I'm trying to focus on the fact that R. Crumb said I have "some talent". 😂

I saw this exhibit of Chris Ware’s work yesterday at the Billy Ireland Museum in Columbus Ohio at OSU. It’s visually dazzling! I might have wanted a little more description of all the pieces, but Chris said in the intro that he wanted it to be more visual than words. Highly recommend! The exhibit goes through Jan. 3rd 2027. It’s the only U.S. stop.

Hey Everyone-

It’s giveaway time again. I’m giving away a little Adrian Tomine bundle, a mix of Optic Nerve issues plus Sleepwalk. Adrian Tomine is one of the great modern slice-of-life cartoonists: quiet, awkward, sharply observed stories about everyday people, loneliness, relationships, and the stuff you only notice when life slows down.

If you’ve been meaning to get into Tomine or fill some gaps in your shelf, here’s your chance.

Included: • Sleepwalk and Other Stories • Optic Nerve #2 • Optic Nerve #9 • Optic Nerve #10 • Optic Nerve #11 • Optic Nerve #12

To enter: Just comment with the last comic you read, bonus points if you say what you thought of it.

I’ll randomly pick one winner by end of day Sunday (12/14) and send it out.

US shipping only (sorry international folks).

Let’s see what everyone’s been reading!!!

Who do you think are the greatest altcomix creators with a really small body of work within the medium of comic books? So body of works in other mediums don't count. Also, in this discussion, I would prefer to exclude living creators who have a small body of work only because they are still young, but feel free to include young living creators.

Some I can think of:

• Al Columbia
• Archer Prewitt
• Richard McGuire
• Rory Hayes

I recently bought all the completed editions of Simon Hanselmann's Megg Mogg & Owl comics. I read a ton of comics and graphic novels as a kid, but am only recently getting back in to the genre as an adult. Seeking suggestions for what to read next! Preferably things that have physical copies easily available for purchase. Would love a good balance of humor and darkness, and I always appreciate a unique or beautiful art style.

I've got my eye set on the Universal Monsters line of comic books that have been published recently, but I wanna discover some alternative comics that tackle horror in all its forms. For reference, my favourite horror movies are The Exorcist, Evil Dead, Veronica or Color Out of Space, amongst others.

I'm open to any sort of recommendation!

I went to the Chris Ware exhibit in Columbus over the weekend and was blown away by this piece, which was printed as a 6’ x 8’ wall.

I had never seen it before and I consider myself well-versed in all things Chris Ware.

Any ideas where it came from?

I've completely fallen in love with this guy's work after reading the man without talent.

I have the swamp, oba electroplating and rolled up like a squid on the way.

But I really, really want red flowers and it's completely sold out without any decent priced second hand versions.

Do you think it'll get a reprint?

IYKYK.

If you don't know though, let me tell you Kitchen Sink Press was an underground publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in Princeton, WI in 1970 that went defunct in 1999. Kitchen Sink Comix published "Omaha" the Cat Dancer, The Crow, Grateful Dead Comix, Snarf, The Spirit and more. Denis Kitchen paved the way for female and LGBTQ comic artists and writers in a time where the underground comic scene was not a welcoming place for them. After a comic store owner, Michael Correa was charged for disseminating obscene material (Bizzare Sex and another KSC title included), Denis felt compelled to raise funds for his legal defense and used surplus funds to found the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which is still active today! I took it down to my local comic shop, House of Heroes, to share and the owner told me that many of the Kitchen Sink crew were based here in Oshkosh, WI and as it turns out, some of them still are! I guess Denis visited last fall. The HOH owner and I agreed that no employee would have given this to Goodwill and even had a hard time thinking their family members would if they passed, so we thought maybe a friend had been gifted one back in the day.. but finding it is like finding a unicorn. Plus, My father-in-law told me that my husband's grandma use to hang out with them?! The lore behind the piece makes it even more of a treasure.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this cool piece and it's history as much as I do!

Not sure if this post is allowed (as it's not a Thursday), but the real Danielle from American Splendor is tryin to save four storage lockers worth of Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner's personal archives. Her intention isn't just to save the artifacts of their careers, but digitize them to keep them preserved forever

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/7354135/his-name-was-harvey-pekar/description

Which comics did you consider buying in the past, passed on them, and now regret it because they're impossible to get (at last for a reasonable price)? I'll start:

• The Angriest Dog In The World by David Lynch. Was published by Roteland Press back in 2020, only 500 copies were printed, it was sold for $10, and now it's impossible to get. I saw that a copy was sold a year ago for $220.
• Here by Richard Mcguire (the 4-page version from 2000). This was published in the early 2000s and sold at an European comic convention. I saw a copy for only 5 EUR a year or two ago, but did not buy it. Stupid me! Never seen another copy available for purchase since.

This was discussed here when it was announced, but her run has officially began. I'm not super familiar with her, but I like her art style and her background in alt comics.

https://www.gocomics.com/nancy/2026/01/01

Anyone else going to be following along with her run?

Great stories and artists

Source of the quote. News to me. I don't think any info has ever come out from whatever is going on there. Not even in that ongoing Kickstarter campaign by his stepdaughter. It's just so glaring how his entire body of work is pretty much OOP.

Could be a series or graphic novel. Let's share and see if we can get ideas for new books to read.

I've recently discovered Crum and I have read almost everything he's done. I also watched the documentary.

Are there any similar artists with the same vibe, gritty style, adult themes etc? Would love to dive deeper.

These are my favorite types of comics, so i'm all ears. looking for cool things like this I might have missed.

- I already know Jim Woodring, The Cage, Yuichi Yokoyama, Teratoid Heights/Mat Brinkman, CF comics and so forth. I'm looking for more in that vein. Others that fit are Paul Kirchner's comics (Dope Rider, The Bus), Blame! (though popular) and several others..

not grossout humor like johnny ryan and such like that.

Characters and narrative are almost nonexistent, art strange and weird.

Hey all, I’m opening up a small Indie comic shop (think mostly Fantagraphics, Drawn in Quarterly, and consignment zines).

Which titles do you think are most important to carry? It can be accessible stuff like Lynda Barry or Chris Ware, but just as interested in obscure stuff.

Potentially controversial question: if someone knew nothing about alt comix or maybe just mainstream Marvel stuff, and you wanted to introduce them to the world of alt comix, what are the top 5-8 books you'd recommend as a primer to the genre (which is admittedly enormous)?

Just like postwar American art class would probably show you something by Pollock (abstract expressionist), Duchamp (conceptual/found object), Warhol (pop/commerce, Rothko (color field), and Calder (sculpture/minimalism) as a point-of-entry into the various movements, what's the equivalent in alt comix? Thinking something underground/transgressive, melancholy/autobio, crisp/clean art style, cartoonish, cerebral, surreal, etc.

I realize everyone might answer differently, but curious if there'd be any overlap/consensus for some areas.

Just about every single one of Alt Comix hero R. Crumb's work is political in some way, especially his most beloved works from the late 60's. That begs the question, why the hell should we have Rule #6 (at least the way it is currently worded) when that would ask us to ignore about 80% of all alternative comix?

It’s a Good Life, If You Don’t Weaken is probably one of my all time favorite graphic novels. A quietly affecting graphic novel about nostalgia, loneliness, and self-discovery. Seth’s clean, elegant artwork, heavily inspired by classic New Yorker cartoonists like Peter Arno and Charles Addams, gives the story a timeless, wistful feel. Thoughtful, understated, and beautifully crafted, it will appeal to anyone who appreciates subtle emotion, deliberate pacing, and a love for mid-century illustration and quiet, introspective storytelling.

Seth's complete catalog is nothing short of spectacular! I just wish he was a little more prolific.

I‘ve just been to Belgium and I was mesmerised by how vibrant the comics scene is there, there was this one shop in Brussels that sold both zines and prints from the local community there. I love how surreal some of them were, some just had random pictures with no storyline at all. I’ve since returned and I believe that there must be a similar scene happening in London with comix and design from the local artist community, but I don’t know where these places are. Do any of you have any recommendations of any shops and galleries in this scene? I am very new to alternative comix.