March 2023 – Page 2 – The Comix Report

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Space Fart by Aric Calfee.

The result of decades of aspiration, Aric Calfee has released his first print comic. It takes the form of a very old-school underground solo anthology called Space Fart. Gross. Funny. Very funny. Pretty clever. Like I said, old-school underground. Rafferty, the main character, is so familiar, I swear I know him from somewhere, like a kind of literary everyman, but with more penis jokes, of course.

Space Fart #1 by Aric Calfee. 28 pages. full colour.

https://spacefart.bigcartel.com/product/space-fart-1

You can also sign up to Aric’s Substack and check out some stickers and original artwork at his store.

https://spacefart.substack.com/
https://spacefart.bigcartel.com/

Space Fart Extract. ↓

Space Fart 01

Space Fart 02

Space Fart 03

https://www.instagram.com/space.fart

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https://rodgerbinyone.bigcartel.com/

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John Porcellino announces new publishing project with D&Q.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/mid-month-update-80238489

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Links.

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Cartoonist Cooperative.

Spearheaded by Sloane Leong (among others), the Cartoonist Cooperative launched a few weeks back. The stated goal of the co-op being to “disrupt predatory publishing practices.” Said disruption, at least to my understanding, will take the form a database of work with a showcase feature, a Discord and forum for mentoring, skills sharing, et cetera, and, perhaps most promisingly, the cooperative will also function as a kind of promotional ring, with members simultaneously promoting works via their various personal channels.

Just which cartoonists and what cartoons will be eligible for showcase or inclusion in the promotional ring will be decided by a committee. I think there’s less of a hurdle in becoming an ordinary member, participating on the forum and so on. Exercising a degree of quality control is understandable. What I find slightly less understandable are some of the criteria applied by the committee in deciding who and what work gets the nod. For example, an eligible cartoonist is described as someone who, “enjoys working collaboratively” and “receives and offers criticism well” while being “self-motivated.” Can demotivated, misanthropic cartoonists also apply? I hope so.

Read an interview with some of the founders here. And visit the co-op’s website here.

At Image, Comic Book Workers United takes another step in a long union walk.

Wow Cool is running a St. Patrick’s Day sale with 20% off everything in store from March 17th through 19th, and the Fantabucks 2 for 1 Sale is kicking off on March 24th and ending on the 26th.

Tillie Walden to be Appointed Vermont’s Fifth Cartoonist Laureate.

Top 30 Graphic Novels, Comics & Manga Coming May 2023 as chosen by Paul Gravett.

Visions of Taiwan reviewed on Comics Grinder.

TCJ on Into the Jungle: A Boy’s Comic Book History of WWII.

Broken Frontier Reviews.

Liquid Realm #2 by Samuel Hickson.

Baby by Patrick Kyle.

Harvey Knight’s Odyssey by Nick Maandag.

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Watch: Bad Attitude: The Art Of Spain Rodriguez.

youtu.be/ouWLLDpTTho
https://www.badattitudemovie.com/

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Thanks to Wow Cool for the heads up.

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Check it out: Dialogue Balloons with Lucy Knisley by Jason Novak.

www.tcj.com/dialogue-balloons-lucy-knisley

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Check it out: Original artwork from Andy Barron.

https://www.comicartfactory.com/en/artists/barron-andy

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Golden Record by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell.

Rosemary Valero-O’Connell’s latest is a bilingual chapbook featuring poetic combinations of word and image. Beautifully illustrated and coloured. Mixed media. Personal. An ode to the pleasures and pains of the corporeal soul.

You can read a review from Comics Beat here:
https://www.comicsbeat.com/graphic-novel-reviews-golden-record-by-rosemary-valero-oconnell-is-a-fascinating-mixed-media-approach-to-comics/

Golden Record by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell. 40 pages. Full colour. 8.5” x 11”. Silver Sprocket.

store.silversprocket.net/products/golden-record-by-rosemary-valero-o-connell

Extract. ↓

www.silversprocket.net
www.instagram.com/hirosemaryhello

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Check it out: Anna Readman.

https://annareadman.com/
https://www.instagram.com/annareadman/

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Xiang Yata Kickstarter from Driftwood Press.

Optometry: A Graphic Novel by Xiang Yata & Driftwood Press.

“A woman’s visit to the optometrist catapults her through a multi-medium journey in this kaleidoscopic, experimental, 250-page, full-color graphic novel. As the eye doctor calibrates the optometry machine to investigate the faults and fractures in her eyes, our protagonist is transported to a new world, a place full of overlapping images, dots, curves, houses, and light reflections. As she struggles to navigate the various unique planes within the optometry world, she must confront the endless versions of herself to avoid becoming forever lost in a daze. In Optometry, artist Xiang Yata takes you on a journey through multiple art forms to investigate the myriad ways we perceive ourselves.”

View a preview here.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/optometry/optometry-a-graphic-novel-by-xiang-yata-and-driftwood-press

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Watch: Banned Comics, Old Problems, New Forms.

youtu.be/rUbWglqS9Rg

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Comfort Dungeon 2 by Drew B. Hall.

With the first Comfort Dungeon on its third printing in just over a year, Drew B. Hall has now brought out the second instalment of his solo anthology series. As it says on the tin: existentially anxious comics, goofs, gags, groans, and moans. Supreme underground goodness.

Comfort Dungeon 2 by Drew B. Hall. 6″ x 8″. 24 pages. Full colour covers. Black and white interior. Printed by Lone Crow Printing in Columbus, OH.

https://dontbeupset.bigcartel.com/product/the-comfort-dungeon-2

Some sample pages. ↓