Good morning! My streak of writing about harassment for Previously continues, albeit in brief: The Daily Beast’s article on Comicsgate and its campaign of harassment went live this week. It covers the same topic that Buzzfeed did recently, but includes a lot of info that article left out, such as, you know, the rampant transphobia in that movement. It’s worth a read, but as ever, if you’re not up to it, please look after yourself.
Have you seen this picture of Magneto wall art floating around? Maybe you’re wondering a little about it? Well, wonder no more–the piece is by artist Jeremy Raymer, and sits on the side of a scrap yard in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The scrap yard bit is probably my favorite piece of trivia–what better place for the Master of Magnetism to turn up? If you’re interested in reading more about both the piece and the artist, here’s a great piece about both.
It’s a rough week for news about artists. First, the story broke that Bill Messner-Loebs and his wife are homeless. If that name sounds familiar, Messner-Loebs has a storied career as a writer in comics–he worked on Wonder Woman for several years in the 90s, and also was a frequent collaborator on Sam Kieth’s The Maxx. As of this writing, The Hero Initiative is aware of the Messner-Loebs’ situation, but it bears repeating that the comics industry itself owes its professionals more for the work they do.
Second, Nicole Virella is in need of help to cover the costs of surgery for issues related to PCOS and Endometriosis. Nicole was an artist on All-New Wolverine, the recently ended series starring Laura Kinney, aka the One True Wolverine, and also did work for Return of the Living Deadpool. Please consider donating to her Gofundme here, as her insurance company has opted not to approve her surgery.
Betty and Veronica are unquestionably style icons, but what to do for the discerning fashionista who’s a bigger fan of their original comics incarnations than, say, their more recent depictions on Riverdale? Fear not–while Hot Topic has Riverdale covered, Pinup Girl Clothing has launched their own Betty and Veronica couture collection, and honestly, it’s gorgeous. It’s a little pricey piece by piece, but hey, sometimes looking good costs.
Finally, a farewell: Morgan Chua, political cartoonist in Singapore, has passed away. The cause of his passing is not clear yet, but Mr. Chua was admitted to the hospital in late March, and passed on March 22. He left behind a storied career as an artist, earning a reputation for biting cartoon work, including a series about the massacre at Tiananmen. His most recent published work was LKY: Political Cartoons, a compliation of his work about the first Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew.
