Update #27 - August/September 2021

HELLO!

Wow, time sure did get away from me! It's a while since I last got one of my "monthly" updates out. Thank you for your patience!

Before I start, thank you to everyone who has continued to support me, and thank you especially to my newest patrons: Sylwia W., Actingtitlehere, Comet, Castrated Cupid, Ben, Shae Marx, loumauve, Marou Carpenter, Morgana SilverRaven, Cas!, Daniel, Audrey Okamoto, Anapos, Erik Strottmann, Maxwell Mazgelis, Caryn Woomer, Rhiannon, Hannah, Intru, Ella, bingoishername, LJ, JoShmo!, Sonje Taljaard, Meg Clinton, and Maryann Watson.

Thank you all so much; it really means a lot to me to have your support!

WHAT HAVE I BEEN UP TO?

I was invited to do an interview with GenderMeowster as part of their Genderful talk show series. I’ve enjoyed watching the other interviews they’ve conducted, and I’m proud to have been added to the number! You can watch my episode here.

In a previous update, I alluded to the fact that I was working on a comic for an anthology that I was accepted into. The anthology has now been successfully Kickstarted! When I Was Me: Moments of Gender Euphoria is a collection of one-page autobiographical comics about joyful trans experiences. I’m very proud of the comic I drew for it, and excited to see what the other 70+ contributors have created! It can be pre-ordered here.

WHAT HAVE I BEEN WORKING ON?

As usual, I’ve continued with my diary comics, freeform illustrations, papercraft animations, and Instagram lives, as well as keeping on top of the tasks involved in running the Sticker of the Month Club here on Patreon.

In August I tried selling some of my freeform illustrations for the first time, and it went really well! If I continue seeing success from this avenue, combined with the profits from my Sticker of the Month Club, I could actually be well on my way to supporting myself from my art. What an exciting concept!

In terms of long-term projects, I’ve continued chipping away at the script for Romeo and Juliet But Gay And At The Skatepark project. I’ve also dusted off my neglected Jesus and Judas short comic and gotten a bit closer to getting that finished.

WHAT HAVE I BEEN CONSUMING?

The Breakaways - Cathy C. Johnson

I really liked this middle grade graphic novel about a girls soccer team. I loved the art style and the character designs!

It had a strong ensemble, though it felt like some stories got more of an ending to their arc than others did. I still feel like it’s a good example of how to balance many character-driven subplots in the limited space of a graphic novel. Also, it had way more meaningful diversity than I expected! I actually teared up at one scene, then went back and reread it several times after finishing the book.

I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation - Natalie Nourigat

I liked this nonfiction comic discussing exactly what it says in the title.

I really liked the color palette, and you can tell from the clear panel composition and visual language that the artist has indeed worked as a storyboarder. I don’t want to move to la to work in animation, but if you wanted to, this seems like it would be super informative. I wish there was a book like this for making a living by drawing silly little internet comics.

Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride - Lucy Knisley

I liked this autobiographical graphic novel about the artist’s wedding.

I really like how clear the artistic language of the art is; the lineart is clean and the narration feels comprehensive without wandering. Also, wow, is Lucy Knisley prolific. I’m always shocked by how much work she’s put out there.

The Last Halloween: Children (Book 1) - Abby Howard

I really liked this graphic novel about the struggle between the world of human and the world of monsters.

Abby Howard’s style is just so cool, and the art is genuinely creepy. Some pages, I just stare at all the pen strokes and marvel over how much detail there is.

I really liked Abby Howard on Strip Search, where the groundwork for this webcomic was created, so it’s really neat getting to read the comic that came of it.

Through the Woods - Emily Carroll

I really liked the collection of short horror comics.

Emily Carrol’s style is gorgeous, as always. The atmospheric, creepy art is a perfect pairing with the fairy tale/campfire story vibes of the writing.

I realized over the course of reading that I recognized some from the internet. I enjoyed both the ones I’d seen before and the ones that were new to me.

Killing and Dying - Adrian Tomine

I liked this collection of short comics ok.

Adrian Tomine really has the art of the short story (and more specifically, the short comic) mastered, and his drawings are clear, precise, and full of information

I felt this when reading The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist as well; there’s something about the negativity his work expresses that doesn’t always vibe with me. But that’s incredibly subjective.

The Best American Comics 2010

I liked this anthology of short comics and excerpts ok.

I’ve read several different volumes of Best American Comics, and it’s always fun seeing all the different stories. I skipped some that weren’t as much to my taste, but some were real highlights. It was neat seeing an excerpt of Derf Backderf’s work from about ten years ago to compare with his recent book Kent State, which I read for graphic novel book club recently (see below. Also, Ex Communication by Todd Bower and Steve MacIsaac did some really interesting things with the composition of speech bubbles and dialog boxes

Kent State - Derf Backderf

I really lived this graphic novel about the Kent State shootings.

Derf Backderf really really REALLY thoroughly researched this thing. I read it for the graphic novel bookclub I attend; during the meeting, both someone who had written their graduate thesis on America’s entry into the Vietnam War and someone who had been in college at the time of the Kent State massacre confirmed that the book was an accurate depiction of events and time period.

Also, as I mentioned above, Backderf has really refined his skills over the years, while retaining his distinctive style.

THIS MONTH’S MUSICAL JAMS

I’ve spent yet another month with Bruce Springsteen on heavy rotation. I’ve especially been listening to Born in the USA, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and Nebraska.

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW!

If you have any questions or stuff you've wanted to talk to me about, do leave a comment below!

Hope you're doing well!

<3,

Dave