Oni Press PUBWATCH: September, Baby!

Welcome back to WWAC’s official Oni Press Pubwatch, brought to you by me, Jazmine. If you are new to WWAC’s Pubwatches, they are summations of what a comics publisher has been up to in the past month. This one is Oni Press’s September goings-on. This Pubwatch will be different from my last; it will not be a MEGA version, just a lovely condensed look at Oni’s fun titles. So let’s get to it!

News

Draw Out the Vote logo
Draw Out The Vote
Oni Press

Early in September, Oni Press’s Drawoutthevote.com went live. This great initiative was created by the publisher in hopes that it will “increase voter awareness and encourage comics readers to vote in the November midterm elections.”

Oni Press recruited fifty-two different artists to create a comic reflecting their state or district’s connection with voting and politics. Artists like Bianca Xunise, Melanie Gillman, Kiku Hughes, Christina “Steenz” Stewart, and Terry Blas all have created great comics that not only inform readers about their states and other states voting history, but can also help you register to vote just in time for the upcoming November mid-term elections.

Drawoutthevote.com is a beautiful way to spread the word on the political process while exposing people to history and fantastic artist and writers. Oni Press says it best: “With Drawoutthevote.com, we want to give a platform for cartoonists to explore their passion for participating in the political process and to give voters a quick and easy starter guide on getting registered and making a plan to get their ballot in the box this November.”

Harvey Awards Logo

In other Oni Press news, at this year’s Harvey Awards Katie O’Neill took home the award for Best Children or Young Adult Book for her graphic novel The Tea Dragon Society. O’Neill said about her win, “It is a huge honor to receive the Harvey Award! The Tea Dragon Society is one of many works of children’s media this year that are pushing LGBT-spectrum characters to be seen just as characters, as people who are a natural, visible part of this world.” She goes on, “It makes me excited for the future, and for a generation of kids to grow up with a crucial and often vulnerable aspect of their identity accepted and reflected in the media they see. I’m proud to be a part of this, and I’m extremely thankful for all the support and kindness that has been shown towards my book.”

Announcements

Oni Press announced a new miniseries coming in 2019, Morning in America, written by Magdalene Visaggio with art by Claudia Aguirre. Issue #1 of the original series is set to release March 6th, 2019.

A skeleton with luscious blonde hair pulls down her green shades to look at the viewer in a style reminiscent of '80s movie posters or Goosebumps book covers; various angry/concerned faces are reflected in her shades
Morning in America
Oni Press

The comic takes place in 1983 and follows a high school girl gang as they fight to save their town from the wave of monsters taking over—a fun premise helmed by two great comics creators. Visaggio is gushing with excitement for the new book: “I’m absolutely thrilled that Morning in America is launching [at Oni Press]. This book is extremely close to my heart, and Claudia is one of the dearest people in the world to me, so I hope our excite comes through in this dark, hopefully-funny story about monsters, friendship, and the end of the world.”

Keep an eye out for Morning in America in your previews catalogs next year.

And now we have gotten to the part of the Pubwatch where you get to read my thoughts about three of Oni Press’s September Releases. Let’s call this bit Jazmine’s Reading Corner. Now gather around, kids, while I tell you about some cool stories…

Jazmine’s Reading Corner

Kim Reaper: Vampire Island #1

Sarah Graley (writer, illustrator, colorist)
Oni Press

A dark-skinned vampire with black wings and fangs, grinning at the viewer, hovers over a pale, apparently sleeping person on a couch
Kim Reaper Vampire Island
Sarah Graley
Oni Press

Kim and Becka are back in this new fun series. Kim arrives at Becka’s house for a date, when she discovers Becka and Tyler watching their favorite Teen Vampire Drama show. Kim lets slip that she knows where to find the real deal and Becka talks her into a Vampire Island Date with Tyler in tow. This comic is a fun read; Sarah combines an entertaining storyline and terrific art into an epic ride.

I have been a fan of Kim Reaper since the beginning. Becka and Kim’s relationship and understanding of one another is one of my favorite things about the series, and it continues in this story. Sarah Graley’s art and colors are mischievous, dynamic, and adorable all at the same time. Diving into Kim Reaper: Vampire Island #1 is not only a treat for the eyes, but will also surely make you smile. Check it out.

Open Earth

Claudia Aguirre and Eva Cabrera (illustrators), Sarah Mirk (writer)
Limerence Press

Three humans in casual clothes stand close to each other, observing each other and the space station hovering above the Earth in the background
Open Earth
Limerence Press

Open Earth is a beautiful story about Rigo, a young woman living on the California space station—a place she has lived her whole life. She is coming to terms with her parents’ dated ways of looking at love and relationships, and exploring what polyamory means to her. Rigo is a great character; she is wonderfully human, lively, and curious. Open Earth does a fantastic job of showing the complexities of polyamory all while making sure to show you the love that goes on with each connection.

Now coming from Oni Press’s sexy imprint Limerence Press, I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you about the wonderful erotic scenes and the great art done by Claudia Aguirre. The drawings pop off the page, and I highly recommend this NSFW graphic novel not only for the glorious art and colors, but also for the immersive storytelling and heartfelt moments throughout.

DrawOutTheVote.com

(There are fifty-two artists, and they are all great)
Oni Press

A map of the United States with the Draw Out the Vote logo above
Drawoutthevote.com

So technically I am recommending fifty-two comics, but I feel like you will forgive me for this small indiscretion after checking out Oni Press’s site Drawoutthevote.com. Now, I am someone who feels like I am suffocating under the weight of the political process and the constant news being thrown on my timeline about the wildness that is coming from our government. I know it can be daunting and entirely discouraging to go out and vote. With the voting rules continually changing and the purging of voters from state to state, it can be a lot. I get it. But Drawoutthevote.com helps not only walk you through the process of how to register and what to do/what not to do when you get to the polls, but also provide you with a comic focused on your state about politics, history, or even just the weight of being a voter. All fantastic reads, and definitely worth your time to check out.

That’s all for September’s Oni Press Pubwatch! Join me next month to check what the publisher had to offer in October.

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Jazmine Joyner

Jazmine Joyner

Jazmine Joyner is a freelance writer in Southern California. She has written for Wear Your Voice Magazine, /Film, Okayplayer, and many other sites. In her free time, she likes to write Sci-fi short stories, play video games, and read. You can follow her on Twitter @Jazmine_Joyner .

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