Poopsheet Foundation

It is with great sadness that I learned today that Harvey Pekar, who needs no introduction, has passed away at the age of 70. Details are patchy, but there's some more info here.

(image from here)

Rina Ayuyang has become one of my favorite quotidian autobiographical artists, thanks to her varied visual approach, gentle wit and the vivid manner in which she brings her family to life. After years of minicomics, WHIRLWIND WONDERLAND is her first book collection, and it's a typically modest but attractive design from Sparkplug Comic Books. Ayuyang uses a varied visual approach in this book, which is not surprising considering that some of it's old material. "Here, There", an ode to early...

www.colinupton.com
I’ll get the ugly out of the way first and complain that there are 35 typos to be found in a 16 page mini-comic, which comes out to 2+ per page on average. If you’re able to compartmentalize that, you can focus instead on Upton’s crystal clear line work, his smart framing of shots, stylish use of perspective and depth, and his generally sound “eye” as a cartoonist. Upton’s disdain for Bush is palpable here, portraying the U.S. as a “crusading theocracy”...

www.ditko.blogspot.com
The focus of this issue of Ditkomania is the creator’s lesser known self-copyrighted comics that largely came post-Silver Age. What I found most interesting was the way Ditko embedded his response to the way Marvel acted as caretaker for their line of superheroes and their treatment of them. In short, this was not something Steve Ditko was on board with. The columnists create a smart and illuminating juxtaposition with 1970’s film. They compare the traditional...

For a mere $1.50, you too can witness the passionate appreciation of this critical Marvel creator dripping off the page. This issue of the long-running fanzine highlights the influential 1960’s Marvel work of Steve Ditko. By using some early Tales of Suspense issues from the late 50’s as a backdrop, the writers show that Ditko was capable of shining with important artistic contributions even when paired with lackluster writing. Ditko was an artist who always put in the work, never took...