Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Chris Anthony Diaz

Posted on July 24, 2018July 25, 2018

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03/14/2018

Juan FernándezMarch 14, 2018los Cómics / NewsJuan, on selling comics in Pittsburgh and “hypergeography” via the grid on tumblr y más! —————————————— Inaugural Mini-market @ Pullproof The weekend before last I sold and shared comics in Pittsburgh, PA during the Penn Avenue Unblurred gallery crawl. I set up shop at PULLPROOF Studio’s inaugural Mini-Market. All in all, it featured zines, prints, and jewelry by a crew of great local artists. It was really nice company. Among us were Jenna Houston, Lizzee Solomon, City Slicker Press, Max Emiliano Gonzales (GEMS), Jerome “Chu” Charles, Asia Lae, Lilian Kababa! PULLPROOF Studio is an in-progress printmaking studio in Pittsburgh, PA. They intend to offer a fully equipped silkscreen printing facility with a shared workspace and small storefront gallery at 5112 Penn Avenue in the Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their mission is to provide affordable access to silkscreen printing equipment, space, and time to artists in the Western Pennsylvania area. It’s going to be nice to have them in addition to the Artists Image Resource on the North Side. It’s a cool project. I did my best Frank Santoro/Bill Boichel impersonation and brought comics to the people. Frank loaned me a stash of Colombian comics from when he’d been invited to Entreviñetas in 2014. They sold well. It was nice to sell those and see them make their way into the hands of Pittsburghers. I’ve been collecting and curating a wide array of zines and comics that express the vision of visual literacy that I’d like to see more of in the world. Among those collected comics, I also sell comics that I’ve helped produce, my own and those of the Pittsburgh Comics Salon. It’s a healthy mix. I like to make it concretely clear to people, through in-person experience, that, yes, whatever you’re into, there’s a comic or zine you’re going to love. It’s nice to proselytize as a vendor, not just an educator or artist. Frank Santoro has been on this grind for ever, both because it is a better way to make money at show, opposed to selling solely what you make, and also because it’s more honest with one’s real experience with comics. You’re just as much a consumer as you are a producer. There’s a really organic back and forth, that this kind of tabling set up allows for. A huge thank you to PULLPROOF, Christina Lee in specific, for inviting me and hosting this event. This is the kind of selling and sharing of comics and culture I want to see more of in Pittsburgh. ————————————————————————————————— Hyper Geography Hyper Geography es un Tumblr creado por Joe Hamilton. Hay 100 posts tipo “loop” que se unen horizonatalmente y verticalmente. Hamilton esta usando Tumblr y las possibilidades del template como medio para crear su arte. Este proyecto es un buen ejemplo de cómo el navegador se convierte en el lienzo y la plataforma social la herramienta. Todo gracias a la cuadrícula. ————————————————————————————————— Los cómics y las noticias que me han llamado la atención esta semana: ~ en Español ~ El Duende y la Ilustración en Tres minutos… En Revista Cactus, Klari Moreno entrevista a Ana Galvañ y luego lo plasma así de bonito: Cartoonist Ramón Esono Ebalé finally released from jail in Equatorial Guinea. Un estupendo artículo escrito por el dibujante Mauro Entrialgo sobre Forges. Un gran homenaje. Texas Latino Comic Con returns! ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 03-14-2018 – by Gabriella Tito Share this page: [...]

10/26/2018

Sally IngrahamOctober 26, 2018NewsSally here with some comics curiosities to fill your Friday lunch break! ————————————————————————————————— Abraham Riesman has a conversation with Julie Doucet on Vulture – he concludes by reminding us not to ever believe that we “know” her. Interesting and thoughtful read – HERE. Abraham Riesman also interviews Fiona Staples for Vulture, talking Saga (of course) – check it out HERE. The Comics Journal features a new interview with Ariell Johnson, owner of Philly’s Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse, which is now over 2 years old and still going strong – chart the progress HERE. Catch up on the Dear Pepper advice column by Liana Finck that comes out every other Thursday on The New Yorker – HERE. Here’s a recent interview with Liana Finck on The Comics Beat, where she talks about her new book, Passing For Human. I found an article about female cartoonists in Turkey, including Ramize Erer, whose work is pictured above. Read about her HERE. Check out the Publishers Weekly review of Mickey Z‘s Space Academy 123. Gil Roth talked to Nora Krug on his Virtual Memories Show recently – she is the creator of the newly released memoir Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home, which is on the top of my TBR pile at the moment. Listen HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Cement Mixer – 10-26-18 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

01/26/2016

Juan FernándezJanuary 26, 2016NewsNews 2/26/2015 Julia Wertz gives a little tour around through her Studio apartment where she lives and works in Greenpoint, NY. Full of the oddest of ends, it’s a bonafide curiocabinet. It’s always nice to have a little more insight in the life of Wertz. Conor Stechschulte gives a solid walk through of the process of producing his most recent comic, Generous Bosom 2 on Breakdown Press’ blog. From planning to color separating, Conor goes through it all. An important read for those who wan’t to understand composing comics for print. Most of what you’ll see here I developed in the making of the first volume of GB. The idea from the beginning has been to make the book in a manner that builds in layers of editing and to allow for further editing by using (mostly) the same grid. This way, I can move panels around or chop two pages in half and graft them together, things like that. Nick Drnaso‘s Beverly is officially now out and available for you to bring to the warmth of your home. Nice preview of the work over at the AV Club. VICE has got the comics you’re clamoring for. Julian Glander, Steven Weissman and Leslie Stein. Jump on in! Share this page: [...]

09/28/2017

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

Residency Report: Caleb Orecchio July 2016

Comics WorkbookJuly 31, 2016Residency Reports / School UpdatesCaleb Orecchio and Frank Santoro in conversation in the backyard of the Rowhouse Residency, Pittsburgh, PA – July 2016 Video: Michael Pisano – Editing: Sally Ingraham Share this page: [...]

San Diego Comic-Con International 2018

Posted on July 24, 2018July 25, 2018 by Chris Anthony Diaz

My first Comic-Con ever! So my apologies, I tried my best to take as many photos as possible, but this show is overwhelming, yet a lot of fun. Also, I lugged around too much stuff to get signed, which i brought — yes excuses! Anyways, this is all I ended up with despite going in with a more extensive list of cartoonists I wanted to photograph! Oh well, hopefully next year I end up taking more. San Diego Comic-Con International 2018, downtown San Diego Convention Center Exhibit Hall, Thursday, July 19, 2018

The Love & Rockets banner decorates the Fantagraphics Books table

During his signing time, Jaime Hernandez hijinxs! In Locas moments of mischief and glee, notice how Jaime’s characters take after him here!

Jaime Hernandez: one half of Love & Rockets. The rubber band he fired hit his sister-in-law Carol Hernandez!

My favorite Jaime cover so far of the new version of Love And Rockets, very cinematic and montage-like. Love the wide-screen design of the three panels! (Based on the top panel, I think Jaime could do a nice adaptation of Dune!)

Gilbert Hernandez: one half of Love & Rockets and Assassinistas for IDW Publishing

Gold Sharpie pen looks great on black hardcover of Love & Rockets Volume 15 of the original series!

Comic-Con badge and gift bag area as well as the autograph pavilion

Noah Van Sciver: Blammo, Fante Bukowski, Disquiet, Constant Companion sketchbook, Saint Cole, Johnny Appleseed, The Hypo and Now contributor

Paid sketch in Disquiet of the father character from The Lizard Laughed short story — in my opinion, Noah’s greatest story, which won me over and made me a permanent fan of his comics!

Taken in downtown Columbus, Ohio during CXC 2016, my photo of Noah appears with a cool color tint on the letter page of the newly released Blammo 10!

My photo of Noah taken in downtown Columbus, Ohio during CXC 2016 appears in the French release

Manuele Fior and Noah Van Sciver signing

Manuele Fior: Blackbird Days, The Interview and 5000 km Per Second

Thank you for the awesome painted sketch Manuele!

Sammy Harkham: Crickets and Kramers Ergot anthology

Sammy did a “Tonta” title to go with his Locas pin-up, but it was let off in the final printing for whatever reason. So he did it again here to complete his piece

Sammy finally joined others in the Fanta 40th anniversary book

Geof Darrow: The Shaolin Cowboy, Hard Boiled and Big Guy And Rusty The Boy Robot

A large and affordable original from Geof Darrow, which epitomizes the detail and type of characters in his work

Writer Tini Howard (left) and cartoonist Gilbert Hernandez (right): Assassinistas for IDW Publishing

Tracy Hurren, editor of Dirty Plotte: The Complete Julie Doucet and creative director Tom Devlin of Drawn & Quarterly

Sienna: Blue Hare Comix and Mission: Comics & Art

My very tasty and affordable after Comic-Con dinner at ¡Salud! Barrio Logan

Seconds at ¡Salud! Barrio Logan, this time ceviche and another margarita! See you next year!

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Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in The Diaz Archive

Chris Anthony Diaz

Posted on July 24, 2018July 25, 2018

Explore

02/24/2017

Sally IngrahamFebruary 24, 2017NewsSally here to finish the week with a very exciting announcement from the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, and loads of work from lady comics makers world-wide! ————————————————————————————————— The best news this week is that Annie Koyama, owner and publisher of Koyama Press and a comics community cornerstone, has donated an outstanding collection of original artwork by contemporary American cartoonists to the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, in Columbus, OH. The collection contains over 250 pieces by artists such as Lisa Hanawalt, Theo Ellsworth, Katie Skelly, Noah Van Sciver, Eleanor Davis, Dustin Harbin, Frank Santoro, Gabrielle Bell, Hellen Jo, Kevin Huizenga, and many more. Annie has been building the collection since 2013, and donating it to the BICLM was her intent from the beginning. This collection speaks volumes about Annie’s enthusiasm for the medium, her ongoing support for the artists in this community, and the importance she places in preserving this vital part of history. As Caitlin McGurk, Associate Curator of the BICLM, says: “What Annie Koyama has done for us is unprecedented, forward-thinking, and remarkable. Most cartoonists in this community make a livelihood by selling their original art to private collectors, which makes it more difficult for public research facilities like BICLM to obtain these essential works. Annie has not only supported these cartoonists, but has solidified their legacy by placing the collection at OSU where it can be preserved, accessed, and enjoyed for generations to come.“ The collection will be on view at the BICLM from May 6, 2018 – Sunday, October 21, 2018, coinciding with Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC). I can’t wait to see it! ————————————————————————————————— Gabrielle Bell has a new comic on VICE called The Nicest Dog – check out the first page above and the rest HERE. Her new book – Everything is Flammable – is coming out from Uncivilized Press on April 18th. ————————————————————————————————— Melissa Mendes and Anne Elizabeth Moore team up on Truthout to continue a comics journalism project (formerly called Ladydrawers – check out the complete archives HERE). The series, as you can see above, will deal with the water and housing crisis in Detroit. Updates monthly. The first section is HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Em DeMarco‘s recent comic in the Pittsburgh City Paper is about immigration rights – which are in constant flux these days, it seems. In English and Spanish – check it out HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Secret Acres has announced that they will be releasing Keren Katz‘s debut comic at TCAF this year. From the press release: “The Academic Hour charts the romance between Pothel, a disgraced architecture professor, and his student, Liana. Told in a series of surreal, vibrant vignettes, and set in a fantastic, logic-defying college of shifting rooms and secret performance spaces,The Academic Hour affirms how an intense, fledgling relationship can ignite the impulse for storytelling with unbridled, ferocious creative energy.“ Keren’s illustrative work has garnered praise and numerous awards – I look forward to seeing what she does with the comics medium. In stores May 16th 2017. ————————————————————————————————— Peas and Carrots More, more, and more hype for Emil Ferris‘ My Favorite Thing Is Monsters – Hillary Brown interviews Emil for Paste Magazine; NPR featured the work on Fresh Air, calling the book “dazzling”; and The Comics Journal published Part 2 of their epic interview with the creator. Lauren Weinstein is sooooo cloooose to giving birth, but part of her wants to keep the kid inside a bit longer – according to her most recent comic in The Village Voice…! Rolling Blackouts by Sarah Glidden is reviewed by Women Who Write About Comics. If you haven’t checked out the Women Who Draw database since the website crashed last year on day 3 of its existence, you should head over there now. It’s HUGE and it’s beautiful. G. Willow Wilson, who writes the Ms. Marvel comics, turns her pen to reviewing Angel Catbird, a comics project that Margaret Atwood is writing. Dig into it on Publisher’s Weekly. ————————————————————————————————— The Spring Semester of the Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers is starting soon! The semester has a rolling start date, but it will officially kick off on March 7th. We will continue taking applications past that date – Frank is always willing to make it work for your schedule. Just apply! Applications received by February 26th will get 100 bux off! The course is 8 weeks long – payment plans are available. More details can be found HERE. Email santoroschoolATgmail to apply ————————————————————————————————— Blinkers – 2-24-2017 – by Jack Brougham ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 2-24-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 2-24-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio ————————————————————————————————— Cozytown – 2-24-2017 – by Juan Fernandez Share this page: [...]

10/12/2017

Sally IngrahamOctober 12, 2017NewsSally here with announcements and excitement from Adam Griffiths, Kyle Baker, Derick Jones, Ronald Wimberly, and more! ————————————————————————————————— East City Art featured an official shout-out regarding Adam Griffiths‘ forthcoming graphic novel Washington White: “Science fiction meets the aftermath of the 1960s civil rights movement in Adam Griffiths’ forthcoming self-published graphic novel, Washington White, a pseudo techno-thriller about corporate greed, gentrification, and corruption set inside the District of Columbia. Drawn in pencil with digital coloring, Griffiths has been working on the 600-page book for nine years; the first installment will be published as a 70-page newspaper tabloid. Written in the form of a spy thriller, the civil rights science-fiction plot and the mad-cap challenges that the story’s range of characters face make for a bombastic, silly, and disturbing experience.“ If you’re in the D.C. area keep an eye out for this newspaper and perhaps catch Adam at CAB this year with copies of the comic. Adam gave Frank and I a peek at the manuscript of this work when he was here in January for a Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency, and I can tell you right now, it exists in a parallel dimension. I am eagerly anticipating this one! ————————————————————————————————— Like Derick Jones says, sometimes you gotta just use brute force to dig into a comics project, or page, or panel…! Above is part of a page from his new minicomic Rhythm Man, written by Storme Smith and recently published by Buno (which was founded in 2016 by Ulises Farinas and Storme Smith). You can see more pages and learn some of Derick’s thoughts behind them over on his Instagram – @skudsink – and get a copy of the comic HERE. ————————————————————————————————— An exciting announcement that came out of the New York Comic Con last week was that the Milestone imprint is coming back to DC Comics. A number of characters will return to or be born in the world of Earth M, including Static Shock (above) drawn by Kyle Baker and written by Denys Cowan and Reginald Hudlin. Cheers of delight met the announcement, made by Kyle Baker himself, as the character is a fan favorite. I’m just excited or anything and everything drawn by Kyle Baker, so we all must keep an eye out in 2018 for Static Shock #1…! Read the full report HERE on The Comics Beat. ————————————————————————————————— Ronald Wimberly is the featured artist at Superchief Gallery NY tonight (Oct. 12th 2017), so if you’re in the area you should go hang out with him from 7 PM – 12 AM. ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 10-12-2017 – by Sally Ingraham ————————————————————————————————— Cozytown – 10-12-2017 – by Juan Fernandez ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 10-12-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

Frank’s 1st Workshop Tour

Chris Anthony DiazJanuary 29, 2016The Diaz ArchiveAll Photos by Chris Anthony Diaz and colored by Graham Willcox. Frank Santoro’s first ever workshop tour – San Francisco’s Mission Comics and Art – 2012 Share this page: [...]

09/11/2017

Caleb OrecchioSeptember 10, 2017NewsCaleb Orecchio here with thought’s on GG’s new book, I’m Not Here, from Koyama Press and other news. ———————————————————————————————— GG’s work has a lot of pain. I’ve always been very frustrated in the past by GG’s work because I felt like, though her comics are excellent, I was not being “let in” so to speak. It always seemed that the emotional resonance of her work was being muffled to the point of complete ambiguity–which isn’t bad–I just felt like something was being consciously held back. I don’t want to pretend that I know GG’s intentions, (and obviously, this is my own opinion) but I definitely feel that lately her work has taken on a more emotionally straight-forward approach, for the better–particularly with I’m Not Here, published by Koyama Press. The joy of reading a GG comic is the sensational drawing. I really like the below page of suburban houses and lawns. There is an undeniable beauty there that I hesitate to elaborate on just because I don’t feel like I have to explain why something like this is beautiful. GG’s drawing is a really excellent vessel for emotion. Her “cartoony realism” style (that arguably skirts the border of realism if not for lack of detail–or rather, the use of minimal detail) feels completely comfortable to my eyes and I believe in everything I see. So, when a child cries because a precious toy must be thrown away or a mother is bent over in physical and emotional anguish, it hits like an F# note on a piano–it’s jarring and instantaneous. GG’s drawing eschews the use of impressionistic facial expressions that a less technical cartoonist must utilize to impress emotion upon a reader, and is able to directly depict emotion through face and body language. This to me is a mark of an excellent cartoonist–which, I don’t have to tell you, GG is. This has always been true of GG’s work. I hope I’m not being presumptuous, but what separates this work from her past work, for me, is that this book feels particularly personal. Not that GG’s work has never been personal–in fact I’d argue all of GG’s work is intensely personal. However–I have never felt that F# note with her other work. The immediacy of I’m Not Here is undeniably pertinent–almost like we are going to the source of it all or something. The pain depicted in this book feels real as oppose to metaphorical or situational to me. Make sense? Personally, this is (if I haven’t made myself clear) GG’s best work. I had a sigh of relief after reading I’m Not Here. There is a real catharsis to this book. If you believe in everything you see therein, like I did, and allow yourself to partake in the emotional arc of the story, you will find yourself–like you just ate a very nice, delicious meal without feeling overly full or drunk–satisfied. -CO ———————————————————————————————— if you don’t know, now you know Plan your SPX weekend!–it’s this week! Comics Workbook will be there in full force haven’t you heard! CXC is just around the corner too Dan Nadel on and talking to Richard Kyle on TCJ. Looks like Study Group Comics is serializing another Farel Dalrymple comic which is good news for all. Latest Comic Books Are Burning in Hell is excellent, duh. Speaking of Study Group, last weeks Process Party guest was Jeff Smith–pretty good interview. They usually post a new episode after this news post goes live so see what the latest one will be this week while you’re at it. I like when Tom Surgeon posts links to sites like this that posts Golden Age and other not particularly easy to find comics. ———————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil– 9-11-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 9-11-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

03/25/2016

Sally IngrahamMarch 25, 2016NewsSally Ingraham and Gabriella Tito here today with more details on that Urasawa Naoki no Manben episode, a new article from John F. Kelly, some behind-the-scenes peeking, and comics from Stephen Beck and Cesar Erhard. ————————————————————————————————— Right off the bat we’ll hand the mic to Gabriella Tito. She’s a terrific cartoonist from Orlando, FL, whose work you can find on her own tumblr, on Comics Workbook, and most recently within the pages of Zona 01. Although the Daily News team here at Comics Workbook reported on the recently subtitled episode of Urasawa Naoki no Manben a few days ago, Gabriella wanted to dig in with some thoughts of her own. Here she is! Hi all! Gabriella Tito here reporting from Orlando Florida. I wanted to expand a bit more on the recent episode of “Urasawa Naoki no Manben“. The first episode in the new season focused on Hagio Moto, often referred to as the founding mother of Shoujo manga and BL (boy’s love, stories that involve two young men romantically). Shoujo manga loosely means “girls comics” if you are not familiar with the term. It has a general focus on the psychological aspects of the characters and romantic relationships. BL is a subculture of the Bishounen (a beautiful and youthful boy) culture that Hagio Moto and other female manga artists pioneered during the 70’s. Drama and conflict is key for both of these genres! Unfortunately, a lot of her work has not been seen in English, which is why you may recognize the famous shoujo style, but not Hagio Moto’s name. In Japan she is extremely well known and many manga artists cite her as their inspiration. To say her work was a direct inspiration to me would be a little far-fetched, but I can say I was greatly inspired by the genre she helped to create. I was always an avid manga reader growing up, always imitating my favorite artists. So naturally, watching this episode of Manben for me was truly a delight! I am a huge NERD when it comes to process and Hagio Moto’s process was no exception. Unlike many of the other artists featured on Manben, she works at a much slower pace, fully fleshing out the sketch before inking. This is a huge refreshment, given the environment I have come to know in the fast paced world of comics. There is such detail and thought given to the poses she creates because of the fact that she is trying to convey so much into one action. Naoki Urasawa in one section even pointed out that Moto’s work reads exactly like a theater drama, even down to the lighting! I think Shoujo manga in general can be seen as a theater drama if you look at it in that perspective. One final thought about the episode is how frantic Moto is about getting the “performance” just right or else her thoughts will not be conveyed correctly. She talked as if her characters are actors on a stage – the acting has to be perfect or else the drama falls flat, right? It’s why composition and being able to convey the mood of the moment is so important, even in comics without intense drama like Hagio Moto’s. Thank you all for tuning in! – Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— All righty, Sally back on the mic now to bring you the rest of your Friday comics flotsam and jetsam. John F. Kelly has delivered a fantastic article about Bill Griffith – the “legendary underground cartoonist” best known for his comic strip Zippy the Pinhead – and the weird relationship between Zippy, Bill, and the city of Pittsburgh. The article is perfectly timed, because Bill Griffith will once again be in Pittsburgh – next Saturday, for the Pittsburgh Indy Comix Expo (PIX) – and everyone is hoping that Zippy will also find himself in more odd corners of that city. Check out the article right here on Comics Workbook, and if you’re in the area, pop round to PIX to meet Bill Griffith next weekend! ————————————————————————————————— There are a lot of cartoonists out there right now who are really putting in the work, whether it’s Jim Rugg and his cat, stapling zines together in preparation for DINK (TODAY and TOMORROW in Denver!); or Anya Davidson hand coloring Band for Life (see pic above); or Oliver East numbering his run of 1,000 new books (below); or Grant Gronewold packing up comics in borrowed medical bags immediately following a surgery…not to mention the feverish activity that is taking place at the Rowhouse any given day, as Frank assembles Truth Zones and prints Zona 02 among a thousand other things. Maybe it’s because I am up to my eyeballs in my own comics at the moment, in preparation for PIX (April 2nd, Pittsburgh!), that I find all these folks so relatable. However, this part of the process – less glamorous perhaps than the drawing and composing of a comic – has always interested me, and that DIY spirit is a huge part of what makes this community viable and vibrant. Hang in there folks – you can do it! ————————————————————————————————— Giving a shout from Switzerland, Raul Burgos Paredes has a recommendation for us – Coloforme (and Greyscale) by Stephen Beck. Published by the collective Frémok (located in Brussels), the book does indeed look “trippy and awesome”, as do many of the other offerings from the group. Keep hitting that translation button if you have to as you poke around the site – you just might find a treasure. (Raul has just stumbled into comics, by way of cartoonists on tumblr and the likes of 2dcloud and Comics Workbook, but he is quickly finding his feet. We’ll see what else he digs up!) ————————————————————————————————— Cesar Erhard has been rolling out comics about various musicians over the last few weeks. The most recent offering can be seen above, featuring trumpeter Charles Tolliver. Cesar has riffed on pianist Ahmad Jamal, on Alice Coltrane and her harp, and detailed the first time he heard the music of Sun Ra. He collects something special about each artist and holds it in gentle hands, so that we can catch a few notes of the music the way he hears it. Sounds good to me. ————————————————————————————————— That’s another week wrapped up, folks! Let’s meet back here on Monday for more comics gold. – Sally Share this page: [...]

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