In 2014, Rachael Smith funded her graphic novel House Party through Kickstarter in only four days. The speed of funding suggests she has more than a fan or two who believes in her talent as a comics creator.
It’s Different Than the Comics: Scarlet Witch
Warning: There will be some Age of Ultron spoilers in here. There might also be a tiny rant about how I truly believe not having the Young Avengers in the MCU is a tragedy and a big mistake. Carry on.
Get On With Ron: Ronald Wimberly, Cartoonist in Profile
You may have heard of Ronald Wimberly. Perhaps you discovered him through The Nib when they published “Lighten Up,” in which he discusses being told by an X-Men editor to lighten a character’s skin, and then elaborates on the complexity of skin tone, race, ethnicity, and mainstream comics’ narrow view on the subject. Maybe you’re a…
Sex Comics 2: You Learn From the Bad Times
We went over some nice sex comics, where everyone is happy, and I hope you found something to enjoy. This time, it’s Halloween month—and at Halloween, sex gets different. All sorts of sex-and-horror analysis is out there for you to find (or write! Wanna write something like that for us?), but right here right now…
The “Love Triangle” Arc of Daria or The Ballad of Daria, Jane and Tom
Daria had some amazing character development for its time. The show featured superbly colorful characters and the storylines were simple and easily to follow along with. If you’re already caught up with Daria (from either watching it for the first time or a life long fan), you may notice at the end of season three moving into season…
Top 10 Fantastic Female Characters of IDW’s TMNT
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) has always been a bit of a boys’ club. The franchise originated in 1984 as a comic made by men, for men (or you know, mostly for themselves, since it was essentially just Daredevil fanfic). It then became a cartoon targeted at little boys in 1987—and the trend has gone on strong…
The Concept of Epiphanies: Rebecca Fox in Profile
Up-and-coming graphic novelist Rebecca Fox’s work is defined by strong lines and piercing philosophical questions. A talented artist and storyteller, Fox, 32, is in the midst of prepping her first graphic novel for publication. Set to hit bookshelves next year, her book will be made up of twelve separate, but conceptually linked comics, each with a very…
It’s Different In The Comics: Black Widow
Characters are strange things. They exist in multiple forms, in various versions of “the same” story. They are many different things at the same time as being one unified identity. It can be tricky to navigate the differences without help, so here’s a friendly hand. First? Black Widow. Between Marvel Comics’ primary “Earth-616” timeline and…
The Lawndale Lowdown: An Introduction to Daria
Hello again! In this month’s series of cartoon columns, I’ll be diving into one of the most beloved characters from the 90s. She is one of the best inventions that MTV could ever create, and her name is Daria. The show started in March 1997 on MTV (when it was a hub for amazing and ridiculous things)…
Pre-Orders, Debt, Timekeeping: The Stressful Economics of Indie Comics
Today we’re talking about the absurd economics of comic books. It feels strange and rude, asking ugly questions about income and insider knowledge. But what does the readership of a comic know about the economics behind the book in their hand or on their screen? Not as much as they, or we, could–and that’s a shame, because ignorance…