Week of 9/16/2024
The Q&A session continues with a special guest appearance on The Shapes while I discuss my top Ignatz nominees on Sammy the Critic!
The Shapes
Annual Anniversary Special 5-6
News
LAAB #3 Kickstarter
My friend Josh from Beehive Books is running a Kickstarter campaign until October 3 for the third issue of the annual newsprint periodical LAAB, one of the best comic anthologies out there right now featuring quality work from several alternative cartoonists and stimulating essays.
Sammy the Critic
Top 5 Ignatz Nominees
The week after the Harvey Awards nominee voting deadline comes another voting deadline for another comics awards show, the Ignatz Awards (and twice the reading!). Ironically, the Harvey’s ceremony takes place over a month later during NYCC while the Ignatz’s is a mere week short of SPX. Anyhow, I’m not writing this to quibble over idiosyncratic practices, so let’s get down to it.
Unlike the Harvey Awards where most of the nominated works are from big book and comic publishers, the Ignatz Awards emphasize alternative comics work from small press publishers or self-published (the biggest name you’ll generally get are generally the likes of Fantagraphics or Drawn & Quarterly). It’s great on the creator’s end, but on the critic’s side of matters, it’s a much more taxing affair to access these comics as even my local library (which has a colossal, diverse graphic novels section) isn’t able to order many of them (and don’t get me started on Barnes N’ Noble’s barebones selection). Fortunately, quite a few of the small press houses and self-published cartoonists I contacted were willing to send me a review copy of their books, so thanks to them, this list will be more representative of the overall alt-comix scene or at least a more educated reflection of it.
As with most of my lists, I’m avoiding anything I’ve previously covered, so while The Talk by Darrin Bell would probably have ranked number 3, it won’t be part of my talk (pun intended).
5. Time Under Tension by M.S. Harkness (Fantagraphics)
Nomination: Outstanding Graphic Novel
In this memoir graphic novel, M.S. Harkness finds herself in a sticky life situation after graduating from an art school in Minneapolis. With few available opportunities, she does sex work and sells weed while trying to obtain a personal trainer’s certificate and managing her dysfunctional relationships.
Drawn in stark black and white with minimal hatching, Harkness’s art style hovers between harsh, elaborate sequences and clear, clean linework throughout most of the mundane scenes, each stylistic modulation also marking a narrative shift. Most of the book contains a meandering quality that perfectly lines up with the aimless perplexion in the author’s life at the time, which makes the more visceral, uncomfortable scenes like when Harkness sees the doctor stand out more.
4. Roaming by Jillian Tamaki & Mariko Tamaki (Drawn & Quarterly)
Nomination: Outstanding Graphic Novel
The year is 2009 and two Canadian childhood best friends Dani and Zoe meet up with each other in NYC during university spring break. However, Dani brings along her school friend Fiona which shakes up the dynamic and strong feelings gradually build up.
Cousins Jillian and Mariko Tamaki’s last collaboration was the YA graphic novel This One Summer (2014) 10 years ago! This book threads similar ground regarding interpersonal relationships but with young adult characters rather than teenagers. Unlike the other slice-of-life entries in this list, the pacing is fast, often feeling like a whirlwind of events stacking on top of one another, making perfect sense for a story set in the hustling and bustling city that never sleeps. Conflict does get more intense, particularly during the second half, but it builds up organically and stays reasonably dramatic.
3. CosmoKnights by Hannah Templer (Top Shelf Productions)
Nomination: Outstanding Series
In a neo-medieval world where the affections of princesses are fought over in gladiator mecha matches lives Pan who, after aiding her best friend Tara, escape the fate of being betrothed, finds herself going from a simple mechanic girl to an outlaw. Years later, Pan finds herself part of the Cosmoknights, a ragtag team of fighters who participate in the tournaments to rescue princesses from arranged marriages as part of their goal to disrupt the patriarchial system.
With two book volumes out so far, this is a really fun ongoing series featuring a diverse, eclectic cast that just keeps expanding and challenging readers’ expectations as they’re continuously fleshed out. Originally serialized as a webcomic, you can keep up with it for free online.
2. Sunflowers by Keezy Young (Silver Sprocket)
Nomination: Outstanding Comic
Tens of millions of people worldwide have bipolar disorder, yet it’s still misunderstood and stigmatized by the general public. Keezy Young is one of those people living with it using this comic book as a cathartic outlet to articulate their complex feelings on the matter while hopefully informing readers and dispelling misconceptions, which it succeeds at in all aspects.
Artistically poetic with muted colors and abstract visuals that are simultaneously vibrant on a presentational level, Young’s writing is plainly honest about their experiences leaving no stone unturned in describing their hypomania episodes even acknowledging, from an outsider’s perspective, how most people would view them as insane. Unlike some disorders, there aren’t many aspects people can relate to even to a small extent, so the written word is probably the best medium for conveying that information as it provides the space for a reader to process and empathize. The entire comic can be purchased or read for free on Silver Sprocket’s site.
1. The Audra Show #7: The Love Issue by Audra Stang (self-published)
Nomination: Outstanding Comic
Why wasn’t I on board with these comics earlier? The Audra Show is the best ongoing slice-of-life comic right now! The series contains two segments, the first of which is “Stardew Valley” (not to be mistaken with the namesake video game) which follows the everyday trials of Adelaide Lane and a cast of other middle school classmates in the titular small American town.
If you grew up in American suburbia during the 2000s, this will probably hit close to home. Being a homeschooled/online school kid who mostly grew up in urban environments, I can’t attest to sharing the same experiences, but I could feel those vibes flowing throughout. Owing to Stang’s muted Lofi aesthetics, her colors set a warm tone that meshes well with an otherwise mundane atmosphere that’s compelling to read because of how authentically down-to-earth the characters are. While there’s your typical middle-schooler pettiness, it’s not emphasized melodramatically like it’s the biggest thing in the world (though from the POV of someone that age, it probably is) instead zeroing in on the general awkwardness of that largely transitional life stage. In other words, it’s a nostalgic retrospect of that period more than it is told by a character presently experiencing it.
The issue’s second half is a series of autobio vignettes about Stang’s teenage American Idol obsession over contestant Elliot Yamin and her shitty relationship with her father who seems to resent her existence in his life. The transition between the two comics is seamless due to their tonal similarities with the only difference being one is fictional.
You can purchase the issue on Audra Stang’s online store.
If you’ve read any of these entries or the other Ignatz nominees, do you agree with my pick, partially object, or flat-out think I’m full of shit? Leave a comment below or at least give a like!
"The Audra Show" reminds me of some of the Disney middle-school themed animated programs that I like, so I might look for it.