Well, after some adventures in North Carolina, diversions into superhero land, and a healthy dose of writers block/impostor syndrome we are back and devoted more than ever to the self-published self expression side of comics with an "x".
1. YouTube channel: I spotlighted a haul from Last Gasp on my still new channel (more to come, including my Top 25 Superhero list)
2. Arc Festival is coming to London July 11-12, Broken Frontier is publicising the show with a great series of reviews and interviews from indefatigable Editor-in-chief, Andy Oliver! This looks to be closer in spirit to a U.S. small press show, including some well-known show staples from over here (A.T. Pratt, ffs):
Big Comic For Boy by Andres Magan
Filth from Underground Comix Kingdom
Colossive Cartographies 71(!) by Matt Canning
Absolute Cinema and Other Stories by Joe Stone
Built For Love by Shri Gunasekara
Not a part of Arc, Lindsay Pereira continues chronicling the work of blog favourites Lily Thu and Generoso Fiero:
The Interpretant, Absolute Simultaneity Chua Inversion
3. Canon Fodder Books Bring David Enos to the U.S. and Canada!
I had just received Canon #7, when I found this tiny package in the mail from Colin Blanchette. WTF, I thought. It was a real surprise to find an actual comic published by Blanchette, let alone a new David Enos one! I remember Enos from ComicKkrakk's YouTube channel when he showed off two remarkably, elegantly creepy comics by Enos: Batman is Lost in the Woods and Whispered Words. ComicKkrakk and Blanchette discuss the story behind this joint publishing venture:
Order your copy here!
4. New (and old) Steven Solomon comics...
Steven Solomon has two books out since my last review of his work. I also interviewed Solomon way back in Canon #4, he's been putting out some very high quality comics since then. The two latest releases being: Confessions of Student Zero (2025) and Too Many Ways of Seeing (2026). Last year's Confessions starts out with a cryptic discussion of Jim Steranko by Student Zero, starting what feels like an almost autobiographical tract touching on Solomon and his artistic influences (or, whatever the heck is the opposite of influence). Like past comics from him the sequential narrative is there, but it's the wild randomness of everything that makes me love Solomon's comics. We've got the further hijinx of Student Zero and Frank the Chimp eating comics and pizza and commenting on comics collecting and art teachers(?), though my favorite sequence is the two part "Complete On One Page A Two Panel Novel" which presents four two panel novels. The captions, characters, and body parts burst out of the panels as Solomon crams as much as possible into each panel.
Too Many Ways of Seeing came out this year and is a collection of his weekly comic strips originally distributed by email. New girl Qwerty debuted in cameos in Confessions, but more than keeps up with Student Zero and Frank the Chimp in frenzied action here. I'm not sure if the weekly format is responsible or it's just Solomon's art progressing, but there is a bit of a plot here! The rhythm Solomon gets with these weekly strips is a nice change up from his older work, hopefully he continues with those email blasts for another book! Continuing his influences theme from Confessions I was delighted by the Neal Adams mantra at the end of the book. Adams has had so many hardcore "clones" over the years, you would never guess that one as an influence from looking at Solomon's work. Buy here
5. Domino Books New Arrivals 7/3 (remember some of these sell out quickly:
Utzy and Dusty: Crystal Pool by Josh Bayer (Newest Domino original)
Squanderlust #9 by Krusty Wheatfield
Dancing With the Sheyd by Rotem Ana Diamant
I, Candy by Ruby Carter
Before After; This Place Sucks So Much by Tana Oshima
The Art of Milt Gross edited by Paul C. Tumey
Brownfield Action Family #2 by Ted May
Devil's Grin #8 by Alex Graham
Bobbie Cadet by Juliette Collet
Clap Twice If You Think I'm a Funny Girl by Natalie Raskin
Eggtooth #1 #2 by M. Yaxam
Enframement by K. Written
The Horrors of Noroi Michiru and Ending Theme from Glacier Bay/Starfruit
Copacetic Comics Classics #1: Ogden Whitney
Numerous Concerns by Anthony Miller
Future Proof #1-#4; Wondrous Soul; The Incense Maker by Virginia Paine
The Interpretant by Lily and Generoso Fierro
Not new, but essential nonetheless: Tales From The Richy Vegas Psychoverse #1-#5; Richy Vegas Songbook #1 #2
6. Partners and Son New Arrivals 7/5:
Pear Shape by Nick Thorburn (Fantagraphics)
The Devil's Grin #8 by Alex Graham
Gar #1 by Mickey Zaccihilli
Grixly #73 #74 by Nate McDonough (Dan Elsen spotlight video on McDonough below)
Upstate #1-#5 by Stephen Pellnat
Squall by Brett Aube
Swan Song; Reading in the Club; With You, Without You by Hannah Johnston
Rat King by Paulie Wenger, Francesca Carita, Gonzalo Duarte
Bobbie Cadet by Juliette Colette
Sometimes All the Time by Tara Booth (2d Cloud)
Fish and Water by Gengoroh Tagame (translator: Anne M. Ishii)
7. Comics Blogger Empire New Arrivals 7/3:
Comics Blogger Books:
Medium by Rae Whitlock
Comics Blogger #16 by Thomas Campbell (Nick Bunch interview)
Before After by Tana Oshima (new printing)
Distribution:
Bobbie Cadet by Juliette Colette
Wishbone #1 by Nate Garcia
Spay #1 #2 by Winona Guro
8. Avery Hill Publishing has been regularly crowdfunding some of their new releases on Kickstarter. I don't back many of them, but the current campaign for a collection of Kristyna Baczynski's self-published and early published works (like the graphic novel, Retrograde Orbit, previously published by Avery Hill) looks incredible. At 256 pages of anthropomorphic goodness, I may have to give this one a try. Check it out here
9. Denver, CO distributor Wig Shop Webshop has a lot of New (to me) Releases, but I wanted to spotlight their Summer Sale with hardcovers and mini-comics by: Matt Lock, Simon Hanselmann, Tony Millionaire, Dave Cooper, Chris Harnan, Anders Nilsen, Nicole Rodrigues, Mary Kelly, Andy Barron, Quinn Amacher, and 29 others. Lots of imports.
10. New release from Chris Cajero Cilla...
Scum Wizard is the newest Patreon serialized comic from Chris Cilla shipped out last week. Twenty pages including color covers personally screenprinted by Cilla himself. Look for copies to show up on Domino in the near future!
MARKET REPORT: I'm not a collector, but I do love studying underground comix listings on eBay. Occasionally, I come across the odd item that I don't know whether to be pissed about, or proud to see! Given the outrageous prices attached to mini-comics from the 70s and 80s on the collector's market, it was only inevitable we would eventually see these ephemeral pamphlets encased in plastic under the auspices of the CGC.
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Published by Joel Milke in 1977, other contributors were Doug Hansen, George Erling, Scott Shaw!, Larry Rippee, Ted Richards, William Stout, and others.
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See you all next month...
