We haven’t been covering as much indie comics news as we should, but in 2021 we’re gonna try to keep up better. Here are a few news items that crossed our desk. Send us more!
§ Much loved indie house Koyama Press has shut down, its going away party postponed by COVID, but Radiator Comics has picked up distribution of Keiler Roberts’s books. Koyama published three of them, all amazing, so this is good news.
We recently added @KeilerRoberts ‘ three wonderful graphic novels from @AnnieKoyama to our catalog: Sunburning, Chlorine Gardens, and Rat Time. Each one is a powerful mix of humor and sadness that reflects life perfectly!
§ And Domino Books has added John Porcellino’s King Cat minis to its line.
I’m beyond honored to be able to carry KING CAT in the Domino shop. This is a comic that should require no introduction, because a lot of us are here looking at this site because of the ideals and aesthetics that King Cat helped us articulate. Porcellino’s long running auto-biographical magazine should never be taken for granted though, as it evolves artistically and spiritually along with its author. What gets lost a lot in people’s love for this legendary publication is, I think, how singular it is in its artistry. The buts-and-bolts achievement—now over 75 issues of a black and white mini-comic written and drawn by one person under all the different pressures of life for over two decades—-is what staggers anyone approaching this series for the first time. But it’s Porcellinos totally unique take on the idea of cartooning that sings through every time you pick it up. It’s about his life but it’s also about him processing the world through his own cartoon language—a language that reveals itself to be more and more forward thinking and elegant as time goes on. The ideals are influential but the art even more so. If you haven’t read this comic before, now’s the time.
§ And this month D+Q is putting out spiffy new editions of three Porcellino collections:
In February 2021, D+Q is reissuing three titles from John Porcellino’s backlist with new covers – King-Cat Classix (now for the first time in paperback), Map of My Heart, and Perfect Example. They are, as the New York Times has observed of John’s work, both “unvarnished” and “punk” but also much more than that. The sum of each John P comic is more than its parts. Whether he’s remembering a teenaged crush or a walk through a field or a treasured roadtrip or a cat’s high-jinks, he holds each moment up to the light with equal tenderness and care.
Porcellino is a poet, a short story master and a great cartoonist. If you don’t know his work, now is the time to catch up.
§ Uncivilized has announced My Dog Ivy by Gabrielle Bell, the latest in her diary comics. I’m pretty sure I’ve written about this story here before because it’s more great cartooning by Bell.
Gabrielle Bell gets the massive task of helping her reclusive mother find a dog. The canine must be good with cats, scare bears, and keep deer from eating the garden. When they meet Jojo, who is NOT qualified, Mom immediately decides to take her home. Gabrielle channels her inner dog-whisperer to make Jojo feel at home. Everyone has a different approach to the shy and fragile Jojo—but all share an immediate love for the troubled dog. By Gabrielle Bell (Voyeurs, Everything is Flammable).
§ Blue Delliquanti’s Oh Human Star is a SF classic — named to the Beat’s 100 Best Comics of the Decade, it’s a story about robots, AI, and the delicacy of relationships that just gets more timely. Delliquanti has just announced that the strip will be rerun daily on their social media and will be running on Webtoon for the very first time. It’s a great time to start reading this thought-provoking story.
