Sparkplug at CAKE!

Hello y'all!  Sparkplug is heading to the Midwest for one final show.  We'll be exhibiting at CAKE Chicago with Suzette Smith.  This is one of our favorite fests and it's free and open to the public, so be sure to check it out!  Info below:

Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE)
Saturday and Sunday, June 11 and 12, 2016
11 am – 6 pm
Center on Halsted
3656 N Halsted
FREE and open to the public!
http://www.cakechicago.com

Also, on Sunday, there will be a special panel about Sparkplug, hosted by Austin English!  Details below:

Sunday, 3:00–4:00 A Celebration of Sparkplug Comic Books

CAKE 2016 will mark the last show for Sparkplug Comic Books, a company that, throughout its 14 years, has played host to an exciting and fresh roster of diverse artists. Founded by Dylan Williams, whose strong ethical sense and personal taste drove the direction of the company, Sparkplug was a resolutely small press, focused on handmade and independently produced comics in a world veering ever toward mass production. After Williams passed away in September of 2011, his wife, Emily Nilsson, took over, and, in February 2013, passed the helm to artist Virginia Paine, who has been running the company since. This discussion will bring together a combination of artists who’ve worked with Sparkplug throughout the years, many of whom are also, in the vein of Dylan Williams, multi-hyphenates: artists, publishers, distributors and critics. Chris Cilla (Rattlesnake Dick, The Heavy Hand), Zak Sally (Sammy the Mouse, La Mano Press), Suzette Smith (Ce/Ze), and moderator Austin English (Gulag Casual, Domino Books) join together to celebrate 14 years of an amazing small press and the important work of Virginia Paine, Emily Nilsson and and Dylan Williams. This panel is sponsored by Comix Revolution

Closing & CAKE

SPARKPLUG BOOKS IS NO LONGER OPEN.

Please visit

Alternative Comics

for updates and to purchase our books.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR YEARS OF SUPPORT!

{If you have any questions, please email virginia (at) sparkplugcomicbooks (dot) com.}

June 11th & 12th - Sparkplug will be at CAKE in Chicago, with Suzette Smith.  This is the last show we'll be doing as Sparkplug!

Sparkplug at Linework NW!

Sparkplug will be at Linework NW this weekend!  Linework is free and open to the public.  There is a different group of tablers each day, so be sure you visit both days.  We'll be selling our books with Suzette Smith (Ce/Ze) on Sunday from 1pm-8pm.
Hope to see you there!

One Day Left!

Hey y'all, tomorrow's the last day to place orders!
 

May 17th - This is the last day to place any online orders, including wholesale orders. Marc Arsenault is picking up the books from me the weekend of Linework.  I’ll be taking the shop part of the site down after this.

It would be really wonderful if you wanted to show your support in these last weeks by purchasing some of our books, either online or at one of these conventions.  I still have bills and other expenses to cover for Sparkplug, as well as making sure my artists get paid.   We have a lot of books on sale as well as regular priced titles.  I also appreciate any reblogs of this announcement!
Thank you!
-Virginia

Closing Sale!

Just a reminder:

May 17th - This is the last day to place any online orders, including wholesale orders. Marc Arsenault is picking up the books from me the weekend of Linework.  I’ll be taking the shop part of the site down after this.

It would be really wonderful if you wanted to show your support in these last weeks by purchasing some of our books, either online or at one of these conventions.  I still have bills and other expenses to cover for Sparkplug, as well as making sure my artists get paid.   We have a lot of books on sale as well as regular priced titles.  I also appreciate any reblogs of this announcement!
Thank you!
-Virginia

Reminder - One Week Left to Order

Just a reminder:

May 17th - This is the last day to place any online orders, including wholesale orders.  Marc Arsenault is picking up the books from me the weekend of Linework.  I'll be taking the shop part of the site down after this.

It would be really wonderful if you wanted to show your support in these last weeks by purchasing some of our books, either online or at one of these conventions.  I still have bills and other expenses to cover for Sparkplug, as well as making sure my artists get paid.   We have a lot of books on sale as well as regular priced titles.  I also appreciate any reblogs of this announcement!

Thank you!
-Virginia

Upcoming Events!

Hey friends! Sparkplug is attending a couple of our favorite events in the upcoming months!

Linework is in our hometown of Portland, Oregon, and will take place May 21 and 22 at Norse Hall. AND it's free to attend!

CAKE is in Chicago, and is set for June 11 and 12. It's also free to attend!

We hope to see you at one or both of these!

Upcoming Important Dates

Hello again friends!  I hope you are having a good spring.  I wanted to let you know a couple upcoming dates for Sparkplug.

May 17th - This is the last day to place any online orders, including wholesale orders.  Marc Arsenault is picking up the books from me the weekend of Linework.  I'll be taking the shop part of the site down after this.

May 22nd - Sparkplug will be tabling at Linework NW with the amazing Suzette Smith (artist behind Ce/Ze).

June 11th & 12th - Sparkplug will be tabling at CAKE in Chicago, with Suzette Smith.  This is the last show I'll be doing as Sparkplug!

It would be really wonderful if you wanted to show your support in these last weeks by purchasing some of our books, either online or at one of these conventions.  I still have bills and other expenses to cover for Sparkplug, as well as making sure my artists get paid.   We have a lot of books on sale as well as regular priced titles.  I also appreciate any reblogs of this announcement!

Thank you!
-Virginia

Whit Taylor on Slate's Cartoonist Studio Prize Shortlist!

Whit Taylor, author of Sparkplug Mini The Anthropologists, has been nominated for the Slate Book Review's fourth annual Cartoonist Studio Prize for Best Webcomic of 2015 for The Fabric of Appropriation! See the rest of the list and read more here!

A Wretch Like Me reviewed by Lambda Literary!

Lambda Literary published this great review of Ebin Lee's A Wretch Like Me.

Sparkplug in the news!

Suzette Smith gave us a shout out in her Portland Mercury article about Vision Quest #4, a free paper that features a comic by former Sparkplug publisher Emily Nilsson.

And Comic Book Resources did a spotlight on Whit Taylor, author of The Anthropologists.

Sparkplug at LA Zine Fest!

Hey LA! Sparkplug will have a table at LA Zine Fest this Sunday, March 6! It's at the Majestic Downtown at 650 S. Spring St from 11am-6pm and is free to attend! We'll be at booth 165. We hope to see you there!

Shirts on sale!

Hey friends! Lots of Sparkplug t-shirts just went on sale in the shop. Featuring illustrations by Dylan Williams, Renee French, and more! Check 'em out here!

Sparkplug Highlight: Ce/Ze

Ce/Ze, Suzette Smith’s dreamy take on science fiction/fantasy, follows two 7^th graders who share a psychic link. Amelia Smith and Honey Czarny discover that they share fragmented memories of their past lives in another universe as powerful beings named Ce and Ze. A rival king’s plot to kill Ze nearly succeeded, so Ce and Ze were forced to escape to our world. Honey and Amelia study and emulate human behavior but feel no real connection to our reality reality: Ce contemplates trading the soul of one of her friends for a favor from the forest fairies, saying that she doesn’t think of herself and Ze as people. The girls seem to feel trapped in our world as in a nightmare, gradually learning more about their home universe and the danger therein through dreams and guided trances. Smith’s floaty style and fluid compositions create an evocative, unpredictable dreamscape, further blurring the hazy boundaries between visions, memories, and reality.

Buy Ce/Ze here!

Check out more of Suzette's work on her website!

The Future of Sparkplug

Hello friends,

It is with mixed feelings that I must announce that I will be shutting down Sparkplug this year.  I appreciate the opportunities that running Sparkplug has given me and the wonderful people it has introduced me to.  I know Sparkplug means a lot to many people and I want to assure you this is not a decision I've made lightly.  It's become increasingly difficult for me to balance my day job as assistant manager at an art gallery, my own comics career, and Sparkplug.  I don't have the time to put into nurturing the press and its artists that they deserve.

I would like to express my gratitude to people who have joined and helped me on this journey, and everyone who has supported Sparkplug and me in the years since Dylan's passing.  You will always have a place in my heart.

My plan right now is to spend about five more months as Sparkplug - tabling at LAZF, Linework and CAKE - and then close up shop.  The back catalog will be transferred to Marc Arsenault of Alternative Comics - a person who takes great care in promoting older titles.

Until then, the online shop will remain open, with plenty of Sparkplug's wonderful selection to choose from.  

Again, thank you all.  It's been an honor to publish in this community.

-Virginia

February 18, 2016

Sparkplug Highlight: Bird Girl and Fox Girl

This minicomic follows the threads of Bird Girl and Fox Girl’s lives after the dissolution of their friendship. Bird Girl moves from the desert to the city, where she works as a secretary, eventually saving up enough money for surgery to look like a human girl. Fox Girl becomes a daredevil model, only accepting potentially life-threatening assignments. Her photos inspire of viral trend of teenage girls taking selfies just prior to committing suicide; her popularity plummets and, jobless and homeless, she leaves the city. Years later, both transformed, Bird Girl and Fox Girl meet again in the desert. The comic’s lack of dialogue produces a distance from the reader in which the text echoes. Yumi Sakugawa's art is sparse yet intricate; the rhythmic pacing of image and text create a poetic, haunting story.

Buy the comic here!

See Yumi's other work here!

Reich review!

Daniel Elkin and Jason Sacks wrote an excellent review of Reich for Comics Bulletin. Read it here!

Sparkplug Highlight: The Anthropologists

Wren and Miriam, two anthropology majors studying abroad in Australia, are selected for a trip to the Kimberley Desert to study aboriginal culture. While Miriam is overly enthusiastic and gung ho about the trip and meeting aboriginal people, Wren seems ambivalent about the trip and unsure of what she will learn. Miriam’s fascination with foreign societies reads like cultural tourism, which clearly makes Wren uncomfortable. While Miriam is blonde and white, Wren is of mixed heritage, which leads to a few awkward confrontations, as when one of the aboriginal guides asks Wren offhand, “So what are ya?” In a society in which there doesn’t seem to be much cultural or racial overlap, Wren is somewhat of an oddity. Miriam is clearly an outsider, but Wren is more different to categorize. When a different guide later asks about her racial background, she replies that she’s black, part Native American, and part white. “It can be confusing, you know, defining yourself. Sometimes I don’t feel like I fit in,” she concludes. These conversations act as microcosms of Wren’s ambivalence about her mixed cultural and racial heritage in a society that prefers things to fall into distinct categories.

Read a review of The Anthropologists at Vixen Varsity!

See more of Whit Taylor's work here!

Buy The Anthropologists here!