It’s October! Here’s the Cartoonist Cooperative’s roundup of what’s new and exciting in the world of comics.
News
Paroxysm Vol IV: Secrets: The fourth installment of the black and white independent horror anthology with comics, art and writing on the theme of “secrets.” Crowdfunding now!
Autumn Wing and the Crown of Fire is an action/adventure fantasy webcomic written and drawn by Brandon Hankins, and hosted by the Spider Forest Webcomic Collective. It follows the gentle young nephilim (part-angel) Autumn, as he quests to create his very own halo to prove his worth…by stealing the fire from a dangerous Sacred Beast. The print edition of the second chapter is crowdfunding now!
Quasar #1 (of 9): An Afrofuturist Noir is crowdfunding now!
In a distant universe, a cataclysmic event known as a Red Shift destroys an unknown amount of stars and planets. A century later, A new future is born in five megacities that orbit a dead world, an altruist society known as Ara.
Enter Kytt, a teenager haunted by this history. Believing she is “destined” to fall prey to the same destructive power unleashed for a second time. Her only escape is to acquire a biomechanical giant called Quasar!
Let Her Be Evil: If you’re looking for sympathetic anti-heroines or villainesses with tragic backstories, you won’t find them here. LET HER BE EVIL is a celebration of unapologetically wicked women with cruel intentions—of the nasty, the vile, the rage-fueled monstresses who know exactly what they want and aren’t afraid to get it by any means necessary.
Featuring seventeen original stories, including new work by Heather Antos, Brent Fisher, Rio Burton, Lauren Knight, Kamila Krol and Moe McGonagle, as well as other emerging writers and artists, this anthology sets out to carve out a narrative space that explores and nurtures the darkest sides of femininity, and honor women who finally get everything they ever wanted — power, notoriety, revenge, or just some good old fashioned fun.
Get notified when the campaign launches here.
New at the Co-op Journal: Cartoon Crossroads Columbus: A Festival To Elevate Cartoon Art And Artists
Written by Lauren Sparks
If you, like me, live an ocean away from Europe, and you also, like me, have heard the name “Angoulême” and sighed with longing and sadness, I want you to know that all hope is not lost. It may not be an entire city with the love of comics built into its very infrastructure since the 1970s, but the city of Columbus, Ohio has Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, and that really is something.
“Cartoon” is in the name, and though there is a large focus on comics, the festival deliberately dedicates time to also appreciate animation, political cartoons, and other cartooning-related work and the artists who make it.
Some things that are unique about CXC:
- It is FREE to attend.
- It bestows multiple awards, with a focus on career-spanning accomplishments.
- It partners with many institutions throughout Columbus to sponsor guests and host events.
- All speakers, including special guests, panelists and panel hosts are paid. (!)
- It’s a 501c3 non-profit organization.
- It’s over 4 days long.
The first evening and two whole days are dedicated to educational panels, presentations, and awards focused on the art and literature of cartoons in many forms, including scholarly work related to them. The last two days are dedicated to a more conventional “expo” experience with a juried selection of artists exhibiting, and additional panels involving guests and exhibitors – including a panel with the organizers of our own Cartoonist Co-op!
As someone who is more accustomed to comics conventions as pop culture events dedicated to the buying and selling of comics and related memorabilia, this focus on appreciation of the art of cartooning is really refreshing and lovely. It’s a good reminder that art doesn’t exist solely for commercial purposes.
Featured Opportunity and Resource
To receive additional opportunities and resources every month, we invite you to become a member of the Co-op!
Self-publishing is at the heart of the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo festival and community, and supporting emerging artists and helping them grow is central to our mission. The annual Cupcake Award is a juried prize that supports the publication of a new minicomic by an emerging artist whose work is primarily self-published.
For 2024 we are offering two cupcake awards and due to a generous donation we are upping the award amount from the usual $250 to $400 for each winner! Each winner of the award will receive $400 USD to print a new minicomic, a free half table at CAKE 2024 (where their minicomic will debut), and the support of one Cupcake mentor. In addition, CAKE will promote the winning artists and their minicomics in the leadup to next year’s show.
Applications will open on October 1st and will close on October 31st at 11:59pm CST.
The CAKE organizers will score all applications and then present a list of the highest scoring applications to our Cupcake mentors who will select the two award winners.
The Comics Cultural Impact Collective:
We are an independent group of professionals within the UK comics community, working together with the aim of raising awareness of the cultural impact of comics.
We’re here to prove the importance of this beloved and accessible medium, gathering cold hard stats and irrefutable facts to help make the case for better funding, support and recognition.
We warmly welcome partners – both individuals and organisations – from all areas of the comics industry and from adjacent fields (literature, arts, education, academia etc) whose ideals align with our own.
Member Accolades
Congrats to members of the Co-op who won Ignatz Awards last month at SPX!
- Olivia Stephens, Darlin’ and Her Other Names, Outstanding Artist
- Shades of Fear (featuring members Desolina Fletcher, Mar Julia, and Olivia Stephens), Outstanding Anthology
- Remeina Yee, The God of Arepo, Outstanding Online Comic
- Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith, Wash Day Diaries (chapter: “Ride or Die”), Outstanding Story
Congrats to all the winners!
