Sink your teeth in

So it’s been a while since our last Mighty Network round-up. That’s for many reasons, not the least that the last month has been a difficult time for many people. Even art and comics hasn’t had the same power to console. Never the less, our online community has rallied and persisted in reaching out and maintaining connection.

TUESDAY COMICS INSPIRATION

We’ve been keeping inspired each week with everything from online comics to an extensive list of graphic novels.

Let’s start with this essay, ‘The Pandemic to Come’ by Maria Stoian over at The Nib, which connects the global response to the current Coronavirus pandemic to how we need to respond to the ongoing global climate catastrophe.

Next up, SOLRAD brings you ‘Near Death Flying Turtle’ by Tom Lake, the story of “a turtle hurtling through the upper atmosphere”.

The Comics Journal has a review of Ebony Flowers’, ‘Hot Comb’, which will convince you to order this much-anticipated collection of short comics. And while you wait for the book to arrive you can watch Flowers’ self-care workshop at The Believer, here.

And here’s a review of a day-in-the-life comic, ‘Wash Day’ by Jamiler Rowser and Robyn Smith that points to the short comics particularly successful representation of a black woman going about her Sunday.

Oh yeah. And before I forget. You know Anthony Bourdain? The chef and food writer? Turns out he also wrote for comics. Read a little bit about how his love for reading comics grew into a passion for making comics, here.

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If you’re looking for something a little longer to sink your teeth into, try ‘What to do When I’m Gone: A Mother’s Wisdom to Her Daughter’, a collaboration between mother-daughter team, Suzy Hopkins and Hallie Bateman that provides a day by day guide about what to do in the wake of your mother’s death. It’s beautiful grounded in the specifics of their relationship, with that universal quality of a mother leaving her daughters life. It’s sad and uplifting, but mostly sad, so pick a good day to read it.

‘Passing for Human’ by Liana Finck comes highly recommended. It’s a pretty loose graphic memoir that plays around with what the form is capable of and it’s well worth reading how she bends it back and forward into a very Liana Finck shaped thing.

FREE RESOURCES

This first is outside our resources: The Believer is hosting comics artists through their website and this week (Friday 19, 7pm EST) they have scheduled Bianca Xunise for a free “Comics as Resistance” workshop. Bianca is asking participants to donate to Assata’s Daughters to address the shortage of resources and community opportunities for women-identifying, femme, and gender non-conforming young Black people in Chicago.

The Believer isn’t the only platform stepping up to provide comics content that responds to current events and the limitations of quarantine. Graphic Medicine Confab is leading a series of free roundtable talks on Tuesday nights from 7pm (ET) featuring four different artists over four weeks starting June 16.

Maybe not entirely free, but here’s a link to a collection of ‘How to draw’ tutorials that start from $1. We’ve also got a bunch of resources for practicing your drawing in our Free Resources section through learn.sawcomics.org.

IN FLOW

This weeks inspiration comes from Joe Sacco and Jason Shiga, and asks students to think about how they can use a long, sprawling page in their comic. What would you do if you were given permission to create a page that went on and on and on?

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FROM THE MEMOIR GROUP

The big question for the last few weeks has been what was your earliest (ideally autobiographical) writing? How does that influence come through in what you create today? What ideas continue to show up in your writing?

NEW CLASS

Last week we launched our new six month graphic novel development course and online community with a bang. It’s been really exciting to connect with people from around the world and sink our teeth into everything comics making. Don’t worry too much if you missed your chance to sign up this time, we’ll be running the class again in the Spring.

DON’T FORGET

Throughout the week we have free, community run, online Draw Jams via zoom. You can find the links embedded in the Mighty Network, with regular updates about times and themes.

COMING UP

Our online year-long certificate program launches September 7, opening up our in-person intensive to anyone, anywhere in the world. While we won’t be able to run the accompanying low-residency program due to quarantine restrictions, we’re excited to host students in our virtual classrooms.

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Review: Becoming Horses by Disa Wallander

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Review: Blossom and Bones by Kim Krans