As June wraps up, things are warming up in the comics world. There has been a lot of news this past week, so let’s jump right in: Comics Vernieda informed us in this column last week: “In manga industry news, Libre Publishing has terminated its agreement with North American company Digital Manga, Inc. Libre is…
Zine Review of Julia Gfrörer’s Dark Age: Everything Will Fade
If the greatest painting of all time was never seen by anyone but the artist, does it matter that it was created? Even if that work was lucky enough to be seen by a large audience, who is to say whether or not an exact duplicate preceded it? Julia Gfrörer’s Dark Age centers on decay, the…
Zine Review: Abstract Door #6/Let it Sink #9
Abstract Door #6: Gargoyles & Garbage/Let it Sink #9: The Tears of Jim Joyce Jim Joyce and Vicky Lim Anything could be behind a door. I assume this is why my cat is fascinated by closed-off rooms, but for Vicky Lim, doors are an opportunity for both a writer and a reader to open themselves…
Con Diaries: Chicago Zine Fest
It’s been two weeks since I attended the Chicago Zine Festival (CZF), but I still feel the aftershocks of love, community, excitement, and exhaustion. In my experience, zine festivals and alternative comics expos are designed with accessibility in mind. There is no entrance fee or admission cost is very low, events take place during typical…
Zine Review: Trans Man Walking #1
Trans Man Walking #1 Andi Santagata Sorry Mom Comix I’m very excited that the third and final zine I’m reviewing for Chicago Zine Fest is also debuting at the festival! Andi Santagata, the artist behind American Spirits: Freelance Ghostbusters—a webcomic that’s unsurprisingly about ghostbusting—just released a brand new zine called Trans Man Walking #1. It’s…
Zine Review: Lady Teeth #7 + Dude Swirl
Lady Teeth #7 + Dude Swirl Taryn Hipp and Jonas Cannon Images from various issues of Craphound My second review in this brief series highlighting zinesters who will be featured at Chicago Zine Fest’s Friday evening events is the seventh issue of Lady Teeth, a series of perzines—”personal zines” that contain writings about personal experiences—by…
Zine Review: On Confronting Anti-Blackness in Our Communities
On Confronting Anti-Blackness in Our Communities Brown and Proud Press A.V.A., Gabo Banksy, Cuauhtemoc, Tanuja Devi Jagernauth, Hoda Katebi, Munoz, Fatima Noekai, Fernando Romulo, Melisa Stephen, Vicko, and Monica Trinidad On April 29th and 30th, Chicago Zine Fest will host dozens of incredible zinesters, and will feature several of them at a Friday evening panel…
Incredible Indie Tuesday: Let’s Talk About Zines
I’ve been thinking a lot about zines lately. For centuries people have published and distributed their writings to tell stories, share ideas, and build relationships. And as far as independent comics go, these self-published booklets are about as indie as you can get. But one of the drawbacks of underground communities is that they can…
Zine Review: Gringa
Gringa Kat Fajardo Kat Fajardo’s Gringa opens with a startling two-page spread: protestors, some angry, many gleeful, hold up signs bearing statements like “Diversity = White Genocide” and “Return to Sender.” It is a stark, frightening punch in the gut; a reminder that those who carry xenophobic mindsets are not ugly, black-hat-wearing villains, but people…
DC Devotees and Making Mine Marvel: What Does Brand Loyalty Mean In Comics?
Are you “a Marvel fan?” Dedicated to DC? Do you have a loyalty to a different publisher or publishing brand? Does this whole idea perplex or enrage you? Where do you stand in terms of publisher loyalty? We’re thinking about it.
Zine Review: Punk Rock Glee Club #1
We are all fans of something; however, the passion that goes with being a fan can create a barrier between the individual and the object of that passion. Anyone who’s awkwardly approached a celebrity or creator at a convention has felt this strange barrier, and some avoid meeting people they admire because of it. Liz…
Zine Review: The Lettuce Girl
The Lettuce Girl Sophia Wiedeman If you’re belatedly looking for a sweet, Valentine’s Day appropriate story, I do not recommend Rapunzel. I recently cracked open my collection of Grimm’s Fairy Tales to reread the tale, and realized that Rapunzel’s meeting with the prince is far from romantic. When he proposes, she gives him the once over and thinks,…