In her new mini-comic, “Debbie’s Inferno,” Anne Emond takes us deep into the nightmares and misgivings of a young woman and all we have to do is sit back and be amused. There’s plenty to be amused about since Emond is a crackerjack cartoonist in the vein of Lynda Barry. With a spare line and a whimsical touch, she distills angst down to wise and funny bits.
Joel Craig loves a challenge. He is pursuing three of them: acting, nursing, and cartooning. Yes, if you’re serious about each of these professions, they can all take a lot out of you. And they can all definitely give back to you. WELCOME TO NURSING HELL0, Joel Craig’s recently released graphic memoir, is a very funny and insightful collection of comics. You can read my review here. He’s in the thick of it, living and working in Los Angeles and navigating a busy life.
“Short Run” is a gathering of small press in Seattle with some added attractions this year. There’s the main event, the Short Run Small Press Festival at Washington Hall on Saturday, November 30, 2013. But, for those who want more, there’s plenty more starting with an event on November 1. Check out the Short Run website for details here.
Press release follows:
THE STRUMPET #2 Cover by Jeremy Day
What’s THE STRUMPET about, you ask? Well, it is a collection of comics showcasing female cartoonists. It follows in the footsteps of WHORES OF MENSA, an anthology that set the bar high on quality. Not only that, it brings together new talent from around the world. THE STRUMPET #3 is in the works and is currently seeking submissions with a deadline of September 1, 2013. Visit THE STRUMPET website HERE.
Let’s place our attention squarely upon the current issue, THE STRUMPET #2. It is edited by the multi-talented Ellen Lindner and Jeremy Day. All the cartoonist talent here bring together a cohesive and compelling collection with a travel theme in mind. What does travel mean to you? When was the last time you were on a trip? Just a few hours ago at your desk at work whilst you daydreamed? My word, did you think there was only one way to travel?? If you did, then catch yourself please because you’re due for an adventure and an education. Let the ladies from THE STRUMPET encourage, engage, and entertain you on all manner of thought and conjecture regarding the subject of travel.
This collection is 21 cartoonists strong: Patrice Aggs, Rachael Ball, Badaude, Juhyun Choi, Marguerite Dabaie, Jeremy Day, Shamisa Debroey, Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg, Karrie Fransman, Robin Ha, J Homersham, Kripa Joshi, Emily Ryan Lerner, Ellen Lindner, Tanya Meditzky, Kat Roberts, Alison Sampson, Maartje Schalkx, Julia Scheele, Nicola Streeten, and Myfanwy Tristram.
Did I miss anyone? Well, I certainly hope note. I feel like this is a very special endeavor and everyone contributed to make it so.
Let me share with you some of the work in this wonderful anthology.
“Mr. Murray” by Ellen Lindner
Ellen Lindner’s wry sense of humor is spot on in this tale about the search for the seemingly elusive Mr. Bill Murray.
“Trenitalia” by Robin Ha
Robin Ha is full of wanderlust on this adventure on an Italian train.
“The 171 Bus Route” by Julia Scheele
Julia Scheele immerses us in this richly detailed look at a bus commute through London.
“Deaf” by Patrice Aggs
Patrice Aggs has a hilarious story to tell in this comedy of errors.
“Homesick” by Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg
Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg’s “Homesick” is a deliriously wild ride that floats, flies, and dreams its way through to charming results.
“The Next Life of Ruzzell” by Kat Roberts
Kat Roberts gives us a most inventive take on the concept of travel. It is full of magic and whimsy.
“Miss Moti Can Go Places” by Kripa Joshi
We end with the back cover by Kripa Joshi. She’s an engaging artist and this next issue’s co-editor with Ellen. We look forward to what results.
And be sure to pick up your copy of THE STRUMPET #2 which you can find HERE.
Stay tuned. There’s more to come from the Stumptown Comics Fest held in Portland, Oregon, April 27-28. That includes video interviews with Ellen Lindner and Robin Ha.
Comics by J.T. Yost
J.T. Yost is a very talented cartoonist who recently put together a unique comics anthology about food and eating, “Digestate.” He is a down-to-earth guy concerned with just making good work. Yost is a fine example of the patient artist exploring the process of making art. In his series, “Losers Weepers,” he takes found bits of notes and letters and combines them into a comics narrative. In our interview, J.T. confides that it’s just not as easy now to find written bits of things. However, his series continues at least for one more chapter. You can read a review here. “Digestate” grew out of a similar natural process. J.T. says that the idea for the anthology began with the fact that he’s vegan and he began to realize there are a lot of other vegan cartoonists, “a subculture within a subculture.”
Something Big by Victor Kerlow
Blammo #7 by Noah Van Sciver
J.T. runs his own micro-publishing house and distributor, Birdcage Bottom Books, which you can visit here. You can find, “Digestate,” other works by J.T. Yost, as well as other exciting comics talent like Victor Kerlow, a regular contributor to “The New Yorker,” and Noah Van Sciver, the author of the highly acclaimed debut graphic novel, “The Hypo.” And you can check out J.T. Yost’s professional site here.
In this interview, we talk about the comics anthology, “Digestate,” which you can read a review of here. And we talk a bit about Alex Robinson’s contribution dealing with his eating disorder. You can read the recent Comics Grinder interview with Alex here. J.T. talks about the Kickstarter campaign for “Digestate,” his feelings about living in NYC, and comics in general.
CI VEDIAMO by Hazel Newlevant
Towards the end of our interview, we talked about the future of comics which inevitably led to the great print verus digital debate. J.T. spoke to his love of hand-made mini-comics that make their unique case for print. He then mentioned a favorite cartoonist, Hazel Newlevant, who can be found at Birdcage Bottom Books. Her work incorporates overlays and die cuts which can only be achieved through print. Her mini-comic, "Ci Vediamo," is printed on vellum which allows for images to be created when one page is layed over another. Viva print!
You can listen to the Comics Grinder podcast interview with J.T. Yost here:
Filed under Anthologies, Comics, DIY, graphic novels, Interviews, J.T. Yost, Micropublishing, Minicomics
A Night at the Sorrento and Other Stories
