Category Archives: Comic Arts Festivals
Small Press Expo: 2021 Ignatz Awards Nominees; SPX online kicks off September 18, 2021
The Ignatz Awards!
Bethesda, Maryland – The Small Press Expo (SPX), the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels and alternative political cartoons, is pleased to announce the 2021 nominees for the annual presentation of the Ignatz Awards, a celebration of outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning.Presented virtually, SPX 2021 will feature a full slate of programming along with a livestream of the Ignatz Awards ceremony.Once again the Ignatz jurors have selected an amazing slate of nominees that reflect the diverse voices comprising the SPX community. On behalf of the Executive Committee, we want to thank the jurors for all of their hard work, and to congratulate all of the creators for giving comics readers these incredible works during such trying times. Good luck to everyone!!!! – Warren Bernard Executive DirectorThe Ignatz Awards are a juried festival prize, the first of such in the United States comic book industry. Traditionally, the winners are determined by attendees of the in-person event. This year, as was the case in 2020, voting is open to all who register to receive a ballot.Ignatz Awards nominees are determined by a panel of comics professionals. The 2021 Ignatz jurors are Sunmi, Nguyên Khôi Nguyễn, and Daniel Elkin.The Ignatz Awards ceremony will be live-streamed via the SPX Youtube channel at 8PM on September 18.Additional Information about the nominees can be found at www.smallpressexpo.com.
Outstanding Artist
Ashanti Fortson – Leaf Lace (Hiveworks)
Lee Lai – Stone Fruit (Fantagraphics)
Arantza Peña Popo – Lavender Scare (self-published)
Damien Roudeau – Crude (Graphic Mundi)
Karl Stevens – Penny (Chronicle)
Outstanding Anthology
A Queer Prisoner’s Anthology IV – ed. by Casper Cendre (ABO)
Bystander (Kadak Collective)
Confined Before Covid: A Pandemic Anthology by LGBTQ Prisoners (ABO)
First Wave: Comics from the Early Months of China’s Outbreak – ed. by Xinmei Liu (Paradise Systems)
Glaeolia 2 (Glacier Bay Books)
Outstanding Collection
Sami Alwani – The Pleasure of the Text (Conundrum Press)
Ancco – Nineteen (Drawn & Quarterly)
Abby Howard- The Crossroads at Midnight (Iron Circus Comics)
Tess Scilipoti – Do You Think I Look Like a Girl? (self-published)
Kuniko Tsurita – The Sky is Blue with a Single Cloud (Drawn & Quarterly)
Outstanding Comic
EA Bethea – Francis Bacon (Domino Books)
Ashanti Fortson – Leaf Lace (Hiveworks)
Maddi Gonzalez – Rhapsodie (Fantagraphics)
Adam Szym – A Cordial Invitation (Fantagraphics)
Dominique Duong – The Dog & The Cat (self-published)
Outstanding Graphic Novel
Alex Graham – Dog Biscuits (self-published)
Jim Terry – Come Home, Indio (Street Noise Books)
Lee Lai – Stone Fruit (Fantagraphics)
Sloane Leong – A Map to the Sun (First Second)
Nico Harriman – Mr. H: Portrait of a High School Art Teacher (self-published)
Outstanding Minicomic
Brendan Leach – Slum Clearance Symphony (Czap Books)
Casey Nowak – Bodyseed (Diskette Press)
Arantza Peña Popo – Lavender Scare (self-published)
Whit Taylor – Montana Diary (Silver Sprocket)
Leda Zawacki – The Drain Pipe (self-published)
Outstanding Online Comic
Michael DeForge – Birds of Maine
Ashanti Fortson-Leaf Lace (Hiveworks)
Shing Yin Khor – I Do Not Want to Write Today
Susannah Lohr – Shadows Become You
Alec Robbins – Mr. Boop
Outstanding Series
Ex.Mag (Peow Studios)
Malarkey – November Garcia (Birdcage Bottom Books)
Ley Lines – ed. by Kevin Czapiewski (Czap Books)
Tongues – Anders Nilsen(self-published)
A Queer Prisoner’s Anthology IV – ed. by Casper Cendre (ABO)
Outstanding Story
Raquelle Jac – Misguided Love from Now #9 (Fantagraphics)
Ancco – Nineteen (Drawn & Quarterly)
Yeong-shin Ma – Moms (Drawn & Quarterly)
Freddy Carrasco – Personal Companion from Ex.Mag #1 (Peow Studios)
Stan Stanley – The Hazards of Love (Simon & Schuster)
Promising New Talent
Royal Dunlap
Nico Harriman
Zoe Maeve
Pa-Luis
Tess Scilipoti
The Ignatz Awards ceremony will be live-streamed on the SPX Youtube channel. Further details on presenters will be given at a later date.
Filed under Comic Arts Festivals, Comics, Small Press Expo, SPX
Comic Arts Festivals: Exterminator City (Dec 10-13, 2020)
Comic arts festivals are the backbone of a lot of indie comics activity. During Covid-19, we’ve seen many of these events converting to online versions. Welcome to Exterminator City (part of Push/Pull co-operative), the 10th edition of this Seattle indie and small press festival. Beginning on Thursday, December 10th, you can enjoy programming and events during this 4-day event.
Sample video: Julia Wald chats about her new work, Suspension of Disbelief, with special guest Vladimir Verano of Vert Volta Press and Maxx Follis-Goodkind:
At 12:00 pm on December 10th all artist tables go live. Artist tables are pages on the Exterminator City website that include artist video introductions, their products, and information about them and how to follow them online. You can purchase directly off their tables – it is the next best thing to being with them in-person!
So, check it all out at Exterminator City right here.
There will be a wide selection of video content from online tutorials to interview panels. Here is the full lineup:
December 10th, Thursday – all events are live at 6pm PST
David Lasky speaks with John Porcellino of King-Cat Comics about making the King-Cat series for 30 years, the political nature of zines, and creating in 2020.
Maxx Follis-Goodkind interviews Craig van den Bosch and Marty Gordon of Microverse Press – a conversation about collage & collaboration.
Sarah Maloney teaches you how to make a mini zine of your own!
December 11th, Friday:
7:30pm– Catch special events over at VeraTV! veratv.org Friday only.
Featured events include:
Abridged interviews with Julia Wald and Jose Alaniz about their 2020 book releases.
A panel of zine experts – Maxx FG, Anne Bean, and Sarah Maloney will be giving you their best tips for zine newbies
Plus a tutorial from Maxx FG explaining what is saddle stitch and showing you two ways to do it
December 12th, Saturday – all events are live at 6pm PST
Sarah Maloney interviews Nicole Georges of Invincible Summer about changes and creating during the covid-19 pandemic
Plus! a full interview with Julia Wald about her latest release Suspension of Disbelief, with special guest Vladimir Verano of Vert Volta Press
And zine experts – Maxx FG, Anne Bean (Emerald Comics Distro), and Sarah Maloney – are back with their full list of things you should know before making your first zine.
December 13th, Sunday – all events are live at 6pm PST
A full interview with Jose Alaniz about his latest release, The Phantom Zone, a collection of works from the 90s through recent creations.
Seth Goodkind gets a lesson on the history of Seattle’s underground comics with artist Pat Moriarity and discusses what Pat is up to now.
Cheryl Chudyk invites you to participate in her surrealist poetry zine. And T. Pratt teaches you the secrets behind his pop-up zines.
“Exterminator City is about connecting our community to people self-publishing zines and comics. When we realized that the current pandemic meant all of the in-person shows for the year would be cancelled we felt it was our responsibility to step in. Our hope is that you learn about people creating, connect with someone new, and get some inside information from our panels and interviews. And of course enjoy yourself!”
—Maxx FG
Visit the festival and explore December 10th – 13th at exterminatorcity.com
And visit Push/Pull, in Seattle, throughout the year.
Filed under Comic Arts Festivals, Seattle
L.A. Zine Fest 2020: A Few Observations and Updates
L.A. Zine Fest took place this year as a virtual series of events in May, an exciting alternative to connect zinesters, attendees, and other people who usually go to the fest. Let this serve as a friendly and helpful model for similar events that might still be grappling with what to do in 2020 and beyond. COVID-19 isn’t going to just disappear but we can remain vigilant and creative. From the comfort of my home in Seattle, I got to check out L.A. Zine Fest and I have some items to share with you from my connecting remotely with LAZF.
CDMX by Chynna Monforte
Here is a zine by Chynna Monforte which shares with the reader a recent visit to Mexico City. Chynna put on an excellent workshop as part of the schedule of events during LAZF this year. During her workshop, Chynna shared her techniques for putting together a zine which included a look at her own vast collection as well as some tips on laying out your zine in inDesign. Be sure to visit Chynna for all your design needs, particularly with print and web design.
Pages from CDMX
The robust colors just blow my mind. With her zine, CDMX, Chynna Monoforte demonstrates that there are no limits to what you can do with a zine. You can really put together a zine that is just as vibrant and professional as anything you’d find in a mainstream magazine.
Zines by Stainperfect
And here is a zine from Haruka Tanabe, an artist that goes by the name, Stainperfect, based in Tokyo and Osaka. This is an amazing artist and I am curious to learn more. Her work is very much in the autobio tradition of indie comics and it appears that autobio work comes naturally to her. For a long time, she had misgivings about her art but she finally took the plunge after finally gaining just the right support from a friend. Her earliest effort was the little zine, It’s Okay, which is an affirmation she makes to herself and shares with the reader. This led to deeper exploration, as in Midnight Drumbeat, a poetic look at a trip to Mozambique where she was a volunteer. More recent work includes, Loving More Freely: Exploring Polyamory, which explores relationships within polyamory and provides essential insight.
Page from Loving More Freely: Exploring Polyamory
L.A. Zine Fest curated readings, workshops, and discussion panels via Zoom that connected zinesters, creators, comix artists, and illustrators with each other and the general public. Workshops and panels included everything from how to draw people who are different than you are to an exercise in making comics and “stream-of-consciousness sketching” in quarantine times.
L.A. Zine Fest 2019
LAZF teamed up with some of its 2020 exhibitors to create a select number of digital events and fun stuff for 2020. I look forward to what LAZF does for 2021, whether in person or virtual. Let’s all keep doing great work supporting the arts through the pandemic. Keep in touch with LAZF!
Filed under Comic Arts Festivals, Comics, Comics News, COVID-19
Angoulême 2020: Emmanuel Guibert and Other Notable Winners
Emmanuel Guibert
ANGOULÊME FESTIVAL – The 47th annual Angoulême International Comics Festival took place January 30 thru February 2, 2020. Arguably, it is the most artful and significant of all comics festivals. It is, without a doubt, on many a serious cartoonist’s bucket list simply to attend. The Grand Prize of the Angoulême International Comic Book Festival (Fibd), which rewards an author each year for all of his work, was awarded to Frenchman Emmanuel Guibert. Other awards presented this year demonstrate the scope and breadth of comics of the highest quality. The Grand Prize of the City of Angoulême, awarded on the eve of the comics festival, is one of the highest distinctions for a comic book author. This prize is awarded following a vote by the community of professional comics authors published in French, regardless of their nationality. Emmanuel Guibert, screenwriter of Ariol and author of Space sardine, succeeds Japanese winner Rumiko Takahashi last year. The Angoulême International Comics Festival is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after Lucca Comics & Games and the Comiket of Japan. It has occurred every year since 1974 in Angoulême, France, in January.
Emmanuel Guibert wins Grand Prix 2020
The following is a beautiful description from the Angoulême festival site of the career of Emmanuel Guibert, the winner of the Grand Prix for 2020:
After the American Richard Corben in 2018 and the mangaka Rumiko Takahashi last year, the Frenchman Emmanuel Guibert is elected Grand Prix of the 47th International Comic Book Festival of Angoulême, after a vote which brought together 1852 authors and comic book authors. With Emmanuel Guibert, it is a masterful author with an exemplary career who is today rewarded. Born in 1964 in Paris, Emmanuel Guibert began his career in comics with Brune , a work on the rise of Nazism in a hyper-realistic style which he quickly abandoned. The album, which it took seven years to produce, appeared in 1992. Frequenting the authors of the very young publishing house L’Association, he began to publish stories in the review Lapin , and joined the atelier des Vosges alongside notably Emile Bravo, Christophe Blain and Joann Sfar. On a script by the latter, he drew The teacher’s daughter , Alph’art coup de coeur and Prix René Goscinny at the Angoulême Festival in 1998. Emmanuel Guibert implemented a sepia drawing, sensitive and flexible, in a graphic style that he continues to shape in The Scarlet Captain with David B. in script (2000). Always with Joann Sfar, he began in 2000 the children’s series Sardine from space, of which he first wrote the screenplay before also ensuring the drawing. He gives free rein to his imagination and develops his formidable talent as a storyteller. From 2001 he drew the series Black Olives (3 volumes) on a little Jewish boy in Judea 2000 years ago, again with Joann Sfar in the script.
At the turn of the 2000s, Emmanuel Guibert began publishing an ambitious and long-term project, a series of albums inspired by the memories of his American friend Alan Ingram Cope, La Guerre d’Alan (three volumes from 2000 to 2008 ), Alan’s childhood (2012), Martha and Alan (2016). With his elegant and restrained line, of great technique, Emmanuel Guibert excels at staging Alan’s life, exposing the intimate with subtle modesty. This magnificent work of memory smuggler continues in The Photographer (three volumes from 2003 to 2006), inspired by memories and photos brought back from trips to Afghanistan with Doctors without Borders by photojournalist Didier Lefèvre. Here, photos and drawings complement and merge, to better fix time and memories. The Photographer will be rewarded around the world with the Prix Essentiel d’Angoulême in 2007, the Eisner Award for the best American edition of an international work and the Micheluzzi Prize for the best foreign series in 2010.
In Alan as in The Photographer , Emmanuel Guibert, by his virtuoso gesture and his technique, sublimates the intimate and the everyday, magnifies the innocent and the passing of time, and above all, unconditionally places the human at the heart of his stories. An interest in the other that can be found both in Alain’s news , a book on Roma communities in Europe produced with Alain Keler, and in the irresistible series for young people Ariol which he created in 2000 with Marc Boutavant at the drawing. There, under the cover of telling the adventures of a small anthropomorphic donkey, he explores modern life and everyday life as a child, appealing to his own memories. Emmanuel Guibert received the René Goscinny Prize in 2017 for all of his work.
The Grand Prix crowns a complete author, innovative designer and unparalleled narrator, whose work for adults and children is imbued with the greatest humanity.
Angouleme Palmares 2020
There is an essential list of eleven awards at Angouleme that provide a window into the wide and wondrous world of alternative comics. After all these years, many a talking head is still chattering away about the boom in arthouse comics and, sure, that is all well in good insomuch as it helps spread the word. After all these years, the playing field on the pop culture landscape is pretty far flung and spread out. We now have wave after wave of specialized “comics journalists” out there taking the pulse of the comics scene, many of who have never attempted to write or draw a comic of their own, have limited knowledge, and who are more ready than anything to espouse a hasty theory or proclamation about the comics medium. Well, that brings us back to the reality of a platform such as Angouleme where work has gone through a fairly rigorous vetting process. Hey, the process is subjective on many levels but quality work usually manages to rise to the top that is worth discussing and has a chance of holding up to the test of time. That is why a list of Angouleme award winners rates taking notice. Here is my own enhanced presentation that I cobbled together by making liberal use of the live Twitter feed by 20 Minutes:
Fauve d’Or for the best album: “Révolution” tome 1, by Florent Grouazel and Younn Locard
(Prize which rewards the best album of the year, regardless of genre, style or geographic origin)
Revolution
(Live Tweet) Ceremony of the Fauves – The Fauve d’or for the best album is awarded to Florent Grouazel and Younn Locard for “Revolution – Tome 1 Liberté” by Actes Sud / L’An 2 # FIBD2020 # BD2020 #BD #Angouleme # FIBD @ActesSud pic.twitter.com/NiJSS37IVX
– Festival d’Angoulême (@bdangouleme) February 1, 2020
The first part of this choral story focuses on the year 1789 and blows the wind of the Revolution in the street. This titanic project, expertly documented, was carried out by four hands by two young authors who retrace the revolutionary period in a resplendent graphic bubbling, inspired by the imagery of the time.
20 Minutes’ opinion: Telling the French Revolution of 1789 in just over 1000 pages is a very ambitious project, especially on the part of such young authors (the Breton Florent Grouazel is 32 years old and the Norman Younn Locard is 35 ). The value does not wait for the number of years, the first volume of “Revolution” is a total success, with dynamic and captivating narration (and choir, since we witness events through the eyes of three characters) and striking graphics of realism. Hyper-documented, demanding, their work has made, since its release, a critical and public unanimity. At 20 Minutes, we appreciated it so much that we rarely consider Fauve d’Or for the best album to have been so indisputable.
Révolution tome 1, by F. Grouazel & Y. Locard – Actes Sud / L’An 2 editions – 26 euros
Clyde Fans
Fauve Special Jury Prize: “Clyde Fans”, by Seth
(Prize given to a work which particularly marked the jury by its narration, its aesthetics and / or the themes addressed)
(Live Tweet) Ceremony of the Fauves – The special Fauve of the jury is awarded to “Clyde Fans” of Seth, published by @DelcourtBD # FIBD2020 # BD2020 #BD #Angouleme #FIBD pic.twitter.com/6FajrXrFUV
– Festival d’Angoulême (@bdangouleme) February 1, 2020Fruit of a work started twenty years ago, “Clyde Fans” tells the story of two brothers who inherited their father’s business after he abandoned them. The Canadian Seth, whose elegant graphics are imbued with a touch of nostalgia, is second to none to tell intimate stories that touch on the universal of the human condition.
Clyde Fans , de Seth – Delcourt editions – 49.90 euros
Lucarne
Fawn Revelation: “Skylight”, by Joe Kessler
(Prize awarded to the album of an author or an author at the start of their career who has professionally published a maximum of three books)
(Live Tweet) Ceremony of the Fauves – The Fauve Révélation is awarded to “Lucarne” by Joe Kessler, at @lassociation
# FIBD2020 # BD2020 #BD #Angouleme #FIBD pic.twitter.com/rPehVKGr62
– Festival d’Angoulême (@bdangouleme) February 1, 2020These five short stories impregnated with strong colors translate the most intimate sensations of the characters. A singular graphic and narrative experience, signed by the artistic director of the English publisher Breakdown Press, to express fear, pleasure or smells, supported by a hypnotic narration and an original vision of the world.
Skylight , by J. Kessler – Éditions L’Association – 2 0 euros
In the Abyss of Time
Fawn from the series: “In the Abyss of Time”, by Gou Tanabe
(Prize which honors a work in four or more volumes, regardless of the number of volumes in total)
(Live Tweet) Ceremony of the Fauves – The Fauve of the series is awarded to “Dans l’Abîme du temps” by Gou Tanabe and HP Lovecraft at @ki_oon_Editions # FIBD2020 # BD2020 #BD #Angouleme #FIBD #Fauve pic.twitter.com / dXJgZDsjF7
– Festival d’Angoulême (@bdangouleme) February 1, 2020After The Hallucinated Mountains, Gou Tanabe continues his adaptation of the novels of the master of horror, HP Lovecraft. Leaving Antarctica for the Australian desert, with a black line of oppressive realism, the mangaka draws the inexpressible and gives body to this nightmarish SF masterpiece that combines a journey through time and a terrifying transfer of personality.
In the Abyss of Time , by Gou Tanabe (after HP Lovecraft) – Ki-Oon editions – 17 euros
Act of God
Fawn of Audacity: “Act of God”, by Giacomo Nanni
(Prize which rewards experimentation and formal innovation through an album with an inventive and innovative graphic style, using all the possibilities of comics to better push its boundaries)
(Live Tweet) Ceremony of the Beasts – The Beast of Boldness is awarded to Giacomo Nanni for “Act of God” by Here Same editions
# FIBD2020 # BD2020 #BD #Angouleme #FIBD @_icimeme pic.twitter.com/SnaUklWi1V
– Festival d’Angoulême (@bdangouleme) February 1, 2020On August 24, 2016, in Italy, an earthquake killed 298 people and left nearly 400 injured. Giacomo Nanni traps the moment in a choral tale that makes the mountains speak, lingers on a stray deer in front of a supermarket and tracks the unicorn in the viewfinder of two hunters. His pantheistic ode confronts man with nature and creation with chaos, in a pointillist and dazzling graphic magma.
Act of God , by G. Nanni – editions Ici même – 19.50 euros
The Green Hand and Other Stories
Fauve Patrimoine: “The green hand and other stories”, by Nicole Claveloux and Édith Zha
(Prize rewarding a work which is part of the world history of the 9th art and whose edition, re-edition or the integral offers a particularly neat editorial work)
Live Tweet) Ceremony of the Fauves – The Fauve du Patrimoine is awarded to “La Main Verte et autres récits” by Nicole Claveloux and Edith Zha at @ed_cornelius
# FIBD2020 # BD2020 #BD #Angouleme #FIBD pic.twitter.com/hVFmYwIy6d
– Festival d’Angoulême (@bdangouleme) February 1, 2020First volume of an anthology dedicated to Nicole Claveloux, painter, youth illustrator and cartoonist, passed by the magazines Métal Hurlant and Ah! Nana .Collection of poetic stories enhanced with flamboyant colors, “The Green Hand” describes an absurd and funny world in which reality plays hide and seek with reason.
Note that Nicole Claveloux received a Fauve d’honneur during the official Fauves award ceremony, Saturday, February 1, 2020.
Standing ovation for Nicole Claveloux who receives a Fauve d’honneur at @bdangouleme #Fauves # FIBD2020 # BD2020 pic.twitter.com/E4HhBMGfJy
– see read (@ see read) February 1, 2020The Green Hand and other stories , by N. Claveloux & E. Zha – Cornelius editions – 23.50 euros
La Saison des Roses
Fauve Audience Award France TV: “Saison des roses”, by Chloé Wary
(Prize awarded by a jury of nine spectators from France Télévision)
(Live Tweet) Ceremony of the Fauves – The Fauve Audience Award France Télévisions is awarded to Chloé Wary for “La Saison des roses” at @editionsFLBLB @Francetele # FIBD2020 # BD2020 #BD #Angouleme #FIBD pic.twitter.com/PYdKw1x8Px
– Festival d’Angoulême (@bdangouleme) February 1, 2020Barbara passes the bac. She lives with her mother in the ordinary suburb of Rosigny-sous-Bois and lives only for her football club. But this year, the leaders decided to favor the men’s team, preventing the players from registering for the championship. With her markers, Chloé Wary puts her bright colors at the service of the story, to salute the team’s commitment to the collective field of football and the feminist struggle.
Saison des roses , by Chloé Wary – Flblb editions – 2 3 euros
No Direction
Fauve Polar SNCF: “No Direction”, by Emmanuel Moynot
(Prize awarded by a jury of personalities)
(Live Tweet) The Fauve Polar #SNCF is awarded to “No Direction” by Emmanuel Moynot at Sarbacane editions @ SNCF # FIBD2020 # BD2020 #BD #Angouleme #FIBD @ESarbacane pic.twitter.com/QrpG938GRx
– Festival d’Angoulême (@bdangouleme) February 1, 2020In this paper road movie in the form of a choral narrative, Moynot follows two serial killers in their mad race across America, like a filmmaker filming on the shoulder. Bloody and hopeless epic, doomed to failure and violence, “No Direction” is a human comedy in twenty chapters that strike the reader in the stomach like so many punches.
No Direction , by Emmanuel Moynot – Sarbacane editions – 2 4 euros
Komikaze
Fawn of alternative comics: “ Komikaze “(collective – Croatia)
(Prize rewards the best non-professional publication, chosen from around thirty non-professional productions and coming from any geographic origin)
(Live Tweet) The price for alternative comics is given to Komikaze # 18 # FIBD2020 # BD2020 #BD #Angouleme #FIBD pic.twitter.com/ncmmty1HHw
– Festival d’Angoulême (@bdangouleme) February 1, 2020https://komikaze.hr
- Culture
- Angoulême Festival
- Manga
- BD
- Literary prize
- Palmares
Source: 20minf
Not included in this Twitter collection but just as worthy are two more titles…
Le Tigre de Neiges
The Youth Awards Adults Prize: Le Tigre de Neiges by Akiko Higashimura.
Les Vermeilles
The Youth Prize: Les Vermeilles by Camille Jourdy.
Filed under Angoulême, Angoulême Comics Festival, Comic Arts Festivals, Comics
Short Run Report 2019: Where the Heck is Marc Bell?
If you were looking for Marc Bell at Short Run, you were out of luck.
Marc Bell was designated as a special guest this year at Short Run Comix & Arts Festival in Seattle and he is, no doubt, a wonderful representative of the indie zeitgeist. The problem was that he was nowhere to be found. Literally, he wasn’t there. He didn’t show up. Always the comics journalist, I was able to track down the publisher of Neoglyphic Media and he was very helpful and nice to talk to. He explained that border crossings from Canada to the United States have become very problematic and it left Marc Bell one very concerned Canadian. He had to bow out. And that’s totally understandable. It’s a shame that the cancellation wasn’t announced on the Short Run website. But there is a nice interview with Bell you can read here. I was really looking forward to talking to Marc Bell but, who knows, maybe I’ll cross that scary border myself and meet up with him sometime. And let’s look forward to less problematic and politicized borders in the future, whenever that is. With that said, I’m going to share with you some items that you can find over at the Neoglyphic Media website: Worn Tuff Elbow #2 by Marc Bell; Boutique Mag #4; and The Assignment #1.
Worn Tuff Elbow #2 by Marc Bell
For the most diehard fans of Marc Bell, it has been 14 long years since his comic book, Worn Tuff Elbow #1. Now, the wait is over and Bell has returned to the comics page his characters, Shrimpy, Stroppy, Paul and his friends. As they say, this new issue turns out to have been worth the wait. From the very first page, all the way to the last, this is quite the surreal treat harking back to the best in early 20th century comic strips and underground comix from the sixties. It is Bell’s unique take, channeling a bit of Philip Guston along the way. And it’s all very clean and precise work. Imitators will be stymied since they always rush their work. Nope, this kind of art requires skill, integrity and determination. I should mention that this book is published by No World Books and distributed by Drawn & Quarterly. It happens to also be available thru Neoglyphic Media.
Boutique Mag #4
Okay, this next publication is co-published by No World Books and Neoglyphic Media. Great, hope that’s clear. This is Boutique Mag #4 and it features the work of Marc Bell. This one is a fun little book clocking in at 12 pages for $5, as opposed to the previous book with 36 pages for only $8. If you are a completist and enjoy little extras, then you may want to get the latest issue of Boutique Mag.
The Assignment #1 by Stathis Tsemberlidis
Finally, there’s The Assignment #1, which is published by Decadence Comics. This is 28 pages for $12. It is by Stathis Tsemberlidis, a cartoonist based out of London. It is well worth the relatively high price point. That’s just how it is with indie publications that seem to be in it more for the art than for anything else. The price for such a publication simply needs to be bumped up to help make up for the costs involved. I’m very pleased with it. I wish I could have interviewed Tsemberlidis while I was recently in London. Perhaps next time. It makes me think of what David Bowie, during his Major Tom phase, might have done if he created comics. This book is distributed by Neoglyphic Media.
Alright, well that’s it. I need to get a bunch of reviews, and other goodies, including a British indie comics roundup, out the door before the end of the year so I hate to cut this one short but I must. You can expect another post really soon. In fact, there’s so much really yummy stuff that I could potentially present to you that, no matter what I do, stuff is going to inevitably spill over into next year–but so it goes. And you are welcome to reach out, comment and support my efforts however you can. Next year will see a lot more of the same quality content while also shifting towards balancing out what I’m doing behind the scenes, showing you more original artwork and just getting on with various projects. Well, there’s always tracking down Marc Bell. Yeah, that would be quite a fun and intriguing project all to itself, don’t you think?
Be sure to keep up with Short Run as they do all sorts of fun and interesting things during the year.
Visit Marc Bell here.
Filed under Comic Arts Festivals, Comics, Short Run Comix & Arts Festival
Seattle Focus: Short Run Comix & Arts Festival on 9 November 2019
SHORT RUN 2019
Some events take on a life of their own and so it is with Short Run, the annual comic arts festival in Seattle. No matter who is in charge, what keeps this gathering alive is a core group of young people who have faith in comics and zines. No matter who is found to be a star attraction, no matter what the list of new titles known by the experts, it is the rush of young people seeking to connect with art and the zeitgeist who give this annual gathering its energy.
Special Guest Marc Bell
That said, much is put into organizing this event, lots of love and care. There are numerous workshops to enjoy. And this year’s special guest is renowned Canadian cartoonist Marc Bell, known as much for his comics and zines as his paintings. Many cities have at least one sort of arts festival such as this and Short Run is part of the Seattle landscape. It’s a combination of the aspirations of the show’s organizers and the zeal of its audience, the will of the people, that makes this possible year after year. If you are in Seattle, and especially if comic arts festivals are new to you, do make sure to pay a visit to Seattle Center, Saturday, Nov. 9th, 2019, 11 am-6 pm.
Filed under Comic Arts Festivals, Comics, Seattle
Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) this weekend 10/20-21
MICE 2018
The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) is this weekend October 20-21, 2018 in Cambridge, MA.
The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo is a free weekend event showcasing the best in new and local comics!
For more details, visit MICE right here.
Filed under Comic Arts Festivals, Comics, Jim Woodring, MICE
Short Run 2016: The Big in the Small
Short Run 2016
I picked up some fine comics at Seattle’s Short Run Comix & Arts Festival. Short Run is one in a growing number of comic arts festivals in recent years in the spirit of the Small Press Expo (SPX) which was created in 1994 to promote artists and publishers who produce independent comics. The prime objective of SPX, and other comic arts festivals, is its main annual event, a place to showcase artists, writers and publishers primarily of comic art in its various forms to the general public. We are dealing here with a decidedly small demographic but a very important one. Short Run organizers Eroyn Franklin and Kelly Froh have done an admirable job of putting together a comic arts festival that resonates with this niche audience. They have found the big in the small.
Short Run Comix Fest 2016
This year’s Short Run at Fisher Pavilion in Seattle Center saw a steady flow of attendees. You could clearly see an impassioned interest for the hand-made. In spite of our jittery digital world, it seems that a lot of people are attracted to something more basic, something stapled or stitched together that’s printed on paper. And for the actual participants, the various writers, artists, and cartoonists at their tables, the sense of community alone is quite gratifying.
Here are a few nibbles of observations in no particular order. It was nice to stop by and chat with cartoonist Tom Van Deusen. He tells me that he’s thinking about having a new book out in the next year or so. Pat Moriarity has some similar plans. He sees a new book in the future as well as an animated treat down the line. I’ll see about letting folks know about it when it comes out. Pat, by the way, has created some of the most gorgeous prints through the Vera Project press. Noel Franklin has had quite a good year as she has the distinction of having won all three major grants in Seattle. Always good to see Vanessa Davis and Trevor Alixopulos. I had to pick up the new edition of Spaniel Rage, which won’t officially be out until February, from Drawn & Quarterly! Megan Kelso recently created a special collaboration with her 10-year-old daughter, Virginia, which is a lot of fun. While Short Run fell right on Halloween last year, this year it fell within the specter of the most crazed presidential election ever. I asked cartoonist and humorist extraordinaire Greg Stump for his thoughts. He said it felt like a perpetual loop where we never reach the actual day of the election as in an episode of The Twilight Zone.
Betty Turbo’s Portrait Machine!
And, by the way, if you did go to Short Run, did you get your face drawn at Betty Turbo’s Portrait Machine? Looks like a hoot. Visit Betty Turbo right here.
Short Run promo by Vanessa Davis
We’ll take a closer look at some of the comics I picked up this Saturday in the next few days. Some have a direct connection to Short Run and some don’t. In the end, it’s all about comics with that special touch. Call them comix, or call them alt-comics. They may appear at this or that comic arts fest or only online or even in an actual comic book shop. Whatever route you need to take, seek them out. And, if you’re in Seattle, be sure to visit Short Run right here.
Filed under Art, Comic Arts Festivals, Comics, Comix, DIY, mini-comics, Short Run, Short Run Comix & Arts Festival, Small Press Expo, SPX
Short Run Summer School – Summer Schedule 2016
Short Run festival in 2014
Our friends at Short Run are known for their comic arts festival but they have other wonderful events going on year-round. Consider their summer school schedule. I just took Megan Kelso‘s seminar on graphic novels. And I found that to be a very special treat. I like how she equates working on a graphic novel to playing with a big ball of yarn. How true. Even for an experienced cartoonist like myself, there is always something new to learn. I may end up taking some more of these classes if my schedule allows and, if you’re in Seattle, I highly recommend that you do the same. You can take a look at the remaining schedule right below starting with an essential Photoshop workshop led by James Stanton for cartoonists looking for tips on how to color their comics:
