I’ll hold my hands up and admit I’m not a digital reader at all- there are a few web-comics which I love and keep up with and that’s it. I’ve tried reading comics on an e-reader but as idealistic and romanticised and dinosaurish as it may sound, the experience is simply too impersonal for me to attach to.I have to have a physical copy of an actual book with pages that I can turn and art and words that I can touch.
So I’m somewhat surprised about my attitude towards digital comics going to print, in particular my willingness to shell out moneies for a print version of something that I’ve already read in it’s entirety online. One of the web-comic sites I keep up with is Study Group Comics– edited by Milo George and Zack Soto- who are pretty much unsurpassed in their ability to curate the finest comics talents- Simon Roy, Aidan Koch, Julia Gfrorer, Sam Alden are a few who come to mind- and get them to do serialised or one-off stories. I don’t know of any other platform that operates in a similar manner, and certainly nothing that comes close in terms of quality.
Their latest comic to make the transition to print is Farel Dalrymple’s It Will All Hurt- ‘a weird, sad, silly, and sketchy, fantasy adventure strip with magic and science-fiction and some fighting action. ‘ The comic will be produced ‘in full color on high quality bright newsprint in an oversized “Golden Age” format (48 pages at 7.37″ x 10.62″) comic book with two color risographed covers. ‘ The print version contain chapters 1 and 2 of Dalrymple’s comic, as well as additional pin ups and design work and is offered in two iterations a regular copy and a ‘limited Special Edition of 50 that is signed and numbered with an original sketch by Farel Dalrymple and comes with an 11″x17″ signed risograph poster of the cover.’
Dalrymple is one of those artists whose name can sell a book to me, so I’ve put in for the special edition while I have the money, and at just $8 you should pre-order it here. IWAL will make its debut at the Stumptown Comics Festival in April, but pre-orders will be sent out as soon as the book has been printed. More information at the link.
You can currently read It Will All Hurt on the Study Group Comics website: part 1, part 2, and part 3
Study Group Comics is awesome, awesome stuff. Even though I vastly prefer reading comics on my iPad to anything else, I may get a physical copy of IWAL, too.
LOVED Pop Gun War, will have to give this a shot. Thanks for the heads-up Zainab!
Chris- agreed on Study Group. Don’t know if you read Julia Gfrorer’s Black is the Colour on there last year- that’s getting a print release from Fantagraphics later in the year. One of the best comics of 2012 for me.
Alex- no problem :)
bought! thanks for highlighting this.
Comments are closed.