Stephanie Kubo’s -Turbulence-. ————————————————————————————————— Daniel Clowes and Dan Nadel in Conversation Today we bring you a great conversation between Daniel Clowes and Dan Nadel from the Clowes spotlight from 2010’s Alternative Press Expo(APE). Of interest since it dovetails Clowes’ 2016 tour for the release of Patience. This video gives a lot of insight indirectly to Patience. Filmed by Chris Anthony Diaz, you can watch the conversation here. Comic book match ups, Burne Hogarth yelling, EC Horror comics, the disappointment in comics history, public vs. private characters, and life in the letters columns, it’s all there. For more on Clowes, do check out Todd Hignite’s recent interview over at the Comics Journal. And if you like what read there, dig deeper, or simply revisit the 1992 Clowes interview conducted by Gary Groth and Peter Bagge. ————————————————————————————————— Black Callous Interviews Deep process and technique interviews with comics makers by Kurt Ankeny will soon be gracing this here website. This is the kind of tool talk the craft junky is sure to get kick out of. For a nice preview of the kind of conversations you can expect, have a look at Kurt’s recent post about watercolor comics. Read it here. My technique for comics is quite simple. I lay-in flat shapes of color to define the objects in each panel. Then I draw lines over those shapes where I need to clarify (using the liquid watercolors in a dip pen). If I do it the other way (which, I admit, is less nerve-wracking) the washes of watercolor will tend to bleed any lines which either are a little too thick and therefore have a bit too much pigment on the surface, or that aren’t completely dry. Waiting a day or two before doing the washes ALMOST eliminates this problem, but not fully. I like crisp lines, so I do it the other way… Stay tuned for more Black Callous updates. ————————————————————————————————— On the Road Eleanor Davis has been documenting her recent bike tour via tweets and diary comics (shared on twitter). Interesting sutff. If you’re keen on learning more about the kind of loose, comics “journaling” you can do while travelling, be sure to give Davis’ work a look. It’s a gracefully flowing diary. A great way of honing in on notable thoughts from the day. Wednesday pic.twitter.com/6TMeOxz4QE — Eleanor Davis (@squinkyelo) March 18, 2016 Thursday pic.twitter.com/IvNzCQQg4D — Eleanor Davis (@squinkyelo) March 20, 2016 ————————————————————————————————— Review Round Up Rob Kirby has put together a solid bunch of capsule reviews of some recent North American small press releases. Frontier #11: “BDSM” by Eleanor Davis Olive & Old Fat Men Turn Me On by Mama Lips Men’s Feelings vol. 2 by Ted May Excerpts by Carrie McNinch The Social Discipline Reader by Ian Sundahl Read Kirby’s full round up here. ————————————————————————————————— Turbulence – Stephanie Kubo Stephanie Kubo has set up a site for some forthcoming outer space comics. The first comic in the series is a little ditty titled Turbulence. Check it out for some vertical scroll goodness. Forms blend and swirl, as gravity tugs the narrative along full circle. You can read Turbulence here. over and out, Juan Fernandez Share this page: [...]

10/02/2017

Caleb OrecchioOctober 2, 2017NewsCaleb Orecchio here with your Monday edition of the Daily News providing a CXC wrap-up. ———————————————————————————————— What a weekend. A long weekend. From September 28th to October 1st I attended Cartoon Crossroads Columbus with Comics Workbook, and I have no regrets. First I must thank Frank Santoro who, apart from being my favorite cartoonist, is the fearless leader of Comics Workbook –without whom, my experience of these festivals would be lacking any sense of purpose. Thanks Frank! Also have to thank Sally Ingraham who keeps me and the other kids in check and with things to do–she also serves as an inspiration of work ethic in comics. Next I should thank the CXC Executive committee, the people who make this show what it is and tirelessly keep the wheels going–Jeff Smith, Lucy Caswell, Vijaya Iyer, Kathleen Glosan, Tom Spurgeon and Melody Reed. Thanks for putting on such a great show. ———————————————————————————————— FIRST DAY–Thursday September 28th Got there in time to meet the rest of the Comics Workbook crew and see Kevin Huizenga’s talk about his use of time in comics. As you may have guessed, the talk was very in-depth and interesting. I thought it was cool that he remembers, vividly, drawing his first comic. He ran through his Ganges catalog and gave us examples of how he plays with time and how time has many different perspectives. You, dear reader, probably already know this, but he is extremely smart and I was really impressed with the amount of research that goes into each issue of Ganges. And so we, the CW crew hung out and around OSU campus and caught up with each other and generally palled around. The official CW caravan crew was Frank Santoro, Sally Ingraham, Connor Willumsen, Audra Stang, and Kurt Ankeny driving in from Pittsburgh–then myself who came in from Dayton, OH. We also saw the likes of Adam Griffith, Phil Dokes, Juan Fernandez, Jenn Lisa, and Aaron Cockle that weekend. Of course, how could I not mention the Billy Ireland. What you’ve heard is true. It’s amazing. Often, peoples hearts stop and their eyes get teary. I’ve written much on this before and so have others, so I won’t take up any more space on here about this subject. SECOND DAY–Friday September 29th First thing I saw was Leslie Stein’s tutorial on watercolor and other various materials she uses. Very fun lecture. Stein did great crowd work and was entertaining while she drew. I found it interesting just how much of an education this was for a lot of people in the audience who didn’t even know what a micron pen was(!). Side note, I think microns should die a quick and sudden death–but that’s just me. Audra, Kurt and I got lunch and hung out. They gave me some tips on drawing portraits–they are both very accomplished in this field, among others, and I am often quite jealous of their ability. At 3:00pm, was the Chris Ware spotlight moderated by Caitlin McGurk. My friends, you could not have seen a better talk. Chris Ware was, as usual, completely and utterly fantastic–funny, intelligent, self-deprecating–everything you’d ever want from the man. And Caitlin McGurk was an excellent interviewer, she could hold her own and her intellect matched Ware’s. In fact, Ware surprised her by mentioning how an article about memory that she wrote when she was nineteen, changed the way he thought about memory–the article was recommended by Chester Brown–and much of her ideas in that article made their way into Building Stories. Like I said, the interview was amazing, I could not be happier with the experience. Real quick, I’ll share one of the anecdotes that Ware shared about his daughter (when she was six)–I’m paraphrasing: Ware: Okay, Daddy has to go upstairs to work. Daughter: Daddy, you’re not going upstairs to work, you’re going upstairs to blame yourself. (Uncontrollable laughter by crowd) Then at 5:00pm comes The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum 40th Anniversary Reception. Got to spend quality time with Audra and Connor before the awards for Master Cartoonist and Transformative Cartoonist were awarded to Kyle Baker and Howard Cruse, respectively, by Tom Spurgeon and Jeff Smith. Before the awards were passed out, Jeff Smith gave a very touching thank you to all the staff, volunteers and sponsors of CXC. What was particularly touching was Smith’s thank you to Lucy Caswell–who was his mentor and, I think it’s fair to say, we would not know Jeff Smith as we know him today if not for Lucy. THIRD and FOURTH DAY–Saturday September 3oth—Sunday October 1st First day of Expo and Marketplace. Comics Workbook had our table next to Connor Willumsen’s which was nice. Frank ran both tables expertly. Watching him table, one learns the ropes. He’s certainly the best tabler I’ve seen–maybe only rivaled by his own mentor, Bill Boichel. People love going to Frank’s table and talking to him and commenting on “back issues” or anything that comes to mind. It was fun to see him talk to the likes of Rob Clough, Peter Bagge, Matt Fraction, Tom Spurgeon, Jeff Smith, etc. etc. People have such a respect for Frank. He’s the man. Connor Willumsen had workshops literally every hour while the library was open–AND he would occasionally come up to his table and draw sketches, sign and draw in his book–Anti-Gone, it’s amazing–for people. Connor’s amazing, dude can draw straight to ink like a master. I’d be mad at him if he wasn’t such a kind, thoughtful person. Speaking of Connor, he was on a panel with Jeff Smith, Peter Bagge, and Kyle Baker–three giants of comics and some of the most successful cartoonist fiscally and critically. Despite Connor’s relatively low-profile compared to these legends, Connor held his own and impressed everyone on the panel with his cartooning prowess (all three legends took a look at his book during the session) and his ability to hold an audience. Connor had a busy weekend and a tall tall mountain to climb–and he finished the race a mile in front of the pack. Frank says he’s the “starting center fielder” on the scene these days. Sally Ingraham took over for Connor during his aforementioned panel because he was double-booked and people still wanted to learn comics. Every time I want to complain about comics and how much it engulfs my life, I remember that Sally is a savage and never complains. She is ready to jump in whenever and wherever CW needs her–and is totally prepared. AND she still manages to make a daily comic. Audra Stang is a rising star. I heard critics mention her work multiple times throughout the weekend. People are starting to pay attention to her–and you should too. I have to mention how particularly fun the last CXC after-party at Pins Mechanical was. Evan Dorkin was the host and made everyone howl with laughter. When I arrived, Frank was holding a ping pong tournament where Dustin Harbin was the undisputed champ. We came in when he was battling the great JC Menu. Harbin has an interesting serve that is hard to keep track of, but it was no match for my past youth group skills. Once I came in to play–the pace changed. I never lost a game. Connor came close though–so did Dustin. It was fun–Frank had to bench me because I had beaten everyone and other people wanted to play. haha I say all this to brag about beating a bunch of great cartoonists at ping pong–it’s ridiculous. All in all, CXC was great. I love going because, 1.) it’s my hometown festival, and 2.) I haven’t been to show that has such a mix of camps and to see all those camps mingling is something to behold. And my comics sold pretty well so no complaints from me. Thanks again to everyone who makes CXC a great show, from the executive committee to the donors to the board of directors and volunteers. Thank you! And once again, thanks to Frank and Sally for their support of the Comics Workbook “kids” and our endeavors. -CO ———————————————————————————————— if you don’t know now you know Be sure to check out the great Bill Boichel’s review of John Hankiewicz’s Education on this very site. Latest Inkstuds interview is with Sophia Foster-Domino. Speaking of which, Annie Mok talks to Sophia Foster-Domino over at TCJ.com. Gina Wynbrandt is the latest guest on Comics Decalogue, also on TCJ. Latest Process Party guest is Christopher Sebela. ———————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 10-2-2017 – by Audra Stang Share this page: [...]

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