Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in Festivals and ShowsTagged SPX, workshops

Sally Ingraham

Posted on September 25, 2016May 15, 2019

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07/05/2017

Juan FernándezJuly 5, 2017los Cómics / NewsJuan here. In observation of Venezuela’s Independence day, no news for today. Instead I offer you an opportunity to look into and reflect on the reality of life in my homeland, Venezuela. We’ll be back in action, with everything you need to know about Latin American comics making next week! Behind the Protests in Caracas (VICE) Grocery Shopping during Venezuela’s Food Shortage (VICE) El dia a dia en Venzuela (Reddit) Venezuela is Starving (WSJ) “Una Guerra Ajena” (Luis Manuel Aguana) Venezuela declared it’s independence from Spain on July 5, 1811. July 5, 1811 – July 5, 2017. 205 years, the blink of an eye. ———————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 7-5-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 7-5-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

06/08/2017

Sally IngrahamJune 8, 2017NewsSam Ombiri on Josh Bayer’s RAW POWER, a Tarantula, and chain-breaking Wonder Woman for your Thursday. ————————————————————————————————— Sam Ombiri here: Raw Power by Josh Bayer is a barrage of one moment after the other, that never ends. Every time I tried reading the book before, it wasn’t so accommodating. I’d try to follow the story, and then as I was going from panel to panel I’d find that my eyes were thrown away from the book. Whenever I read Raw Power, I feel a sense of guilt, because I can’t read with the same energy that it seems to have been produced with. Meanwhile I’ve been reading Kirby and Simon’s romance comics – I don’t feel the same threat when reading Kirby’s comics or for that matter really any other comic artists who are known to have intense drafting. I think it maybe comes from reading the title RAW POWER and seeing the cover. The title almost just flat out says no matter how you read this you won’t possibly match the energy that this was made with. This is regardless of whether the book was drawn with that supposed energy. I remember Austin English talking about Raw Power in a review on The Comics Journal, and saying that it probably wasn’t drawn how it feels, but it exudes this specific energy, which up until the the first issue of Raw Power came out, Austin hadn’t seen in Bayer’s other comics. Despite the dizzy frantic drawing, there’s a really dogmatic nature present in the book. Maybe this surfaces from him being a teacher and the way he talks in interviews, so as I approach reading it, I read it with a dogmatic voice in my head. I’m going to contradict what I previously said, by saying that it IS a very accommodating book. The feeling of the book changed as I was reading it. Reading Raw Power felt more like I had to hang on tight, and not fall off. A real Paper Rodeo. It sometimes felt like Bayer was trying to kick me off the pages, and then invite me back in. I’m experiencing an overload of moments, and a lot is being explored, and the art doesn’t do me any favors in terms of recovering from my dizziness. It’s about obsession with figures who make work that spur to extreme degrees, and then there’s this comic Josh is covering, and he’s bringing for me as a reader interest in what he’s modified, and he managed to wrap a really engrossing story around it. Most of all, it’s great how, despite the extremely fun tirades Josh goes on, it always comes back to the original path it was on and elements resurface with major twists. I think that the most satisfying thing is the story. I truly truly think that. In the end I got my fill. – Sam Ombiri 6-8-2017 – Sam Ombiri ————————————————————————————————— Sally here – I’m eager to get my hands on the new comic by Alexis Ziritt, Fabian Rangel Jr., and Evelyn Rangel – Tarantula (AdHouse Books, June 2017)! It was recently on Paste Magazine‘s list of required reading for the month: “Looking like a vintage pulp novel straight off the dollar racks at your local used book store, Tarantula promises “Satanic noir” from the same creative team that brought the world the psychedelic Space Riders. Artist Alexis Ziritt is a grindhouse force to be reckoned with, channeling Kirby and Dan Brereton in equal parts for this tale of supernatural agents of order standing strong against the forces of chaos. Writer Fabian Rangel, Jr., by now a staple of most non-Big Two publishers, knows how to set Ziritt up for a home run and get out of his way. Adhouse Books is a new home for these two, but the handsome throwback hardcover they’ve produced should sit nicely next to Black Mask’s Space Riders and Rangel and Logan Faerber’s Albatross Funnybooks Vietnam-era lycanthrope tale,‘Namwolf. ” -Steve Foxe Get a copy of the comic HERE. ————————————————————————————————— With all the excitement of the new Wonder Woman film going around, I remembered that Gilbert Hernandez drew a Wonder Woman story in 2014, which appeared in Sensation Comics #3 and #4. Although it may not be the most “wondrous” Wonder Woman tale (Supergirl gets a lot of the glory), it is certainly one of the most powerful depictions of Diana – see more of the comic HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 6-8-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 6-8-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

04/11/2016

Juan FernándezApril 11, 2016NewsJuan Fernandez here with some comics news, hot and fresh out the oven for you: Laura Knetzger at ECCC, Assistant AI character design, Black Panther sells out, Mary Mack Tremonte on Paper Cuts, Connor Stechshulte reviewed, and Jim Rugg with a kick in the face. ————————————————————————————————— Laura Knetzger at ECCC Ooh boy, this is cool. Laura Knetzger’s gotta drawn diary of her time at Emerald City Comic Con, the show that seemed to go on forever… Laura goes with dad, eats some gyros, buys some manga! Check her comic out here. You might not be interested in Comic Con culture, but Laura’s loose unencumbered drawings are not to be missed. If you’ve been struggling with your own diary comics or simply documentary drawing and sequencing and feel that you’re overworking the form, check this comic out. No grand gestures, it just breathes life. Cool stuff. If you dig this, check out the first volume of her comic, Bug Boys. ————————————————————————————————— Character Design While some of you are busy working out the background story for your suite of characters for your latest story, somebody in Silicon Valley’s creating a fictional narrative for the AI that’s going to go on your phone’s time management app. What a time to be alive… The surge of investor interest in virtual assistants that can converse has been fueled in part by the popularity of messaging apps, such as WeChat, WhatsApp, and Facebook’s Messenger, which are among the most widely downloaded smartphone applications. Investors see that users are increasingly drawn to conversational platforms, and hope to build additional features into them. Who knows, if you’ve got some tight chops for dialogue, there might just be some good money in Silicon Valley for you. Read more about it all over on the Washington Post. This all horrifies me, but hey, to each their own. ————————————————————————————————— Black Panther Sales are Nuts Ta-Nehisi and Brian Stelfreeze’s Black Panther is selling like gangbusters. They sold out of their first 300,000 copy print run and have gone on to a second of this first issue. This is a big deal. Good on them. Over on the Atlantic, Ta-Nehisi Coates has written a nice in depth look at his collaboration with Brian Stellfreeze on making Black Panther a reality: Ideally, the writer offers notes in his script on how the comic book should look. This requires thinking with intention about what a character is actually doing, not merely what he is saying. This is harder than it sounds, and often I found myself vaguely gesturing at what should happen in a panel—“T’Challa looks concerned.” Or “Ramonda stands to object.” I was lucky in that I was paired with a wonderful and experienced artist, Brian Stelfreeze. Storytelling in a comic book is a partnership between the writer and the artist, as surely as a film is a partnership between the screenwriter and the director. Read it all on The Atlantic. ————————————————————————————————— Zines on the Radio There’s some fresh new installments of Paper Cuts! Paper Cuts is an exploration of the contemporary world of zines and DIY publishing hosted by Christopher Kardambikis. It airs on Clock Tower Radio. Each program features writers, performers, and artists who have shared their work in print, on paper and in small editions. The series acts as a cross section of this varied landscape and rich history. Here’s a chance for you to listen to the voices that would normally live in your hands and demand your eyeballs! Mary Mack Tremonte and Darin Klein #BLKGRLSWURLD Primal Screams Zine Fest 2016 ————————————————————————————————— Phoenix Comics Salon Announced First ever Phoenix Comics Club meetup, their Salon, is happening May 5th at the Central Library in Phoenix. If you’re in the area, be sure to go out and meet other comics makers and cartoonists. You get to decide how this thing grows. For makers, by makers. Seems like for this first meeting the focus will be on figuring out what exactly Phoenix wants/needs out of a meetup like this. Learn more about it here. ————————————————————————————————— Generous Bosom 1-2 Reviewed Gabriele Di Fazio takes a good look at Connor Stechschulte’s recent work for Breakdown Press in Generous Bosom #1 & #2 over on the Italian comics review blog Just Indie Comics. Hit that google translate button for the inside scoop. Read it the review. ————————————————————————————————— Get Drunk Off of Visual Literacy Kevin Huizenga turned us on to this one. A LYRICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF VISUAL PROPOSITIONS- RUGGED DESIGN IN OPPOSITION TO ELEGANCE – IT’S BIGGER THAN YOU COULD EVER THINK- JUST EXPLORE – NO CLUES FROM ME. Dive into Dr. Chris Mullen’s labrynth and see what you find! The website of The Visual Telling of Stories aspires to being a Visual Lexicon, dedicated to the primacy of the Visual Proposition. Above all it tries to create an overall consistency of structure and environment, as if it was all taking place in one characteristic landscape through which you are allowed to wander. The main delight and challenge is the invention of non-linear means of navigation through spaces of knowledge with a created balance of reference and discovery. Dr Chris Mullen ————————————————————————————————— A Kick in the Face Here’s some cool news from Bill at Copacetic Comics. The Street Angel Gang by Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca has arrived! Welcome the week with a bracing onslaught of all-out Street Angel™ action! This is the latest in the small batch preview editions signed and numbered by Jim Rugg. A tough gang holds an open call for new members; has the Orphan Avenger finally found a family? A mere 300 copies of this sucker exist. File under: You snooze, you lose.HERE. The Street Angel Gang “Rough Edition” This features the complete issue in pencil rough form. See Rugg’s work up close and personal. HERE. The Street Angel Gang Script Facsimile A facsimile edition of the complete original full script, complete with ammendations, notes, changes, spot illos and initial thumbnail breakdowns. See how a Street Angel comic book is born. HERE. or, get all three together for a special price: The Street Angel Gang PROCESS PACK Here it is: an all-in-one look at the Street Angel Production Process™ (pat. pend.). This pack contains: the facsimile of the original script with thumbnail breakdowns; the “Rough Edition” of the full pencil roughs; and a copy of the signed and numbered small batch edition. Supplies are limited! HERE. Soon to be a collectors item,you better pick up a copy at Copacetic Comics. ————————————————————————————————— That’s it for now. Got some Latin American comics news on Wednesday. Here’s a slew of Chicha from Peru for you to move through your day and to keep you company until then. This album rules. Support Barbés Records if you can dig it. Share this page: [...]

06/06/2018

Juan FernándezJune 6, 2018los Cómics / NewsAntonia Herrera y María Soto Aguilar, Rosa Colón, Kelly Fernandez, Sol Díaz Castillo, and Love and Rockets #5 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Los cómics y las noticias que me han llamado la atención esta semana: ~ en Español y “sometimes in English” ~ – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – La Polola #77 – Antonia Herrera y María Soto Aguilar; las Punkrobotinas Sol Díaz Castillo y Marcela Trujillo tienen una nueva edicion de La Polola Podcast! Las chicas conversan con con Antonia Herrera y María Soto Aguilar, primas, amigas y las dos socias de Punkrobot Estudio, autores de “Historia de un Oso”, ganadora del primer premio Oscar en Chile! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – “We have only begun to mourn our dead.” Rosa Colón‘s latest comic for The Nib reckons with Hurricane Maria’s real toll. Nobody knows exactly how many people were killed, but it’s more than the government says. Read it HERE. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Starting from Mini-Comics with Kelly Fernandez Loso Perez has put together a profile on the multi-talented Kelly Fernandez over on Prime Vice Studios. Kelly Fernandez is a cartoonist from Queens, New York. She was the recipient of the CAKE’s annual Cupcake Award in 2017 and a winner of Scholastic’s “Get Published by Graphix” competition. Her work has appeared in various comic anthologies such as Mine! and Dates: Volume 2 , as well as the teen literature and comics magazine CICADA. Her work often stars Latino women, and usually has something to do with folklore, monsters, or video games. When she’s not at her desk, you might find her looking for new places to eat or singing karaoke with friends. Take the opportunity to get yourself more acquainted with her work, HERE! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – La dibujante Sol Díaz Castillo fue entrevistada por Vicio y Virtud! ¿Cuáles son las ventajas y desventajas de tener estudios formales? ¿Le recomendarías la carrera que estudiaste a alguien que aspira a ser historietista? ¿Por qué?: Mmm, creo que estudiar cualquier cosa, por muy lejos que pareciera estar de tu interés más específico, sirve y aporta en un bagaje cultural, social e incluso emocional dentro de una persona. Me parecen importantes las herramientas no sólo técnicas, sino conceptuales, sobretodo en un contexto educacional básico que busca sólo resultados y obediencia. De todas maneras las Universidades también tienen cosas muy cuestionables, muchas veces son más aire que contenido… Yo creo que para ser historietista no hay una sola carrera, se necesitan varias cosas, podrías venir de Arte, de Diseño, de Literatura incluso… Aún así, desde mi experiencia, Diseño me aportó mucho en cuanto a comunicación visual, a contar con imágenes, creo que eso es lo que hago como dibujante, cuento historias y los dibujos son mi herramienta principal. Léanlo todo AQUI! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Love And Rockets concludes its Locas reunion with bittersweet nostalgia Over on the AV Club, Oliver Sava takes a look at Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez‘s latest issue of Love and Rockets (#5). Memory and the effect of time, explored by Gilbert and Jaime’s different narrative techniques and aesthetic focuses – good stuff! It’s a nice comparison of emotional techniques that they employ in this issue. The differences in the brothers’ tones can be seen in how they start their stories in this issue. Like Gilbert, Jaime begins in the middle of a conversation, but the dialogue invites readers into the action rather than keeping them at a distance. Hopey is looking back at messy moments in her angsty, aggressive past, her first line recounting the time she and her friends beat up Hilary Pute and stole her lunch box. Readers might have already forgotten that this story was presented in the previous issue, putting them in Maggie’s position. Hopey continues by lamenting how she treated her old boyfriend, Tex, during their time together on the East Coast. Once again there are multiple options for engagement that depend on the readers’ retainment of past Love And Rocketsstories. Read it all HERE! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Suzy and Cecil – 06-06-2018 – by Gabriella Tito – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Cozytown -06-06-2018- by Juan Fernandez 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: [...]

Comics Workbook at SPX 2016

Posted on September 25, 2016May 15, 2019 by Sally Ingraham

Rough and ready documentation while we work on making some polished videos!

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Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in Festivals and ShowsTagged SPX, workshops

Sally Ingraham

Posted on September 25, 2016May 15, 2019

Explore

Tac au Tac

Juan FernándezSeptember 18, 2017ResourcesFrom the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, Jean Frappat presented a show that was a joy to watch, Tac au Tac. Based on the concept of exquisite corpses so dear to the surrealists, the show generally set up two, three or even four cartoonists to compete in a friendly drawing match. 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. The tone of the rare commentaries by Jean Frappat gives an old-fashioned charm to these shows. It is a nice way to casually watch some of the greatest French cartoonists: Franquin, Uderzo, Moebius, Druillet, Roba , Bretecher, and Gotlib. Interestingly, there was a season recorded in New York in the fall of 1972, with guest artists Jim Steranko, Bernie Wrighston, Burne Hogarth, Neal Adams, Joe Kubert and John Buscema who wound up facing off against Gir, Druillet, Forest and Gigi from France. The INA (Institut national de l’audiovisuel) has posted on its site about one hundred Tac Au Tac programs. Below you will find a convenient index of those programs so you can dig in and watch. -Juan August 14, 1969 : Pouzet/Morez against Faizant/Gus August 22, 1969 : Piem against Maurice Henry September 1, 1969 : Philippe/Gébé against Fred/Gotlib September 26, 1969 : (Michel Douay, Mose, Tetsu and Piem) then (Urs, Philippe, Cardon and Jean By) December 15, 1969 : Laville/Soulas against Pichon/Barbe December 22, 1969 : Philippe, Urs, Cardon and Jean By July 5, 1971 : Franquin, Morris, Roba and Peyo July 19, 1971 : Piem, Mose, Trez and Rauch se piègent July 26, 1971 : (Urs, Philippe, Blachon and Jean By) then (Soulas, Laville, Pichon and Barbe) August 2, 1971 : Gotlib, Uderzo, Fred and Gébé August 9, 1971 : (Philippe, Urs, Blachon and Jean By) then (Piem, Trez, Rauch and Mose) August 16, 1971 : (Pichon, Laville, Soulas, Barbe) then (Piem, Trez, Rauch and Mose) August 30, 1971 : Barbe, Pichon, Laville and Soulas September 6, 1971 : Franquin, Morris, Roba and Peyo se piègent September 13, 1971 : (Alexis and Alessandrini) then (Gébé, Cardon, Siné and Philippe) September 20, 1971 : Siné, Philippe, Cardon and Gébé September 27, 1971 : Alexis, Fred, Gotlib and Alessandrini October 11, 1971 : (Piem, Urs, Pichat and Mose) then (Franquin, Morris, Roba and Peyo) October 18, 1971 : Gébé, Philippe and Cardon trap Siné October 25, 1971 : Exquisite Corpse with Gébé, Topor, Bretécher and Cardon November 15, 1971 : Caricatures by Ricord and Mulatier November 22, 1971 : Siné, Desclozeaux, Picha and Puig Rosado play and draw with food. November 29, 1971 : Franquin, Forest, Gigi and Druillet December 6, 1971 : (Gébé, Cardon, Philippe and Siné) then (Siné, Puig Rosado, Picha and Desclozeaux) December 13, 1971 : Franquin, Morris, Roba and Peyo December 20, 1971 : Franquin, Forest, Gigi and Druillet December 27, 1971 : The animals refused from Noah’s arc according to Giraud, Gotlib, Mandryka and Alexis January 8, 1972 :Exquisite Corpse with Cardon, Faizant, Tim and Ghertman January 22, 1972 : Giraud, Gotlib, Alexis and Mandryka February 5, 1972 : Jacques Faizant, Tim, Cardon and Alain Ghertman February 19, 1972 : Bretécher, Barbe, Laville and Loup February 26. 1972 : Druillet, Enric Sio, Buzzelli and Forest March 4, 1972 : Franquin, Bretécher, Uderzo and Fournier March 18, 1972 : Fred, Gébé, Soulas and Philippe March 25, 1972 : Druillet, Enric Sio, Buzzelli and Forest April 1, 1972 : (Piem, Cardon, Siné and Topor) then (Ricord, Mulatier, Solo and Gibo) April 29, 1972 : Jean Giraud faces of Jijé in 4 situations, with Hugo Pratt and Jean-Claude Forest as onlookers May 11, 1972 : Forest faces Hugo Pratt under the scrutiny of Jijé and Giraud May 13, 1972 : Horror with Guido Crepax, Esteban Maroto and Thé Tjong-Khing May 20, 1972 : Jean Giraud challenges Hugo Pratt under the scrutiny of Jijé and Jean-Claude Forest May 27, 1972 : Exquisite Corpse with Cardon, Gébé and Gourmelin June 3, 1972 : Piem, Siné, Cardon and Topor June 18, 1972 : Franquin/Roba against Brétecher/Gotlib June 24, 1972 : The theme of gas inspires Cardon, Gébé and Gourmelin September 16, 1972 : Jean-Claude Forest, Jim Steranko and Robert Gigi on a boat in New York (1) September 30, 1972 : Neal Adams, Joe Kubert and Jean Giraud October 7, 1972 : Exquisite Corpse between Bretécher, Johnny Hart and Parker Brant (no sound) October 14, 1972 : Burne Hogarth, Philippe Druillet and John Buscema in New York October 21, 1972 : Neal Adams, Joe Kubert and Jean Giraud October 28, 1972 : Mike Kaluta, Bernie Wrightson, Forest and Druillet in New York November 4, 1972 : Jean-Claude Forest, Jim Steranko and Robert Gigi on a boat in New York (2 November 25, 1972 : Fred, Gébé, Soulas and Philippe December 2, 1972 : Tillieux, Jidéhem, Morris and Brétécher December 9, 1972 : Piem and Siné December 16, 1972 : Piem against Siné December 23, 1972 : Desclozeaux and Puig Rosado drawing dreams December 30,1972 : Dali Special (without drawing) July 29, 1973 : Bretécher, Fred, Soulas, Gourmelin, Desclozeaux and Serre August 5, 1973 : Exquisite Corpse with Laville and Barbe August 26, 1973 : Serre, Cardon and Gourmelin (without sound) September 2, 1973 : caricatures by Ricord and Mulatier September 9, 1973 : childhood by Cardon, Serre and Gourmelin September 15, 1973 : Exquisite Corpse with Jean-Claude Forest and Gourmelin September 22, 1973 :Exquisite Corpse with Tim, Cardon, Desclozeaux and Faizant September 29, 1973 : Tim, Cardon, Jacques Faizant and Desclozeaux July 26, 1975 :Exquisite Corpse between Greg/Dany and Goscinny/Uderzo August 2, 1975 : Piem against Siné August 9, 1975 : Gourmelin, Cardon and Forest August 23, 1975 : Serre against Christian Broutin August 30, 1975 : Piem, Wiaz, Tim and Maja September 6, 1975 : caricatures with Ricord and Mulatier September 13, 1975 : The Storm Forest, Cardon and Gourmelin September 20, 1975 : Bretécher/Gotlib against Giraud/Druillet September 27, 1975 : Christian Broutin and Claude Serre improvising October 4, 1975 : Buzzelli, Peter Foldes and Thé Tjong-Khing October 11, 1975 : Maja, Piem, Tim and Wiaz October 18, 1975 : Christian Broutin against Claude Serre Share this page: [...]

01/03/2017

Aaron CockleJanuary 3, 2017NewsAaron here today with some NYC shows of note; Leanne Shapton looks back at 2016; New Sikoryak; Connor Willumsen; Joanie and Jordie & Suzie and Cecil ————————————————————————————————— Agnes Martin at the Guggenheim Museum through January 11 Hilton Als wrote about Martin in the New York Review last July: Martin contradicted all that nihilism. She used the grid as a forum for belief—a space where the viewer as well as the artist could contemplate the hand making the thing being observed. In her well-considered 1971 appreciation of the artist, Kasha Linville wrote: Once you are caught in one of her paintings, it is an almost painful effort to pull back from the private experience she triggers to examine the way the picture is made. The desire to simply let yourself flow through it, or let it flow through you, is much stronger…. Her paintings exert themselves differently, depending on their line, their pattern, and the quality of the ground color on the canvas. Some are less lyrical, evincing aggression or tension…. Others suggest spaciousness or vast space, again without using illusionistic devices or the egotistical implication of infinitely extendible surface. One pauses at the extraordinary line “the egotistical implication of infinitely extendible surface.” Unlike her male predecessors, not to mention contemporaries, Martin didn’t use the grid as a means of describing the infinite—the infinite “I” of being an artist. Instead, her work ends at the canvases’ edge.One begins and then one finishes; the grace is in the doing. Her touch was her personality; looking at canvases such as Friendship, of 1963 (made of incised gold leaf), or the ghostly Grass of 1967, one sees various lines that begin with verve, grow faint and then run out, slowly and calmly, like a swimmer beginning strong and then using wide, unhurried strokes once they see the shore. “Line is where she speaks most personally,” Linville said. “It is her vocabulary as the grids are her syntax.” Kerry James Marshall: Mastry at the Met Breuer through January 29 Francis Picabia: Our Heads Are Round so Our Thoughts Can Change Direction at the Museum of Modern Art through March 19 ————————————————————————————————— The Top Pinks and Purples of 2016 Via Leanne Shapton at the New Yorker. 9. Willy Wonka’s frock coat, as worn by Gene Wilder in the 1971 movie; 10. Sky at dusk over Greenport, Long Island; 11. Cotton candy at the Four Seasons Restaurant; 12. Supermoon; 13. Hillary Clinton’s lapels; 14. Walls of Cecily Brown’s show at the Drawing Center ————————————————————————————————— The Unquotable Trump R.Sikoryak with a new mash-up for 2017. ————————————————————————————————— Connor Willumsen’s Portraits continues to enthrall. This magazine sized 16-page beautifully printed booklet (by WestCan – who also printed thee Santoro School Handbook) is available HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 1-3-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 1-3-2017 – by Gabriella Tito Share this page: [...]

04/16/2018

Caleb OrecchioApril 16, 2018NewsCaleb Orecchio here with John Porcellino’s recent stop in Pittsburgh, and other news. ————————————————————————————————— He has seen but half the universe who has never been shown the house of Pain. –Ralph Waldo Emerson This past Friday, John Porcellino stopped by Copacetic Comics here in Pittsburgh while on tour for his book, From Lone Mountain, a collection of his King-Cat “comics and stories” from 2003 to 2007, published by Drawn and Quarterly. This was the first signing at Copacetic I’ve attended since I moved to Pittsburgh this year. It was great. Porcellino did his song and dance at Kaibur Coffee (same building as Copacetic but two floors below) by taking us, via slideshow, through excerpts of his book and giving background details and tangents revolving around the events therein. John laid bare his soul during his presentation as he does with every annual release of King-Cat. Pain and Joy are one, and the audience often found ourselves laughing in hindsight at the misfortunes along with our hero. After the presentation and rather intimate audience Q&A, we hiked up to Copacetic where books were signed and comics were talked about. It was great. Not only could you chat with John Porcellino, but you could also hangout with the Pittsburgh crowd: Sam Ombiri, Sally Ingraham, Juan Fernandez, Jenn Lisa, Audra Stang, Nate McDonough, and many others. I showed Sam my favorite King City gag, while Juan waxed different ways to read and comprehend information with Audra and Sally. I clumsily talked about Pittsburgh roads vs every other American road system with John P as he signed my copy of his book. I asked Bill Boichel (Copacetic proprietor) if he agreed that Red Nails was Barry Windsor-Smith’s best work, and I think he did. Then we started talking about Kaluta. Lots of things seemed to be going on. The hours went by quickly. It was a beautiful day. Only several days before, the city was snow-capped, but today it felt like how I imagine California feels on its best days. On the Copacetic Balcony, you could see the beautiful old buildings over the hills that run through the city and the purple dusk. Thanks to John P. for coming to Pittsburgh and thanks to Bill Boichel and Copacetic Comics for hosting. ————————————————————————————————— if you don’t know, now you know TCJ.com launched a bi-weekly column called “Retail Therapy.” Every other week will evidently feature an interview with a comics retailer. First up, Portland’s Floating World Comics. Who, will be publishing Zack Soto’s debut The Secret Voice graphic novel. Your Chicken Enemy has the scoop on upcoming Uncivilized Books titles. TCAF 2018 is right around the corner! It will be here before you know it! Eddie Campbells limited weekly strip ended. Did you see it? ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 4-16-2018 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 4-16-2018 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

The Comics That My Parents Read

Gloria RiveraApril 25, 2017EssaysI’ve been meaning to write something about these comics since I found out about them a year ago. Before this I never knew my parents read comics in their youth. They both grew up in Mexico (b. 1964 and 1966) in small pueblos, and left their houses at 14 and 19 to work. I was so curious as to what interested them enough as kids to capture their attention week after week. What captivated them had to actually interest the town as a whole in order to be read. They explained that children in the pueblos were poor and could only afford an issue here and there, and swapping comics with other kids was the only way they could finish the adventures. Even more removed – they paid to read to whichever child in the pueblo had the issue they needed to read next. For reference of the sort of social ecosystem my parents grew up in, my father herded sheep on a mountain and my mother was from a poor family of 5, leaving her house at 14 to work at an orphanage. Their childhood has eluded me most of my life, and I was curious as to the kind of stories that would be popular to humble roots like theirs. The majority of the comics I will be introducing were created in the 1960’s and 1970’s. From the 1930’s to the 1970’s the comics industry was strong in Mexico, with their own original titles in addition to translated American versions. La pequeña Lulú (Little Lulu) and La Mujer Maravilla (Wonder Woman) – both pictured above – were enjoyed, alongside comics of Mexican origin such as Chanoc (1959), Kaliman el Hombre Increible (1965), Rarotonga (1951), and Hermelinda Linda (1965) among many others. ————————————————————————————————— Going by year of debut, Rarotonga is a series within the larger comics title of Lagrimas, Risas y Amor (Tears, Laughter, and Love) published by Editorial Argumentos (also known as EDAR). Rarotonga is drawn by Antonio Gutierrez and has a total volumes of 216 issues. Other titles by Gutierrez include Yesenia, Rubí, and El pecado de Oyuki. Rarotonga (excerpted from above) tells the story of a jungle queen/goddess of the eponymous island, who seduces a professor/doctor visiting the isle – she is the goddess of love and death after all (as are all women). She has special powers she attempts to use upon the foreigner (who needs lust when you can magically seduce any man with your powers, right?) However he seems to resist her – for the sake of his pre-established marriage. Rarotonga is essentially a jungle-novella, suitable for the publication Lagrimas, Risas y Amor which ran romance comics, which were often adapted into films and telenovelas. The story itself is more than a trashy love story, as it also touches on themes of western civility and reason against uncolonized magic and lust. Visually, Mexican comics around this time have this value-heavy shaded look to them, and as the distribution later increased for comics in Mexico the comics were reprinted in color (speculatively lowering the quality of the comic artwork). The sepia tone comics (Rarotonga and Kaliman) initially enjoyed at fully newsprint size, later were reduced to the size of a pulp novel (4.5 x 7 roughly). Eventually comics in Lagrimas, Risas y Amor reached audiences in Spain, Venezuela and even Japan. The bodacious Rarotonga was liked by women as much as men. In a society where machismo reigns, Rarotonga piqued the interest of young women. (However, as it was told to me, boys would tease girls in the pueblos with big asses – calling them “Rarotonga”!) ————————————————————————————————— Chanoc, written by Martin de Lucenay and Angel Mora, are “adventures of sea and jungle”, that take place in the Gulf of Mexico. Chanoc is our rebellious hero who little by little sees a change in character as he adventures and protects his older godfather, Tsekub. Chanoc is developed within the port of Ixtas – the names and setting are all of Mayan origin, Chanoc being a deity in myth, but a pearl diver in this adventure. This is interesting because in Mexican comics history, pre-Columbian codices are arguably Latin America’s earliest form of comics. Mora draws Chanoc influenced by 1950’s and 60’s American comics, without letting go of themes and story traditions found in Mexican comics. Chanoc begins as a simple story of a young man against the sea, but eventually our protagonist is responsible for convincing the Mexican government to spend their economic resources on feeding the hungry instead of contracting more arms. This is all done with a flair of humor of course, which reflects on Mexican cinema of the time (Cantinflas and Tin-Tan) – political but humorous. ————————————————————————————————— Kaliman (above) is one of the most popular Mexican comics, which ran for 26 years starting in 1965. The first printing of 100,000 copies sold so quickly it had to be reprinted the same week of its launch. The series covers 39 different stories from 1965 to 1991. The story of Kaliman began as a radio show, in 1963, and with popularity became a comic book in the next few years. The comic is drawn by Rene del Valle. Kaliman is born in a fictitious setting in India. In the kingdom of Kalimantan he is found in a floating basket by a prince, Abul Pasha, who adopts him as his own son. Kaliman is later kidnapped with the intention of murder, and escapes. As Kaliman’s quest continues, he travels to other regions such as Tibet, and develops himself through teachings of judo, karate, and jiu jitsu, defeating enemies and defending justice. Like Rarotonga, Kaliman was originally printed in sepia tones, with an unpopular color reprint afterward. ————————————————————————————————— Hermelinda Linda is a satirical comic published between the decade of the seventies and the end of the eighties in Mexico by Editormex Mexicana, and later released as two films. The author of the original Hermelinda Linda series is controversial – traditionally attributed to Óscar González Guerrero, but in a different publication to José Cabezas García. The actual comic itself began under the title “Brujerias” (Witchcraft) and was re-named to sell better to its superstitious audience. The character of Hermelinda Linda is a vulgar looking witch who uses her sorcery to achieve the desires of her clients and herself. She has the ability to change into beautiful women, animals, anything with her potions, and uses her gifts to do odd jobs for others that come to her. The comic relies heavily on dark comedy, macabre, and mischief – jokes between the heinous Hermalinda Linda and beautiful women, and double entendre jokes. Below are some frames from the movie. Share this page: [...]

03/04/2016

Juan FernándezMarch 4, 2016NewsComin’ up next week stateside is the next installment of Carousel. Comics presented in all kinds of ways. hosted by R. Sikoryak. You don’t want to miss this. There’s nothing quite like Carousel. (ok,ok OTHER than Chicago’s Brain Frame). This coming Wednesday, March 9th at 7:30 PM! If you need the deal to be sweetened for you, just know Meghan Turbitt is coming to the big city SPECIFICALLY to read to you. Don’t want to let a girl down, do you? Monica Johnson has written an interesting piece on the limited criteria it takes for work to be labeled as feminist work in 2016, primarily in the world of floppy comics. Interesting ideas, though there’s a great swathe of work that has been overlooked in making the article’s claim. Read it for yourself here, the comments aren’t too terrible either. Now, just seconds from turning forty, I’m both politicized and angry, and I long for the intensity of those ’90s comics. And I look around at comics written by and about women and they seem so understated. There is still so much to be upset about—Bill Cosby for starters, or why the Angoulême festival refuses to acknowledge that women, too, make comics—yet today’s feminist comics seem much less radical, less angry, less mobilizing compared with those of decades prior. I for one would like to hear from the aggressive and hilarious Diane DiMassas and Joyce Farmers of the 2010s! Where are those attitudes? Buried deep within the metaphors of fantasy comics like Bitch Planet and Monstress? Or in mild-mannered graphic novels and memoirs like Not Funny Ha Ha or Honor Girl? There’s a great conversation going on over on twitter, started by Celine Loup, focusing specifically on whose work Johnson’s short article is overlooking. If any of the names of the cartoonists mentioned are new to you, do yourself a favor and sit down with their work. https://t.co/OQQn1u3Gct I wanna talk about this with other women who would call their comics feminist. Thoughts? — NAZGUL QUEEN (@celineorelse) March 4, 2016 On the 4, 5 and 6 of March (this weekend, sleepy heads), the 7th edition of GRAF, Barcelona’s festival celebratings comics author and independent publishing, will be going down. A meeting of authors, publishers and independent groups that represent creative scene today more vibrant and fresh . Interestingly, for the first time GRAF will feature independent publishers from abroad. In total, there will be over 80 exhibitors with all kinds of fanzines, comics and prints for sale. On top of all that GRAF has got an extensive program of activities: round tables, meetings with authors, presentations of new books or comics and fanzines workshops for children and adults. Good stuff if you’re in Spain. You can stay posted with the happenings by keeping up with their twitter: @Grafcomic [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/249586417″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /] The inimitable Leslie Stein was just on Inkstuds. They talked about her current return to working on Eye of the Majestic Creature, her painting and watercolor, took questions from twitter, discussed working as a bartender, her friendship with Noah Van Sciver and favorite winter birds. Fill your ears with Leslie’s optimism. You probably know this already, but it bears repeating: no one’s going to make the world you want to see for you. You have to do it yourself. It gets tiring, though and sometimes you need a little bit of reassurance that you’re not alone in this endeavor. Alice Bag and Allison Wolfe have your back. Listen to them chat about their the importance of having control of the means of productions in a societal context and more broadly what it means to have lived a life with zines at their centers. Very cool talk. No one could have known that when struggling illustrator R. Crumb self-published Zap Comix #1 in 1968 and began hawking copies in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district, history would be made. By the arrival of issue #4 (1969) and Crumb’s Zap collective (S. Clay Wilson, Victor Moscoso, Rick Griffiin, Gilbert Shelton, Robert Williams, and Spain Rodriguez) fully formed, the artists had broken every Comics Code taboo imaginable — and then some. Zap spawned an entire underground comix industry, establishing an adult market for the comics medium that, in turn, set new standards for creators’ rights and ownership that one day would liberate mainstream comic books from the tyrannical grip of corporate publishers, paving the way for literary work by the likes of Art Spiegelman, Lynda Barry, Chris Ware, and Daniel Clowes, among others. The underground is now canon, who woulda thunk it 40 years ago? Tonight is the opening reception of the big new ZAP comics exhibit at the Society of Illustrators. Underground junkies and all of you interested in the medium’s history in the USA, you won’t want to miss this. The exhibit runs through May 7th. Learn more here! Daniel Clowes and Nicole Rudick sat down on Wednesday to talk at The Strand in NYC. Clowes is on tour to promote his latest work, Patience. This is a great, widely spanning conversation between 2 deep thinkers. Great to draw or do the dishes to. Comics makers, take note around 20 minutes in for some interesting thoughts on constraints and their relationship to comics composition. Short Run, in Seattle, the annual curated festival which focuses on indie comix and self-published, small press, and handmade books of all kinds from the Pacific Northwest and around the world has some exciting news for ya: Applications for Short Run’s Dash Grant are now being accepted. With the Dash Grant you can: receive a $250 grant to produce your work to premiere at Short Run 2016 have free access to Fogland Studios silkscreen lab in Seattle to print your covers and optional instruction the week of the festival receive mentorship from comic artist Trevor Alixopulos via email have your artwork featured in our annual group art show at Fantagraphics Bookstore and Gallery receive a free half table at the festival More information is available over at Short Run Seattle’s site. Hop to it. Thought Bubble, the Leeds comics festival is taking applications for people to exhibit. Think you want to exhibit? Know of someone that this would be good for? Check out their site. Last but not least, there was a great sub of the 4th episode of Urasawa Naoki no Manben with author Takoa Saito that I came across thanks to @royalboiler but alas, it’s been taken down to copyright issues! The fourth episode peeks behind the curtain of Saitō’s workplace, where he has labored away at Golgo 13 for 47 years. Fingers crossed another sub floats to the surface… For now you can dig into the first episode. The first episode looks at Akiko Higashimura (Princess Jellyfish) as she draws her warring states era manga Yukibana no Tora (“Snow Tiger”), emphasizing her speed and the teamwork with her large team of assistants. Well worth your time if you’d like to learn more about the living history and craft of the wide world of the manga-ka. Urasawa Naoki no Manben (which, roughly translated, means “Naoki Urasawa‘s Manga Exertions”) is hosted by veteran manga artist Naoki Urasawa (Monster, Pluto,20th Century Boys) and follows different artists each episode, watching them draw their manga from scratch and exploring what differentiates their styles. Amazing show, with a great format for comics makers by comics makers. Hope that gives you enough to feast your eyes an ears on for the weekend. until next time, jf Share this page: [...]

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