danielle corsetto – Comicsgirl https://www.comicsgirl.com Thu, 18 Dec 2014 02:06:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3 https://www.comicsgirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cropped-EdenMiller2017-1-32x32.jpg danielle corsetto – Comicsgirl https://www.comicsgirl.com 32 32 59683043 Library Con at Petworth Neighborhood Library & Comics by Women https://www.comicsgirl.com/2014/08/03/library-con-at-petworth-neighborhood-library-comics-by-women/ Sun, 03 Aug 2014 18:32:16 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=4161 library-conYesterday, I was a speaker at Library Con at the Petworth Neighborhood Library. It was a small, mostly family-oriented event but well-organized and fun. I am always going to be a fan of events that make comics — of all genres and styles — more accessible to more people.

I first saw Jacob Mazer of Animal Kingdom Publishing discuss his work and the anthology of comics, prose, poetry and criticism he edits. It’s still a young publication, but I definitely think there’s room in the world for more things like this, allowing comics to reach audiences they may not otherwise. Not everything in the second issue is to my tastes, but there is some thought-provoking work in it.

Then I saw Gareth Hinds, whose adaptation of Romeo and Juliet came out last year. He talked about always loving to draw as a child and comics ended up coming naturally to him. He worked in video games for a long time before quitting to create graphic novels full-time. He broke down his process for each book and I was interested to hear he changes techniques and styles for each specific book. He also spoke about the challenges of adapting classic literature.

After that, it was my turn. I talked about comics by women (what else?) and I think it went well for it being such a big topic. My concept was not to give history but offer up titles that people can buy right now. I had a good discussion with the attendees too.

You can download my PowerPoint presentation or a PDF of it, but I’ve also created a list of the creators and titles I discussed below (with links to their websites where appropriate).

I have reviewed some of these books and written more about some of these creators. You should be able to find what you need through the tags.

History/background

 lumberjanesMainstream: Superheroes

Mainstream: Sci-fi/Fantasy

Children and Young Adult Comics

marblesAutobiographical

Manga

  • Kyoko Okazaki: Pink, Helter Skelter
  • Moto Hagio: A Drunken Dream, The Heart of Thomas
  • Takako Shimura: Wandering Son
  • Moyoco Anno: In Clothes Called Fat, Insufficient Direction

UK, Europe and Around the World

  • Mary Talbot: The Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes, Sally Heathcoate: Suffragette
  • Isabel Greenberg: Encyclopedia of Early Earth
  • Julie Maroh: Blue is the Warmest Color
  • Marguerite Abouet: Aya series
  • Rutu Modan: Exit Wounds, The Property

strong-femaleOnline comics

Minicomics & cutting-edge creators

Through the WoodsPublishers, groups and events

Top Picks of Comics by Women for 2014

]]> 4161 The D.C. Area Comics Scene for July 30 https://www.comicsgirl.com/2013/07/30/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-july-30/ Wed, 31 Jul 2013 00:31:29 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=3909 News/reviews/interviews:

Event reports:

Publications:

Kickstarter:

Events:

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me by 4 p.m. Tuesday. More information is here.

 

]]> 3909 The D.C. Area Comics Scene for May 7 https://www.comicsgirl.com/2013/05/07/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-may-7/ Tue, 07 May 2013 22:31:50 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=3791 News/reviews/interviews:

Event reports:

Podcast/audio:

Events:

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me by 4 p.m. Tuesday. More information is here.

]]> 3791 Reviews: Crazy Papers and No Formula: Stories from The Chemistry Set, Vol. 1 https://www.comicsgirl.com/2010/06/21/reviews-crazy-papers-and-no-formula-stories-from-the-chemistry-set-vol-1/ https://www.comicsgirl.com/2010/06/21/reviews-crazy-papers-and-no-formula-stories-from-the-chemistry-set-vol-1/#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:35:42 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=1638 Sometimes I’m a terrible person. And I don’t even mean to be.

After the ACT-I-VATE panel at Politics & Prose, I exchanged a few e-mails with Jim Dougan and he was nice enough to send me both Crazy Papers and No Formula: Stories from The Chemistry Set, Vol. 1. But then there was job transitions and moving and just general life-related insanity and while every now and then I’d think “Yeah, I really need to write about those comics” something would get in the way and I wouldn’t.

So many apologies to Jim Dougan for the delay.

I find Dougan’s work to be interesting because he’s someone doing indie comics that is just a word guy — he writes and edits but doesn’t draw. There are many people who just write in mainstream comics, but it’s fairly rare in small press stuff. Being much more a word person myself (no, you don’t want to see my drawings), I love that someone like Dougan has found a way to make comics.

Onto the actual reviews!


Crazy Papers
Buy at Amazon.com

Crazy Papers — art by Danielle Corsetto
I’m pretty sure I’ve had a night like this. Minus the ending up in jail part, though. Fortunately.

Melanie works in the admissions office of Georgetown University, and her life is turned upside down for a weekend when her friend Amanda comes from L.A. for a visit. There’s a man who’s too good to be true, clueless gangsters/waiters, bar fights, and a mysterious briefcase. It’s a funny, breezy story that does have a core message of breaking the personal boundaries you’ve set for yourself. Yes, Amanda causes all kinds of havoc for Melanie, but in the end, Melanie ends up better for it.

Dougan lives here in D.C. so I enjoy his in-jokes — the bar The First Edition standing in for The Front Page in Dupont, a comment about someone living in Petworth — but I think this story would be fun to just about anyone. I do love that Dougan always treats the D.C. area as a place where people actually live and that not all of us here are connected to politics. This is something we don’t get quite enough of.

You know Corsetto’s work from her webcomic Girls with Slingshots and her playful, animated style is a perfect match for this story. She makes this whole thing too much fun.

No, this comic isn’t going to change your life, but it’s all too easy to relate to and incredibly entertaining.


No Formula:
Stories from the
Chemistry Set, Vol. 1
Buy at Amazon.com

No Formula: Stories From the Chemistry Set, Vol. 1

The webcomics collective known as The Chemistry Set is apparently defunct now, but after reading this anthology, I think that’s really a shame. In all honesty, this is one of the more interesting comic anthologies I’ve read.

Is everything here great? No. Certainly, it’s a pretty dark collection of stories (whether it was intentional or not, all the stories involve death in one way or another) but after reading countless thinly-veiled autobiographical stories, it’s pretty refreshing to see people doing something very different. To imply some stereotypes, these are more inspired by The Sandman than say, Jeffrey Brown. And sure, that’s probably a matter of personal preference and personal taste, but I obviously like the former more than the latter.

I think the standout for me where “Red” written by Elizabeth Genco with art by Kevin Colden. It was a story that started out in one place and completely turned in the most awesome way. The use of color was also perfect.

I also loved “Come the Dawn” by Dougan and artist Hyeondo Park (and yes, you know the pair from ACT-I-VATE’s “Sam and Lilah”). It’s maybe a bit more lush than Dougan and Park’s work with “Sam and Lilah” but it’s well-suited to both of them.

There are still a few copies of this book out there (especially if you believe Amazon) and I think it’s worth seeking out. It’s an anthology worth having and has pointed me to some creators I’m going to seek more work from.

So yes, I was much delayed with these reviews, but better late than never, right? And I do want to thank Dougan for sending me these. He’s someone you should be paying attention to.

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