Poopsheet Community Blog

COMICS YOUTH #1 edited by Blaise Larmee, new in the Poopsheet Shop

2009-11-22T06:55:35.000Z

Comics Youth provides a space for contemporary comic creators to discuss nonnormative issues involved in their practice.

Comics Youth is a collection of transcripts from gmail chats and phone interviews.

Comics Youth does not present comics as a culture, but rather investigates the culture(s) within comics. In this sense it provides an interior view of the contemporary comics landscape.

This debut issue's discussions are with Jason Overby (Abstract Comics), Austin English (Christina and Charles) and Jason T. Miles (Kramers Ergot). Interviews conducted by publisher Blaise Larmee.

More info may be found at the Poopsheet Shop.

THE TANGO COLLECTION edited by Bernard Caleo

2009-11-21T14:00:00.000Z

Tango is an Australian small press anthology of romance comics (eight issues so far with a ninth out very soon) and this is a proper "best of" collection containing work by over 50 cartoonists from Australia and New Zealand. I can't seem to find a complete list of contributors but, at the least, it appears it will contain Dylan Horrocks, Bruce Mutard, Mandy Ord, Nicki Greenberg, Kirrily Schell and Jo Waite.

More info at Tango publisher Cardigan Comics and Tango Collection publisher Allen & Unwin.

Nov. 21 on MidnightFiction.com

2009-11-21T13:28:32.000Z

review: XEROGRAPHY DEBT #25 edited by Davida Gypsy Breier

2009-11-21T11:13:52.000Z

Xerography Debt #25
(Microcosm Publishing)

Xerography Debt is a long-running reviewzine edited by Davida Gypsy Breier (Leeking Ink, Rigor Mortis). It's primary emphasis is on non-comics zines but it still covers a healthy number of mini-comics and related items. Check out that front cover (back as well) by Bojan! XD's vibe is fairly relaxed and reviews are grouped by reviewers (often in the form of columns) and this issue's contributors include Delaine Derry Green, Gianni Simone, Kathy Moseley (who also did a nice job with the issue's layout), Fred Argoff, Anne Thalheimer and others. Also in this issue are a few non-review columns (Jeff Somers on reviewers, Christopher Robin on prisoner zines and Gianni Simone on mail art and the birth of xerography). Worth checking out for the comics reviews and even moreso if you're open to non-comics zines.

Minerva's Wreck

2009-11-21T06:32:11.000Z

“This is the artifact itself.”

These words are on the indicia page of Minerva's Wreck. They remind me of Magritte's painting of a pipe, labeled “This is not a pipe.” Minerva's Wreck, no mere reproduction, is an art object itself, rare and beautiful, and perfectly aware of its status as such.

I can't write an ordinary review for this celebration of all things Austin and arty. Minerva's Wreck deserves something special. To give it the standard Ebertian thumbs-up would be like describing the canelones caseros at Austin's Buenos Aires Cafe as merely “delicious.” No words can adequately describe it to the uninitiated; and for those who already know, no explanation is necessary.

I liked Minerva's Wreck so much, I picked up and moved to Austin. Yeah, that's closer to the mark. An exaggeration, of course - or is it? Read the long personal narrative by editor Wayne Alan Brenner that threads its way through the pages of Minerva like a needle through fine cloth. Brenner's essay is all about the subtle, synchronous ways the city entwines itself into one's life; how the people and places at the hippie heart of Texas can create an Austin epiphany. Having experienced my own such epiphany, I cannot write about the city or its artists with objectivity - and it wouldn't really be appropriate to do so. Like the Beat, or the blues: you just gotta live it.

Minerva's Wreck is a very limited edition. Its rareness means most Poopsheet readers will never see it. This provides a special challenge to the reviewer. Ordinarily, the message of a review comes down to some version of “Buy the damned thing.” (Or: “Don't.”) But in a case like this, I have to sum the experience; the reader's vicarious pleasure depends on how well I express my own. Fortunately, I have lots of experience describing those wild paths and arcane alleys that most readers will never visit.

Good art makes you feel things: anger, hope, loss, love. Great art makes you feel things that cannot be summed in single words. Sometimes a photograph or a painting can fill you with a complex longing, like nostalgia for a place that never existed. When we say art enriches life, this is the full meaning of the word. Examples:

· Molly Rice's memoir of youth and illness, “Seizureville,” is listed under “Fiction.” But it is so painful it must be real, a sore spot in your mouth you can't stop touching with your tongue. It reproduces a tiny slice of life to perfection - like intricate dollhouse furniture - then rips it apart with one cataclysmic, drug-triggered grand mal.

· Profiles of the Alamo Drafthouse and The Order of the Oosik offer insights into gatherings of the Select. Somewhere there is a Church that never passes the plate, whose members pay for the privilege of congregating - but not with money. Their roving Witnessses walk right by you, their eyes passing over without interest - they're not looking for you. You must first approach them.

· Robert Faires' comic “The Lad in the Iron Mask” pastes a four-color hero into a little boy's life, just as that boy once imitated his heroes on the playground. If pop culture has invaded our lives to the extent that it supplants genuine experience, the story argues, then pop culture becomes genuine experience.

· Henri Mazza's “Kangaroos and Vibrators” successfully mingles loneliness with sheer banana silliness, like a 12-hour Animaniacs marathon and no one to watch it with.

· Brenner's rambling personal essay is the rooted bulb from which the rest of the magazine flowers. He's too wordy by half, but you can't stop reading, even flipping back to peruse footnotes that parody themselves. He's the friend whose chaotic personal life you've witnessed with alternating love and horror for the last 20 years.

The mag is full of goofy bonus materials - zines, stickers, postcards. The fact that some articles are illustrated with glossy color photos added by hand to each copy affirms Minerva's existence as an objet d'art. Others add-ons simply qualify as art. For example, why is Benjamin Reed's story of slow apocalypse, “Speechless,” obscured by multiple Post-it Notes portraying an open mouth? Well, Junior, that's what makes it art: Sometimes the question is the answer.

Brenner's mission in assembling the Wreck was clearly to collect some of the great art and writing generated in his home city on a regular basis. The fact that so many of the contributors are or were connected to him - even family - is neither accident nor design. It's just another example of what happens when you have a gathering of creative people, those for whom art is a way of life, not something you do in the off-hours. In a place like that, art and life intertwine so beautifully, so naturally, it's hard to believe we were intended to live any other way.

BUTTRAG MAG #5 edited by Jaimie Hashey

2009-11-19T06:30:00.000Z

ButtRag Mag #5
(try here or here)

This zine is the shit -- a big steaming pile of it, in fact! Don't get me wrong, where ButtRag Mag is concerned that's a good thing and presumably business as usual. This issue is packed from cover to cover with really lowbrow ass-obsessed, scat-centric humor. I mean, look at that cover by Dexter Cockburn! I believe he's got a comic in the new issue too (which may already be out).

Other stuff in this issue includes a couple pages of art by Hugo, a "Bonerators" comic, a "Dear Assy" advice column, more comics (by Mister V, Jme and others), poetry (!), ass photos, internet finds and more. There's even a toilet paper insert!

GO FOR THE GOLD 3, new from Meathaus

2009-11-17T21:30:00.000Z

Actually available the first week of December this thing's a sketchbook anthology with contributors like Dash Shaw, Dave Kiersh, Benjamin Marra, Arik Roper, Andy Ristaino, Josh Latta, Jesse Moynihan, Thomas Herpich, Victor Cayro, Al Columbia and many others. Click the pic for more info.

You might also check out the Meathaus blog where they'll point you to all sorts of great art on the internets.

THE RIPENED SQUELCH, new from David Z Greene

2009-11-17T21:00:00.000Z

WEIRD SCHMEIRD #2, new from Ryan Cecil Smith

2009-11-17T20:30:00.000Z

Be sure to click the pic for more photos and info. Debuting at the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival next month.

ZINE SOUP, a celebration of art zines, newish from TTC Gallery

2009-11-17T19:54:33.000Z

Actually released in September but this is the first I've heard of it, I believe. Published by TTC Gallery of Copenhagen, Denmark. Click the image above for more sample pages.

Here's some info from the publisher:

This 200 pages book consists of material from over 80 zine artist from around the world. Through images and text we present a wide range of artistic and graphic zines and the people behind them. 4 large interviews with Mike Diana, Alex Lukas, Islands Fold and Smittekilde, highlight different aspects of the culture and 10 small interviews focus on the mind and motivation of these dedicated artists.

We are truly proud and honored to present such a large number of exceptional talented zine artists and hopefully this book will give you a look into a culture which has brought us so many fantastic zines.

Some of the featured artists:

AA. VV / Bomba, Alexander Martinez, Alex Lukas / Space 1026, Anders Jandér / Museum Studio, A. R, Bongout, Boris Servais, Cantab Publishing, Chris Magnusson, Colin Matthes, Craig Atkinson, Daisuke Ichiba, David Birchall, Elk, Emil Alsbo, Frédéric Fleury, Geoffrey Ellis, Glaciers of Nice, Sumi Ink Club & Lucky Dragons, Holly Stevenson, Islands Fold, IzRock Pressings, Jason Mclean, Jasper Sebastian Stürup, Jody Barton, Jonas Delaborde, JSBJ, Kalkylom, Kasper Hesselbjerg, Ken Kagami, Kerozen, Konsta Ojala, Lachlann PT Rattray, La Commissure, Magnus F. Clausen, Mark Price, Marten Damgaard, Matthew Lock, Mike Diana, Misaki Kawai, Nepomuk, Norihiro Sekitani, Opuntia Books, Panayiotis Terzis & Raymond Sohn, Peter Willis, PoKKrePoK, Robin Cameron, Sigrid Astrup, Simon Højbo, Simon Redekop, Smittekilde, Sort Hat, Space Poetry, Stomachache, Sune Ehlers, Toilet Papir Publications,Tommi Musturi, Tony Cederteg, Tristan Ceddia, TTC, Yuri Shibuya.

[ thanks to Smittekilde for the tip ]

Cynicalman Lives!

2009-11-17T17:00:35.000Z

The Amazing Cynicalman appears more or less weekly at http://www.cynicalman.com

C. Cilla Crashes Into Swamp

2009-11-16T19:32:05.000Z

Chris Cilla has posted some new sketchbook excerpts at his blog. I really want to flip through that Harrumph magazine.

postcard received from Warren Craghead

2009-11-15T02:46:37.000Z

As the artist says, "Seed Toss is where I document projects that put my drawings and collages out into the world. The world as a sketchbook."

To get your postcard and see lots more art go to Seed Toss.

Nov. 14 on MidnightFiction.com

2009-11-14T15:59:36.000Z

Rob Sato cover featured in GIANT ROBOT #62

2009-11-14T03:12:03.000Z

Rob Sato's work is featured on the cover and Eric Nakamura interviews him inside the mag. You can also find some of Rob's work in the Poopsheet Shop and lots more at his website.

ODD COMICS #1 by Dan Burke, new from Fan-Atic Press

2009-11-13T02:01:31.000Z

COMIC BOOK COMICS #4, new from Ryan Dunlavey and Fred Van Lente

2009-11-13T01:34:49.000Z

Click the pic for more info and a preview of the issue.

Poopsheet Shop gift certificates now available!

2009-11-12T07:30:00.000Z

Gift certificates are now available for the Poopsheet Shop through PayPal in many amounts from $5.00 and up. PayPal will e-mail the gift certificate to the recipient on the date of your choice or, if you prefer to deliver it yourself, they'll provide a printable version.

We also offer an alternative gift certificate for those who prefer to pay using some other method.

Click here for more info or to purchase gift certificates. Thank you for your support!

The Poopsheet Shop (established in 2004) specializes in new and back-issue mini-comics, art zines, fanzines, underground comix and other self-published curiosities from the '70s to the present.

OKAY ON DOOMSDAY, another new one from Ben Hutchings

2009-11-08T05:02:10.000Z

Okay, so you might not be able to get a copy of this one (click the image for more info). But you can definitely read it over at Top Shelf 2.0.

Monster Show 4 now online

2009-11-08T04:30:00.000Z

Monster Show 4 is running concurrently at Domy Books' Austin and Houston locations and everything is now online as well. Go see Austin, go see Houston. If you're in town you can go see the art in person through December 3rd.

The image above is by Mark Hensel and below are Sarah Ra Ra, Joe Legs and Sumi Ink Club. Other artists in the show include Aeron Alfrey, Mark Todd, Benjamin Marra, Matt Furie, Dave Kiersh, Matt Thurber and many others.

Nov. 7 on MidnightFiction.com

2009-11-07T16:15:00.000Z

awesome Dan Zettwoch poster

2009-11-06T10:47:11.000Z

Click the image above for more info on this art show, rough sketches that became this poster and a sneak peek at Dan's own pieces in the show.

COMIC OF SMALLNESS #2, new from Ben Hutchings

2009-11-05T03:00:18.000Z

Click the image for more info. Ben's also been posting a lot of nice comics and art at his blog lately.

BLACK ROBOTS, new from Hurk

2009-11-04T02:45:31.000Z

Click the image above for more info!

Review: "Crowbars Don't Kill People...CROWBARS Do", Volume 1

2009-11-04T02:45:24.000Z

You know already whether or not you're going to be into this. The cover of this book doesn't lie. Scratchy, amateurish scrawling with what appears to be a Bic pen, tasteless gags, and lots of blood (oh, the book, even though it mostly in black & white, is printed in color so the blood can be red...nice touch, really...)

It probably shouldn't work as well as it does. But the thing is that, about half the time, it actually works...sort of. The author, identified only as "Matian" has some gags and even though his or her artistic skill may be limited, the gags are presented effectively and they are sometimes very funny.

But Matain, more than anything, needs an editor. There's some truly really funny stuff in here, even if you take out the gags that fall flat (and many do), there's enough here for 3 or 4 good issues of a digest-sized 'zine. This obviously wasn't Matian's intent though, because the book is identified as a "coffee table book" so it would appear that he/she meant for it to be this big.

It's a shame really, because ultimately the gags that misfire wind up obscuring the ones that don't, and by the time you're looking at a panel of a shirtless teacher murdering his students on the third-to-last page (SPOILER ALERT!) you're kind of punch-drunk and maybe not remembering the funnier parts of this book.

I can't figure out how much this thing's gonna cost you, but I recommend you head over to www.brokennoses.com and check out the work for yourself. You'll know pretty soon whether or not you're into it.

works-in-progress: THE QUIET FAMILY by Theo Ellsworth

2009-11-01T22:59:03.000Z

Click the image above for more.

Oct 31 on MidnightFiction.com

2009-10-31T19:08:17.000Z

more Halloween/monster/horror-themed fun!

2009-10-31T07:00:00.000Z

Paper Tiger Comix #4 (2007), cover by Vince Packard

Fried Brains #21 (Clay Geerdes, 1986), cover by Jeff Gaither

The Thing in the Closet (Slice O' Life Press, 1990) by David Tosh

"Fisticuffs" (2008) by Rob Sato

Skull button (The Dale Lee Planet, 2007) by Andy Nukes

More to come! Happy Halloween!

NOT MY SMALL DIARY #15 now available in the Poopsheet Shop

2009-10-31T01:41:28.000Z

Thick two-volume set with tons of great cartoonists!

More info and sample pages at the Poopsheet Shop.

Halloween/monster/horror-themed mini-comics covers!

2009-10-31T01:05:51.000Z

Happy Halloween!

Parched Bones (Thru Black Holes Comix, 1981), cover by Ed H. Dorn

Big Bad Panels (Scratchez, 1987) by Bob Lewis

Exquisite Corpse #2 (Thru Black Holes Comix, 1984) by Michael Roden and Bill Shut

Twitch Vixen #2 (Slice O' Life Press, 1994), cover by David Tosh

Sleazy Horror #5 (Clay Geerdes, 1983), cover by David Miller

APC Tales #? (APC Publications, 1986), cover by Hilary Barta and Jeff Gaither

More to come!