Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in Santoro SchoolTagged Comics Workbook

Comics Workbook

Posted on November 13, 2016May 2, 2019

Explore

03/22/2016

Aaron CockleMarch 22, 2016NewsNew York Public Library Digital Collections; the tyranny of the cloud; comics journalism in the 1950’s; new interviews to read/read aloud and/or listen to; random word informatics. ————————————————————————————————— NYPL Digital Collections Recently, the New York Public Library posted an amazing amount of content to its digital collection. Work above is from Indian coloured drawings: a collection of 177 original paintings on “talc,” etc., with 17 engravings, illustrating costume, vehicles and trades in India and Fred Carlo, Works Progress Administration, respectively. ————————————————————————————————— Exercises in Scrolling Colonising the Clouds, an essay about Internet/institutional power structures, physical and virtual territories, ‘memory’, ETC. ————————————————————————————————— Mid-20th Century Comics Reportage Featuring work by Noel Sickles (‘The immediacy of a direct drawing or sketch seldom breaks through in the more static nature of other forms of art.’) and Austin Briggs. Essay by Daniel Zalkus. ————————————————————————————————— Recent Interviews of Note Aidan Koch + Tyler Landry ————————————————————————————————— Random Word/Phrase/Sentence/Paragraph Generator This is a good site if you’re in a pinch for words. For illustrative purposes, the Random Paragraph Generator has been utilized above with the following keywords: ‘Frank Santoro’ + ‘Golden Age of Comics’ and ‘Frank Santoro’ + Comics Instruction’. Share this page: [...]

09/19/2017

Aaron CockleSeptember 18, 2017NewsAaron Cockle here today with Anti-Gone Tour Dates; the International Human Rights Cartoon Award; Teju Cole on Marie Cosindas; David Salle on Rei Kawakubo; John Hankiewicz’s Education; Tac au Tac ————————————————————————————————— Anti-Gone on Tour Connor Willumsen is touring in support of his new book, available now from Koyama Press. Noel Freibert and Patrick Kyle will also be joining Willumsen on the tour. ————————————————————————————————— International Human Rights Cartoon Award Via Maren Williams at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund: Exiled Iranian cartoonist Kianoush Ramezani, who was forced to flee his native country when the regime took notice of his work in 2009, has established a new international prize to recognize cartoonists who are speaking out on issues of human rights anywhere in the world. Submissions for the International Human Rights Cartoon Award are open now until Nov. 30 through Ramezani’s organization United Sketches. ————————————————————————————————— ‘…an ensorcelled world that included flowers, vases, dolls, lace, fur, rugs, porcelain, books, chairs, oranges, asparagus, posters, ornaments, statues, dancers, dandies, sailors, tarot cards, masks and puppets, but also those portals into other worlds — paintings, mirrors and windows — that collectively constituted a highly personal vision of reality enamored of theatrical effects and attuned to the inner life of inanimate things…’ Teju Cole looks at the photography work of Marie Cosindas (among other topics), in the longest single sentence ever published by the NY Times. …much as Cosindas carefully selected subject matter and, through technical know-how and visual intelligence — a skillful deployment of lighting, filters, exposure times, developing times and ambient temperature for florals but also other genres, including portraits and assemblages of objects of all kinds for which she disliked the term “still life,” rightly rejecting any connotation of stasis, and for which she preferred “arrangement” — turned it into indelible statements about what photography could achieve more than half a century after pictorialism’s heyday, with a use of color that was more soulful, by being somehow both freer and more disciplined, than what was generally seen in commercial color of the 1960s, and that came into the world earlier than the work of some other great color photography pioneers like William Eggleston, whose style was more deadpan, less arranged, less obviously artful and more in keeping with the preference of critics and curators, once they acquired a taste for it, for what art photography in color should look like, though the louche and antiquarian work that Cosindas made did result in considerable fame for her in the ’60s and ’70s, with solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art (before Eggleston), the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Art Institute of Chicago, but did not win her glory in most standard histories of photography, in which other artists, mostly younger than she and almost all male, are credited as the true pioneers of color, so that she came to be seen as an anomaly, neither modern nor contemporary, in part because her particular contribution to photography was mystical, sensuous, unashamed of beauty and grounded in the combination of everyday objects with exotic ones, an earnestness that fit awkwardly with the ironic and occasionally cynical tastes that dominated the last half-century but put her firmly in the line of many artists in history who were revolutionary not by founding a new school of thought but by discovering unexpected life in old approaches, not in keeping with the times but rather timeless,… ————————————————————————————————— ‘For this interplay of references to have real weight, there must be at least hints of a discernible visual syntax.’ David Salle looks at length at the Rei Kawakubo exhibit, which just ended its run at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. The exhibition design, a collaboration between Kawakubo and the Met curators, follows no perceptible chronology. Enclosures of various shapes—inverted cones, flattened spheres and semicircles, keyholes, ovals, triangles—contain the clothes, which are grouped by collection or theme. These frames are rendered in white plasterboard and lit from above by dense rows of fluorescent tubes, making a shadowless space, objective in tone. They are like viewing platforms, some of which function as small proscenium stages, while others are more like theater in the round. Still others are like caves whose restrictive openings give only a partial view of the clothes within. There is no attempt to make the clothes themselves look inhabited. Dresses and other garments are displayed on mannequin forms supported by thin metal rods, like sculpture. They are what Giacometti’s figures would be wearing had they taken the time to get dressed. ————————————————————————————————— EDUCATION, by John Hankiewicz Henry Chamberlain at the Comics Grinder blog looks at John Hankiewicz’s most recent book. Yes, this is a very arty book but it avoids becoming an academic hot mess. Much to enjoy in simply accepting a greyhound head as a beam of light. Much to enjoy in a disjointed narrative if done right. There is certainly a long tradition of artists using text that doesn’t really seem to match the adjacent imagery. Think of Magritte and his play with text and image. Ever mindful of that, no doubt, Hankiewicz seems to relish his playing with text and image, and delightfully recontextualizing images, just like playing improvisational jazz. ————————————————————————————————— Tac au Tac Juan Fernández has a write-up (with extensive links) to the French TV program from 1969-1975 that brought cartoonists together to engage in improvisational drawing. The concept was simple, efficient, and allowed for many variations: A huge, blank white page and cartoonists equipped with just a simple marker. A theme was proposed (ex. invasion or pursuit), sometimes a visual starting point (simple line, spiral, circle), and the authors improvised, either collaboratively with their peers, or in a duel facing off against their opponents. The result was often far more than a juxtaposition of drawings, it was often a real visual dialogue between cartoonists. ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 9-19-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Share this page: [...]

09/05/2017

Aaron CockleSeptember 4, 2017NewsAaron Cockle here today with Comics Carousel; Anders Nilsen’s new book; Josh Bayer returns to the New York Comics & Picture-story Symposium; Workshops at SPX ————————————————————————————————— ————————————————————————————————— ‘But those books were both black and white. Color kind of forces your hand regarding borders.’ Paste Magazine has a nice piece about Anders Nilsen’s new book, Tongues, and the process that went into its making. “Panel design and structure matter a lot to me. I did a bit of teaching from 2012 to 2015 or so and one of the things I found myself focusing on with certain students was how panels work and what happens to storytelling when they change in various ways. Some cartoonists do great things with a simple grid. My two biggest comics influences, Hergé and Chester Brown, use very simple panel structures in their comics, and they were brilliant with it. But I can’t keep from playing around with panels. Partly it’s because I find measuring out rectangles very boring, but it’s also, I think, partly because I studied painting, and so I can’t help but think about the visual composition of a page as more than just a collection of rectangles. It was something I wanted to explore in this book from the outset and so this small sketch is my original idea for how to structure the panels in this opening dream sequence.” ————————————————————————————————— Josh Bayer, Adam McGovern and guests, Sept. 5, 2017 at 7pm The 190th meeting of the NY Comics & Picture-story Symposium will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017 at 7pm at Parsons School of Design, 2 West 13th Street, in the Bark Room (off the lobby). Free and open to the public. Josh Bayer, Adam McGovern and guests on All Time Comics All Time Comics is a comic-book series that resists categorization. Part modern reworking of Bronze age comics superhero aesthetics, part a Mad Magazine-like Gonzo attempt to sidestep and weave that aesthetic back on itself. Published by Fantagraphcs, All Time Comics has created a space for a dialogue between older veteran creators like Herb Trimpe and Al Milgrom and younger Alternative Comics mainstays like Ben Marra and Noah Van Sciver. Join Josh Bayer in a lively discussion with comics writer/historian Adam McGovern. (Panel may include special guest artist/writers, schedules permitting). Josh Bayer is the author of Raw Power and Theth from Retrofit Comics, the editor of the Suspect Device Comics anthology series, as well as 2016’s The Black Hood. His work’s been selected for The Best American Comics series in 2016 and 2017. He is the founder of his own “Comics Are The Enemy Press” and he is currently releasing his All Time Comics imprint from Fantagraphics. ————————————————————————————————— Comics Workbook Cartoon Workshops If you’re planning to be at the upcoming Small Press Expo in Bethesda, MD, please consider attending one or all of the workshops the CW will be conducting: ————————————————————————————————— 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. ———————————————————————————————— A Cosmic Journey – 9-5-2017 – by Cameron Arthur ———————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 9-5-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ———————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 9-5-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

11/08/2017

Juan FernándezNovember 8, 2017los Cómics / NewsEmpezamos el día con el Latino Comics Expo; #GRAFMAD2017; Marcela Trujillo; Dr. Fausto Fanzine; Ramon Esono; La Polola; Power Paola y Santiago Caicedo; y los tebeos de Cómics Workbook! ————————————————————————————————— The Latino Comics Expo – Long Beach, CA – THIS WEEKEND – The Latino Comics Expo (LCX) goes down this weekend, November 11-12. It is the nation’s first convention dedicated to highlighting the work of comic book creators, illustrators and others in the literary and visual arts whose work reflects the influence and celebration of Latino culture. – 2017 Program Info – Founded in 2011 by Bay Area arts patron Ricardo Padilla and Los Angeles cartoonist Javier Hernandez, the Latino Comics Expo has been held at the Cartoon Museum of Art (San Francisco), the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library at San Jose State University and the Museum of Latin American Art (Long Beach). Since it’s debut show on May 7 & 8 in 2011 in San Francisco, the Expo has hosted a wide variety of creative talent from the world of comics, web comics, illustration and design, political comics, graphic novels, children’s books, filmmakers and animators. Veteran creators, newcomers, independent artists, scholars, female, male, LGBT. All have contributed to making the LCX the premiere showcase for Topics have included self-publishing, crowdfunding, Latina Power, individual author spotlights, historical presentations, scholarly studies, workshops for kids and more. The Expo is a place to celebrate creativity, to educate, inform and learn, and to be able to share the richness of our various Latino cultures. Learn more. —————————————————————————————————#GRAFMAD2017 En 2013 se celebró la primera edición de GRAF. Esta semana se celebra la décima. El fuego sigue ardiendo. ————————————————————————————————— Los cómics y las noticias que me han llamado la atención esta semana: “Beyoncé has embraced the grid.” Marcela Trujillo ha sido invitada al Congreso Internacional de Literatura Y Cultura Femenina Hispánica en Santo Domingo. Esta es la primera vez que invitan a una dibujante. En algunas semanas regresa Dr. Fausto Fanzine para su edición 11 y cada semestre habrá nuevo número. Viva el Cómic Colombiano. ¡Queremos tebeos! No os perdáis la exposición HISTORIETAS DEL TEBEO, 1917—1977 en el Museo ABC. Ramon Esono sigue preso, este cómic su único “delito”. // Still in jail, this comic his only “crime”. Learn more about Esono’s incarcelation in Equatorial Guinea. Sol Díaz Castillo y Marcela Trujillo tienen una nueva edicion de La Polola Podcast! Las chicas conversan con la académica Catalina Infante, quien les contó acerca de su vida, sus viajes, su búsqueda del origen, su mirada editorial, su interés espiritual, el valor que le da al mundo interno y la soledad, entre muchas otras cosas. Acá pueden ver el trailer de Virus Tropical, a black-and-white animated film from director Santiago Caicedo that adapts the graphic novel memoir of Colombian-Ecuadorian cartoonist Power Paola. ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 11-08-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 11-08-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio ————————————————————————————————— Cozytown – 11-08-2017 – by Juan Fernandez Share this page: [...]

Copacetic Resources

Juan FernándezJanuary 12, 2016ResourcesDISCLAIMER PLEASE NOTE: All links on this page will take you off of and away from our site. Comics Workbook is not responsible for any material you may encounter therein. That said, we’ve tried to include only those sites that we believe are interesting, informative and/or entertaining. – Bill Boichel ———- Index —————————————– COMICS •Reference •News •Blogs •Curatorial •On Line Comics •Pedagogical •Support •Publishers •Pittsburgh Comics ART & LITERATURE BOOKS & PERIODICALS MUSIC •Pittsburgh Music Scene CINÉMA KID STUFF HISTORY & SOCIETY INTERNET RESOURCES WEB LIFE POLITICS CHARITY/NGO ALTERNATIVE ENERGY PITTSBURGH INFO COMICS Reference GCD: The Grand Comics Database — This is it! The single most important site for those who are serious about their comics facts. The GCD is the ultimate in ambition: to assemble the complete information on everything comics ever! While what’s been assembled so far is impressive — over 200,000 individual comics entered, over 80,000 completely indexed and more than 100,000 cover images — there’s still a long way to go, and you can be a part of it! Join up and share your knowledge. Just think — you can contribute to the permanent record of the history of comics to be shared by comics fans, collectors, and scholars for generations to come! The Comiclopedia — A searchable gallery of comic artist biographies and artwork examples. This is a great site packed with info. It originates in the Netherlands so it’s heavy on European comics creators. You’ll find plenty of unfamilar names to explore and be exposed to along with the ones you already know and love. The Toonopedia — Donald D. Markstein’s massive online encyclopedia devoted to everything toon — which covers comics as well as cartoons. Heavily cross-indexed and regularly updated, this site is indeed the proverbial treasure trove of information, or in this case, perhaps we should say “toonformation.” It’s not complete — not by a longshot — but there’s still more to be found here on this subject than just about anywhere else on the web. The History of Comic Books by Jamie Colville — This is a great site for those of you interested in brushing up on your history of comics. Even if you think you know it all, Mr. Colville may surprise you with a tidbit or two. Lots of cover reproductions as well. Check it out. To get started, choose between the “Frames” and “No Frames” option at the top of the start page, and you’re off! The Comic Book Page — This page contains links to a fairly detailed history of comics. The links are located on the left side of the page (“Pre-Golden Age”, ” Golden Age”, etc.); once you’ve connected to a page, to continue click on “next page” at the bottom of each page. Mikel Midnight’s Golden Age Directory — This is a hubsite of links and directories that will be of interest to anyone looking to geek out on any and all aspects of Golden Age comic books. Frustratingly, many of the links are dead, but there are still enough functioning links to make a visit worthwhile to those interested in this era. The Comic Book Database — This one looks like it’s been dormant for awhile, as it’s out of date. It’s full of holes and errors abound, but there’s still a lot of info to be had. We’re not sure if all the info here has been incorporated into GCD, so we’re leaving this link up for the time being. Clearly a great deal of effort went into this, but it does’nt look like it’s going anywhere from here. The Master List — Whether you’re planning a vacation, are already on the road, or just looking to find a friendly neighborhood store in your area, be sure to check here for a fantastic listing of comics stores around the world! Includes in-depth info and links from those stores that supply them. Comic Book Resources — This is a hub site devoted to comics, with news bulletins, chat rooms, free mail services, etc. It is advertising based (or was last time we checked) so be prepared. News The Comics Reporter — This is an up-to-the-minute, real-deal, news-website devoted to all things comics. Maintained by Tom Spurgeon, fully linked, archived, and databased,it is an invaluable resource. Visit it often to keep abreast of current comics events. The Comics Journal — Here it is, the longest running critical voice in the comics world. Now (as of March 2011) in it’s new and improved “ComicsComics” format! And don’t forget to visit the hottest virtual watering hole in the world of comics: The TCJ Message Board. The Beat – The news blog of comics culture by Heidi McDonald. Veteran comics reporter McDonald dishes out droll daily doses of comics and pop culture. It’s constantly updated so you’ll want to keep checking in to see what’s new. Newsarama — A great news site devoted to all things comics. They’re the place to look for scoops, like this one on R. Crumb’s new project Indy Magazine: The Guide To Alternative Comics — Check out their interview with Chris Ware Comics Alliance — This as a fairly mainstream site, with tons of news, reviews, commentary and more. Blogs Mad Ink Beard — The thinking person’s comics and literature blog, by Derik A. Badman. Will warm your heart and stimulate your brain. Size Matters: The Mini-Comic Blog — This is a much to be commended review blog by Shawn Hoke that covers only self-published comics. This is a good spot to learn about comics you might not ever hear about otherwise. Well written and jam packed; and don’t miss the great links along the right side! Jog – The Blog — This dude is one serious poster. An omnivore with a big appetite for comics and the intellectual ability to process what he consumes, separate the wheat from the chaff, and clue the rest of us in. In other words: he has good taste and he knows what he’s talking about. Recommended. Thought Balloonists — Charles Hatfield and Craig Fischer provide a thorough-going critical dialogue and in-depth reviews in what may be the most intellectually engaging comics site out there. Comics readers looking for challenging, substantial fare need look no further. Sans Everything — This is a lively, engaging, intelligent, articulate and engrossing blog written by four Canadians: John Haffner, Jeet Heer, A. M. Lamey, and Ian Garrick Mason. It covers many topics and subjects, and while it ranges far and wide, it manages to quite frequently find comics and comics related items along the way; thus its inclusion here. We can pretty much guarantee that you will enjoy your visits and come away each time with a fresh kernal of knowledge. The Balloonist — Kevin Huizenga‘s blog is filled with excellent graphics — primarily examples from off the beaten path that he sees as possessing special historical and/or artistic interest, but also including the occasional sneak peek at what he’s working on himself — along with the occasional rumination. Always worth a look. Zettwoch’s Suitcase — An while we’re on the topic of Artist’s blogs, who better to mention that Dan Zettwoch. As opposed to Kevin H’s blog listed above, Dan Z’s is chock a block with his own work: sketches, drawings, diagrams, paintings, prints, hand-painted shoes, bowling pins and you never know what else, so be sure to keep going back and be prepared for a surprise. ¡Journalista! The Comics Journal Weblog — The go-to page for the comics junkie, this page is guaranteed to have something for your comics jones. Constantly updated every day, this blog is packed with new links to all things comics. How they find the time to dig up all this stuff we’ll never know… (PLEASE NOTE: This site is now basically just an archive) Comics Comics — The cultural nexus of all things comics, from Timothy “ComicsComics” Hodler, Dan “PictureBox” Nadel and, Frank “Storeyville” Santoro. PLEASE NOTE: The Comics Comics team has now taken over the helm of The Comics Journal online edition! Thus, this site is now – at least for the time being – a fully indexed archive of the glory days of Comics Comics. Still well worth a visit. Curatorial ThomasNast.com — Believe it or not, an officially sanctioned site devoted entirely to Nast. Does he rate? You bet he does! Interesting stuff. The Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center — Jack’s career was so gigantic and far-ranging that you can be sure that this one will be under construction for some time, but there’s a lot up already, so check it out and — if you’re a true believer — lend a hand. A Guidebook to the Carl Barks Universe — This is one fabulous site. A true goldmine for anyone interested in delving into and learning more about the life and work of Carl Barks, the genius behind the universe of “Walt Disney’s” Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge and so many other unforgettable characters that together form one of the single greatest bodies of work in the history of Comics. The comics listing is particularly valuable to any collector of Barks’s work, whether a neophyte or a completist. There’s a lot here. A real labor of love Carl Barks, His Life and Work — Nice site devoted to Carl Barks. Link page includes links to actual Barks comics on the web (although many are in German). The Official Alex Toth Website — This is every Toth fan’s web-dream. Tons of Toth art here, including a new comic art page posted each and every day! Galleries, articles, checklists, and columns including some by the man himself. If you’re into Toth you’ll definitely be bookmarking this one. The Jaime Hernandez Chronology and Character Index — The source for All Things Jaime, this page is by far the best Jaime Hernandez source on the web. Contains what is more than likely the best Love and Rockets link page as well. Now if only the host and compiler, Mark Rosenfelder, would do the same for Gilberto… Dan Clowes Checklist — If you’re a fanatic Dan Clowes collector, then this is the page for you. Recommended for true obsessives. MARVEL UNIVERSE: THE APPENDIX: The Unofficial, No-Frills, Marvel Zombie, Obscure Characters Profile Page — If you thought the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe covered it all, boy were you wrong. Delve into the far-flung corners of Marvel arcana and feel the frisson of fandom. Salon.com Comics — We were’nt sure where to put this link as it includes on-line comics — by the likes of Lynda Barry, Tom Tomorrow, Ruben Bolling, Keith Knight and more (and then there’s the archives; how aboutLynda Barry to start) — while also providing news on and about the world of comics. A good place to start is the Los Bros Hernandez interview — it also links to some other nifty comic creator articles. Marlys Magazine –Speaking of Lynda Barry… here’s the Official Lynda Barry Site! (or if not, the closest thing to it) It’s nicely done, with a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but most of all it’s got the goods: The strips! So whenever you’re feeling a little blue and need to remember what it was like being a kid (again) just click here to spend some time with Marlys and Co. This is definitely the place to be! Friends of Lulu— After delving into Lynda Barry you’re going to be all revved up and excited about comics, and here’s somewhere to go. Friends of Lulu is a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote and encourage female readership and participation in the comic book industry. Paul Gravett — Hailing from the UK, Mr. Gravett is a one-man comics-army. The author of definitive guides on graphic novels, manga and British comics, he writes regularly on a wide variety of comics topics: new releases, classic works, events, creators, genres, etc. and has a massive archive of articles waiting for your perusal. Do yourself a favor and spend some time on this amazing site – Gravett is truly prolific! There’s so much here, that one of the challenges is figuring out where to start. We recommend this excellent appreciation of Jack Kirby, done on the occasion of the Fumetto International Comics Festival exhibition, “Jack Kirby: The House That Jack Built,” as it’s one that we really don’t want you to miss. Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr.’s Ilustrator Biographies — 105 heavily illustrated biographies of illustrators, comics artists and cartoonists of the last century +, written (and hosted) by one of the most comprehensibly knowledgeable authorities on the popular narrative graphic arts of the twentieth century, that unsung hero of pioneer comics scholars, Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. Mark Evanier’s Home Page — Lots of comic (and non-comic) stuff along with more links. Of special interest to Jack Kirby fans will be his Jack FAQ. Mark was Jack’s assistant for many years and can so offer some rare insights into and glimpses of Jack. The Cartoon Art Museum — As if you need another reason to visit San Francisco! Torture yourself by reading about what you’re missing. Unless of course you live in the Bay area, in which case… you lucky dog! ScottMcCloud.com — From the author of Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics comes a website that complements these works but is especially devoted to promoting comics on the web. On Line Comics: Classic & Contemporary Coconino Classics – A beautifully designed, and thought-provoking site. While, as its title suggests, it does indeed provide a focus on the early days of newspaper comics, featuring such greats as George Herriman, Winsor McCay, George McManus, Cliff Sterret, Noel Sickles, Milton Caniff and Roy Crane, it also provides many examples of the precursors to 20th century comics, such as Hokusaï, Töppfer, Cruikshank and Doré, among others, all arranged chronologically by birthdate to help give you an idea of progression. A must-visit site for all interested in experincing more of the history of comics as well as all aficianados of the form. All text available in either Francais or English. High quality reproductions throughout! Classic Comic Archives — Get a taste of the classics. Includes Krazy Kat, Terry and the Pirates, and more. Here’s a direct link to More Krazy Kat Strips. Believe us: You can’t ever get enough Krazy Kat. Krazy Kat: The Coconino County Home Page — The best Herriman site on the web. Carl Barks Stories – As impossible to believe as it may seem, here it is: ALL of the madly inspired comics work produced by Carl Barks for the Western Publishing Dell and Gold Key imprints, featuring the creation and unfolding of the entire Duck Universe (as well as his sole Mickey Mouse effort), are posted here for one and all. An unbelievable 659 complete stories. ¡WOW! We’re still shaking our heads in wonder at it all… Don Rosa Stories – And, as if that weren’t already enough, here – from the same amazing benefactor – are ALL the Don Rosa duck stories to boot! Golden Age Comic Book Stories — While the title is somewhat misleading as this site focuses as much on classic SF & fantasy illustration as on comic book art, and, technically, it is formatted as a blog, it is nevertheless a motherlode of incredible, amazing and fantastic art the likes of which we have not seen anywhere else on the web. The monthly archives are HUGE — often containing in excess of 200 high quality image files — and include some of the greatest comics and illustratin artwork of the 20th century, including works by the well known as well as the obscure. A virtual paradise for the aficionado of classic comics and illustration work. These pages are so packed that even those of you with super high speed connections to the internet will have to pause a moment to wait for them to load; but be patient, your wait will be amply rewarded. Celebrating Short Stories in Comics — This new site “takes a look back at the nearly forgotten comic book short stories that appeared in various magazines and anthologies from the 70’s-80s” and includes commentary by contemporary small press comics creator Dave Keirsh. Like the Golden Age Comic Book Stories site above, this one is formatted as a blog. While there are drawbacks to this format as far as ease of navigation while reading a story goes, the ease in setting up a blog enables time constrained individuals to post great work we might not otherwise see, so we feel that it must be considered a worthwhile trade off. Already posted are rare gems by the likes of Wally Wood, Alex Toth, and the (relatively) unsung Angel Trinidad, Jr., among others. Last of the Spinner Rack Junkies — This is the DIY blog of comics aficionado, Chance Fiveash. It includes a bevy of amazing full size scans of classic comic book covers and full uncut stories by some of the all time greats, including Jack Kirby, Alex Toth, Harry Lucey, John Stanley, Boody Rogers, Pete Morisi and more! Get ready for a feast for the eyes here. Recommended. PLEASE NOTE: This site is no longer up, although there’s a chance it will come back at a new URL, so we are keeping it up. (If you know it’s back up,please let us know!) Monster Blog — Tremble at the name! Try as you might, you cannot flee its awesome power… MONSTER BLOG LIVES! Monster Blog is a truly wonderful site that pays homage to the monster comics produced by Jack “king” Kirby (and lets not forget “sturdy” Steve Ditko! and, yes, “smilin'” Stan has to get some credit too, if only for all those hyperbolic captions) for Atlas/Marvel during (roughly) 1959 -1962. This site contains hundreds of excellent cover repros, dozens of complete stories — including most of those that have never before been reprinted!!! — and is very well organized, as well as searchable. What a great service not only to fans of this material, but to those who have yet to be introduced to this amazing group of comics which led directly to the Marvel Age of Comics that reigned supreme throughout the 1960s. Well, what are you waiting for? Check it out! (Sadly, the Mighty Monster Blog has fallen. We have linked here to it’s ghost image using the Wayback Machine™, and a lot of great information remains retrievable, but not much in the way of images. Still totally worth a visit if only to marvel at the labor of love and to send a dash of energy towards its possible revival… perhaps one day we will once again be able to say, “Monster Blog Lives!”) United Feature Syndicate — There’s a lot of comics here, nearly a hundred daily and Sunday newspaper strips to choose from, including: Rose is Rose, a neat strip that’s been running for years, just not in Pittsburgh; Nancy, the Gilchrest version; and don’t forget to check out the classics section to see what they’re featuring this week. And as if that weren’t enough, there’s also the Cartoon Bank of New Yorker Cartoons to sift through. King Features Syndicate — Never miss a day of your favorite daily comic strips. All in full color, too! The past four weeks of all of their daily strips are archived. Please note, however, that there is a two-week time lag (For example, the 1 June 2001 strip doesn’t appear on the site until 15 June 2001.) Don’t forget to check out Mutts (Which is now, as of 19 November 2001, at last running in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette )and, of course, you’ll want to get the benefit of color on Zippy. I don’t know why they don’t include the Sunday strips…. uComics — Universal Press Syndicate Comics On line: Includes Doonesbury, Boondocks, Sylvia, Tom the Dancing Bug and many others. Also includes an archive of classic strips like Bloom County and Calvin & Hobbes. Last 14 days of most strips are free. But for a mere $9.95 per YEAR, you get unfettered access to the entire online archives! The Official Mutts Site — The online home for Patrick McDonnell’s modern classic. Archives and more! Five Card Nancy— Whether you’re a comics fan, a Dadaist, or a Ph.D. candidate in narrative theory, you’ll enjoy this paean to the latent possibilities of Ernie Bushmiller’s art. Check it out! The Official Zippy the Pinhead Website — No longer will you need to ask, “Are we having fun yet?” as you will be, here in Zipy’s own playground of comics fun. Strips archived back to 1994 (although, some of the images seem to have vanished…) Leviathan by Peter Blegvad — For once, a truly unique sensibility. Yes, it’s weird, but well worth checking out. At the risk of making a crude comparison, it could be considered something of a British counterpart to Bill Griffith’s Zippy; but really, it’s much more than that. If visiting this site whet’s your appetite, then stop on by the shop and check out The Book of Leviathan. The Official Gary Panter Website — Go now and get hep. Check out the comics, the fine art, the commercial art, and more; and don’t forget to read The Rozz Tox Manifesto. Maakies.com — No matter what you might think of the work of Tony Millionaire– which is quite amply on display here– there is no disputing the fact that he knows how to handle a pen. There’s tons and tons o’ stuff here, including the entire Maakies archive! WARNING: not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach; especially appealing to and encouraging of alcoholics and alcoholism in general. Beware! Kaz’s Underworld – You’ll find the latest installment along with a sizeable archive of classic Kaz. Short animations, merch, links and more. Not for the faint hearted. The Hotel Fred: Cartoons by Roger Landridge — Yes, this stuff is goofy and mindless, and indicative of a severe depression being desperately held at bay through an intense focused effort on something– anything– that will deflect the pain by channeling it through a productive effort; but what’s wrong with that? And boy, can this guy ink! Great technique. Cartoonists everywhere could learn a thing or two from this guy. Kyle Baker Luxury Cartoons — You can get lost wondering through this virtual amusement park of all things Kyle Baker. We especially recommend the comics and cartoons. Low Bright — A fabulous online comics site by Derek Kirk Kim. Don’t delay, go there today! And if you like what you find, you’ll be happy to learn that we carry his print collection, Same Difference. Unicorn Jelly – A nicely done online comics site containing a huge and insanely elaborate philosophical science fiction manga strip that ran five days a week, from September 5th, 2000 to April 14, 2003. Now it’s done and you can read the entire work all the way through. There are MANY options, just scroll down the index page for a taste. Great Moments in Rock ‘n’ Roll — This is an original comics site. It is by Joel Orff and contains a large archive of strips relating individual stories somehow connected with the world of rock/punk/alt/etc music. The form and style is clearly indebted to Lynda Barry, but is differentiated and original in that it relates the stories of others. Definitely worth a visit. Alternative comics has just released an oversize collection of these strips for $6.95. We sell it for 10% off. Dreamtoons — This is a weekly strip that translates readers’ dreams to four panel comic strips. All strips since the beginning of 2002 are archived, so there’s a lot to look at. Comics have always been especially good at translating and communicating dreams, so it’s good to know someone’s out there doing it on a weekly basis. Don’t skip this one! Shiga Books — There are some pretty amazing comics here, both under the heading, “strips” and under “interactive.” We especially recommend Meanwhile: Be prepared to be blown away. Meanwhile employs an innovative use of HTML to create a fascinating sense of parallelism that is a meditation on possibility. This is web comics, a form that intelligently exploits the potential of web architecture to push the boundries of what comics can be. Essential. a maps little spell — Here’s another site that stands out from the crowd. Rather than simply host or display comics like other sites, this site is comics. HTML is central to the experience of the comics that make up a maps little spell. It is based on, designed around, integrated with, and dependent on links and linking. Craghead is a natural born experimenter and, while there are several instances of traditional (if experimental) comics scanned and posted, it appears that, taking the site as a whole, he is attempting here to adapt analytical cubism to cyberspace, a risky endeavor to be sure, but one that he clearly enjoys. While there are plenty of HTML-based narrative forms out there, Craghead’s employment of cubism is fairly unique and if any are bold enough to build on what is here, it could lead to further possiblities for comics. So, if you feel like taking a chance, then take a stroll through this site and see where it takes you. The Holy Consumption — Web home to Jeffrey Brown, John Hankiewicz, Paul Hornschemeier and Anders Nilsen. Graphics, comics, sketches, and all-around off-beat weirdness are to be found in abundance here. Hark! A Vagrant — Kate Beaton’s phenomenally popular – and very funny (thus the popularity…) – online comics series spoofing historical figures both real and literary is entirely archived here; over 300 pieces and counting! The USS Catastrophe — A hub site for a great group of independent cartoonists including many promising talents; notable among them Kevin Huizenga and Dan Zettwoch. Expand your horizons, take a trip on the USS Catastrophe. Well worth a visit– things are happening here. New Bodega — The hep cats comics blog that is comics — “in progress, finished, or never started.” Contributors include Jordan Crane, Jef Czekaj, Tom Devlin, Megan Kelso, Barc Mell (Marc Bell ?), Paper Rad, Brian Ralph, Ron Rege, Jr., and Kurt Wolfgang. Dash Shaw-– Mr. Shaw is one of the most interesting — not to mention talented — of today’s younger cartoonists. Visit his website and you’ll quickly discover why. Make sure you visit his work in progress, Bodyworld, and if you find that you like what you’re seeing, make sure to go back and start at the beginning. Connor Willumsen – Get ready for a sizeable selection of new and interesting work from this up and coming talent. Worth a look! What Things Do – This is an AMAZING new online comics site. Founded by Jordan Crane, it features high-quality full size scans of great old and new comics by the likes of Sammy Harkham, John Porcellino, Ted May, Steve Weissman, Abner Dean, and, of course, Mr. Crane himself. The site also promises comics by John Pham, Ben Jones and Gabrielle Bell, “Coming Soon!” Studygroup – Great, regularly updated site filled with new comics that will knock your socks off. What are you waiting for? Check it out! Pedagogical The National Association of Comics Arts Educators — A remarkable resource, the NACAE is a true boon to any and all individuals and institutions involved in teaching comics, cartooning, and visual storytelling of any kind. Their teaching resources are invaluable, especially the syllibi. Anyone currently involved — or planning to be involved, or even contemplating involvement — in any sort of teaching that engages comics in any way should head to this site right this very second! ImageText — Now in their fifth year of publication, ImageText is a truly excellent resource. They’ve really done it right here: well written, thoroughly researched essays, reviews, articles, interviews, presentations of conference papers, and more; all fully annotated and complete with bibiliographies (when appropriate). This site is a goldmine for for comics scholars and anyone else ready, willing and able to fig deeper into the signs, meaning, methods and practices embedded in and employed by comics, cartoons, and their creators. Written by top comics acedemics as well as practicing cartoonists and comics artists and writers. There’s something for everyone here. Fully Archived! Highly recommended. ComicsResearch.org — Featuring The Comics Scholarship Annotated Bibliographies — The Comics Scholarship Annotated Bibliographies (CSAB) cover book-length works about comic books and comic strips, from “fannish” histories to academic monographs. This site was designed to provide more information and guidance on such books than you’d normally find in a library catalogue entry. Comics Research Bibliography — This is an international bibliography of comic books, comic strips, animation, caricature, cartoons, bandes dessinees, and related topics, that welcomes any additions or comments. As of the latest major update (October 2005), there are approximately 18,500 entries in the bibliography. And it’s searchable! Film Genre: Comic Books, Graphic Novels and Film – Syllabus — While we’re thinking of syllibi, here’s one for the class taught by the in-house Coapcetic comics scholar. The objective of this class is for the student to gain an understanding and an appreciation of the respective values and mutual relationships of comics and film. Here’s a PDF of the class suggested reading list. Exercises in Style — By Matt Madden, this is a must-visit site for any practicing cartoonist/comics artist. Madden is the reigning comics formalist and there are insights aplenty to be gained by a visit here as Madden takes the same simple domestic episode and presents it in the style of a wide variety of comics artists and schools. The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art — And let’s not forget the pioneer! Joe Kubert’s school has now been up and running for over a quarter century and can count many well known comics and animation professional among its alumni. Support Network The National Cartoonists Society — This society is primarily geared towards those involved with producing comic strips for the newspapers, but any comics fan is bound to find something of interest here. National Cartoonists Society Foundation — The National Cartoonists Society Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) charity that works in tandem with the NCS to advance the ideals and standards of the cartooning profession, to stimulate and encourage aspiring cartoonists through scholarships and educational programs, and to provide financial assistance to cartoonists and their families in times of hardship. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund — Founded in 1986 as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for members of the comics community. Comics Publishers NOTE: While these publishers do sell directly over the web, we here at The Copacetic Comics Company just want to remind you that we carry or can order for you anything on these sites and will offer a minimum of 10% — 15% – 20% in most cases– off of the retail prices that you would be charged if you ordered direct. Fantagraphics Books — Home to comics maestros Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, Dan Clowes, Chris Ware, Robert Crumb, Joe Sacco, and many more. Drawn and Quarterly — The premiere Canadian comics publisher. Home to comics iconoclasts Chester Brown, David Collier, Julie Doucet, Seth, Adrian Tomine, Dylan Horrocks, and now Kevin Huizenga and Anders Nilsen and more. Picture Box — You want some Art Comics? Well then, Picture Box is your boy! Home to Pittsburgh’s own Frank Santoro as well as Brian Chippendale, Chris Forgues, Paper Rad, Gary Panter, Peter Blegvad, Julie Doucet, Marc Bell and more. This is a publisher to watch. Adhouse Books — Home to Pulpatoon Pilgramage, Project: Telstar, Project: Superior, the upcoming Project: Romantic and much more to come. Buenaventura Press — A budding arthouse of comics. New publisher of Kramers Ergot and Comic Art Magazine. Sadly, now out of business… Top Shelf Productions — The mighty upstart US alternative comics publisher. Taking the hefty profits from their US rights to Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s mega-hit graphic novel, From Hell, and plowing them back into the fertile field of indy-comics, Chris Staros and Brett Warnock fight for truth, justice and the American Way (in their own inimitable fashion, of course). Home to James Kochalka, Craig Thompson, Pete Sickman-Garner, and other new and less well-known comics creators. Alternative Comics — Home to a slew of established and up-and-coming alternative cartoonists and host to an abundance of, what else, alternative comics! Publisher, Jeff Mason & Co. have been responsible for suppporting and promoting a number of important artists as they were up and coming and have published and continue to publish quite a bit of excellent work. :01 – First Second — The most successful of the recent entries into the wonderful world of graphic novel publishing, First Second seems to know what they are doing. They’ve gotten off to a strong start and they contue to put out an ever expanding catalogue of engaging quality work with (genrally) European leanings that place it on the aesthetic spectrum somewhere between D & Q and NBM, as well as running parallel (in places) with Pantheon’s graphic novel line. Definitely worth a look. Ponent Mon — A Spanish publisher of French inflected Japanese manga that are co-published in English by British publisher Fanfare. A truly international operation! What you’ll find here is a small but growing selection of nice, high quality graphic novels, serials and anthologies that contain some of the most engaging contemporary comics on the market. Includes our personal favorite, The Walking Man, by Jiro Taniguchi. Copacetic stocks all Ponent Mon/Fanfare titles published in English. Sparkplug Comic Books — The entrepreneurial alter ego of Dylan Wiliiams, Sparkplug publishes a small but excellent line of comics for the thinking person. Jeff Levine, John Hankiewicz, Eric Haven , Mats!?, Austin English, Ted May, Philip Barret and Dylan’s own work all have a cozy, well-produced home here, and we carry it all, here at Copacetic. Tugboat Press — It’s the little press that could! Publisher of the wonderful (and regularly published!) anthology title, Papercutter, and a growing catalogue of funky indies. Red Ink — Micro-press brainchild of Jordan Crane, this little-engine-that-could presents work well worth looking into. And while visiting, don’t miss the opportunity to download their quite valuable yet freely offered PDF file of A Comic Artist’s Guide to Reproduction. TwoMorrows — This is the Home page for the publishers of The Jack Kirby Collector, Comic Book Artist, Alter Ego, Comicology and Draw magazines. Slave Labor Graphics — Home to Evan Dorkin and other minor luminaries of indie comics publishing. Dark Horse Comics — Home to Sock Monkey, Concrete, and many other characters as well as comics creators Frank Miller, Geoff Darrow, and others. Marvel — Alright, alright, here it is; but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Home to the Fantastic Four, the Amazing Spider-Man, the Uncanny X-Men, the Incedible Hulk and a cast of Thousands (Sam Thousands, that is, from Long Neck, NJ). DC — Ditto, for this one. Home to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and more characters than any team of trademark lawyers could ever hope to keep track of. Archie — Well, believe it or not, we saved the best for last. This one actually has more going on than all the rest! Ideal for the younger comics fan, and the only comics site that has any appeal to young girls. And it’s cute to boot! Home to Archie & Jughead, Betty & Veronica, Reggie and the rest. Come back to Riverdale… Comics Pittsburgh Frank Santoro – Check out what’s up with Frank as he posts comics, drawings, writings, paintings and more here on his Cold Heat Comics blog. Jim Rugg – There’s plenty of fine comics and illustration work on view here from this amazing Pittsburgh-based talent. Well worth a visit. But that’s just the ground floor – to really keep up to minute with this prodigious talent, make sure to visit his Live Journal, where you’ll see all of Jim’s latest work. It’s a must! Ed Piskor’s Comics & Stories – It’s just like the title says, only moreso! There’s a ton of stuff here by the hardest working man in Pittsburgh’s comics biz, including well over 100 pages of comics! 741.5 Comics— You can spend an eternity here, at Dave “the knave” White’s seemingly inexhaustible site. Unicorn Mountain — Hub of happenning Pittsburgh creativeness centering on comics, music, performance, parties and more. Tom Scioli — Drop in and see what the creator of Godland and The Myth of 8-Opus is up to. Jasen Lex — Check in with the creator of Science Fair, The Gypsy Lounge and much more. Wayno — Veteran Pittburgh comics artist and illustrator shows off his ample wares on this jam packed website. Mark Zingarelli’s House of Zing — Whether you’re an aspiring artist looking for some pointers, or an art director looking for pro, you’ll find what you’re looking for here. back to top ART & LITERATURE The Fairvale Public Library — With Flannery at the helm you know there’ll always be something worthwhile to connect with. Contains links to the major online collections of literature. Survey the Western canon without leaving your computer. Nothing to buy (although it may lead you to consider that maybe there’s something to those eBooks and RocketBooks, after all). No assembly is required (but varying degrees of navigation are). WebMuseum, Paris — Don’t miss this if you like fine art. Lots of links to tons of great work. A caveat here is that the image size (not just file size) is large — 800 x 800 pixels and up) and while this provides images of higher than usual resolution, it disables all but those with the largest monitors from seeing the entire image at a glance. This is a small quibble, but nonetheless germane to your experience of this link. That said, you won’t want to miss this Cezanne Exhibit, just for starters. Then there’s the AMAZING close-up details on some paintings. Check out this look at Pollock’s Full Fathom Five. And don’t forget to check out Stuart Davis, the most copacetic of them all. Mark Harden’s Artchive — You could spend quite a while at this site exploring all the art they have available for perusal. Tons of great stuff, decently reproduced and viewable in pop-up windows. A true Virtual Art Museum. There are, however, some glaring omissions. Stuart Davis and Romare Bearden, just for starters… Artcyclopedia: The Fine Art Search Engine — Handy resource. Regularly updated. Check it out. You could start with Andy Warhol, Romare Bearden, or how about Wassily Kandinsky? AbsoluteArts.com — A web hub for the DIY art world. Check out amateur and semi-pro artworks ranging from the totally obscure to the completely unknown alomg with the occasional, “hey, wait a minute, I know that guy/gal!”; or post your own art work on the site at no charge. Also contains a regurlarly updated section of links to art exhibits around the world and regional art news links to the art scenes in many major cities, including Pittsburgh. Jim Breen’s Ukiyo-E Gallery — A fabulous selection of full-screen size images of Ukiyo-e prints by masters such as Hiroshige, Hokusai, Utamaro, and about a dozen others. Comes complete with an equally fabulous selection of pertinent links. If you would like to experience and explore the centuries old tradition of Japanese wood-block printing and the “Floating World” from which it received its name, then this is the place to start. The Woodblock Prints of Ando Hiroshige — Go here now! Maxfield Parrish Online Gallery — Great selection of images along with some good links(although several have expired). The Rockwell Gallery Collection of Norman Rockwell Art — Nice site, holding approximately 100 images, each individually enlargeable. The Loomis Project (now defunct – but still accessible — see note below) — Andrew Loomis was one of the all time great instructors of classic illustration techniques. His greatest work for the general public was Figure Drawing for All It’s Worth. Sadly (not to mention inexplicably: “Hello, Pearson PLC — WAKE UP!”), this great work has been out of print for over two decades. Now, amazingly– through the good graces of Yoyodyne Production Systems– this masterwork has been posted on the web IN ITS ENTIRETY and full-size to boot. PLEASE NOTE: Amazingly, even though the Loomis Project is no more, you can stil access it via the one and only Wayback Machine, by clicking right here. All the links are — or at least were when we posted this — still active and take you to a recreation of the entire site. Incroyable! Illuminated Manuscripts from the Collection of the Bodleian Library of Oxford University –There’s about a thousand images culled from one of the world’s most important collections of illuminated manuscripts. The William Blake Archive — Awe-inspiring William Blake resource. It’s all here. It may take you a little while to figure out how it works, but it’s well worth the effort. William Faulkner on the Web –Fabulous All-Faulkner Site with an heavily interlinked site architecture that structurally mirrors the interconnection of Faulkner’s literary works. Tender Buttons: Gertrude Stein Online — A very nice site devoted to the study and promulgation of Stein and her works. The Ralph Ellison Webliography — A good place to start to learn more about one of the most insightful thinkers and writers of the 20th century. Online Center for Gidean Studies— If you’re into André Gide then chances are you’re already familiar with this site; if not, then you’re in for a treat. If, on the other hand, you’re only superficially aware of Gide and would like to learn more, then this super site by local web-whiz Todd Sanders, is certainly the place to start. And while you’re at it, you might want to check out his other site, french lit. research Blackmask.com — Did you ever wonder where all the old pulp novels went? Yes, you’ve guessed it, they’re now on-line. The Shadow, Doc Savage, The Avenger and many others, along with much, much more in the way of literary production are all available to read– at no cost– online from Blackmask.com. Check it out! back to top SCIENCE FICTION Majic 12— Describes as well as promotes the integration of science fiction into society in general and popular culture in specific. Created and managed by Pittsburgh-based pop-culture maven, Phillip Shropshire– who does not shy away from expressing his own views in essays, fiction and art as well as in his many reviews (including those for Locus.com)– Majic 12 will link you to many of the facets of SF on the web. To experience the full brunt of Shropshire’s rhetorical onslaught, check out his dissenting opinion on Harlan Ellison’s latest lawsuit. Full Disclosure: You might notice a plug for this site on Majic 12; if Spy magazine were still around we would qualify for “Log-Rolling In Our Time.” Science Fiction Resource Guide — Links to all things SF, last updated 13 November 2000. Dr. Sparks’ Science Fiction Site at Clemson , 2001 Edition — An engaging amalgam of Professor and student SF Sites. James Tiptree, Jr. World Wide Website — Good introduction — with time-line and bibliography — of the science fiction author whose works address crucial issues that are currently being almost totally ignored; to our great peril. While practically all her works are currently — and criminally — out of print, they are easily found on ABE and half.com. American Pulp Magazines Cover Gallery — This site offers a mind-boggling selection of American Science FIction, Fantasy & Horror pulp magazine covers from the 1920s through the 1950s. Included are huge runs of such seminal pulps as Amazing Stories and Weird Tales. The site is hosted by L’ENCYCLOPEDIE FRANCOPHONE DE LA SF, so the text is all in French, but it’s fairly easy to navigate as the titles are still in English. Just click on the thumbnail images for a full size scan of the cover. It’s amazing! And, if you feel like even more, scroll to the bottom of the opage for even more!!! back to top BOOKS & PERIODICALS Arts & Letters Daily — This is a really, really great site — one of the best on the web — it links to EVERYTHING. Check it out! Arthur Mag — The heppest mag around. Where else could you find articles like this one on the dawning realization that the world’s bacteria is Eartth’s dominant species? Yes! — This quarterly print magazine also has a strong online presence, and both are dedicated to “Building a Just and Sustainable World.” Highly recommended to anyone interested in building a better tomorrow (which should be everyone, right?). For starters, check out this excellent climate solutions resource guide prepared for the Spring 2008 issue. The New Yinzer — Pittsburgh’s very own online magazine. And it’s all archived online! with a user friendly interface! The High Hat — A great online magzine that provides excellent critical studies of so many facets of American culture that it manages to put to rest once and for all the whole notion of high and low; if it’s good, it’s good, and that’s all there is to it. Includes Chris Lanier’s superb comics critiques on the likes of Fort Thunder/Matt Brinkman and Ron Rege’s Skibber Bee Bye. McSweeney’s — Well, most people seem to fall into two camps concerning McSweeney’s: either they’re into it or they aren’t; those who are into it probably already know about their site, and those who aren’t probably wouldn’t care to know; but, as always, there are some people who fall into neither camp — if you consider yourself one of them, then this link’s for you! Gearhead Magazine — Whether you suffer from LaVella nostalgia, or are interested in his freewheeling amalgamation of muscle cars and Let-The-Good-Times-Rock-‘N’-Roll music, all done in the DIY spirit that is punk rock’s greatest legacy, this is the site for you. And don’t forget to check out Gearhead Radio™. PopMatters — Yes, this is a big budget, commercial, advertising-driven site, but, that said, it’s about as hep as they come, and has a regular comics feature, so we have to say: it’s worth a look. On what other commercial site will you find in-depth pieces on Julie Doucet and Harvey Pekar, as well as Brooklyn-based troubadour (and ex-pat Pittsburgher) Reid Paley? Rain Taxi: Online Edition — A well written online journal that covers areas likely to of interest to Copacetic Customers. This link will take you to the archive. For the latest issue, click here. Smokebox — a non-profit, bimonthly e-zine. Much interesting reading. Wayne Wise’s Web-Site — Learn more about Wayne Wise– the Pittsburgh area comic book store clerk who made good– and his new novel, King of Summer, which is now available for purchase at the Copacetic Comics Company and other fine retail establishments, as well as direct from Wayne himself. Slate — “Why Slate?” you might well ask. “Everybody already knows about Slate. And, doesn’t, like, Microsoft™ own it, or something?” Well, the answer to “Why Slate?” is pretty much this: they gave James Sturm a week-long Journal to plug the launch of The Center for Cartoon Studies. It’s archived, so you can still read the whole thing, starting here. back to top MUSIC TV Radio World: Your Internet Broadcast Directory and Listing of Radio Television Stations on the Web — Whether you want to locate a particular station on the web, or just want to explore what’s out there, make this site your first stop. And despite the fact that this is listed under music, there’s a lot more besides that you can connect with here. The BBC — While we’re on the subject of the world of radio, we would be quite remiss not to provide you with a direct link to what is, in all liklihood, its single most important broadcasting source–The BBC. This page will not only fill you on what’s happenning but will allow you to immediately connect and listen in to BBC 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and more. Classical Net — An exhaustive database of classical music. Whether you’re a life-long devotee, an afficianado, or a novice, it’s worth your while to check out this site when in search of anything pertaining to classical music (at least, of the Western world, anyway). The Classical Music Department of the WWW Virtual Library — This is a hub site with zillions of links to the world of classical music. Bob Keller’s Jazz Page — An amazing array of links dedicated to furthering your awareness of all things jazz. Well worth a visit. The Red Hot Jazz Archive — Jazz before 1930. An awesome site with viewable short early jazz films, essays, info on early jazz pioneers, and… OVER 2000 CLASSIC JAZZ TUNES in Real Audio 3 format for your listening pleasure! These are complete recordings, NOT excerpts. If you don’t know where to start, we suggest getting in on the ground floor with Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five. JazzDisco.org — If you have a discographical question concerning jazz, make this your first stop. Who played what, when, with who, for what label? Trying to find a record can’t remember the label? Trying to find a song and can’t remember the record? Trying to find a record, can only rembmer the name of the song? These and many other questions maly be answered here. This fully indexed and searchable database is a labor of love compilied and maintained by the Jazz Discography Project (Nobuaki Togashi, Kohji ‘Shaolin’ Matsubayashi andMasayuki Hatta). All Reet! Satchography.com — The Louis Armstrong Discography and more. Excellent site dedicated to the recordings of Louis Armstrong. Amazing cut by cut and take by take details of every single one of Louis’s recording sessions. There’s enough info here to keep you checking the bins at Jerry’s Records for the rest of your life. It’s very comforting, in a way, going through this site, knowing that no matter how much Louis one might manage to get a hold of there will always be a new surprise waiting. The Duke Ellington Society — This one has moved around a bit and is currently being reconstructed. There’s an older version, here. The Official Raymond Scott Site — Learn more about the composer of Powerhouse and other quirky unpigeonholeable compositions. If you don’t know anything about Scott or want to learn more, here’s where to start. Miles Ahead: The Miles Davis Website — Everything you wanted to know about the work of Miles Davis. It also has incorporated the Charlie Parker Discography. BobDylan.com — The All-Bob Site, including complete song lyrics and one minute RealPlayer™ music files of many (all?) his Columbia Records/Sony Music releases. An excellent site definitely worth checking out. The Internet Beatles Album — A fairly interesting and well designed Beatles site. The Complete Beatles Lyrics Axis: A Jimi Hendrix Experience — The best place to start for Hendrix on the web. Includes a Lyrics page, although it’s unlikely to be complete as Hendrix’s releases are so scattered that a few invariably seem to fall through the cracks. Independent Lens on Parliament Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove — This is a link page for all things Parliament Funkadelic, one that will help bring you up to speed on the truly amazing conglomeration of musical and spiritual genius that is P-Funk. Of special note is The Motherpage, an jam packed info page full of funky facts and figures. David Bowie Wonderworld — All you ever wanted to know about David Bowie and then some. Up to the minute account of everything Bowie. If you suffer from a Bowie obsession, then this could be the site for you. Including the complete lyrics (However,this page takes a long time to load. For an alternative, you could try the complete searchable lyrics from Teenage Wildlife: The Interactive David Bowie Fanpage.) A Patti Smith Babelogue — The All-Patti Site, including complete lyrics. Gillian Welch’s Official Home Page — Take a few moments to familiarize yourself with one of the best. Click here for her discography, which includes not only her four studio albums — Revival, Hell Among the Yearlings,Time (The Revelator) and Soul Journey (All currently in stock at The Copacetic Comics Co.), but numerous appearances on compilation and soundtrack albums. Gillian Welch and her musical partner David Rawlings are producing some truly moving music. If you’d like to know more, click here for a Gillian Welch capsule bio wriitten at the time of the release of her first album, Revival, in 1996. Joe Henry — Do yourself a favor and get hep to this cat. There’s a lot on this site, including videos — one of a complete live show — sample tracks, blogs, liner notes, archived NPR shows, and more reviews of his latest LP,Civilians, than you can shake a stick at. back to top PITTSBURGH MUSIC SCENE (BAND & LABEL) SITES The Deliberate Strangers — Corrallng spirits driving hard out of Appalachia and points unknown, The Deliberate Stangers mix it up with the Dark Side to save your soul. Reid Paley — Well, yes, technically, The Reid Paley Trio is not a Pittsburgh band; but seeing as how Reid both penned and continues to sing the line, “I must’ve left my heart in Pittsburgh,” after having resided here for over a decade, we’d say that he continues to be a part of the Pittsburgh music scene, if only in spirit, wouldn’t you? The Modey Lemon — Check out these crazy rock ‘n’ roll kids! Anti-Flag — These guys have moved beyond the category, but since they’re rooted in and still based in the ‘burgh, here they are. Punk’s not dead! Cenotaph Audio — Yes, it’s true: A local label specializing in music that is quite off the beaten path, some of which is actually produced here in the ‘burgh. Check it out and see if you think it’s up your alley. CINÉMA The one and only Internet Movie Database –One of the best resources on the web. If it’s information pertaining to any and all films you are looking for, it’s all here. Everything. Really. On the other hand, most films available for sale have links to Amazon.com, trying to lure your business away from your friendly neighborhood retail outlet, such as, for example, The Copacetic Comics Company. So before clicking on “add to cart” at Amazon.com give us a call or send us an email and see if we can meet or beat their price on DVDs. The Big Cartoon Data Base — Doing for cartoons what IMDB does for movies. If you’re into cartoons, you’ll definitely want to bookmark this one. Tens of thousands of cartoons are indexed. Awesome! The Prelinger Film Archives — Well, for all of you folks out there with”fat pipes” — otherwise known as high speed connections to the internet — have we got a site for you! This one archives tons of obscure gems from the hidden history of American cinema. It truly boggles the mind. Better put in a good supply of food and drink before connecting to this one; it may be awhile before you can tear yourself away. UbuWeb Online Film & Video Archives — Included are complete viewable-on-line films by the likes of Maya Deren, George Kuchar (almost all his classics are here!), Jack Smith (Flaming Creatures!), Dziga Vertovand many, many more! Yes, the quality of the viewing experience leaves a lot to be desired, but still, c’mon — this is quite a resource. Mondo Digital — This is a great site for anyone looking to expand their cinematic horizons and/or dig deeper into the cinematic underworld. Mondo Digital focuses on the “weird and wild cinema” and does a good job of it. There are hundreds of reviews accompanied by choice screen shots of a wide variety of films from off the beaten path. The home page features the latest reviews, but at the bottom there are links to the archives and more. Worth a look. Really Good Films — This is a really good site for any film fanatic or cinephile. Really! It’s hard to believe. There must be a catch somewhere. Enjoy it now before they are forced to either sell out or close down. Scope — An entirely free online journal of film studies. Lots of interesting articles that you can sink your intellectual teeth into. Full text of all articles online! BUBL LINK / 5:15 Catalogue of Internet Resources: Film studies — A great link page for film resources on the web. The Roland Collection of Films & Videos on Art — We weren’t sure what category to list this under, but put it here because these are films, after all. There are an amazing 48 programs on art and artists stored on this site, with — even more amazing — a special focus on comics! Requires an up-to-date RealPlayer to view. The Criterion Collection — The DVD label for connoisseurs. We’re doing our best to get and keep their titles in stock, so check with us after you check with them. The British Film Institute Fellini Internet Fan Club Derek Malcom’s Century of FiIm The Unofficial Monty Python Home Page — Well, Monty Python may not exactly qualify as cinéma, but it certainly rates as one of life’s joys. This is probably the best place to start for Python on the web. KID STUFF The ALA Great Sites for Kids page — Here’s a hub page of sites recommended for children put together by the folks at the American Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children. Chelmsford Library: Children’s Page – Book recommendations, links to kid-friendly sites, learning resources and more. Elder Scrolls Online: Guide to Internet Resources for Kids – A selection of links to kid friendly sites; each with a description (a bit like what is here at Copacetic Links, but even more in depth). Technology and Young Children – Online resources are listed here to help parents and caregivers find information on best practices regarding technology use with young children in the home. Dav Pilkey’s Web Site O’ Fun! — Extreme silliness from the author/illustrator of Captain Underpants,Cat Kong, Dogzilla,and many other books for kids. back to top HISTORY & SOCIETY WorldChanging.com — They say: “WorldChanging.com works from a simple premise: that the tools, models and ideas for building a better future lie all around us. That plenty of people are working on tools for change, but the fields in which they work remain unconnected. That the motive, means and opportunity for profound positive change are already present. That another world is not just possible, it’s here. We only need to put the pieces together.” Renowned author, Bruce Sterling says: “The most important web site on the planet.” Check it out and see if you agree. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project at Stanford University — This is a really great site that everyone could stand to visit at least once. back to top INTERNET RESOURCES Wikipedia — Well, we kinda’ figure that you probably already know about this one, but, if not, you’ll be happy to learn that it is a multilingual project to create a complete and accurate [a claim that is highly controversial]free content encyclopedia. The site started in January 2001 and — as of 15 February 2008 — had posted 2,239,877 articles in the English version, all of which are, theoretically at least, constantly being updated and revised. Visit the help page and experiment in the sandbox to learn how you can edit any article right now. WordReference.com — And, speaking of multilingual. If you need help tranlating a word from French, Italian and/or Spanish into English — or vice versa — this site is your boy! FreeTranslation.com — This site actually translates entire blocks of text — we’re not sure what the upper limit is — for no cost. The translation is what they term a “gist” translation in that it should be enough to give you an idea of what the text is saying but it will be very clunky — like it was written by someone who takes pleasure in flouting the rules of grammar and has some serious pronoun issues. But hey, it can be very helpful when you’re in a pinch. The Internet Archive — Use the Wayback Machine™ to visit 85 billion web pages that have been digitally archived. Miss an old website that’s no longer around? It’s here! All you need to know is the original URL and you’re good to go. AMAZING! BUBL LINK / 5:15 — Selected Internet resources covering all academic subject areas. You could spend every waking moment of the rest of your life and still not exhaust all the resources assembled here in a simple to navigate, easy to understand, and efficiently organized site that presents an astounding collection of primo links to resources informing a truly stunning array of topics and subjects. Voice of the Shuttle: Web Page for Humanities Research — An excellent complement to BUBL Link. A bit less elegant but a lot more personal as it is primarily the work of one man, Alan Liu. A fascinating resource. Questia.com — The World’s Largest Online Library; or so they say… Digital Librarian: a librarian’s choice of the best of the Web — A great selection of links well organized and thoughtfully presented. The San Antonio College Library Learning Resource Center Page Devoted to Art, Architecture and Fashion History — A links-page that will connect you to interesting web sites that give background information and (even more) links to art and artists, art history, clip art, digital images, museums, architecture and architects, fashion history and costumes, comics and cartoon strips, and handicrafts and home improvement. A great resource, that’s regularly updated. UbuWeb — This is a truly awe inspiring site filled with a hard-to-believe abundance of all things avant-garde and outsider. Art, poetry, mp3 sound archives, and so much more. Make sure you visit their truly mind boggling selection of classic avant garde & experimental film. Included are complete viewable-on-line films by the likes of Maya Deren, George Kuchar (almost all his classics are here!), Jack Smith (Flaming Creatures!), Dziga Vertovand many, many more! Yes, the quality of the viewing experience leaves a lot to be desired, but still, c’mon — this is quite a resource. Feel like exploring online? These sites are designed to provide you with a place to start your trek: — Yahoo Picks — Yahoo Directory: New for the Day — Memepool — Metafilter — Internet Scout Report — Librarian’s Index to the Internet — Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching back to top WEB LIFE BoingBoing – A Directory of Wonderful Things is how they describe themselves, and it’s an apt description. Most wonderful of all is the amount of new material they manage to post every single day. Whenever you’re feeling zoned out and looking for a distraction, this is a site to keep in mind. And if you’re looking for some serious distraction, you can really go to town here as it’s fully archived! Retro Lounge — There’s something for everybody here in this endless online remembrance of things past. Gravity Lens — “Observations from a Distance by Jeff Patterson.” This is what blogging is about: A daily digest of fully interlinked bits from all over the web that are found to be of interest by the Blog’s author and those whose interests overlap at least at some point. Well done and, well, interesting. World Wide Words — Michael Quinion’s site on the wide world of the English language is, in our opinion, the best site going for word freaks. Many an idle moment can be profitably spent here by anyone with a passion for language and language history; or, for that matter, by anyone who is just curious about words, their origins, their history and their usage. There are so many fascinating examples here that we feel confident that just about anyone who likes to read will benefit from partaking in Quinion’s joy of exploration and discovery in the wide world of words, which is, when all is said and done, perhaps the widest world of them all. Be sure to check outtopical words, turns of phrase, and our personal favorite, weird words The Amateur — Pete Blegvad strikes again with another brilliant website. Mind expanding. Virtual Parks — If you’re ever in the mood for a five minute virtual nature retreat this may do the trick. Note: might be more trouble than it’s worth for those without a broadband connection (on the other hand you could imagine that the download time is the virtual equivalent of the leisurely drive to your vacation getaway). BugGuide.net — If you’re interested in insects, then this site will boggle your mind with the immensity of its resources — especially all the great photographic images — all assembled just for you, and available to access 24/7. The navagation is multi-levelled and may take a moment or two to figure out, but it is designed to provide insight into the interconnectivity of the species, genera, families, etc. Bug out! Tree of Life Web Project — “The Tree of Life Web Project is a collection of information about biodiversity compiled collaboratively by hundreds of expert and amateur contributors. Its goal is to contain a page with pictures, text, and other information for every species and for each group of organisms, living or extinct. Connections between Tree of Life web pages follow phylogenetic branching patterns between groups of organisms, so visitors can browse the hierarchy of life and learn about phylogeny and evolution as well as the characteristics of individual groups.” All we have to add is, “WOW!” The Philosophy of Pattern: The Philosophy Homepage of Jaap Bax — Look out Loretta! If you like to be intellectually stimulated and/or challenged and you have a block of free time you’re not sure what to do with, you might want to check this one out. But beware! There’s a vortexical quality to this site that might pull you in deeper than you expect. back to top POLITICS Your Vote Matters — Here’s a site where you can register to vote, right now. It’s a secure (https://) site brought to you by the folks at Working Assets. If you’re already registered to vote, great! If not, you owe it to yourself, your country and your world to not just register, but to vote as well. Thanks! Federal Election Committee — This is their official site, where they have .pdf files of all the information and forms you’ll need: to get registered to vote yourself, and, if you’re interested, to help other people get registered as well; and not only that: you’ll gain some insight into the entire process as well. This is how it works. Are you trying hard to make informed political decisions but having trouble getting straight, unfiltered information from the mainstream media outlets? These sites may help: http://c-span.org/ http://campaigndesk.org/ http://mediamatters.org/ http://dailyhowler.com/ Check them out and see what you think. MoveOn.org — A great site for people who like to get involved. This site also hosts many important texts, none more so than the full text of Al Gore’s speech of May 26, 2004. Thank you for voting! back to top Charity/NGO sites Oxfam America — If you want to help make the more copacetic, this is a very good place to start. Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, few if any groups accomplish more with their resources. Working around the world and around the clock, Oxfam works to help people build lives that they will be happy to live. The International Rescue Committee — “Founded in 1933 , the IRC is a global leader in emergency relief, rehabilitation, protection of human rights, post-conflict development, resettlement services and advocacy for those uprooted or affected by violent conflict and oppression.” The IRC gets our vote for the best organization devoted to alleviating suffering on the ground. Union of Concerned Scientists — If you would like to support smart people trying to make the world a smarter– not to mention better– place, then this is your NGO. They are especially focused right now on promoting the understanding of how a simple, technologically feasible step like encouraging consumers to buy and car manufacturers to produce more fuel efficient cars can have so many far-reaching and long-lasting positive effects, such as helping the environment, lowering the gigantic trade deficit of the USA, and lowering our dependence on foreign oil and thereby improving our leverage in the Middle East. American Indian College Fund — Of all those organizations that exist to help the American Indian, this is the one we found to be the most direct and efficacious: The money goes to American Indian run tribal colleges to support and assist American Indians as they gain a higher education which they can then in turn use towards rebuilding American Indian society. Feeding America – Spends its time and money transporting excess food (yes, America is indeed the land of plenty) that would otherwise go to waste to food pantires around the country – such as the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank – who then distribute it to the hungry. Sounds like a good idea to us. and here are some sites to guide you through the charity landscape: Give.Org : The BBB Wise Giving Alliance The American Institute of Philanthropy Charity Navigator The Charity Commission for England and Wales back to top Alternative Energy Resources EERE: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy — Here’s the U.S. Department of Energy’s official Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website. You can really learn a lot about what’s going on here. Of special note: The Solar Energy Technologies Program. REN21: Renewable Energy and Policy Network for the 21st Century — REN21 is a global policy network aimed at providing a forum for international leadership on renewable energy. Its goal is to allow the rapid expansion of renewable energies in developing and industrial countries by bolstering policy development and decision-making on sub-national, national and international levels. Interstate Renewable Energy Council — The Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s mission is to accelerate the sustainable utilization of renewable energy sources and technologies in and through state and local government and community activities. The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) — is a national organization dedicated to advancing the use of solar energy for the benefit of U.S. citizens and the global environment. ASES promotes the widespread near- and long-term use of solar energy. Solar Nation — “Where citizens rally and convince their leaders to make America a true Solar Power.” This is THE site to go to to join the effort to get involved in shaping the policy debate and encouraging our elected officials to see the light when it comes to the importance, value and necessity of fostering the nascent solar power industry. NWCC: National Wind Coordinating Committee — A U.S. consensus-based collaborative formed in 1994, the National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC) identifies issues that affect the use of wind power, establishes dialogue among key stakeholders, and catalyzes appropriate activities to support the development of environmentally, economically, and politically sustainable commercial markets for wind power. SEPA: The Solar Electric Power Association — SEPA is a collaboration of utilities, energy service providers and the photovoltaic industry working together to create and encourage commercial use of new solar electric power business models. SEPA helps to establish standards for photovoltaic systems and their interconnection to the utility grid, hosts cross-industry workshops, and manages educational and outreach campaigns. Solar Mosaic — Worthy ideas – as well as ways to implement them – about helping us all go solar; from Oakland, CA. Solar Buzz — Connect to solar energy companies worldwide, follow solar energy developments. or access their solarbuzz research and consultancy services. Renewable Energy Access — The alternate energy business hub site. ¡NEW¡ A Guide To Green Careers — Interested parties should check this out; there’s plenty to glean from this well organized, informative page; well worth a look! back to top PITTSBURGH INFO SITES Copacetic Pittsburgh — This is our own hub page for all things copacetic in and about Pittsburgh. Here we take a look at many of the fine creations by Pittsburghers and/or about Pittsburgh, including those on the web. The Carnegie Libraries of Pittsburgh — The greatest Pittsburgh resource of them all! Especially valuable is their resources page. Be forewarned, however, that sometimes their site is slow, due to the large amount of traffic sometimes overwhelming their underfunded servers. back to top That’s all for now. We’re working hard to add more as they come to our attention, so be sure to check back. If you have a site that you think would go well here just send it to: links and we’ll check it out. – BB P.S. Please let us know if any of these links are stale, dead, misdirected, or otherwise malfunctioning by sending a note about the link in question to webhead. Share this page: [...]

About

Posted on November 13, 2016May 2, 2019 by Comics Workbook

Here at Comics Workbook we’re testing a new type of learning institution for comics-making.

We are committed to:

the exploration of comics as a community form, rather than as a commodity form.
creating a hub for comics-making and writing about comics-making that emphasizes the healthy growth and development of its contributors and readers.
maintaining a space for makers by makers.

Got something you want to contribute?
Email me at juan@comicsworkbook.com. I’d love to hear about what’s on your mind.

– Juan Fernandez, Managing Editor

Share this page:

2 thoughts on “About”

Mikael says:

November 25, 2016 at 3:53 am

Hey
I’m in Pittsburgh for a couple of days from Melbourne and I was hoping to maybe come by the row house if somethings happening or if there’s anything I can check out? I don’t know if this is an unusual request but yeah I’m very keen!
Anyway, I’m in town until Sunday
Cheers!
Mikael

Reply
Pingback: Frank Santoro’s Grid Theories – Research and Enquiry

Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in Santoro SchoolTagged Comics Workbook

Comics Workbook

Posted on November 13, 2016May 2, 2019

Explore

Frank Santoro in Naples Italy 2018

Frank SantoroApril 18, 2018NewsThere are over 30 pages from Pompeii by Frank Santoro on display at the National Archeology Museum of Naples, in an exhibition which is being held in conjunction with Frank’s appearance as a special guest at the Naples Comicon (April 28-May 1 2018). The show opened yesterday (April 18th) at MANN and will continue until May 31st 2018. More details on the show can be found HERE. During Comicon Frank will be participating in a panel with Blutch, whose graphic novel Peplum also takes a look at Ancient Rome. Details on the panel are HERE. If you’re in the area, be sure to attend Comicon and meet Frank, and don’t miss the exhibition at MANN! … The Naples Comicon Instagram account was buzzing on May 18th, as famed Italian paleontologist Alberto Angela was caught at the National Archeological Museum of Naples looking at original artwork from Frank Santoro’s Pompeii (above). Alberto Angela is a popular TV presenter and commentator for science-based programs. He is the author of A Day in the Life of Ancient Rome, among other texts, and has lectured on the tragedy of Pompeii. He seemed taken by Frank’s depictions, or as the Naples Comicon put it, he “could not resist the charm of the show“. … There were two Italian news stories upon the opening of the show, with the director of MANN talking about Frank’s work and the exhibition. … There is a review and preview of Pompeii in Italian HERE. … Share this page: [...]

CREEP HIGHWAY & the CANDY BOYZ

Chris Anthony DiazMay 23, 2016The Diaz Archiveat the NAMING GALLERY & ElI’S MILE HIGH CLUB oakland, monday, october 6, 2014 shot & edited by chris anthony diaz featuring musical performances by michael deforge, patrick kyle, alvin buenaventura, simon hanselmann, marc arsenault and dylan dockstader Share this page: [...]

09/20/2018

Caleb OrecchioSeptember 19, 2018NewsCaleb Orecchio here with a few strips by Alex Toth and Cory Adams ————————————————————————————————— Cory Adams is one of the great American comic book colorists. She is right up there with Lynn Varley and Klaus Janson as far as I am concerned. She may even top them all. She was a maverick of coloring. The most famous book she colored was probably “Superman vs Muhammad Ali” working closely with her then-husband Neal Adams. She would continue to work with Neal and other great artists on various comic books including title’s Neal’s Continuity Comics. The other day I came across issues of Echo of Futurepast no. 6 and 7 from 1985 (a Continuity Comics anthology) where she colored two excellent Alex Toth stories. Torpedo is comic written by Spanish writer Enrique Sánchez Abulí and originally drawn by Alex Toth until he dropped out and was replaced by Jordi Bernet that was first serialized in 1981 in a Spanish horror comics magazine Creepy (I know ). Torpedo, like most great noir, is a black and white comic. According to the introduction of Torpedo’s debut in Echo of Futurepast, Continuity wanted to run Torpedo starting with its two initial Toth stories in Echo in color despite the author insisting the strip should be black and white. Then Continuity brought out their slugger, Cory Adams. She colored a sample page, someone from Continuity submitted the colored page in person, in Spain, and got the rights to print Torpedo in their magazine. The Abulí, Toth and Adams combo was a dream team I didn’t know I had. Abulí’s first Torpedo story, which I had never read before, was violent, sexy and grimly humorous. Toth’s art requires no description I trust but I must say that I am smitten with his use of the six-panel grid. Ever the minimalist, each panel is worth its own weight in gold, and the pages are pleasurable to look at an arm’s length away I think due to the pattern of square panels that make up each spread. You can hold it away from your face, squint and still enjoy the marks he’s made. Yet, it is Cory Adam’s colors that breathe a helluva lotta life into this comic. If you don’t pay that much attention her color won’t call attention itself, in a good way. It’s not intrusive. She makes it harmonize with Toth’s art in a way that feels natural, but obviously innovative to the keen reader’s eye. Adam’s colors add a layer of realism and drama that elevates the comic to a place slightly above the simple noir pastiche I think. Like I said before, and I’ll say it again, her colors give life and vibrance to dark and demented stories of murder-for-hire and jealousy and infidelity. Bright oranges and deep purples invigorate the images. Airbrushed gradients add depth and texture. Look at the page below’s bottom right panel. Ignore the brash language of a jealous mobster, but look how Adam’s makes use of the lamp to intensify Luke Torpedo’s anguish and isolation. Waiters and patrons look on in icy cool blue while our “hero” only has the lamp to keep him warm. And observe Adam’s subtle shading of the hands and face, it’s nothing short of masterful. Compare it to the black and white version I found floating around the internet, below the below image. Obviously, the black and white art is a masterpiece unto itself, but Cory Adams’ coloring transcends the black and white and I almost can’t consider the original art complete without the color now. ————————————————————————————————— 09-20-2018 – by Niall Breen Share this page: [...]

11/26/2018

Caleb OrecchioNovember 26, 2018NewsCaleb Orecchio here with the newest Love and Rockets release. ————————————————————————————————— Los Bros’ latest issue of Love and Rockets is here. Volume 4, No. 6 (or, as the front-page editorial notes, no. 84 overall). Each new release of L&R is an event in my house. Every issue to my estimation is worth its own weight in gold. Usually a satisfying 35 to 45 minute read. Pure joy. I don’t have much to say about the issue that wouldn’t reiterate what I’ve wrote about Gilbert and Jaime before. I simply see each issue as required reading. Although, I have to say, I am hit with the reality that, with the more cartoonists I meet, not everyone is reading the series religiously (!). Actually, I certainly understand why many don’t read it. For one, the long history and continuity of the title can be extremely daunting. For two, well, I will not show my hand but rather assume that everyone has their reasons. Regardless, this comic is the cornerstone of the alt-comics movement. Without L&R, there is no Fantaraphics as we know it today. Period. Something else I have noticed is that, due to the lack of cartoonists reading L&R, particularly the books from this millennium, cartoonists kind of “pretend” to read it. “Yes yes of course Love and Rockets is important. Yes I love Hopey. And uh Glory. Right? Jaime was really nice to me when I met him.” This is just a theory, but I think cartoonists love to say they read L&R like they love to say they never read Building Stories. There is pride in both. As if reading long, difficult works is something they are above. These are just some thoughts I had while reading the new issue of Love and Rockets. Cheers! ————————————————————————————————— Cement Mixer – 11-26-18 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

Anthologies

Comics WorkbookMay 1, 2017EssaysRM Rhodes – curator of the Heavy Metal Magazine tumblr – brings some thoughts on the history of anthologies. ————————————————————————————————— Anthologies and episodic publishing arrived in Western Europe at more or less the same time, which makes sense. When you have four partial stories, it’s easier to bundle them together in a common publication and tell customers that the next installments will be available in a week or a month. And it’s less risky to convince a reader that has already bought the first part of a story to buy the next part than it is to convince a reader to buy a story they’ve never seen. My point is that the anthology has been around for ages. It’s a very old, very versatile, very robust format. And that’s what makes the format interesting. First, let’s talk terms. An anthology is a collection of short works. In this context, the works are comics, sequential art, visual narrative, comics-adjacent storytelling, informatics and some other lumpy labels for stuff that tells a story with pictures. The meaning of “short” varies greatly. Half and full page stories are common. As are stories that last dozens of pages. Notice that there’s no requirement about whether the stories have to be complete. Nor is there one about whether the anthology is standalone. It is very common for anthologies to be released periodically over a pre-advertised schedule (usually weekly or monthly or some multiple thereof). And is also common for stories to be told episodically over the course of multiple sequential installments. An anthology that met that criteria would then be an episodic periodical. But that term also fits the description of most magazines and publications – many of which are, in their own way, anthologies. If nothing else, precision of terminology will keep you from getting ripped off. This highlights one of the most intriguing aspects of the anthology format – the flexibility. Everyone and his brother has put together an anthology, but there is always the comfort in knowing that anyone can put one together. It’s an easy choice for what to do with random bits and bobs that don’t fit anywhere else. It’s also a great way to spread the risk inherent in publication around a bit. The more people in an anthology, the more people have a vested interest in its success. There are a huge number of decisions available to make: page size, page count, color vs b&w, binding, theme, creators, compensation, funding, printing, advertising, distribution. There is never a good reason to make an anthology, but every comics creator should try to organize one at least once in their life – it’s a very practical lesson in logistics, organization, motivation, and frustration. The student of the anthology has a lot of examples to look to for inspiration. Through the 1920s, there was a series of art journals and publications put out by various art groups in Europe: de Stilj, Dada, Cannibale, Le Couer, Cabaret Voltaire. Due to modern advances in printing technology, it is easier to self-publish zines with better production values. But it’s also interesting to note that the impulse to run an amateur publication of random stuff is perfectly normal. There’s a certain amount of debate regarding how and when the cartooning tradition in Western Europe became the comics tradition of Western Europe. Some point to the broadsheets of the 17 century that introduced the twin concepts of anthologies and episodic storytelling as a precursor to modern sequential art. But it’s more likely that comics as we know them grew up during the 19th Century. And anthologies were an important part of that maturation. The default format for professional episodic periodicals in American comics has been monthly comics of a set page length that may or may not have additional stories. Professional Franco-Belgian comics have been dominated by the weekly anthology format, featuring strips of half or full page in length. These were later collected into albums of 48 pages in length – which is how most English speakers have encountered this material. (If you’re wondering what was probably collected like this, flip through any album and look for a horizontal white gutter cutting straight across the book at the half-page mark.) Probably the most famous anthology from this tradition in the English speaking market is Heavy Metal. It started as a monthly anthology that contained a mix of episodic and stand-alone stories. It sort of still does most of that. In the mid-80s, Heavy Metal shifted format and centered their publication around a single complete story with a variety of shorter stories as supplements. This influenced later anthologies and we can see that Island, for example, followed the same general model. It is convenient to be able to read the more well-known stories in a mass market edition. However, it is also valuable to observe the original print runs of anthologies where- and when-ever possible. Reading material in the context that it was originally presented to the market in is very valuable. First and foremost, examining primary sources acknowledges the effort that was put into the anthology in the first place. Additionally, it highlights the kinds of commercial advertisements from the period printed next to the original material. Sometimes the juxtaposition is startling. It also provides a sense of the flow of the reader through the book. Arguably, the order that the stories are presented in is important because it shapes the mood of the reader from cover to cover. Knowing that a story beat in a completely different story occurred directly before this story may have changed how this one was perceived. Reading an issue of an anthology is like eating a club sandwich. There are a lot of different distinguishable flavors, but the combination is distinct. And that’s the whole point of producing an anthology. ————————————————————————————————— RM Rhodes lives and works in Washington, D.C. His current project is a weekly online anthology called The Rumor published on the Comics Workbook tumblr – see issues of it HERE. Check out more of his comics at Louis Deux. Share this page: [...]

2 thoughts on “About”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply