Week of 1/8/2024
Sam's Studios returns a brand new season of The Shapes, an end-of-the-retrospective, more news, and another comics review!
The Shapes
Struck v. Struck 1-3
Ah geez, I wonder who could be knocking on the door right now?
News
Art v. Artist 2023
With another year passing comes another point for self-reflection. While 2023 may not have been one exciting moment after another in the same way 2022 was, there were several more big moments and achievements which made up for it. Here are the top highlights from the year:
Tabling at SPX where I got to attend the Ignatz Awards and meet an amazing community of cartoonists and publishers including some personal favorites like Caroline Cash, Gemma Correll, Keith Knight, etc.
Meeting my favorite comic strip creator Stephen Pastis (of Pearls Before Swine).
Attending New York Comic Con again.
Getting my first distribution deal with Comics Mainstream for The Shapes comic books.
Finishing my bachelor’s degree.
I ended up following through with most of my New Year’s resolutions fulfilling many goals such as getting my books out in more shops both online and physical, expanding to selling more merchandise like stickers, and tabling at more events. There were additionally new endeavors that didn’t have planned out which turned out to be great experiences.
One of them was regularly reading my comics during local open mics (shoutout to SHAMC and Studio@620). While the audience at those venues is primarily poetry readers, they’re a receptive bunch, so it turned out to be a good way to continually hone in on my public speaking skills. The other was starting this newsletter which is easily the best decision I've made. Not only has it been a more reliable alternative social media, but also a more intimate way of connecting with my audience when I can share my work, personal anecdotes, and recommendations all in this one place. For that, I’d like to extend a warm thanks to everyone who reads, likes, and sends their comments on my newsletter every week.
Artistically, while 2023 wasn’t my most prolific year in output, I did allocate more time to making new comics than in 2022 including some pretty experimental stuff like visual poetry including Catch a Breath for Death which I posted on my last 2023 update.
In the year of 2024, I look forward to and have the following goals in mind:
Finding a literary agent and/or publisher for when I do a large book collection of The Shapes comic strip.
Continue improving my art so I can start getting commissions.
Keep making new Shapes comics and put them out consistently.
Continue tabling at shows like comic cons and zine fests.
Going to San Diego Comic-Con for the first time
So yeah, most of my resolutions are more or less an extension of what I’ve fulfilled last year. That doesn’t mean I don’t have any other goals, but the ones mentioned here are the primary ones I’m actively working towards (I already started my master’s program so still gotta keeps things practical enough). If the previous years are anything to go by, I’ll follow through with most of these even when I’m feeling like an underachiever.
Store Updates
While I was in DC, I dropped a few copies of The Shapes at Big Planet Comics and Joint Custody. Big Planet has some other cool indie comics on stock while Joint Custody has records and old zines. Better yet, they’re a few doors away from each other, so you might as well check out both if you’re in the area!
Queens Comic Party
See, I already remained consistent with one of my resolutions. This Sunday, I’m tabling at Queens Comic Party all afternoon selling comics and stickers as usual. The show is free and there’ll be other vendors selling comic book back issues, graded books, and original work. Plus, there’ll be sports playing on the television screens, so if you’ve got nothing else better to do, then stop by!
Sammy the Critic
Everything Sucks: Friends Forever Review
What better to begin my first review of 2024 than with the newest entry of the series that got me back into reviewing comics Everything Sucks! This is the third issue to come out in 2023 and the fourth overall, an impressive output for a small-press comic. I can confidently state Michael Sweater is still on a roll because this issue does not disappoint.
It’s the end of another chaotic day at the sandwich shop Noah works at where he’s in for a pleasant surprise, a gal he met at an event who invites him over to her house to watch a movie which you could say is a date. Unfortunately for him, he gets locked in the store restroom with roommate Calla and acquaintance Brad, leading to a hilarious bottle episode of sorts as they try to find ways to escape.
The plots are episodic as usual, but Friends Forever does give us some character development. For one, we finally know what Noah’s job is and we get to witness how the trio’s personalities play off each other when they’re forced to work together in a closed space which is a mix of dysfunctional yet somewhat endearing. Throughout, Sweater continues to demonstrate impeccable comedic timing for every dialogue and scene that always has me either laughing or smiling like a stoned-out idiot while reading it on my train ride.
This comic also has what I view as one of the cleverest potty jokes and best jokes of the issue when Noah realizes Calla is taking a dump in the toilet. Here, the realization’s pacing coincides with the audience’s so the end result feels subtle and funnier as a result.
Sweater’s art in Everything Sucks never ceases to amaze me with how detailed he can get with his rough yet animated linework. The flooding splash page especially washed me away in visual intrigue (yep, I’m back with the puns).
On top of that, the issue also contains an extra comic titled “Animals” about, you’ve guessed it, forest animals who investigate who pooped on Rabbit’s favorite rock. It’s as silly as it sounds, but oddly cute and funny. I have to give Michael Sweater props for being able to draw poop this daintily.
By the end of the book, there are two pages of behind-the-scenes content explaining the work’s creative process. I always enjoy these parts and looking at how every cartoonist's thought process when creating differs. I’m particularly intrigued by Sweater’s analogy of pages to measures in music.
Overall, Friends Forever is another solid issue of a solid series. According to the author’s intro, the subsequent issues will be larger in scope, so I’m excited about whatever is coming next.