Zainab Akhtar
Hanna K. Draws Ultra Modern Teen Catwoman With Hello Kitty Accessories
As everybody keeps saying in a rather dazed manner, it's stunning the amount of good to very good to excellent comics being produced at the moment, and I have a litany of fantastic and favorite people working in comics right now; a good portion of whom I've discovered via work published online. One of these is ace Swedish artist Hanna K., who you may know of her via her excellent Legend of Zelda comic which blew up Tumblr. Her Tumblr is the best place to acquaint yourself with her work: she makes wonderful, giffed comics, like this one, called Owl Cafe. She's also published a couple of books with Swedish publishers, Peow! Studio; Third Wheel, a beautiful, fluro-blue riso-graph tale about a couple of kids encountering a strange being in a ruined future, is due for a September re-stock. I recommend keeping an eye out for that re-print so you can nab yourself a copy. If you need further convincing, you can see a gorgeous eight-page preview of it here.
Here's another reason to love Hannah K.- this week she tweeted some pictures of her notebook showing off an adorable, ultra-modern, and very comfy-looking teen Catwoman re-design.
Geof Darrow, The Return Of Big Guy & Rusty The Boy Robot, And American Apathy [Review]
Geof Darrow made a welcome return to the pages of the Dark Horse Presents anthology recently, in the first issue of its latest relaunch, with a new Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot story. Missing was Darrow's collaborator on the original 1995 comic, Frank Miller; in an interview prior to the release of the new short story, Darrow said he'd talked to Miller and hoped he would still come on board to write some dialogue, but it didn't read as overly convincing, so it wasn't a surprise to see him listed as the sole author in this edition. Needless to say, a Miller-less Big Guy makes for a very different reading experience.
Elegant Ennui: Michael Cho Talks ‘Shoplifter’ [Review + Interview]
Also a contributor to the recent volume of Batman: Black and White, Cho does a very good job with the characterization of his Shoplifter protagonist: grumpy, wry yet oddly affable, and smart. She's both a familiar and refreshing protagonist and serves well as a universal conduit for the emotions and experiences portrayed. I'm usually the first person to shunt the concept of "quit your day job, and do what makes you happy" à la Zen Pencils, Cho's an accomplished enough writer that his presentation of Corinna's decision to pursue her creative passion is more the result of a cumulative desire to change what isn't working for her, an acknowledgement of the problems she's having and possessing the strength and fortitude to realize only she can enforce a difference. She's under no illusions about what the future may bring, but for now, she's done enough to make herself feel better, and hopeful, and that will do.
Shoplifter's a short book -- 90 pages or so, and the concise length serves it well -- there's no flab here, no room for distracted interjections, no complaints. It may be slight, but it's elegantly executed, and I like the fact that Cho didn't feel the need to draw this out, the story's assured and cogent (although spending more time with the character would perhaps leave a greater impact on the reader). Visually, it's as attractive as you'd expect from Cho, alternatively surrounding Corinna with beautiful rendered city and then leaving her swathes of space; she's as lost in one as the other. The rose and black color scheme is a gorgeous combination that does much to imbue the narrative with a sense of warmth and closeness, and also to dispel any notions of otherwise suggested tone. It's rare that you read something so evenly handled yet characterful and uplifting, but Shoplifter manages it.
I chatted to Cho about the new Pantheon book, its themes and the process by which it was created.
Dark Horse To Expand Further Into Children’s Comics Market in 2015 With New Slate Of Graphic Novels
Dark Horse Comics have announced a renewed strategy to expand the number of all-ages graphic novels they publish, with a concentrated push into the market for 2015 with the launch of four new titles: Rexodus, The Courageous Princess, Veda: Assembly Required, and The Return of the Gremlins.
Inés Estrada’s ‘Lapsos’ Takes You On A Psychedelic Science-Fiction Adventure [Preview]
Inés Estrada's psychedelic science-fiction epic, Lapsos is releasing next month in a collected, English language edition and it's something that should be on your radar. Published by Swedish imprint, C'est Bon Kultur, and debuting at the Helsinki Comics Festival, the new hardback edition is limited to 1000 copies, and includes the original series in addition to 40 pages of new content. Lapsos follows the adventures of two friends who discover the existence of various dimensions between their home city in Mexico, and the gradual realisation that everything is connected, it's marked with Estrada's signature gross-but-touching humour and vivid characterisation.
Dustin Harbin’s Dinosaur Parade Marches On… And On… And On… In ‘Behold! The Dinosaurs!’ [Interview]
If there's one we thing we should establish from the off, it's that my love for dinosaurs is infinite. There is something inherently fascinating about this whole world that existed before us, the completeness of it: the sheer array of lumbering aquatic, flying, and terrain beasts that roamed the Earth; their power and size, the wonderful shapes, colours, and variations, the mystery of their total obliteration, the fact that we're still discovering more about them today.
So when I learned that UK publishers Nobrow Press had teamed up with cartoonist and illustrator Dustin Harbin to produce one of their gorgeous leporellos, this time focusing on dinosaurs, my excitement levels were pretty damn high.
Ignatz Awards Honor Indie Creators And Alternative Work With 2014 Nominations
The Small Press Expo (SPX) announced the full list of nominees for the 2014 Ignatz Awards this week; with an aim to celebrate outstanding achievements in independent and alternative comics and cartooning, the awards are named after George Herriman’s brick-wielding mouse from his Krazy Kat comic strip, recognising exceptional work within the medium. Nominees are determined by a panel of cartoonists, this year comprised of Whit Taylor, Melissa Mendes, Thien Pham, Darryl Ayo, and Austin English, with votes cast only by attendees during SPX to decide the eventual winners.
First Second to Publish Six Volumes of Hit French Martial Arts Fantasy Series, ‘Last Man’
Speculation about publishers First Second acquiring the rights to a book by French comics superstar, Bastien Vivès, first began swirling in March, and while I'd like to say I'm above such speculation, when it concerns my favourite authors, I'm just as readily excitable as anyone else. July saw things take a more solid shape, as a listing for the first volume of Last Man, Vivès' co authored series with Balak and Michael Sanlaville, showed up on various book retail sites, with a projected release date of March 2015. Happy news, but I'm here to bring you even better: not only are First Second translating Last Man, they've bought the rights to the first six volumes of the series, and will be publishing three books each year for the next two years.