Tag Archives: graphic novels

October 9, 2025 · 5:15 pm

R. Crumb: Tales of Paranoia at David Zwirner, L.A.

Page from R. Crumb, I’m Afraid, 2025
© Robert Crumb, 2025
Courtesy the artist, Paul Morris, and David Zwirner

A new collection of work by the legendary underground cartoonist R. Crumb will be on display at the David Zwirner gallery in Los Angeles. Entitled, Tales of Paranoia, the original works on paper and prints highlight one man’s obsessions. Moreover, this is another fascinating output by Crumb. This new show is Crumb’s first extensive solo show in two decades. Many of the works in this show were made for the artist’s forthcoming book, Tales of Paranoia. This will be Crumb’s first new comic book in twenty-three years and will be published in November, 2025 by Fantagraphics. The work was made in the wake of the 2022 passing of Crumb’s wife and longtime artistic partner, Aline Kominsky-Crumb.

The show is on view from October 10—December 20, 2025. David Zwirner gallery in Los Angeles is located at 616 N Western Avenue.

Mary Shyne Interview: YOU AND ME ON REPEAT

You and Me on Repeat, published by Henry Holt & Co., is a delightful graphic novel. You can read my review here. This is the first major graphic novel for Mary Shyne, also known for her own self-published graphic novel, Get Over It. So, keep in mind that Mary Shyne is very well-versed in the world of comics with numerous achievements: establishing a solid reputation with a self-published work; working in the book industry (Penguin Random House, no less); earning an MFA from the well respected Center for Cartoon Studies; getting her work published by a major publisher (Henry Holt & Co.); and, to top it off, Mary holds a key position at the Charles Schulz Museum. Alright then, no doubt, Mary Shyne is an exceptional person to talk about comics with. It was a pleasure to chat about Mary’s career path and her new book, a story about two star-crossed time-traveling teenagers.

Given that Mary’s career covers so much ground, this turned out to be a great opportunity to discuss various aspects of comics, specifically, the independent artist who self-publishes and often works alone (the auteur cartoonist) versus a new breed of comics artist that works within a team environment, including an agent, editor and publicist. There are variations to this. For instance, some well-established professional cartoonists retain the “auteur cartoonist” work method, giving up little to no control. While other cartoonists embrace working with others from the very start. Add to that the fact that many independent cartoonists are not thinking in terms of a “comics career” in the first place. But today such a path is potentially more viable if you follow certain steps. Your mileage will vary! There are so many variations on a theme, especially when it comes to a comics artist, etc.

Circa 2003: On a wing and a prayer, emerges The Center for Cartoon Studies.

We also dig deeper into the attitudes and approaches of cartoonists who came up the ranks with little to no formal training compared to cartoonists who have gained this new level of specialized comics training that was not quite possible a generation or so ago. The Center for Cartoon Studies stands out as a place of higher learning that trains those individuals who aspire to some kind of comics career, outside of working in the more mainstream superhero environment. These aspiring cartoonists are setting their sites on all kinds of comics that fit outside of the superhero genre (although there’s always unique exceptions) and these comics tend to be more personal “autobio” slice-of-life type of work, a genre all its own. These stories often find a home at more independent publishers or major book publishers interested in quirky offbeat work that tends to fit primarily into their young adult demographic (age 12 to 18), or the young reader market (age 8 to 14). And there’s more markets and age groups. The point is that there’s a strategy in place long before there’s a story. I suppose the trick, for any enterprising cartoonist, is to transcend any strategy. Those who manage to do that are really the ones who will thrive. After chatting with Mary, I can see she absolutely fits into that group.

All You Need is Kill

It was so much fun to chat with such an enthusiastic and experienced member of the comics community. Mary was very generous in sharing about her work and provided a window into her process. We bounced around a lot of ideas and covered a lot of ground. For instance, we talked about the graphic novel series, All You Need is Kill.

Palm Springs, on Hulu.

We talked about one of the great time loop movies, Palm Springs.

Lowlife (1992) by Ed Brubaker.

We talked about Ed Brubaker’s amazing comic book series, Lowlife.

My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea by Dash Shaw

We talked about Dash Shaw and his amazing animated feature, My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea.

Osamu Tezuka

We talked about Osamu Tezuka and his “star system” approach to comics.

Chuck Todd

Given that comics and pop culture are so closely aligned, and the fact that any conversation today can’t help but get a little self-referential, I brought up a giant in media, Chuck Todd, a recent sign of the times. Folks who find themselves pulled out of their high profile positions often turn to doing a podcast. At the time, I could not think of the title of Chuck Todd’s podcast. Well, it’s actually easy: it’s The Chuck Toddcast! I had not planned on mentioning Todd but it made sense. Chuck is someone who did everything right, loved his work, was respected by his peers, and yet it wasn’t enough. He was replaced as moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press, by Kristen Welker, who he graciously mentored. He came to my mind in terms of dealing with the demands of any industry attempting to gain top market share. It’s a war out there and good people can get caught in the crossfire.

Charles Schulz

And we round things out with wondering what Charles Schulz would do in the brave new world that is comics today. Mary thinks that Sparky would have most likely avoided social media, but that’s just a little bit of fun speculation.

I hope you enjoy the video interview. As always, your views, LIKES and COMMENTS directly at the Comics Grinder YouTube channel are crucial to our survival. Any bit of engagement is very welcome and appreciated.

Editor’s Note: If you are in San Francisco, be sure to view original art from Mary Shyne’s new graphic novel, You and Me on Repeat, at the Cartoon Art Museum. The exhibit runs from September 27, 2025 through January 18, 2026.

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October 1, 2025 · 8:00 am

Joe Sacco Interview: As Goes India, So Goes the World

I want to make clear that Joe Sacco did not say, “As Goes India, so goes the world.” That’s just my summation, my interpretation, as trite as it may sound. But I’m sure Joe would acknowledge my attempt at finding the universal truths in his latest work of comics journalism: The Once and Future Riot, published by Henry & Holt, releasing on October 14, 2025 and available for pre-order. Well, we had a most agreeable conversation. No doubt, Joe Sacco is a towering figure in comics, known for such landmark work as Palestine and Footnotes in Gaza. My main concern was simply to focus on the new book at hand and resist getting caught up in so many other things we could have talked about. But that was easy since the point I kept coming back to is that this new book has so much to say and proves timeless and highly relevant.

“They are rich people. We are poor people.”

This was an easygoing conversation, just like you’d expect in a coffee shop. I wasn’t there to argue this or that fiery point. I was there to, I suppose, coax along insights. A revelation for me, when I think about it, is that Joe Sacco is quite a regular guy in the sense that he’s not there to persuade you with any sort of slanted rhetoric. No “slanters,” just a progression of logical observations. All of this in the service of talking about this book, an exploration of political violence and focusing on a prime example in India: the communal hatred between Hindus and Muslims that led to the 2013 riots in Uttar Pradesh. How, and why, did this happen? All of this emerges in layers within layers.

“No one is left in the middle.”

Here’s the thing to keep in mind about any book by Joe Sacco: the background is essential because that’s where the meat of the story resides, made up of numerous personal stories. Joe’s tried and true method has been to go about capturing these moments with all their subtle nuances in words and pictures which provides an uncanny result by a reporter who literally has gone beyond the initial hard news to uncover the sort of details that can so easily get lost in the shuffle. During our conversation, I was struck by Joe’s patient and calm delivery, his response to my sometimes excitable questions. He was so engaged in the moment, which is undoubtedly the ideal state you want your guest to be in, that we were able to truly enjoy a conversation and let ideas flow.

The Lie becomes Truth.

One of the most interesting things about this new book is that it poses a lot of questions, more than we can hope to fully answer although we will keep on seeking solutions. As I suggest, this is a book not only about India but about the state of the whole world. Everywhere, we must confront demagoguery; we must confront those with power who prey on those without power; and we must confront our lesser selves who contribute to a polarized society. I shared with Joe what I believed to be the book’s conclusion: a primary way to end the vicious cycle of political violence among a nation’s people is to have a government that the people can rely upon and trust. He asked me if I thought that was his conclusion and I readily said, yes. And he agreed. We played with the thread of that idea. Joe shared that he thought of himself as a Democrat, but with a small “d,” as far from the established Democratic Party as possible. What other options did one have within the current reality? A very good question.

War on Gaza

I brought up something during our conversation that I didn’t think I would, and then I did. At the time that Joe Sacco did his War on Gaza limited series, published by The Comics Journal, I was on the fence about it because I feared it would help, in its own modest way, to contribute to a Democrat loss in the presidential election. It feels like a lifetime ago but, back then, Americans were facing a very close election, which it was, if you admit Trump’s 77 million to Harris’s 75 million votes was close, which it was, the closest one this century. With hindsight, I conclude that Sacco’s comics revisit of Gaza, his calling out genocide, was an honest response that made sense and still does. Democrats are far from perfect but, compared to the current administration, well, you tell me.

Ultimately, Joe and I both let out a collective sigh at confronting the hard truth that the big, truly substantial, leaps of progress still lay way ahead in the distant future. And yet the effort must continue towards that future, no matter how elusive, no matter how far out of reach, it may be.

Enjoy the video interview. As always, your views, LIKES and COMMENTS are very welcome and help us continue to do what we do here at Comics Grinder.

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September 23, 2025 · 10:00 pm

This Slavery by Scarlett and Sophie Rickard graphic novel review

This Slavery. By Scarlett and Sophie Rickard. London: SelfMadeHero, 2025. 368pp, $23.99

Review by Paul Buhle

Rising stars in the comics world, with nominations for Eisner and Broken Frontier awards, the Rickard sisters may register as the leading artists of historical, proletarian dramas with socialist morale. Or rather: Scarlett is the artist, Sophie the story-teller, a creative pair from the same Lancashire country as their subject.

They have already done thousands of avid readers a favor by adapting the enormous, historic novel by Richard Tressel about impoverished paperhangers, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, and brought a widely misunderstood woman suffage movement back to life in an adaptation of Constance Maud’s mostly forgotten work published more than a century ago.

And now, we see Lancashire, famous for its nineteenth century textile mills with thousands of underpaid workers, for the working class participation in the Chartist movement and for their self-sacrificing support of the antislavery cause in the US. The novelist, Ethie Carnie Holdsworth (1886-1962), has not exactly been forgotten, but her status as the first blue collar English woman to write a novel, and her remarkable output of at least ten novels, had long been neglected until British feminist-socialists helped bring it back to light.

Textile owners naturally wanted continuation of sales to the Confederacy. A decade before the Civil War, masses of workers in Lancashire had nevertheless greeted Abolitionist speakers with enthusiasm, embracing an antislavery cause that many American workers shunned. The protagonists of the novel take another path through history: two sisters unemployed when “their” mill burned. Rachel sets herself to a course of reform while her sister fatalistically accepts the inequality of contemporary marriage to a capitalist swine.

We see mass street events, meetings around radical causes, and a bang-up conclusion that no conscientious reviewer would reveal. If This Slavery sometimes leans into melodrama, it faithfully follows its source. But plot summaries and narrative high points offer scarce appreciation of the graphic novel’s accomplishments and sheer beauty.

Perhaps the exactness of the industrial, blue collar setting and the precision of the detail of clothes, but also of contemporary working class language, will strike the historically-minded reader the most forcefully. The sheer length is staggering. This reviewer is a poor judge of the use of color, which is now obviously accomplished (like nearly all the rest of comic art) by way of computer graphics rather than laboriously by handwork, likewise dialogue, no longer written out, a point of pride for comic artists only a decade or so ago. To have accomplished this vast visual text any other way would likely have been a life-long task for these sisters obviously with their eye on future radical projects.

Something more needs to be said about working class portrayal in comic art, or rather, its near-total absence until the recent past. “Out Our Way,” one of the long-lasting and popular early newspaper strips, holds the dubious honor of being the first strip with a recurring factory scene (usually, the supervisor is frustrated at the kinks in the production process) and the first to feature a corpse. Lower class types go back to Mutt ’n Jeff, racetrack touts, or even to the Yellow Kid, the 1890s slum-dweller whose ethnic identity remains uncertain but whose coloring gave the comics a daily identity.

Actual working class people, their families and neighborhoods, receded further with the triumph of the family-oriented strips in the 1920s. Famously, Blondie needed to leave her secretary-and-flapper life for home and Dagwood. Comic books rose to their apex with working class guys at war, never at work; and in the grim strips of blue collar violence, in which escape from wage slavery meant guns and molls (themselves apparently escaping dull working lives).

The rise of Underground Comix brought intense, radical themes to the surface as never before. Despite the political leanings/commitments of the artists themselves (in the Bay Area, they even launched a union drive that promptly failed), the sharpening contradictions of blue collar life were rarely seen, except through glimpses of satire.

Graphic novels, now in the global thousands or tens of thousands, not even to mention digital comic creations, treat the widest possible settings and characters. With some notable exceptions—among them Wobblies!, the 2005 history of the Industrial Workers of the World, with a handful of artists, edited by Nicole Shulman and myself, on the centenary of the famed organization—we have not seen much else.

All the more important, then, is This Slavery, for what it seeks to do. Anyone who puts on a pair of shoes knows, or should know, that factory work continues, blue collar life continues across the world. Let us hope to see more in comic art.

Paul Buhle

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September 16, 2025 · 11:00 am

You and Me on Repeat by Mary Shyne comics review

You and Me on Repeat. Mary Shyne. Henry Holt. 2025. 224pp. $17.99.

A good time travel story these days walks a fine line as a genre all to itself: self-aware, serious and ironic all at once. I can see that Mary Shyne has given this a lot of consideration which has resulted in a graphic novel with a fresh take. Clearly, Shyne knows her way around all the time travel tropes, and so do her characters.

Chris and Alicia, two teenagers who have just graduated high school, are quick to accept the reality of time travel but not so quick to accept themselves. This is the premise that Shyne plays with as she has these two endure an endless loop of re-living their high school graduation day. Chris is a science geek and he’s a bit uptight. Alicia is an aspiring writer and she’s a free spirit. These two seem unlikely as a romantic couple but only time will tell, right? Shyne is way ahead of it and manages to keep thickening the plot, even for the most jaded young adult, this book’s prime audience.

As with any good time-looping story, the journey is what it’s all about. Shyne paves the way with a light manga art style that is pleasing to the eye and compliments the breezy nature of the narrative. It’s a very impressive work that checks all the boxes in what makes for a highly marketable work in comics. In its layout, its humor and overall vibe, there’s something lean, clean and perfect about Shyne’s work. That said, Shyne elevates her work to something personal and idiosyncratic that defies the most perfectly calculated marketing stratagem. Could it be a bit of genuine heart-felt magic? I think so.

The best time travel stories have less to do with time travel and more to do with characters and so it is the case here. The two main characters, Chris O’Brien, who is white, and Alicia Ochoa, who is Mexican, are a mixed-race star-crossed couple of kids. The trend in the book and entertainment industry, if you haven’t noticed in the last five years, is diversity. I’ve been very mindful and supportive of diversity for much longer than five years. How about all my life? I’m Mexican American and, as a creator of comics and stories, that unique perspective is always there in my own work, whether it is noticed or not. In the case of this work, it is supposed to be noticed. Alicia Ochoa steals the show as the oldest sibling among many in a large Mexican family. Not all Mexican families are large but it’s a compelling trope and it works well here. Alicia is a restless soul who wishes to explore as many versions of herself as possible, including romance with girls and boys. What could be better than to be stuck in a perpetual loop where you repeat the same day, do whatever you want, wipe the slate clean and dig in for more?

Remember, the reason we can’t seem to get enough of time travel stories, at least good ones, is that they promise to deliver a bit of genuine heart-felt magic. I really enjoyed this book all the way to the last page and that’s because of its heart and honesty. And, hey, Shyne manages to do something that keeps getting more difficult to do in the genre. Shyne taps into that magic we keep craving and hoping for when we seek out a good time travel yarn.

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September 8, 2025 · 10:16 pm

THE KING’S WARRIOR by Huahua Zhu comics review

The King’s Warrior. Huahua Zhu. Bulgilhan Press. 2024. 65pp. $15.00.

From the cover, all the way through, I am completely swept into the exquisite world that Huahua Zhu has created in her new comic. I love fantasy when it works for me and this does. Recently, I was browsing through a bunch of zines at a certain shop and I was struck by the art on the cover, the delicate and ethereal lines holding up a bold eccentricity.

When a comic sparks my curiosity, that’s a very good sign. The best fantasy will do that: somehow turn the genre on its head, give you something refreshingly new and will its own reality. By simply jumping into the story, in just the right understated manner, Zhu has achieved this. One wonders what led up to this moment while, at the same time, ready to follow along.

The two leading characters are rather enigmatic: a brother and sister with elfin ears. All we know, at first, is that this is a world of monsters, especially dragons. Zhu’s approach is to not give too much away. The first page is a trio of close-up panels depicting a slaughter of dragons. This is followed by a couple of pages of combat. And then a page featuring a castle and an inset close-up panel that only shows part of a craggy face. A textbox below dares someone to come and kill him. Finally, the next page has our leads, Mara and Echo: an animated page of various panels that gently introduces the siblings with light hints of yellow and blue watercolor.

An ambiguous and fanciful tempo is kept up all the way to the end of this book. The connections between characters are not altogether clear hinting at a larger backstory. There is no apparent reason why the actions of one character should determine the fate of another but that seems to be the point. Mara and Echo have both ended up being kidnapped by a mysterious queen who won’t set them free until a warrior has completed his task of assassinating a wizard. Once this chain of events has been set into motion, more things are triggered and there’s no turning back.

Zhu has a wonderful way with drawing horses, dragons, gnomes, elves, wizards, all the stuff of fantasy, including a magical golden coin. The trick is to not bring out the big swords too often or all at once. Good fantasy, or any good story, is made up of a number of well-timed moments, constantly moving forward, toward something greater than its parts. This Zhu does well. I buy it in every quiet scene she’s conjured up with the mighty warrior and Growl, his chimera sidekick. Yes, Zhu manages a bit of humor. This is an ideal work of comics fantasy, both spooky and enchanting.

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September 6, 2025 · 2:25 pm

The Once and Future Riot by Joe Sacco graphic history review

The Once and Future Riot. Joe Sacco. Henry Holt & Co. 2025. 144pp. $27.99

India was once a confident and reliable ally of the United States. Lately, due to the Trump administration’s belligerence and blundering, India has leaned deeper into Russia and China’s orbit. India is simply not enough on the radar of the average American, without some tie to India, to really know or care one way or another but, as Joe Sacco’s book makes clear, there are undeniable universal truths that India has to share with the rest of the world. Once again, Joe Sacco lays out the essential, and ever elusive, truth.

The elusive truth, lost in an instance. At its core, this is what Joe Sacco’s new book is about and what all of his comics journalism books are about. You don’t think you can relate to India, or to Palestinian genocide in Gaza at the hands of the Netanyahu administration? Well, think again. We live in a world where up is down and down is up and, all too often, we fight shadows and ignore the substance. In the case of this new work, Sacco focuses on the conflict between Hindus and Muslims in India. Some would say it is irreparable. Others would say it is a manufactured conflict that favors those in power who gin up the public, stoke the flames of hatred, exploit resentment and distrust.

Sacco interviews a Muslim cleric during his travels in India who plainly lays it out: The media is responsible for the hostility between Hindu and Muslim. “You start telling a lie again and again to make it a truth. TV channels have done it. TV channels are liars. They keep telling lies 24 hours a day.” Where there once was a friend, now there is a demon.

India, it must be stressed is a democracy, with a federalist framework similar to the United States. What happens in India is not from some distant and remote region. The world grows smaller every day, as it is. And India reflects this in a powerful way. Joe Sacco’s book lays out the dynamics that led to the bloody 2013 riots in the streets of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous and diverse state in India. What caused the violence is misinformation that fueled a mob mentality. It can happen again in India. It can, and is, happening in the United States. And it can happen anywhere.

“I was crying. Like anything . . .”

As easily as the United States can experience a collapse of order by the insurrectionists on January 6, 2021, so can a region of India once celebrated for harmony. The lethal power of demagoguery can not be overstated, despite what others who traffic in misinformation may say. We live in dangerous times with no sign of it letting up in our collective lifetimes. As long as there are people in power with the time and money but no wisdom or integrity, we remain in an endless cycle. Well, this should be painfully obvious. Sacco does not beat one over the head with the obvious but steadily covers the specifics of a specific moment in time. The reader gets to know particular people. The reader is guided along as these individuals confront their struggles, some needlessly to die. And it is through this specificity that Sacco reaches the universal.

When will this horror end?

It is within this calm and steady approach that Sacco builds up to the horror and tragedy of the riots in Uttar Pradesh. In one incident that Sacco documents, Muslims ambush droves of Hindus attempting to flee. The Muslim attack is relentless. Hindu farmers attempt to hide behind their trolley trucks only to have their vehicles ransacked. They are attacked with guns, rocks, swords and knives. One man witnesses his son bludgeoned and tossed off a truck. When he attempts to help him, he is overwhelmed by an oncoming mob. He calls out to the police who manage to get his son to a hospital, where he dies. It begs the question, When will this horror end? It is a question that perpetually begs for an answer.

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August 27, 2025 · 5:50 pm

Cartoon Art Museum: On Putting on a Show and Making a Case for Storytelling

Cartoonist Henry Chamberlain

Those of us who create books of one kind or another must be mindful of the next step in our work’s journey, once it’s complete, published, and out in the world: the never-ending job of making more people aware of the book! My graphic novel, George’s Run: A Writer’s Journey Through The Twilight Zone, was published by Rutgers University Press in 2023. It was a pleasure to get a chance to give a talk and lead a workshop in support of my book at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco.

Photos by Robbie Gomez.

The Cartoon Art Museum is a landmark in the local arts community and has the distinction of being one of the few museums dedicated to the comics medium. I have followed the museum’s progress since its time in San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens neighborhood when Andrew Farago became its curator in 2005. Fast forward to 2017, the museum moved to its current location on 781 Beach Street on Fisherman’s Wharf. I’ve always found it to be a reliable source of inspiration with its impressive works on display, from new shows and its permanent collection. If you’re someone who has established a credible footing in this business of comics, you might find yourself invited to show your work here. I want to thank both Andrew and museum director Summerlea Kashar for helping make my presentation possible.

I have experience with leading presentations of one kind or another, notably a slide show lecture format which I first did when I led a panel discussion at San Diego Comic-Con. That said, I’ve been adding and refining notes attached to it ever since. I have found it easy to refer to notes and then break off into other directions. Lately, I’ve focused on an unusual zine that Marc Zicree (The Twilight Zone Companion) gave me a while ago. It’s a term paper he wrote in 1976, when he was 21 years-old. Marc’s paper features interviews with three significant figures from the Sixties zeitgeist: political cartoonist Ron Cobb; novelist Theodore Sturgeon; and television writer George Clayton Johnson. In his introduction, Marc makes clear how moved he is by Sturgeon’s uncanny ability to evoke the concept of love in his work. As for George Clayton Johnson, the subject of my book, Marc is mesmerized by George’s uncanny ability to speak virtually indefinitely on a wide variety of subjects. I carefully combed through Marc’s interview with George, and, just as important, Marc’s interview with George’s mentor, Mr. Sturgeon. What is clear is how much both men revered storytelling, which is at the heart of what my book is about–and, ultimately, my talk.

Once I start talking, I sense a detour up ahead. I had just mentioned the challenge of conveying the significance of a television show of the caliber of The Twilight Zone to a young audience unfamiliar with it when I found myself confronting a fresh new example in my audience for that day. Literally, only a few minutes prior, I had said that a young man had seemed to dare me at a comics convention when he told me outright that he’d never seen even one episode of The Twilight Zone. Right after that, a young man that day in my audience seemed to take it up a notch by telling me that he didn’t watch television at all. I was now juggling at least a couple of ideas going well beyond just being unfamiliar with a certain television show. Part of what I think was going on here is that the young man was, perhaps unintentionally, mirroring what I had just said. I gave it some thought and emphasized the fact that we all need to get as clear an idea of the big picture: seeking out great storytelling.

I went on to say that, when I’m given a dare to explain myself and make my case, I’m more than happy to break it down. In fact, the determination to break down ideas into concise and accessible elements took a life of its own in my book. That’s a vital part of the book: guiding the reader through the creative process that led to The Twilight Zone, one of the greatest works of television on many levels, not the least of which is the writing. My book is about the writers who made this possible. Overall, I think folks enjoyed what I had to say. Getting back to Marc Zicree’s 1976 term paper, one concept that keeps popping up is the steady encroachment of mass media and related distractions. This is well before even the internet and it already seemed like people were drowning in a flood of data. No wonder some young people today might think they don’t have time for “television.” I know it was very helpful for me to give this talk and the feedback will help fuel the next one.

It was my intention to offer more than enough stuff to cover within my two-hour window. During the talk, I encouraged the audience to begin drawing their own tribute to their favorite TV show. By the end, we had a few interesting submissions. I want to thank Chartpak for partnering with me and providing the art supplies for this portion of the event. I will provide a separate post that features the Chartpak marker that I used for my art demonstration. I want to invite everyone to check out the Chartpak factory store for an incredible selection of art supplies.

Thanks again to the Cartoon Art Museum for an amazing event and I look forward to many more visits in the future. And special thanks to photographer Robbie Gomez for these amazing photos.

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August 17, 2025 · 7:00 pm

Partisans: A Graphic History of Anti-Fascist Resistance book review

Partisans: A Graphic History of Anti-Fascist Resistance. Editors: Raymond Tyler & Paul Buhle. Between The Lines. 2025. 148pp. $34.95.

A bold statement is asserted in the introduction to this book: “History does not repeat itself. But the example offered of the Partisans’ courage must not, cannot, be forgotten in our time. We must find our own creative ways, individually and collectively, to rise to the challenge.” This is a collection of short works in comics that chronicle the fight against fascism leading up to and all through the Second World War. I don’t know what to make of the relatively calm assertion that history does not repeat itself when, each day, it looks like history is repeating itself. The best I can come up with to reconcile this statement is to say that we must embrace the calm before the storm, even seek it out during the storm. Each story here offers some moments of contemplation, featuring stories from survivors with their own set of insights.

“Freedom or Death: The French Partisans” by Daniel Selig

For these sort of works in comics, especially a collection such as this, I believe the most compelling work cuts to the chase. This is why I find the straightforward piece by Daniel Selig, known in Europe for this work with Éditions FLBLB, so compelling. He sets out to outline the evolution of French Partisans and does exactly that. There’s even a quick and precise nod to the creative and intellectual contingent on one page featuring Jean Paul-Sartre, Paul Eluard and Elsa Barraine. Food for thought as we engage with our own times.

“The Hungarian Resistance” by Sander Feinberg and Summer McClinton

There are a number of more traditional depictions of testimony coming from the average person. In that vein, some examples: David Lasky‘s rendering of diary entries from Eastern Europe; Trina Robbins and Anne Timmons honoring teenage Paritsans in Holland; and Sander Feinberg and Summer McClinton‘s tribute to the Hungarian resistance. Each work brings the struggle down to the human scale in very distinctive ways in terms of style and approach.

“Andartiko: Fighting Fascism in Greece” by David Lester

Another more straightforward approach focuses on the fight in Greece. David Lester, known for his historical graphic novels with a dramatic flair (Revolution by Fire: New York’s Afro-Irish Uprising of 1741) , offers a study of the Andartiko Partisans, with roots going back to the Ottoman Empire. His approach is gritty, bold and dynamic and really keeps the narrative moving.

“Piccola Staffetta” by Isabella and Franca Bannerman

What each piece in this book has in common is that urgency to connect the dots from the past with the present. The most explicit example comes from long-time World War 3 Illustrated contributor Isabella Bannerman. In her piece, she depicts the words of her mother, Franca Bannerman, who grew up during the rise of Mussolini and can’t help but see a distinct similarity between that fascist dictator and our current U.S. president. Well, someone had to say it and this one hits the nail on the head. So, where do you go from here? Days, let alone months, even years, can go by and the future remains murky and sinister. One thing is for sure, we can all use as much calm contemplation as we can get.

Todd McFarlane’s Spider-Man, Speculation and the McFarlane Effect

McFarlane’s cover for Marvel’s Spider-Man No. 1 (August 1990)

Are you a superhero comics fan–especially an old school Spider-Man fan? I’d say that I’m a sensible fan with my own set of reasons. I appreciate that Spider-Man, along with all the great characters in comics, will forever be a wonderful opportunity to tell a story. Also, from a design sense, gotta love Spidey. From a pop culture sense, ditto. And, sometimes, like many fans, I’m susceptible to buying into Spidey, or any other comic book, as a keepsake. People have become conditioned to believe that an old stash of comic books might hold some highly valuable, “collector’s item.” This is based on such rags-to-riches stories as the astronomical rise in value of such Golden Age gems as Action Comics #1. By the 1990s, that mindset was completely ingrained among comic book consumers. The comic book market in the 1990s took a sharp turn down a speculative path with numerous titles touted as collector items and it ultimately went bust for a while. One of the most celebrated titles of that era, deemed a “collector’s item” on its front cover, was the first issue of the Todd McFarlane Spider-Man run, both written and drawn by McFarlane. Part of the battle is won when you have Spider-Man in the title and promise it’s a collector’s item. Spider-Man #1 went on to sell a whopping 2.5 million copies, partly due to the collector craze (take your pick in gold and/or silver variant covers) but just as much having to do with a new direction led my Todd McFarlane.

The speculative markets will tumble!

The new horror movie, Cloud, by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, features a flipper who buys up all the fan favorite items in order to resell them at jacked-up prices. It’s a cautionary tale about how we, as consumers, must be wary of traps. That’s what happened with comics. Hard-core collectors would buy multiple issues of the latest hot comic book title in order to manipulate the price. And then comic book publishers got into the act by feeding that demand for collector material: titles promising to be the next big thing with huge print runs, which, of all ironies, guaranteed they would not be scarce. Here’s a Comics 101 FYI: If you want a comic book to become valuable, one of the key factors is that it is rare to find a copy. These comics were NOT rare but were flooding the market and nearly destroyed the comic book industry. The solution? Well, it’s a hard pill to swallow but quality will always win out over quantity. So, in general, comic book publishers, despite all the variant covers and big events they create to lure in readers, are supposedly more interested in creating artful stories instead of marketing gimmicks. And that can often be true. That’s where comics reviewers lend a hand in seeking those titles out. Ultimately, let the buyer beware–and make your voice heard. Continued pushes for quality will keep the speculative beast at bay.

Howard the Duck #1 (1976), considered a collector’s item due to low distribution.

Speculation in the comics market will never die. But there are enough safeguards in place today that make it less likely we’ll have another 1990s-style market crash again. There is a greater sophistication and transparency at play and a lot more common sense. There will still be a lot of comic book collectors who don’t even read the comic books they collect. But that’s their problem. The best defense is to do more of what has helped the comic book industry survive and that is to strive for higher standards. In fact, the passion to hold comics to the highest standards is what drives what is going on here at Comics Grinder. And it only makes sense because the backbone of the market, in order for this to really work, is made up of readers, not speculators. The more readers you have, instead of vulture-speculators, the better chance of comic book shops, and publishers, weathering the market storms. Graphic novels, in all their various shapes and sizes, capable of focusing on any and all subjects, have risen to the challenge and help considerably to keep the lights on. Our best bet is that readers win out in the end.

The McFarlane Effect at its inception.

In the spirit of celebrating the art of comic books, let’s take a closer look at that iconic first issue of the McFarlane Spider-Man. What stands out? Well, one key element that McFarlane enjoyed was creating a page with a series of thin long panels, like stripes, than ran across and created a bunch of jump cuts, slivers of moments. I don’t think McFarlane has gotten any real credit for this narrative device so allow me to do the honors and introduce you to what I’m calling The McFarlane Effect. A certain number of us who keep up with comics are aware of the De Luca Effect which I have written about here and, in a nutshell, is a page that features one character (perhaps two) repeated in a succession of moments. I think it’s only now, with decades to separate us from the media phenomena that was McFarlane’s Spider-Man, that we can better appreciate the art behind the work. I honestly think that McFarlane is such a towering figure in comics that such little nuances can sort of be overlooked. How many other artists have used this narrative device? Well, overall, I think that anytime that you see a work with long panels slicing through it, there’s a good chance it is by an artist influenced by McFarlane.

A rhythm struck up by quirky panels.

McFarlane’s use of long slim panels allowed for an infinite set of variations and set an ambitious tone for his helm at the landmark character. Keep in mind that here was a young man, working his way up the ranks at Marvel Comics, given his chance to create his version of, arguably, the most renown character in comics history. He would have been well aware of the trends and cross-currents at the time. He was an artist is search of the most compelling narrative devices he could think of so, you better believe that he was up late at night at that drawing board, night after night. He did not use this long slim panel device on every page but used it where it was needed, and developed a rhythm struck up by quirky panels.

The maestro makes music with his magical panels.

The maestro was making music with his magical panels. Sure, this was a darker and more realistic Spider-Man than the higher-ups were used to, or comfortable with, at Marvel, but there he was, Todd McFarlane, the aspiring baseball player, knocking them out of the park. McFarlane would have been thinking of Frank Miller and his audacious The Dark Knight Returns. Well, he had an answer for it bringing home his own take on horror tropes and delivering with a distinctive style that has been borrowed by many great artists, including Jim Lee.

Spawn #1 is a collector’s item!

And to continue giving credit where credit is due, of course, Todd McFarlane went on to found Image Comics, where creativity and creator rights are honored. Image Comics stands as a testament to what is possible for a great comic book publisher and everyone associated with it. You may know one of the big titles lined up to launch Image Comics. That was Spawn #1 in May of 1992. Created by Todd McFarlane, the first issue was written and penciled by him and it did pretty well: It sold 1.7 million copies. Not bad, right? And the rest is history.