My Comics Reading List CANON #2

142. CANON #2 (Colin Blanchette/Alex Eklund) video preview

I'm so proud to be a contributor to this zine (in spirit it's a zine, the production levels are still very high), so with that caveat I still want to comment on all the other contributions contained within. 

Editor Blanchette is coming into his own as an interviewer. His enthusiasm for the comics of M.S. Harkness is contagious, resulting in an informative and approachable talk with the kind of artist we need more of in comix. The out-of-left-field talk with cartoonist and historian Ethan Persoff gives a fascinating portrait of the alternative comics scene in 90s Chicago, with a very open discussion of the controversy surrounding his Fantagraphics debut TOP NOTCH COMICS. The final discussion with UPSTATE creator Stephen Pellnat continues Blanchette's knack for finding cartoonists who have huge catalogs of work that is not well-known for one reason or another.

The artist discussion between Katriona Chapman and Karl Stevens was a great deal of fun, with lots of process talk and hints of WIP. Also, Brad Curry returns with an interview with comics critic Hagai Palevsky. Who thinks to interview a comics critic? I'm impressed at Curry's forward thinking and questions that draw out some interesting ideas and background from Palevsky.

Then we have the jaw-dropping suprise of the issue, a well-deserved career retrospective of criminally neglected cartoonist NICK MULLINS by Ryan Carey!

Terence Fuller highlights some more late 80s obscure comics gold with Rick McCollum's HORDE and Sam Dixon's MYA ROM. On the latter Fuller sums up why these books appeal to us: "I'm not sure who this book was for, where it came from or how it came to be published by Aircel[...]" The very fact that these comics somehow exist is a big part of their appeal.

Ray Carcases has championed Desmond Reed and his comics on his YouTube channel  so it was especially welcome to get his broader thoughts in print on the subject. Reed is another talented cartoonist who fits right in with all the other folks deserving wider recognition in this issue.

I hear a third issue is in the works, so make some room on your shelves (and credit cards)! 

(No we didn't forget Alex Eklund's  contribution, nice choice! Here's a link to the Epicenter shop where you can find some of the titles mentioned. And, here's a blog post about Sergio Bonelli Editore English-translated comics, including Epicenter.)