Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Chris Anthony Diaz

Posted on November 16, 2018November 16, 2018

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08/07/2017

Caleb OrecchioAugust 6, 2017NewsCaleb Orecchio here with thoughts on the painfully under appreciated DK2 by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, and other news. ———————————————————————————————— “I’m much more able to approach it like I’m 7 years old than I used to be able to,” was Miller’s response to why he did The Dark Knight Strikes Again (aka DK2) in this AV Club interview from 2001. Recently, I’ve taken to thinking that superhero comics are the best comics. Okay, obviously I don’t REALLY think that, but I think there is a lot left untapped in superheroes than most comics intellectuals would care to admit. Many of us have our pantheon of great superhero comics usually including Watchmen, New Gods, The Dark Knight Returns; but it’s Frank Miller and Lynn Varley’s return to The Dark Knight that really makes me wet for superheroes as a genre lately. DK2, to me, reads like a Bizarro World of Paper Rad, B.J. & da Dogs fan art on cocaine. Surely, DK2 would have received more love from PictureBox readers rather than the impossible-to-please nerds who masturbate to their DC Comics. Miller’s cartooning and Varley’s colors simultaneously marry and divorce each other in a chaotic fever dream of 21st Century Digital Age fury. It’s a shock to the senses and was, for many, Miller’s last straw that broke the camel’s back. He had gone too far. Those of us who “get it,” are often smitten with this book and I personally love to argue with any hardcore superhero devotee on the merits of DK2. Though I know I’m throwing my pearls to swine, the lack of understanding from the average DC reader gives me so much confidence that my debate skills elevate to the likes of John Stewart in comparison. Anyway, if it’s not clear, I love this book. To me, DK2 as a sequel to The Dark Knight Returns is a total and absolute failure. However! DK2 as a stream of consciousness art comic/love letter to the superhero genre is an unsurpassed gold medal achievement. On another note, I’ve been doing my own subtextual “research” into how superheroes relate to spirituality. Maybe more than a few of you made a connection with Superman and the story of Moses? A baby wrapped in cloth sent away by his parents to avoid peril and eventually adopted? Others of you Kirby-connoisseurs have made many many connections with Jack’s creations and religion—most famously, Galactus. So when I came across the image below from DK2, I could not help but think of The Book of Revelation. Particularly, the above image made me think of these videos that breaks down Revelation (a letter from John to 7 churches in Asia Minor about his apocalyptic visions). Now, this is not some sort of effort to preach or draw any sort of conclusions about the Bible, it is merely something I noticed–a Jungian, passing down of archetypes that I can only guess Miller was consciously unaware of. Feel free to peruse the videos I linked to for more context, but to keep it short here, compare the below screenshot from thebibleproject.com with the Lex Luther/Brainiac image above. That’s all for today. Maybe it’s the coming of Kirby’s 100th birthday, but I’ve been channeling a lot of energy through these superhero comics and I feel like I can see the architecture of the universe. Of course, it’s all probably in my head–but does that make it not real?? ———————————————————————————————— if you don’t know, now you know Alex Dueben talks to José Muñoz on TCJ.com. I love Chris Ware interviews, and right now, there is a video interview where he is featured on a bicycle on art21.org. last year, SPX’s focus was on the 40th anniversary of Fantagraphics, and this year, there will be a focus on Koyama Press’ 10th according to Heidi Macdonald. I’m including this link just because I think it’s funny, that Pittsburgh (the city where Comics Workbook HQ resides) is the next city to be featured in The Walking Dead comic book. Take some time to look at some paintings by Gary Panter. ———————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 8-7-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ———————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 8-7-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

Art Trip: At the Magic House

MardouAugust 25, 2016Art Trip / EssaysThe notion of a Children’s Museum just didn’t exist in the 1980s when I was a child and let’s face it, it’s a complete misnomer. There’s nothing “museum-like” about St Louis’s Magic House, enjoyable as it is (for children). When I was a kid, the Museum meant the Manchester Museum, with impressive items pillaged from the British Empire and it’s protectorates during the Victorian Era. The Manchester Museum still has that same collection of Ancient Egyptian artifacts and I remember them perfectly, on school trips pressed up against the glass, staring at partially unwrapped mummies with horrified fascination. One of the mummies was a male with a 2000 year bandaged up penis. You just don’t forget seeing that as a child. Very unlike the Children’s “museums” of today, which are more or less interactive play palaces. That’s not a criticism, it’s fine, my kid had a great time. But unlike the Milwaukee Public Museum, where we took a family trip earlier this summer, I’m assuming she won’t remember much about the Magic House, except that she had fun. Nothing was learned, it’s an “in the moment” experience only. But this cool tamarind monkey with its little hairdo at the Milwaukee Public Museum might be remembered for a lot longer. It already has legendary status in our family unit. (Note: Milwaukee Public Museum is perhaps the best museum I have ever been to. It’s like stepping into a lurid 1970s text book. Everyone should go there.) In Milwaukee I didn’t get to draw anything, as my participation in looking at stuff was required. At the Magic House you just sit around and wait for your kid to be done playing. Which works out great if you take a sketchbook. Maybe these pages will serve as a memory book for my child, now that summer is all but over. ————————————————————————————————— Art Trip is a series that features reflections on art and comics, and the adventures that transform those who seek it out. ————————————————————————————————— Sacha Mardou is a Brit making comics in St Louis, Missouri. Sky in Stereo is her most recent comic. Share this page: [...]

12/06/2017

Juan FernándezDecember 6, 2017los Cómics / NewsJuan empieza el día con Gerardo Vilches y un elogia de mal dibujo; La Polola; un documental sobre Jim Pluk; #JusticiaParaHonduras, Call for Papers CuCo, Cuadernos de Cómic n.º 10 y más! ————————————————————————————————— «Eso lo dibuja un niño de cinco años»: Elogio del mal dibujo Over on Revista Cactus, the great Gerardo Vilches offers a fun exploration on the power of bad drawing. It moves through many different aesthetic streams, in the vein of Austin English’s recent piece for the Comics Journal, Feininger’s Grandkids. Gerardo Vilches: No es casual que estas corrientes de mal dibujo se estén desarrollando de forma paralela a la aparición de cómics que se publican al margen de la tradicional industria de la historieta infantil y juvenil, centrada en la aventura y la acción. Mientras que el dibujo realista es más literal y, por tanto, idóneo para reproducir la realidad tal cual la vemos, el dibujo que prescinde de todas las reglas académicas se ha mostrado especialmente adecuado para desarrollar temáticas nuevas y transmitir una información más abstracta, que va más allá de la descripción de situaciones y la narración de una acción. En eso coinciden todos los autores mencionados anteriormente, y otros nombres que sin llegar a sus extremos también se saltan ciertas normas en algunos trabajos —como puede ser el caso de Aisha Franz en Planeta Tierra, dibujado a lápiz de un modo muy fresco—: practican un tipo de cómic en el que la acción es secundaria, y lo que interesa es lo personal, lo psicológico, las ideas. Todo aquello que no puede dibujarse con herramientas convencionales. Léanlo todo AQUI. – All hail Heta-uma.- ————————————————————————————————— Los cómics y las noticias que me han llamado la atención esta semana: Sol Díaz Castillo y Marcela Trujillo tienen una nueva edicion de La Polola Podcast! Las chicas conversan con Majo Puga, una de las gestoras de la feria, Viña del Mar, y de la carrera de ilustración. Les habló de su carrera como ilustradora, su gusto por hacer clases, por enseñar y motivar el amor por el dibujo y por la necesidad de gestionar y tomarse espacios de creación de forma colectiva. Ya pueden ver “Hasta que el cuerpo resista”, el documental para conocer de la creatividad y los retos del historietista colombiano Jim Pluk. With #JusticiaParaHonduras, cartoonists are turning their sketchpads into a form of protest against the recent electoral debacle in Honduras. Check out the aggregation over on REMEZCLA. Cuadernos de Cómic han lanzado el call for papers de CuCo 10. Podéis enviar propuestas desde ya. //Call for Papers CuCo, Cuadernos de Cómic n.º 10 Exposición: MUJERES DIBUJADAS. Seis autoras de hoy revisitan a Núria Pompeia en Barcelona. ————————————————————————————————— The Winter Semester of thee Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers starts January 18th 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. Makes a great holiday gift for yourself – or for a loved one who is interested in comics. Apply by midnight (EST) on Dec. 25th and get $100 off the course price. Full details and how to apply can be found HERE! ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 12-6-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 12-6-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

06/25/2018

Caleb OrecchioJune 25, 2018NewsCaleb Orecchio here with thoughts on Chilling Adventures in Sorcery #3, featuring the art of Gray Morrow, and other news! ——————————————————————————— I was delighted to pull this issue out of the Comics Workbook vault. It’s an all Gray Morrow issue of Chilling Adventures in Sorcery published by Archie Comics’ imprint, Red Circle. I enjoy Morrow’s comics immensely. I just look at the pictures. Morrow’s gift (other than his virtuosic drawing ability) is his knack for making interesting pages. Comics like Orion (for Heavy Metal) and Edge of Chaos (a limited series for Pacific Comics) feel much more from Morrow’s head if you will. Imagined. They’re great. In contrast, comics like the one featured here today, feel more stitched together to me. More collage-y. In a good way. Usually I detest any whiff of photo-reference in comics, but Morrow makes it work. Occasionally the sequencing is a little wonky and the referenced images juxtaposed with the imagined images can be jarring, but overall the pages are pleasing to the eye. There is a dynamism to his work that makes up for a lot. Simply, Morrow’s comics are always interesting. He seemed to have a real desire to “wow” the reader. Every page is crammed with interesting imagery. And those colors! Morrow was one of those cartoonists who seemed to think in color as he made the comic, as opposed to most who only use color as an afterthought. Have you ever seen Orion in those old Heavy Metals? Those are hand painted. Is it just me, or is there a swagger to his work? Like, I can imagine him at the drawing board and drinking a glass of Dewar’s and laughing to himself, knowing how impressed I’d be in however many years I’d be born to see the work. ——————————————————————————— Thee Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers Summer Session starts NOW! Floating start date! Apply anytime between now and July 12th 2018 to join the summer course. Email santoroschoolATgmail for more details. Ask about the Fall Course if now is too busy for you! The course is 8 weeks – 500 bux for 8 weeks plus access to Frank’s coaching for as long as you need. Payment plans are available. Put your summer to good use! ——————————————————————————— if you don’t know, now you know There’s a new book of CF drawings and you can get one What Things Do Laura Lannes is the latest guest on TCJ’s Comic Book Decalogue Rob Clough reviews Young Frances by Hartley Lin (Ethan Rilly) Also on TCJ.com, a review by Matt Seneca and a look at Fantom Comics in Washington D.C. ——————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 6-25-2018 – by Sally Ingraham Share this page: [...]

Daily News – On Snooze!

Juan FernándezJanuary 8, 2019NewsHello! Just wanted to send you all a little update. As you may have noticed, our news has gone fairly quiet as of late. Not to worry, our news team is simply hibernating. We’ll be back in action with some MAJOR site changes in the spring. We hope to see your bright and shining, comics-loving faces here on Comics Workbook 2.0 April 1st, 2019! xoxo Juan Fernandez Managing Editor Share this page: [...]

Comic Arts Brooklyn 2018

Posted on November 16, 2018November 16, 2018 by Chris Anthony Diaz

Comic Arts Brooklyn, Sunday, November 11, 2018, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York

(clicking image will take you to the cartoonist’s link)

Julie Doucet signed *Dirty Plotte: The Complete Julie Doucet*

Jim Woodring

Anne Elizabeth Moore and Julie Doucet in conversation

Gary Leib and Charles Burns

Frank Santoro and Olivier Schrauwen

Georgia Webber and M. Dean

“Runny Brownstain” and Sammy Harkham

Leslie Stein

Meghan Turbitt and Ian Harker

Katie Skelly

Connor Willumsen and Patrick Kyle

Jacq Cohen and Simon Hanselmann fourth anniversary wedding photo!

Robyn Chapman of Paper Rocket Mini-Comics

Frank Henenlotter and Mike Diana

Nicole Rifkin

Karl Stevens

Jon Lewis and Tom Kaczynski

David Scalzo and Kevin Scalzo and Eva

Mark Newgarden

Richard Short and Tom Oldham

Georgy Elaev from Siberia!

Matthew James-Wilson

Mārtiņš Zutis repping kuš! komiksi

Sammy Harkham

Patrick Kyle

Connor Willumsen

Simon Hanselmann

Gary Leib

Kevin Scalzo

Robert Stevenson and Frank Santoro

Hartley Lin

Tom Oldham, Joe Kessler and Simon Hacking of Breakdown Press

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2 thoughts on “Comic Arts Brooklyn 2018”

Georgy Elaev says:

November 16, 2018 at 5:15 pm

I never even imagined that my face will show up in Chris’ reports!! Thank you so much!

Reply
1. Chris Anthony Diaz says:
  
  November 16, 2018 at 8:46 pm
  
  nice to finally meet you, georgy! 🙂
  
  Reply

Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in The Diaz Archive

Chris Anthony Diaz

Posted on November 16, 2018November 16, 2018

Explore

01/31/2017

Aaron CockleJanuary 30, 2017NewsAaron here today with Quimby’s NYC Grand Opening Extravaganza; Philip Guston and the Nixon Years; a review of some Obama Family Comics; Russian Futurist Sound Poems; Kartalopoulos at Angoulême; Festival of the Photocopier; Laura Park; Box Brown Wrestling Comics. ————————————————————————————————— GRAND OPENING QUIMBY’S BOOKSTORE NYC SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4, 2017, 7–10pm At 7:00 PM, Steven Svymbersky will give a short slide show talk on the history of zines followed by champagne and hors d’oeuvres. This event is also the opening for the first major survey of works by sculptor and collage artist, Eric Kirsammer. Quimby’s Bookstore NYC 536 Metropolitan Ave Brooklyn, NY 11211 ————————————————————————————————— Guston on Nixon Hauser & Wirth recently concluded it’s exhibit of Philip Guston‘s work from the 1970’s focusing on Richard Milhous Nixon, former president of the United States. The New York Times wrote a piece about the show, and Guston’s relationship with Philip Roth: Mr. Roth owns several of the Nixon drawings. “I always wanted Philip to publish them in a book,” he said. “But he was loath to do that then. He wasn’t sure about whether to go public with them. I think he didn’t want to be sullied as a cartoonist. But actually the people who didn’t like those wonderful last paintings sullied him as a cartoonist anyway.” Through the ’50s and most of the ’60s, Guston was a leading Abstract Expressionist, greatly admired for the shimmering elegance of his painting. But in the mid-60s, in one of the most famous about-faces in art history, he began to repudiate his own work. “American Abstract art is a lie, a sham, a cover-up for a poverty of spirit,” he wrote. Abandoning abstraction, he started to make paintings that weren’t just figurative but amounted to a catalog of comic-strip crumminess: light bulbs; rusted nails; old shoe soles; hairy legs; hooded, slit-eyed Klansmen smoking fat cigars. The world of Guston eventually came to look, as a number of critics pointed out, a lot like the world of R. Crumb. ————————————————————————————————— ‘He doesn’t have a name but his first name is Allergy Doctor’ J. Caleb Mozzocco takes a look at Steven Weissman’s second book chronicling the Obama administration (and family), Looking For America’s Dog, still the most accurate depiction of those times that we are ever likely to see. The Obama that emerged was maybe the ultimate comics character; after all, there are few figures that are at once as iconic and as protean as our presidents, upon whom we project, well, everything. The President of the United States, any president of the United States, is the Comics Character of a Thousand Faces. (And do note that most newspaper comics characters are confined to a single strip by a single artist or studio, whereas whoever the president is appears in scores of different editorial cartoons by scores of different artists every single day.) Looking For America’s Dog is similar in format to Barack Hussein Obama, filled with discrete, four-panel gag strips that wind in and out of an overarching quest narrative. And it’s similar in construction; a black-and-white sketchbook comic constructed with judiciously chosen uses of bright color and dialogue balloons with their long, thin tails apparently glued atop the pages. The aesthetic is a peculiar mix of dashed-off and labored-over. It is also, owing to the fact that it is of course a more recent work, a much more confident and accomplished book, with a much stronger through line: Bumbling Biden left the White House gate open, and America’s dog Bo ran away. (“God Damn You, Joe Biden,” a frustrated president says as he trudges through the snow, calling “Bo-oh!!”) ————————————————————————————————— Zaum, which translates into “beyond the mind” At Hyperallergic, Claire Voon looks at Russian sound poetry, made available online by the Getty Research Institute, that serves as an interactive companion to Explodity: Sound, Image, and Word in Russian Futurist Book Art, curated by Nancy Perloff. “Recurring verbal, visual, and vocal references to the folklike and the primitive, reversibility and mirror forms, the fourth dimension, and apocalypse dominate the artistic expression of these books,” as Perloff writes in her introduction. “Moreover, futurist poets and painters intended their books to be heard as well as read.” ————————————————————————————————— Dispatch from France Bill Kartalopoulos was on the ground at this year’s Angoulême Festival, and posted some great images. ————————————————————————————————— ————————————————————————————————— Info about the upcoming Laura Park workshop at the Sequential Artist’s Workshop, February 27 – March 3, 2017. ————————————————————————————————— The Great Sasuke: Japan’s Masked Wrestler Turned Masked Politician If there was ever a time for some Box Brown Japanese wrestling/politics comics, that time is now. ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 1-31-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 1-31-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

09/28/2017

Sally IngrahamSeptember 27, 2017NewsSam Ombiri takes a look at the anthology Warmer, and Sally brings a CXC events update and other comics and news. ————————————————————————————————— Sam Ombiri here: When I was at SPX I bought a copy of Warmer from Madeleine Witt and Andrew White. A Lot of the time whenever I pick up an anthology, the anthology seems to be having an identity crisis. It is really trying to convince me that it’s something it’s not, as if the anthology is insecure about the area it occupies. If not insecure, then it’s probably going to be insular. This insecurity I project onto the anthologies I pick up comes from the extreme fear of mediocrity that most anthologies suffer from. Whenever someone is really desperate to surpass this mediocrity, they don’t have to go too far to do so. This desperation and insecurity really turns me off as the reader, and I’d rather just read the comics without considering them in an anthology altogether. My first and lasting impression of Warmer was that it didn’t suffer from any of that! “Complacency” is the last word I’d use to describe the anthology – especially with the subject matter being tackled (climate change). It doesn’t feel like it’s “tackling an issue” as much as remaining in this space where we’re humans who are experiencing this deterioration in ourselves. Meanwhile, so is the planet, and this can be seen in things we do that are altogether unrelated to what we might do to perpetuate the pollution of the environment. There’s no complacency in the book, just people trying to fight against that urge to be complacent both in their art and in their lives. Whenever something is contrived, which is rare in the book, it doesn’t work against the anthology because the following strip will have a good response to it. This shows the strength in numbers that can come out of an anthology, beyond having an easy way to access a variety of work – the strip before and after can strengthen the work. Some of these comics I wouldn’t read or engage with properly, if I wasn’t reading them in Warmer. For example, the first two strips are immensely enticing. They’re followed by this strip that seems out of place. The author of this strip (William Cardini) isn’t in any rush to make a connection between the style being utilized and the words being utilized. I just found myself, as a reader, really wanting that connection. The strip also confused me tonally because of this whole vibe I had been set up for from the first and second strip (which are by Caitlin Skaalrud and Tor Brant respectively). The second strip had a more familiar looking 4 panel structure that suggested a punchline would be waiting for me at the fourth panel, but instead it beautifully invoke a longing for things to set right. Much like the first strip. Then on the third strip I get this goofy looking face, seemingly drawn by someone who I mistakenly imagine to be a gag cartoonist. I mistakenly read the tongue sticking out of the character drawn as a character mocking me for having this other expectation. Then I read more and discovered that while doing poetry comics, one can feel the inclination to jump into expression sooner than warranted, but it’s not the case at all with this book. The third strip was actually fantastic and it speaks to both the contributors of this anthology and the curation of Madeleine and Andrew. In this whole book, the images and words further each other really well, and it’s wonderfully curated to accommodate the reader in the best way from beginning to the end. – Sam Ombiri Keep an eye out for this anthology in the next few weeks – Andrew and Madeleine are fulfilling the Kickstarter and sold out of the copies they brought to SPX a few weeks ago! However, Andrew says Warmer will be for sale online asap – so stay tuned. ————————————————————————————————— Sally here! Comics Workbook and Connor Willumsen are coming to Cartoon Crossroads Columbus this weekend (Sept. 28-Oct. 1st)! Workshops with Connor will be almost every hour on Saturday and Sunday. “The educational workshops hosted by Pittsburgh’s Comics Workbook focus on visual theory applied in practical fashion to any kind of comics making a cartoonist can imagine and can benefit any way a student of the form might wish to improve. This year’s special host is the remarkable visual talent Connor Willumsen, with guest-star teachers dropping in and out throughout the weekend. Walk-ins welcome.” Full schedule can be found HERE! ————————————————————————————————— Just had to share the above drawing, made by Connor Willumsen during his weeklong stay in Pittsburgh between SPX and touring for Koyama Press, and his upcoming stint at CXC. For the baseball fans out there. Check out Connor’s new book from Koyama Press – the incredible Anti-Gone, which you can get a copy of HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Jacob Khepler, “the publisher of Mothers News“, has started a new blog. So far he’s written about the zine shown above by Edie Fake, Family Circus, and books by Pushkin and Rimboud – something for everyone! Check out 100% Publishing HERE and be sure to bookmark it so you can keep up with one of the finest writers around. ————————————————————————————————— The fall semester of thee Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers starts October 1st 2017. 8 weeks of comics instruction that will bang your practice into shape – 500 bux. Full details about the course and how to apply can be found HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Frank Santoro made a comic book about his parents and now he needs help making a handbound copy of the book for each of them. It’s a good story. Check out the Indiegogo campaign HERE – or if you want to contribute via PayPal, look at the campaign HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 9-28-2017 – by Sally Ingraham Share this page: [...]

White River Junction Scene Report

Frank SantoroOctober 16, 2011Riff Raff / Scene ReportsUp with local comics scene. Down with Marvel. Down with DC. Boycott Disney. Boycott Time Warner. Kill Super Heroes. Do I sound like a broken record? I don’t fuckin’ care! I’m so tired of sifting through “coverage” of the Big Two on comics blogs. You guys are just workin’ for The Man. Knock it off! I should have a “greater concern”? Bullshit. Stop promoting corporate culture in comics. This week’s local comics scene report brought to you by the great Jen Vaughn. Jen lives in White River Junction, Vermont – home of The Center for Cartoon Studies. She is awesome, does awesome stuff and also writes awesomely for the Schulz Library Blog. Don’t forget! My CARTOONING CORRESPONDENCE COURSE starts at the end the end of October! Hurry up and apply – you can do it! I will make you a comics expert in eight weeks! —— Also! Michael DeForge ups the ante again with his story in Thickness number two. I call it a knife fight. He will cut you! The rest of the issue is equally astonishing – lots of different looks – a well edited anthology if there ever was one. It’s also beautifully printed – Ryan Sands crushed this one out of the park, folks. Don’t delay – buy your copy today. INTERMISSION FUNNIES with MICHAEL DEFORGE ———- White River Junction scene report by Jen Vaughn Here in the thicket of White River Junction, a town of small proportions (~2500 people), a lot of cartoonist students dream big. Montreal, Boston and New York are at most five hours away but in this sleepy place often referred to as WRJ or my favorite, the Junc, everything closes around 5pm and good luck on Sundays. My house is behind that green tree on the right The local coffee shop, the Tuckerbox, hangs cartoonist work on the walls year round and is the morning or late afternoon studio space for some. LtoR: Cartoonists Pat Barrett, Josh Kramer, Max de Radigues, Kevin Uehlein and Ben Horak However, there is no shortage of fun and events. Like anywhere, a toonie amidst all all these other toonies and townies must concentrate to keep their butt firmly in their drawing table seat. Thanks to the Center for Cartoon Studies, we have visiting artists every week that come to speak to the school and a lot that just visit! HOLY SHIT, IT’S LYNDA BARRY Cartoonists: Katherine Roy, me and Jon Fine) Dartmouth College is near by with great plays, events and often employs cartoonists. Laura Terry, Katherine Roy and I have made one large mural and have a current exhibit of collegiate fun paintings on display in their student union cafe. —– This is the first place I’ve lived where I draw anywhere I go and people ask ‘Are you a cartoonist?’ instead of ‘artist.’ The villagers know what’s shakin’. Although, if you asked me to describe our activities in three words I’d say “costumes, games and animals.” I’ve pet more goats, pigs and more pigs in my time here than my combined 13 years in Texas. Moving a pig coral at a co-op —– A lot of us like, scratch that, LOVE board games. Night of playing resource management games like Agricola, Carcassone, or Dominion are planned out usually with wine and dinner to boot. Although, it is constantly an odd bag being one of the few female cartoonists in the area with a boyfriend at events with couples. Luckily, we’re all friends so I don’t care about whether I should talk craft with ‘the guys’ or any other subject with ‘the ladies.’ Sometimes its nice to step away from the work. CCS professor Jason Lutes is kind enough let us beta-test his own creation, “Thrilling Tales of Adventure” and hosts a weekly board game night (meanwhile Steve Bissette hosts an often horrifying weekly movie night) LtoR: Cartoonists David Yoder, Joe Lambert, Bill Bedard and Rio Aubrey Taylor play Merchants and Marauders —— In my free time not spent at my day jobs at the Schulz Graphic Novel Library and at the Main Street Museum OR drawing, I spent wrapped up in a butterfly/caterpillar costume as part of the local puppeteer’s gang at Fantasy Technicians. Becoming something else for a bit, whether a butterfly or a pair of shoes, is amazing and I’m totally working on my own articulating costume. And preparing for my week long job in New Orleans next Mardi Gras. Jennerfly. —– Parties usually have a theme, a costumed theme. Like the going away party, Lady Gaga Gone. Featuring toonies Penina Gal, Carol Thompson, Betsey Swardlick, Beth Hetland and me. —– And in any other city you might buy comics at a comic book store but our Border’s closed down AND the local comic shop is more of a game shop (although not a problem for those of us hoping to score the Cthulhu Gloom expansion). The Schulz Graphic Novel Library gets a lot of comic books sent to it by publishers, writers, artists and people who just want to send their favorite to such a grand library. The school also buys a lot of new graphic novels and is open to the public on First Fridays Unfortunately, due to the flood waters of Hurricane Irene, we had to move our library to a temporary storage space but hope to move soon. We save a lot of our buying bucks for conventions, where comics are like currency! —– Here’s my boyfriend, Ryan Anderson and cartoonist, Molly Howard, enjoying comics in our old space —– And here’s a photo of my comics class! —– In the town of White River Junction, friends are around every corner and they like to have a good time. Which is great because I love to pose under silly signs. My town may be small but its heart is huge. at Tunbridge World’s Fair with Linda Walker and cartoonist Rachel Foss Share this page: [...]

Rowhouse Residency Report – Bronson Smillie

Comics WorkbookSeptember 6, 2018Residency Reports / School UpdatesBronson Smillie is a cartoonist based in Montréal, QC, where he is finishing a painting and drawing undergrad at Concordia University. He joined us in Pittsburgh, PA, for a weeklong Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency in July of 2018. Here are his thoughts about visiting the city and his Rowhouse Residency experience. ——————————————————————————————— Bronson Smillie here: I arrived in Pittsburgh from Montreal in the middle of July, with just a carry-on full of art supplies and a few carefully selected articles of summer attire that would allow me to beat the record-breaking heatwave that had been plaguing Montreal and most of Eastern Canada for weeks. Prior to my departure, I had been trying to gather intel from friends as to what to expect during my stay in Pittsburgh. No matter how hard I dug, it seemed practically no one, apart from a few internet acquaintances, had much information to offer. So, without expectations, I rode the bus from the airport into downtown to meet Sally who would take me to my home for the week. Pittsburgh is undoubtedly the hilliest city I have ever been to. As someone who enjoys walking as a means of sight-seeing, I fantasized about the thigh muscles I would develop after a week navigating the city’s steep inclines. The Residency itself is located in a neighbourhood called Swissvale. As a longterm resident of the neighbourhood, Frank has some really interesting anecdotes about the history of Swissvale that are worth pining for in order to better understand the space and energy of the Residency. Frank’s historical knowledge of the city combined with his historical knowledge of comics affirmed and contradicted preconceived notions I had about the “North American Comics Industry”. It’s all super valuable information, and it was interesting for me to stack his old school values against my new school ideals. It’s safe to say that the rose coloured glasses I showed up to the Residency wearing have been now replaced with a more practical pair of shades. The ! air conditioned ! bedroom/work-space was the perfect place to dive head first into my work. As someone that is easily distracted in new environments, it was nice to be able to shut myself into a quiet space. Each morning I would devour a handful of comics/zines selected from the extensive and ever-growing library at the Residency. I would recommend spending as much time reading comics as you do drawing them while you are a resident. They offer such an amazing resource and I got to read things that I had never had access to before. I worked on a 10 page mini-comic that I’ve since completed and took time to digitize my entire stamp collection (boring but satisfying). I wanted to explore a new way of image-making while I was at the residency and broke away from the more rigid, panel-based comic making I was used to in order to explore more experimental ideas I had been tossing around for a while. It was an extremely rewarding week – for both my thighs and my craft – topped off with drives around the city with both Frank and Sally as well as a trip to visit the uh-may-zing Copacetic Comics to drop off some of my own comics and choose a few to bring back with me as well. Before I headed off to the airport and back to Montreal – Frank handed me a folded newsprint copy of something that he forbid me to open in his presence. I awkwardly shoved it into my carry on and as I sat down on my bus headed back to the airport I opened the gift. It was a short comic by Frank that acted as a first person reflection on Swissvale as well as Frank’s personal memories attached to it. I flipped through pages illustrated by someone with a lifetime of experiences attached to a place I had spent just one week. I realized, by my surprisingly emotional response to what I was reading, that Pittsburgh had effectively gotten under my skin. I understand why, after leaving for many years, Frank has decided to come back to his roots. Frank and Sally are creating a special place for comic makers to come develop and I’m super thankful that I had the opportunity to be a part of it! Keep up with Bronson Smillie HERE! For more information about the Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency visit this page or email santoroschool@gmail.com Share this page: [...]

06/28/2016

Aaron CockleJune 27, 2016NewsAaron Cockle with Warren Craghead Comics; Pioneers of the Comic-Strip; Comix 4 Orlando; Hilda on Netflix; Flag Press!; Schulz/Ford; Rowhouse Auction Continues ————————————————————————————————— Colonialism by Warren Craghead CW’s Featured Comics continues this week with work by Warren Craghead III from 2013. ————————————————————————————————— Pioneers of the Comic Strip: A different Avant-Garde June 23–September 18, 2016 Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt Spectacular, large and colorful – this is how comic strips captured their audience. Around 1897, the middle classes, working classes and the army of immigrants were equally fascinated by the unfamiliar visual experience they encountered in US newspapers. The comic strip was the first illustrated mass medium in history, reproduced millionfold. In a society without television and the Internet that was quite a radical development. With an extensive exhibition, SCHIRN presents the pioneers of the comic strip, who set the artistic and substantive standards of early comic strips in an experimental and progressive way. This also highlights the relationship of comic strips and colorful newspaper supplements with the developments in visual arts at the time. The SCHIRN presents the cultural history of the comic strip in an outstanding series of selected works, primarily by American illustrators: Winsor McCay, Lyonel Feininger, Charles Forbell, George Herriman, Cliff Sterrett and Frank King. Unforgettable is Herriman’s absurd humor in Krazy Kat (from 1913), the expressionist, cubist and surrealist imagery by McCay and Sterrett, Feininger’s comic series for the Chicago Tribune (from 1906/07), or Gasoline Alley by King (from 1921), told in real time over a period of three decades. With Forbell’s Gesamtkunstwerk Naughty Pete (1913), a today rather unknown draftsman can be rediscovered in this exhibition. He was among those many artists who, albeit only for a short yet extremely progressive time, devoted themselves to comic strips, but quickly vanished due to lack of success. — Via e-flux ————————————————————————————————— COMIX 4 ORLANDO Benefit Come enjoy a night of fantastic comix presented by queer artists! These include: Yao Xiao, Max Wittert, Hazel Reed Newlevant, Bishakh Som, Chris Russo, Kat Fajardo, +more TBA. They will be raising funds to support those affected by the Pulse attack in Orlando. Your donations can get you raffle tickets to win a fabulous prize bundle of work made by our featured artists. $10 SUGGESTED donation. No one will be turned away. (Every $5 will get you one raffle ticket!) PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT! Tuesday, June 28, 8-10PM at Over the Eight, 594 Union Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211 ————————————————————————————————— Hilda is coming to Netflix As revealed in a recent New Yorker profile, Luke Pearson‘s Hilda will be coming to Netflix in 2018. ————————————————————————————————— E’ nata Flag Press! Translated from the Italian via Google Translate: Perhaps not everyone knows that along with Ratigher I founded a small publishing house, the Flag Press, who intends to publish comics in a single format, horizontal poster 70 × 100 with two facing pages… I already thought of cubes, boxes or phones but actually no, it was poster, as he revealed to me a few months later inviting me to become his shoulder in the enterprise (by the way do not try to trick me the idea of Phone Books, Comics in the form of phone). Since then we have seen fit to what we wanted to do with Flag Press, and, beyond the choice of authors, our vision has focused on the concept of “history.” To both like trials, comic absurd and sometimes even seemingly meaningless, but what we want to accomplish here is to tell on a poster, make an object that narrative has always been mainly figurative, also making it possible for authors indulge graphically on the largest publishing format possible. And I believe that theory, practical and even Ratigher theory is really the “manifesto” of this our idea, with a story full of characters, the dialogues pressing, small cartoons and the aircraft giant is cut in two by the white space between the boards. Ah, on the back of the poster are in black and white the English translation of the story. In the future, if the cartoonist would write in English, on the back you will find the translation in Italian. Look for work from Ruppert & Mulot, Manuele Fior and Dash Shaw. Image above by Ratigher, Flag Press #1: “Teoria, pratica e ancora teoria”. ————————————————————————————————— Gabby Schulz Interviewed by Sean Ford SICK is the story of the author being laid down by an illness in his cramped Brooklyn apartment. The story begins as a Kafka-esque exploration of the trials and tribulations of trying to attain treatment without having the insurance or money to do so, but soon morphs into a brutally frank self-assessment of not only the narrator’s personal failures, but also the failures of predominantly white Western culture and the systems and structures we’re all beholden to and a part of. ————————————————————————————————— Private Rowhouse Auction Continues We have a new private auction up at auction.comicsworkbook.com. email Frank Santoro at santoroschoolATgmail for a password, if you don’t already have one. If you already have a password, it is the same from last week. All funds go to helping keep the lights on and further developing the school. Note: Connor Willumsen is offering commission sketches. ————————————————————————————————— Share this page: [...]

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