tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32951414619067141062024-03-18T00:00:32.924-07:00High-LowThis is the blog of comics critic Rob Clough. I have writings elsewhere at SOLRAD.co, TCJ.com and a bunch more. Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.comBlogger1857125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-15846846722852078922024-03-18T00:00:00.000-07:002024-03-18T00:00:00.234-07:00Poison Pill<i>Poison Pill </i>was one of the more exciting comics of 2023 because it had this kind of young guns energy going for it, as six young cartoonists who are all entering mature phases of their careers made this anthology together. The fact that it's all women doesn't really come as much of a surprise, given how much the demographics of young cartoonists have shifted so much in the last decade. There's not much that this line-up--Caroline Cash, M.S. Harkness, Sam Szabo, Victoria Douglas, Audra Stang, and Heather Loase--have in common with each other in terms of style or subject matter, other than the fact that all of these stories were autobiographical. Each approaches memoir in a completely different way, aiming for different effects. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaOL4r9iLseE-GodzaQycwmmNuyXAADIcN6u51CIHoKO9tayRZksLfNsMww1NElpVw4tSlUz9SELNAaXH1lGE7SviI0edK4YPrQwdxrRbdemy6nhuCeWG5df1MEC1zrAotstgm21wOQPTtt47BE8LY3N6HrCH67XHPTQy2YdU4dwF0tTrIIK_cB7Ttw/s1200/poisonpillphilly.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="835" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaOL4r9iLseE-GodzaQycwmmNuyXAADIcN6u51CIHoKO9tayRZksLfNsMww1NElpVw4tSlUz9SELNAaXH1lGE7SviI0edK4YPrQwdxrRbdemy6nhuCeWG5df1MEC1zrAotstgm21wOQPTtt47BE8LY3N6HrCH67XHPTQy2YdU4dwF0tTrIIK_cB7Ttw/s320/poisonpillphilly.jpeg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><div><div><br /></div><div>Caroline Cash's art has an inherent coolness that's still charged with genuine emotion, but that coolness is a distancing device. "First Date" is actually a rather sweet story about Cash's first date with a woman in Octoboer 2020; it's also her first date since the COVID quarantine began. Cash dials up stylized figures, simplified figures, and cartoony figures as a way to modulate emotion, mixing her manga influences with modern alt-comics style. The story itself is completely straightforward and is more of an anecdote about a particular moment and feeling than an actual narrative. That's what Cash seems to be going for her--relating this one, wonderful, strange moment in all of its awkward, sweaty glory. The stacked horizontal panels where Cash and her date kiss start off as tender, but Cash can't help herself and goes cartoony-zany in the last panel. It all fits, because it's the payoff to an idea about living in a time and place where hesitating is no longer a luxury we possess. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGstzdUYrJylbthL_mncTPE7nIUsIGD9ScnpJCPRBi3IE-gA8aLEicmonVfq-uTqD0ZAApC3V8Pa2GeuRrOWdeKS6AmVbyOih-bThtM-yuMXEs12JvUqXdJNb_elyKnfAykwplYwkqKj9Nw7Aw_ukoKB5kih95M99JcSdf_GQ26cQCzdOXg5doAEvjg/s2595/cash.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2595" data-original-width="1946" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGstzdUYrJylbthL_mncTPE7nIUsIGD9ScnpJCPRBi3IE-gA8aLEicmonVfq-uTqD0ZAApC3V8Pa2GeuRrOWdeKS6AmVbyOih-bThtM-yuMXEs12JvUqXdJNb_elyKnfAykwplYwkqKj9Nw7Aw_ukoKB5kih95M99JcSdf_GQ26cQCzdOXg5doAEvjg/s320/cash.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sam Szabo's story was next, and the transition between stories couldn't have been more jarring. The slick precision of Cash was succeeded by the expressive scrawl of Szabo. The small moment of intimacy in Cas's comic was followed by a huge turning point in Szabo's life, when they realized they were trans when wearing a dress as "a bit" for an Insane Clown Posse concert. If there was a little distance in Cash's style, Szabo immediately lays it all on the line as everything they knew about their reality and identity changed right before their eyes. Szabo's line is so energetic that the reader can't help but get swept up. However, that crude line belies rock-solid storytelling and clear page & panel composition. The six-panel grid, the thick line that highlights every drawing, and Szabo's sharp sense of timing gives this story a beautiful flow. The tonal shift between existential crisis, hilarious plot happenings (dropping acid alone at an ICP concert), and a gradual but beautiful sense of self-acceptance are all part of Szabo's smart storytelling. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbvoeJZsBf2ExMJ1X-dNaiqgYkoRAp0mv_NcPcdlkYR-CZ-pcixzEHbXYdltxQU_ttEtdxVNJWRHRIJYjz1VZUJ1VIvVizjEjgpdVvKXG1L2-_rz0Z1vBRslN3iveFR-HZVRQRqSCh0MzkK5C2cSa0mXd653v_yD8SX1oFgRtU-0MUsC0LqqiYU_GTQ/s1114/sz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1114" data-original-width="763" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbvoeJZsBf2ExMJ1X-dNaiqgYkoRAp0mv_NcPcdlkYR-CZ-pcixzEHbXYdltxQU_ttEtdxVNJWRHRIJYjz1VZUJ1VIvVizjEjgpdVvKXG1L2-_rz0Z1vBRslN3iveFR-HZVRQRqSCh0MzkK5C2cSa0mXd653v_yD8SX1oFgRtU-0MUsC0LqqiYU_GTQ/s320/sz.jpg" width="219" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Victoria Douglas' social media lament was the most technically dazzling and visually exciting story in the anthology, but it was also the most predictable and cliched entry as well. While her concept of being loaded into the "content cannon" on social media was funny and cleverly executed, the idea of someone being fed up with social media engagement isn't exactly original or very interesting. Even the follow-up punchline doesn't land, and the story might have been better off without it. </div><div><br /></div><div>M.S. Harkness is certainly the cartoonist in this anthology who's on the biggest roll at the moment, with her Fantagraphics-published memoir <i>Time Under Tension</i> earning a number of accolades in 2023. Her "Feu de Joie" ("fire of joy") is a cleverly assembled series of anecdotes about the 4th of July told in chronological order. The brief snapshot of a holiday and the hot, sticky unpleasantness that is July allow Harkness to include crucial context clues about her life at that time. Told in her typical dense, black-heavy style with highly stylized character designs, the first story reaches back to her childhood and the clear sense of just how unsupervised she was as a pre-teen: playing with M-80s, watching adults have a fistfight, sneaking in jello shots. The next story finds her in her early 20s as a summer camp counselor, breaking the heart of a date who had become fond of her while fireworks fired over a lake. The next one came during the tumultuous summer of 2020 in Minneapolis as she was biking her way through smoke and read all of the local complaints about fireworks. The final story is a sweet exchange between Harkness and her fiance as they watch fireworks on a bridge. Pretty much every aspect of Harkness' storytelling is bawdy, crude, direct, and gross, as she's not interested in pulling any punches. This was partly a mechanism to deflect her true feelings, which she'd parcel out to the reader a bit at a time. Despite her in-your-face style, there is an essential sweetness and yearning in all of her comics, and this short story features a little bit of both.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMPdaBKQsWbjbOnFYEnkVli0X0TiNgFNkqiuAlmAuT2Of-zon_KM5ArXjifo0VAP5vcc3WXolrGUkXhra1_YBY0gh2D-w2oEe9p5neqKamOitA_FwFn-gvNQkbv9heFEFx1Ig6huWzQuy4XeD4zxe-g0EPhUEgBnRYEBO0gUJ5t5E13Of5n0PNk-IJQ/s259/loa.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMPdaBKQsWbjbOnFYEnkVli0X0TiNgFNkqiuAlmAuT2Of-zon_KM5ArXjifo0VAP5vcc3WXolrGUkXhra1_YBY0gh2D-w2oEe9p5neqKamOitA_FwFn-gvNQkbv9heFEFx1Ig6huWzQuy4XeD4zxe-g0EPhUEgBnRYEBO0gUJ5t5E13Of5n0PNk-IJQ/s1600/loa.jpeg" width="194" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Heather Loase's comic about being obsessed with breast-related porn as a teen similarly doesn't pull any punches, working in a frank, funny, and filthy space similar to Gina Wynbrandt (as well as Cash and Harkness). Her line is probably most similar to Szabo's although Szabo's figures are scratchier and more angular (sort of like Kaz) and Loase loves big, exaggerated, curvy lines and figures. It's a dense style of storytelling but she also has deft control over her composition, making each page intense but easy to follow. Loase's story is a familiar one: being drawn to same-sex attraction and researching it online only to be condemned by her parents. As she describes it, it led to her burying "all homoerotic fantasies for the next decade" as she turned her attention to male figures like hobbits and Derek Jeter. She concludes by saying there were still some TV shows, like the ridiculously lurid MTV Spring Break specials, that brought back "that weird feeling." This story, like several of the others in the anthology, is about a turning point regarding identity. Unlike the other stories, Loase's is about losing that sense of finding out who you are, but only up to a point. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWgivCel4lpHG3nho1kUhZLwJxdT0sqf6uvUiyYBJLP8f2IjfX_bVc4OmsO4E63AttjoFFxpMzSDxvwK-8QJ8FYrJ2-NRXpADm22z-Hvzd6RUycRAWBUmMrUppoVbtYC6I8Qoy0-dALHwSocF2rZ1I3RE5YivI0TYeWSurENxIUF2cay4xX__4FXPH_w/s259/aud.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWgivCel4lpHG3nho1kUhZLwJxdT0sqf6uvUiyYBJLP8f2IjfX_bVc4OmsO4E63AttjoFFxpMzSDxvwK-8QJ8FYrJ2-NRXpADm22z-Hvzd6RUycRAWBUmMrUppoVbtYC6I8Qoy0-dALHwSocF2rZ1I3RE5YivI0TYeWSurENxIUF2cay4xX__4FXPH_w/s1600/aud.jpeg" width="194" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Finally, Audra Stang contributes a fairly rare work of memoir. Recent issues of her series <i>The Audra Show</i> have seen her do more of these sorts of stories after mostly doing fiction in her young career, but they've all been uniformly excellent. This story about Christmas and her family is no exception. It's an understated and nuanced account of horrible family dysfunction and the traumatic effects of poverty. Stang's page composition really takes advantage of the larger page size of <i>Poison Pill</i> (8 x 11 3/4") on pages like one where she's talking about how her schedule would change during Christmas break as she stacked eight horizontal panels on top of each other, each with a small image of young Stang, a caption, and shading filler. It gets across the way that a lack of structure seeped into her life, and how it was a welcome experience. The final pages, where she's away from her judgmental father and helps her mother (desperate to cope with life) on her paper route, culminating in a cup of coffee at a local diner. Her descriptions are matter of fact to the point of being almost icy, but it's a distancing technique that allows the reader to absorb the way she gets across the feelings of despair through her figure work. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's a strong ending to a varied collection of stories that are mostly contemplative and even sweet. The interstitial drawings help unite the disparate drawings, with Cash (I think) doing her take on the famous B.Kliban "A cartoonist is coming!" drawing. There are several different drawings featuring each of the artists, which helps contribute to the rock star mythology they're creating for themselves.<i> Poison Pill</i> is a mission statement, a concerted attempt at intimate and challenging storytelling, and a strong visual buffet of different styles.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-55950315012092849282024-02-27T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-27T00:00:00.131-08:00Pyrite Press, Part 2: K.Wroten's Crimes<p>K.Wroten is one of the most thoughtful and philosophical cartoonists working today. Their first major full-length book, <i>Crimes</i>, was published by Pyrite Press, and it's remarkable for its complex, ambiguous, and well-realized characters who ruminate on questions essential to their very identity. At its core, it is the tale of Willa, a burnt-out artist in her 30s, and Bas, a young poet and polymath who is just starting her career after a nihilistic adolesence. It's a story of friendship and betrayal, obsession and repulsion, and desperately wanting to be anyone other than who we are. For Wroten, it's a fascinating snapshot in time to when their line was much scratchier and less polished, but their cartooning was still so strong and expressive. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzOL52iHE47GO7umZ8ab-brw8Q5uiSmCh-5-SotWmyKLDs8752y3556ylYRofsS_GjZxNRRD9ZGl4Yw1ZM1TkG_VPksFEw1xFKCx8ZAPHPy0grXrlNJpQVXOtgbI4y2aGLA82HVYQD5JkMcKBdKhGnzU4rz9iOZfvjrMAc-CRxeLKHy5g4hhbGmWZ4VQ/s1000/crimeco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzOL52iHE47GO7umZ8ab-brw8Q5uiSmCh-5-SotWmyKLDs8752y3556ylYRofsS_GjZxNRRD9ZGl4Yw1ZM1TkG_VPksFEw1xFKCx8ZAPHPy0grXrlNJpQVXOtgbI4y2aGLA82HVYQD5JkMcKBdKhGnzU4rz9iOZfvjrMAc-CRxeLKHy5g4hhbGmWZ4VQ/s320/crimeco.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Wroten plays around with chronology in a way that's a bit confusing at first, until they really dig into the main narrative. We're first introduced to Willa as a teen, arguing the existence of god with her disingenously argumentative father. Then we flash forward to learn that her best friend, Simon, has been found dead on a camping trip, and she is coping badly with it. All she can do is start to paint in is honor, an act that triggers the flashback to how Willa meets Bas. </p><p>Bas was Simon's girlfriend. Simon and Willa were platonic friends, and Willa was immediately repulsed by the clear artifice that went into her persona. At the same time, she was drawn not only to the lengths that Bas went to in the construction of her personality, but also at how effective it was. Wroten depicts a now-smitten Willa with a "badum" sound effect to indicate her rapidly-beating heart, but also a sense of impassioned panic. There is a feeling of inevitability regarding them eventually hooking up, as Simon encourages Bas working in Willa's studio space, and there are seemingly coincidental encounters that draw them together. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wSjlx58kFt0wGhJG8Scn0Ssjso2POkYThNbIIq9iRTnWv-CIQZf1M6uC6xKa9PogXMqVkWWRZA486jlv-Q1cTJIjYBe0JFg26aDQGqmVR0aEgaiGACi28TBgNO1Sj4AOsh8Cbzm_foACf3ZxvK2EkrV85ZGSQG7QRsHRU5nZCo75SeY9ol0pK5jIMw/s1000/crime2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="749" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wSjlx58kFt0wGhJG8Scn0Ssjso2POkYThNbIIq9iRTnWv-CIQZf1M6uC6xKa9PogXMqVkWWRZA486jlv-Q1cTJIjYBe0JFg26aDQGqmVR0aEgaiGACi28TBgNO1Sj4AOsh8Cbzm_foACf3ZxvK2EkrV85ZGSQG7QRsHRU5nZCo75SeY9ol0pK5jIMw/s320/crime2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The key segment in <i>Crimes</i> is a conversation Bas and Willa have about whether or not evil exists. Bas reveals that when she was a teen, she sometimes deliberately sought out the company of a group of men because she knew they would do fucked-up things. It's implied that some of them were done to her, but it's explicitly stated that she did a lot of things that she shouldn't, but who cares, right? It was freedom! Wroten hear is hitting on Plato's Ring of Gyges story, where a man finds a magic ring that gives him invisibility and freedom to do whatever he wants. He chooses to rape, kill, and rob because there are no consequences, giving rise to the idea of the degree to which ethical behavior is simply a function of a fear of punishment. For Bas (which is not her real name), she chose to live that way until she didn't--there was a sense of deep down, understanding that what she was doing was counter to the nature of what it is to be human. There was no god to punish her, only her own revulsion and eventual decision to leave it behind. </p><p>Wroten cleverly skips the scene where Bas and Willa hook up, instead moving on to Bas performing a poem about it to a crowd that includes a rapturously supportive and utterly clueless Simon. They both encourage Simon to go on a herpetology camping trip, but even as they earnestly encourage him, Bas knows what she's really doing. She feels guilty but does it anyway, circling back around to this concept of evil. Bas asks Willa to come over since she has a spare key, but it's all a ruse for seduction that Bas knows Willa wants and won't resist. Here, Wroten gives us the sex scene and the important pillow talk afterward, which leads to guilt and an attempt to clear their heads at the beach. Just as Bas nearly broke down (and nearly died of what may have been a drug overdose) years earlier with her depraved friends, she breaks down again when she gets the phone call that Simon's dead. It's the other shoe finally dropping, something the reader had been waiting for the whole time, but the revelations about them pushing him into it, their own betrayals, and an attempt to even justify it are rendered irrelevant in the moment. There is only grief, and guilt, and a profound understanding of how one's choices create one's identity. It also ties into the beginning, where we see Willa trying to cope with her grief but don't see Bas, as it's clear that they've split. </p><p>The intricacy of the characterizations, the verisimilitude of the dialogue, the highly effective plot twists, and the liveliness of the cartooning all make this a strong debut. That said, it is very clearly the work of a young cartoonist who badly needed editing and graphic design help. There are a number of examples of poorly-blocked word balloons, poor flow due to confusing placement of word balloons relative to the characters, shaky lettering, and other technical flaws that could have been cleared up with a good designer. It's telling how much Wroten's technical ability improved with Cannonball, and I would imagine this was due both to greater experience and a stronger editorial hand at Uncivilized Books. Technial problems aside, Wroten's devotion to exploring how philosophical problems play out in relationships makes them one of my favorite young cartoonists.</p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-71767059075611478112024-02-26T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-26T00:00:00.145-08:00Pyrite Press, Part 1: Vinnie Neuberg, Haejin Park, Rachel Katz & Stephanie Davidson<p><a href="https://www.pyritepress.com/">Pyrite Press</a> is Brice Gold's publishing concern. I don't think it's currently active in publishing new books, but I did meet Brice at CAKE last year and picked up several books. Part 1 of this review will include three shorter comics, while part 2 will focus in on K.Wroten's book <i>Crimes</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycRozkvJ8opWbtmSj4qPvo2dvV6Bqae1UqhCTdhQLkpBoHPIWKe9y1hSX7Jo2ZC2DJATM8_D4BOkTi6BMhb-OZJfPWauOpI2dIbn0cOIui_Ln4upDiO8nWNl4QQGjS0WaP-0Dup4g8Zq9RGinI2jc8wru-yonG-hrJ2q0hEht3nfzGRq4ONCBGjeFWw/s1000/fowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="647" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycRozkvJ8opWbtmSj4qPvo2dvV6Bqae1UqhCTdhQLkpBoHPIWKe9y1hSX7Jo2ZC2DJATM8_D4BOkTi6BMhb-OZJfPWauOpI2dIbn0cOIui_Ln4upDiO8nWNl4QQGjS0WaP-0Dup4g8Zq9RGinI2jc8wru-yonG-hrJ2q0hEht3nfzGRq4ONCBGjeFWw/s320/fowl.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><p><i>Fowl Weather,</i> by Rachel Katz and Stepanie Davidson. What I found interesting about Pyrite Press is that no two books were alike in terms of style or subject matter. This short comic done by a writer-artist team was equal parts meditative and absurd, with Davidson's assured pen-and-ink drawings employing a great deal of negative space. This makes sense, given that the story follows a couple being kept indoors by a massive Boston snowstorm. Davidson's line is spare and elegant, perhaps relying on greyscale shading a bit too much at times. However, she was up to the task of giving punch to the most important visual aspect of the story: a flock of wild turkeys showed up out of nowhere. The main character is fascinated but also somewhat repulsed by them. Mostly, she's baffled at their presence in her life, as they came by every day, pecking the frozen ground. There's a beautiful two-page spread where she manages to watch them launch themselves into the trees next door to sleep, where the many small panels are mostly in black, reflecting the dimming light of the day. </p><p>When the snow subsides, the turkeys go elsewhere. There's no big climax or any attempts to dig into what it all means. Instead, Katz shows a great deal of restraint as a writer and mostly keeps to the observations, with subtle but distinct instances of her comfort indoors vs the turkeys' hardscrabble existence. It culminates in her fantasizing about being outside, pecked to death by the turkeys. The other interesting aspect of the narrative is interrogating her relationship with weather and the environment in general. Even as a Bostonian, with difficult winters, this was out of the norm. All of the old rules seemed irrelevant and alien, as the turkeys seemed to be living in a reality different from hers, and she didn't quite know how to feel about it. Doing nothing is still doing something, and so the reader is left with the narrator's sense of unease, openly defying the idea of a neat or dramatic ending. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGneKfF-Isv074PmfJO3YNzAK0oYdNg-VWVmC0GO00P9gadMSpp0a5znV8suacZK6V2KFuvoqTCnMWBYfGWX-nnR4a72VmBwbsqPCl0dRSyIb1BhrlPCzac8ASJGhQNsg0ZOv6T6ymgMZvEZIvrzceZGj75QGXLO0ZjSUUlmysLDC8pSS3NK7xfmimA/s778/cb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGneKfF-Isv074PmfJO3YNzAK0oYdNg-VWVmC0GO00P9gadMSpp0a5znV8suacZK6V2KFuvoqTCnMWBYfGWX-nnR4a72VmBwbsqPCl0dRSyIb1BhrlPCzac8ASJGhQNsg0ZOv6T6ymgMZvEZIvrzceZGj75QGXLO0ZjSUUlmysLDC8pSS3NK7xfmimA/s320/cb.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><p><i>Chicken Boy</i>, by Vinnie Neuberg. This looks a lot like a NoBrow/Flying Eye type kids' book, with a bright orange and blue palette and an absurd, over-the-top story that changes directions every few pages. It starts off with the titular CB getting up and being urged on by everyone, and then arriving at the local sludgeball field to face bullies. Then an evil factory owner shows up and causes a sludgy rain that ruins their next game. CB goes to confront him, only to find his bully enemy imprisoned there, his life force being siphoned to create an army of Chicken Boy clones. Things really go off the rails then, as the evil factory owner powers up to giant size, CB draws power from an angel he hallucinates, and there's a kaiju fight that CB wins. It's all a bunch of whimsical nonsense that's drawn with a great deal of cartoonish exaggeration, but it all works somehow. It's very silly but quite well-executed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1iXulsO-ZMVkpNWxzWvvEJ_roQiQYWpoTmNeTm2n5H-6cKuY_F52kVOGPe4ozJdNerUwvgO238W2gGtojRXPQyF5530YAUn-WupMuSKB2hF3pQjLiChglId9gwc5QXQsgXb-HcfF8SaACf6vPwbc9SXr0XYX1XLW3y_gqi23JJooEyCE2q4TSvHbv4A/s1000/park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="660" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1iXulsO-ZMVkpNWxzWvvEJ_roQiQYWpoTmNeTm2n5H-6cKuY_F52kVOGPe4ozJdNerUwvgO238W2gGtojRXPQyF5530YAUn-WupMuSKB2hF3pQjLiChglId9gwc5QXQsgXb-HcfF8SaACf6vPwbc9SXr0XYX1XLW3y_gqi23JJooEyCE2q4TSvHbv4A/s320/park.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><i>Box</i>, by Haejin Park. This wildly expressionistic and poetic narrative is a parable of sorts about the dueling tendencies toward depraved evil and self-contained purity. The narrative is from the point of view of an unnamed tempter. Whether it's the devil, a real person, or another part of her personality doesn't matter; it's there to corrupt her and have her revel in depravity. However, his potential victim is stronger than she'd like, building a box to protect herself from his temptations. Only food and bathroom breaks left her vulnerable to his voice, but he was quickly able to prey on her secret lusts and break her down. Just when he thought his corruption was complete, she ran off and made a new life. He continued to lurk, however, as it was made clear that her desire for evil was as omnipresent as her desire for good. It's an interesting story, because the essence of her resistance came in the form of self-denial, the ascetic way. She was unable to come to terms with her own desire, and the box helped her deny it in the way a monastic retreat removes temptation. He struck at her with a loving relationship, in the guise of the Big-Headed Boy, and I thought this was the most interesting part of this vividly-painted story. Where is the line between love and lust? Does it matter? For this story, the two are interchangeable enough for him to corrupt her, until she makes a total escape. In the end, it's not even clear if she's aware of her tempter, if she created him, or how effective she thinks her strategy is. Regardless, it's open-ended qualities and overall ambiguity give depth to what is on the surface a straightforward narrative.</p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-12356952186468993352024-02-19T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-19T00:00:00.146-08:00Short Mini Reviews: Sean Bieri, Julia Gootzeit, Muchen Wang, Emily Zullo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUGSDSFNVPMRXi3haickKmiad55cgqgT9HGWuTRL5UnZxVDTGkm9QOzD386rqMl-k-Eawo61ISdJOKZmNNX5bCAVhSdRb9hT0iJW99X6nV0ga_B99UammyGmQ2bK7Gbjbu9-fIbxLfdvdfEWezAZJo8fKP-SK4MI2F1keWexBJBS4w_hGFxGO9iXfTQ/s866/bunn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUGSDSFNVPMRXi3haickKmiad55cgqgT9HGWuTRL5UnZxVDTGkm9QOzD386rqMl-k-Eawo61ISdJOKZmNNX5bCAVhSdRb9hT0iJW99X6nV0ga_B99UammyGmQ2bK7Gbjbu9-fIbxLfdvdfEWezAZJo8fKP-SK4MI2F1keWexBJBS4w_hGFxGO9iXfTQ/s320/bunn.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://emilyzullo.bigcartel.com/product/comics-about-a-bunnygirl">Emily Zullo</a> is a cartoonist and animator. Her <i>Comics About A Bunny Girl </i>is a funny story about anthropomorphic animals and post-ironic crushes. The otherwise nameless Bunny is at a party (wearing a t-shirt that says "DILF Destroyer") and asks everyone's names. When the guys there all respond and ask for hers, she immediately establishes dominance by saying, "Wouldn't <b>you</b> like to know?" Right after that, she meets a dog-girl and they flirt and kiss until Bunny asks her name--and she gets fed the same line. This three-page intro is in full (and somewhat lurid) color and sets up a longer story that provides a little more insight into Bunny's character. </p><p>She's the sort who gets most of her enjoyment from an ironic distance. When she's invited to a frat party, she assumes that it's an ironic simulation of a frat party, only to realize that it's an actual, stupid, and 100% authentic celebration. To her extreme shock, she sees the girl who so entranced her earlier, only to learn that she lives there and wanted her to come to the party. All of this is a nice setting for a romance with a protagonist who is clueless but in a different way--almost hyperaware of social mores so that she can feel she's above them and manipulate them. Zullo's work is interesting because her page composition is so idiosyncratic. She doesn't adhere to any sort of traditional grid, she stuffs tons of panels on the page with little use of negative space to convey the claustrophobic feel of a party, and then she suddenly drops out whole sections of the page when Bunny and the dog-girl have an intimate moment. Some of the background squiggles and shading don't work to ground the page; especially with a purple wash, they act to distract instead. Zullo's strength is character design--the anthropomorphic style really allows her to go big on things like eyes and exaggerated gestures to get across emotion. The scratchy looseness of the comic as a whole is another thing that makes it work, as it conveys the immediacy and fleeting nature of the feelings one can have at a party. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxIW4eeMJVGiLxfCXbknaihCtQ5uzBxwpc-GGu9cQ_4nKRXNm_32oo7QkjDvFe7xOGD0UcVXv20NTSAElJxypSHahIPouXf9Moups7f6KuOPQUEL3NR3_w1LVFO7NzvcOIFcU82G8GdpH30HiqyfmH5qr7BWhBpwiSMGeh6g45LEkcekqYkwjAMh8Sg/s527/Screenshot%202024-02-17%202.20.02%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxIW4eeMJVGiLxfCXbknaihCtQ5uzBxwpc-GGu9cQ_4nKRXNm_32oo7QkjDvFe7xOGD0UcVXv20NTSAElJxypSHahIPouXf9Moups7f6KuOPQUEL3NR3_w1LVFO7NzvcOIFcU82G8GdpH30HiqyfmH5qr7BWhBpwiSMGeh6g45LEkcekqYkwjAMh8Sg/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-17%202.20.02%20PM.png" width="267" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://uoooart.com/new-products">Muchen Wang</a> is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, and I met her at CAKE in 2023. The Steak is the most experimental, as the unseen narrator realizes that the steak she is about to cook and eat is the reincarnated form of a steak. Exactly what kind of "being" he was is left unclear, but the steak raises an objection, which she ignores, noting that she's going to eat every bite and never digest or pass him. I liked the ambiguity of this comic: is this a form of revenge, a way to carry him with her in a literal way, or something else? The pages are smartly composed and her varied line weights are interesting, but you can tell she doesn't quite have total control over her line just yet. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUj1wJQjLMwZR_7y5cFnB3gQcNswh7AHtIlIkmLKj5g7yhHUhnP4jtEPy4MNg6ZIagm784Knp4JKvpWHoqs7vxAcrsF2z1eh6xwD7bSmO1zYoM2dX4l5ukAUPZisQdnKaoq7QQRDxR3yNXaJ_A1Ii9UBadyImFMj1u66YAWasBj-M2AWKMpgNyuK3Iw/s750/ht10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUj1wJQjLMwZR_7y5cFnB3gQcNswh7AHtIlIkmLKj5g7yhHUhnP4jtEPy4MNg6ZIagm784Knp4JKvpWHoqs7vxAcrsF2z1eh6xwD7bSmO1zYoM2dX4l5ukAUPZisQdnKaoq7QQRDxR3yNXaJ_A1Ii9UBadyImFMj1u66YAWasBj-M2AWKMpgNyuK3Iw/s320/ht10.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p>That's evident in her two character-oriented comics, <i>Yakult</i> and <i>Hot Dog. </i>Yakult is a beautiful, heart-breaking story about how divorce can wreak havoc on families as well as how bonds can be built. When their parents marry, young Jae and slightly older Chen bond when Chen shows him kindness to bring him out of his shell. Over the years, Jae becomes a heartthrob whose support of his sister never varies, until the very end of the story when her texts to him get rejected. Wang plays a lot with chronology and once again adds an air of ambiguity to the story as the reader figures out relationships and motivations. I wished this story was printed at a larger size, because the mini format smushed the thick lines together, resulting in some segments that seemed dense to the point of blurriness. It also resulted in some tiny lettering. Hot Dog is an achingly bittersweet story of teens dealing with sex, relationships, betrayals, and secrets. The scattershot timeline approach is once again effective as friends Tin and Chen have to deal with why Tin is bleeding--and it's not menstruation. Wang's use of spot blacks is especially effective in creating mood as the cast expands and then contracts once again at the end, as Wang implies a lot but doesn't push the point, in part because Tin doesn't want to push the point. Wang is a talented storyteller who makes a lot of smart compositional decisions; hopefully, she can work a bit bigger in the future to allow her pages to breathe. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WCw8zooK9x3hqjAvLRTYAVgyiolWDF__0Wf5n-ANNv_XymdU0aUwL4z6kaBoPO8sAPyMPjijRLI1BBKGkRWtPOa9vDnUKCKl4I3zwN81wtBHhnFuHmbWjgwYLCndsCIIadeM8C_Ujy4WjGYU2I_2RSAxDsfx0-5g0KcaOiYFox1F68H60yM4oinGVQ/s554/Screenshot%202024-02-17%202.33.42%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="361" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WCw8zooK9x3hqjAvLRTYAVgyiolWDF__0Wf5n-ANNv_XymdU0aUwL4z6kaBoPO8sAPyMPjijRLI1BBKGkRWtPOa9vDnUKCKl4I3zwN81wtBHhnFuHmbWjgwYLCndsCIIadeM8C_Ujy4WjGYU2I_2RSAxDsfx0-5g0KcaOiYFox1F68H60yM4oinGVQ/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-17%202.33.42%20PM.png" width="209" /></a></div><p>I discovered Julia Gootzeit's work locally at Zine Machine. I liked her work enough to publish her first graphic novel with Fieldmouse Press (<i>Golem Pit 224</i>, <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fieldmousepress/golem-pit-224">fundraising now</a>!), but her shorter work is interesting as well. <i><a href="https://www.radiatorcomics.com/shop/uncategorized/back-of-the-knee/">Back Of The Knee</a></i> nicely sums up the ambiguity of much of her work. It's about an art student named Helen who works mostly with 3D materials like fabric and wire who gets paired up with a weirdo named Clayton to share studio place. Clayton is homeless and asks if it's OK for him to live in the space. </p><p>Helen is clearly depressed, and Clayton represents an extreme form of living that she is both bewildered by and drawn to. Her housemate Daniel is the voice of reason, rightly questioning him living there, keeping jars of piss, sleeping with women and masturbating while she's walking in, etc. In their one encounter, Clayton views Daniel with contempt, and the feeling is mutual. Helen eventually breaks down and asks how Clayton can live like this, and he has no answer other than some pseudo-scientific idea of shining light on the back of her knees. When Clayton is caught and thrown out, Helen isn't sure what to think. Helen is an interesting protagonist because she doesn't know what she wants--only that she's not happy as she is. As ridiculous and awful a character Clayton is in many respects, he's also sort of harmless and even attempts to be considerate. Gootzeit's absurd visual flourishes for Clayton (ostentatious scarves, facepaint, cut-off t-shirts) lead the reader in one direction, but Gootzeit balances that by making the reader really contemplate the actions of all involved. Gootzeit refuses an easy answer to the question of "What does Helen want?", but it's also clear that Clayton perhaps will have a bigger influence than is immediately obvious. There are a lot of silent panels in the comic that allow for processing time, as Helen is clearly trying to figure things out and start to ask some uncomfortable questions, but she doesn't resolve them in the span of the story. The ending is really the start of her beginning to formulate those questions instead of avoiding them. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TK_LQue2asW591XMSxYQCvltNke7eVOpAhllX2xuRVIQDIMI7R_EKeRg-2Wk3eTqnyV0OJjLBHMD7xwPuHB-ybyRYRLmFT0XIQvNpSZdObDd5wOkv75Shv22ItG0KD2l1zTJG4F6Kya-_FLb_QKaNtP0wjSfyaR_k1IQn0sKFeilnFnE-0Pyh7hOrA/s3264/bieri.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TK_LQue2asW591XMSxYQCvltNke7eVOpAhllX2xuRVIQDIMI7R_EKeRg-2Wk3eTqnyV0OJjLBHMD7xwPuHB-ybyRYRLmFT0XIQvNpSZdObDd5wOkv75Shv22ItG0KD2l1zTJG4F6Kya-_FLb_QKaNtP0wjSfyaR_k1IQn0sKFeilnFnE-0Pyh7hOrA/s320/bieri.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Finally, it was an absolute delight to see a short mini from an old favorite: a very short issue of <i>Jape</i> from Ignatz-nominated cartoonists Sean Bieri. Bieri's strengths have always been his conceptual gags combined with strong cartooning and style mimicry. This 8-pager has a bunch of gags rejected from the <i>New Yorker,</i> many of which are quite strong. The pictured strip is more text-oriented, but it's still funny. My favorite, and the most absurd, is someone being served a "doppio macchiato and a Kia Sorento," a sort of hipster pairing that sounds good when reading it and looks wacky when there's a coffee and a car sitting on a counter. He doesn't quite nail the confluence of word and image that the <i>New Yorker</i> demands, but he's clearly homing in on it. </p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-89250438440875077942024-02-12T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-12T00:00:00.133-08:00Noah Van Sciver's Maple Terrace #2Noah Van Sciver remains in his productive groove of comics with the second issue of <i>Maple Terrace</i>, from Uncivilized Books. The series picks up on Van Sciver at a young age, living in a ramshackle house in New Jersey with his family. <i>Maple Terrace</i> is about poverty, alienation, and cruelty. It's also hilarious, as Van Sciver makes his younger counterpart the tragic target of a number of ridiculous scenarios. What makes it worse is that what seemed to be the temporary triumph of the first issue, built on deceit and theft, comes back to bite him in the ass in a perfectly melodramatic way. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKIy_g5PlmzRlfXSPEETC4SN-vYhrYwy2lB2dA8m5x7kONxhyphenhyphenD7WYhZlVoHWCvwqezTfJCH8r8Hm5qim2U1O0C-4Lpgh8iAA8Hi1fyL7sJjepeEQiS6ZGTOehyphenhyphenvp-2Ir-GzUxvpb9zTjAg3sWrfoYGyDDeAxwPe05yZlrhc8wqhdxxIxx3FjSO15JZw/s902/mt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKIy_g5PlmzRlfXSPEETC4SN-vYhrYwy2lB2dA8m5x7kONxhyphenhyphenD7WYhZlVoHWCvwqezTfJCH8r8Hm5qim2U1O0C-4Lpgh8iAA8Hi1fyL7sJjepeEQiS6ZGTOehyphenhyphenvp-2Ir-GzUxvpb9zTjAg3sWrfoYGyDDeAxwPe05yZlrhc8wqhdxxIxx3FjSO15JZw/s320/mt.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>There's a sense in which these comics are a kind of second cousin to Evan Dorkin's classic Eltingville Club comics, featuring a bunch of guys with an intense shared passion for their niche and nerdy interests turning that passion into petty oneupmanship, petty gatekeeping, and the most pathetic kind of status-seeking imaginable. For Van Sciver in this story, he desperately wants to be considered cool by the people he knows at school, but this is constantly foiled by both his poverty and general weirdness. He's an oversensitive kid from a religious family that is scorned by pretty much everyone on his block, and every attempt at improving his status is foiled. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In this issue, the comics he stole after an enemy seemingly got his just rewards are suddenly in jeopardy, as someone saw him stealing them. What's worse, this seems to corroborate the idea that he stole food from the house of his best friend, disqualifying him from playing with him again (and going to his farcically awesome birthday party). As he falls further into the web of his own "lies, deceit, and bullshit" (to quote Larry David), he's given an ultimatum to return the comics--only to get into a fight with his younger brother that destroys them. Van Sciver conflating their titanic conflict with the infamously dumb "Death of Superman" comic from the early 90s makes this even funnier. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1w-X6LnUYAXe3cFjaD-ZhWG60aaxpg5nVC3P7XPNseHRqNtkNAIP5grKIsP5Rv7aVdSiK2DK2yD7eTqg34cAB5XUmYVzn2MrxG65j3nAA0tvuxgwXdhx0vdBcWB2QeDuG6f4cADS-rv_cm52IgjKgKPOVEOSUXrq0v1zccA-Pm3Y5R9C3l5c0y40ag/s954/back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="705" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1w-X6LnUYAXe3cFjaD-ZhWG60aaxpg5nVC3P7XPNseHRqNtkNAIP5grKIsP5Rv7aVdSiK2DK2yD7eTqg34cAB5XUmYVzn2MrxG65j3nAA0tvuxgwXdhx0vdBcWB2QeDuG6f4cADS-rv_cm52IgjKgKPOVEOSUXrq0v1zccA-Pm3Y5R9C3l5c0y40ag/s320/back.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Visually, Van Sciver is in total control. His line is deliberately pretty loose here--much looser than in most of his other work. It's a deliberate way to give it a kind of little-kid feel without it devolving into little-kid scrawl (which he amusingly has on the back cover). His character design is varied and interesting, and I especially like his puffy hair matching that of his mother. The capricious art teacher at the school is another marvelous design, with shaggy male-pattern baldness and a walrus mustache, bestowing and taking away "art god" status on a whim. The color looks great on the coarse paper that mimics old comics. Van Sciver continues to mine autobiographical gold from his youth, even as he works on multiple projects at once. </div></div>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-46069759912596252682024-02-08T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-08T16:29:16.970-08:00Caroline Cash's Peepee Poopoo Issue 80085<p>There's an extent to which this run of very funny and varied issues of the ridiculously titled <i>Peepee Poopoo</i> feels like a warm-up for Caroline Cash. Sure, she's self-consciously harkening back to the tradition of one-person anthologies like Eightball, but I think the better comparison is Michael DeForge's classic series <i>Lose</i>. She's getting her feet wet by allowing herself to go on flights of fancy, gags, diversions, pin-ups, and a letters page without having to worry about doing her big Graphic Novel. Frankly, I wish more young cartoonists still did this. It's nice to see a resurgence in this format, both in terms of minicomics but also cartoonists and publishers starting to return to the comic-book format. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNkj-AsEzIw5hf2JKGOQmipg2uaOM18jI5zS8SePs9OfoovEzaS6RvIk-4006ZUXtP2b_5oYnKoOHJtQ232xfcrUSMMedcyEAI-ZS5T0BVhZ0zKZvqPV1NB2K34BB9ZqqRfVC18leXAriaVnbLjJ0_n1L7W6gHRjIf0tHcJlRyymJjIjne8oBzddYNA/s1000/ppcov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="773" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNkj-AsEzIw5hf2JKGOQmipg2uaOM18jI5zS8SePs9OfoovEzaS6RvIk-4006ZUXtP2b_5oYnKoOHJtQ232xfcrUSMMedcyEAI-ZS5T0BVhZ0zKZvqPV1NB2K34BB9ZqqRfVC18leXAriaVnbLjJ0_n1L7W6gHRjIf0tHcJlRyymJjIjne8oBzddYNA/s320/ppcov.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>It also helps that Cash **is** actually ready to do something long-form if she's ready and feels like doing it. (Plenty of artists simply don't like the format.) Cash has a knack for turning the puerile into something deeply personal. The title of the comic is funny and ridiculous, and it stands for both a genuine affinity for these kinds of comics as well as a satire of some of underground comics' more puerile tendencies--especially from men. It's also a deeply regional comic--it's Chicago through and through, though a version of Chicago very specific to her experiences. Nights spent in dive bars, going to house parties in nearby flats, walking around town--it's a love letter to some times that are just recently past. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBD6fkuMQAgZnvE24Q1R8NIA3QzHNNEysrdSKUTiCS7xvqxxzLGppVDglXOYQr8lfujbWLWBv3Ztnt8vevNUo0WHV_CZWR1c6Bpj2I7zToFE09eoJ7euo1zFv2_b7MWmGeTs_XuXtu2gIAPF1n5tn3sqdM8AdiJvLlFLOZbHfWlIuNfbmFD74rQBnF0A/s1024/pp2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="792" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBD6fkuMQAgZnvE24Q1R8NIA3QzHNNEysrdSKUTiCS7xvqxxzLGppVDglXOYQr8lfujbWLWBv3Ztnt8vevNUo0WHV_CZWR1c6Bpj2I7zToFE09eoJ7euo1zFv2_b7MWmGeTs_XuXtu2gIAPF1n5tn3sqdM8AdiJvLlFLOZbHfWlIuNfbmFD74rQBnF0A/s320/pp2.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><p>It's also a highly matter-of-fact and amusing take on her life as a lesbian, past and present, in all of its frequently awkward glory. The very "number" of this issue, "80085" is a reference to those numbers resembling the word "boobs" on a calculator. It's juvenile, but Cash plays with this throughout, starting with noting that boobs are one of the simplest, best things about being a lesbian. This isn't exactly a revelation, but it's her cartooning, using an almost chibi style, that sells it. She then pivots to an autobiographical story about going to Victoria's Secret as a teenager in order to buy a bra, after years of being afraid she'd be outed as a pervert if she was caught staring at its window. There are interesting notes throughout the issue, as she mentions being obsessed with manga as a teen, and you can see more of a DeForge influence in a one-pager about a guy who only listens to his own band's cassettes, but Cash has also carved out her own style that I suspect will be highly influential.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDaS6MTHKKI8WSNBXoOxV2F5k269MCWEc1v_EIr0q1fVlprrZ6ec3LajlLTWXsXoloWJVkSbie51Acou2Z_6SCFc4b5CKbz2OqK2r4A3VtdKVHBY0Quiw4YzUQEd_CfyxUYxtkETqXtQjRYKrrjtn1yUcUQRRkqUG6dBKpcRlVz40K50Vh6gujHkRaA/s255/pp3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="197" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDaS6MTHKKI8WSNBXoOxV2F5k269MCWEc1v_EIr0q1fVlprrZ6ec3LajlLTWXsXoloWJVkSbie51Acou2Z_6SCFc4b5CKbz2OqK2r4A3VtdKVHBY0Quiw4YzUQEd_CfyxUYxtkETqXtQjRYKrrjtn1yUcUQRRkqUG6dBKpcRlVz40K50Vh6gujHkRaA/s1600/pp3.jpeg" width="197" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>In "Dudes Rock," for example, there's a sort of throwback feel in the title font, size, and presentation to the underground era, but the actual page composition and character design feel decidedly modern and unique to her. Cash leans somewhere between grotesque and cute on every page and with every figure, zooming out to make characters more cartooning and zooming in to provide more (and frequently gross) detail. It's also making fun of scenesters without making it painfully obvious since that's generally like shooting fish in a barrel. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWSLy8Id3b2mqZvNTollqulTDVpw7PvjUIXfir88jNPUNx1Ufc0FTeUW_xHHYYe4xEUhJBuOULJv8VJxF5w54igFD3xxARBaDpPanrg9PrTDV_0SV8nj3pyS3FNtaYLkVItTWIA7pLGMwDUI88kTaKKRI7VIsTbla6JJwuU1XOWkTBfxhXjKUbJtCB2g/s600/pp4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="464" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWSLy8Id3b2mqZvNTollqulTDVpw7PvjUIXfir88jNPUNx1Ufc0FTeUW_xHHYYe4xEUhJBuOULJv8VJxF5w54igFD3xxARBaDpPanrg9PrTDV_0SV8nj3pyS3FNtaYLkVItTWIA7pLGMwDUI88kTaKKRI7VIsTbla6JJwuU1XOWkTBfxhXjKUbJtCB2g/s320/pp4.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Another thing I like about Cash's work is the delicate balance she maintains between sincerity and smartassery. Her strips about her schedule and life as a freelancer are one part self-deprecating gags and one part genuine reflection. The same is true about her ode to a defunct bar called Danny's; the meandering strip is less a story than a series of anecdotes about the kind of feeling one develops for a place that's the backdrop for one's own personal evolution. Her continuing narrative, "Come Home To Me," is (like the Danny's story) another ode to Chicago, this time with a Liz Phair song as the background for a return to the city and memories of hazy nights spent with questionable company under questionable circumstances. </p><p>Tack on a letters column, some stickers (!), and another full-page illustration done in yet another visual style, and the issue shows the breadth and depth of Cash's style and influences. Her comics are self-assured and funny, even as one gets the sense that she has a few more developmental leaps to make. </p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-59332424128275625892024-02-03T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-09T12:19:09.864-08:00DOP Anthology<p><i>DOP: Comics As Craft </i>is an interesting mini-anthology published by the students of Paul Karasik at a CCS workshop. It's a fitting comic to review after my long CCS feature, although Karasik's methods are his own and he's been teaching for a long time. Karasik has been one of the very best background guys in comics for well over 40 years. He had a huge impact in production and editorial on the seminal anthology <i>RAW</i>, collaborated with David Mazzucchelli on his adaptation of <i>City of Glass</i>, and co-wrote a book about his autistic brother. With regard to <i>DOP</i>, he had a bunch of students who were so fired up about comics that they got down and did the work of putting together an anthology of their work, which is a truly grueling and oft thankless task. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKgbohXJLwFtso-3iUwqPF20MXQ_a7Huwr1db9Nk8y7fmj5d38zaVMJLMpC6Tg7K-2pWU5Bgeq9Wj7FIZRbYsq7kslrN4Ht1AaddyxpRsWDgPwJB2ylw1uRCWFJsP_00IPIA_ytkw_AERBThifgxL1a4gXvg5rml6Tr0xG30FvcDgsCZEsJpYW_4MtA/s3213/dcov.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3213" data-original-width="2336" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKgbohXJLwFtso-3iUwqPF20MXQ_a7Huwr1db9Nk8y7fmj5d38zaVMJLMpC6Tg7K-2pWU5Bgeq9Wj7FIZRbYsq7kslrN4Ht1AaddyxpRsWDgPwJB2ylw1uRCWFJsP_00IPIA_ytkw_AERBThifgxL1a4gXvg5rml6Tr0xG30FvcDgsCZEsJpYW_4MtA/s320/dcov.jpg" width="233" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>DOP doesn't list an editor, but Lila Cruz designed and assembled it. She also added the interstitial drawings, where were a nice touch that helped reset the reader's palate between stories, which was important given the wide variety of styles. Brianna Collins' one-pager "Water Glass" is a simple but effective use of a visual metaphor to talk about illness. King Ray (the class TA) contributed an excerpt from their continuing "Insomnia Mansion" story; while this is a funny and effective story, excerpts without any context tend to derail the flow of anthologies. Howell Murray's "Where Am I?" is the first longer entry at 6 pages, with a classic trope of someone waking up in an alien environment with no memory of how they got there. This one ended on a cliffhanger, which once again is annoying to read without any assurance of this being a continuing series, but it at least had a semblance of a complete thought. The art is stiff at points in terms of gesture and body language, but it also effectively uses spot blacks and has an undeniable energy throughout. </p><p>August Bomer-Lawson's "Veridis Quo" is one of the best stories in DOP. The story is affecting without being mawkish, as the narrator recalls his boyhood best friend who started drifting away from him as an adult, coming to a tragic end. Bomer-Lawson effectively establishes the restless protagonist as an older man, returning to his hometown, recalling the past. In short order, he makes his friendship with his friend Pen come alive, drawing the reader into the joy of their navigating the ups and downs of adolescence together. The title is a Latin phrase that roughly means "Where are you going?" but the connotation is more "Why are you going in that direction?" In other words, "Why are you doing this?" Bomer-Lawson effectively establishes character with a series of smart cartooning choices. He keeps the reader off-balance with odd compositional choices, like grids that don't line up, splash pages with circular inset panels, and other tricks that establish that things aren't what they immediately seem.</p><p>Malachy Hopkins goes in a completely different direction in a story about anthropomorphic animals getting high and talking shit to the cops. It's a nicely-cartooned ode to punk and underground comics. Bohn Whitaker's one-page about a child watching her mother packs a lot in there, with a left-hand column setting up the rest of the page's grid. It's not just an effective visual trick; it also establishes the child's feelings about her mom as she watches her mom act with a total sense of authenticity. This is a great example of a comic where the drawing is simple but effective, but the actual cartooning is sophisticated. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeW_k09QqkM_P1_w45kc73sBUY9hlCrwZ2TM0dqNIyuDgSE4Dj0j85zY9KqG77gs3jooWCOa0Fr1bkpafqX8O-R24eTLoENWXBDDNTTh6uPoI-XzRqmxH3D1dOVS1EZOqHY4BIrRgKlpedYSX43AWBJwZVhSCq_4_znFIRFDK9GRryY2heX6gjKB4kg/s3264/nes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2262" data-original-width="3264" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeW_k09QqkM_P1_w45kc73sBUY9hlCrwZ2TM0dqNIyuDgSE4Dj0j85zY9KqG77gs3jooWCOa0Fr1bkpafqX8O-R24eTLoENWXBDDNTTh6uPoI-XzRqmxH3D1dOVS1EZOqHY4BIrRgKlpedYSX43AWBJwZVhSCq_4_znFIRFDK9GRryY2heX6gjKB4kg/s320/nes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Amy Neswald's "Hearts" is another example of how great cartooning (in the form of clever composition) trumps actual drawing. The story is about a group of loved ones literally touching the heart of a dead loved one and connecting to the people he had connected to and the places he had seen. Every page is carefully laid out to provide a vivid, powerful effect. Neswald's actual line and character design are both crude, but it didn't hinder the power of this piece one bit. Dawn Nye's "Frankie" is also about saying goodbye, this time to a beloved cat. Neswald clearly worked from photo reference to clearly and powerfully articulate her cat's expressions--especially his eyes. Once again, an unusual layout (part open-page, part grid, mixed with splash pages) added to the story's visual and emotional impact. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTYvKoePVNZkxvi4MOg9sqoYz9wWVvVgFKHFK9pzOkRLjqj4NXfXKepL4QnwrOFzpqOJRGwwcNk785VO16sZ7OM3othJVTouDK8Ids0s-hu19XQbiyas4DCcRF9yfFURYSEbj6hWHx5v8Es0n_E37X4fidwjKCALGCpG1YAaJF-NRb11gssTAe7SNjw/s3264/dur.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2290" data-original-width="3264" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTYvKoePVNZkxvi4MOg9sqoYz9wWVvVgFKHFK9pzOkRLjqj4NXfXKepL4QnwrOFzpqOJRGwwcNk785VO16sZ7OM3othJVTouDK8Ids0s-hu19XQbiyas4DCcRF9yfFURYSEbj6hWHx5v8Es0n_E37X4fidwjKCALGCpG1YAaJF-NRb11gssTAe7SNjw/s320/dur.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Durbin's "Comics As Craft" is a sort of recapitulation of the entire anthology. Using a tight four-panel grid but making the panel-to-panel transitions ambiguous at first was a clever tactic, because Durbin created a rhythm that made more sense as the story flowed. It's a beautiful testament to the joy of not just creating, but sharing one's work. Emet Aron's "Bug Theory" is a masterful meditation on one's own gender identity. Aron's drawing chops are undeniable, and they also used unusual layouts (like mismatched grids) and visually exciting diversions (like entire pages devoted to the taxonomy of spiders) that all related to the concept of being genderfluid. The only flaw was relying a bit too much on grayscale shading. Finally, Lila Cruz's exaggerated cartooning provides both a laugh and a poignant moment in talking about her dad's unwillingness to bend to conventionality. </p><p>Like any anthology, some of the pieces in here are better than others, but it really picks up after the couple of cliffhanger pieces to give the reader a variety of heartfelt, thoughtfully conceived and drawn comics. Those interested in ordering a copy can contact <a href="mailto:shannondurbin@gmail.com">Shannon Durbin</a>. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-11414561406798177562024-01-26T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-26T23:05:46.492-08:0045 Days Of CCS: The Index<p>This was the longest feature I've ever run on the Center for Cartoon Studies, totaling 45 days and including 73 different cartoonists. It's exciting to see the breadth and depth of work emerging from CCS, some of which is quite excellent. Here's the index of every entry.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyKpX3mmbqXnHIZaIvG7_ByHX9tSsFJQvaeXaXTNK-4cTv77PlzVeADcITlFzvYbYXibRYhTkG_TAluKskcvqbJGBFomUpim7yhbVGtroa0jpGEVIM74xrxWoBrUIwowIvIqpt6RJ2CsKyWtYWADxFb7qJhE07y3-PUWruUukwYtMhCRfjhk3Y5brrA/s312/download.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="312" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyKpX3mmbqXnHIZaIvG7_ByHX9tSsFJQvaeXaXTNK-4cTv77PlzVeADcITlFzvYbYXibRYhTkG_TAluKskcvqbJGBFomUpim7yhbVGtroa0jpGEVIM74xrxWoBrUIwowIvIqpt6RJ2CsKyWtYWADxFb7qJhE07y3-PUWruUukwYtMhCRfjhk3Y5brrA/s1600/download.png" width="312" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>1. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-1-ashley-jablonski.html">Ashley Jablonski</a></p><p>2. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-2-johna-mandel.html">Johna Mandel</a></p><p>3. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-3-jarad-greene.html">Jarad Greene</a></p><p>4. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-4-gabrielle-tinnirello.html">Gabrielle Tinnirello, Al Varela</a></p><p>5. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-5-dylan-sparks-and-sage.html">Sage Persing, Dylan Sparks</a></p><p>6. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-6-go-press-girl.html">Go Press Girl</a></p><p>7. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-7-colleen-frakes-coco.html">Colleen Frakes, Mary Shyne, Carl Antonowicz, Coco Fox</a></p><p>8. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-8-kristen-shull.html">Kristen Shull</a></p><p>9. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-9-wayne-carter.html">Wayne Carter</a></p><p>10. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-10-ana-two.html">Ana Two</a></p><p>11. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-11-daryl-seitchik.html">Daryl Seitchik</a></p><p>12. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-12-ellie-liota-clover.html">Ellie Liota, Clover Ajamie</a></p><p>13. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-13-rachel-bivens.html">Rachel Bivens</a></p><p>14. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-14-rachel-dukes-kori.html">Penina Gal, Rachel Dukes, Kori Handwerker</a></p><p>15. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-15-kit-anderson-and-andy.html">Andy Lindquist, Kit Anderson</a></p><p>16. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-16-ria-air-garcia-and.html">Ria Garcia, Annabel Driussi</a></p><p>17. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-17-mannie-murphy-and.html">Mannie Murphy, Dean Sudarsky</a></p><p>18. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-18-dan-nott.html">Dan Nott</a></p><p>19. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-19-betsey-swardlick.html">Betsey Swardlick</a></p><p>20. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-20-quinn-thomson-and.html">Quinn Thomson, Alex Washburn</a></p><p>21. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-21-bread-tarleton.html">Bread Tarleton</a></p><p>22. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-22-robyn-smith.html">Robyn Smith</a></p><p>23. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-23-meg-selkey.html">Meg Selkey</a></p><p>24. <i><a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-24-666-comics.html">666 Comics</a></i></p><p>25. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-25-iris-yan-and-mercedes.html">Iris Yan, Mercedes Campos Lopez</a></p><p>26. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-26-steve-thueson.html">Steve Thueson</a></p><p>27. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-27-king-ray-and-michael.html">King Ray, Micheal Sweater</a></p><p>28. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-28-juniper-kim.html">Juniper Kim</a></p><p>29. <i><a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-29-comox-and-ionosphere.html">Comox, Ionosphere</a></i></p><p>30. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-30-eb-sciales-and.html">EB Sciales, Michael Albrecht</a></p><p>31. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2023/12/45-days-of-ccs-31-taylor-hunt-sofia.html">Taylor Hunt, Sofia Martin, Sydney Austin</a></p><p>32. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2024/01/45-days-of-ccs-32-edea-giang-fg-meanie.html">F.G. Meanie, Edea Giang</a></p><p>33. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2024/01/45-days-of-ccs-33-laura-meilman.html">Laura Meilman</a></p><p>34. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2024/01/45-days-of-ccs-34-iris-gudeon.html">Iris Gudeon</a></p><p>35. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2024/01/45-days-of-ccs-35-zaria-cannon.html">Zaria Cannon</a></p><p>36. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2024/01/45-days-of-ccs-36-mac-maclean.html">Mac Maclean</a></p><p>37. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2024/01/45-days-of-ccs-37-filipa-estrela-and.html">Filipa Estrela, Allison Bannister</a></p><p>38. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2024/01/45-days-of-ccs-38-april-malig.html">April Malig</a></p><p>39. <i><a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2024/01/45-days-of-ccs-39-what-gnomes-know.html">What The Gnomes Know</a></i></p><p>40. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2024/01/45-days-of-ccs-40-josh-rosen.html">Josh Rosen</a></p><p>41. <i><a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2024/01/45-days-of-ccs-41-meandering-realms.html">Meandering Realms</a></i></p><p>42. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2024/01/45-days-of-ccs-42-issy-manley-anna.html">Issy Manley, Anna Sellheim</a></p><p>43. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2024/01/45-days-of-ccs-43-rust-belt-review-beth.html"><i>Rust Belt Review</i> #5, Beth Hetland</a></p><p>44. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2024/01/45-days-of-ccs-44-natalie-norris.html">Natalie Norris</a></p><p>45. <a href="https://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2024/01/45-days-of-ccs-45-aaron-cockle.html">Aaron Cockle</a></p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-83631411182121455102024-01-14T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-26T14:09:11.422-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #45: Aaron Cockle<p>Let's jump back into the world of Aaron Cockle and <i>Andalusian Dog</i>. Cockle's been hard at work pumping out issues of his enigmatic pastiche of and ode to the work of sci-fi author Philip K. Dick, producing six issues in the last couple of years and a related zine, Solar Lottery. The essence of these heavily text-driven zines with sparse and frequently oblique illustrations has revolved around the concept of a VR game called Andalusian Dog. It essentially transforms your own reality into a Grand Theft Auto overlay, with various instructions and missions to perform in real life. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQX4PBs6ltIWczA9CQLM4FmCG7jWXd7bAf2DhNpOjSL6N3OpBpcGp1rmUmhZR9hLtM7uyQ5_C7H0c5pyDmb-s3RDZ9O26OZwoiWxDmEo9y-qLiQyfZXfZYhPNr0YWwtlDfDxSOfHcT_nacI1x52jZRYohzFA6DRePjQof0FELyO3m82_5uSMYD1NFdA/s3264/IMG_20240126_161413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQX4PBs6ltIWczA9CQLM4FmCG7jWXd7bAf2DhNpOjSL6N3OpBpcGp1rmUmhZR9hLtM7uyQ5_C7H0c5pyDmb-s3RDZ9O26OZwoiWxDmEo9y-qLiQyfZXfZYhPNr0YWwtlDfDxSOfHcT_nacI1x52jZRYohzFA6DRePjQof0FELyO3m82_5uSMYD1NFdA/s320/IMG_20240126_161413.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Cockle took this idea and meshed it with the concepts behind several Dick novels (including <i>VALIS, The Three Stigmata Of Palmer Eldritch, Clans Of The Alphane Moon, The Penultimate Truth, Ubik,</i> and others) and fuses it with modern technology to spin an oblique narrative and metanarrative. It revolves around alien intelligences, sex cults, drugs, office drudgery, and the total destabilization of society. Frequently quoting from Dick directly, Cockle focuses on the fear, paranoia, and inherently destructive and isolating qualities of late capitalism and how technology can be used as another tool of dehumanization that is an essential element of this nihilistic death cult. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_84YSWuMYhr4Z30Zu1rCXDQZQE-k3_ELQb4V2Vg3HPTjVVbHb9ASbWJpk_MKVO5gWmA_eMhOuNWMRFa_CsAxIOyKvBEUI49QksawfX6pA5_ybPrCr17yKumrVaXI2FrmcoZNa8OWFVNzIaEB_xw6K8LNU6ZLKCtLC5bRMOUCl_SnO4zihKZz12PbH-w/s3264/IMG_20240126_161516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_84YSWuMYhr4Z30Zu1rCXDQZQE-k3_ELQb4V2Vg3HPTjVVbHb9ASbWJpk_MKVO5gWmA_eMhOuNWMRFa_CsAxIOyKvBEUI49QksawfX6pA5_ybPrCr17yKumrVaXI2FrmcoZNa8OWFVNzIaEB_xw6K8LNU6ZLKCtLC5bRMOUCl_SnO4zihKZz12PbH-w/s320/IMG_20240126_161516.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Like Dick, Cockle sees the future, and it is grim. From self-replicating androids designed to replace humans to horrifying drugs that permanently alter one's sense of reality, there's no escape once you've been caught up in this conspiratorial web. At the same time, there's a sense that it's the only game in town. It's the only way to remain relevant. We are willing consumers of our own annihilation. Cockle implies that there is resistance here and there, but even this resistance has its own agenda. The individual has no chance because they have been reduced to mere individuality. Once again, much of this work stretches the very definition of comics or sequential art; it's closer to comics-as-poetry than anything else in terms of how there is something important about the illustrations and collages he uses with regard to how they interact with the text, but that relationship isn't necessarily easy to understand or parse. It's as though Cockle is working on a deeply subconscious level, hoping to trigger connections and even memories (ala VALIS) in an effort to wake us up. </p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-11884287682327972002024-01-13T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-14T21:04:51.519-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #44: Natalie Norris<p>Natalie Norris has been producing memoir about trauma since before she started at CCS. Even in her earliest assignments at the school, she turned standard first-year assignments like adapting a fable from Aesop or doing a comic in the style of Ed Emberley into frank, bold, and highly vulnerable narratives about her traumatic experiences. It's no surprise that her first long-form memoir, <i>Dear Mini</i>, should not only expand on her struggles, but it's also the one where she reveals, in an achingly intimate manner, her most formative traumatic experience. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMkrNkDBLXdyVn_yvM9mig9qwHqtpwpjsw7Ph3srJ0p5Bd9lUlGHHnltkfuEQgSLnRQhE3JAnKDSaZUZdsd48pThHAT5VC05aBa1lOPGBBWaaGYJrSPhlUggHp2gUs1_L6B877ZofsN40oYhz7UfwuKxEpuj9WurScAh0R25dsg1Ft6I3p-G0tDT70A/s1600/dmco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1238" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMkrNkDBLXdyVn_yvM9mig9qwHqtpwpjsw7Ph3srJ0p5Bd9lUlGHHnltkfuEQgSLnRQhE3JAnKDSaZUZdsd48pThHAT5VC05aBa1lOPGBBWaaGYJrSPhlUggHp2gUs1_L6B877ZofsN40oYhz7UfwuKxEpuj9WurScAh0R25dsg1Ft6I3p-G0tDT70A/s320/dmco.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Norris uses a very clever narrative technique in making this an epistolary memoir for a number of reasons. The most obvious one is that it allows her to comment on events from the past from the perspective of the future, which is what differentiates it from the most obvious comparable book, Ulli Lust's <i>This Is The Last Day Of The Rest Of Your Life</i>. That's another memoir about a teenage girl out of her depth in Europe who is raped, but Lust chooses to convey that experience in the present tense for a different kind of impact. Norris not only adds commentary from the future in the form of huge, floating decorative lettering, but her dreamy open-page layout style gives the entire memoir a magical storybook feel until things start to go very wrong. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyW0ursTpMRstq-k3QNUUQ-Agp9hEA1CU5UsARCLz8iS8kH-qRhDeBkJgHjExxTgBs3pwNprcT0CXhGBQiSCC7U0s0G4F0fWzLe4ZrFLKWdq6YzYklCfhvJWciO-37Aj7ohNFEmePmrY6081t-OrnWcOEYvqRWYAOzAVUzOmbqAOCEiEGbRchuY1dOrw/s1600/dm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1191" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyW0ursTpMRstq-k3QNUUQ-Agp9hEA1CU5UsARCLz8iS8kH-qRhDeBkJgHjExxTgBs3pwNprcT0CXhGBQiSCC7U0s0G4F0fWzLe4ZrFLKWdq6YzYklCfhvJWciO-37Aj7ohNFEmePmrY6081t-OrnWcOEYvqRWYAOzAVUzOmbqAOCEiEGbRchuY1dOrw/s320/dm.png" width="238" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Secondly, by addressing it to her Austrian friend Mini, whom she feels inadvertently betrayed her, she puts the narrative power in her own hands rather than grant it to her nameless rapist. This is an unflinching account of being sexually assaulted and its aftermath and reverberations across the years, but more importantly, it's an attempt to connect and truly reach out to someone who meant a lot to her. This narrative is Norris's own, and she's sharing it with Mini.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0oVrkiF6r3oYW87_I4mD7BDtfnbbMPgK6gaDW0jKUhoIpCEajhA-s334RLCzgGl4Mzq7X-Yf3NhSNW1NB9yMcbriCLkiM2o6LX4t6Z29zBe94quf_YP2olOJcc5wCE3pYZB3yyyY_NgXRaxjiOaZL59iBl8iTPW6YY6xsi9zfHqhRIBYh_nvVpcC4bw/s1600/dm3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0oVrkiF6r3oYW87_I4mD7BDtfnbbMPgK6gaDW0jKUhoIpCEajhA-s334RLCzgGl4Mzq7X-Yf3NhSNW1NB9yMcbriCLkiM2o6LX4t6Z29zBe94quf_YP2olOJcc5wCE3pYZB3yyyY_NgXRaxjiOaZL59iBl8iTPW6YY6xsi9zfHqhRIBYh_nvVpcC4bw/s320/dm3.png" width="239" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Norris noted in the afterword of this first volume that she had reams of diaries and photos that documented her time in Europe, but for the most part, she chose to rely on her memory. This made for a much more emotionally rich narrative, as it followed the path of memories that she allowed herself to unlock by drawing them rather than compelling her to commit to a more "true" account of those events. Of course, even a diary or journal from that time, while more immediate, isn't necessarily more accurate. Indeed, as Norris points out, she deliberately downplayed most of the key moments of trauma in those journals.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TzZV9a-9MxZuT4oh8yfi-o-ZLmT2073I8WRAAoyAoj9NaPMC9sZV0b3GXo8p8S-SGsft6yuiwtYSggRxL1rCYF4HHMnx7ztvORaNBTx6Nbh5KeHVPqEerd-6dwXPPF3olnCXykDZ1Xab1ndX9L0U1ivgNlZQx72u8y67HN6dR67HE_l10XJOhSQhAg/s1600/dm4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1202" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TzZV9a-9MxZuT4oh8yfi-o-ZLmT2073I8WRAAoyAoj9NaPMC9sZV0b3GXo8p8S-SGsft6yuiwtYSggRxL1rCYF4HHMnx7ztvORaNBTx6Nbh5KeHVPqEerd-6dwXPPF3olnCXykDZ1Xab1ndX9L0U1ivgNlZQx72u8y67HN6dR67HE_l10XJOhSQhAg/s320/dm4.png" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The plot summary for part one of <i>Dear Mini </i>goes like this: Natalie is 17 years old and suffers from chronic pain and depression, among other issues. Natalie was quite used to the attention given to her by older men, which was a form of flattery she sometimes chased but was also frequently repulsed by it. Her mother suggested that she try a language immersion summer program in France as a way of trying to push her away from getting drunk and high with local older guys. Upon arriving, she met an Austrian girl named Mini, and they became thick as thieves, constantly pushing against the rules in order to go out dancing and drinking as well as meeting guys. Norris was young enough to conflate desire with love in an environment where sex, generally speaking, was treated as far more casual than in American culture. </p><p>This invoked the key line of the book: as she found herself treated with contempt by the boys who used her sexually, she convinced herself that "this was just what happened to girls like me." That her desire made her worthless and unworthy of expressing her own agency. That lesser forms of horrible treatment by men were somehow OK because they were "nicer" to her than out-and-out assailants. The flip side of constantly wanting to be drunk or high as a way of numbing these feelings had the double whammy of not only being ultimately ineffective, it also made her far more vulnerable. Eventually, after the program, Natalie spent time in Italy and then made a side trip to see Mini in Vienna.</p><p>That's where the bulk of the narrative really picks up and slows down, as Norris goes day by day in great detail with regard to this fateful visit. She alludes to the event, the birthday party of one of Mini's friends, multiple times (even referring to it as an execution), yet her depiction of the rape itself is far more harrowing, direct, and graphic than I could have imagined, even given how frank she was about everything else. It reads as though Norris was disgorging a malignant tumor in the most painful way possible; an excruciating experience in every way as a reader and one would imagine, as an artist, yet one where at least the malignancy was out in the open. As awful as this depiction of this all was, the events afterward (where she internalizes everything and hides it from Mini and then winds up fooling around with another guy just to not be alone with her thoughts) are terrible in their own way. All of this is made even more devastating in Norris' bright, colorful, and dreamy style. </p><p>Norris alludes to having discussed this with Mini over the years, with Mini not understanding Norris' anger to not only being abandoned at this party but virtually being pushed into the clutches of her rapist. The nature of this disconnect is something that I imagine will be discussed in part two. While I can understand the split, it feels like doing this in a single volume would have done more justice to the narrative as a whole. There are some other problems with the book that reveal Norris as a relatively inexperienced cartoonist, but this is stuff that should have been corrected by an editor. Basic design issues like word balloon flow, word balloon blocking, large lettering being split by a figure and making it hard to read, and even a typo are all distractions. Norris' character design for figures other than herself seems a bit undercooked at times, which is not unusual for young artists having to introduce multiple characters in a longer narrative. </p><p>Those are mostly nitpicks. What Norris does here is unlock a tremendously powerful narrative about the ways in which memory can be warped and poisoned as it is obliterated by shame, trauma, and misogyny. Her use of color, her understanding of how using decorative drawings can influence the narrative, and her strong & distinctive authorial voice all drive this memoir to an unflinching place that eventually grants herself and women who have similar stories a sense of grace and absolution that no one else has given them.</p><p><br /></p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-70347195339345477522024-01-12T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-12T00:00:00.140-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #43: Rust Belt Review, Beth Hetland<p>The latest issue of Sean Knickerbocker's <a href="https://www.seanknickerbocker.com/store/rust-belt-review-volume-five"><i>Rust Belt Review</i> </a>(#5) is light on CCS content but heavy on other interesting stories. Knickerbocker runs a blend of one-shot stories as well as serials, with his own "Best of 3" being the most prominent serial. It's probably my favorite story by Knickerbocker to date, as he incorporates the usual small-town losers, sleazebags, and lowlifes into a story that escalates into a genuinely thrilling murder mystery. His drawing has leveled up to match his ambition, as the yacht and other background details are drawn with a level of intense accuracy that enhances the action. This particular episode featured a yacht on fire thanks to a Molotov cocktail, a daring escape by the villains, and the start of a stressful quest. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrYF_v5HdB-Kf29yYt_AKm4E_THa54QH0s78mdteW90XlPwhkkYKpdiBBFLEaGW3e5Qn7TUHkBo0PD6h4Im-lJZI8emiuYgN5z0qhYBMyMSgHP6z750jTaj7_D18CkoIQ3LNcRkNjW-uVr9m23oZp692esdE1EwIlWFhZAAO6OjnxaLAeyQ2_51Mr2w/s718/rb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="718" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrYF_v5HdB-Kf29yYt_AKm4E_THa54QH0s78mdteW90XlPwhkkYKpdiBBFLEaGW3e5Qn7TUHkBo0PD6h4Im-lJZI8emiuYgN5z0qhYBMyMSgHP6z750jTaj7_D18CkoIQ3LNcRkNjW-uVr9m23oZp692esdE1EwIlWFhZAAO6OjnxaLAeyQ2_51Mr2w/s320/rb.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>Audra Stang's excellent "Tunnel Vision" serial concludes in this issue, focusing on the character of Bernie, the young documentarian who followed around more familiar characters in the abandoned theme park tunnels that are an essential part of her Star Valley lore. There's an incredible page where Bernie is in the car with her hostile stepmother and then going in the other direction every other panel, talking to her mom. Stang's comics tend to fundamentally be about huge lacks in not just communication, but a willingness to listen and try to understand others. This is personified in power struggles through relationships, as those who are least willing to listen are those that hold tightest to the reins of power. This story would have benefited from (at a minimum) spot color, as the shading here crosses over into being muddy at times, but it's otherwise another great story from a cartoonist who works intentionally in a way that I really enjoy. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ybLInA0Edb31fzyaPmpg4n50NMS_Y6sFnoHpSMkk_lD0v3iDvzmA46E89ye26HiVg7hFHPFfwfArLWcN53FhIKWiaVzHERZ39BFt-5na-J7gIfIxH4IBYT-lqh9g8yhKP2gvJ_Q999DGVuRlanB77tTmNjcuIG2mizR4jRl3szrrtE02fIuLncQhRA/s750/rb2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ybLInA0Edb31fzyaPmpg4n50NMS_Y6sFnoHpSMkk_lD0v3iDvzmA46E89ye26HiVg7hFHPFfwfArLWcN53FhIKWiaVzHERZ39BFt-5na-J7gIfIxH4IBYT-lqh9g8yhKP2gvJ_Q999DGVuRlanB77tTmNjcuIG2mizR4jRl3szrrtE02fIuLncQhRA/s320/rb2.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>Andrew Greenstone unveils some more wrinkles in his crazy story about cultists, a trivia expert who escaped a nightmarish experience, federal hearings, an attempt at normalcy, and a lot of other stuff. Balancing the craziness with an attempt at normalcy is what gives this serial some serious stakes and balances out his frequently grotesque and absurd character designs (and references to Image artists). The conclusion of Sam Grinberg's "Pancake Jake" gets funnier and more absurd with each passing page. The first part focused on the silliness of urban legends, until two friends who tried to scare their friend Sid with the legend of a breakfast monster called "Pancake Jake" discover its somehow real. This swerves into a witch who owns a diner, an abandoned tower, gentrification, magical constructs, and the healing power of IHOP. Grinberg's art is sharp and the spot blacks really pop on the page, while the character design is rubbery and playful. </p><p>Other stories include Sienna Cittadino's story about a trans teen play soccer and the pointless, hurtful controversy this creates; it's done in a scratchy style with lots of blotchy greyscale shading that reflects the expressiveness of the characters. Alex Nall has his usual story of small-town, awful people drawn in a wacky style that seems to work at cross-purposes with the story. Pat Rooks has a full-color mini that's inset featuring a hilarious, over-the-top bit of slapstick where the futuristic workers inevitably get fucked over. Jordan Speicher-Willis has an interesting story about kids working in the library and trying to complete a quest; the character interactions are very well-observed here. Andy Wieland's story is a Rust Belt special, meaning miserable people oppressed by capitalism being miserable and then dying. John Sammis' line reminds me a bit of Tim Hensley, as he tries to think about differentiating two old Hollywood actors. Finally, Matt MacFarland contributes the first part of a serial devoted to the unfortunate genre of "dudes talking about getting laid." At least his cryptid-inspired art looks good.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SK8KfOnh39Q1BenY2DAvH7dUuquz7WZ5asflIa0ZCd37bOmRgdC8XuqkmC3a3mgjvy21kXwuEFDmlg6xGXEaJOWs4DCYgxf7804DOK5pI9abmJYKNk4fRq9HqtRxLxY-YNykqGMEhwFSmpeYqD0rag7UvQ5o_7wDMOehvYXhltzoT9reJI9TtJWGHA/s1000/tenco.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="639" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SK8KfOnh39Q1BenY2DAvH7dUuquz7WZ5asflIa0ZCd37bOmRgdC8XuqkmC3a3mgjvy21kXwuEFDmlg6xGXEaJOWs4DCYgxf7804DOK5pI9abmJYKNk4fRq9HqtRxLxY-YNykqGMEhwFSmpeYqD0rag7UvQ5o_7wDMOehvYXhltzoT9reJI9TtJWGHA/s320/tenco.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Beth Hetland's solo debut graphic novel <i>Tender</i> isn't what it seems at first, but the horror that's touched upon in the story's build-up informs the totally fucked-up events in the back half. The book opens with a creepy shot of the protagonist, Carolanne, softly singing to what appears to be a bundled-up baby. Hetland takes us back and forth in time and reveals that, while Carolanne is clearly a psychopath, the societal and cultural forces that shaped her and her horrific choices are also clearly to blame. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCDCDJcvFT0uFbTTkdpqKMtKLQvSfHlSYUC63tlRU0b39pu72NBwB5hl1PWz6iVzE-WNthblKRdINrTVOHckT_rnkLqCRx9SkiuINiZRmlnq28ILw-jk8GUfFdrJe7eYvjMHkhRDmJJKOOsILjR3TPKbUFz3ABCbw67T9udrho5PESh499b41rl7F2w/s1080/ten.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCDCDJcvFT0uFbTTkdpqKMtKLQvSfHlSYUC63tlRU0b39pu72NBwB5hl1PWz6iVzE-WNthblKRdINrTVOHckT_rnkLqCRx9SkiuINiZRmlnq28ILw-jk8GUfFdrJe7eYvjMHkhRDmJJKOOsILjR3TPKbUFz3ABCbw67T9udrho5PESh499b41rl7F2w/s320/ten.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><i>Tender</i> is a brutal critique of gender roles, social media, cultural pressures & expectations, and the isolation fomented by capitalism. I tend to be bored by horror that seeks to elicit shock value based on breaking taboos that were shocking fifty years ago. I'm talking about random gore, violence rooted in racism or misogyny, and other surface-level shock value tricks that embrace and reinforce cultural mores rather than challenge them. Tender is very much the opposite of this. Even as Carolanne's actions become more extreme and horrifying in her obsession with having a baby, her psychosis has a terrifying logic to it in how it reinforces not just what she has always wanted, but what she thinks is essential to being a woman. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNN7Cc5jbi1RflVNnavKQpoMj7hIa6BOtmp-9614LJgjPhRXvf1-LorjP5Z10qJZMSCkqUk_aa2_ktEl1BO_TotII5EXioL2m8yH2vUO12UBVHNQl2tLy1iTFIKTIB-AVpuOpnsFenkS8v-SRWno-qIB_j6_JrESW92j1cdoD46VUpvQs_SRSUO42tg/s590/Screenshot%202023-12-29%208.01.48%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="559" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNN7Cc5jbi1RflVNnavKQpoMj7hIa6BOtmp-9614LJgjPhRXvf1-LorjP5Z10qJZMSCkqUk_aa2_ktEl1BO_TotII5EXioL2m8yH2vUO12UBVHNQl2tLy1iTFIKTIB-AVpuOpnsFenkS8v-SRWno-qIB_j6_JrESW92j1cdoD46VUpvQs_SRSUO42tg/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-29%208.01.48%20PM.png" width="303" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The narrative follows Carolanne as she seeks to get pregnant with her husband, Lee. It's all very cute and wholesome, as it then quickly cuts to her quitting her job so she can be a full-time mom. Slowly, using a dark blue wash with dense hatching and shading gradients, Hetland starts to reveal that Carolanne's approach to relationships is one where fantasy is more important than reality. She sets out to marry Lee, a co-worker, because it will help her accomplish her goal of the perfect wedding and lead her to the perfect life--all captured by Instagram posts. Hetland doesn't even have to try very hard to critique social media; indeed, social media isn't the issue so much as conflating it for reality is. In the first unsettling sequence of the book, she goes to his Facebook page, prints out a photo, cuts out his head and creates a collage where she and Lee are on their wedding day. All for a person she hadn't yet even spoken to. </p><p>Every time she goes to a friend's engagement party, Carolanne has to practice smiling and rehearse what she's going to say. It's a mechanical response meant to mimic appropriate social behavior, which she's good at enough to garner a real group of friends. About a third of the way through, Hetland introduces a particular coping method she uses--biting off little bits of skin and eating them as a response to anxiety. Hetland periodically modulates the color scheme with purples, reds (especially for chewing on flesh or pulling skin), and yellows to indicate conflict or anxiety. Hetland also uses this creepy upward angle where we see Carolanne looming over something, usually with a blank or grim expression. </p><p>Despite Hetland slowly unveiling not just increasingly unhinged behavior, but a genuine sense from Carolanne that she knows her behavior would frighten others, she and Lee marry, she is pregnant, and then in a devastating and terrifying scene, their baby is stillborn. This sets the events of the last third of the book into motion, as Carolanne increasingly loses touch with reality, drives away Lee, and then starts to become truly unhinged in her destructive and self-destructive behavior. She deludes herself into thinking she's pregnant, denies the death of her first child, and by the end, is in a psychotic world of her own. The visceral, awful, and genuinely unsettling scenes of her carving up her own flesh are all established and amplified by the rhythms Hetland established early in the book. </p><p><i>Tender</i> is ultimately a tragedy, where a person who simply has no conception of how to actually connect with others finds herself creating a conception of self entirely dependent on cues that are ultimately limiting, shallow, and fleeting at best. The images of self-consumption and total alienation are fitting, given that she never had a real chance of meaningfully interacting with others. Her total lack of empathy manifested in rage mostly aimed at herself, but also at the one creature she had thought of as being connected to her in her cat. It made sense in terms of the plot, but it was also the point where Hetland very deliberately wanted the reader to both cease having sympathy for Carolanne and simultaneously think about the ways in which society's guideposts brought her to that point. Having followed Hetland's career for years, <i>Tender</i> is a massive leveling-up visually, as she brought to bear the increasingly dense storytelling she used in <i>Half-Asleep </i>as well as a sophisticated and affecting color palette. This is the first major project she's written since her CCS days, and there's no question that it's a triumph. </p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-26139799855469008772024-01-11T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-11T00:00:00.142-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #42: Issy Manley, Anna Sellheim<p><a href="https://www.issymanley.com/">Issy Manley</a>'s <i>No One Wants To Work Anymore</i> is a series of comics essays addressing labor and one's role in global capitalism from a personal perspective. Their tone widely varies, given the venues these stories originally appeared. Manley is at her best when she's able to truly craft a narrative that focuses on character over information. For example, "To All The Bosses I've Begged For A Job" and "Not Working" cover a lot of the same territory, but the former is funny and biting while the latter feels didactic and is way too text-heavy. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCURjV5rBKOLw4HGd9s0ZBnb4g3dnDB3wR3EVt0cKG9DnVlHQuHMSGFQXczvf0IUuEG03JvhSQdRH0cRYvgXFF5Iy0zBwIFR4N-EfGeTydRWIuq4Hmjgo6nkXvvXZ8QoV6d819DrU7D70XqE7I8iqYseMtnpGp06YqhMcgIWehYyRtt1UloZDPhXGEA/s500/iss2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="500" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCURjV5rBKOLw4HGd9s0ZBnb4g3dnDB3wR3EVt0cKG9DnVlHQuHMSGFQXczvf0IUuEG03JvhSQdRH0cRYvgXFF5Iy0zBwIFR4N-EfGeTydRWIuq4Hmjgo6nkXvvXZ8QoV6d819DrU7D70XqE7I8iqYseMtnpGp06YqhMcgIWehYyRtt1UloZDPhXGEA/s320/iss2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The opening story, "How Things Are Done," smoothly highlights Manley's skill as a cartoonist and smartly employs her experience of losing her job as a server at the start of COVID. Starting with the personal and then applying it to a wider swath of society is a clever way of helping a reader understand a complex issue, especially if it's one where they might have preconceived notions. Like many who work or worked in the service industry, the exploitative nature of the business, especially in the US, was something that was understood as just the way things functioned as a natural part of the system. The willingness to put such workers at high risk with no additional reward during the pandemic was a splash of cold water that massively put the lie not only to exploitation by big chain restaurants but also (and often especially) locally-owned businesses. Manley's clear line and thoughtful use of spot color help lead the eye around the page and emphasize important details.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwaRR2jN85UD44IVDqxot59nDsebPLzDvDT6e47kC4YykNAV1gZr7ObxzEjt9gPfhbdQMS2I6fQ2Gj68NaAYqPcQAXWhUeni_ISG4KPmJoVAN0HgfziFb5kKCr2c6nhMT-K4pnjr0yGBD5qcAvn4YTzgIwqvyhW2H4soexALoWjiQnJuF1c4FY3LMIdQ/s647/iss1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwaRR2jN85UD44IVDqxot59nDsebPLzDvDT6e47kC4YykNAV1gZr7ObxzEjt9gPfhbdQMS2I6fQ2Gj68NaAYqPcQAXWhUeni_ISG4KPmJoVAN0HgfziFb5kKCr2c6nhMT-K4pnjr0yGBD5qcAvn4YTzgIwqvyhW2H4soexALoWjiQnJuF1c4FY3LMIdQ/s320/iss1.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>"To All The Bosses..." is the real standout of the collection, in large part due to its structure and sardonic sense of humor. Manley confronts head-on the demeaning quality of looking for a job that's looking for you to want to do it for any other reason than making money. The more dehumanizing the actual job or business (like anything in baking, consulting, or investment), the more they play up their "values" and demand that employees play along. Manley uses an array of clever visual tricks to keep the reader engaged with both her own narrative (badly needing a job) and the critique of what jobs are. The only slightly dissonant tone was the digression into imagining a job that's just and fulfilling in a corporate structure. I understand the yearning and even admire her hoping this is possible, but critiques that introduce fantasy utopian scenarios without a bridge to how they might be possible tend to fall flat. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzknNibEkaF4icimVoE-bbFVdhCHRCdyzW4wA0YUqspLXqJRXgRIw6ZUtTSg-JiPjS_qkfSdw98XZnnc7YFJA2Q8slbTeHBrSbCEAhVS-jrmb5xhO7yBq6CEIXZa3UwBx-ejtHKWedEj2dHIiHymQITCrww3ERi9RncN4qC1DdDnLUF7-DvZNGm_xUw/s673/iss3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="673" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzknNibEkaF4icimVoE-bbFVdhCHRCdyzW4wA0YUqspLXqJRXgRIw6ZUtTSg-JiPjS_qkfSdw98XZnnc7YFJA2Q8slbTeHBrSbCEAhVS-jrmb5xhO7yBq6CEIXZa3UwBx-ejtHKWedEj2dHIiHymQITCrww3ERi9RncN4qC1DdDnLUF7-DvZNGm_xUw/s320/iss3.png" width="238" /></a></div><p>Much better in that regard is the titular essay, "No One Wants To Work Anymore." It's another COVID-era essay that this time turns the narratives of others she interviewed into anecdotes, where each person is drawn as an anthropomorphic flower. The story addresses the heart of the labor conflict in the US: the clash between the so-called "Protestant Work Ethic" with the concept of a life devoted to something other than just labor. This was brought into sharp relief during the pandemic when the government provided small amounts of money to every citizen, suspended student loan repayments, and forestalled rent. For low-income workers, this offered up a level of freedom that was unprecedented for them, and the narratives showed how much happiness this brought. While some stayed inside and read for pleasure, others took the time to volunteer or otherwise stay active. Moreover, when the quarantines ended and businesses started to open up, it led to many not wanting the same old shitty jobs anymore. Manley hits on this collective wake-up call for one part of the population and a gross sense of entitlement for those who expected the others to simply fall back in line. Here, Manley's digression into anti-work fantasies and a different world makes a lot more sense. Manley definitely has that Dan Nott style of using a gentle visual style to approach difficult problems, and I'd be curious to see her really sink her teeth into something long-form.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mIg7C8t9o6epfzQdYIZfIJPGOS7_JB8QopCUT7wfKY3EYNsr__hH6j-wL1dOI2z8pG3hLO0zxobGVjYALHo1dpR-SwcMt9IY-oUAAbD2VFw3Vnz7drPpCRb0aO69wBo1Ss88mehP9phJGRCbT8fJ58tPGcG4qvBJHH-pTM4QMzBgL3goB5qHzpRuaw/s2880/Screenshot%202023-12-29%20at%2012.35.31%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="2880" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mIg7C8t9o6epfzQdYIZfIJPGOS7_JB8QopCUT7wfKY3EYNsr__hH6j-wL1dOI2z8pG3hLO0zxobGVjYALHo1dpR-SwcMt9IY-oUAAbD2VFw3Vnz7drPpCRb0aO69wBo1Ss88mehP9phJGRCbT8fJ58tPGcG4qvBJHH-pTM4QMzBgL3goB5qHzpRuaw/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-29%20at%2012.35.31%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Anna Sellheim didn't have a traditional comics entry this year. Instead, she presented a couple of zines she made for the Refugee Youth Project After School & Summer School Programming from Baltimore City Community College. Sellheim's <i>Promo Zine</i> is exactly what it sounds like: a comic describing her experience as an art/comics teacher for young refugees from a variety of countries. Sellheim's anecdotes are funny, blunt, and optimistic without overstating things. Her own past dealing with not just trauma, but somatic trauma responses deeply informs how she interacts with the students, even if their trauma experiences are completely different. Sellheim also gets into how the cultural shock for refugees coming to the US is much deeper than it might seem at first while also providing the basics of how the program works. It's an ideal promotional tool for the RYP as it's from an insider who genuinely believes in the beneficial qualities of the program. RYP Zine consists mostly of art from Sellheim's students, as well as poetry and other writing. Sellheim lets the contributors' work speak for itself while adding some highly supportive notes in the bio section. This is applied cartooning at its best, as it encourages each student to develop and express their own voice as they work to adjust to American culture. </p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-86348779847955804052024-01-10T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-10T00:00:00.139-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #41: Meandering Realms<p>Filipa Estrela has long been a leading proponent of constructed comics made from unconventional materials. <i>Meandering Realms</i> is an anthology that she edited full of such comics. Be it woodcuts, clay figures, cut paper, pyrography on wood, or mixed media, this anthology is a fascinating read for fans of extreme formal experimentation in comics. The anthology has a mix of CCS artists and others; some are well-established in terms of cartooning while others primarily ply their trade in other media. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59Ncl42n-4WQkVxhe-w0-BOAtYas3y0wkBKulvtadW-oio6ewiFHzp4Vg2vJjn15otWCe19F-91urAIMlqJkzDMjOq3vlHBFZzJ_xb_-WRw-XbhJfkIhLUCcNDlrjjwjLmubMRbJ9dvx6rvxnlMOwtdZrhACkrB-nENr_DcRk6SYxOlIeQ0z3EXvPtA/s1170/mcov.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="1170" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59Ncl42n-4WQkVxhe-w0-BOAtYas3y0wkBKulvtadW-oio6ewiFHzp4Vg2vJjn15otWCe19F-91urAIMlqJkzDMjOq3vlHBFZzJ_xb_-WRw-XbhJfkIhLUCcNDlrjjwjLmubMRbJ9dvx6rvxnlMOwtdZrhACkrB-nENr_DcRk6SYxOlIeQ0z3EXvPtA/s320/mcov.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Starting with the CCS artists, Issy Manley's pandemic story about taking walks for pleasure was done in cut paper and embroidery. It is a perfect union of form and content, with countless clever formal touches that are all in service to the narrative. Manley's page composition, done mostly in an open-page layout, is beautiful and contains surprising elements. The use of embroidery to depict center lines on roads was an inspired element, especially when they loop around. It all gives context to this meditation on walking when others would prefer to drive. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLrg5nBZwSOL54vJ-UFb2A8Bg8mrbY8SN4fXyJzOvXLMFfd5LKjPaZ7riy5E1Pyg7v8qCYqMVODtNcZCqp-oD3VK7sXydJuhL4ZdRJrThBVasxV0e7fdywuQTr8aKyyQBAByBzNLRRzpWJmubXeLX5BvMoKbxbuhje4iDj-wuJBAnDYhpxsE1IJTJKw/s685/issy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="441" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLrg5nBZwSOL54vJ-UFb2A8Bg8mrbY8SN4fXyJzOvXLMFfd5LKjPaZ7riy5E1Pyg7v8qCYqMVODtNcZCqp-oD3VK7sXydJuhL4ZdRJrThBVasxV0e7fdywuQTr8aKyyQBAByBzNLRRzpWJmubXeLX5BvMoKbxbuhje4iDj-wuJBAnDYhpxsE1IJTJKw/s320/issy.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Bread Tarleton's facepaint comic literally uses their face for a comic in panel after panel, with paint creating images and lettering. The story is totally absurd, yet Tarleton makes it work so effectively. The story is engaging enough that the gimmick never grows old. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDA5Tzg_2jJqAa3md7_Y4BXN983-3LodZUL1cHmRmiVq_NIWECDP54ZLLdunvaFBWTNkb73H3RrbLhkL5o4QY7OiQdtQpuEv48iNL82xH7rZS1k_ZS0YYHHNCign9pEjtsNGNwi86l6G6nes3mUbpSoZnhadwcvHQwGkWsgvnDAinNkxe0hILbI8-WQ/s1852/bread.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1852" data-original-width="1170" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDA5Tzg_2jJqAa3md7_Y4BXN983-3LodZUL1cHmRmiVq_NIWECDP54ZLLdunvaFBWTNkb73H3RrbLhkL5o4QY7OiQdtQpuEv48iNL82xH7rZS1k_ZS0YYHHNCign9pEjtsNGNwi86l6G6nes3mUbpSoZnhadwcvHQwGkWsgvnDAinNkxe0hILbI8-WQ/s320/bread.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Allison Bannister's retelling of a Greek myth with a feminist edge was done in layered woodcuts, and this was an incredibly effective way of portraying this kind of story. Stacking and layering the images gave them weight and depth, as though one was looking at a fresco. The sepia tones feel like the reader is looking at something ancient. Bannister's drawing and decorative touches only further this effect, especially the detail on the tree that is so central to the end of this myth about unasked for romantic attention that drives the protagonist to transform into a tree out of defiance. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINWzBpq4T1kynDPPpHldL5dFPyDsEnq8TH_AsHZPTIR9J-ltLD4c0nxYoB0mhR_aHAi26bmfCJmoLGjBleos_8r8CSbW0eDaKF9F-BKKGDolKT_J3w3jHCztFshza4xw6k1McQcmktj0E6TUVRrOQcVQVaZ6Wx2DSgjTqZzcxL8mEMMiCwbCAWqWcHA/s684/bann.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINWzBpq4T1kynDPPpHldL5dFPyDsEnq8TH_AsHZPTIR9J-ltLD4c0nxYoB0mhR_aHAi26bmfCJmoLGjBleos_8r8CSbW0eDaKF9F-BKKGDolKT_J3w3jHCztFshza4xw6k1McQcmktj0E6TUVRrOQcVQVaZ6Wx2DSgjTqZzcxL8mEMMiCwbCAWqWcHA/s320/bann.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Sage Clemmons does a highly expressive story using clay figures and mixed media. It's a story about how a beloved childhood family game was phased out because of the protagonist's brother's sensitivity regarding his teeth, and it evolves into how not understanding others can lead to fractures. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMHUciMSpesFOuwABZ08-52MZH0ICICfAhdRbEwMJpvCgt6IFOm2bx4DdHK7cwWaNgKECSCwa8TrufuM0ktfaZugpZMEk2msyg9kyhE8326Z-DX7XaljzgdsYrq5uYTbV5hZPhqK_WnDqdPB6rMt7n8i2yD1nttzn7UqANNVeZr40-xBhX0lXhUF8yQ/s685/sage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMHUciMSpesFOuwABZ08-52MZH0ICICfAhdRbEwMJpvCgt6IFOm2bx4DdHK7cwWaNgKECSCwa8TrufuM0ktfaZugpZMEk2msyg9kyhE8326Z-DX7XaljzgdsYrq5uYTbV5hZPhqK_WnDqdPB6rMt7n8i2yD1nttzn7UqANNVeZr40-xBhX0lXhUF8yQ/s320/sage.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Estrela contributed two comics. The first was about an elder seed who chose to stay underground, despite being cajoled by the roots around it. It was pyrography on wood, and the burnt tones mimicked sepia hues. The shading gradations being made by altering the intensity of the flame was absolutely ingenious. Once again, while the form was important, it was entirely in the service of content. Her other story was done with needlefelt and wool, and it was about an explorer giving a mushroom sentience and what the mushroom chooses to do afterward. The muted, fuzzy colors create an atmosphere completely different from her first story. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp9GLnbX2B0p_cFB0T0JlPRld78rw_ZajbT-3Lw4eY_I4e4sb-S5SvsbS8KPul0Yy_npzxgNc30KHgKyquuU14bY9QIYJTwzn3Wc9idWzchUVmMc-WN20jGy28ASCCcjkdnRHA_f5yn3HYQZ1G6WNZfH9hGXem1EjDtqAytNeNQrE5Poivz3ITmVyY2w/s1764/fil.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1764" data-original-width="1170" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp9GLnbX2B0p_cFB0T0JlPRld78rw_ZajbT-3Lw4eY_I4e4sb-S5SvsbS8KPul0Yy_npzxgNc30KHgKyquuU14bY9QIYJTwzn3Wc9idWzchUVmMc-WN20jGy28ASCCcjkdnRHA_f5yn3HYQZ1G6WNZfH9hGXem1EjDtqAytNeNQrE5Poivz3ITmVyY2w/s320/fil.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Of the non-CCS cartoonists, Bryn Ziegler's re-telling of the story of Orpheus (done with paint markers on acetate) is the most successful. The sharpness of the colors go hand-in-hand with the dramatic content, creating an achingly beautiful set of images. Kriota Willberg's story, done with embroidery on painted fabric, is right in her wheelhouse. It's about an account of a medical procedure after an attempted murder in the 16th century. Willberg nails the medieval tapestry look. Roshan Ganu's "Chappal Diary" combines a leather sandal and photography; this one is more a novelty than a coherent narrative. D.T. Burns also uses cut paper, and while it's less sophisticated than some of the other stories, there's a solid gag at the end. Keren Katz's use of cut paper and wire sculpture to depict a scene at an art museum is not only beautifully constructed, it's also a compelling character study. The other pieces tended to be either too wordy or lacking in substance beyond formal play. Overall, the misses were just as important as the hits. This is one of the rare anthologies where the formal constraints are just as important as the narrative content, and the pieces that nailed both made for boldly distinctive and innovative comics. </p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-45486675736622391572024-01-09T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-09T00:00:00.137-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #40: Josh Rosen<p>Josh Rosen follows up on illustrating a work of graphic history with another one, this time focusing on the home front of World War II in the US. Working with writer Kate Hannigan, <i>World War II: Fight On The Home Front </i>(a part of the <a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/History-Comics-History-Comics-World-War-II-Fight-on-the-Home-Front-Hardcover/1869604737">History Comics series</a> from First Second) is a pretty typical middle-grade book. Hannigan does her best to get at some of the racial and gender inequality in the US and how the demands of the war temporarily changed things, but the book still dipped into a bit of that "V for Victory" spirit that was so prominent in media and culture at that time in the US. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tRoe44ZycBmV41p1hOxfeOpAkqJcRfceH2H1zFW0jtHgRDyjDupMFTOLUtRL0DOrGB54E0xLoiHqH6Fo1mfb984mhcqlqP43K_NIzl_-jUGCFJxyiV-cscJkZ0HEoc9r_Relb86K80PA5UwDrqqQiNzQcWxS9VmZifBhrehgiFSy-zyKNfoWxbU6Wg/s768/wwii.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tRoe44ZycBmV41p1hOxfeOpAkqJcRfceH2H1zFW0jtHgRDyjDupMFTOLUtRL0DOrGB54E0xLoiHqH6Fo1mfb984mhcqlqP43K_NIzl_-jUGCFJxyiV-cscJkZ0HEoc9r_Relb86K80PA5UwDrqqQiNzQcWxS9VmZifBhrehgiFSy-zyKNfoWxbU6Wg/s320/wwii.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Rosen's character design is the star of the show, from the four kids who are the narrators of the story to funny caricatures of world leaders to more naturalistic drawings of important figures from history. The fascinating thing about the book is how it details the way in which the US went about engaging in total war, nationalizing many of its industries to go into manufacturing goods for its war effort. The propaganda machine was a big part of this (and Hannigan actually did use that term once in the book), trying to convince the populace that doing things like rationing resources, going on extended scrap hunts for metal and rubber, and even establishing "victory gardens" in every corner of the city to help bolster food on the home front were worth the sacrifice. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmwEbxi78IC3rPE49PrhgIDVDtaqlEMJGNdhY-e5XfkX5TBBFCwr7Yc_dYeOetmw20iJswHs_ogGHhKWon_C06yhtBLhYR4f9uWqLOq4gSCDYmAO4wY440XyLuoHIIiMMH5opo3P1qdcRIyt190Gnq0rvQJ8Jof3DgnEPYShL5p0LfqUqK34hPqKEKw/s1862/rosen.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1862" data-original-width="1236" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmwEbxi78IC3rPE49PrhgIDVDtaqlEMJGNdhY-e5XfkX5TBBFCwr7Yc_dYeOetmw20iJswHs_ogGHhKWon_C06yhtBLhYR4f9uWqLOq4gSCDYmAO4wY440XyLuoHIIiMMH5opo3P1qdcRIyt190Gnq0rvQJ8Jof3DgnEPYShL5p0LfqUqK34hPqKEKw/s320/rosen.gif" width="212" /></a></div><p>Propaganda or not, and despite an extended anti-war movement (with various motives, including a pro-German Bund movement), it was still astonishing to see a country founded on rugged individualism buy into a collective good as widely as the US did at that time. Of course, this was during the FDR administration, where the collapse of the US economy allowed for widespread socialist programs that had a profound and wide positive impact. This collective action against a decidedly malignant foe in Nazi Germany kept the populace at home engaged, as everyone was made to feel they were doing their part. What's interesting is how this engaged marginalized groups. That included women, who had limited employment and educational opportunities. It included Black people, who forced their way into jobs and then better-paying jobs because bodies were needed. It didn't include Japanese-Americans, as Hannigan does make extensive mention of the internment camps. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oiMXcL8HqVIZ3GxgobWwJexM9v-Xh1JFqi4mIYWaJkJseSPQ3XGdHMfABViasWch4DDXE3-ruZVlnfMty8EGfvsc9kcVGXm3M5goP6VGAhDVtF5qxpTAsJvV5XFXHwQ1zEvqejspdciJGW8HyiCXoJi13VtolPtHKlqvbINKQzL9aLpTpAv1NPbilw/s1866/rosen2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1866" data-original-width="1233" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oiMXcL8HqVIZ3GxgobWwJexM9v-Xh1JFqi4mIYWaJkJseSPQ3XGdHMfABViasWch4DDXE3-ruZVlnfMty8EGfvsc9kcVGXm3M5goP6VGAhDVtF5qxpTAsJvV5XFXHwQ1zEvqejspdciJGW8HyiCXoJi13VtolPtHKlqvbINKQzL9aLpTpAv1NPbilw/s320/rosen2.gif" width="211" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Hannigan's strategy of telling the story through some neighborhood kids only works because Rosen was so good at using them to directly comment on the narrative itself. Their snarkiness toward the "victory" propaganda was funny, even as the kids still were active in many ways. However, they also reflected the difficulties of rationing, especially when things like sugar and dairy rationing meant that ice cream stopped being a part of daily life. Hannigan notes that surplus of goods following the war, with plenty of sourced anecdotes and statistics (like gallons of ice cream eaten!). All told, this is a solid primer brought to life by Rosen's expressive and varied characters. The color scheme was pretty much the First Second house style, meaning it wasn't especially interesting nor intrusive; it did the job and thankfully didn't interfere with Rosen's line art.</p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-17760265902376935732024-01-08T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-08T00:00:00.133-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #39: What The Gnomes Know<p><i><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/what-the-gnomes-know-a-comics-anthology-kelci-crawford/20189263">What The Gnomes Know</a></i> is an anthology centered around artists from CCS and the Columbus scene. There's a good mixture of both, and there are a number of artist-writer combos that are somewhat unusual for an alt-comics anthology, but it works to good effect here. What's interesting is that a couple of the collaborations are between partners. It was organized and selected by CCS grads Rainer Kannenstine and Ben Wright-Heuman, both of whom have a lot of different projects they've been involved in, both solo and in terms of collaborative efforts. It was edited and designed by Columbus mainstay Kelci Crawford. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ymVPPg7vIvX5ClxslrVs_1JLJEFYuVuCPZZ5qM7UdVfO-u-b2KcvuV5rbT94djmghirfMskV_gV6gU3S3MsgmYDZ3-DnwHd2vBfOxs7lygaw7Us8NriRQv5B2eOMOtfRiK0ZwcRdR9Mp-2W46CKs1FZ3cIkgnc6S71mepH8MpIFRq6tjJpWvRuFuWw/s992/bwh.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ymVPPg7vIvX5ClxslrVs_1JLJEFYuVuCPZZ5qM7UdVfO-u-b2KcvuV5rbT94djmghirfMskV_gV6gU3S3MsgmYDZ3-DnwHd2vBfOxs7lygaw7Us8NriRQv5B2eOMOtfRiK0ZwcRdR9Mp-2W46CKs1FZ3cIkgnc6S71mepH8MpIFRq6tjJpWvRuFuWw/s320/bwh.png" width="219" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Writer Ian M. Klesch collaborated with Wright-Heuman on a post-apocalyptic story following an elder gnome navigating a ruined city, looking for parts. This is an elegantly-constructed story using a recording of the gnome's dead son to push the narrative, as we learn just what caused the apocalypse in the first place. Wright-Heuman's art is moody and stylish, but it pushes the frantic action of the second half of the story clearly. It's a great use of world-building to set up a character-driven narrative with a satisfying resolution that still leaves the reader wanting more. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOdCRzOS9Pb2GKoV3hSQ6icBBAHgObnBMb-JyJ6_awhV25VKZQK__NWi7hSRhOvyZO_2oBtz9iuaF6E_Kh6N4jK02Xqg-jSdIlgQm8FopaM66pNwFe_KEslQ6iIF_14w6huhQtj9hBhdEFdHsXFkZO8OIRbXMDYyfP1EmVENw6bhW9DghYkHDRDVouQ/s992/rufin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOdCRzOS9Pb2GKoV3hSQ6icBBAHgObnBMb-JyJ6_awhV25VKZQK__NWi7hSRhOvyZO_2oBtz9iuaF6E_Kh6N4jK02Xqg-jSdIlgQm8FopaM66pNwFe_KEslQ6iIF_14w6huhQtj9hBhdEFdHsXFkZO8OIRbXMDYyfP1EmVENw6bhW9DghYkHDRDVouQ/s320/rufin.png" width="219" /></a></div><p>Catalina Rufin's "Gnome Pizza" was cleverly assigned right after that story, and it's the contrast that make both stories stand out. Using a delicate line and extensive use of watercolors, Rufin establishes an interesting narrative when a woman moves into an apartment that was originally gnome territory, and then turns the plot on its head by turning what could have been a conflict into an appeal for connection from a desperately lonely person. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhip1-OfeRBNUO1YIfuIxjFjRkXIrOgxLdsgSU-g1id_x1pHj0g_zAgARLW-pGnc9IGrBQ8Ko2wj5L9toK3uI3YMR7yiZgHkYHYcfAKnDahGAoWwRxLr5XhAP5xen7bco8d-ktkWi3C3VTd90qpQs9gglCL3h2_N1DZEFMFtyeQzJC_0ErvIkTzJZhntA/s967/boyle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="967" data-original-width="680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhip1-OfeRBNUO1YIfuIxjFjRkXIrOgxLdsgSU-g1id_x1pHj0g_zAgARLW-pGnc9IGrBQ8Ko2wj5L9toK3uI3YMR7yiZgHkYHYcfAKnDahGAoWwRxLr5XhAP5xen7bco8d-ktkWi3C3VTd90qpQs9gglCL3h2_N1DZEFMFtyeQzJC_0ErvIkTzJZhntA/s320/boyle.png" width="225" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Writer C.M. Clemence and artist Kelly Swann offer up what seems to be a typical D&D-inspired quest by two gnomes seeking out their friend. They acquire allies along the way until the rescue, but the swerve at the end that reveals what's really happening is clever. Swann's art shot straight from her scratchy pencils is the highlight here. Eddie J. O'Neill and Kaz G.M. Lukacs collaborated on a story of a group of gnomes adopting a misfit kobold that's cute, but whose use of color feels garish throughout. Angela Boyle took a lot of risks with "Gnoir With A Silent G," a parody of detective tropes featuring a gnome. The big risk was making this illustrated text with a stylized font. There were just enough illustrations (and enough sequential art) to make this work, especially since the art belied the hard-boiled cliches of the lead character. Boyle's drawings are also lovely, with an effective combination of grit and delicate color. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbw2fI1KJQI8v8pCLitMdxnnRDTAc_7phUbXbYXpZ_IjcN00voZneIZz79hKBZWSFHkLmA_ycIdqrltSJkO98mYLI9_HBgv9gZPuay1UKJRjDfHEM7nuxVm-GPHxxh1XsCX88-o9U9IeejShm1de1HYJviP0TGlTGJma1lXkaqZN17-kR84RzBz20Lg/s992/necro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbw2fI1KJQI8v8pCLitMdxnnRDTAc_7phUbXbYXpZ_IjcN00voZneIZz79hKBZWSFHkLmA_ycIdqrltSJkO98mYLI9_HBgv9gZPuay1UKJRjDfHEM7nuxVm-GPHxxh1XsCX88-o9U9IeejShm1de1HYJviP0TGlTGJma1lXkaqZN17-kR84RzBz20Lg/s320/necro.png" width="219" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Alex Washburn's story about humans who can transform into gnomes was a mix of what felt like a personal story of frustration around identity and a ripping fantasy story involving the danger of possibly being turned into stone. Washburn's use of color was way over the top and would have looked better muted, but his expressive characters drawn in a thick line match up with their emotional natures. The collaboration between Erienne McCray and Kannenstine leans into the density of its colors in a deeply expressionistic manner, especially since so much of the story revolves around dark magic. However, it's still essentially a story about a mother and daughter's connection, and that's what ultimately gives the story its real impact in the end. </p><p>The non-CCS stories included a clever entry from Jess Tweed about two friends dealing with dark magic in order to save someone else, and the clever way a seemingly iron-clad contract was dealt with. There's also a text piece written by Jack Wallace with moody illustrations by J.M. Hunter that's nearly unreadable because of its use of stylized text. The illustrations became almost incidental. Overall, it's a fairly strong anthology that could have toned down some of its use of color and has a wide variety of genre types despite revolving around a highly particular genre theme </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-39490790333057153482024-01-07T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-07T00:00:00.161-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #38: April Malig <p><a href="https://aprilmalig.com/store">April Malig</a> is an avid zine-maker whose work varies from hyper-specific narrative comics, to journals revolving around drawing, food & travel; and abstract experiments with color and form. In I Am Trying To Enjoy My Life, Malig shows off one of the favorite things about her as an artist. She's completely unapologetic about every aspect of herself and her art, especially as it impacts her mental health. There's a sense of her having running out of fucks left to give a long time ago, and so she talks about and does things that make her happy: eat, draw, go outside from time to time, travel, and see friends. This zine captures her personality perfectly, and the little decorative details (the drawing on graph paper, the mix of hand lettering and type) only accentuate the pleasure of reading this. The abstract swooshes of color on every other page feel in tune with Malig's descriptions of what each individual day was like. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRUXMzA8kLPhzR1SU3bTOP15yK0beu1K_XZdNaPi64aSg9SQRIv3OGbRlMQUjKuPdgSqMYcD9_uS__DiP7ym6P2xG8OjB7DZEqgmpkrmaSyhn9q-MIyGY-xCK0-BSPP8yiZKJB_o3juOlLhCAxrImL2GLd5M1jpovOSEXaLQU20cZGzWCaHba0xip0Ag/s671/Screenshot%202023-12-16%2012.40.00%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="671" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRUXMzA8kLPhzR1SU3bTOP15yK0beu1K_XZdNaPi64aSg9SQRIv3OGbRlMQUjKuPdgSqMYcD9_uS__DiP7ym6P2xG8OjB7DZEqgmpkrmaSyhn9q-MIyGY-xCK0-BSPP8yiZKJB_o3juOlLhCAxrImL2GLd5M1jpovOSEXaLQU20cZGzWCaHba0xip0Ag/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-16%2012.40.00%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The <i>2022 Sketchbook Drawings</i> zine is another great example of Malig's abstract waves of color, this time gridded out on a monthly calendar on every page. This allows the reader to enjoy each image individually, experience them sequentially, and then perceive each page as a gestalt of bright colors. Malig adds commentary about why drawing every day can be joyful so long as you are in the moment of making marks or creating color. She also added a bunch of Washi tape images to add further detail and complexity to each page, making each its own unique viewing experience. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1kq9iTaZccvRrzKV_vd8rJGUof4kYT2gSgIUHxiSf9qZ9lBkKWOjd782JKASn6-kesvdLV8HrGmTWy_9TJcZxDeJ8igsQRvbhCAT6KHXiqNOM3tYru33dTbRoyX0km3ViwubzA-nZyakiW8mOZdpW5AyG3w8_y6mRhg5_6efs7UEaxfD5nn5sXZ5uw/s772/Screenshot%202023-12-16%2012.38.52%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="772" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1kq9iTaZccvRrzKV_vd8rJGUof4kYT2gSgIUHxiSf9qZ9lBkKWOjd782JKASn6-kesvdLV8HrGmTWy_9TJcZxDeJ8igsQRvbhCAT6KHXiqNOM3tYru33dTbRoyX0km3ViwubzA-nZyakiW8mOZdpW5AyG3w8_y6mRhg5_6efs7UEaxfD5nn5sXZ5uw/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-16%2012.38.52%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The comic I was most interested in here was the third issue of <i>Rotten Roses</i>, Malig's sequential comic about a group of friends obsessed with a particular boys love manga & anime that Malig made up. This includes a dedication to not just the show, but to fanfic writers and artists equally obsessed with the show. Malig captures this subgenre of fans who are so inspired by original source material (and perhaps hyperfixated) that they want to put their own spin on it. There's a hilarious segment where one of the members of the friends group writes a fanfic manifesto that admonishes those who write fanfic that openly ignores what she considers to be canon aspects of characters. It makes sense, because while putting your personal favorites in space or doing a Digimon crossover might make sense, ignoring the fact that one of them hates sweets is going over the line. Malig's character design nicely balances lots of looping lines and a tasteful use of color. The guest artists providing examples of art for imaginary manga or anime shows is another nice touch, as Malig takes great pains to provide verisimilitude for something that does not exist. Malig concludes the issue as the friends start to drift apart; they find other fandoms, stories dry up for this fandom, or real life intrudes. It's a natural part of both friendships (especially those that start off in an extremely intense way) and fandoms, and Malig has captured something special in this series. Even if you have no idea what she's referring to at times, the fandom acts as a gimmick that reveals the enthusiasm and infectious need to discuss the thing they're fixated on with other people </p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-37244684273983439822024-01-06T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-06T00:00:00.146-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #37: Filipa Estrela and Allison Bannister<a href="https://feltmythical.com/">Filipa Estrela</a> is one of the more fascinating graduates of CCS due to their interest in what they refer to as "unconventional material comics" or "crafted comics." These are comics made in whole or part with materials other than traditional pen or pencil. This includes photos, mixed media, felting, clay, woodcuts, etc, as they outline in their very useful mini <i>Building Realms</i>. This is a companion piece to <i>Meandering Realms,</i> the anthology they edited (and which I will be reviewing in a few more days), as well as a guide. Estrela lists some of their preferred supplies, how to plan and set intentions for such a comic, post-production tips, and much more--all with delightful crafted creations in the background. Estrela's specialty is felt and thread, and you could see them playing around with this here. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJu8G8KbBaQnwJH8ArRlE5osaH8g1dUce76wPv7FAjUoXdQlECITjVaXTBrecPG9hSFgbWtuzLBV4YR5xkUCZQxZGOFma8yUs4vTzzV2q_aWnuYU3ahvUS4IQPf-yoqqPc2r1B9l5wKsToySlHd2mSrwFhrtgS_EqaCCvaX_3OCYQg8_8oYxnvnalJQ/s1000/tomorr.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="1000" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJu8G8KbBaQnwJH8ArRlE5osaH8g1dUce76wPv7FAjUoXdQlECITjVaXTBrecPG9hSFgbWtuzLBV4YR5xkUCZQxZGOFma8yUs4vTzzV2q_aWnuYU3ahvUS4IQPf-yoqqPc2r1B9l5wKsToySlHd2mSrwFhrtgS_EqaCCvaX_3OCYQg8_8oYxnvnalJQ/s320/tomorr.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><div><br /></div><div>Estrela is also quite adept at more traditional cartooning and risograph printing. <i>Dream Of A Brighter Tomorrow</i>, like much of Estrela's work, is aspirational. Using bold and cute figures along with bright and vivid colors, Estrela makes a claim and a wish for a better world, one where needs are attended to, radical acceptance is the norm, and collaborations are the standard. It's a lovely sentiment, and Estrela's imaginative character design brings a playfulness to the comic that prevents it from simply being a polemic. </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokMyI3-FQBVVMFuW840clhulupsYPtD_7vbyCmLegwbHBtHAXQ1rFUzyGvPQIOBrFqsIMlD1sgbxgJRQE0n4Rm4AH9H3eMj7gvqF6cH8JnS-e4xVcaBGUn2KAkoxBWLYfl-OsTcg3425-S6Ne4SQLkTPW5VHBxS8yOfCJqyVtkPYQhs5WOrg0RT1uMA/s1234/big.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokMyI3-FQBVVMFuW840clhulupsYPtD_7vbyCmLegwbHBtHAXQ1rFUzyGvPQIOBrFqsIMlD1sgbxgJRQE0n4Rm4AH9H3eMj7gvqF6cH8JnS-e4xVcaBGUn2KAkoxBWLYfl-OsTcg3425-S6Ne4SQLkTPW5VHBxS8yOfCJqyVtkPYQhs5WOrg0RT1uMA/s320/big.png" width="259" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Little Friend, Big Feelings</i> is the sort of delicate Risographed comic that is directly in Estrela's wheelhouse. Using bright pinks and darker blues and a cute character design style, Estrela talks about the "little one" that accompanies us all (a little fuzzy creature) that reflects our emotions, be they joy, grief, rage, fear, or even boredom. Whatever the feelings, the little one is grateful to feel them, no matter what. This is a beautiful sentiment and one that's a consistent theme throughout all of Estrela's work: feeling our feelings in a direct manner is essential to our health. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRT5E0LQPlmFIrSKqWPwx2rlKqXWTiHn885nzzeneQq97Yk38v2vyRxPYA4ovH2GS7z9EWhnORGbiOcL-cuq0BSgwbYFjsLKUlYJGPxQEKuEilYJhXrR9OgirMpWGu_CrHk0U4lakrn8Co64LlzlvdLPEAzAOdKM3Om4VkHJrg4EwPuLFxbUADkMnUQ/s893/Screenshot%202023-12-15%201.05.06%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="893" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRT5E0LQPlmFIrSKqWPwx2rlKqXWTiHn885nzzeneQq97Yk38v2vyRxPYA4ovH2GS7z9EWhnORGbiOcL-cuq0BSgwbYFjsLKUlYJGPxQEKuEilYJhXrR9OgirMpWGu_CrHk0U4lakrn8Co64LlzlvdLPEAzAOdKM3Om4VkHJrg4EwPuLFxbUADkMnUQ/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-15%201.05.06%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Allison Bannister is currently working on a long-form comic called <i>At The Inn</i>, and she sent me the first 12 pages (the prelude and first chapter). This is an excellent example of world-building meeting character-driven narratives right in the middle, as she creates a rich environment and several memorable characters in the span of just a few pages. This is a fantasy narrative about an inn owned by a woman named Minerva who comes across a young wizard who steals food. Recognizing a proud but scared runaway when she sees one, she offers the adept (named Andreja) a job and passage to the city. While the dialogue in some of the talking heads scenes gets a bit thick, Bannister balances that with several pages that have minimal text. With a mixture of body language and knowing hints in the dialogue, Bannister imparts a great deal of information to the reader about these characters without being overly direct; the plot details are less important than the characters and what we see as their basic motivations to start with. Bannister's use of color is also tasteful and intentional, adding even more information to the narrative while also establishing beautiful, lush backgrounds. </div>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-21834058978863089662024-01-05T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-05T00:00:00.133-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #36: Mac Maclean<p><a href="https://mxmaclean.com/comics">Mac Maclean'</a>s comics tend to be about body image and grief, and there are a lot of intersections. They are also fundamentally about queerness. <i>Ode To A Body</i> is a brief mini accompanied by illustrations of their body in close-up that abstracts the images. It's a smart approach because the narrative is about learning to accept one's body as it is--every fold, every muscle, every crack. It's not explicitly stated in this mini, but being trans undoubtedly makes this self-acceptance even more difficult. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvV6G4hdj_9J4N-4fnPaGg7ULCssUcajwjMlrfRzCpy9xf9ZNYg_JPneKw5k2OPcf0do6d7QsFMqmlOHucR7l4GzDJOJvwX9CYyp_w3yZ1XTZWf5o6PwSRo7PxNb_5tO4aEKtaURWH5zZvhR-zopLa8dfDkNQPLHLIvM-zZtJm9Rj8WwHKf1iUQFJk0A/s1920/bod.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvV6G4hdj_9J4N-4fnPaGg7ULCssUcajwjMlrfRzCpy9xf9ZNYg_JPneKw5k2OPcf0do6d7QsFMqmlOHucR7l4GzDJOJvwX9CYyp_w3yZ1XTZWf5o6PwSRo7PxNb_5tO4aEKtaURWH5zZvhR-zopLa8dfDkNQPLHLIvM-zZtJm9Rj8WwHKf1iUQFJk0A/s320/bod.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><i>Dice-O-Mancy</i> is an ingenious comics idea generator. Using dice to determine genre, conflict type, theme, character types, events, and random elements is a perfect way for artists struggling with structure or focusing in on ideas to break out of their rut. Maclean has a strong understanding of genre story structure, which is funny because virtually none of their own comics tend to fall into this category. They're careful to include slice-of-life and potentially deep themes that allow for the use of metaphorical images while never losing hold of motivation and conflict. I would recommend using this in a second for any artist struggling to get going and would especially recommend it over the more familiar turf of a diary comic. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8VN2Gq8eF1CJ_ZipFoPc9vpAa-kGitIX_b4592t4HBwYIjO5FbP6TvoJo1DaehvWK-dd63o8SG-FagfOpRDnqsKAk4u9h-MMr7yUXg5IzCJ5FKl5DokeeIuauBo-qtMzc-j07zC-1aE1cSrU0VNmfzQlyhHOzaY0MVd90QwYZnsrmM8sjpFWuqYe2Q/s1538/die.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1538" data-original-width="1538" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8VN2Gq8eF1CJ_ZipFoPc9vpAa-kGitIX_b4592t4HBwYIjO5FbP6TvoJo1DaehvWK-dd63o8SG-FagfOpRDnqsKAk4u9h-MMr7yUXg5IzCJ5FKl5DokeeIuauBo-qtMzc-j07zC-1aE1cSrU0VNmfzQlyhHOzaY0MVd90QwYZnsrmM8sjpFWuqYe2Q/s320/die.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><i>Six Years</i> was Maclean's entry in the ShortBox Comics Fair, and it's a companion piece to their many previous comics about their deceased father. Maclean cleverly structures this update in such a way that no prior knowledge of their past comics is needed. It opens with Maclean in a diner, sitting in a booth and talking to someone who is kept out of sight. It becomes immediately obvious that this is a one-sided conversation, as Maclean says things like "I bet you'd like D&D." The expected reveal comes halfway through, as Maclean wonders if their father (a preacher) ever suffered from anxiety and control issues, and if so, if his belief in god helped. The shifting use of colors used as a wash seems to reflect a shifting emotional tone in different parts of the story, as Maclean shares news of their current life, their partner, and their career before they fervently wished he was still there. It's a touching, vulnerable moment that's both an attempt at connection and an expression of grief that this was no longer possible. Maclean's cartoony, chunky self-caricature (their hair is drawn in a wild, wavy, and unruly style) carries what is essentially a talking head comic with a variety of gestures and expressions. </p><p><br /></p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-892446908505661612024-01-04T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-04T00:00:00.139-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #35: Zaria Cannon<p>Zaria Cannon is a second-year student who's mostly working in genre-related fiction, albeit stories that have a personal and human touch. <i>Ignited</i>, for example, is about a couple of kids at a superhero high school who don't have powers and are often bullied by others. Zanyah is excitable and extroverted, while the green-haired Maverick is shy and anxious. Much of this comic, done in a style that wouldn't look out of place in a weekly manga magazine, is about their debate as to the nature of powers and what they might do with them. It's a powerful philosophical question that speaks to how one's ethical behavior might change given access to powers that allow one to ignore the status quo. In dramatic fashion, Cannon answers this question at the very end, as one of the characters has to make a life-or-death choice that changes everything. One thing Cannon needs to work on is the relationship between bodies in space and body language in general; there was some stiffness in the character poses. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxJg6HATQuEDsJWya5z3slCJZI7yYCnbvPIH3mt3_k43j-m2nZ0G-vO3XHeXa7XNJl33yIqL1u43sxOQ6mUyipqeyM2aUuUlAte_u0wyPKMDt-GmGG9oEZGd7FcmRZYyt0cA0PJEGBj2OxzzVEJCoYWj7l0sQpwp1H8JtoTQ_1RP9iBcJkJJqHWMFvA/s623/Screenshot%202023-12-12%205.16.58%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="425" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxJg6HATQuEDsJWya5z3slCJZI7yYCnbvPIH3mt3_k43j-m2nZ0G-vO3XHeXa7XNJl33yIqL1u43sxOQ6mUyipqeyM2aUuUlAte_u0wyPKMDt-GmGG9oEZGd7FcmRZYyt0cA0PJEGBj2OxzzVEJCoYWj7l0sQpwp1H8JtoTQ_1RP9iBcJkJJqHWMFvA/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-12%205.16.58%20PM.png" width="218" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><i>The Boy Who Cried Werewolf</i> is a clever horror comic about a boy who hates the family dog because of the attention he gets from his parents over him. Cannon cleverly flips their relationship in an interesting way to cast doubt on the boy's character, but then swerves again at the end to reveal something far more sinister happening with the dog. Combining cute character design with horror tropes was actually quite effective, especially when Cannon wanted to take the reader down a certain set of expectations. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRO4qjpYi_xIqTmZn2NnwJt1zdp28JHMwxBckQJ54GJusmRSk3yEDeSo633lYOlqRgv6SPjHqpLyzD4b2kRgVl79bNKEqTsesxgshCylBeVpoC0WGi0UqFgtfhnJ3RG_P2LtpyvMku1OqWzJQUjBIDCtO7OZoxJaEl-mhJO2U6_wkvwDmw3a55pWbjA/s610/Screenshot%202023-12-12%205.12.29%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="537" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRO4qjpYi_xIqTmZn2NnwJt1zdp28JHMwxBckQJ54GJusmRSk3yEDeSo633lYOlqRgv6SPjHqpLyzD4b2kRgVl79bNKEqTsesxgshCylBeVpoC0WGi0UqFgtfhnJ3RG_P2LtpyvMku1OqWzJQUjBIDCtO7OZoxJaEl-mhJO2U6_wkvwDmw3a55pWbjA/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-12%205.12.29%20PM.png" width="282" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><i>Countless Dreams </i>is a 4-page dream comic that nonetheless packs a lot of punch. It starts with Cannon as an adult working in a convenience store with Sonic the Hedgehog as a co-worker. Running out of an ingredient, Cannon travels through the past and their mind to re-emerge as a child to find her father fishing. He's been dead for a while, but the dream allows her a few moments with him, and the comic in general was dedicated to his memory. It's a sweet comic that nonetheless has a coherent narrative and uses a variety of styles to convey the dream logic that runs through the story. </p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-52162446083980949272024-01-03T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-03T00:00:00.258-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #34: Iris Gudeon<p><a href="https://sites.google.com/view/irisgudeon/home?authuser=0">Iris Gudeon'</a>s comics are delicate, deeply warm and sincere, and clever. <i>One Horse Farm</i> is the humor entry here, as it's a POV story where the reader is being offered a job at a farm that strangely seems to have one of many different kinds of animals. The eventual punchline is given to the reader in a manner that's deliberately awkward. Gudeon is so good at color that its absence here lessens the impact of the story, but it seems to be something of a lark anyway. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjlJuidxhnRVO2QZHR-EoA1Oj_IwIFNpW2wSocmW8QiFTE4-9kZLJuQdMgH3RCETXRCAGCcp9OlWucCfBpC2IQQ6pysAOrb3kPEVCuHLSv-cm9iivcR1ZWXUMgD2OTf6ODLRGGqvVrbXidnvfNbekgugdJYj17f8rVpz57t_rEtV9nbfu_c8MpOBE6Q/s614/Screenshot%202023-12-11%201.59.30%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="477" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjlJuidxhnRVO2QZHR-EoA1Oj_IwIFNpW2wSocmW8QiFTE4-9kZLJuQdMgH3RCETXRCAGCcp9OlWucCfBpC2IQQ6pysAOrb3kPEVCuHLSv-cm9iivcR1ZWXUMgD2OTf6ODLRGGqvVrbXidnvfNbekgugdJYj17f8rVpz57t_rEtV9nbfu_c8MpOBE6Q/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-11%201.59.30%20PM.png" width="249" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><i>Candy Is Changing</i> is a beautiful, poetic comic about a piece of candy in a wrapper and the changes she must face. Here, we can see Gudeon's talent using color, adding both a sense of brightness and intensity. The comic can be seen as a metaphor for any number of things, but I especially like the wrapper initially being something that provides safety and solidity but eventually becomes constricting until it is shed. Gudeon really gets at the heart of an existential crisis of belief in that it's not only an individual change that is perceived, but one where the entire world ceases to make sense. Of course, the two are inextricably linked, but it's impossible to understand that in the moment. Gudeon uses cute character design to get at much deeper ideas. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPE-Z7r1164a0eaJJllXNY-Up8GO_LHyMhvsTnBpMVimqG-o9SFpV_osw_9fQNoFEnXJYsv-zye1s96KQSDpuZCoylHGE8EOQw4sV3F3CKzuOT1CjX3CdWPpVKs-1SLK34iGzazTc3E6oaLw5TUW4SEkd9Qc5IaaLxaSloSDzsZU9a087Jc5vEJCHgoA/s583/Screenshot%202023-12-11%202.00.35%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="582" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPE-Z7r1164a0eaJJllXNY-Up8GO_LHyMhvsTnBpMVimqG-o9SFpV_osw_9fQNoFEnXJYsv-zye1s96KQSDpuZCoylHGE8EOQw4sV3F3CKzuOT1CjX3CdWPpVKs-1SLK34iGzazTc3E6oaLw5TUW4SEkd9Qc5IaaLxaSloSDzsZU9a087Jc5vEJCHgoA/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-11%202.00.35%20PM.png" width="319" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><i>Cat 14 </i>is a beautiful blend of different coloring strategies. It looks like there's crayon, colored pencil, and maybe even some watercolors in there. The different textures of the color add to the gentle richness of the storytelling. There's a Little Prince vibe to this story, as explorers Ellsworth and Danley walk around a very small planet. However, this isn't a story about loneliness but rather curiosity, intimacy, and affection. As the duo walks around a swamp looking for another example of a cat-plant species, they gently poke fun at each other, make schemes, get lost, and otherwise meander around pleasantly. Amusingly, the various cats featured in the comic are based on Gudeon's CCS classmates. There are times when Gudeon's line disappears a little in terms of keeping the characters a solid presence on the page, but this is mostly just a delight. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-4513437618636088212024-01-02T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-02T00:00:00.262-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #33: Laura Meilman<p>Laura Meilman is a talented cartoonist with a particular knack for color and a delightfully scribbly line. Her proficiency with colored pencils and playful sense of humor make reading her frequently silly comics a pleasure. However, Meilman's actual narrative storytelling style shown in these comics leans less toward strong character-based content and more on anecdotal storytelling. That limits her ability to put together coherent stories and sometimes leaves the reader with a meandering series of sequences that too often overly rely on text. </p><p>Starting with the shorter comics, <i>Laura's Writing A Graphic Memoir </i>is a micro-mini that's essentially an extended advertisement for her Patreon. Even the brief clips from this do little to establish an actual story; instead, there are references to anecdotes within a story. <i>Aquar-aoke</i> is a cute anecdote about working in an aquarium and singing to the electric eel. With just six pages of story, it's a perfect length for this brief, funny story that has a solid punchline. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhx7lTRS-CyP5Rz6gXJajRjCZSwDrPnZsUYOmbg8MHbvGkSMQuvKBQDmJ18edtSMBCCXWaWQptt3QejlqHhT358B3OxtMXg_7exnypHiGn1PhTQZbeUBMpSj1Wfs9RtxYjYoAASQ_b4GTCSFEy1k6sYlPdsmoiG1xIOg8fe61zT2J1kNB3pebF-W62w/s613/Screenshot%202023-12-11%2012.16.06%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhx7lTRS-CyP5Rz6gXJajRjCZSwDrPnZsUYOmbg8MHbvGkSMQuvKBQDmJ18edtSMBCCXWaWQptt3QejlqHhT358B3OxtMXg_7exnypHiGn1PhTQZbeUBMpSj1Wfs9RtxYjYoAASQ_b4GTCSFEy1k6sYlPdsmoiG1xIOg8fe61zT2J1kNB3pebF-W62w/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-11%2012.16.06%20AM.png" width="238" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><i>Salvage</i> is a dream comic. Dream comics are tricky under the best of circumstances, as they require post-dream interpretation to make them into something resembling a narrative. Meilman here strings together a number of images flowing into each other with a few key words, and the boldness of her color brings to mind how vivid some dreams can be. The comic didn't really need any further explanation, but Meilman included a long text page decoding dream symbols. This didn't work at all with what preceded it; instead of the flow of a story, the reader was asked to go back and do homework in a way that didn't flow at all. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKkexf_jr8MR7nPWNpdwmXjgTv7xIziAH6fW6-IybQvu6e55fzTdTE9BOHQXDD9m9sj2WLasNnOy8xvG5-fc2qublw5chvw9JSktiQgSdvh91eNiJTxB5Nj3fYOPMSpzlUKiZW-svs8Ys26s7caQlem3NHXKPlh3YyUYEVtdbbi644JbUjq1Xq-pJkw/s609/Screenshot%202023-12-11%2012.14.31%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="517" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKkexf_jr8MR7nPWNpdwmXjgTv7xIziAH6fW6-IybQvu6e55fzTdTE9BOHQXDD9m9sj2WLasNnOy8xvG5-fc2qublw5chvw9JSktiQgSdvh91eNiJTxB5Nj3fYOPMSpzlUKiZW-svs8Ys26s7caQlem3NHXKPlh3YyUYEVtdbbi644JbUjq1Xq-pJkw/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-11%2012.14.31%20AM.png" width="272" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The longest story here is titled <i>The Pot Brownie Story: The Comic</i>. This is a story about telling a story, which unfortunately transforms an amusing narrative into an anecdote about telling a story. What's worse is that the superfluous introduction to the actual anecdote tells the reader how funny and popular this story is--it is literally telling, not showing. The story itself, wherein a drunken Meilman consumed a pot brownie that made her uncomfortably high, leading to a trip to the ER, is funny enough on its own without the extra asides about particular parts of the story being especially funny to people in the medical industry. It's a shame, because there is an actual funny story in her that's well-drawn, but Meilman just added on too many unnecessary details. That said, her self-caricature is killer, her page composition is frequently innovative and makes story elements pop, and her bold lettering adds a great deal to the story's impact. Meilman's talent is undeniable; she just needs to rein it in a little. </p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-34089426082063509212024-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-01T00:00:00.154-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #32: Edea Giang, F.G. MeanieIt's difficult to get a handle on what kind of cartoonist first-year CCS cartoonist F.G. Meanie is at this point from the two comics they submitted for review. What is clear is that Meanie is a talented writer and thinker about the comics page. In <i>Wobbegong</i>, which seems to be the Ed Emberley assignment, this comic printed on purple paper is about a figure (drawn in stick-figure silhouette) about to be executed for treason/heresy who escapes and goes on a long rampage in their escape. The ending reveals that their heresy may not yield the result they had hoped and makes great use of vast amounts of negative space. Meanie definitely knows what they're doing on the page in terms of composition. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWyKIBxkfIZJgKyuDaJktUsO9JVtbFa7ChhLpAN5gkNHcrLgvSKizO_Xbm5Y4-u2GN7HXR-IbKJuwcOLNQsSgGKeEwVAACXlRUyonnT9cOLz8jmLDGVXb_TNK-SU1J32MpofOtefI9X_zMMibELDhRDqM9ECag2NK-Zk9FEtgtG5JMhwAn59x6NYSM5A/s3264/IMG_20231210_120913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWyKIBxkfIZJgKyuDaJktUsO9JVtbFa7ChhLpAN5gkNHcrLgvSKizO_Xbm5Y4-u2GN7HXR-IbKJuwcOLNQsSgGKeEwVAACXlRUyonnT9cOLz8jmLDGVXb_TNK-SU1J32MpofOtefI9X_zMMibELDhRDqM9ECag2NK-Zk9FEtgtG5JMhwAn59x6NYSM5A/s320/IMG_20231210_120913.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><div><i>Turtles South Of Vegas</i> was drawn digitally, and it takes place in a car. There are four stacked horizontal panels on each page, and the figures are just barely sketched out in green and red, respectively. The two men here are Mafia hitmen, and one named Carlo gets in the car and is greeted warmly by his old friend Cazzo. Their job is to bury the body of someone who pissed off their boss. Meanie lays the dialogue on a bit thick, although it's understandable since the story depends on it more than the art, which is more of a visual placeholder and rhythm-setter. Once again, there's a nice twist in the story that feels satisfying. This comic is an interesting visual experiment, but this level of abstraction isn't sustainable for a cartoonist largely writing genre stories. I'm interested in what Meanie's actual drawing and cartooning style turns out to be. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bb3kPN_BeOTkLKBsvyol2R_A1xggnj_jjRiYBMJCA0k-OBJ9RMcrCqJzMnaPq1pbkL7hVwYqZc3KRfztNP05HqRkWu7_pznhgJ53xL4to5PiCY5fZCzUAv9iDh3Tn-LNLXf-Dbppk9zxjtpiTDcpyXC-ISGX_A2SffLV2RGeExPeyLB0Ly9-_deuvw/s602/Screenshot%202023-12-10%2012.11.23%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="491" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bb3kPN_BeOTkLKBsvyol2R_A1xggnj_jjRiYBMJCA0k-OBJ9RMcrCqJzMnaPq1pbkL7hVwYqZc3KRfztNP05HqRkWu7_pznhgJ53xL4to5PiCY5fZCzUAv9iDh3Tn-LNLXf-Dbppk9zxjtpiTDcpyXC-ISGX_A2SffLV2RGeExPeyLB0Ly9-_deuvw/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-10%2012.11.23%20PM.png" width="261" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Edea Giang's three minis are all short, but she gets across a lot about what she's about in a brief number of pages. Giang's relationship with science, nature, and biology seem to be the backbone of her comics about transformation and alienation. The unfolding micro-mini Lanternfly, Lanternfly reminds me a lot of John Porcellino's Mosquito Abatement Man stories, as it starts out with the narrator talking about killing these insects that are dangerous to crops and unfolds into a visceral sense of genuine empathy. The mixture of drawing and diagrams is especially clever. </div><div><br /></div><div>Decompression Sickness is a narrative that begins with an underwater creature and the extreme & specific depth it thrives in on top of the page and the near-embryonic form of the narrator at the bottom of the page. As the story proceeds, we move further up from the bottom of the ocean and the narrator takes on an ever-more humanoid form until they move past the ocean, above sea level, and even into orbit. It's a fiendishly clever convergence of science and personal narrative with an eye-catching use of color. Finally, Enigma Taxa is about Barnacle seeking aid from bivalves and crustaceans, both of which reject her, because she's being hunted by Finch and is beset by a parasite. Every crazy thing Finch says about Barnacle, including the legend that they spawn geese, is not only historically accurate but also occurs in the story. Giang's ability to turn science into visceral, jaw-dropping action is a gift. There's a lot of cleanup regarding lettering and other compositional issues, of course, but Giang is ready for much more ambitious narratives. </div><div><br /></div></div>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-132705959893358122023-12-31T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-07T21:28:01.942-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #31: Taylor Hunt, Sofia Martin, Sydney AustinIt's always interesting to evaluate the work of first-year students at CCS. When I get to review them, their first semester has not quite yet wrapped up. For students relatively new to cartooning, their minicomics output can be quite limited. For some, this is the first time they've ever published anything, thanks to the resources of the CCS lab. Sometimes, it can be obvious that even working through familiar assignments like the Aesop adaptation or the Ed Emberley comic, an artist has a lot to say. (Natalie Norris comes to mind.) There are other times when it's less obvious what kind of leap an artist is capable of making, so long as they are careful to run their own race. Some of the earlier classes at CCS were highly competitive in terms of output, but that seems to be less prevalent these days. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOJRJAjq1yDMEOXC-_GuKaSmODCwO-aad3iBlhFjmJ81svaJGP6efE9eGEZO0UjqfrG5FyXu2wbnvAFa06R5VHTPO4p4fMJ0whYZYE9v2lvO_0-raRuK5f9EssgxLaq7lmeRRRjeZZaKXMRvhpOH2tN8Iv9-J3Wrel5ywoNWkEdramsT0rhy6Ee414g/s654/Screenshot%202024-01-08%2012.26.19%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="494" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOJRJAjq1yDMEOXC-_GuKaSmODCwO-aad3iBlhFjmJ81svaJGP6efE9eGEZO0UjqfrG5FyXu2wbnvAFa06R5VHTPO4p4fMJ0whYZYE9v2lvO_0-raRuK5f9EssgxLaq7lmeRRRjeZZaKXMRvhpOH2tN8Iv9-J3Wrel5ywoNWkEdramsT0rhy6Ee414g/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-08%2012.26.19%20AM.png" width="242" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div>Sofia Martin's <i>Off The Path</i> is the one comic every CCS student starts with: the application comic. It's a story that must have the following elements in a story: the cartoonist, a robot, a snowman, and a piece of fruit. Here, using a delicate line that also makes great use of black-and-white contrasts, Martin spins a funny story about walking through a snowy forest and encountering a delivery robot that is distressed at the "frown" of a snowman. You can see how Martin's understanding of pacing, transitions, and gesture all contribute to the very gentle gag that is central to this story. Martin's storytelling is understated and subtle, and it will be ideal for sensitive character work. Their lettering is rough; I liked their using different font styles for their character and the robot, but the lettering is too small and cramped. The good news is that the word balloon placement is sensible, so the other issues are simply technique-related and easily correctable. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwhs1tNVaeviSfztjdzakfR6KN6C7Q_sgI78R1l3MYQ6EGRpN13bdyScVVOE_tfJujUvjNGnfUPUhR_9EUbVLZ19IzcRo_BmlyO6RrLhOUEdldtyI5IEjcocnmruAV1IGvedPdqruIkNg3a11cSq_2cBSkzT5BO5HIWDnecBtqqQIcIKgC3HXGCBF7Q/s1240/taylor.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="1240" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwhs1tNVaeviSfztjdzakfR6KN6C7Q_sgI78R1l3MYQ6EGRpN13bdyScVVOE_tfJujUvjNGnfUPUhR_9EUbVLZ19IzcRo_BmlyO6RrLhOUEdldtyI5IEjcocnmruAV1IGvedPdqruIkNg3a11cSq_2cBSkzT5BO5HIWDnecBtqqQIcIKgC3HXGCBF7Q/s320/taylor.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Taylor Hunt's attempt at the same assignment is as big and loud as Martin's was quiet and sensitive. <i>The Big JS</i> is a ridiculous noir detective story where the detective is a rotting banana, the femme fatale is a snow-woman (the initial reveal is hilarious), and the victim is a robot. Printed on a series of unfolding & connected cards, the reader keeps flipping down to reveal more story. It's a clever formal trick that adds to the general sense of ridiculousness surrounding the story. Hunt plays up the black-and-white contrast beautifully to create atmosphere, and there are a lot of bold drawings that push out of the panel that add some drama and excitement. Hunt is definitely funny, and I hope he continues to explore humor in his work. The envelope provided with the comic, acting as a case file holder, was another nice formal, decorative touch. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWxfbEcPE8o3joqGYKdMipWCNE5YavnVNeOEZf0P9QyXaOaIOCaU3Em4W5-fi2WGPZnBNxJDdpVt4MicDNRCorIC3CRBvB7pL9rtb78wIvYSL-zGaw9cMk3gqcl2MboAeUCMFAq7uP1JnkQ6jrmEZKu0p4Fv5Wfs_Y87S1NLZ7LGA2K5bYIehhZwyqw/s2934/IMG_20231210_014236.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2934" data-original-width="2309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWxfbEcPE8o3joqGYKdMipWCNE5YavnVNeOEZf0P9QyXaOaIOCaU3Em4W5-fi2WGPZnBNxJDdpVt4MicDNRCorIC3CRBvB7pL9rtb78wIvYSL-zGaw9cMk3gqcl2MboAeUCMFAq7uP1JnkQ6jrmEZKu0p4Fv5Wfs_Y87S1NLZ7LGA2K5bYIehhZwyqw/s320/IMG_20231210_014236.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, Sydney Austin tackles the Aesop assignment with a bigger-sized mini featuring characters from her own Phoenix Of The South graphic novels, titled <i>Break Your Heart.</i> Based on "The Man And The Woods," the story is about a man named Jeremy secretly in love with another man named Will. That love leaves him vulnerable to Will's ill intentions that deliberately play on the attraction he knows that Jeremy feels. Austin smartly plays up the seemingly innocent but very intimate physical contact they share to lead the reader in one direction but also make Will seem unbelievably creepy. The problem with this comic is that it rests too much of its information on previously-written characters; as a result, we have no clue why Will acts as he does, or what Jeremy wants until nearly the end of the comic. The reference to Aesop is shoehorned in and isn't exactly a one-to-one correspondence. In the fable, the trees in the wood give a man with an axe handle a branch each, and then he makes an axe handle with the branches and chops them down. Some of the individual character poses are also a bit stiff and feel overly posed. That said, Austin has a clearly-defined style and themes she's working with, and this is simply a matter of drawing more. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-3762456868157092212023-12-30T00:00:00.000-08:002023-12-30T00:00:00.133-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #30: E.B. Sciales and Michael Albrecht<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebsciales/">E.B. Sciales</a> draws in a pleasing style, both for gags and a comics cookbook in these entries. Working with Sophie Castner, she drew a number of entries in their <i>The Illustrated Kastner-Mednick Family Cookbook</i>. This is certainly one of the more eclectic approaches to a cookbook I've seen, but Sciales was up to the task of bringing the ingredients and how to use them to vivid life. Kastner added watercolors to further deliver that homespun feel for dishes like latkes, gumbo, and lamb chops. More pertinent to this review is <i>Speed Trap Ahead</i>, where Sciales displays her comedic chops. Done in the style of a Dell or Harvey comic from the 1950s, Sciales sets the stage by informing the reader about her grandfather, Dr. William Sciales, an eccentric practical joker and tale-spinner. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRlEoWg1UbhY-w3_8RY94KgY4ZkHt0Woiy9wGNHPtzxbw6sQjzBsGGXOfaWBOjEWnJbh_OsmG_CnX0KvQlhutO_M_uTtjo3a-tNGjf37ZJChKOp8VwHJ4khHRbreM8gsbOFKrGndoZDs9LNdHiLBnnsJhxvL4t5bn0P7wPwl7zvBvJXpr2jX7UFyUMg/s602/Screenshot%202023-12-09%2011.25.05%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="481" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRlEoWg1UbhY-w3_8RY94KgY4ZkHt0Woiy9wGNHPtzxbw6sQjzBsGGXOfaWBOjEWnJbh_OsmG_CnX0KvQlhutO_M_uTtjo3a-tNGjf37ZJChKOp8VwHJ4khHRbreM8gsbOFKrGndoZDs9LNdHiLBnnsJhxvL4t5bn0P7wPwl7zvBvJXpr2jX7UFyUMg/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-09%2011.25.05%20PM.png" width="256" /></a></div><div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Sciales' attention to detail adds so much to the story. The slightly faded four-color scheme, the exaggerated use of expressions, over-the-top lettering, and airtight plot are worthy of John Stanley or Warren Kremer. Effects like zip-a-tone shading add to the period feel of this comic, and I could have read another dozen stories about Doc Sciales with great pleasure. The only note I'd add is that some of the more conventional lettering is uneven, especially in terms of the size of the font. At this point, I don't know enough about Sciales as a cartoonist to figure out what their major projects might be, but their wide interesting bode well for some interesting future choices. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofTUjraQrOzl9wfsZs7sCu5L0WrBdrJLXF2h83Qgmewh3VB6VNpYNexFYwxZrIZOwUBzl0mIRqLOrL5OaUg3Y3t3AX0OROLczMMT0I18BjzVDkHAtEF7OBYt7gBXZGlqoOEHwy_m_-wqkj5Wpm4By2U9nu-T1exdueC89yA45co9UhT35qu0BKG7qMQ/s3264/IMG_20231209_215501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofTUjraQrOzl9wfsZs7sCu5L0WrBdrJLXF2h83Qgmewh3VB6VNpYNexFYwxZrIZOwUBzl0mIRqLOrL5OaUg3Y3t3AX0OROLczMMT0I18BjzVDkHAtEF7OBYt7gBXZGlqoOEHwy_m_-wqkj5Wpm4By2U9nu-T1exdueC89yA45co9UhT35qu0BKG7qMQ/s320/IMG_20231209_215501.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Michael Albrecht is a first-year CCS student (class of 2025) who shows a great deal of promise as a horror and science-fiction cartoonist. Above all else, he's just a sharp writer who has an ear for dialogue who brings grit and authenticity to genre comics. He reminds me a bit of Ivy Allie in terms of the tone of their stories and art as well as the cerebral quality of their storytelling. It's a shame that Albrecht came to CCS after Steve Bissette retired, because Bissette would have appreciated Albrecht's work in <i>You Are Alone</i>, a throwback horror comic. It's in the "I'm camping in the woods, lost my friend, and I am totally fucked" genre of stories ala Blair Witch Project, but it's in the execution of these tropes where Albrecht truly shines. The use of a sickly spot yellow, the attention to detail regarding eyes, and the ominous angles help the truly horrifying ending to land with a great deal of impact. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Lancelot From Memory</i> is a hilarious recounting of Lancelot: Knight Of The Cart done for the Ed Emberley assignment. That's the one where the cartoonists must draw a story in the hyper-simplified style of Emberley, using just shapes like circles, squares, and triangles. It's such a great exercise for any cartoonist, because it strips away the concept of "drawing ability" and forces them to focus on the true principles of cartooning and storytelling. Even in a story like this Albrecht creates tension and mood with his use of blacks and leaves the reader with an ambiguous but ominous ending after playing much of the comic for laughs. </div><div><br /></div><div>These comics were fun exercises for Albrecht. The main event was <i>Deus</i>, an exceptionally well-written and told story about a post-apocalyptic setting wherein a former killer robot has been reprogrammed to act as a childcare aid and friend for a young girl named Beanie. The drawing is so sharp and expressive, especially the way that Albrecht draws the child. Albrecht adds an air of menace when the robot, whose name is Bobby, is revealed to have full awareness of their past, but no connection to it. Albrecht swerves the reader by making this less of a horror sci-fi story and more of an existential inquiry into being. </div></div></div>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295141461906714106.post-28550038075074338452023-12-29T00:00:00.000-08:002023-12-29T00:00:00.143-08:0045 Days Of CCS, #29: Comox and Ionosphere<p>Comox is an odd little video game-themed anthology with an interesting gimmick: it's a flip book were two artists do the "flip-side" of the other story. Filipa Estrela and Kevin Fitzpatrick are both in it, and both of their stories are very amusing. Each chapter is two pages and focuses on a type of game: horror, RPG, fighter, etc. Estrela gets "simulation," and she approaches an Animal Crossing type of game with the concept of, "what if the farmer was actually kind of a lunatic?" The frenzy of activity following the farmer (including underground rock-breaking) is perfect for Estrela's cute character design, and the fluidity of motion (even on pages crammed with panels) allows the reader to fly right through. Their partner, Emily Wigglesworth, tells the story from the point of view of everyone else in the village who is slightly alarmed by the farmer. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgA30bATzD4USuyLdfc-5Q95xTUn52uHmgZg5RxFM-z1FarnOx5wYg1IjDY6AVUBD-cnCcaMwPGSQ_vi5I9DZNY9sACHLYZ7bSg6CaAvVd9Mcco1nLNuHBISg7a_i_x6dnZ1YqTva4H9-_zYTfi6rwhyphenhyphenNIEKAzp4OLIfD4V5tU8gUW8uX6La5QfwAlg/s3264/IMG_20231208_162158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgA30bATzD4USuyLdfc-5Q95xTUn52uHmgZg5RxFM-z1FarnOx5wYg1IjDY6AVUBD-cnCcaMwPGSQ_vi5I9DZNY9sACHLYZ7bSg6CaAvVd9Mcco1nLNuHBISg7a_i_x6dnZ1YqTva4H9-_zYTfi6rwhyphenhyphenNIEKAzp4OLIfD4V5tU8gUW8uX6La5QfwAlg/s320/IMG_20231208_162158.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Fitzpatrick's story is a fantasy RPG, something he's quite adept at in his usual comics. While maintaining some trappings of the game environment (like a health meter), Fitzpatrick wisely steers away from the clutter of a typical video game screen (something that hurt several other stories) and sticks to the layout of a typical adventure. The story follows a hero looking for their young companion in a cave, fighting a monster, and being saved by their friend at the last second. Fitzpatrick is so clever in composing his pages, seamlessly fitting together 14 panels on one page at odd angles in a way that felt both fluid and exciting. The flip story, by Mica Liesenfeld, is told from the point of view of the younger companion. The non-CCS highlight of the anthology was Shoona Browning's first-person shooter story where the bored protagonist, after saving humanity from the zombie horde, restarts the game--much to the chagrin of their companion. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEint342NL9H82xY_3B5FLvFx0ucD9IqE8EVHXeClmD2xX6G1LZ8omWT3hHlyN0ImFwFs2RksFMFMpZuhGB3zBnMFE3AD0wxIN_ZCGjjzlaf_ZvZESsR5CzTx-IOzSU5wq-5Bg_Z3_le-rCmKawahFhV4NUgqT1W3Xi9ZcCg1KgIRVGj1omPhmgx3tmtfQ/s273/ion.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEint342NL9H82xY_3B5FLvFx0ucD9IqE8EVHXeClmD2xX6G1LZ8omWT3hHlyN0ImFwFs2RksFMFMpZuhGB3zBnMFE3AD0wxIN_ZCGjjzlaf_ZvZESsR5CzTx-IOzSU5wq-5Bg_Z3_le-rCmKawahFhV4NUgqT1W3Xi9ZcCg1KgIRVGj1omPhmgx3tmtfQ/s1600/ion.jpeg" width="184" /></a></div><p>Speaking of anthologies, <a href="https://mashazart.com/">Masha Zhdanova </a>edited a very good science-fiction anthology called Ionosphere. It's not a surprise that the best pieces were by her and standout CCS alum Ivy Lynn Allie, but there were a couple of other good pieces as well. Zhdanova's story "This World Still Locked Within A Dream" is a variant take on time loop stories such as Groundhog Day. The story follows a young woman named Perilla who one day realizes she is in a time loop, but her life is so boring and routine that she only realizes it when she notices that the event banner on a phone game hasn't changed. A glamorous character from the game named Gigi Galore tells her she was selected as a time loop beta tester, and for a fee, she would be sent back to her normal life. When Perilla refuses, that creates a long series of loops with some surprising emotional connections, a long meditation on depression and loneliness, and just how hard it is to break out of routines. Zhdanova effectively combines the sparkly video game character with an extremely mundane environment. The story is also available as a stand-alone minicomic. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qttBk8AAqJa2qy1YE6CxwAqq8nRHQj-mYzfzrxfi2DFL0Po35K_6lLvYDKeuv_lnC6fZYMCWP7mMvID_h92Z-T83xu7LYgg7wteOFkFy9zfreGFRYoIGv0AoyHZFjHKMmFM7f7r5iCvYWoh0qQenrlQrF-5TcjYFaq0ucNwz6H-zjDYzaHkxUciM6g/s1024/masha.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="683" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qttBk8AAqJa2qy1YE6CxwAqq8nRHQj-mYzfzrxfi2DFL0Po35K_6lLvYDKeuv_lnC6fZYMCWP7mMvID_h92Z-T83xu7LYgg7wteOFkFy9zfreGFRYoIGv0AoyHZFjHKMmFM7f7r5iCvYWoh0qQenrlQrF-5TcjYFaq0ucNwz6H-zjDYzaHkxUciM6g/s320/masha.png" width="213" /></a></div><p>Allie's story, "Playthings," is a fascinating account of how adult concerns and the concerns of children are often at such odds that there is a vast disconnection of how reality is perceived. The story takes place on another world, as a girl named Rissy tramps around while her parents feverishly work on a project that will flood a local create in order to grow oxygen-creating algae. Unbeknownst to them, Rissy has discovered a race of tiny aliens that she refers to as fairies, and her parents don't realize that in trying to reassure her about what they think are imaginary friends, they have missed out entirely on the ramifications of what they're about to do. Allie adds greater complexity when she completely misinterprets the actions of the aliens, thinking they've destroyed her robot chicken friend, and she lashes out at them in violence and anger. Allie's pages are so smooth and orderly, built around lurking misery and the creeping feeling that something bad is always about to happen. </p><p>The other notable entries in the anthology are from Akira B. and Zab R., who spin a beautiful-looking story about a space explorer letting in a highly unwelcome visitor to his ship by accident; and Torc, whose story about the ramifications of asking a freed creature for help is emotionally resonant and highly disturbing because of the emotional connection between the characters. </p>Rob Cloughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12671203398083374216noreply@blogger.com1