Asshole in a Hat – The Early Days of Jonah Hex
Tom digs into the early days of the DC gunfighter, and considers how mounting elements of sophistication only troubled the Weird Western star.
Features
“I Wanted To Try Something New”: A Conversation with Simon Moreton
Cartoonist Warren Craghead and cartoonist Simon Moreton discuss Moreton’s latest creation, WHERE?, the projects and work method that brought it to fruition, and how Simon manages such a prodigious output.
Like Tears In Rain – This Week’s Links
Worried you’ll arrive at your next virtual comics convention without an ability to navigate all the various comics conversations? Toss those worries in the dumpster: Clark is here, and he’s got you covered with all the links you’ll need to enough comics news to keep overlong chat sessions moving while you wait to see a movie trailer!
MK Reed: Day Five
Good boy, Hank.
Night Hunters and Beef Bros: Socially Conscious Storytelling
An exploration of two recent crowdfunded comics tackling social ills from an anti-authoritarian perspective: Night Hunters, created by Alexis Ziritt & Dave Baker; and Beef Bros, created by Tyrell Cannon & Aubrey Sitterson.
MK Reed: Day Four
Scenes from the early life of Hank, as MK Reed’s diary week continues.
MK Reed: Day Three
Garden work; a helpful pet; a fancy dress; trophies awarded before a thousand eyes in an empty room.
MK Reed: Day Two
Today, MK and her sibling try to find some sense of normalcy in the face of 2020’s various awfulness by heading out to the farm!
The Nate Powell Interview
In this expansive interview, Nate Powell describes the experience of working with Congressman John Lewis and writer Andrew Aydin on the widely popular March trilogy, his most recent non-fiction comics work Save It For Later, and how his work and parenting has been informed and changed by the American political climate of the last four years.
MK Reed: Day One
A new Cartoonist’s Diary begins, and so does a new era for a dog, depicted by MK Reed as having experienced, for the first time…well, you’ll just have to read on to find out!
We’re All Trying To Find The Guy Who Did This – This Week’s Links
While there are a hundred canoes you can take to the isle of knowledge, wouldn’t it be preferable to take the canoe featuring all the comics news, reviews and points-of-view that has burst forth in the last seven days? Of course it would: and Clark is beckoning to you. Take his hand, friend!
The Light That You Shine Can Be Seen – Part 3
In the conclusion of Tegan’s look back at Knightfall, she makes her way to the other lodestone creator of 90s Batman iconography: filmmaker Joel Schumaker, whose colorful versions of Gotham City’s most popular inhabitants couldn’t be further from where Bruce Wayne now resides. Or could they?
How Ayn Rand Influenced Comic Books
Echoes of the infamous author in the superhero comic book behemoths of the 1980s – satirized in Watchmen, and domesticated in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
Impressions of Shirow Masamune, 1983-1997
It’s an artist-on-artist special, as comics and animation veteran Tom Herpich makes his way through 14 years’ worth of manga by that inspiring and infuriating legend, Shirow Masamune, recording his thoughts book by book.
“Systemic Change Is What Really Matters”: An Interview with Bill Campbell
Publisher, editor and writer Bill Campbell talks with Ian Thomas about his new graphic novel with Bizhan Khodabandeh,The Day The Klan Came To Town, the historical riot that inspired it, the unfortunate yet obvious parallels to today’s white supremacy, and the future of his own Rosarium Publishing.
Heavens to Murgatroyd – This Week’s Links
I had to look up the word “Murgatroyd”, you know. Check the spelling, the usage. You can’t take anything for granted in this life – the life of the person who writes these little texts. It’s a good life…
The Light That You Shine Can Be Seen – Part 2
Tegan’s epic look at Jim Aparo, Batman, and Knightfall continues with a necessary stopover in the land of Denny O’Neil, the editor who ran USS Batman for over a decade.
Shoes & John Q. Public
Bob is calling class to order, and this time, he’s looking back at Vaughn Shoemaker, the question of who invented the “Q” in John Q. Public, how the Gospels made it past the editing stage, and supplying some professional anecdotes of the way things used to be, professionally..
Bruce Canwell: A Conversation With a Comics Historian
Catching up with one of the prime movers behind the Library of American Comics, compilers of over 200 books of classic American comic strips – with more to come.
A Cloudy Day In Metropolis – This Week’s Links
Whew, it’s been a hot week here. Almost as hot as these amazing links. God, I could have been a political cartoonist. I mean, a bad one. You just combine one thing with another; that’s what the bad ones do. These links are good, however.
The Case of Eric Heuvel, Dangerous Cartoons and Conspiracy Media
A look into a cartoon controversy in the Netherlands, as a lauded artist of comic albums shifts into political cartooning for a new conspiratorial magazine.
The Light That You Shine Can be Seen
Tegan begins her latest project with a look at the big guy: Batman, and the “Jim Aparo” who drew him best. Knightfall may not have the most beloved conclusion, but you can’t deny the opening act. Or can you?
“It’s Unfortunate That So Many Cartoonists Talk About Structure As If It Were Something Desirable”: An Interview With Beatrix Urkowitz
Cartoonist Beatrix Urkowitz catches up with Sara Lautman about stepping out against the strangles of structure, the beauty and supportive community that she’s found in comics, and the hassles and expectations around “originality”.
The Opaque Surface Begins To Clear – This Week’s Links
Do you want to play skee-ball? No mommy! Do you want to play Fascination? No mommy, no! Do you want to race balloons? Nooooo! Noooo! Do you want to play Click All the Links? Yes mommy! Hooray!
