Looking for something to read in the meantime?

(1) My friend Kane Lynch just started a new webcomic called Aerial Structures. It’s a serialized story, updated bi-weekly (with daily updates all this week), and is already off to a strong start. Kane is a natural storyteller, and I’m a big fan of his recent graphic novel, The Relics. (He also did a beautiful job coloring the cover of my upcoming book, which I can’t wait to share).

(2) I’d also like to point you in the direction of PioneersPress.com, the great zine distro that I heard has been struggling to stay afloat recently. If you’re looking to stock up on zines, here are some of the titles they’re carrying that I especially recommend:

- What a Beautiful Face: A Neutral Milk Hotel Fanzine!, edited by K. Johnson: After being forced to get most of my music news from Pitchfork the last several years, it’s refreshing to read an old-school fanzine that’s honest and doesn’t take itself too seriously. From the opening essay: “I got into Neutral Milk Hotel in 2007, how cool is that? It’s not and I don’t care and that’s not the point here.”

- Cometbus: #51 is a history of Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, and is my personal favorite thing Aaron’s ever done. #55 is about penpals, and was part of my recent Pioneers Press order (can’t wait to read this one).

- Somnambulist by Martha Grover: One of my favorite zines. They’re selling back issues 9, 10, and 13-15 for $1 each. I recommend grabbing them all.

They also have comics from Corinne Mucha, almost the entire run of Carrie McNinch’s You Don’t Get There From Here, back issues of King-Cat (65, 71, and 72 are my personal favorites from their selection), issue 4 and 5 of Simon Moreton’s SMOO, Alec Longstreth’s pinball zine Drop Target, and back issues of Papercutter, to name a few.

And they’re selling my own Laterborn 7 for the discounted price of 50 cents. If you don’t have this issue yet, I say go for it.

That’s all for now, but watch this page or the Home page for news on my next projects. Besides my book, I should have 1 or 2 (maybe even 3?) other things coming out in 2013.

Corinne Mucha‘s storytelling style and sense of humor are completely her own, which is what makes her comics so inspiring to me and so fun to read. One of my favorite things she’s done is Is It The Future Yet? from May of 2010. The three stories in this zine all deal with the future in some way, but to dig a little deeper, they’re all about her anxiety over whether she’s headed towards the kind of future she wants, and whether she even knows what that is.

The first story, “Future Dreams,” is the one that especially blows me away. It’s about Déjà vu, about feeling like you can sometimes sense things before they happen, and how this can lead to neurotic, superstitious thoughts (which Corinne eventually snaps out of):

I can actually relate to this feeling, but could never have broken it down as simply or comically as she does in this story. As I wrote in January about Dan Moynihan’s “A Scene From the Backseat of Pre-Gameboy Childhood,” I love it when an artist goes out on a limb with something that feels unique to them, and yet it still manages to ring true for other people.

The second story, “I am Constantly Imagining the Future,” shows Corinne wondering if she’ll become a less anxious, more together person someday. It ends with a hilarious fantasy of being able to talk to her future-self on the phone:

The zine closes with “Tell Me My Future,” a more grounded story (at least compared to the first two) about Corinne getting her fortune told by a palm reader. It’s a heartfelt, uplifting story that ties the issue together nicely.

Is It The Future Yet? was made specifically for Quimby’s Bookstore in Chicago, and I can’t seem to figure out if they still have copies available… If not, think of this as a case study in what I love about Corinne’s comics. You can’t go wrong with anything available on her website, especially The Monkey in the Basement and Other Delusions, which won the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Mini-Comic in 2012, and her graphic novel Freshman, which I also hope to write about someday.

Previous picks:
April 2013 – SMOO 4, 5, and 6 by Simon Moreton
March 2013 – Painful Vices by Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg
February 2013 – Ochre Ellipse #3 by Jonas Madden-Connor
January 2013 – Not My Small Diary #16
December 2012 – Ramble On #2 by Calvin Wong
November 2012 – Veggie Dog Saturn #6 by Jason Young

2012 was a prolific year for UK cartoonist Simon Moreton — he released three new issues of his zine SMOO, each of them great in its own way. I first met Simon through an e-mail a few years back, which was quickly followed by zine trades through the mail. My favorite things about his comics are the emotionally rich drawings, and the way he always seems to weave in narration with just the right timing.

SMOO #4 is definitely close to my heart. It’s an issue-length story of Simon reflecting on his teenage years in the suburbs, which then fast-forwards to the present day – to Simon at a pool party with his old friends, thinking about how time has changed them. He includes a photo of his friends in the introduction, a seemingly small detail that somehow establishes the feeling that spans the whole issue. This story manages that rare feat of making me nostalgic not only for my own past, but for someone else’s.

Issue 5 is a collection of linked comics about the year he lived in the county of Cornwall. It’s a more experimental issue, shifting through different drawing styles, alternating between straight-ahead narrative and poetic, mostly wordless passages, and even adapting a letter from the 1880’s. I’m impressed by the versatility of this issue, and the way it all manages to hold together.

Issue 6 made a pretty big splash when it came out last fall, and rightfully so. It’s a strong mix of stories about Simon’s present life and memories of his past. All together, this issue shows a fully confident artist coming into his own.

All three issues are available through Spit and a Half or directly from Simon’s online shop. 4 and 5 are also available through Pioneers Press.

Previous picks:
March 2013 – Painful Vices
February 2013 – Ochre Ellipse #3
January 2013 – Not My Small Diary #16
December 2012 – Ramble On #2 by Calvin Wong
November 2012 – Veggie Dog Saturn #6 by Jason Young

When I was at Stumptown Comics Fest in 2011, Greg Means and I stopped by Sarah Oleksyk’s table to go over our comic for Papercutter 17. Instead, the conversation immediately turned to Sarah’s tablemate, Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg, and how much they loved her new comic, Painful Vices. I made sure to pick up a copy, and they were right – it was probably the best thing I read from that year’s show.

Painful Vices is about a guy going through a painful breakup, and is divided into short chapters named after bad habits (“Nail-Biting,” “Over Drinking,” etc).

One of the most impressive things about this comic is the rhythm (a crucial part of comic storytelling that isn’t talked about enough). The story is filled with quick flashbacks that cut in and out unexpectedly, but it’s never jarring or hard to follow. This is partly due to well-placed cues, like the two different shirts in the page below, but mostly it’s a result of perfect pacing:

There are a few pages with written out dialogue, but most of the story is made up of wordless scenes that show a strong sense of the language of comics:

And then there’s the ending… If there were a “Jason’s Zine Club” drinking game, one of the rules could probably be “Drink when Jason says a comic has a poignant ending.” I guess I’m drawn to stories with a strong emotional payoff at the end, and this one is no exception.

You can contact Lisa to order a copy, and you can also follow her weekly online comics at ICutMyHairComics.com.

Previous picks:
February 2013 – Ochre Ellipse #3
January 2013 – Not My Small Diary #16
December 2012 – Ramble On #2 by Calvin Wong
November 2012 – Veggie Dog Saturn #6 by Jason Young

More than three years after it first came out, Jonas Madden-Connor’s Ochre Ellipse #3 is still high on my list of favorite comics. It’s the story of a lonely schoolteacher who, living in an age where recreational time travel is possible, goes back in time to visit himself as a child.

Watching his younger self play imaginary games in his front yard makes him feel happy for the first time in years, and over time he starts repeating this trip, revisiting the same scene almost obsessively.

In the second half of the comic (after a small twist I won’t spoil), he becomes completely immersed in his younger self’s fantasy world. The comic follows him into this story-within-a-story, eventually leading to a moving and bittersweet ending.

At just 35 pages, totaling 105 panels, this is a deceptively simple story that conveys a complex mix of emotions (the first time I read it, the feeling stayed with me long after I finished). But it also delivers as a time travel story (which I’m always a sucker for), and there are some great jokes too.

I know people reading this might already know this comic (and Jonas) well, but for those who don’t I obviously highly recommend it, and you can pick it up from the Family-Style store. (Note: Ochre Ellipse #2 and Jonas’ cover story from Papercutter 15 are also must reads).

Previous picks:
January 2013 – Not My Small Diary #16
December 2012 – Ramble On #2 by Calvin Wong
November 2012 – Veggie Dog Saturn #6 by Jason Young

Here’s a comic I drew in the spring of 2000, when I was a junior in college:

And here’s a page I drew in 2012 for Laterborn 8:

In a way I can see that my drawing has improved and gotten tighter, but at the same time there’s a looseness and spontaneity to the first comic that I miss, and that I’d like to reincorporate into my style.

I wrote and drew this in my friend Lyal’s dorm room, immediately after I came up with the idea (we were listening to Meat Puppets II at the time). The next day we printed it in our zine. In other words, I didn’t have time to overthink it.

This is more or less the first autobio comic I drew, and another thing that strikes me now is that it took another 4 years before I tried drawing anything again. I’m glad I got over my fears and whatever else kept me away from comics all that time.

Like Simon, I encourage my other cartoonist friends to do a similar post if you can (come on people, ante up!).

As you probably know, NMSD is an anthology of autobiographical comics edited by the great Delaine Derry Green, with each issue centered around a theme of her choosing. #16 is the transportation issue, and as usual it’s a who’s-who of my favorite cartoonists: There’s a Dave Kiersh story about his stint as a cab driver, Carrie McNinch (who also drew the covers) watching for UFO’s on her jogging trail, a poignant John Porcellino comic about a painful song coming on the car radio, plus strong contributions from MariNaomi, Ric Carrasquillo, Noah Van Sciver, Max Clotfelter, Trevor Alixopulos, Melaina Eller, and (Jason’s Zine Club-alum) Jason Young. There are also gems from some cartoonists I hadn’t heard of before (which I forgot is part of the point of anthologies), especially a hilarious and terrifying comic by Jaime Crespo where he and his friend try to ride a freight train to their little-league game, only to end up 25 miles away as the train unexpectedly picks up speed.

On top of all this, there were five stories that especially blew me away (in alphabetical order):

Kelly Froh’s “Five Dollar Bill” is a quick and funny comic about a bizarre conversation she had with a stranger on the bus. The rhythm of their back and forth is perfect, and I love the way it ends.

John Isaacson turns in one of my favorite things he’s ever done; a beautiful, 4-part ode to the different cars he’s driven, inspired by the Raymond Carver poem “The Car”:

Amy Martin’s comic is an inspiring tribute to Nicola Briggs — a woman who heroically stood up to a flasher on a New York subway train. Amy weaves in her own personal experience, along with a lesson in self-defense, resulting in one of the most original comics in the issue.

Dan Moynihan’s “A Scene From the Backseat of Pre-Gameboy Childhood” is one of my favorite comics ever. It’s about Dan looking out the backseat window as a kid and imagining someone skating on the rails along the highway. I had similar, half-forgotten daydreams when I was a kid (I think involving skateboards, but for sure one where I imagined throwing a superball out the window and catching it after it bounced off a wall or hill in the distance). This is my favorite kind of autobio comic, where the artist expresses something that seems specific to their own inner life, but somehow resonates deeply with other people.

Fred Noland’s experience getting hit by a car while riding his bike turns into a moving (yet funny) story about the compassion of strangers. He even ends up bonding with the driver who hit him. It’s an extremely well written story, but what impresses me most is the complexity of its tone, if that makes sense.

All in all, this is a 160+ page anthology that’s both lovingly put together and ridiculously low priced. You can order it from John P.’s Spit and a Half distro for $6 plus postage (and while you’re at it he’s also carrying issue 17, which looks amazing).

Previous picks:
December 2012 – Ramble On #2 by Calvin Wong
November 2012 – Veggie Dog Saturn #6 by Jason Young

For those who missed it, the first issue of Calvin Wong’s Ramble On features the comic’s hero, Declan, battling an enchanted tree in a guitar duel:

I saw Calvin read this story at Guapo Comics in 2008, and it was a mind-blowing and hilarious performance, complete with live singing and pre-recorded guitar-shredding by Calvin himself (and of course, I had to go up and read right after him).

This year, Calvin put out a second issue of Ramble On, which is also his first mini-comic in four years. Instead of continuing a serialized story line, issue 2 gives us a self-contained episode (“Fetch Quest”) in which Declan has to win three important objects over the course of three increasingly dangerous battles.

The story feels more fast-paced and animated than the first issue (which lets him use some of the skills he’s picked up at his day job), while still retaining his trademark sense of humor and love of anachronisms:

My favorite part of this comic is the ending. What starts out as a light and funny story unexpectedly shifts into something really moving (at least to me), as Declan finds out the true purpose behind his quest…

Along with last month’s pick, Ramble On #2 is one of my favorite comics of 2012. You can order a copy at Wow Cool (they also have issue 1 for sale). Or, if you’re one of those people that can read comics on a computer screen (I’m not), Calvin’s posted a free version online.

See you in 2013!

Previous picks:
November 2012 – Veggie Dog Saturn #6 by Jason Young

Issue 6 tells the story of a road trip he took with his older brother and their friends when he was 16. But it’s not just any road trip: It’s his first visit to Chicago, a city he’s had a fascination with ever since he was a kid, and their destination is none other than Chicago Comic Con.

Jason’s excitement about this is palpable:

Starting next week I’ll have a new feature on this blog, where I recommend one of my favorite zines every month. Any resemblance to a certain celebrity’s “Book Club” is purely coincidental. Stay tuned!