LA Zine Fest stormed its way into downtown LA’s fashion district and brought with it an incredible number of cartoonists and zine makers creating art at every intersection. One of the most inclusive, accessible, and incredible shows I’ve ever attended, I actually left with a whole bunch of amazing (and affordable) zines, which, as a…
Chronicles of Fortune by Coco Picard is a Powerful Comic about Grief
Chronicles of Fortune Coco Picard Radiator Comics May 2017 Books are like coffee. Just as all the factors related to how coffee beans grow, blossom, and make their way into a tired drinker’s cup can affect taste, each aspect of creation, distribution, and publishing affects the impact of a book. Chronicles of Fortune by Coco…
LA Zine Fest Got Everything Right
It’s rare to find a great comic convention. From the huge halls of the Javits centre where the world’s most attended comic-con NYCC is held to the Disneyland adjacent building site of WonderCon, comic cons are often huge, inaccessible with line-ups that are ninety percent straight white people. Though smaller zine fests seem like they…
Who Would’ve Thought Zines Are So Personal? Reflections and Reviews from Chicago Zine Fest 2017
It would be unfair to write another piece about Chicago Zine Fest (CZF) without admitting bias. I don’t go to a ton of shows because navigating big crowds wears me out very quickly, and while I love meeting creators, I also get nervous and can turn into an awkward mess. However, CZF – and perhaps…
The Captain America We Need
A radical hate movement has infiltrated the American government. A cartoon despot pulls tactics from his skimming of Mein Kampf while a hostile foreign power pulls his strings. Just as we’ve started to make progress toward lasting change and brought long-overdue conversations on transphobia, racism, and systemic oppression to the public sphere, we find ourselves…
Silver Sprocket’s Avi Ehrlich Talks Business of Small Press and Art Theft on Redbubble
Art theft is as old as art itself, but in the digital era it is easier than ever to commit, and harder than ever to police. Perhaps the most common and familiar form occurs when an artist’s work is shared on social media without credit; a work can earn thousands of reblogs, likes, and comments…
Grotesque, Anxious and Delightful: A Review of The Wicked and the Tired
The Wicked and The Tired Sheika Lugtu (editor), Jenna Kang (assistant editor), Connie Chu (cover art), A. Cris Valles, Daimon Hampton, Rivven Prink, Gabriel Mason, Gabi Mendez, Sheika Lugtu, Yewon Kwon, Woodbury Rand (Contributors) Cow House Press One of my favorite things about Chicago’s independent comics scene is that it’s filled with people who are downright inspiring,…
Previously on Comics: Diversity Killed the Comic Star?
Hey WWACers! It’s the first day of Passover (I’m a Jew) which means I can’t eat bread for over a week, which means I’m cranky. I’d like to say I turned to comics to ease my mood, but those can make me pretty upset too, especially when they blame tanking sales on added diversity.
Small Press Bites: A Girl & Her Cat, A Catgirl, and More
Something Familiar Pam Wishbow Pam Wishbow’s work is delightfully creepy, always adorned with eyes and runes and enough esoteric symbols to catch my eye from across a room. Something Familiar, true to form, is a dark and creepy comic drawn in stark black and white, its shadows often dominating each scene in a way that…
Previously On Comics: New Distributors, Comic-Cons, and Creative Resistance
Happy Vernal Equinox, readers! Depending on where you live, the past week brought some “interesting” weather, but hopefully those days are behind us. Now, let’s talk about what’s going on in the comics world. In adaptation news, Marvel is a launching a Darth Vader comicbook series in June. Timely, given the fact that the ending…
Small Press Bites: IUDs, Dads, and Gangs
Here are three bite-sized reviews of some shorter books from the infinite to-read pile in my house. Keep an eye out for more round-up reviews as our small press coverage expands! Lovers in the Garden Anya Davidson Retrofit/Big Planet Comics Anya Davidson’s retro style is the star of in Lovers in the Garden, with bright…
Asian and American: A Review of Permanent Alien
Permanent Alien: An Asian American Comics Anthology Hanna Cha Mariel Rodriguez Jean Wei Michelle Zhuang Digital copies out now; hard copies out February 2017 What does it mean to be Asian American? What are the ways in which we connect to our culture and to our ancestors? How, when, and why do we disconnect? And…