molly lawless – Comicsgirl https://www.comicsgirl.com Mon, 05 Nov 2012 23:48:41 +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 molly lawless – Comicsgirl https://www.comicsgirl.com 32 32 59683043 The D.C. Area Comics Scene for Nov. 6 https://www.comicsgirl.com/2012/11/06/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-nov-6/ Tue, 06 Nov 2012 12:00:11 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=3469 News/interviews/reviews:

Audio/video:

Kickstarter:

Upcoming releases:

Events:

  • Through Dec. 23: Fall Solos 2012, featuring Warren Craghead, Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, Va. One-on-one with the artists Nov. 10 from 4 to 6 p.m.
  • Nov. 10: Ben Hatke signing, Big Planet Comics, Vienna, Va., from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Big Planet Comics, College Park, Md., from 3 to 5 p.m. (Rescheduled from Nov. 3.)
  • Nov. 10: Cullen Bunn signing for Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, Third Eye Comics, Annapolis, Md., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Nov. 11 through Nov. 30: The Joe Bonham Project exhibition, Pepco Edison Place Gallery, Washington, D.C. (exhibition features some comics art)
  • Nov. 12: SHATTERED – The Asian American Comics Anthology Book Signing and Launch, featuring editors Jeff Yang and Keith Chow with illustrator Jamie Noguchi. Busboys & Poets, 14th and V streets, Washington, D.C., 6:30 to 8 p.m.
  • Nov. 17: Deadpool NOW signing with writer Gerry Duggan, Third Eye Comics, Annapolis, Md., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Dec. 1: Justin Jordan and Tradd Moore signing, Third Eye Comics, Annapolis, Md., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Housekeeping:

This feature will be taking a break for the month of December — if you have events during that month, get them to me as soon as you can. And I do plan on getting back to writing reviews and other things. It’s been a hectic few months.

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me! Submit no later than Monday at 9 p.m. for inclusion each Tuesday, but the earlier, the better! More information is here.

]]> 3469 The D.C. Area Comics Scene for July 12 https://www.comicsgirl.com/2012/07/12/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-july-12/ Thu, 12 Jul 2012 12:00:25 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=3280
Rusty Rowley and Joe Mochove of Full Sanction at Kids Read Comics! in Ann Arbor, Mich.

 

News/interviews/etc.

Event/con reports:

Announcements:

Upcoming releases:

Events:

Housekeeping:

  • Starting next week, The D.C. Area Comics Scene will switch to Tuesdays.

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me! Submit no later than Monday at 9 p.m. for inclusion each Tuesday, but the earlier, the better! More information is here.

]]> 3280 The D.C. Area Comics Scene for June 14 https://www.comicsgirl.com/2012/06/14/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-june-14/ Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:00:37 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=3218
Nick Abadzis at Big Planet Comics Bethesda

News/interviews/etc.

Con/event reports:

Kickstarter/Indiegogo:

  • Magic Bullet #5 – D.C. area’s comic newspaper. While the campaign has met its goal, there’s still 8 days left.

Debuts and new issues/releases:

  • Kindling, illustrated by Deanna Echanique, begins June 19.

Upcoming releases:

Events:

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me! Submit no later than Wednesday at 9 p.m. for inclusion each Thursday, but the earlier, the better! More information is here.

]]> 3218 The D.C. Area Comics Scene for May 10 https://www.comicsgirl.com/2012/05/10/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-may-10/ https://www.comicsgirl.com/2012/05/10/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-may-10/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 12:00:55 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=3016 News, interviews and reviews:

Debuts and new issues:

  • Bamn: Rob’s Adventure — free digital comic by Jay Payne (artist) and Troy-Jeffrey Allen (writer)
  • Cartoon Picayune #3 — anthology edited by Josh Kramer. It is currently available online and should be in Politics & Prose and SMASH! soon.
  • Starseed — ongoing webcomic that updates Tuesdays and Thursdays by Sarah P. (artist) and R.M. Rhodes (writer).

Upcoming releases:

Events:

  • Ongoing until June 17: “Life Unreal: Art by Evan Keeling and Scott White,” Northside Social, Arlington, Va. Artist reception is May 26 from 7 to 9 p.m.
  • May 11: Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick, creators of Feynman appearance, 6:30 p.m. at American Institute of Physics, College Park, Md. Free and open to the public.
  • May 12-13: Curls Studio (Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo) at Asbury Park Comic Con, Asbury, N.J.
  • May 12-13: Rafer Roberts at Asbury Park Comic Con, Asbury, N.J.
  • May 12: Full Sanction (Rusty Rowley and Joe Mochove) at Winston-Salem Toy and Comic Book Show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m, Winston-Salem, N.C. Admission is $2 and children younger than 12 are free. Presented by Ssalefish Comics.
  • May 18-June 23: Christiann MacAuley (artist profile) at Artomatic, Arlington, Va.
  • May 19: Super Art Fest 2012, noon to midnight, Metro Gallery, Baltimore, Md. Benefit for Ulman Cancer Fund. More information on Facebook or at Super Art Fight.
  • May 24: Henry & Glenn Forever #1 release party with Ton Neely and Ed Luce, 7 p.m. at Atomic Books, Baltimore, Md.
  • Beginning June 7: “Graphic Details: Confessional Comics by Jewish Women” at the Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery, Jewish Community Center, Washington, D.C. More details to come.

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me! Submit no later than Wednesday at 9 p.m. for inclusion each Thursday, but the earlier, the better! More information is here.

]]> https://www.comicsgirl.com/2012/05/10/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-may-10/feed/ 1 3016 Review: Hit By Pitch https://www.comicsgirl.com/2012/04/16/review-hit-by-pitch/ Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:09:15 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=2971

Hit by Pitch
Buy at Powell’s

I am pretty indifferent when it comes to baseball, but Molly Lawless‘ Hit By Pitch (2012, McFarland & Company) was one of the comics I was looking forward to most this year.

In her book, Lawless tells the story of the fastball, thrown by pitcher Carl Mays, that killed shortshop Ray Chapman in 1920. But that one incident isn’t the whole picture — it’s also about two men — the charming Chapman and the dour Mays — and the culture and history that surrounded them. It’s less about the annotation in a box score and more about the people involved.

Lawless’ art is, as always, delightful, and is definitely this book’s strength. There’s a playfulness about it, as characters have vibrant expressions and slightly oversized heads. But her open page layouts and complex backgrounds give it a surprising formality. Much of the good stuff is in the little details — the way a character suspiciously eyes another, to the subtleties of period fashions. With her gorgeous crosshatching and distinctive lines, Lawless’ art doesn’t look quite like anyone else’s.

As far as the story goes, readers know what they’re getting into (the subtitle of “Ray Chapman, Carl Mays and the Fatal Fastball” gives it away!) but what happens isn’t quite the point. Lawless tries to humanize both these men. Chapman was clearly well-loved by everyone who knew him — Lawless recounts stories of how he charmed and married society girl Kathleen Daly along with his willingness to participate in his friend’s prank as passing him off as a famed Irish tenor. Mays, on the other hand, was uptight and unlikeable, for the most part, chastising fellow players for their drinking and deserting his team. Lawless injects humor and affection into her portrayal of both men (although if I were to guess, she’s clearly more of a Chapman fan — but how could you not be?).

Like most tales of history, there are no clear answers and the episodic nature can sometimes feel a bit choppy, but Lawless does a great job of organizing the story into coherent chapters. Still, some of the best parts are the asides that split from the main narrative, like when “Wamby” tells the tale of fight that three players got into before Chapman’s funeral. These pieces give more color and texture to the story than the straight historical facts ever could.

Hit By Pitch is a lovingly-told story of a piece of sports history most of us don’t know about. As you enjoy the beginning of baseball season, it’s worth knowing what’s happened before. Or, even if you’re like me, this may inspire you to think again about what baseball is all about.

]]> 2971 Small Press Expo 2011 reviews: The Ladies! https://www.comicsgirl.com/2011/09/13/small-press-expo-2011-reviews-the-ladies/ Wed, 14 Sep 2011 03:09:52 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=2809 Don’t you worry — I will get to comics by men I bought at SPX. I just needed a way of breaking them up. Sometimes I sort mini-comics into alphabetical order, or color, or size and then just divide them in half that way. The divisions are usually fairly arbitrary and just whatever entertains me.

This time, though, I do want to highlight some of the awesome women who exhibited their comics at SPX. I always seek comics by women and I don’t think Small Press Expo made much of a secret of how much we support women making comics. I think it was determined that 40 percent of our exhibitors were female — we have a list! While I totally understand that a good number of female creators just want to be seen as creators (and that’s something I absolutely get), I also don’t want their contributions to get lost or overlooked.

Vezere Valley Venture! – Megan Baehr

This travelogue chronicles Megan Baehr’s trip to France to view cave paintings as she does research for her upcoming graphic novel, The Lore Keeper. Like most travelogue comics, there’s not really a specific plot but just movement from one event to the next. Baehr’s artwork is crisp and clear and her enthusiasm for her subject matter is infectious. I’d already been interested in The Lore Keeper‘s progression, but this definitely pushed me into the realm of excitement.

Bug Boys #1-2 – Laura Knetzger

These are cute. While I think Laura Knetzger still has some growing to do as both and artist and a storyteller, I admire her playfully inventive stories about a pair of beetles and their world. I definitely think the concept is there and I came to enjoy her cartoony, surreal art as I saw more of it. She’s someone I’m going to be watching, definitely.

Frog & Owl: Regret Is for the Weak – Molly Lawless

Molly Lawless did not have her baby during Small Press Expo (although there was a period of time on Sunday she was away from her table and I was trying to start the rumor she had gone into labor. It didn’t work). That’s too bad because I’d told her that if she did have her baby at SPX, her baby would get in free for life. (It’s just as well — I probably didn’t have the authority to offer such a thing, anyway.)

Frog & Owl collects Lawless’ webcomic of the same name. It’s ridiculous, weird, incisive and hilarious. There’s no coherent storyline that connect the comics — instead, it’s just quips and random observations. The oddity and the strange formality of Lawless’ art may not be for everyone (although I don’t know who you people would be), but this is definitely the best comic you’re not reading. You should feel lucky that it’s not too late to start.

What’s the Word?: True Tales of a Woman on the Go – Cathy Leamy

I will always buy comics by Cathy Leamy every time I see her. Always.

What’s the Word? is a series of vignettes all based around single words — everything from “vacay” to “multitudes.” Leamy’s spirit and sense of adventure shines through and the expressive way she draws herself and others communicates simple, every day moments beautifully. Her comics are always a good time and this was no exception.

The Bad-Ass Habit – Laura Terry

I honestly think in any other year, Laura Terry’s gorgeous and inventive “Morning Song” would’ve easily won the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Mini-Comic. I don’t have any issue about Box Brown’s win there — it was a strong list of nominees, after all — but Terry’s comic was one of those instances where it was like “Yes, this is why I’m reading comics.”

The Bad-Ass Habit … well, yes, this is why I’m reading comics, too. It’s a nun fighting werewolves! What’s wrong with you if you don’t like that?

Terry’s art is refined and powerful and this comic feels delightfully too short and the action speaks of a greater promise. I want to know more about this werewolf-fighting nun! Why is she fighting werewolves? I want to see her fight more werewolves! I’ve spent the past couple of days recommending this to everyone (and they’ve all said “That sounds awesome.”)

Yakitori – Andrea Tsurumi

I enjoyed Andrea Tsurumi’s Terka 1 that I picked up last year (and I guess, sadly, I didn’t realize there was more of it out this year …) so I was interested to see what else she’s done. She’s a young artist with a fairly clear vision, and I like weird horror that she creates. Yakitori evokes Japanese yokai fairly obviously and menacingly, and I love her well-detailed, open pages. I’m absolutely going to keep going back for her comics.

Menstruation Station: Menarche Aboard – Jen Vaughn

Jen Vaughn is one of those people who is incredibly good for comics. I am absolutely serious. You need to pay attention to this woman.

These stories deal with the various aspects of a woman’s period — from the metaphorical (“It feels like a circus down there!”) to the disappointingly practical. It’s probably uncomfortable subject matter for some (in other words, men) but all too easy to relate to for the rest of us (in other words, women). Vaughn’s art has a lovely precision that’s not too formal and retains a sense of fun. She moves between reality and weirder realms with an understated ease.

]]> 2809 In Between the Panels: DC’s Emergence on the Graphic Novel Scene https://www.comicsgirl.com/2010/11/18/in-between-the-panels-dc%e2%80%99s-emergence-on-the-graphic-novel-scene/ https://www.comicsgirl.com/2010/11/18/in-between-the-panels-dc%e2%80%99s-emergence-on-the-graphic-novel-scene/#comments Thu, 18 Nov 2010 23:52:21 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=2135 Despite a rise in prominence, it’s safe to say a good portion of readers don’t quite understand what comics and other graphic literature is about. Even if they want to know more, it’s such a diverse medium, it can be hard to know where to start

Hosted by Washington, D.C., chapter of the Women’s National Book Association, In Between the Panels: DC’s Emergence on the Graphic Novel Scene featured local creators Carolyn Belefski, Molly Lawless and Matt Dembicki and was moderated by Mike Rhode of ComicsDC. While there were many comic fans and creators in the audience, this event was obviously for the WNBA members. That was actually a cool thing — we knew about comics and liked them and they wanted to learn.

After introductions, Rhode started with the questions that were submitted by WNBA members. The first presented to the panel asked what age range comics and graphic novels are for, noting that children and teens seem to like them.

Belefski said that while some of her work, like Curls is for all ages primarily, there are comics like The Walking Dead that are obviously aimed at adult readers. Lawless said that comics are for everyone, but she understands that they’re more accessible to children overall. Dembicki said he tends to create comics about things that interest him. While the anthology Trickster that he edited was aimed more toward younger readers (and it, by the way, just made Kirkus Reviews’ 2010 list of Best Graphic Novels for Teens), his upcoming Brewmaster’s Castle (with Andrew Cohen) is not.

Dembicki also pointed out that up until the late ’80s and early ’90s, comics were, overall, geared more toward children or all-ages audiences. He said he’s noticing a shift back to kids’ comics in a way.

The next question was about the process — basically, “How are comics made?”

All three creators seemed to share a similar process — an idea or script, then thumbnail sketches and then the creation of the final pages. Everyone had a little bit different take on collaborating, although each said they were flexible. Dembicki said he general starts out with a straight script when collaborating. Belefski’s process was more involved — she often collaborates with Joe Carabeo on several projects and they’re happy to listen to each other’s ideas when it comes to story or art.

None of these creators said they primarily use the computer to create comics. Belefski uses a tablet to draw a nightly sketch, but that’s it. They said they may use the computer to clean up art a bit, but all of them prefer drawing on paper.

Question three asked “Are some graphic novels more literary than others?” And while the answer is obviously “yes,” it did provoke a good discussion. Dembicki said there’s an entire range of comics — there have been some adaptations of Shakespeare, there are journalistic comics like Joe Sacco’s work, and then everyone talked about Chris Ware for a while. (Ware is undoubtedly important, but I’m not a fan, so admittedly, I kind of stopped paying attention for a bit.)

The next two questions were related — how each got into comics and the challenges of pursuing it as a vocation. Lawless said she always wanted to be an illustrator, but she found illustration work wasn’t fun. Comics gave her something to draw. Belefski said she liked cartoons and animation, citing Bugs Bunny specifically, and creating characters and world-building was exciting for her. Dembicki’s story was a little different — his immigrant parents bought him comics to help him learn to read and he was hooked through childhood. As an adult, he got back into comics after picking up The Sandman from his wife but didn’t feel interested in the superhero stuff any longer.

Belefski said that of course she’d love to do comics full-time — who wouldn’t? — but it’s nearly impossible. Lawless said “it’s very exposing” and it’s a challenge to make comics even when you love it. Dembicki joked that comics were a way of “avoiding contact with my family” but said he never wanted to do it full-time and is happy to do it part-time.

Belefski discussed how hard it can be to promote your work — it’s not enough to just make a comic, you have to go sell it to people. If you’re lucky, she said you may have a “staff of five volunteers” who help out, but no one is really getting paid.

After a discussion of inspiration (it mostly came down to that everyone wrote about what interested them and were making comics mostly to entertain themselves), there was a question about technology’s role in comics. Belefski said that while she still likes to make printed books, webcomics are easy — you just upload an image — and getting feedback is quick. Lawless said the Internet gives people a way to find you quickly and print-on-demand means you don’t have to pay to get your books printed upfront.

Dembicki said he uses his blog and Facebook to promote his work or to provide previews but he doesn’t really do webcomics and thinks it’s something that’s still emerging. However, he also brought up his District Comics project,which will be exclusive to the web at first.

There were another couple of questions that were basically already covered previously before Rhode turned it over to the audience. The first question asked if any of the creators had any formal art training. Both Lawless and Dembicki said they’d taken art classes growing up and in high school, but not in college. Belefski went to college for art but did communication/graphic design (which she said is the best way for artists to make money). She did also take a sequential art class and an animation class.

The most interesting audience question to me asked if there was any benefit to making comics in the DC area. Dembicki said it doesn’t matter with technology now — we can all be connected — and also pointed out that it’s a very transient area. However, he said there are a lot of different creators with a lot of different styles and it’s still an interesting place to be.

Belefski said it’s taking steps toward becoming a comics town. In the area, we have Small Press Expo and Baltimore Comic-Con a little farther to the north. Groups like DC Conspiracy provide resources and networking opportunities.

That’s something I’ve thought a lot about and I tend to agree with Belefski’s stance that it is growing but may not quite be there yet. The DC area isn’t necessarily cheaper than New York, but at the same time, there are cheaper areas around here (depending on how far away from DC proper you want to be) and people around here are actually hiring. I doubt we’re going to supplant any of the major comic-creating hubs any time soon, but I think we’re worth watching.

I enjoyed it, even though I already know quite a bit about comics (I do love any discussion of the creative process, though) and I hope those who didn’t know about comics learned something.

]]> https://www.comicsgirl.com/2010/11/18/in-between-the-panels-dc%e2%80%99s-emergence-on-the-graphic-novel-scene/feed/ 10 2135 MoCCA less-mini-comics reviews https://www.comicsgirl.com/2009/06/09/mocca-less-mini-comics-reviews/ https://www.comicsgirl.com/2009/06/09/mocca-less-mini-comics-reviews/#comments Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:05:33 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=973 Plus a review of a mini-comic I forgot about due to losing it (it’s possibly here, but I checked all my bags for it and didn’t see it. I’m still unpacking from moving so things are a little chaotic).

Next to You — Yali Lin

This is my sadly-missing mini-comic.

I remembered Yali Lin from last year’s MoCCA. I loved the comics I bought from her so I was glad to buy something else. She has a sweetly soft manga-style to her art that’s beautiful and her stories are equally meditative. This is a young woman’s dream where she’s thinking about all the things she needs — mostly simple things, like a notebook, a pillow — only to discover she already has what she needs. The whole thing has a quiet grace that really touched me (I am happy to see it’s online here so I can reread it).

PS Comics — Misty Lewis

PS Comics #4 was my favorite thing from Small Press Expo last year, so I’m delighted to have this collection. Lewis’ characters — who are, for no particular reason other than it’s hilarious and awesome, talking fruit or animals — usually end up in mundanely painful situations. She seems to intimately understand the ins and outs of office life and dealing with roommates. Her humor would still work well if she told these stories using humans, but it’s just that much funnier when they’re Yorkies. Buy this and laugh and then buy copies for your friends.

(It also came with little scratch-and-sniff cards, which were awesome.)

Little Miss May & Her Kitty, Jub-Jub — Patricia Burgess

I picked this up because I liked that Burgess had bound it together with yarn and she was sitting at the table working on crafts (she was sharing a table with fellow comic creator/crafter Megan Baehr).

Little Miss May is an odd fish-looking woman (all of Burgess’ humans have distinct shapes — a neighbor is blocky) who adores her cat, Jub-Jub, perhaps a little too much. Little Miss May faces some devastating tragedies regarding her cat but in the end finds out she’s not so alone in the world.

Burgess tells this story wordlessly (for the most part — there’s no dialogue) through six squares on each page. I liked the format quite a bit — the layout reminded me of storyboards (not surprisingly, Burgess works in animation) and her style is distinctive and fun. She told me this was her first comic and I hope it’s the first of many.

Infandum! Ad Infinitum — Molly Lawless

Lawless has quickly become one of my favorite comic creators and I think everyone needs to know about her. Her style of art is one part realism, one part cartooning with a depth provided by shading. Her faces are open and expressive and really draw me into her stories. She has a playful sense of humor that’s a little self-deprecating but also innocent. She’s a fan of old baseball so some of her comics are about that, which is uniquely fun. Her baseball history lessons have a spirit of silliness about them while still being informative. I am not a particular baseball fan — old or new — but I really enjoyed reading her comics about it.

And since she’s a fellow Arlingtonian, I think we totally need to hang out.

That’s it. The rest of the stuff is longer. I have two anthologies I may put together into one review, but I need to finish them first.

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