The Gargification
Today’s guest is the brilliant Ben Wilgus: an award-winning cartoonist, writer, editor, and – what timing! – birthday-haver. He is deeply powerful and dearly beloved, and this conversation was just a huge treat. Brew yourself a tasty tea and sit back with us, won’t you?
Flameo, Hot Deer
Shan is a prolific and thoughtful cartoonist, color designer, and background painter whose work really just sticks with you. If you haven’t had the chance to check out their work yet, please do – we’ll still be here when you get back!
It’s Time To D-D-Draw
Today, I’m delighted to be hanging out with the incredible Ru Xu! Ru is the creator of the long-running webcomic Saint For Rent, as well as the NewsPrints graphic novels and a host of other wonderful work. Ru and I have had the opportunity to yell about our shared fandom at a variety of cons over the years, and I am so glad to document some of those yells here, for you, my beloved readers. Let’s roll!
I Was Emo When I Drew This
Today’s guest is none other than Aatmaja Pandya! Aatmaja’s work is soft, heartfelt, and deeply impactful, and I could honestly drink it up all day. I cannot wait until Check Your Texts comes out, and plan on tiding myself over by rereading Travelogue and Phantom about a billion times. But we’re here to talk about something else, aren’t we?
Gonna Catch ‘Em All
Today’s guest is the powerful Gaby Epstein! Gaby’s a fantastic cartoonist with a ton of stunning work under their belt, including the (highly recommended) Breaking the Ice comics. I cannot compliment Gaby’s work highly enough, but I sure can try, so let’s get into it!
The Hoistening
Today’s guest is the inimitable Ari, aka The Giant Rat! They are an indie comics champion with over one gazillion zines under their proverbial belt, all raw, all powerful, an absolute treat for the eyes and brain. This conversation punched me right in the heart – let’s go!
The Photo Op
Today’s guest is the stellar Hannah Templer! She’s a deeply powerful colorist and cartoonist with just a mile-long list of credits, and is responsible for the aggressively engrossing Cosmoknights, available at fine independent bookstores near you.
To Boldly Grow
This delightful work of art was created by none other than … Dave Valeza! Dave is a stellar cartoonist and illustrator, an all-around wonderful person, and… [puts hand on glass] a friend. I’m so happy to have trapped Dave in this imaginary space, where we can sit back and talk about all sorts of pressing topics.
Cat(Boy) and Mouse(Boy)
Keen-eyed observers might have already guessed the artist behind today’s visual revelation: the indomitable Maya Kern! She’s a designer, illustrator, cartoonist, prose author, and musician, and is basically just an absolute creative powerhouse. I’m so glad that we had the opportunity to talk about this piece specifically, which felt like an attack on my very core, one from which I will probably never recover, please remember me as I was and bequeath my doujinshi to those who would appreciate them. Onward!
The Courting Gesture
I hope this flung you back in time, just all the way back, because it sure hit me. This delightful illustration was the work of none other than one Victor Martins – a deeply thoughtful, playful, cool cartoonist whose art and comics you should absolutely be eating up. They’re only getting more powerful, and frankly, it’s rude. Our enlightening conversation on fandom, community, and hyping up your pals, below: