Wednesday, March 10, 2010
OMG Webcomic Ponies!
[Webcomic Pony Party]
Posted by Lauren Davis at Wednesday, March 10, 2010 0 comments
Labels: josh lesnick, omg ponies, ponies, webcomics
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The Comic Guide to Portland, the Movies, and Everything Else
I have never been to Portland. In fact, I have never set foot in the great state of Oregon.
I've never been to Voodoo Doughnut. I didn't grow up watching "Bumpity." I haven't witnessed the eclectic frights of Baron Von Goolo's Museum of Horrors. And, tragically, I haven't made it up to the Stumptown Comics Fest.
None of this has hindered my love for CulturePulp.
Mike Russell is a comics journalist (as in a journalist who works in the medium of comics, not a journalist who writes about the comics industry) whose work frequently appears in The Oregonian, Portland's daily newspaper. In most CulturePulp strips, Russell's alter ego takes us on a tour of Portland's local color, covering events, hanging with Portland personalities, and exposing cultural phenomena from Browncoats to Piratecore. It's fascinating to visit another city through the medium of comics, but what makes CulturePulp truly special is the sense of fun that permeates every strip. It would be easy for Russell to poke fun at the oddballs who populate Portland (certain UFOlogists come to mind), but he's more interested in letting these people tell their own stories and explain why they're so captivated by View-Masters or dressing like faeries. It helps that he's got one of those cartoony styles that lends itself to wry exaggeration without grotesqueness.
Even if you're not so hot on learning the ins and outs of Portland culture, it's worth checking out some of CulturePulp's less local strips. Russell occasional provides comic primers on wider cultural phenomena such as Hellboy and Aeon Flux -- not to mention writing one of my favorite send-ups of disaster movies.
[CulturePulp]
Posted by Lauren Davis at Tuesday, March 09, 2010 0 comments
Labels: culturepulp, journalism, mike russell, print comics, webcomics
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Odds, Ends, and Shameless Self-Promotion
Wow, so I never expected that this blog would see so much traffic...ever. Thanks to everyone who retweeted, voted up, and linked to the post on cartoonists' self-portraits. Now I'm going to squander any goodwill that may have earned me by plugging a project of my own.
I'm currently collecting an anthological, anecdotal comic book guide to San Francisco's Mission District. The book will contain 20 tales of life in the Mission with art by 20 Bay Area artists (and in some cases, the artist and the author might be one and the same). If you are interested in contributing, head over to Skoda Man Press to learn more.
Also, a couple of non-self-promoting odds and ends:
- A few days ago, tech industry watchers TechCrunch interviewed husband and wife webcomickers Drew (of Toothpaste for Dinner and Married to the Sea) and Natalie Dee (of Natalie Dee and Married to the Sea). It's an interesting read as it treats the webcomics as an art-focused startup.
- Periscope Studios, home to some of my favorite webcomickers, as well as a number of other talented comic artists, has just opened a spanking new Etsy store. Items have been selling fast; if you see something you like, pounce.
Posted by Lauren Davis at Tuesday, March 02, 2010 0 comments
Labels: drew, married to the sea, natalie dee, odds and ends, periscope studios, self-promotion, toothpaste for dinner
Thursday, February 25, 2010
How Cartoonists See Themselves
For all the crap I give other people, I'm a pretty lousy artist. I'm trying to remedy some gaps in my artistic skill set by taking a class over at SFAI on drawing the head and the hands. This has led to some not entirely successful attempts at self-portraiture, and I got to thinking about how cartoonists represent themselves. Cartooning is, of course, representational, and it's often less about capturing what a person actually looks like than about capturing some basic essence of the individual. So let's take a look at some of the cartoonists gracing my RSS reader and their cartoon alter egos:




Erika Moen:

James Kochalka:


Jeffrey Brown:

Jeffrey Rowland:

Jeph Jacques:

Joel Watson:

Julia Wertz:

Kate Beaton and her Younger Self:

Lucy Knisley:

Marc Ellerby:

Meredith Gran (Note that the quickie self portrait was done back when she had dreadlocks.):

R Stevens:

Rachel Nabors:

Randy Milholland:

Rene Engstrom:
Posted by Lauren Davis at Thursday, February 25, 2010 27 comments
Labels: cartooning, self-portraits, webcomics
Monday, February 22, 2010
Bring James Kochalka's Glorkian Warrior to Video Game Life
James Kochalka, creator of the diary comic American Elf and books such as Johnny Boo and Superf*ckers, is getting into the video game business. Years ago, Kochalka began designing Glorkian Warrior, a video game he has begun developing with indie gaming company Pixeljam. Now the game is nearing completion, and the team needs your help.
James Kochalka + Pixeljam = Glorkian Warrior [Kickstarter]
Posted by Lauren Davis at Monday, February 22, 2010 0 comments
Labels: american elf, glorkian warrior, james kochalka, kickstarter, video games
Friday, February 19, 2010
Revisiting Iran in Black and White
Via The Beat, here's a comic to keep on the radar. Zahra's Paradise, by an anonymous Iranian-America writer ("Amir") and an equally anonymous Arab artist ("Khalil"), chronicles a family's search for a missing protestor in the wake of the 2009 Iranian elections. It promises to give us a look inside modern Iran -- its diverse population, its political turmoil, and the dark corners into which a person can disappear.
Posted by Lauren Davis at Friday, February 19, 2010 0 comments
Labels: first second, iran, roman a clef, zahra's paradise
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Blaxploitation Is Back. Can You Dig It?
Last week, Scott Kurtz give a talk at San Francisco's Cartoon Art Museum on (what else?) webcomics. One of the problems with webcomics, according to Kurtz, is that too many creators are setting up "Cargo Cults" to creators like Kurtz and Kris Straub, making their comics in imitation of those storied successful webcomics. Comics, Kurtz notes, should be about love. You should love your characters, love your art, love the things you write about -- be it history or geek culture or, hell, even love.
Posted by Lauren Davis at Wednesday, February 17, 2010 1 comments
Labels: action, blaxploitation, jay potts, pulp, world of hurt
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Fluble: My Gateway Drug

Normally I use this blog to highlight shiny and new comics -- or at least comics that are currently running -- but I recently stumbled across the archives for a blast from my past I'd like to share.
Posted by Lauren Davis at Tuesday, February 16, 2010 0 comments
Labels: chris mastrangelo, fluble, surreal
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tales From the Webcomics Crypt

Back in October, I collected a list of horror-themed webcomics for Halloween. Most of the comics I've mentioned here before, including Eerie Cuties, The Zombie Hunters, and Lovecraft is Missing. But while I was compiling the list, I stumbled across a comic I hadn't seen before: Split Lip, an anthology by Sam Costello. Now I've finally gotten a chance to sit down and give Split Lip a thorough reading and I'd like to give it its due.
Posted by Lauren Davis at Wednesday, February 10, 2010 0 comments
Labels: anthology, horror, sam costello, split lip, webcomics
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Wil Wheaton, Neil Gaiman, and Cory Doctorow All Love xkcd
Posted by Lauren Davis at Tuesday, February 09, 2010 0 comments

