Make your dang comic!!

This week at Crucial Comix.

September 30, 2024

 Read new comics!

Native plants are indigenous species that evolved to flourish in a particular region

» Native or Nah - An exploration of iconic California plant life and what it means to be “native” by Mariah Rose Marie 

» I Strongly Recommend the Library - A love letter to the library by Audra McNamee 

» What It’s Like Being An Adult With ADHD - A series of deeply relatable interviews by Megan Barry 

» Coextinction- A reflection on what will happen to the animals humans don’t deem worthy of protection by Edea Giang

News

Book Bans: Crucial’s first week of existence was also Banned Books Week, an annual week of activism against censorship. Challenges to books in schools and libraries are drastically increasing across the United States—there were over 10,000 book bans reported across the country during the past year—and comics are at the front of the fight. Of the 10 most-banned books of the past year, three were graphic narratives, all of which have LGBTQ themes. Gina Gagliano wrote an in-depth article at The Comics Journal about the state of comics during the book-banning era, charting which titles have been challenged most often during the past year. A big part of the reason why we started Crucial is to give artists more control over how they distribute their work. We want a place to publish that is controlled by cartoonists—and ways to build a community that can support creators.

Book Preorder

Cartoonists for Palestine: Crucial is the U.S. publisher for the upcoming comics anthology Cartoonists for Palestine, which will be a 200-page, full-color book of comics created by over 50 artists from around the world. During these difficult and emotional weeks, the anthology helps us recognize how we are not powerless. The editors write, “Through comics, we can shape the narratives told about ourselves and our world—and in that way, we hope to provoke change.”

Upcoming classes

Look at this all-star lineup for October! All of our classes are sliding-scale and offered online, so they’re affordable and you can join from anywhere. 

Multi-week classes

» Make Your Dang Comic! Cartooning Fundamentals with Kane Lynch // Whether you’re new to making comics or an experienced illustrator looking to push yourself through an artistic block, this eight-week-long beginner-friendly class will kickstart your creativity and put you on track to create a finished comic you’ll be proud of. Tuesdays from 6pm-8pmPST/9pm-11pm EST, October 15th – December 3rd

» 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 

One-off Workshops 

» This Wednesday: Introduction to Digital Drawing with Procreate // Just picked up a new iPad? Want to get into drawing digitally?This beginner-friendly workshop led by tech savvy youth and Crucial Comix editor Audra McNamee will go over a basic comics-making workflow in Procreate. October 2nd, 5pm-7pm PST/8pm-10pm EST

» 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

Artist Spotlight

Kane Lynch is a delightful human, versatile illustrator, and the teacher of the upcoming class Make Your Dang Comic!

What do you love most about teaching comics? 

My favorite part of teaching comics is helping someone navigate around a roadblock in their creative process. Making a comic involves fusing so many diverse skills and the micro level challenges can be daunting to overcome. For me personally, a lot of the necessary skills did not come naturally! I feel like I’ve learned how to navigate a lot of those difficulties the hard way, and I love helping other creators find a smoother path.

What are three comics you love introducing to students?

Oh Gosh, it’s hard to choose just three! How about… The Lie and How We Told It by Tommi Parrish, Thoreau at Walden by John Porcellino, and Prince of Cats by Ronald Wimberly.  

Do you have a piece of advice for people who are stuck on a creative project? 

Once upon a time, I lived in a punk house and it was really hard to get everyone to wash their dishes. I brought it up at a house meeting, and a housemate replied with a plan for each of us to start a big beautiful project that would raise the quality of living for everyone. That’s great, I thought, but what about the dishes? Needless to say, the dishes stayed dirty and those other projects never happened. With a creative project, it’s easy to dream big and then give up when we get stuck along the way. It’s always good to take a little break, but I think the long term solution is pushing through your lack of satisfaction with your in-progress work. Our dreams of brilliance can get in the way of just making stuff.

What we’re reading

New nonfiction comics we recommend. 

• Pardon My Profanity by Angie Kang - A delightful and deep animated comic about learning to speak (and swear) as a child.  (The New Yorker)  

• “I healed from PTSD using this drug. Now I help others do the same” by Beatrix Lockwood - This interview with a psilocybin facilitator gets into how psychedelics can be key to helping people heal from trauma.  (The Washington Post) [paywalled] 

• Revolution is Not on the Ballot by Ben Passmore - Ben reflects on being sent to a reform school as a teen where the institution’s idea of “reform” was compliance. (Self-published) 

• Uprooted by Ruth Chan - Crucial reader Sariah recommended this joyful graphic memoir about Ruth’s childhood experience of moving from Toronto to her parents’ former home in Hong Kong. (Roaring Brook Press)

Opportunities for artists

Girldad Press is looking for submissions for a queer anthology about Sex and the City. This is a follow-up book to the Lambda-award winning 2 Trans 2 Furious anthology, which collected trans perspectives on the Fast and Furious films. All accepted pitches receive $100. Submissions close October 21. 

Oregon Humanities is taking applications for its community storytelling fellowships for Oregonians who belong to communities that are underrepresented in Oregon media. Each fellow receives $5,000 to tell real-life stories about those communities. Submissions close October 1. 

Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions is taking submissions for its annual Lightning Fund grant. If you’re an artist and LA resident, you can propose a project to receive up to $6,000 in funding. Applications close October 6. 

Shenandoah literary magazine is taking submissions of comics for upcoming issues. Their website says all contributors are paid “as much as our budget allows.” Submissions close October 31. 

One more exciting thing…

Hats are here!! These bright green hats are extremely silly and fun. Show off your support for comics and your bold dedication to a neon fashion aesthetic with a hat.

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