The Cartoonist Cooperative Newsletter February 2024
Happy February! Here’s a roundup of what we’ve been working on at the Cartoonist Co-op–a collection of comics, zines, webcomics, and crowdfunding, plus all new articles, news and features.
Want to join the Cartoonist Co-op? Send us your info here or email us at cartoonistcooperative@gmail.com , and become part of our community of indie comics creators! The Cartoonist’s Co-op is committed to helping build the community of comics artists and to improve and protect the labor rights of comic industry workers worldwide.
As a member, we’ll help you find collaborators, share resources, get the inside scoop on the industry, and have your stuff promoted in this very newsletter! Members of our cooperative gain access to career development resources, creative feedback and assistance, promotional campaigns for members’ comics, exclusive discounted benefits, and more. Let’s dive into it!
Now Available: The Cartoonist Co-op Itch.io NSFW Comics Bundle
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Just in time for Valentine’s Day, check out our new NSFW comics bundle at itch.io!
25 hot titles for $20! Go ahead, take a look, we won’t tell…
https://itch.io/b/2250/the-cartoonist-co-op-nsfw-comics-bundle
Reminder: The Cartoonist Co-Op Webcomics RSS Feed is now Live!
The Cartoonist Co-op Webcomics RSS Feed is now LIVE!
The link is here: https://cartoonist.coop/freshrss/p/i/?a=rss&get=c_2&rid=659242381e54a&hours=168
It’s a collection of all ongoing webcomics featured in our catalogue with feeds, so people can follow a whole bunch at once. You can preview what webcomics would be showing up in at https://cartoonist.coop/tag/webcomic+ongoing/ . If there’s a comic in the catalogue that doesn’t show up in the feed, that means it doesn’t have one accessible atm or isn’t listed under webcomic or ongoing.
Use an RSS reader like Feedly to subscribe and you can have a whole array of webcomics curated by the Co-op delivered right to you in one easy, convenient package!
You can also follow our general feed to keep track on comics by all our members!
Cartoonist Cooperative “Buy an E-Sim for Gaza” Donation Drive
As you may know, Palestinians in Gaza are being subjected to internet and communications blackouts as part of the ongoing siege by Israel. Members of the Cartoonist Co-op are getting involved in a new way to combat this violence by offering art in exchange for those who donate e-SIMs to Palestinians through the Connecting Gaza Campaign.
This campaign has been running since early November, but we want to make sure that everyone who’s interested in our activities is kept up to date. Click here to see how you can contribute to these efforts!
Featured Comics For Purchase From Our Members
HΩME VOLUME 3
On the surface, HΩME is a black and white science fiction comic created by brothers Marc and Daniel Michaud. Inside the cover, you’ll find it is in fact TWO distinct yet linked series: ARC29 and DEMETER. ARC29, by Marc Michaud and WINNER of a 2022 Bédélys award for best independent English comic, tells the story of a young man inheriting a spaceship and coming to terms with his newfound responsibilities. DEMETER, by Daniel Michaud, recounts the struggle of colonizing a new and harsh planet under impossible circumstances.
Working together yet individually, Marc and Daniel each draw and tell their own stories that are set in a shared universe. They build and cross-pollinate their respective worlds in interesting and unexpected ways with shared histories, locations, and characters.
In ARC29 we have a story within a story. Patrick finally reads the journal Orlando left for him and is surprised by what he discovers about his mentor. Something about the diary puts Patrick on an explosive path. In DEMETER, Thoreau sets a mysterious plan in motion which causes a baffled Cyril to wonder Where’s the Captain? Young Sarah and Emmanuel unveil their post graduation plans to incredulous friends. The Captain is slipping.
By Cori Walters.
Blix loves bothering Vega while they’re trying to do important things. Vega loves getting revenge on Blix whenever they bother them. Sexy hijinks ensue in this light-hearted series about fornicating on every surface available to you.
By Hana Chatani.
Two friends share with each other mermaid stories they had grown up with. But one warns the other; “My story isn’t as romantic as the ones your Lǎolao used to tell you. Is that okay?” CW: violence, mild gore, death. English/Japanese
By Jarne Van Vooren and Aaron Losty.
Mandy Vermont has received devastating news. As a transgender woman, she won’t be eligible for hormone therapy. Now having retreated into herself, a reclusive Mandy meets a mysterious woman who promises a full transition. But what are her motives behind her generosity?
By Gleami.
An original fantasy comic about a group of teens that get stuck in a magic book.
By Sage Coffey
When Wine Ghost was alive, she was a booze-soaked train wreck. Now that she’s dead . . . well, to be honest, not a lot has changed. But when an old friend from her days among the living unexpectedly turns up in Hell, she’s faced with a lot more responsibility–and self-reflection–than she’s used to dealing with!
By Annadiplosis
A comic about being nonbinary, existing in a body, and loving horror films.
Now in print from Kraven Comics, by Lorry Jamison.
Party Animals mixes the tongue-in-cheek spooky tone of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” with the heartfelt queer emotions of “Heartstopper”. This story combines a spooky tone with a queer romance, throws it all into a chaotic high school house party, and sprinkles in some awkward yet violent teen werewolves! It’s the perfect mixture of humor and horror! This first installment includes 25+ pages of behind-the-scenes commentary from artist Lorry Jamison.
By Alex Singer, Irene Flores and Jan Apple.
Pre-orders are now available for this original prequel story set in the world of the exciting mobile game Disney Mirrorverse, learn what Mirrorverse Belle’s life was like before she became a Guardian!
Ever since Belle’s fateful meeting with a dying enchantress, life in her quiet village hasn’t been the same—the villagers never seem to rest, shadows lurk behind the newly erected walls, and there are whispers that deep in the woods, people are turning into monsters…
Only Belle, gifted with the last of the enchantress’s magic, has the power to protect her father and her village from the strange, twisted influence of the woods. But as the paranoid villagers turn on one another and a mysterious call for help appears just outside the walls, Belle must journey to the source of the cursed magic—and find those who are seeking to use it for themselves—before her world is overrun with horrors and the true beast of the woods is revealed.
Webcomics By Our Members
LUCY’S ENDLESS NIGHT
By Angela DeVito.
Lucy resides in Novara, a floating city where night is eternal and vampires rule supreme. Although vampires are deadly, Lucy can’t help but haunt the edges of their district to draw them. When her parents announce that they’ve arranged for her to marry, Lucy thinks it can’t get any worse. And it couldn’t, if she wasn’t attacked and bitten on one of her drawing expeditions, and if her groom-to-be wasn’t a skilled vampire hunter…
By Kel McDonald.
Follow several self contained stories exploring a future where technology and the supernatural clash. Each character focuses on a different corner of the city and its niche problem. Fame and Misfortune follows a werewolf bodyguard protected a spoiled pop star. The Better to Find You With follows a werewolf and veterinarian searching for a newly bitten werewolf before a hunter does. The Dead Deception follows a werewolf detective solving a murder as his new partner greets him with mistrust. Murky Water follows two detectives trying to find evidence they can use in to catch a magic murderer. Shards of Reflection follows a newbie vampire adjusting to their undead status while trying to find the vampire that made them.
SCAM THE GODS
By Keith James.
Scam the Gods is an ongoing surreal fantasy webcomic about lies, magic, and fish. In a strange fantasy world bathed in the twilight of an eternal eclipse, two con artists set out on a journey to quite literally scam the gods of their world. Their names are “The Con-Man” Valdez and “The Accomplice” Esperanto, and they seem to be hiding many things from each other.
By Philip Rice.
A love letter to pulp heroics and classic adventure comics, The Apex Society tells the multi-generational saga of a secret organization of remarkable individuals with uncanny abilities.
Three young queer European cartoonists were paid to tell a short story about aspects of queerness, you can read them now by downloading the PDF or directly on webtoon!
By Ben Evans.
An autobio comic about the inexplicable urge to be an action hero.
CROWDFUNDING
THE LAST DAY OF RAIN, CHAPTERS 3-4
By Claudia Matosa.
In 2091, humanity has given up on an over-heating planet and moved away to colonise space. For those who remain on Earth, the slightly wealthier shelter in underground cities while everyone else struggles to survive on the surface. The Last Day of Rain is based in London, where Carol, alongside her boss Pepper and Scottish refugee Art, are involved in undercover research to bring rain back to the city. But one day, their workshop is ransacked, their lab data vanishes, and Art, having confessed his feelings and been rejected, cuts off contact. Fearing that her dream of seeing rain again may be at risk, Carol chases after him towards Shiba Town, the vibrant subterranean neighbourhood where she vowed never to set foot again. This is a Kickstarter for chapters 3 and 4 of The Last Day of Rain. There are 2 weeks left on this kickstarter, it’s made its funding but there’s still time to get on board!
You can read the first two chapters here: https://globalcomix.com/c/the-last-day-of-rain/chapters/en/1/1
Featured Opportunity: WOMBO COMBO GAMES HIRING ARTISTS
To receive additional opportunities and resources every month, we invite you to become a member of the Co-op!
We are looking for talented individuals with experience in Comic Writing / Art, Illustration, Animation, Script Writing, & Graphic Design, in order to help create individual pieces of organic content for our Wombo Combo Games social media pages. Click here to learn more and apply!
