ICYMI -- Small Press Comics Criticism and Whatnot for 8/15/16 to 8/21/16

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

* Missed this one last week, but Scott Cederlund reviews John Porcellino's KING-CAT COMIX AND STORIES #76

* Andy Oliver on DIRTY ROTTEN COMICS #7, which "exists not just to give a showcase to some of the very best new voices in small press comics but also to provide them with the opportunity to be published side-by-side with more established names." 

* Andy Oliver also reviews Matthew Swan's PARSLEY GIRL: CARROTS and Paloma Dawkins' SUMMERLAND as part of Broken Frontier's Safari Festival coverage.

* Hillary Brown reviews OTHERWORLD BARBARA VOLUME 1 by Moto Hagio, newly translated by Matt Thorn for Fantagraphics.

* Alex Hoffman reviews Anja Wicki's THE MEANING OF LIFE, which "evokes a sense of skepticism about the act of attempting to derive meaning from anything."

* Not small press, but really damn good criticism, this roundtable discussion by Heather Knight, Ray Sonne, and J.A. Micheline on the characters MIDNIGHTER AND APOLLO in DC's Stormwatch is a fascinating and entertaining read.

WHATNOT

* Andy Oliver interviews SIMON MORETON about his zine, Minor Leagues, as well as his previous work and what is coming up (notably a new book as part of the Kilgore Books Kickstarter)

* Ginnis Tonik interviews RACHEL KAHN about her new book, By Crom!, "a collection of Kahn's autobiographical comics that feature her interacting with Crom, a barbarian explicitly based on Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian." 

* Alenka Figa interviews KEVIN CZAP about his Kickstarter for Czap Books and all things regarding micro-publishing

* Poopsheet Foundation has their MINI-COMIC HISTORY ARCHIVE available online for you! It's a treasure-trove (do people still say "treasure-trove"?) of not only mini-comics, but fanzines, small press comics, newave comix, and all kinds of goodies. Check it! * Columbus College of Art and Design has launched a new COMICS AND NARRATIVE PRACTICE MAJOR. It's pretty major. 

* KILGORE BOOKS AND COMICS has a Kickstarter.

* SF ZINE FEST has a Patreon.

* Myles E. Johnson's WHITE "ALLIES" AND THE AMERICAN TRADITION OF CONSUMING BLACK GRIEF 

* The Velvet Underground: New York Extravaganza was at the Philharmonie de Paris. Here's hoping this is a traveling show.