Bringing comics to the UN (for real)

This week at Crucial Comix.

Author

Crucial Comix
October 14, 2024

 Read new comics!

» How I Learned to Say No At the Doctor’s Office  -  Learning to advocate for myself with doctors meant I became an "imperfect" patient. //  By Aubrey Hirsch

» Where There’s Smoke - A cross-country roadtrip reveals environmental disasters from coast to coast. // By Shay Mirk 

» Send It! - Or: How I stopped worrying and learned to love the cold email. // By Allia Service and Audra McNamee

Events

Crucial publisher Shay is in New York this week taking part in two events to support the upcoming Cartoonists for Palestine anthology.

Thursday October 17: Lebanese artist Omar Khouri and Shay are part of a panel at the United Nations (for real!!) discussing comics and human rights. This discussion marks the release of a report Omar co-wrote and illustrated about the food crisis in Palestine. This is the first-ever UN report that uses graphic reportage, so it’s a pretty big deal. The panel is from 1-3pm EST and can also be watched live online. Register here to attend or get the link to watch. 

Friday October 18: Shay is co-hosting a drawing night at Starr Bar in Brooklyn to support Cartoonists for Palestine. This is a time to connect with like-minded people, participate in some low-key drawing activities, and learn about the upcoming book. Art supplies will be provided, just bring yourself and your friends! 5pm-8pm at Starr Bar (214 Starr St, Brooklyn)

 Upcoming classes

Multi-week classes

» Last chance! Making Memoir Comics with Sarah Shay Mirk // Do you have a story you want to tell but aren’t sure how to get started? This seven-session memoir comics class will focus on telling real-life stories about your life, identity, and family. Wednesdays from 5pm-7pmPST/8pm-9pm EST, October 23rd – December 6th 

» Facing the Blank Page: Drawing Comics When You’re Afraid of Drawing with Ali Holmes // Are you interested in comics but think you could never draw your own? Join the club! This extremely encouraging, low-stakes class starts with drawing blobs to help you face anxiety around drawing. Saturdays from 10am - noon PST/1pm-3pm EST, November 9 – December 14

One-off Workshops 

» Last chance! Drawing Queer Ecology // Calling all plant nerds! This science and nature comics workshop led by Frances Cannon will delve into concepts of queerness in nature. October 17th from 4-6pm PST/7pm-9pm EST 

» Sexy Comics for Shy People // Ooo… that sounds exciting and also scary. Joaquin Golez leads this sex-positive, neurodivergent-friendly comics workshop centering queer and trans erotic art. Thursday October 24th at 5pm-7pm PST

» Cooking up Comics: Make a Recipe Zine! // Make a mini-comic of your favorite recipe with Cook Like Your Ancestors author Mariah-Rose Marie! Participants will be shown how to draw juicy dishes, cook up accessible and easy-to-follow recipes, and preserve the stories that made them. Sunday, November 10th, 11am-1pm PST (1pm-3pm EST)

Making Comics Affordable 💰

Something innovative we’re doing at Crucial is making all of our classes and workshops sliding scale and we’ve set aside three spots to give away for free in each class. We want to find a balance between paying cartoonists fairly for the time they put into teaching and making everyone feel welcome to learn about creating comics—regardless of how much money they make.

This fall, we’re experimenting to see how this all pencils out. We’re hoping that this rather generous model will work because our overhead costs are really low. All of our classes are online, so we’re not paying to rent classrooms. When you pay to take a class, you’re helping make it accessible to more people. But if you’re in a tough financial situation and want to take a class for free, don’t be shy about emailing! We have first-come, first-serve free spots set aside in every class. If you want to take a class for free, email us at [email protected] to tell us a little about yourself, why you want to take the class, and to see if spots are still available.

What we’re reading

New nonfiction comics we recommend. 

• Pie Vanity by Emily Flake - A wonderful slice-of-life comic about pie and family by Emily Flake (Flaming Hydra)

• I Was a Teenage Letterhack by George Gene Gustines, Tony Wolf, and Christian Meesey - A retro story of how a powerful friendship and career in comics all started with writing a fan letter to a science fiction comic. (The Believer)

 Opportunities for artists

An asexual and aromantic comics anthology published by Lifeline Comics is accepting submissions from artists for comics across all genres ace and aro identities. Work samples due by November 24th. 

Athenaeum Comic Art is offering a $1,500 grant to an “up-and-coming” comics artist who is creating “boundary challenging and socially conscious art.” Applications close October 21st. 

Oregon Humanities magazine is looking for a cover artist their upcoming issue “Currents.” The magazine prioritizes Oregon-based artists and pays $300 to the featured cover artist. Submissions are due by October 22. 

Dandelion Comics Residency in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is open for applications. This is a mentorship program where the comics artist-in-residence will produce an original mini comic. If you live near Milwaukee, check it out. Applications close November 6th.

One more exciting thing…

Print is not dead! We’ve printed up zine versions of several comics we published, so you can read them in print and give them to friends.

This newsletter is written by Shay Mirk. If you have comics or opportunities you think we should feature, email Shay at [email protected]. 💌