Inkstuds

Last Fall, I moderated a panel at FanExpo in Vancouver featuring Ken Steacy, Paul Chadwick and Gerhard. The theme was legends of indie comics. I just used that as an excuse to have a fun conversation with some memorable voices in comics. Paul Chadwick is probably most known for his work on creator owned series Concrete and his latest book, Best Wishes, a collaboration with publisher Mike Richardson. Gerhard from his years of work his the laborious draftsman on Dave Sim’s Cerebus and lastly, Ken Steacy, an active figure in the west coast Canadian comics scene, running his own post secondary comics school program and a career of solid work. These guys were a blast to talk to.

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Zach Hazard Vaupen joined me to talk about his new book from Retrofit, Combed Clap of Thunder. Zach’s other work includes Pearlescent Gray posted on Study Group. I really enjoyed Zach’s book. He’s come into his own with these 2 most recent works. He’s got a great style at evoking horror and near future existentialism.

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Chris Ware joined me to chat about his new book from Rizzoli, Monograph. I have been a huge fan of Chris’s for a number of years. When I get a new book by him, I inhale it right away. In preparation for this interview, I reread the majority of his work, and got new perspectives and insights.

Monograph is a really fantastic document in understanding Chris Ware and how his work is created. I’m not going to say too much, just take a listen and enjoy the book.

Addendum from Chris – The fading non-photo blue lead is “Pilot 0.7 Color Eno Soft Blue,” not Uniball

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This week I was joined by the creative team behind Shade the Changing Girl from Young Animal/DC Comics. Cecil Castellucci, the writer behind the book, has been very active on a number if different fronts with new works like Soupy Leaves Home (with Jose Pimienta), The Plain Janes (with Jim Rugg), Year of the Beasts (with Nate Powell) and the novel, Don’t Cosplay with My Heart.

Marley Zarcone is someone who’s work I have been watching for quite a while. I think she has really come to her own with this book, allowing her art to breathe and move taking on the inherent madness in Shade. I really enjoyed the book and enjoyed talking to them both in person.

Shade the Changing Girl continues on some of the idea’s of the original series but Ditko, Milligan, Bachalo and more, but takes it in its own personal direction, feeling fresh and living on it’s own from the previous works.

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Australian cartoonist, Campbell Whyte joined me to talk about his new book from Top Shelf Comics, Home Time. It’s a really delightful read and I was really blown away by the artwork. Campbell gots some really good chops for his first graphic novel.

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Sophia Foster-Dimino has slowly been releasing these amazing Sex Fantasy mini comics. I have been able to get a couple of them, but always got jealous from friends that were able to get copies. They are amazing personal nuggets of work. Sophia creates comics in a really amazing space, developing satisfying exploratory work. I am really excited that Koyama Press just released a giant collection of Sophia’s Sex Fantasy mini comics. It’s well worth checking out and I am delighted to have the opportunity to chat about it.

You can also find her work in the Comics For Choice Anthology, as well as the spectacular cover.

Sophia will be debuting this collection at SPX this weekend.

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This is my second interview with Jerry Moriarty. We first talked back in 2010 for the rerelease of his might Jack Survives collection. Jerry first got notice in the comics community being printed in Raw magazine. His work stood out for his bold line work capturing a simpler time. Raw (aka Art Spiegelman and Francois Mouly) published a collection of Jack Survives back in the 80s. Alvin Buenaventura’s edition was a high water mark for production quality and presenting an important comics work. In the meanwhile, Jerry has been continuing to create and paint. His latest work, Whatsa Paintoonist, from Fantagraphics, is a great next step in Jerry exploring himself and his world. Jerry has spent most of his adult life from the 1960’s, living in the same amazing loft in the middle of Manhattan, he recently relocated back to his childhood home in Binghamton, New York, after seeing it for sale.

Jerry is one of my favorite people to talk to. After our first conversation, I was fortunate to visit him in New York a couple of times. He’s a creative force that always leaves me energized and excited. You can find Jerry’s current work on youtube, accompanied by his own music. He was also in the most recent Kramers Ergot collection with more work to come.

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Newly ignatz nominated creator Ben Passmore joined me to talk about his book Your Black Friend, his political comics and other stuff like Daygloayhole. Ben’s work is vibrant and filled with life. Your Black Friend has been getting a lot of well deserved praise and attention. It’s a fantastic comic. Ben’s other work is equally enjoyable to read on a number of different levels. His non-fiction work feels especially present and important when discussing current sociopolitcal conditions.

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Chicago cartoonist, Keiler Roberts joined me to chat about her latest book, Sunburning. Published by Koyama Press, Sunburning continues Keiler’s memoir work, much along the lines of her previous work in her Powdered Milk mini comics and collections. This latest book is a great personal look into a personal level of life, focused on the small things and moments. I really enjoyed reading Keiler’s work while preparing for this interview. She’s a very thoughtful cartoonist, staking a very particular style within memoir and autobio work. Highly recommended.

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In recognition of the release of the complete Neil the Horse Collection from Conundrum Press, my good friend Brandon Graham sat down with Neil’s creator, Katherine Collins for a live conversation about her work. Brandon and I both think the world of Katherine’s work. Not just through her comics with Neil the Horse, but also her work interviewing pioneering strip cartoonists in the 70s and 80s. Katherine is a singular voice in comics and we are very excited to see it out for a whole new audience of readers. This interview was recorded at the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival back in May.

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