I've placed a question mark in the headline above, but I don't wanna play games with my readers; it's my expectation that this will be the last edition of the monthly Indypreviews column. I had earlier planned to keep it going until the 2nd anniversary in December, but that just doesn't seem possible. I have a backlog of interviews with comics creators that I plan to publish soon, but other than that, my formal writing about the independent comics scene will be coming to a halt.
Indypreviews has been a very rewarding experience. It's allowed me to expand my knowledge about the incredibly rich culture of independent comics. The column has attracted a gratifying amount of attention, especially since it has been picked up and echoed from the Indymagazine.com and thecomicreader.com websites.
Also, I remain committed to the cause of small press comics, and to the goal of increasing diversity in the comics medium. From prestige imprints like Drawn and Quarterly to feisty upstarts like Marcel Guldemond, non-formulaic independent comics are the lifeblood of our artform.
Why, then, am I discontinuing the column?
Because my enthusiasm for journalistic enterprises has dropped off considerably. Am I just burned out, or am I entering a different realm of creativity? I can't tell, but the fact is that I've recently acquired a Macintosh computer and digital graphics software. The possibilities they've opened up have reinvigorated my artistic side.
It's been my conviction that stylistically adventurous independent comics can find an audience if only we can break out of the ghetto that corporate comics publishers have put us in. Indypreviews has been dedicated to the notion that the existing customer preorder system plays a vital role for small press publishers, and that promoting it will help these books survive. But I've always been aware of the potential of the World Wide Web to improve the lot of the independent cartoonist in much more fundamental and far-reaching ways. I'm eager to join that revolution, and my future efforts will, I hope, reflect that zeal.
Marcel Guldemond LINING UP Guldemond continues to display an innovative bent in this new chapter to an ongoing graphic novel, the first part of which was titled QUALIFIER. A family drama that Guldemond says is his attempt to create a less introspective storyline, it employs overlapping narratives and imaginary scenes that challenge the reader and have impressed comics critics like Scott McCloud. $2 from Aporia Press, 122-2 Robinson St., Hamilton, ON Canada L8P 1Z4 aporia.brainmade.com aporia@brainmade.com -------------------------------------------------------------------- Eric Theriault Press VEENA 1-3 Theriault's appealing heroine stars in a series of satirical adventures that combine retro SF with social commentary and personal observation. Quite interesting and well done! 4265 St-Denis #8, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2J 2K9 www.cam.org/~veena
Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics PATTY CAKE AND FRIENDS VOL. 2 #1 Scott Roberts' troublesome tike is an all-ages delight that has some appeal to sophisticated adults as well! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Comic Library International COMIC LIBRARY INTERNATIONAL VOL 6 Another entry in the big&beefy 152-page anthology series! CHUCK, THE UGLY AMERICAN Collecting 128 pages of Mike Bocianowski's misanthropic character! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Eddie Campbell Comics BACCHUS #57 Campbell is the quintessential cartoonist's cartoonist! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Fantagraphics COLA MADNESS Intriguing find-- an unpublished 200-page graphic novel that Gary Panter did back in 1983. Hype says it includes a 150-page dream sequence starring Jimbo and Bob War. Hard cover edition is $24.95 NAUGHTY BITS #33 More Roberta Gregory! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Goelch Publications ALTERNATOR: GRAND JUNCTION Collecting Carrie Golus' alternative newspaper comic strips. A Xeric Grant book! -------------------------------------------------------------------- I Box Publishing THIEVES AND KINGS #34 Mark Oakley's intelligent fantasy saga continues! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Lightspeed Press FINDER #20 Carla Speed McNeil's SF world continues to expand! This issue's an homage to the magical power of books and reading-- I can relate! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Mighty Gremlin ELECTRIC GIRL VOL. 1 TP Collecting Mike Brennan's charming all-ages series about a statically-charged teen. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Oni Press BREAKFAST AFTER NOON #4 Andi Watson's harrowing true-to-life saga about unemployment and money worries! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Pack Rabbit Press VOX #1 Anthology of shorts by Leland Purvis, ranging from the surreal to the sublime. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Slab O' Concrete DOC TRADER HC Wow! A full-color 64-page hardcover book by Jessica Abel (ARTBABE)! It's a retro-cool adventure comic that sounds like a feminist version of Jonny Quest! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Top Shelf Productions BIG CLAY POT Scott Mills' historical graphic novel set in ancient Japan!