ICYMI -- Small Press Comics Criticism and Whatnot for 10/23/17 to 10/29/17

Highlighting some great small press comics criticism being published, as well as other random things that have caught my eye over the past week.

COMICS CRITICISM

* Athena Naylor looks at the comics of CAROLYN NOWAK, writing "any cartoonist who incorporates a line like 'her nipples rattled against the windowsill in an odious rhythm' has earned my upmost admiration and respect."

* Phillipe LeBlanc reviews George Wylesol's GHOSTS, ETC., "a bold artistic and narrative statement. A poem made of subtlety and extravagance."

* Rob Clough reviews Sophie Yanow's WHAT IS A GLACIER?,  comic about "finding and framing an attitude that made sense and worked for her regarding potential future catastrophes."

* Paul Buhle dives into DIASPORA BOY by Eli Valley, and writes "Valley's comics, mainly ridiculing the spokesmen of the Jewish power brokers in the US, also offers us precious gems of tribal nationalism from his own experience."

* Shea Hennum has some problems with the Verso Books re-release of Spain Rodriguez's CHE: A GRAPHIC BIOGRAPHY, calling it "constrained, rushed, grinding, and laborious."

* Oliver Sava presents this preview of Sophie Goldstein's new release from Fantagraphics, HOUSE OF WOMEN.

* Allison Meier on Bruno Munari's 1956 art book IN THE DARKNESS OF THE NIGHT, translated and published by Princeton Architectural Press, which "takes readers on an illustrated journey from night to morning."

* Amanda Nelson presents this preview of Katie O'Neill's new all-ages release from Oni Press, AQUICORN COVE.

* Sam Ombiri on Maggie Umber's SOUND OF SNOW FALLING.

* Michelle White has this mixed review of THEN IT WAS DARK, a horror anthology from Peppermint Monster Press, edited by Sarah Benkin.

* Over on Pipedream Comics there's a REVIEW ROUND-UP featuring "B. Mure’s delightfully quirky Ismyre, Josh Hicks superb sequel to Glorious Wrestling Alliance: Grappling Road, the haunting Lost Light from Wine and Zine’s Claire Spiller, and the twisted brilliance of Todd Oliver in Boxes."

* I realize that this wasn't published this week, but I just noticed it this week, so that works for me (and this is my rodeo, so I'm riding whatever bull I choose), but go read Derik Robertson's paper on the Comics Grid titled, JUSTIFICATION OF POETRY COMICS: A MULTIMODAL THEORY OF AN IMPROBABLE GENRE which "argues that there is a way to create true poetry comics by realizing the segmentivity of poetry and merging that with the comic's modes of panel and frames."

WHATNOT

* It's the 15th anniversary of BROKEN FRONTIER! Check out #15YearsofBrokenFrontier as Andy Oliver and the rest of the BF crew recommend at least 100 of their favorite comics people for you to follow. The BF staff is "providing links to their online stores/sites rather than to Broken Frontier articles in hopes that you'll use this as a chance to investigate the practice of artists who may be new to you and, most importantly, buy some of their comics!"

* Speaking of Andy Oliver and Broken Frontier, Oliver has this great interview with cartoonist OLIVIA SULLIVAN about "her emerging practice, her influences and inspirations, and bringing the world of SID (published by Good Comics) to the comics page..."

* LESLIE STEIN is interviewed by her mother, Pattie Mackenzie, about her new book, Present, and the results are one of the most revelatory and emotional interviews that's been published in some time.

* Alex Wong interviews TOM GAULD about "his influences growing up, the challenges and rewards of doing a weekly cartoon strip, and the person he'd most like to cast as James Bond."

* Vince Brusio interviews LIZ PRINCE about her new book, Be Your Own Backing Band, published by Silver Sprocket.

* Paul Lai talks to KATRIONA CHAPMAN (at 29:30) about her self-published series, Katzine, and her upcoming OGN from Avery Hill, Follow Me In.

* Kim Jooha interviews RON REGE JR. about "the past, present, and future."

* Over on The Nib, you should read I'M TIRED OF PERFORMING TRAUMA: FIVE CARTOONISTS ON #METOO.

* Rebecca Fullylove put together this piece on It's Nice That titled "TO ME, BEING A MAN JUST MEANS BEING YOURSELF": FIVE CREATIVES SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON MASCULINITY.

* And finally, it being close to Halloween and all, Keith Silva writes about his experience ON WALKING TO THE "EXORCIST STEPS" AND WHAT I HEARD THERE.