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March 2010

Niki Smith

Niki Smith

“Artist, writer, lover of fine comics (and some pretty trashy ones too). Lives in Cleveland, but apt to travel. Hobbies include making nutella-and-strawberry crêpes, stumbling through forests in Germany, and dodging tornadoes.”

from the artist’s website

Niki’s website

In Maps & Legends – written by Michael Jasper

Niki will be joining us for our final class tomorrow!

Webcomics Rex #9

NAWLZStu Campbell

Out of everything we refer to as “webcomics,” very few are anything more than paper strips distributed on the internet. Australian Stu Campbell’s NAWLZ is an amazing comic that is tailor-made for the web, utilizing color, animation, sound and unique interactivity – all used in a such a way that is cohesive and dramatically adds to the narrative being presented.

Well worth a look, NAWLZ is a futuristic, Philip K. Dick-esque look at youth subculture.

Class Resources: Instructor’s site

Encyclopedia Czapiewski

This is my personal blog, where I post writing and comics and anything else I think is worth people knowing about.

Class Resources: 22 Panels That Always Work

Wally Wood’s 22 Panels that Always Work

Wally Wood was a first-class illustrator in the day, having worked with Marvel Comics as well as more subversive material with Mad Magazine and outright pornographic satirical comics. This document here is his fabled “cheat sheet” of sorts that has been passed around among comics illustrators for years.

Webcomics Rex No. 8

Cat and GirlDorothy Gambrell

Starting with the classic buddy-picture setup of child and anthropomorphic animal sidekick, Cat and Girl departs familiar territory early on and uses its characters to ponder the conditions of contemporary life. Bitter and sarcastic, if not still hopeful, Gambrell writes some very funny satire that is always smart.

Webcomics Rex No. 7

AchewoodChris Onstad

A hilarious and surprisingly complex gag strip surrounding a group of animals. One of those works that defies classification, or even explanation, Achewood needs to be read to fully grasp all that’s at work.

In spite of its simplistic visual style, Achewood is well-regarded for its originality, setting standards for deep artistic new work that is also funny as hell (albeit in a slightly different way than many may be used to).

Course Materials: Slideshow #6

Here is a PDF of the booklet from Thursday night: classsix-slideshow.pdf

I’ve left the file size large so that you can actually read the comics in there

Course Materials: Slideshow #5

Here is a PDF of the booklet from Thursday night: classfive-slideshow.pdf

I’ve left the file size large so that you can actually read the comics in there

Course Materials: Slideshow #4

Here is a PDF of the booklet from Thursday night: classfour-slideshow.pdf

I’ve left the file size large so that you can actually read the comics in there