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The Beat took pictures at CAB 2014! Some of them are Hipstamatic. Live with it. This was a good show, as usual. I came back with a bag full of books and immediately started reading them, one of the virtues of the home show. Although jam packed the show was surmountable, and I thought I would go once around the room and take photos of every one so I would have good file photos for when someone wins the Nobel Prize or marries Taylor Swift. This plan did not go as well as anticipated as you will see.

The cotillion for young cartoonists was arranged by experience. It takes a few years to get to tyro.

This book, The Jacket, by Kristen Hall and Dasha Tolstikova is lovely. Published by Enchanted Lion.

Enchanted Lion publisher Claudia Z. Bedrick on the right, I forgot the young fellow’s name alas.

That’s Laura Lannes on the left, cartoonist of the mini comic The Basil Plant which got a rave review on the Comics Journal the other day which had about 200 times more words than the comics. but sometimes that’s how it works. She’s good! On the right is…another cartoonist from the Paper Rocket studio whose hand cleverly covered his name badge. I’m really awful with names, people.

Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth spring into action as Paul Karasik looks on and Olivier Schwauren sketches away. This show was action packed!

Secret Acres creators. One of them is Theo Elsworth. Help me out here, people!

Sophie Yanow and Sam Alden are shocked to see all the action at the show. These guys have moved beyond Tyro class even!

People looked at comics sometimes buying them.

I was trying out this new Hipstamatic filter I just bought. A little too blue?

The animated Leslie Stein.

John Pham was at the show! I didn’t even know he was going to be there!

The mad talented Lala Albert. Her new comic from Breakdown Press was a sellout.

Patrick Kyle, returned from his tour more or less intact.

Dean Haspiel and Z2 Publisher Josh Frankel.

Nick Bertozzi is chatting to SVA’s Keith Mayerson, I believe, That’s David Mazzucchelli in the hat but don’t worry you’ll get a better look at that later. Bertozzi has developed quite a varied shelf of books. I adore his latest one, Shackleton

Gregory Benton of Hang Dai and Target.

Jillian Tamaki, Keren Katz and Mazzucchelli. David and I embarrassed Jillian by telling her how amazing her work in This One Summer is, and then David explained how tiny gestures can changes every drawing. A collection of Jillian’s funny and painful SuperMutant Magic Academy is coming in the Spring from D&Q.

I know this isn’t a very good photo, but CAB is full of magical moments like Keren Katz yakking with Ben Katchor while James Romberger and Marguerite van Cook stand nearby.

I grabbed a bite with tireless Torsten Adair at this little sandwich shop called re.Union which was around the corner from the church. Their sandwiches were JAMMIN’ but everyone turned backlit. Scott Eder of the Scott Eder Gallery was at the next table and we passed a pleasant half hour or so talking about shows and art.

Here’s the Breakdown Press gang, which is, I believe Simon Hacking and Tom Oldham. Breakdown is a small English publisher and they’ve put out works by Cossé, Conor Willumsen, Connor Stechschulte, Lala Albert, Joe Kessler and Seiichi Hayashi. They are kind of killing it. Seriously, loved every book I got from them. They also filled me in on some of the background of the UK’s fast growing indie scene. (Thought Bubble is already on!) I pointed out that once the English think something is cool, American hipsters have to go along, so all our hopes rest on these guys. They also told me a possibly apocryphal story about a cartoonist who had spent the night on a park bench and still managed to make a mini comic in the process.

Karl Stevens! He’s backed by Sam Henderson.

Action Austin English! Those Domino Books people totally use a hurry up offense.

Of course an actual wedding was going on at the church. What would a comics show be without a wedding nearby?

Adrian Tomine. A new issue of OPtic Nerve is on tap for 2015 he told me.

Annie Koyama and Gary Groth exemplify the love that is CAB.

Flash Forward to Day 2! There was some confusion over people thinking that there would be books for sale on Sunday, but there weren’t Only panels. Here’s Paul Karasik talking to Art Spiegelman and Roz Chast. This was a blockbuster panel by any definition, and I love Paul Karasik, but I kind of wish more had been devoted to the two talking about their parents. I don’t mean to gripe. Karasik put together a marvelous slideshow of both their work and of course both Chast and Spiegelman were witty and wonderful.

Then Josh Bayer interviewed Raymond Pettibon, the famed punk artist. This was a priceless, you-had-to-be-there moment as Bayer would ask a question and Pettibon would go off on an amazing rant about something, every line quotable. (I put a few really goods ones on Twitter.) It was a pretty unstructured talk but Bayer knows Pettibon well and quickly rushed through a slideshow that included work by Harold Gray and Jack Kirby, both obvious influences. Petibon clearly has comics hopes and dreams (Caniff and Frank Robbins were also cited as influences.) but luckily came up at a time when someone of his talents could make a ton of money doing commercial art and selling paintings.

If I may shift into diary mode here for a moment (I wasn’t already?) I experienced one of those weird time circles. Back when I lived in LA I went to a blockbuster show at MOCA that included Robert Williams, Pettibon, and Manuel Ocampo among others. It was called Helter Skelter: LA Art in the 90s, and it was a pretty incredible show, I have to say. The work of Pettibon and Ocampo and Williams very clearly referenced comics imagery in a respectful way. This was long before comics were as accepted as they are now, but I saw clear flashes of it back then. A few months later I was at that cafe in Silverlake we all used to hang out at (Jeebus what was it called?) with Phil Yeh and Alfredo Alcala and Ocampo and his fellow Filipino art crowd, because it turned out Ocampo idolized Alcala and the other cartoonists. Anyway flash forward 24 years, and Bayer asked Pettibon if he liked the Filipino comics school, and he said “Yeah, Alcala and…” So, see, everyone knows every one!

I saw Robert Boyd at the show and he was taking notes at this presentation. I look forward to his notes on the event because he knows a lot more about art than I do.

For a finale, Pettibon did a live drawing based on a Jack Kirby drawing of Spider-Man. It was awesome. CAB was awesome.

You can see the finished drawing here. WARNING: NOT SAFE FOR WORK! REPEAT NOT SAFE FOR WORK!

And that just about wraps it up here! With new books by Horrocks, Rickheit, Schrauwen, Knisley, James Romberger and Marguerite van Cook, and a little item called The Complete ZAP! I think Fanta is kinda….ruling. Get these REALY kids because they will go FAST FAST FAST.

Arsene Schrauwen by Olivier Schrauwen

Follow along as Olivier’s grandfather traveled to a remote colony to help build a utopia in the wilderness, fell in love with his cousin’s wife, and then into delirium – but is it love or jungle virus-induced fever, reality or imagination? You’ll come undone by Olivier’s first full-length graphic novel: part-biography, part-surrealscape, all fantastic.  $34.99 Out in November 2014 but get your copied SIGNED by Olivier at CAB.

Cochlea & Eustachia by Hans Rickheit

Cochlea & Eustachia appear to be twin human girls, but this has yet to be confirmed. Their actions seem to be motivated less by curiosity than boredom and an inclination towards purposeless destruction. This new graphic novel from the author of the acclaimed Squirrel Machine is lighter in tone than his previous works, yet its myriad charms remain as sinister as Rickheit fans would expect. $19.99 Out in stores December but pick up an advance at the Fantagraphics table at CAB.

Displacement by Lucy Knisley
A travel memoir recounting the artist’s experience of caring for her frail grandparents aboard a cruise ship, while reflecting on her own fears on mortality, her age, ageism in America and her family’s relationships and history. $19.99 In stores January 2015 but pick up an advance copy at the Fantagraphics table at CAB.

Foolbert Funnies by Frank Stack, edited by Kristy Valenti

A “best of the rest” tribute collecting Stack’s work under his pseudonym, “Foolbert Sturgeon”. Includes appearances by Dirty Diana, time traveler Frank Crankcase, Dr. Feelgood, and others. A tribute to a Texan who’s been quietly creating observational, iconoclastic art for more than forty years. $24.99 In stores January 2015 but pick up an advance copy at the Fantagraphics table at CAB.

The Complete ZAP Comix by R. Crumb, Rick Griffin, Paul Mavrides, Victor Moscoso, Spain Rodriguez, Gilbert Shelton, Robert Williams, S. Clay Wilson

The most historically and aesthetically important comics series ever, finally collected. There scarcely was an underground comics world before Robert Crumb’s classic solo first issue of Zap in 1968. By Zap #2, he had begun assembling a Seven Samurai of the best, the fiercest, and the most stylistically diversified cartoonists to come out of the countercultural kiln. It will also include the 17th unpublished issue with work by Crumb, Moscoco, Wilson, Rodriguez, Shelton, Mavrides, and Williams. We’ll have one set for you to paw over. $500.00 In stores November but pick up this ONE copy at CAB.

The Late Child and Other Animals by Marguerite Van Cook and James Romberger

A generational autobiography written by legendary punk diva and award-winning poet Van Cook, adapted by artist Romberger. The journeys and struggles over decades of this mother and daughter are linked in five episodes that veer between lyricism, wry wit, and harrowing suspense. $29.99 In stores November but pick up an advance copy and get it SIGNED at the Fantagraphics table at CAB.

Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It, various artists, edited by Anne Ishii and Graham Kohlbeins

Big, burly, lascivious, and soft around the edges: welcome to the hyper-masculine world of Japanese gay comics. The first English-language anthology of its kind: a collection of manga from the most talented and influential artists in the gei komi genre. $35.99 In stores late December but pick up this a copy at CAB and get it signed by Anne Ishii and designer Chip Kidd.

Michael Jordan: Bull on Parade by Wilfred Santiago

A thrilling, kinetic bio-epic about Michael “Air” Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time and most influential athlete in history. This tour de force explores Jordan’s public successes and private struggles. $24.99 In stores February 2015 but pick up an advance copy at the Fantagraphics table at CAB.

Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen by Dylan Horrocks
www.fantagraphics.com/samzabel
A creatively blocked cartoonist finds a mysterious old comic book and is thrown into a fantastic journey through centuries of comics, stories, and imaginary worlds. Funny, erotic, and thoughtful, Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen explores the pleasures, dangers, and moral consequences of fantasy. Horrocks’s first new graphic novel since Hicksville. $29.99 In stores late December but pick up an advance copy at the Fantagraphics table at CAB.

Treasury of Mini-Comics Vol. 2 edited by Michael Dowers
www.fantagraphics.com/treasuryofminicomics2
Four decades of deliberate DIY cartoon rebellion! Collecting some of the best mini comics ever produced by some of the most creative artists in the world. Edited by Michael Dowers. $29.99 In stores January 2015 but pick up an advance copy at the Fantagraphics table at CAB.


D&Q sent along info on their four debuting books this weekend at CAB:

Earthling
Aisha Franz, translated by Helge Dascher

First Year Healthy
Michael DeForge

Showa 1944-1953: A History of Japan
Shigeru Mizuki, translated by Zack Davisson

Pippi Won’t Grow Up
Astrid Lindgren and Ingrid Vang Nyman

Whoops a LOT to do tonight! Fire up your Über! These are ALL tonight.

A Faintly Lit Light- Group Show

at 4:00pm – 7:00pm

Right now! HOT DRINKS!

The Perfect Nothing Catalog
260 Johnson Ave, Brooklyn, New York 11206

Blaise Larmee / Quintessa Matranga / Lms Sadler / Aidan Koch / Marie Jacotey / Anthony Cudahy / Wiley Guillot

Pre-CAB party! Join us 4-7, Friday November 7th at The Perfect Nothing Catalog shack for art, a bonfire, and hot drinks ^_^

Al Jaffee ART SHOW opening reception FRIDAY NIGHT Nov 7th 6-9 PM
Scott Eder Gallery
18 Bridge St Apt 2I,
Brooklyn, New York 11201

Come celebrate the opening of our new show ‘The Mad Fold-In Art Of Al Jaffee’. Enjoy the majesty of these paintings in all their glory. Al will be in attendance.

Anya Davidson: CHARACTER FLAWS
6:00pm – 10:00pm
Tomato House
301 Saratoga Avenue,
Brooklyn, New York 11233
Tomato House is thrilled to present a solo show of drawings by the acclaimed cartoonist, printmaker, and musician Anya Davidson.

Davidson has produced an avalanche, a torrent, a dizzying froth of comic work over the course of the last decade, often self-published in labor-intensive, fully silkscreened editions. Her storylines frequently collapse elements of the fantastic, the grotesque, and the mythological onto scenes of everyday life, exposing the ancient forces at work under our veneer of modern civilization. Her story “Barbarian Bitch” appeared in Kramers Ergot 8 and the graphic novel “School Spirits” was published in 2013 by PictureBox. “Band For Life”, her Ignatz-nominated online comic about the trials and tribulations of a group of young musicians, continues to appear weekly on vice.com.

“Character flaws is an attempt to capture some of the inhabitants of my brain, my neighborhood, my planet and my galaxy. They are usually in motion but they stood still for these portraits. As a cartoonist I have a deep and abiding obsession with the human figure and the myriad ways it can be altered, twisted and re-interpreted. I also have a compulsion to make up stories. Sometimes my character designs generate stories and sometimes it’s vice versa. Each one of these creatures is the potential protagonist of a story I haven’t thought up yet.” -A.D.

CHARACTER FLAWS opens November 7, with a reception from 6 to 10 PM and continues through December 6.

NY Launch Party of Matt Huynh’s comic book ‘Magpie, Magpie’

at 6:00pm – 8:30pm
B_SPACE NYC,
219 Mulberry St
New York, NY 10012
Come join us for drinks and great music to celebrate the launch of Australian artist Matt Huynh’s gothic sumi-e comic book ‘Magpie, Magpie’ including exhibition of original art.

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Prints Gone Wild! 2014

Today
at 6:00pm – 1:00am

littlefield 622 Degraw St,

Brooklyn’s own legendary Cannonball Press has again assembled an extraordinary menagerie of graphic artists under one roof who will be present displaying and selling their prints for $50 or less for one night only on Nov. 8th at LITTLEFIELD NYC.

ONE NIGHT ONLY. Friday, Nov. 7th, 6pm – 1am

LITTLEFIELD
622 Degraw St., Gowanus, Brooklyn, NY 11217
btwn. 3rd and 4th Aves.
www.littlefieldnyc.com
Take the 2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, or Q to Atlantic Terminal or the R train to Union St.
directions: www.littlefieldnyc.com/directions

21 and over only.

As part of New York Fine Art Print Week, organized by the International Fine Print Dealers Association in conjunction with the Annual IFPDA Pint Fair, long-time champion of the affordable art cause Cannonball Press has brought together these great artists so that New York can have a chance to see first-hand the incredible resurgence in affordable fine art printing that is happening across the country.

Featuring:
Justseeds
Bikini Press International
Sean Star Wars
Drive By Press
Cinders Gallery
Non Grata
Florence Gidez
Deerjerk and Haypeep
Raking Light Projects
Church of Type
The Amazing Hancock Brothers
Cannonball Press

Come join us for live printing, beer, music, and a GIANT dogpile of awesome cheap prints!!!

Graphic Canon of Children’s Literature Book Launch Party

6:30pm – 8:30pm

Society Of Illustrators 128 E 63rd St,
New York, New York 10065
Come out and celebrate the official book launch of The Graphic Canon of Children’s Literature by master anthologist Russ Kick. The launch party will be held in conjunction with the second annual “Push and Kick Awards” at the Society of Illustrators. Seven Stories Press would like to recognize the enthusiasm and support of three important figures in the comics art community, R. Sikoryak, Hillary Chute, and Lynda Barry. The reception is being co-sponsored by The Society of Illustrators and Publishers Weekly. The awards ceremony also coincides with the opening of an accompanying exhibition at the Society of Illustrators, of original artwork by contributors to The Graphic Canon of Children’s Literature.The exhibition will run November 4–December 20.

Pre-CAB Comic Book Party

7:00pm – 10:00pm

Park Slope Ale House
356 6th Ave,
Brooklyn, New York 11215

Join Hic & Hoc Publications, Space Face, Secret Acres, Breakdown Press, Decadence Comics & Happiness Comix for our first annual pre-CAB Comic Book Party, Friday, November 7 from 7-10PM at the Park Slope Ale House.

Come out, have a beer and tell us universal truths that we’ll try to dispute. It’ll be a good opportunity to get ready for CAB, where we’ll all try to out-cool each other and fail miserably.

We’ll be in the back room but a group of sad-faced comic nerds shouldn’t be too hard to spot.

Poster art by Joe Kessler!

More amazing books to pick up tomorrow at Comic Arts Brooklyn or via your local comics shop or the web if you can’t attend. What are you most looking forward to? Many thanks to the creators and publishers for sending me info and to CAB’s Gabe Fowler for enabling this.

Part one is here.

I’ll have D&Q and Fantagraphics in their own posts, BTW

Dip Your Dock

Josh Simmons

oilycomics.com

40 page sketchbook zine straight from the head of Josh Simmons.

MACANUDO #2

Liniers

Enchanted Lion

Sometimes Macanudo is standard comedy fare with a gag and a punchline; at other times, it’s lyrical and philosophical; and at yet other moments in other strips, it’s a weird, surreal treat. The one thing it’s not –not ever – is dull or mean. Rather, it has an air of surrealism and childlike wonder that gives it a timeless quality. It is deadpan and wacky and has the added bonus of featuring Henrietta, a wildly interesting child and a great girl character, with her teddy bear Mandelbaum and her cat Fellini. But it’s not only Henrietta who shows up repeatedly and sometimes she doesn’t show up for a while, because Liniers is thinking about other things and he needs other cool characters to situate and embody them.

DyingSami AhoThe book transports the reader thru story like broken computer game – a story without characters, a story where every attempt to
sustain life is doomed to failure and all the possibilities have been already used. Read: this is one is a horribly beautiful book. We’ll
celebrate the release at opening of the Business Talk Partner Zone -exhibition in Wayfarers Gallery on Sunday 9th, 6–9PM. The book is of
course available from our booth as well. That’s a 64-page silent comic, thread sewed in size 11.3″ x 8.3″.
Kuti33

German side: Ana Albero, Max Baitinger, Sharmila Banerjee, Robert Deutsch, Martin Ernstsen, Michel Esselbrügge (kansi / cover), Aisha Franz, Till Hafenbrak, Anna Haifisch, Jeong Hwa Min, Paul Paetzel, Josephin Ritschel, Marie-Luce Schaller & James Turek

Ötzi – King of the JungleTommi Musturihttp://www.kutikuti.com/That’s Ötzi, the oldest mummy in Europe, found in Tirol 1991. Later he moved to Finland to work as an au-pair and ending up as an anarchistic comic strip hero for this weird book of Tommi Musturi, drawn with ten different styles or no style at all.

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9th Art Ink. #5

Jude Killory

The 5th edition of my self published series of short stories. In this issue we have part 1 of BEK (Black Eyed Kid), where the Grim Reaper has a hard time getting the dead to follow directions.

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DYING WIZARD
Anya Davidson
16-pg 2-Color Risozine Comic by Anya Davidson – Elderly Wizard and his familiars prepare for the passing of the staff.

 

KICKFOOT
Dongery16-pg 2-Color Risozine Comic by Dongery – Norwegian art collective returns with a new English language zine of their patented bizarre humor.

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Psychotherapy

 

 

Mimi & The Wolves Act II: The Den

Alabaster

Hic and Hoc

The second volume of Alabaster’s beloved series about affairs, alliances, and arts & crafts.

 

Hansel & Gretel

by Neil Gaiman & Lorenzo Mattotti

This all happened a long time ago, in your grandmother’s time, or in her grandfather’s. A long time ago. Back then, we all lived on the edge of the great forest.

Neil Gaiman and Lorenzo Mattotti both remember the horror and fascination with which they read the Grimm Brothers’ “Hansel and Gretel.” The writer and the artist now join forces for a brilliant reimagining of one of humanity’s most enduring tales. Be brave, be bold, and keep your wits about you–Gaiman and Mattotti are welcoming you into the woods.

Cast Away on the Letter A: A Philemon Adventure

by Fred

Meet Philemon, one of France’s most beloved comic book adventurers!

On an ordinary day in the countryside, Philemon falls into a well on his father’s farm and lands… in the Atlantic Ocean?! He begins a wild and whimsical journey through a fantasy world as original as Alice’s Wonderland, as richly imagined as Little Nemo’s Slumberland, and as exciting to explore as Oz.

Theseus and the Minotaur

by Yvan Pommaux

Relive Theseus’s fantastic adventure as he comes face-to-face with the terrible Minotaur!

Son of both a god and a man, Theseus was destined for greatness. How did he become both the king of Athens and the creator of democracy? And why did he abandon Ariadne after she risked her life to save him? Thanks to the unique flair of writer and artist Yvan Pommaux, this classic tale is brought vividly to life in a glorious retelling of the original myth. A must for fans of Percy Jackson and mythology-inspired video games–it will captivate young readers and nourish their imaginations.

Benny and Penny in Lost and Found!

by Geoffrey Hayes

It’s not even breakfast time but Benny is already in a bad mood. And when he sets out in the fog to find his missing hat, he leads himself and his sister Penny straight into… big trouble!

Once again Geoffrey Hayes, the winner of the Geisel Award for best early reader, displays his talent at showing finely articulated emotions, as two tiny mice give us a hugely valuable lesson in what it takes to be a leader.

Boutique Mag #1

by Marc Bell

Colour Code Printing

Marc Bell’s prequel to Boutique Mag #2, 4 colour risograph collages and comics by the creator of Shrimpy and Paul!

 

Next Morning

by Juliana Neufeld
Colour Code Printing

 

Generous Bosom
by Conor Stechschulte, published by Breakdown PressThis book is an erotic psychological thriller involving a stranded motorist and a strange isolated couple.

Glancing

by Conor Stechschulte

Three kids go night swimming in a lake and look at one another in the water through the dark.

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REVIVAL HOUSE

Hawd Tales #1

Devin Flynn

Hilarity and heartbreak unfolding in a jugular vein.  Hawd Tales is the debut book by Devin Flynn, known for his appearances in the anthologies, “Monster” and “Paper Rodeo.”  Hawd Tales marks his first solo book and features a rogue’s gallery of characters emitting a sordid, street-savy kind of virtue.

Labyrinthectomy/Luncheonette

Chris Cilla
Chris Cilla’s latest comic is a flip-book of the mind-bending variety, crafted to elicit a state of altered consciousness and pure joy.

Exhibitors at Comic Arts Brooklyn this weekend were kind enough to send me listings of their books—as usual there is something for everyone. I received so many listing I’m dividing this into two parts. Many thanks to the creators who took the time to send me news of their work. It looks to be a very exciting show.  Enjoy!

 

Ley Lines: “Unholy Shapes”

Annie Mok

“Ley Lines is a quarterly publication dedicated to exploring the intersection of comics and the various fields of art & culture that inspire us. In Unholy Shapes, a dissociative young trans person binges on drugs, has bad Craigslist sex, and struggles with the troubled legacy of Expressionist painter Egon Schiele. Co-published by Grindstone Comics and Czap Books.”

 

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DEATH COMIX

by Matt Seneca

DEATH COMIX presents three new horror stories by Matt Seneca, plus a scattering of choice extras. On these pages the color-seared seances of psychedelic horror movie maestros Mario Bava and Dario Argento meet the disturbing banality of modern “torture porn” flicks and the fantastic visions of extremity chased down by manga master Suehiro Maruo. Through a storm of nuclear fallout both physical and psychological, readers are given three different views into an apocalyptic world where serial murder, domestic violence, and the abuse of power are not just constant, but the only things left happening at all. And if you squint, you can discern the real horror: that the world of this comic bears more than a few similarities to our own. 56 pages | Full color | $7

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SEEDS #1-5 Collected Print Set

Joel Skavdahl

Neoglyphic Media

SEEDS was originally drawn for serialized newspaper publication, but beyond the first story being printed in an early issue of Smoke Signal, the other pages never saw print at all. Now, over two years after these pages were first drawn and with most of them having never been seen except by close friends, these comics are finally being published as a set of 5 fine art prints, wrapped in a panoramic cartoon scene drawn during the same period, and packed in a resealable plastic sleeve.

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Bow-Wow’s Nightmare NeighborsCreator Name(s)Mark Newgarden and Megan Montague CashWebsite





Mark Newgarden and Megan Montague Cash will be at Comic Arts Brooklyn on Saturday, November 8 to debut a sneak peak of their new wordless picture book, “Bow-Wow’s Nightmare Neighbors” from Neal Porter Books/ Roaring Book Press. Visitors to CAB will be able to purchase a signed copy weeks before it is available in any bookstore.“Bow-Wow’s Nightmare Neighbors” (already awarded a Junior Library Guild Premier Selection and four starred trade reviews) is the long-awaited follow up to their multiple award-winning “Bow-Wow Bugs A Bug.”“This is a mysterious and perfectly-crafted little book, full of surprises and profundities and infused throughout with an uncanny sensitivity to the current state of canine-feline relations.”–Dan ClowesBONUS: interview with Megan and Mark in the latest Comics Journal

Uncontested Spaces

Keren Katz

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Shadow Hills

Sean Ford

The fifth issue of Sean Ford’s Shadow Hills on-going quarterly-ish comic about a plague that overtakes a small town and the kids who must take drugs to develop mind powers to stop it. Issues one through four will also be available at the Oily Comics table D17. 20pp b+w – $4

 

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The Understanding Monster – Book Two

Theo Ellsworth
Secret Acres

Continuing where Book One left off, The Understanding Monster – Book Two follows Pharoah Tellitome, Inspector Gimble, Turtletree, Master Sponko and Minnow on their collective quest to awaken Izadore and re-establish his identity and memory. Constructed with the same lush, intricate visuals as the first volume, the story returns readers to the world of time crystals, “home bodies,” afterlife quests, thought projection resurrection and the ever-majestic Toy Mountain. The Understanding Monster – Book Two delves even deeper into the nature of creativity and imagination, and the tenuous relationship between reality and the subconscious.

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Jeans 3
Harris Smith (editor) Adria Mercuri (cover) Laura Callaghan, Pete Toms, Victor Kerlow, Paul Arscott, Laurie Pina, Amy Searles, Josh Burggraf, Anthony Meloro, Zach Mason, Jason Murphy, G.W. Duncanson, Ken Johnson, Gregory Kirkorian (artists/writers)

Jeans is a yearly anthology showcasing new narrative visions from up-and-coming graphic storytellers.  Previous issues have included works by Benjamin Marra, Lale Westvind, Alex Degen, Leah Wishnia, Alabaster and other rising stars of the indie/art comics scene.  Issue 3 is the first to be printed entirely in color and features exciting and innovative comics by artists from the US and UK.

 

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Impressions

Aidan Koch

Impressions is Aidan Koch’s third graphic novel. It tells the story of a young figure model and her relationships with her mother, her best friend, and the man drawing her. Set in an ambiguously modern time, the book captures a young woman’s reluctant journey into self-awareness.

 

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Wendy
Walter Scott
WEBSITE: http://wwalterscott.com/

Wendy is a sardonic look at the art world and its attendant creatives and creeps.

Wendy is trendy, and has dreams of art stardom — but our young urban protagonist is perpetually derailed by the temptations of punk music, drugs, alcohol, parties, and boys. Hegemonies and hearts are broken in this droll and iconoclastic look at the worlds of art and twentysomethings.

6.5 x 9 inches, 216 pages, b&w interior, colour softcover

Photos by Jes Fortner

 

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Now and Here #3, Trial One

by Lale Westvind

lalwestvind.tumblr.com

B & W, 8.5×7,  90 pages with screen printed cover,

Three prisoners in total darkness recount how they got there…

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Invasion of the Iguana People
Wellington Sun

A man discovers the diabolical plans of a race of reptilian monsters. Handmade comic with 5-color silkscreen wraparound cover, signed & numbered edition of 20, $20. Table D9

 

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Title: Teach me how to be a God
By: Meghan Turbitt, cover by Holly Simple
Website:
Rap God Kanye West teaches Meghan Turbitt how to become a god and get free damn croissants

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On The Books: A Graphic Tale of Working Woes at NYC’s Strand Bookstore

Greg Farrell

Microcosm

“Greg nailed it. He’s a primary source to what happened in the last contract negotiations, he did extensive research from primary and secondary sources for other events in the Strand’s and the Union’s history and at no point, did I feel like his criticism was unfair. I think if you love the Strand and it’s employees you need to read this. I think if you’re a New Yorker you need to read this. I think if you are human you need to read this.”

Read by Moonlight

Brew It Yourself: Professional Craft Blueprints for Home Brewing

 

Erik Spellmeyer

Microcosm

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DETH LEPER: Fiend Appendix

EyeBall Comix (various)

A guide to the monstrous inhabitants of the outer planes.

Printed by Eyeball Comix for CAB 2014!

28 pages of risograph monsters and evil deities by Pete Sharp, Anna Haifisch, Barry Cook, Sam Bell, Russell Taysom, Takayo Akiyama, Paul Arscott, Robscenity, James Turek, Tim Ryan, Andrew Walter, Brigid Deacon, Aidan Cook, Joey Fourr and Vincent Fritz.

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Tales To Behold 6

Paul Hoppe

 

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The Worst of Eerie Publications

by Mike Howell

IDW/Yoe Books

The Eerie Publications line of horror comics pushed the envelope like no other! Publisher Myron Fass and Editor Carl Burgos (creator of The Human Torch) gleefully stole the pocket change from kids in the 60s and 70s with these over the top monstrosities. The 21 tales within The Worst of Eerie Publications are designed to trouble you, to unnerve you and they just very well might make you queasy.

Shunned by “serious” collectors for years, these low brow terrors have generated much interest in recent years. Comic fans have come to realize that despite the cheap, pulpy paper that they were printed on, the Eerie Pubs contained work by many wonderful artists with many different styles and visions.

With stories pilfered from the banned Pre-Code horror comics of the 50s, these magazines were a treasure trove of alluring artwork by talented draftsmen like Dick Ayers and Chic Stone who never got their due. The stories chosen for this deluxe edition have been meticulously remastered for your appreciation or should we say disgust?

 

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TUSEN HJARTAN STARK #2Work by Annie Pearlman, Hennessy and EA Bethea. Edited by Austin EnglishPublished by DOMINO BOOKS
DOMINO BOOKS returns after a one and a half year publishing hiatus with an anthology of brand new work. Roughly translated from Swedish as ‘a thousand strong hearts,’ our flagship anthology is as utopian and ambitious as the phrase suggests. TUSEN continues our attempt to present difficult, uncompromising work in a cheap and accessible edition. All too often, the most experimental or obscure work is presented in price prohibitive editions.

Each contributor is given 6 to 9 pages to work with. Anthologies—in my view—suffer from short unfocused contributions. A 50 page anthology full of one page strips often never rises above being a sampler. Our format allows for the reader to enter any artist’s world and stay there for a solid amount of time. As with issue #1, this anthology features 3 artists with radically different approaches—the reader is allowed to move from one aesthetic to another, with just enough time in each to feel and think.

SANTO SHOES

by Marlene Frontera

Published by Sonatina Comics
Available at DOMINO BOOKS

Saint Francis of Assisi is one of the most celebrated religious figures in history. Known for his endless compassion toward animals and the environment, our man is an icon of divine benevolence. But all fame aside, I bet you’ve never caught him on a beach day.

Santo Shoes is a collection of over 50 images that bring new energy to the legacy of Saint Francis. From the hills of Umbria to the shores of Puerto Rico, Marlene Frontera’s imagery pulses with the same gentle spirit that the saint so graciously strove for in life.

 

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INK BRICK #2

Various artists, Alexander Rothman and Paul K. Tunis, editors

INK BRICK is a journal dedicated to work that crosses the borders between comics and poetry. This issue features original comics poetry by 16 creators including Jesse Reklaw, Alexandra Beguez, and Bishakh Som, with a cover by Keren Katz. 48 full-color pages. Debuting at CAB for $10.

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Look and Despair

Anthony Cudahy

In a Succulent Universe

Jen Tong

A riso printed zine combining succulents and space!

DAYGLOAYHOLE 2:Tha Beast In Me.

By Ben Passmore

Daygloayhole is a psychedelic post-apocalyptic adventure comic – sort of like if Paul Pope had created Adventure Time with the help of Mike Allred and Brian Ralph. This issue offers theoretical roaches, tv-faced monsters, a city of traps, a giant, floating-disembodied hand, and references to Ghost Dog, Bolano and Kafka.

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Coin-Op Box Set

Peter + Maria Hoey

A screenprinted custom made box for our 6 issue Coin-Op Singles series.

The ongoing series of books, designed to look like 7″ records, explore pop culture and storytelling.

The boxes are an homage to box sets of records.

Screenprinted in two color, they are designed to hold many issues of our series ( and also 45rpm records)

To go along with the box art we are debuting in Brooklyn our most recent single:

Saltz and Pepz (Go Electric)

 

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Stripp Mall #1

Molly Colleen O’Connell / poety unlimited

A death at the mall leads to an epic search. Clowns, teens, poodles, and workers shake the webs off their dreams of pop stardom.

 

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Snakebomb Comics

The Philosopher: A Mighty Star Info File

by A. Degen

A comic book inquiry into ‘The Philosopher’, a mysterious and possibly malevolent entity who appears at pivotal moments in human history. A narrative in two chapters: the first known appearance of the Philosopher in prehistory and the most recent first person account by Professor M.E. Rayonant.

This comic is a ‘side story’ to Mighty Star in the Castle of the Cancatervater (Koyama Press, Spring 2015) and also reads as a standalone work.

 

Inhuman Condition
by Andrew Scully

www.andrew-scully.com

It is the future. Civilization has crumbled from the ravages of human exploitation and war. Earth is a radioactive wasteland populated by vicious punks, insane mutants, bloodthirsty cults and corporate mercenaries. The Zone Tripper must navigate this terrain on his courier mission to The Hills, the last bastion of civilization in a brutal post-apocalyptic world.

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Festival poster by Tim Lane

Anticipating demand for next week’s CAB programming, featuring Al Jaffee, Charles Burns, Art Spiegelman, Roz Chast and more, the show is making
FREE tickets available in advance via Eventbrite . You can just go there now and sign up for the panels you want.

This year, for the first time, panels are being moved to a separate day—Sunday, November 9—and venue—The Wythe Hotel. Given that in past years panels were very crowded when held during the exhibit, ticketing the events makes a lot of sense—it’s how many such free talks with popular spekaers are handled. Of course, there will undoubtedly be no shows and wait listing as well but if this is something you really want to see, just sign up today.

CAB will be held November 8-9 at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church at 275 N. 8th St. in Williamsburg and the Wythe Hotel at 80 Wythe Ave.

Festival poster by Tim Lane

As we noted a few days ago, Comic Arts Brooklyn, the final comics related event on the NYC calendar, will expand to two days this year, with exhibits on Saturday, November 8, and programming on Sunday November 9th, at a new venue, the Wythe Hotel. Programming director Paul Karasik has just released the lineup, and the news that, just like at NYCC, the panel room will be cleared between panels! Line up now for your Raymond Pettibon wristband!

The line-up is pretty damned solid, with em emphasis on acknowledged art stars. I imagine the marquis event will be the Chast/Spiegelman conversation, but while camping out is not allowed it would be appropriate because it’s all belly meat here.

All programming will occur on November 9, 2014 at the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg.

PLEASE NOTE: Each presentation is free to the public on a first come, first served basis.  In order to accommodate interest in each panel, the audience must clear the room at the conclusion of each talk.  Please plan accordingly.

Al Jaffee Unfolded 11:00

Al Jaffee has drawn hundreds of features for the MAD Magazine but he is undoubtedly best known as the creator of the Mad Fold-In that he has drawn monthly since 1964. His originals will be on display concurrently at the Scott Eder Gallery in Brooklyn.

 Charles Burns: Down the Black Hole 12:00

A retrospective of Burns’ work as an illustrator (Sub Pop, The Believer, The New Yorker) and as a cartoonist (Black Hole, Big Baby, RAW), with a focus on the recently released third book of his graphic novel trilogy, X’ed Out. (Burns will be interviewed by Paul Karasik.)

 Tim Lane, Ben Marra, & Jim Rugg: Neo Noir 1:00

These three cartoonists love tough yeggs, mean streets, and femme fetales. All three have recent work evoking smoky, double-crossing noir. Each creator will present and discuss his own Gods of Noir. (Lane, Marra, and Rugg will be interviewed by Karen Green.)

 Roz Chast and Art Spielgeman Talk About Something More Pleasant 2:00

Roz Chast’s cartoons are synonymous with the New Yorker. Her recent work, “Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant”, surprised her readers as a frank memoir about her parents’ final years. Art Spiegelman is best known for his masterwork, “MAUS”, but has recently surprised his readers with a musical, “Wordless”. Together they will surprise the audience by asking each other questions.

 Aisha Franz, Lisa Hanawalt, and Jillian Tamaki: Cutting Edges 3:00

These three young artists represent three different approaches to comics-making and all are focused on making comics unlike anything you have seen before. Their deeply individualized approaches toward work and working will be discussed. (Franz, Hanawalt, & Tamaki will be interviewed by Alexandra Zsigmond.)

 Richard McGuire is Here 4:00

Fans of cartoonist / children’s book author / illustrator / musician, Richard McGuire, have been waiting years for the publication of the book-length “Here”, which originally ran in RAW. The wait is over. (McGuire will be interviewed by Paul Karasik.)

 Raymond Pettibon and the Comics 5:00

Pettibon came to prominence in the early 1980s in the southern California punk rock scene, creating posters and album art for Black Flag and other groups on SST Records. He has since gone on to international acclaim, earning several awards and exhibiting in major galleries and museums. (Pettibon will be interviewed by Josh Bayer.)