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The past few weeks have been a veritable mini-golden age for comics journalism, as the slumbering behemoth that is the mainstream media slowly but surely wakes up to the storytelling potential that illustrated reportage affords. First up is the editorial cartoonist machine that is Matt Bors, who in addition to being the comics journalism editor over at Cartoon Movement, cranks out an inordinate number of editorial cartoons for the syndicates every week. This week he was honoured as a finalist for the Pullitzer, hot on the heels of his Herb Lock Prize. Next is another comics journalism standard bearer, Erin Polgreen, who in addition to being a keystone at the Media Consortium has recently been awarded a Women Entrepreneurs in Digital News Frontier Grant from the International Women’s Media Foundation to kick off her latest project, Symbolia – a soon-to-be-launched tablet magazine focusing on showcasing illustrated journalism. Susie Cagle, another member of the Graphic Journos collective, was honoured by the Society of Professional Journalists for her coverage of Occupy Oakland, and Josh Neufeld got a well-deserved Eisner nomination for his piece on the protests in Bahrain, Lines in the Sand. Editors, take note!
Me, Olga and an Ogre in a tutu
A big shout to everyone who came by the Archcomix/Center for Cartoon Studies table at Alternative Press Expo this weekend. Copies of the hot-off-the-press Borderland comic (which arrived nail-bitingly late last week, just in time for the con) flew off the table, hotly followed by the second print run of the Honduran Coup: a Graphic History, now with newly amended Honduran Spanish translation (thanks to Fabiola Maldonado). Although I didn’t get much time away from manning the table, I managed to see the Dan Clowes interview panel as well as hang out with fellow comics activist Gan Golan, who has put out an amazing looking new graphic novel that takes the aesthetic of vintage superhero comics to explain the recession and current economic crisis. When else would I bring myself to pose with costumed superheroes? Ladies and Gents, I present: The Adventures of Unemployed Man. It’s actually out tomorrow from Little Brown, so beat the rush and get a copy as soon as you can! I also had the pleasure of hanging out with
My kind of superheroes (Tights optional)
Matt Bors and David Axe – otherwise known as the War is Boring team – as well as Susie Cagle, fresh with issue 2 of her Microcosm-published mini, 9 Gallons, to chew the comics journalism cud. In amongst the weekend’s hectic cocktail-party-conveyor-belt-atmosphere of pitching my work to anyone in the vicinity of table 276, I also found the time to read Ken Dahl‘s truly awesome Monsters, at last collected by Secret Acres into one volume. It’s about as approachable and confessional as herpes lit could be.
More on last week’s events at Stanford, plus a new comic and a breakthrough in my Knight Project, once I get some sleep.
My haul from yesterday's Zinefest
I’m glad to say that the panel I was on at yesterday’s Zinefest provoked a predictably lively debate about the future of journalism and print publishing. Shockingly (to me, at least) only about 2 people in the audience had even heard of sites like Kickstarter or Chipin – not what I was expecting from the most creative, indie-minded spirits in the bay area.
To those of you unfamiliar with the fest, I’d say it’s like a more adult version of APE – same DIY/punk spirit, but fewer zombie comics and more socially conscious creators. Highlights from a few laps of the County Fair Building were: the Zines on Toast peeps from the UK, currently on a nationwide comics tour; Susie Cagle, fellow Bay Area comics journalist, whose comics on Food Not Bombs (9 Gallons, see left from my pile) and a recent trip to Israel were must buys; radical stalwarts AK Press, who hopefully will carry the Honduran coup comic (news on that when I have it); and Sparkplug books, who might do too. Rummaging around in various piles I also found some vintage Seth Tobocman (Squatter comics, see left), as well as a vegan cookery zine that looks interesting.
I’ve also been excitedly looking through the online Stanford Uni course catalog to choose my courses for the upcoming year – one of the many myriad perks of being a Knight Fellow. So far I’m leaning towards the Art and Communication depts, though there were a few neuroscience courses that took my fancy…One of the many innovative Stanford-related websites I came across was the Persuasive Tech Lab, which focuses on the interaction between decision-making and technology, and other behavioral connundrums. Currently they’re linking to this amazing audiovisual mashup of a song comprised of various different would-be youtube stars’ voices/tunes. Check it out below, it’s the future of creative collaboration (and music):
