Kel McDonald

Leaping into Asian Myth with 'Cautionary Fables & Fairy Tales'
Leaping into Asian Myth with 'Cautionary Fables & Fairy Tales'
Leaping into Asian Myth with 'Cautionary Fables & Fairy Tales'
The Cautionary Fables and FairyTales project has been running for several years now; an anthology series that tells stories based around the fairy tales, myths and legends of a different continent each time, starting with Europe, then Africa, and now Asia. The anthology is the work of editors and cartoonists Kel McDonald and Kate Ashwin, and features work from a number of creators both new and established --- including Gene Luen Yang, Meredith McClaren, Nilah Magruder and Carla Speed McNeil. As with the previous volumes, the team has to Kickstarter to fund the 200-page, black and white Asia anthology. Asia is a particularly wide topic to handle, so ComicsAlliance spoke to both Ashwin and McDonald about how the series has grown over time, what stories will be featured in their latest collection, and how Kickstarter has helped bring the whole thing together.
Blue Delliquanti's Tibetan Folk Tale from 'Cautionary Fables'
Blue Delliquanti's Tibetan Folk Tale from 'Cautionary Fables'
Blue Delliquanti's Tibetan Folk Tale from 'Cautionary Fables'
This week sees the launch of the Kickstarter to fund the latest of Kel McDonald and Kate Ashwin's Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales anthologies, featuring folk tales recreated and reimagined by some of the finest independent small press and webcomic cartoonists in the business. After previous volumes focused on tales from Europe and Africa, the third volume is comprised of Asian folk tales from the storytelling traditions of China, India, Japan, Tibet, and beyond, adapted by an impressive roster of creators that includes E.K. Weaver, Carla Speed McNeil, Lucy Bellwood, Terry Blas, and Gene Yang. The Kickstarter is a third of the way towards its $29,000 goal, and with all the stories already completed and digital copies available from the $5 reward level, Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales: Asia Edition is a safe bet for anyone who loves great comics or great storytelling. But if you still need convincing, we can whet your appetite with this unsettling Tibetan folk tale from O Human Star creator Blue Delliquanti, debuting exclusively on ComicsAlliance.
Kel McDonald Kickstarts 'The Better To Find You With'
Kel McDonald Kickstarts 'The Better To Find You With'
Kel McDonald Kickstarts 'The Better To Find You With'
Cartoonist Kel McDonald, who we’ve interviewed in the past about her work in webcomics and her early adoption of Kickstarter to fund print comics, just launched a new Kickstarter campaign for her comic The Better to Find You With. This project is unique in that McDonald is funding a print edition for a comic that will later be released as a webcomic, but for around a year, it will be print-only.
Interview: Cartoonist Kel McDonald On Web Vs. Print
Interview: Cartoonist Kel McDonald On Web Vs. Print
Interview: Cartoonist Kel McDonald On Web Vs. Print
Kel McDonald has been making comics for ten years, including a ten year run on her webcomic Sorcery 101. She was an early adopter of crowdfunding as a way of getting her comics out in print, and book one of McDonald's Misfits of Avalon series came out earlier this year through Dark Horse Comics. As increasing numbers of young, particularly female comics creators turn to webcomics as a way of getting their work out there, and as increasing numbers of comics publishers look to webcomics for up-and-coming talent, creators like McDonald are poised to have a unique understanding of the current comics world we live in As part of her wrap-up of Sorcery 101, she's currently running a Kickstarter campaign for an omnibus of the series. ComicsAlliance sat down with McDonald to talk comics, crowdfunding, and web versus print.
Kel McDonald 'Misfits Of Avalon' Graphic Novel Interview
Kel McDonald 'Misfits Of Avalon' Graphic Novel Interview
Kel McDonald 'Misfits Of Avalon' Graphic Novel Interview
I've been a fan of the Magical Girl genre ever since I first saw Sailor Moon make a monster explode with the power of love and justice, so I'm pretty sure I'm right in the target market for what Kel McDonald is doing with her new series, Misfits of Avalon. Inspired by the legends of King Arthur and Irish Mythology, Misfits finds four teenage delinquents who are recruited into a life of battling monsters with magic words and super-powers in the classic style. There's just one problem: They don't know that they're actually the bad guys. To find out more, I spoke with McDonald about publishing her graphic novel through Dark Horse while also putting it online, the appeal of terrible teenagers, and just what it was that inspired her to take on a group of jerks.
The Complete Jack Kirby Character Sketchbook (Summer 2013)
The Complete Jack Kirby Character Sketchbook (Summer 2013)
The Complete Jack Kirby Character Sketchbook (Summer 2013)
  For the past few years, I've been taking a sketchbook to conventions across the country and getting pieces of art with a single theme: Characters created or co-created by the King of Comics, Jack Kirby. After 52 sketches, you'd think I'd be running out of characters, but with only a couple repeats, it's still going strong. Today, in honor of Kirby's 96th birthday, I'm putting all the sketches in
Chris Schweizer Draws Rad Hats In His ‘Adventure Time’ #13 Backup [Preview]
Chris Schweizer Draws Rad Hats In His ‘Adventure Time’ #13 Backup [Preview]
Chris Schweizer Draws Rad Hats In His ‘Adventure Time’ #13 Backup [Preview]
Adventure Time fans have watched Finn and Jake try their respective human/dog hands at kingship before and it wasn't exactly their thing. In this week's Adventure Time #13 backup, "Princess of Rad Hats," by Chris Schweizer the pair of heroes are faced with unrequested royalty once again, but with a twist you'd only expect in the Land of Ooo...