The Ninth Art (that being comics)

general
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All right. That does it. This is the comics thread.

Specifically this is the thread for everything that exists between manga and superheroes. We already have some discussions which cover those two exclusions, and here’s where you can find them:

Whatcha reading? Any recent pickups? What are some of your favourites? Do YOU make a comic?

I just got back into Saga! I’ve got that one volume of Cry Punch that Al Gofa put out before that whole thing fell apart that I haven’t read all the way through yet. My absolute favourite recent pickup has got to be Gleem by Freddy Carrasco. I love his art so much.

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@connrrr How is Volume Ten of Saga? (Saw your what‘s in the mail post) I loved the series before the break but even with it at home I’m struggling to get back into it. Did you reread earlier volumes or jump right in?

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Heck yes.

When I was a high school student, I was _sure_ I was going to make a career as an indie comix artist and writer. That did not end up happening!

However, when I was back in Southern Ontario this past December, I finally got my hands on a copy of _Ducks_ by Kate Beaton, and yes it's as fantastic as everybody says. Just so heartfelt and relatable, and lovingly drawn by someone who is clearly sensitive and highly intelligent (as Beaton's work on _Hark! A Vagrant_ has always shown).

But also, Drawn + Quarterly just did such a great job with the book itself. The paper stock is luxurious, and the slip cover has this wonderful, almost sandpapery texture to it. Then you take it off, and the hardcover itself is a beautiful mustard yellow with a blue, oily (such a good design choice) looking duck emblazoned into it.

Gorgeous work. The kind of volume a body is proud and pleased to have on their bookshelf.

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@Tom I enjoyed it a lot! It doesn‘t feel like it’s losing direction or steam or whatever. I did not go back and re-read it from the beginning and I was a lot less lost than I thought I‘d be. I’ll probably start over from the beginning before volume 12 comes out, I assume later this year?

I did flip back to the earlier pages just to see how Staples' art had evolved and it sure did. Most noticeable was that her line work now has way more texture and confidence.

@whatsarobot thank you for reminding me of this! I heard her interviewed on Canadaland and have badly wanted to check it out ever since. I've been a fan of hers since like 2008.

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@connrrr You and me both! If that’s the case, you’ll dig it for sure.

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@connrrr Thank you! My biggest worry was not remembering what had happened, but knowing Vaughan and his work (we have Y: The Last Man and Paper Girls too), I hoped the story would continue as strong as it has.

Honestly I didn't know I could go back as a certain part (I won't name it) just brought me to tears and I'm not sure I can read it again!

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I recently read through Bitch Planet and enjoyed what was there but it felt so truncated! There should have been more of that one.

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@Tom I have a very vivid memory of walking into Silver Snail to pick up my tenth volume of Y and the guy at the counter very knowingly ringing me up in almost complete silence. Then I went home and read it and found out why lol. I love that series. The show they tried to make out of it sucked ass and not least because they cleared a homeless encampment to shoot it. I was so disappointed by that.

Should I read Paper Girls?

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I had to find a new comic store because the owner of the nearest one got mad at me for only buying Love And Rockets

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@yeso I was just thinking about this and the tough sells threads. I would love to get into this somehow. It's on my list of really long daunting series I need to set aside time to investigate, along with like Concrete.

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@connrrr Oh yes the last volume. Not a lot to be said really. You‘ve either read it or you haven’t haha!

Yes the tv show was awful - just didn't capture the spirit of the book and tried to change it in ways it just didn't need to be changed. I watched a few episodes and gave up, went back to the book and realised why it didn't need to be a tv show. Plus the last volume... They couldn't show that on TV!

And yes read Paper Girls, it's Brian K. Vaughan. There's not many writers I'd buy anything by without knowing anything about, but he is one of them. I doubt you'd be disappointed.

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@connrrr it‘s long in years but the actual page count isnt that bad due to a few long breaks and a generally relaxed approach to meeting publishing deadlines. It’s a lot to come to grips with from a civilian POV, but probably not too tough for a comic reading veteran

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@connrrr Concrete is on my list to dig into as well.

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@connrrr @yeso Been reading through love and rockets on the Hoopla app I got with my library card. The fact that there’s so much of it feels more exciting than overwhelming now that I’m into it - the Palomar stuff is especially engrossing. I have a 12 year old iPad that I haven’t touched in a long time and recently thought to check out some comics on there. It’s a great way to read them. The app is cool it even saves your place so if I read some at work on my phone I can easily pick up where I left off on the iPad when I get home. It’s also been a great way to reduce the amount of time I spend looking at stupid stuff on my phone, I’ll pick it up and read love and rockets on a break instead. Highly recommend checking it out if you have access to it.

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I love comics. I started digging in more after discovering Quimby‘s Comic Shop in Chicago back in 2012 — a sacred pillar of chicago’s self-publishing scene that has somehow withstood being enveloped by Wicker Park's aggressive gentrification.

Initially, I was drawn to Chris Ware, Hartley Lin, Dustin Harbin, Adrian Tomine, Harvey Pekar, Natasha Allegri, Simon Hanselmann and Anders Nisen. Nowadays, I really enjoy Michael Deforge, Tommi Parrish, Anna Haifisch, Tara Booth, Benji Nate, Freddy Carrasco, Keith Pakiz, Alabaster Pizzo, and Anders Nisen.

After reading Pope Hats by Hartley Lin and falling in love with the small format of a saddle stapled Diary Comics from Dustin Harbin (four panels, 5.5“ x 5.5”) I bought a passable risograph machine (for $30!) and started printing and distributing my own semi-autobio series around Chicago called Tin Crown. In total I did four of them, but I was never very consistent with releases — here are the first two if anyone's interested. TC1, TC2 Edit: Oh, and a one-off that was inspired by Pikmin called Fridge Zone.

I still table at indie zine and comic fairs when I‘ve got something new that I’m excited about. I really enjoy making and assembling booklets, and LOVE the range of approaches and voices that self-publishing allows for. Zine fairs still feel like a somewhat untainted sub-culture to me.

Same! There was a great feature on the Hernandez Brothers and Love and Rockets on California's public TV doc series Artbound back in 2022. That and @yeso really piqued my interest. Artbound - Love & Rockets

@mindleftbody Good call on getting them from the library! I don't know why I never think to get comics.

Alright, last thing, I really enjoy this comics podcast called Thick Lines. Cool hosts, fun takes and they‘ve introduced me to some greats like Tara Booth’s Nocturne and Sylvie Rancourt's Melody.

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https://cohost.org/bunp/post/4489177-library-haul-3

here's a recent batch of comics i got from the library
ive read lucky penny, the junction, and i love this part so far
i think i like "i love this part" the most out of the ones ive read
it's short and sweet and also a little sad

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@safety_lite those Tin Crown comics are fantastic. I love that all the people in positions of authority are colossal lol

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About Love And Rockets - For as much praise as it’s received I think it’s under-appreciated and for my money among the best American art in any medium. I’ve been heartened to see some detailed critical works on it get published in recent years. Fantagraphics has one coming out in a couple months. The series has had lots of acclaim but not much really in-depth close reading and it’s certainly worth that kind of explication. Said this in the book thread but it’s M.I.N.D.B.L.O.W.I.N.G. that they were doing “Wig Wam Bam”, “Poison River”, and “Love and Rockets X” all at the same time for a while there. As a follow up to the earlier anecdote, I was able to find a shop on the northwest side that has an image of Maggie painted on the wall so alls well that ends well

I can write a little bit about my history with comics too: never really into superheroes (just the way it was not trying to be fancy) but got into Vertigo as a kid mainly as a way to see violence/swearing/nudity and was read The Invisibles and 100 Bullets. I got interested in independent comics through American Splendor and Stray Bullets. I was a more consistent reader back in the Kramer’s Ergot heyday. still regret not buying that one edition that was the size of a front door.

@safety_lite I mean this sincerely: your zines are pretty darn good. And I love Quimby’s too of course but going to that neighborhood is like walking through hell for me lol

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oh, i also want to say

i saw a graphic novel version of tenacious d - post apocalypto from fantagraphics at the library

and i think thats very funny

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i ain‘t that snobby, but sandman opened my eyes to the possibilities of comics in ’98. i found it in my library and fell deep into the vertigo well, as divined by moore and dug by berger. though my reading was not limited to the imprint, i lost a lot of interest in western comics with the advent of marvel in the late aughts.

more recent horror books i‘ve dabbled with are ok - gideon falls, the nice house by the lake, ice cream man. gideon falls came close, nice house on the lake tantalised but failed to commit, ice cream man i’m here for.

@connrrr i‘ve been sitting on a draft response to ’tough sells' for six months, touching on my ancient experience with love and rockets. i would happily revisit the works of los bros hernandez in the company of this thread.