CRASHDOWN. Massive. 2024. (W) Tom Garcia, Ryan Sargeant (A/CA) Ben Templesmith. $3.99 USD.
This comic book owes much to the great Ben Templesmith, the series artist and cover artist, known for his work with IDW, Image, Oni Press, Dark Horse, and, well, I could go on: Star Wars, Doctor Who, GI Joe, Army of Darkness, Silent Hill, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and much more (30 Days of Night!), so I’ve made my point. Then you add the writing from a couple of comic book experts, Tom Garcia and Ryan Sargeant, the hosts of the Comic Tom 101 YouTube Channel (over 12 million views) and, having checked out their show from time to time, that got my curiosity. The promotional material promises an apocalyptic tale with a healthy dose of Lovecraft and the right touches of Lost and Alien. I’m going all in here with a look at the first couple of issues to a mini-series that only goes up to four issues.
Leela Corman is a painter, comics maker, and educator. She teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Sequential Artist Workshop. She is the creator of numerous works of autobiographical and fictional comics, including Victory Parade (Schocken-Pantheon, 2024), You Are Not A Guest (Fieldmouse Press, 2023), Unterzakhn (Schocken-Pantheon, 2012) and We All Wish For Deadly Force(Retrofit/Big Planet, 2016).
It is a distinct honor to get to chat with Leela Corman. I admire her work and respect her uncompromising vision. If you want to focus on one contemporary artist-cartoonist, then Leela Corman is a primary choice. Keep in mind that this is the category of comics that concerns itself with creating works of art, serious works within the comics medium.
The Werewolf at Dusk and Other Stories. David Small. Liveright. New York. 2024. 175pp. $25
One great way to approach David Small’s delightful new “graphic novel” is as a collection of bedtime fairy tales for discerning adults. And, no, I am not inferring that this is a book to keep away from the youngest readers. There is nothing explicit to be found here. What I mean is that this is a delicious book for world-weary folks who want to be entranced by a dance made up of words and pictures. There’s nothing pretentious to be found here either. Just a very smart, whimsical foray, beginning with the titular tale involving a werewolf who has somehow outlived its purpose, just too long in the tooth.
The English GI: World War II Graphic Memoir of A Yorkshire Schoolboy’s Adventures in the United States and Europe. Edited by J. Sandler. Art by B. Bicknell. Design by BK Suru. Graphic Memoir. 2022. 123pp. $8.99
Britain enters the war; Bernard suddenly is an Englishman lost in New York.
It’s essential to support the kind of graphic narratives that really do some good in the world and here’s a wonderful example. This book is a comics adaptation of the editor’s grandfather’s wartime recollections: An Informal Family Autobiographical Memoir by Bernard Sandler (1995). Think of it as a prized family heirloom: Our ancestor wrote a memoir of what he did during World War II! In this case, all the touching elements you’d like to see in such a memoir are here elevated by the compelling content and the beauty of the graphic memoir that resulted.
Tom Scioli is an accomplished cartoonist who has followed his passion and it has resulted in taking him down two paths: comics that explore science fiction and adventure in the spirit of Jack Kirby; and comics that take an in-depth look, “from cradle to grave,” of a particular subject, like a Jack Kirby biography or a Stan Lee biography. In fact, Scioli’s last couple of big books are Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of The King of Comics, and I Am Stan: A Graphic Biography of The Legendary Stan Lee, both published by Ten Speed Graphic, an imprint of Ten Speed Press. This places Scioli is a fantastic position to keep pursuing his passions in comics as a career. It’s a great time to check in with him and I hope you enjoy the interview.
Just a barefoot artist in search of the meaning of life.
Here is a follow-up on a 5-page comic that will appear in the first full-length issue of Pop Culture Super-Sleuth, which will debut at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. I will post more as time allows and when it makes sense. In fact, I really should do more of these work-in-progress posts.
I have been having various conversations on the state of comics. At the end of the day, comics are a lot of things but, essentially, it is a sequential art form. Or you can say it’s primarily that since work that falls within the comics radar could possibly not be sequential! I think part of the problem is a human need to categorize and organize things: attempting to combine every kind of work of comics and illustration, as well as any work that includes or references “comics” under one leaky umbrella. We can’t seem to leave well enough alone. And then there is another human need to create some sort of turf war: this work is more worthy than that work; my work is prestigious and rises to the level of art while your work does not.
Dean Haspiel is one of the best cartoonists working today. Get his latest comic via the Kickstarter campaign going on now thru March 28th! This new comic has Dean deep within one of the most fascinating aspects of comics, the creator within his own work. This new project merges the two genres Dean Haspiel is best known for, superhero and memoir.
Souls of Black Folk: A Graphic Interpretation. Art & Adaptation by Paul Peart-Smith. Edited by Paul Buhle & Herb Boyd. Rutgers University Press. 2023. 180pp. $22.95
Artist Paul Peart-Smith presents the first graphic novel adaptation of a landmark work, a hybrid of cultural studies and personal essay, W.E.B. Du Bois’s 1903 book, The Souls of Black Folk. The original work is filled with insight into the Black person’s experience after the American Civil War as well as functioning as a prevailing call to action. Peart-Smith masterfully works with Du Bois’s timeless prose: navigating the “vast veil,” observing with a “second-sight,” and absorbing it all with a “double-consciousness.”
Nick Cagnetti is a cartoonist based in Arizona and a graduate of Arizona State University with experience doing storyboards and commercial art but he’s been drawing forever thanks to a life-long love for comic books. He’s been making his own regularly since 2012 with books like Infinite Wonders and The Spirit of The Shadows but he’s best known for his work on Pink Lemonade.
PINK LEMONADE #1 by Nick Cagnetti
Nick Cagnetti is one of the cartoonists that inspires me and I’m happy to feature here. Looking back, I found my glowing review of Pink Lemonade #1 from 2019, when it was published by Drew Ford’s IT’S ALIVE. Nick and I talk about the legacy of Drew Ford, one of the great champions of offbeat comics. Pink Lemonade is now published by Oni Press.
“I try to keep pushing myself, to get even better. I try to make stuff I enjoy personally, that makes me smile.”
— Nick Cagnetti on his craft.
Comics can change the world, or we hope so. I’ve earned my stripes over the years championing comics of all types: comics that aspire to be pure art; comics that pursue social justice; comics that emulate literary fiction; comics by everyday amateurs; and comics by the best artists in the business at a professional level. Which comics are truly worthy of attention or best represent the medium? Well, the best comics are the ones worth reading, with something to say, and have a distinct level of authenticity. Cagnetti’s work rises to that level, much in the spirit of Daniel Clowes, Darwyn Cooke and Mike Allred. The professional cartoonist’s career is all about evolution and progress. It’s great to be able to chat with Cagnetti, a young talent who has already achieved a level of excellence he can be proud of.
I am a fan of all sorts of styles, from very simple to hyper-realistic. What matters most is that the comics, and the cartoonist, have that X-factor, that certain quality that gives the final product a compellingly human touch. Often, among all the genres and subcategories, what I truly love is offbeat and eccentric comics. That’s why I made a point of bringing up during our interview that old cult classic Marvel Comics favorite, Howard the Duck. It is not everyone’s cup of tea but that is the whole point. It was the brainchild of writer Steve Gerber. The tagline says it all, “Trapped in a world he never made!” Cagnetti’s own Pink Lemonade main character could definitely say the same thing.
The Spirit of the Shadows
Pink Lemonade is a must-read and needs to be added to your shelf if you don’t already have it. Pink Lemonade is published by Oni Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster. You can also keep up with Nick Cagnetti and his ongoing projects, like The Spirit of the Shadows. Just go to his website, Radical Realm Comics.
The Spirit of The Shadows new ashcan.
I also want to mention Nick’s new work, with Daniel Ziegler, on The Spirit of the Shadows. He will have ashcan samplers available at the upcoming Arizona Comic Book Arts Festival on March 9th and those comics will also be available on Nick’s site. And one more bit of news: keep an eye out for a comics project Nick did with writer Zack Quaintance. It’s an anthology called, Death of Comics Bookcase, presumably about the demise of Zack’s comics blog, and will be launching a campaign soon on Kickstarter.
Here is the video interview. I encourage you to give us a view, LIKE and COMMENT. Every bit helps in order to keep things moving along smoothly. You’ll miss a lot more cool stuff if you don’t visit! Thanks.
