ICYMI -- Small Press Comics Criticism and Whatnot for 3/5/18 to 3/11/18

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

* Rob Clough on LOSING THE GIRL: LIFE ON EARTH BOOK 1 by MariNaomi, writing "There are many familiar elements of teen romance here, to be sure, but MariNaomi approaches with a level of sophistication and humanity that's rare for any story of this kind."

* Irene Velentzas explores Joseph Remnant's CARTOON CLOUDS which "seems to champion making art, period, no matter how volatile the surrounding culture, fickle the reception, or seemingly simplistic its style."

* Nick Couture reviews EXPANSION by Matt Sheehan and Malachi Ward which "has a real brain and heart and ideas that transcend it's (sic) genre trappings."

* Tom Spurgeon on Lauren Weinstein's NORMEL PERSON, saying "that no matter the approach, no matter the opinion expressed, no matter how she herself is portrayed, Weinstein has the great comedian's knack for communicating her essential decency."

* Robin Enrico reviews SOMEONE PLEASE HAVE SEX WITH ME by Gina Wynbrandt in which "Wynbrandt uses her tightly controlled lines to dig deeper into the ways in which the lives lived in our bodies and the lives lived in our heads are intertwined."

* Alex Hoffman on Anne Pomel's BEFORE THE RAIN, where Pomel "focuses on the capture of image and sound throughout the book." 

* Ryan C. on New York-based cartoonist Zach Hazard Vaupen's COMBED CLAP OF THUNDER and Thu Tran's DUST PAM, two books I really wanted to write about but was never able to find the words. Luckily, Ryan did not suffer from this problem.

* John Seven on Eric Haven's new collection of short works, COMPULSIVE COMICS, which "offers good laughs and vigorous surrealism, and you can easily enjoy it for those two things and walk away from it entertained and cheerful. But if you let your brain linger a while as you read it and allow the text and panels take you by the hand and lead you along, it will reveal the multi-dimensional underbelly of his work, with clear indication of how his unconscious unfolds in his work and winds its way through like a philosophical thread."

WHATNOT

* Friend of YCE and all-around good guy Mark O. Stack is looking to fund WEEKEND WARRIOR, "a five-part, 60-page superhero webcomic about an interplanetary long distance relationship."

* Also seeking funding is KILGORE BOOKS AND COMICS. Kilgore is hoping to publish nine new books this year, and they can't do it without your support!

* Speaking of Kilgore, publisher Dan Stafford wrote a post called WHY DO WE PUBLISH COMICS? that more than sorta could be read as an explanation of why I write about comics.

* Anya Davidson interviews TOMMI PARRISH, discussing "their artmaking strategies, mental health tips, lifelong love of learning, and much more!"

* Philippe LeBlanc talks to KEVIN CZAP AND L NICHOLS about Ley Lines 2018.

* Alex Dueben interviews ANNELI FURMARK about her book, Red Winter, and how she works.

* Juan Fernandez has "some thoughts on EXAMINING WHAT IT MEANS TO WRITE WHEN MAKING COMICS".

* Slate announces THE 2018 CARTOONIST STUDIO PRIZE SHORTLISTS, "The best print and web comics of 2017".

* TWO POEMS by Ralph Monday.