Inkstuds

Giraffes in My Hair author, Bruce Paley provided us with a mix to accompany the interview and book. Paul Butterfield Blues band – Shake Your Money Maker New York Dolls – Frankenstein Rolling Stones – Sway T-Rex – Lady The Who – Summertime Blues Savage Rose – Revival Day Joe Ely – Boxcars Patti Smith – Pissin’ in a River Bob Dylan – I Want...

Carol Swain and her partner, Bruce Paley sat down for a chat about her 2 new collections; Her collaboration with Bruce, Giraffes in My Hair: A Rock ‘N’ Roll Life and anthology collection Crossing the Empty Quarter . I am a huge fan of Carol’s cartooning work, she seems to bring a singularly unique vision to her work.

Kevin Cannon joined the Inkstuds for a discussion about his Canucksploitation epic Far Arden . Be sure to check out his site, he has tons of great mini’s on there to read. and here is the newspaper that Kevin mentions during the interview.

Time for return to the Mixtapes. Many thanks to Liz Prince for making the mix that Rocks! I love Liz’s comics. They make me very happy. Here is what Liz has to say about her mix: While contemplating what I should put on my inkstuds mixtape, I found myself looking through the mixtapes I have gotten over the years. Man, there were some great songs on those mixtapes; I thought, why not make a p...

This week, we look at the harder side of cartoonists making music. Zak Sally – St(r)utter Swirlies – Bell Swirlies – Untitled ( Ron Rege jr segue ) Discombobulated Ventriloquist – Untitled(drone tape by Ron Rege jr ) Mindflayer – Zorthians Grazel Time( Mat Brinkman and Brian Chippendale ) Forcefield – Endless Dribbler(members include Mat Brinkman and Leif Goldbe...

This weeks show is a little different. I played music by different cartoonists. It’s a pretty interesting and varied list. This week was the more poppy week and next week will be more um, loud…. Blueshammer – Cotton Pickin’ Blues(written by Daniel Clowes ) The Action Suits – Fun Flies(members include Peter Bagge and Eric Reynolds) Can You Imagine – How Did I Get...

Jason Leivian isn’t really a cartoonist, but he is a really great supporter of comics. His store in Portland, F loating World Comics has had lots of great events including a plethora of fundraising artshows. He also puts Diamond Comics, which is up to its 4th issue and gets better with each issue. 1.  Madlib – Anthenagin’ (?) 2.  Javelin – Tu Machina 3.  Low Motion Disco...

Back for more 4 years later, after being my first guest ever, Seth and I seem to start right where our previous conversation left off. I am a really big admirer of Seth’s work, and this interview was very enlightening in new ways that I was not familiar with him before. Be sure to check out George Sprott , it’s pretty great.

Inkstuds regular Jeet Heer and UBC English Professor Paul Stanwood , joined me for a discussion of Robert Crumb’s adaptation of the Book of Genesis . Each of the guests bring a unique expertise to the table that really adds to an understanding of the work. Here are some more comments from Jeet in regards to the work here and here.

Sully is one of those fine hidden Canadian gems that i love coming across. Sully is doing some really great and interesting stuff in Montreal and his creative energy shines through in his book, Hipless Boy.

Ball Peen Hammer illustrator, George O’Connor and I discussed his latest book and as well as his work in children’s books and his future in the world of the Olympians.

My good friend and awesome cartoonist, Mike Myhre pulled together a fine mix of music. Lots of good stuff to listen to and get into!

J Bradley Johnson has a handfull of comics out there, but if you can hunt them down, they are great. His work can be found in great anthologies like Kramers Ergot , Snake Eyes , Hotwire Comix , and Ivan Brunetti’s first Graphic Fiction anthology .

Abby Denson joined me for a chat about her book Dolltopia and the wonderful world of cupcakes. Abby will be in Vancouver on Saturday for an event at Elfsar Comics and then on Sunday, she will be doing a reading at Emily Carr

Steve Lafler brings us a fine mix of rock n’roll from his compound in Mexico. 1. Hank Williams, I’m so Lonesome I could cry 2. Iggy Pop, The Passenger 3. Wreckless Eric, Whole Wide World 4. Sam Cooke, Let the Good Times Roll 5. Grateful Dead, It’s All Over Now Baby Blue 6. Cracker, Take Me Down to the Infirmary 7. Jonathan Richman, Egyptian Reggae 8. Dwight Yoakam, Carmelita 9. T...

Jill Thompson and Evan Dorkin joined me for a lively discussion of their Beasts of Burden series. Evan and Jill are really great guests and have always have a lot to say about their work. The second issue of Beasts is probably some of Dorkin’s strongest writing, and a far step away from the Dork that we are used to.

Manga Kamishibai from Abrams, is an interesting look at the Japanese Paper Theatre that is a kind of precurser to the development of Anime and Manga. It is a really goergous book and Eric Nash has done a fine job in documenting this unique artistic legacy.

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 .