You’re the Best Around of 2014
A funny thing happened when I started making comics for real, I stopped reading them. I still do of course but it will be something out of the Brooklyn Central Library and would have been published 4 years ago or earlier. It’s impossible to enjoy when you’re thinking “This bastard is going to steal a potential customer from me!” or “How can this be trending? What’s Wrong with people? I’m fucked!” as well as “How much did it cost to print this?” But Best Of lists are such a great way to say goodbye to a year gone by (as well as to get attention) that I feel moved to make one. My Best Of list will be a little different, I won’t talk about what was the top ten whatever was published but rather the top ten things that made my year in comics worthwhile.
10. The Brooklyn Public Library (especially the Central Library)
There are a lot of comics and a limited amount of money to buy them. There’s Omnibuses that are really, really, really expensive. There are Adventure Time books that I can reserve and not look like a silly adult hanging out in the Kids section, and there are books by European, Asian, and South American artists that I couldn’t even find if I wanted to buy them all at the Library! There are Librarians who are hanging out with cartoonists and seriously raising the level of quality social interactions at conventions.
9. Getting Rejected From Comic Art Fests
This is depressing don’t get me wrong but the reasons that the festival organizers use to slam the door in your face are actually true. There are a lot of people applying and the work is really good. Have you seen tumblr? It’s mind blowing how many people are making comics and making quality work. Comics are like a bucket of curated apples and the fests are giant Bobbing For Apple games.
Kids nowadays have a much different relationship to comics than many generations did before them. Mainly it’s because parents don’t see comics as the wicked or juvenile influence of influential minds as parents once did (thank you Librarians!). I teach a comics class in Williamsburg with Josh Bayer. The class consists of kids ranging in age from 8 and above and a second class of younger kids. I have taught comics to kids before but now it feels different. The diversity of styles, the sophisticated swiping of popular cartoons and TV shows, the quality of humor, the formalist approaches-boggles the mind. Maybe 0-1 of these kids will grow up to be cartoonists but if the quality of work continues from even the smallest percentage then I think the future of the art form looks brighter than a Super Nova.
A little shout out to all those providing free entertainment and quality criticism as well as unrewarding journalism. Thank you Tucker, Matt, Joe, Chris, Heidi, Calvin, Kate, Alex, Josh, Andrea, Vince, Dap, Jason, Rina, Thien, and Mike and Alex (I think they made a podcast last year).
6. Desert Island and Bergen St. Comics
Another debt of gratitude handed out to these two fine establishments. Print is still alive but more importantly than sell product these two shops are a breeding ground for comics culture. Sadly like an addict questioning their lifestyle choices I haven’t been visiting much lately, but when I do I drool at the imported Le Dernier Cri and Decadence books, swoon. Thank You Gabe, Robyn, Kate, Tom, Amy, Tucker, Matt, and Casey.
So inspired by Box, Pat, Ian, Dre, and all the other Philly artists, Jim, Ed, Tom, and by proxy Frank and all the other Pittsburgh artists. At SPX I got to table next to Paul Lyons, Mickey Z, and Walker Mettling and loved how strong the Providence community is. There are tons of scenes, micro-scenes, and cliques here in New York; I want to see a day where publishing is done regionally like Dischord records in DC and Taang records in Boston etc. It would really help me organize all those Portland Artists in my head, as well as who’s from SoCal and who’s from the Bay Area.
Josh Bayer is a force of nature. He is the hardest working man in comics. He is a machine. He also does great collaborative drawings with kids. By the time I can get a sketch done Josh is already doing finishing inks and getting ready to do a watercolor wash. He puts out 3 oversized graphic novels in a year and still has time to do 5-6 page comics for scores of anthologies. He won’t tell me what drugs he takes; I need to know. Josh Bayer is Epic.
It was a banner year for me in regards to getting my work out there. I still have a lot of work to do but right now I want to reflect on the accomplishment of getting into what I consider the 2 most important Comic Art Fests out there. I lost money at SPX, broke even at CAB, and alienated my unsupportive employer at both junctures-c'est la vie. At SPX I had important people walk right past me to gawk at my tablemate Sabin’s book Maleficium (Book of the Show according to Paul Karasik) and next to him Mickey Z’s Rav 1st Collection (Book of the Show according to Tom Spurgeon) but it was all an amazing and overwhelming time. Excited to get back out there!
I’ve self-published 5 issues of my comic 9th Art Ink. I put out issues 3,4,and 5 in 2014. Comics are a lot of hard work. I had to go and spend a lot of money at SVA because I could never finish a comic on my own. If you had told me when I was pulling an all nighter trying to bang out 5 pages for Klaus Janson’s class or when I was working on my 15 page Junior thesis with Jessica Abel that soon I would be putting out 3 full size 28-32 page comics in one year I would have looked at you with a deathly glaze over my eyes because I was in one of those “Comics are so fucking hard!!” stupors. I’m really proud of myself for working so hard on my craft this year.
And the number one Best of 2014 is…
1. Drawing With Josh & Sabin
I love those guys. If you make comics and can find people who understand your crazy and inspire you, push you, challenge you, pick you up when you’re down, trust you enough to let them critique their work, or care enough to give any kind of feedback never let go of them. It’s one of the most important parts of being an artist; it’s hard to make art on your own. You need support. You need to see what other people are capable of and use that to push yourself to do better work. Thank you.
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