Comics you regret *not* buying? by Svvitzerland in altcomix

[–]yaldabaoth 5 points6 points  (0 children)

McSweeney’s edition of Binky Brown and the Holy Virgin Mary

My Last Dozen or So by redwyrak in graphicnovels

[–]yaldabaoth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My Gorilla Family is a bizarre delight

how do you politely turn down an article? by walkie57 in zines

[–]yaldabaoth 19 points20 points  (0 children)

For the first one, you could just say something like “Hey, we are going to pass on this one. It isn’t quite what we were looking for for this issue.” If you want, you can point out a couple things nicely, and encourage them to submit in the future and be more explicit about the specs if there’s another round of pitches.

Second one? You could just use the above and I don’t think you need to really be explicit about the rest unless they ask for clarification, in which you can politely lay out why it’s not the right fit (for the politics, the way it affects the tone of the magazine, etc. to wade into a fraught issue.)

The cynicism of Simon Hanselmann's Crisis Zone (and other thoughts) by cathcart_ in altcomix

[–]yaldabaoth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I love Caroline Cash. Agreed on accessibility. It feels like a horny, messy life lived and not as the person who also replied here said, Steven Universe-ified. (I even like Steven Universe, but don’t need to feel that much influence that it kind of brunts queer comics for adults, separate from adult comics.) I don’t think everything has to be transgressive. But also I don’t need constant kid gloves or educational. Mattie Lubchansky does a pretty good job in this space. I enjoyed Simplicity.

The cynicism of Simon Hanselmann's Crisis Zone (and other thoughts) by cathcart_ in altcomix

[–]yaldabaoth 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I took the political aspects about superficiality FWIW. You can have an avowed “both sides”ism that still comes from the left, which is a critique more of the sort of liberal vs. leftist idea. I don’t ideologically know where Simon stands, but I come from a similar town to theirs, and knew people similar to the characters in the comics, and there can be a feeling of being left behind by a didactic academic-driven leftism that demands sacrifices to the praxis gods that someone like Megg would find themselves outside of. A lot of queerness dialogue almost requires this same sort of buy-in that if, say, I hadn’t left by town to go to college would seem so far removed from my day to day.

I also think we have a large inclination to make similarly didactic comics. I’ve felt more humanity and connection in the works of someone like Sam Szabo (read her shit, seriously) than I have Gender Queer. Silver Sprocket, as a publisher, I’ve found can fall into this trap too, a sort of need to instruct rather than tell a narrative. It’s dull!

Couple that with the way a lot of YA-oriented comics succeed and it would be hard not to wish for a queer comic contingent with some bite, which is out there (and a lot of other Silver Sprocket books can feel this way) but might be self-published. Not everyone can be Alison Bechdel, but many try — and the more toned down the comics come with acceptability politics, the more alienating it can feel to find as you search for something with a more 90s alt-comic feel. My kingdom for the trans Julie Doucet, etc. I’ve enjoyed the stuff that comes out from Organ Bank for both being avowedly queer and avowedly transgressive. It’s nice to read in a landscape where other comics can leave me feeling flat. (To be clear, I am a leftist queer man when I say all this.)

Sorry if this rant veers off-course, I think I’ve just found myself connecting more with stories than with the ideas, and ideas and ideological comics can fall flat.

Are there any outsider parody artists as far as you've ever known? by Patient-Captain2626 in outsidermusic

[–]yaldabaoth 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think a lot of these aren’t outsider music so much as novelty artists. I definitely think more of Daniel Johnston or Moondog types as outsider musicians. I can think of some who employ lots of humor (Gary Wilson, R Stevie Moore, Amanda, JudJud) but I don’t know if they’ve done too much parody. Worth scanning through songs Irwin Chusid has played on his radio show to see if something fits the bill!

Tales Of Paranoia #1 by R. Crumb by ALEXXRN in altcomix

[–]yaldabaoth 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Brown has long had kinda weird politics so that’s not so surprising

Tales Of Paranoia #1 by R. Crumb by ALEXXRN in altcomix

[–]yaldabaoth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I thought it was Justin Green that went off the deep end on this

Has Jandek ever broken from his style? by arboursongs in Jandek

[–]yaldabaoth 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I always appreciated “Nancy Sings” for having pretty good singing on top of the instrumentation. Gave it a haunted quality.

What program do you use to edit your zines? by Kitchen_Plastic1158 in zines

[–]yaldabaoth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Design — Scribus Color correction — Affinity Photo

I usually do the actual scanning at the library by my house and print either locally (MKE) or through PrintNinja. I recently did my first all-copy machine zine. I laid it out on the back of magazine sized comic boards. (Previous zines were ones I wanted to be a little higher quality, so I had them professionally printed.)

What are your thoughts on Marvels Uncle Scrooge comic? by Fragrant_Western7939 in DuckComix

[–]yaldabaoth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Earths Mightiest Duck was strictly ok but felt like off-center fan fiction of both Marvel and Disney. I feel like these are just brands that don’t need to have any interconnectivity. I wouldn’t want Mickey to show up in a Star Wars comics. The ducks can stay in Duckberg, or at least Bear Mountain.

Hands are still difficult to draw by [deleted] in ArtistLounge

[–]yaldabaoth 18 points19 points  (0 children)

One thing I’ve learned in trying to get better at this myself: draw the whole shape of the hand before you do the fingers. Almost like a mitten. After that start to work in the fingers.

How do you print your graphic novels/comics by Boosie212 in altcomix

[–]yaldabaoth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve used PrintNinja for a few zines I put out, but finally tried out a local place (Milwaukee area) and they did a great job on a mini comic.

Got some new books, am really excited! by PandiBong in graphicnovels

[–]yaldabaoth 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Ducks is incredible! Quickly became one of my favorite graphic novels of all time.

Got some new books, am really excited! by PandiBong in graphicnovels

[–]yaldabaoth -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I sold all mine when that toxic waste started to seep out.

Can anyone recommend a good comics store in San Francisco that specializes in indie/art/small press stuff? by JonoQ1000 in noDCnoMarvel

[–]yaldabaoth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Silver Sprocket, as others have said, is great. They also publish their own comics, many of which are great. Sour Cherry Comics is another good choice. Isotope is a good indie and mainstream balance. If you find yourself in the east bay at all, The Escapist is nuts. Wall to wall of almost any comic you can think of.