Sparkplug Highlights: Gin Palace, Issue One

In this funny, sweet, and bizarre British anthology, a variety of stories and styles are presented for your reading pleasure! Gin Palace features seven different comics, all of which are pure entertainment. In Rob Jackson's two-part "The Ballad of Hatty Jack," a plucky young man in a parodic Victorian London puts on a giant hat to battle hat-based injustice wherever it is found -- and in part two, he pairs up with Murdock Bones, brilliant detective and master of disguise, in order to take down a nefarious organization! Dave Hughes takes on weird science in "Little Scary Monsters," while Simon M. details the love-hate relationship with his local pub. In Francesca Cassavetti's "Measuring Up," she examines her relationship with alcohol, from small child lulled to sleep by her parents' parties to alcohol-swilling wild child to grown-up mother at peace with her drinking habits. Ant Mercer presents a two-page gag comic about a terrible interview (and, later, another one about a certain Kennedy assassination), and Jarod Rosello contributes a wordless cartoon about a dog, a man, a cafe, and a rainy afternoon in "The Rain." Finally, Lee Johnson's "Sin Cat" is a jagged, trippy combination of drawings and collages that follows the adventures of the eponymous feline. With gorgeous full-color covers and forty pages of comics, you'll finish this issue raring to read more from these brilliant Brits!

 

 

 

Sparkplug Highlights: Service Industry, by t edward bak

Though Service Industry came out of the last years of George W. Bush's time in office and deals in part with the fear and anger of a rational man living during an irrational war, this oversized comic feels as fresh and important today as it did upon its release. Bak uses his job in the service industry (as a dishwasher, predominantly) and his Bukowskian exploits to frame his autobiographical narrative, which floats in and out of the real world as he thinks about race, identity, fractured families, and the soul's response to drudgery and insanity. His art is in turns ultra-detailed, brilliantly colored, fantastical, and somber. Some of the most startling pages come at the end, when suddenly everything is shown as negative -- white-on-black. Certain images permeate the entire book: robots, angels with visible skeletons, clouds, trees, and an ever-present black cat who leads the narrator back and forth between worlds. Service Industry reads like a dream; it follows its own logic. Elements are pulled here and there from life and fantasy to create a bizarre plane of existence, somehow both like waking life and not. It is an existential, melancholic, contemplative piece of work that will make you think about the paths you've taken -- and which one you will take next.

"Bak the cartoonist is possessed by his past. What we see are the inner musings of a man in his late twenties/early thirties, biding time at his dishwashing job. He rehashes his history in straight narration, sometimes leaving little room for actual drawings. Then he'll cover the same territory as a nearly wordless allegorical adventure comic featuring a "Lil" (as in "Lil Archie") version of himself, a black cat spirit guide, and chattering demons. Then back to a political screed that blots out the drawings again.
Part of the comic's beauty is that Bak printed a page a week in Flagpole magazine in Athens, Georgia, so you get the feeling that much of what you're reading is off the cuff. The story is leading Bak, and he's dredging up stuff from his past that surely surprises even him, but the result isn't haphazard. Bak slowly builds to the heartbreaking sixteenth page, then leads us away quietly as we're still reeling." -Tom Devlin, The Believer

"Bak the cartoonist is possessed by his past. What we see are the inner musings of a man in his late twenties/early thirties, biding his time at his dishwashing job. He rehashes his history in straight narration, sometimes leaving little room for actual drawings. Then he’ll cover the same territory as a nearly wordless allegorical adventure comic featuring a “Lil” (as in “Lil Archie”) version of himself, a black cat spirit guide, and chattering demons. Then back to a political screed that blots out the drawings again.
Part of this comic’s beauty is that Bak printed a page a week in Flagpole magazine in Athens, Georgia, so you get the feeling that much of what you’re reading is off the cuff. The story is leading Bak, and he’s dredging up stuff from his past that surely surprises even him, but the result isn’t haphazard. Bak slowly builds to the heartbreaking sixteenth page, then leads us away quietly as we’re still reeling." Tom Devlin, The Believer - See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/comic-books/service-industry/#sthash.JYwlFKSc.dpuf

"Bak the cartoonist is possessed by his past. What we see are the inner musings of a man in his late twenties/early thirties, biding his time at his dishwashing job. He rehashes his history in straight narration, sometimes leaving little room for actual drawings. Then he’ll cover the same territory as a nearly wordless allegorical adventure comic featuring a “Lil” (as in “Lil Archie”) version of himself, a black cat spirit guide, and chattering demons. Then back to a political screed that blots out the drawings again.
Part of this comic’s beauty is that Bak printed a page a week in Flagpole magazine in Athens, Georgia, so you get the feeling that much of what you’re reading is off the cuff. The story is leading Bak, and he’s dredging up stuff from his past that surely surprises even him, but the result isn’t haphazard. Bak slowly builds to the heartbreaking sixteenth page, then leads us away quietly as we’re still reeling." Tom Devlin, The Believer - See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/comic-books/service-industry/#sthash.JYwlFKSc.dpuf

"Bak the cartoonist is possessed by his past. What we see are the inner musings of a man in his late twenties/early thirties, biding his time at his dishwashing job. He rehashes his history in straight narration, sometimes leaving little room for actual drawings. Then he’ll cover the same territory as a nearly wordless allegorical adventure comic featuring a “Lil” (as in “Lil Archie”) version of himself, a black cat spirit guide, and chattering demons. Then back to a political screed that blots out the drawings again.
Part of this comic’s beauty is that Bak printed a page a week in Flagpole magazine in Athens, Georgia, so you get the feeling that much of what you’re reading is off the cuff. The story is leading Bak, and he’s dredging up stuff from his past that surely surprises even him, but the result isn’t haphazard. Bak slowly builds to the heartbreaking sixteenth page, then leads us away quietly as we’re still reeling." Tom Devlin, The Believer - See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/comic-books/service-industry/#sthash.JYwlFKSc.dpuf

"Bak the cartoonist is possessed by his past. What we see are the inner musings of a man in his late twenties/early thirties, biding his time at his dishwashing job. He rehashes his history in straight narration, sometimes leaving little room for actual drawings. Then he’ll cover the same territory as a nearly wordless allegorical adventure comic featuring a “Lil” (as in “Lil Archie”) version of himself, a black cat spirit guide, and chattering demons. Then back to a political screed that blots out the drawings again.
Part of this comic’s beauty is that Bak printed a page a week in Flagpole magazine in Athens, Georgia, so you get the feeling that much of what you’re reading is off the cuff. The story is leading Bak, and he’s dredging up stuff from his past that surely surprises even him, but the result isn’t haphazard. Bak slowly builds to the heartbreaking sixteenth page, then leads us away quietly as we’re still reeling." Tom Devlin, The Believer - See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/comic-books/service-industry/#sthash.JYwlFKSc.dpuf

"Bak the cartoonist is possessed by his past. What we see are the inner musings of a man in his late twenties/early thirties, biding his time at his dishwashing job. He rehashes his history in straight narration, sometimes leaving little room for actual drawings. Then he’ll cover the same territory as a nearly wordless allegorical adventure comic featuring a “Lil” (as in “Lil Archie”) version of himself, a black cat spirit guide, and chattering demons. Then back to a political screed that blots out the drawings again.
Part of this comic’s beauty is that Bak printed a page a week in Flagpole magazine in Athens, Georgia, so you get the feeling that much of what you’re reading is off the cuff. The story is leading Bak, and he’s dredging up stuff from his past that surely surprises even him, but the result isn’t haphazard. Bak slowly builds to the heartbreaking sixteenth page, then leads us away quietly as we’re still reeling." Tom Devlin, The Believer - See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/comic-books/service-industry/#sthash.JYwlFKSc.dpuf

Happy New Year & Thanks!

Hello and Happy New Year everyone!
First off, I would like to thank everyone who has already donated and pre-ordered Reich #11.  You guys are the best and we really appreciate it.  Amy at 1984 said the books will be shipping next week, so you should be getting your copies soon.
On that note, you can still pre-order Reich #11!  This issue has all the drama and weirdness that you crave and Brubaker has outdone himself with both the art and writing.
Second, I'm working on getting Hungry Summer by Asher Craw together and hope to have it up for pre-order next week.  I'll make sure to announce it on here and our other social media when that happens.  I'm super excited about this book and think you will be too.  If you're not familiar with Craw's work, we have his amazing series Zebadiah available in the store.
Thanks again for all your support.  This is gonna be a great year.
-Virginia

Sparkplug Highlights: Tales of Tiger Balm, by Ariyana Suvarnasuddhi

The first thing that stands out about Ariyana Suvarnasuddhi's hilarious comic Tales of Tiger Balm! is the fact that it looks like the coolest newspaper you've ever seen-- it's 11.5" x 14", on newsprint, and has a gloriously colored cover that includes tigers, flames, flowers, a jar of Tiger Balm, and a triptych of two Ariyanas scratching their rashy skin into oblivion and a third, covered in Tiger Balm, crying in painful ecstasy. Her drawings are highly textured, joyful, and heavily inspired by Asian art. The inside of the comic (though uncolored) is just as rich and funny, featuring six full pages detailing Ariyana's experiences using Tiger Balm to soothe her eczema, musings on the origin and ingredients of Tiger Balm, a behind-the-scenes look at the month she spent creating the comic, and a meditation on her heritage and parents' vast, mysterious collection of old Chinese medicine. The back cover is just as interesting as the front: in color once again, it takes the form of a cabinet of curiosities, displaying some of the most interesting finds Ariyana has pilfered from her parents' Chinese medicine hoard. Her attention to detail, really put to work in depicting these tiny bottles, labels, powders, pills, tins, and jars, is exquisite. Tales of Tiger Balm! gives you a lot for your two dollars and serves as a great introduction to Ariyana's work if you've never had a chance to see it before. And, if you love this comic as much as we do, be sure to grab a copy of her contribution--issue #2--to the Sparkplug Minis series, debuting at CAKE (the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo) on May 31st-June 1st!



Sparkplug Highlights: Gay Genius, edited by Annie Murphy

Looking for a wonderful holiday gift for a friend, lover, or family member who could use some incredible queer comics in their life? Look no further! Gay Genius, a 144-page anthology edited by Annie Murphy, will satisfy, invigorate, and deeply touch anyone who sits down with it.

From Rob Cough's thorough and thoughtful review in The Comics Journal:

"At the end of the Gay Genius anthology, its editor, Annie Murphy, uncovers some interesting definitions of the word 'genius.' One of them, dating back to ancient Rome, is 'a guardian spirit.' Reading this anthology, it felt as much like a ritual prayer or invocation as it did a series of stories. Throughout history, gay culture has frequently been underground culture–hidden, for fear of reprisals, yet always bubbling under the surface. In a sense, Gay Genius is the underground’s underground, invoking a number of storytelling devices not usually seen in the gay comics scene (or in the more conventional alt-comics scene, for that matter) that first arose in the ’70s and have become much more mainstream and prominent today. In discussing a number of transgender experiences, it also touches on some issues that are little-explored in comics (Joey Sayers being a notable exception). Murphy weaves together traditional comics narratives, cruder artwork that borders on outsider art, paintings that have a narrative quality, and nearly abstract images. There’s a sense in which this anthology resembles Kramer’s Ergot in terms of featuring work whose relationship to narrative is tenuous and is designed to challenge the reader. However, the book’s most prominent quality is its warmth and humanity; the work itself seems designed to invoke that guardian spirit for its readers as well as its creators."