Inkstuds

R Sikoryak’s Masterpiece Comics was one of my anticipated reads of the year, and it did not disappoint. Sikoryak is able to create a blend of classical literature mixed with the finest of styles of some of the greatest cartoonists. I have been a fan of his work for years, and am pleased as punch to have it all in one book.

Christopher Butcher of The Beguiling comic store in Toronto and Dustin Harbin from Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find out of Charlot, North Carolina, joined me for a discussion on comics retailing. There were two talking points that we covered, firstly, a talk on getting small press work into comic stores and the second part looked at the changing dynamics of the retailing biz. They are both very kn...

Jason Turner went full on and did a 24 hour comic based on his mixtape(it actually ended up taking 103 hours). I don’t know if anyone will meet his level of commitment, but it is a fine mix to listen to. Jason is one of Vancouver’s finest talents. His True Loves comics have been one of those rare examples of a comic set in my home town. the style council – shout to the top pukka...

Many thanks to Jeffrey Brown for putting together not only a fine mix, but also for providing an awesome comic to go along with it. The mix really reflects his own work in a nice way. Here is a link to the art at full size . 1. “Come On Petunia” The Blow, from Poor Aim 2. “Not On Top” Herman Dune, from Not On Top 3. “Superabound” Frank Black, from Teenager of th...

Kim Thompson joined the Inkstuds for a chat about the work of Jacques Tardi . Fantagraphics has started on an ambitious reprint project, translating a selection of Tardi’s fine work for North American audiences. I have been a big fan of Tardi for a long time, after seeing his work in Raw, Drawn and Quarterly and a whole bunch of other anthologies. I highly recommend checking out West Coast B...

The Abstract Comics collection edited by Andrei Molotiu is probably one of the more interesting and ambitious anthologies that I have seen in quite sometime. The concept is pretty simple, but at the same time it isn’t. Andrei has scoured high and low for abstract comics and created a fine book that seems to straddle the line between another comics anthology, to really inserting into a more a...

Josh Neufeld’s AD – New Orleans After the Deluge has been getting some great much deserved praise. He has been able to take his experience under the tutelage of Harvey Pekar in to a whole different level of understanding other people stories. His recounting of the events of Huricane Katrina don’t rely on shock and awe, but more on the understated humanity within the event. We had...

Marek Bennett’ s latest book, documents his travels to Nicaragua while participating in a unique cultural exchange based in the wonderful world of comics. I highly recommend checking out his journal documenting the time he was there. It is a really nice light journey. Marek has also been doing the fun Mimi’s Donuts Zine .

Tony Millionaire joined me for another round of questioning. Tony was on of the earliest guests to appear on the show, so it’s nice to touch base again. His latest book is the incredible Art of Tony Millionaire from Darkhorse. I am honestly blown away by the collection. It is a really good look into the man and his work. We also discussed his Maakies strip , The Drinky Crow Show and more Bil...

Noah Van Sciver’s mix actually had me hunting pretty hard for some of the tracks, so he gets some well deserved kudo’s. Noah was on the show a couple of months ago to talk about his great comic, Blammo. I like his comics and you should too. 1. Bardo Pond-Tommy gun angel 2. Joy division- Disorder 3. Kraftwerk- The Model 4. Shellac- Prayer to god 5. Beat happening-Teenage caveman 6. The...

Brad Mackay joined us for a chat about Canadian cartoonist, Doug Wright. Brad is the organizer of the Doug Wright Awards , an award that recognizes the best in Canadian cartooning. More importantly, Brad is one of the three men(along with cartoonist Seth and DQ Chief, Chris Oliveros) behind the Doug Wright collection from Drawn and Quarterly. The collection is a true testament to the passion that...

Ed Choy Moorman was a part of the burgeoning cartooning scene in Minneapolis, but has since moved to Chicago. He recently released the anthology, Ghost Comics. Ed will be joining on the show at some point soon. Here is a PDF of the artwork and instructions to add to your enjoyment. Song list (plain) PULP – BABIES JAY-Z – DECEMBER 4 LAURIE ANDERSON – LET X=X HANDSOME FURS – I†M CONFUSED R...

Sam Gaskin joined me for probably one of the most laid back sounding Inkstuds yet. He is a great cartoonist fresh out of the CCS whose work has been developing into an interesting mix of culture jamming meets personal introspection. I highly recommend his sugarcube minicomic. He also has a bunch of music on youtube , that is the kinda thing I like.

The Illustrated Journey is a fascinating project put together by some fine workers in Vancouver. Here is a description from their website – The Illustrated Journey is a community art project that brings together comic book artists and youth who are in the process of settling and integrating to Canada. The youth share their journey through storytelling and illustration, make friends, improve...

On top of the material in the Jack Survives collection, you can also find Jerry Moriarty’s more recent work, including his Sally series in Kramer’s Ergot’s 6 and 7 and Comic Art Magazine 9 . And if you really feel like hunting them down, the Jack Survives work was also published in the original run of Raw.

Jerry Moriarty’s Jack Survives has been one of those quietly influential books that has only been available to collectors that were willing to cough up the big dough to find a rare copy. Chris Ware even traded an original piece of his art for a copy of the book back when it was out of print. Bueventura Press has recently reprinted the work in a really nice complete collection. Check out Tom...

Cayetano Garza Jr is one of those talented folks out of The Center for Cartoon Studies . His work can be seen in the Funny Aminals anthology and his webcomic Year of the Rat . Hyped-Up Plus Tax – Dabrye Steeps – Freeworm Infinite Regression – Quantic Infesticons (Hero Theme) – Fila Brazillia I Changed My Mind – Lyrics Born Nudez (ft. Too $hort & MC Zumbi of Zion-I...

Jeff Lemire has been putting on astonishing amount of great work over the last couple of years. Essex County , The Nobody and Sweet Tooth are all very strong works that link together to create a larger piece that link the ideas that Jeff is exploring. Check out the Canadian star.

Billy Mavreas is one Canada’s comic scene gems. He is known for being one of the nicest men, who goes out of his way to connect people and help foster a great community spirit through his Galerie Monastiraki . Johnny O’Braides-Lee   -  Alan Lomax, w Ewan MacCol, Peggy Seeger 1:39 Old Brown Shoe   – The Beatles 3:20 Drop Down Mama  – Mississippi Fred McDowell 2:52 I Ca...

Paul Karasik joined me for an indepth conversation about his work. Paul’s most recent work, has been editing the Fletcher Hanks collections . In collaboration with his sister, Judy Karasik, produced The Ride Together, which you can find on amazon for ridiculously cheap .

Lars Brown and I sat down for a proper conversation while he was in Vancouver for a comic convention. He had previously appeared for about 5 minutes on another interview , but that wasn’t enough for me. Check out his book Northworld, the third book will be out from Oni in November.

Many thanks to Gilbert Hernandez for providing this truly stellar mixtape. If you aren’t familiar with Gilbert’s work, I am a little shocked and disappointed. He has been continuing to put out strong work after strong work, with no chance of slowing down. 1–LOVE OF THE COMMON MAN- TODD RUNDGREN 2–LIVING WITHOUT YOU- MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND 3–I DROVE ALL NIGHT-...

The Fart Party herself, Julia Wertz , took time for a lively discussion of all things Julia. I really love reading Fart Party and you should too.

Tom Neely ‘s contribution to the Cartoonist Mixtape Project, is probably the most thoroughly thought out yet. Tom has provided art work for people to print off for and use as the cover for a mixtape. Follow his careful instructions at the end of the posting here. Here is a high quality PDF of the cover art , which should be printed on legal sized paper. Please make note, that there are 2 sep...

Brandon Graham , James Stokoe , Marley Zarcone and Lars Brown joined me in the studio today to discuss their latest books. All three of these boys will be apearing this weekend at Vancouver’s very own Comix and Stoies festival.