Olympia Comics Festival

So, Emily and I will be toting our books up to the Olympia Comics Fest this weekend!  This is a free festival, and there are a bunch of fun events scheduled around the con itself, including a reading by Jason Shiga (Fleep, Bookhunter).  Get more info on their webpage or facebook event page!

 Hey Portlanders, here's a fun activity for you to attend tonight!

Vortex #1 in the store!

Have you read William Cardini's Vortex yet?!  You should, and it's in our online store now!  Rob Clough (High-Low, TCJ) says: "I've enjoyed Cardini's development as an artist and the refinement of his heavily Mat Brinkman-influenced style. Cardini works big in this sci-fi/fantasy battle comic, but more interestingly, he uses a deliberately artificial-looking style of line. You can see the dots and pixels on the page, giving the whole thing a cold and digital quality that is trying to separate the reader from Brinkman's warm, organic and oozing imagery. That slight distance and primitiveness of the line quality (as opposed to the drawings themselves) adds a certain extra comical layer to a story that involves a wizard quite graphically and viscerally biting off the arm of a monster. The whole thing has a light-hearted feel, much like the rest of Cardini's work, odd as it may appear on the surface. Working bigger certainly suits him, and I enjoyed looking at the images as images."
 

 

Bitch Magazine reviews Nurse Nurse!

 

Our friends at Bitch Magazine have written a great review of our latest book Nurse Nurse, as well as Julia Gfrörer's latest, Too Dark To See.  Please give it a read!

CAKE needs your help!

Chicago Alternative Comics Expo is running an IndieGoGo campaign to cover some unexpected expenses.  It's the first year of this expo and we at Sparkplug are really looking forward to it.  Please consider donating; they have some pretty sweet prize packs as well!

(Poster by the inimitable Laura Park)

New Books in the Store!

We've got a couple new books in the store for you today: Zebediah Part 1 by IPRC Comics Certificate Program student Asher Craw, Two Eyes of the Beautiful by Ryan Cecil Smith, Nightlife 12:02 by Tom Lechner and a beautiful print of a Stellar Sea Lion by T. Edward Bak.  Please check them out!

New Books in the Shop: Nurse Nurse and Brad Trip

We've got our two latest publishing efforts in the store now!  Nurse Nurse, a sci-fi epic by Katie Skelly and Brad Trip, an anthology of Portland Artists we put together with three other small press publishers for Free Comic Book Day.  Please check them out!

TCAF!

Sparkplug is happy to be tabling at TCAF in Toronto this year!  TCAF is a free show that takes place in the Toronto Reference Library.  Tom and Emily will be there, please visit them and pick up a copy of our new book, Nurse Nurse!  Click here for more info.

Nurse Nurse Release Party at Desert Island!

Hey East Coasters!
Please join Nurse Nurse artist Katie Skelly at Desert Island in Brooklyn for a book release and signing! The event starts at 8 p.m. on May 3rd. Desert Island is located at 540 Metropolitan in Brooklyn.

Happy Birthday to Emily!

Today is Emily's birthday, and the best present we can give her is really sending our IndieGoGo campaign over the top!  Please click here to contribute to our next publishing ventures!  And happy birthday to a truly amazing person.

Nurse Nurse Release Party - West Coast Edition

We're teaming up with the Henry & Glenn Forever and Ever release party to release our latest book! The party will be from 6-8 p.m. on April 27th. Floating World Comics in lovely downtown Portland is hosting.
We'll have copies of Nurse Nurse and a limited number of bookmark printed and signed by artist Katie Skelly! Katie can't make it, but Henry & Glenn artists Tom Neely, Benjamin Marra and Ed Luce will be there. It's going to be a great time and we hope you can make it!

Other news:
Emily and I will be at Stumptown Comics Fest! It's this weekend, April 28th and 29th at the convention center in Portland. Click here for more info!
Katie Skelly will be at MoCCA in New York April 28th and 29th as well, with copies of Nurse Nurse for sale.

We've added a couple new minicomics to the store!


-Crime World #3: Another installment of David King's dark spirited crime comix.


-Dear Dear: More understated storytelling and precise line work from Eroyn Franklin.


-Galactic Breakdown #1 & 2: Keenan M. Keller's wild, weird and colorful scifi series!

Our Campaign's Last Push

Our IndieGoGo campaign is doing great.  We owe many thanks to our friends and supporters everywhere for spreading the word!  Thank you, Jason T. Miles, Rob Clough, Austin English and many others!  Thanks to all our Facebook pals for sharing the link every day!
I also wanted to direct your attention to a beautiful, heartfelt article written by our friend Shannon at The Comics Beat.  I highly recommend reading it.
Thanks everyone (I can't say that enough)!  Let's make these last twelve days AWESOME!

-Virginia

Donate Today to Sparkplug's Fundraiser

Hi friends, don't forget to donate to our fundraiser on Indiegogo.  We're in the last couple weeks and we are getting closer and closer by the hour, but we need to keep up the momentum!!  Be sure to share the site with your friends, family, and small press lovers everywhere. 

 With the donations we accumulate, our goals of publishing three books will become a reality!  We already have the newest title, Nurse Nurse by Katie Skelly, at the printers right now.  We'll have it in our hands in about a week, and out to stores and readers soon afterwards.  Yay!!

Pinay Lives & Voices

The truly amazing Rina Ayuyang will be reading from Whirlwind Wonderland this Sunday at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. Here is a description of the event:

PINAY LIVES & VOICES:

An afternoon of Pinay literature and storytelling, in celebration of Women's History Month!

Oakland Asian Cultural Center
Oakland, CA
Sunday, April 1, 2012 - 3:00pm-5:00pm
Free and open to public

FEATURED PINAY ARTISTS: Vangie Buell, Barbara Jane Reyes, Camille Robles, Rina Ayuyang

View more about the event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/188914204557155/

View more about the Oakland Asian Cultural Center:
http://www.oacc.cc/

New Books and Prints!

Hello there! I've added a couple new books to the shop AND some really beautiful lino-block prints by T. Edward Bak. The books are: The City Troll, a debut graphic novel by Aaron Whitaker; The Sky In Stereo, an excellent new series from Mardou; and Sophia Wiedeman's dark and gorgeous The Deformitory. Please check them out!

Sparkplug's Awesome Online Fundraiser!

Sparkplug is having a fundraising campaign on Indiegogo to publish our next three titles: Nurse Nurse by Katie Skelly, Reich #9 by Elijah Brubaker, and The Golem Of Gabirol by Olga Volozova. Go here to donate, and receive a gift in return!

Thank you to Chicago Zine Fest and Quimby's

Though we couldn't make it this year, Quimby's Bookstore and the Chicago Zine Fest were kind enough to give us the Long Arm Stapler Award. The award is given to recognize dedication to self-publishing and the First Amendment; ours was also given to recognize Dylan's work in this community. Our friend Nicole Georges accepted the award for us.
We'd like to thank Liz and the Quimby's crew and everyone involved with CZF for choosing us and honoring Dylan.

Photo of Zine Olympics prize medals by Oscar Arriola.

Friends, Sparkplug is about to launch a fundraising campaign through Indiegogo to get three books published this year.  

Please come to our reading event this Saturday, 7pm, at the Waypost (3120 N Williams, Portland, OR) to show your support and see some great comics read by local artists!

Chicago Zine Fest

While we aren't tabling at Chicago Zine Fest (this year), lots of our friends will be and we strongly encourage you to go to this free event! There will be lots of fun events around the fest too, including Zine Olympics at Quimby's!

Sparkplug at Staple!

Tom and I will be tabling for Sparkplug (and I Will Destroy You) at Staple! this weekend! Staple! is taking place March 3rd and 4th at Marchesa Hall and Theater in Austin, Texas. See you there!

New in the Store: DITKO!

We've added a bunch of our Steve Ditko books to the store! Please check out ..Wha..!?, Act 5, Act 6, Act 7, Ditko Presents and The Cover Series.

Austin English on Inkstuds!

Robin from Inkstuds has interviewed Austin English, author of the Sparkplug-published titles Christina and Charles, Windy Corner magazine and The Disgusting Room. Please give it a listen!

New Books: Young Lions, Death Trap and Social Discipline #5

A couple new titles in the store for you: Social Discipline #5 by Portland artist Ian Sundahl and Xeric Winners Death Trap by Lane Milburn and Young Lions by Blaise Larmee. Great stuff!

Annie Murphy on Inkstuds!

Something for you to listen to today: Annie Murphy, editor of Gay Genius, was interviewed by Robin over at Inkstuds!

New in the Store: Nate Doyle!

I've added our Nate Doyle minis to the online store; be sure to check out coincidental tragedy of The Archer and Nate's fantasy serial "Bowl of Flies," featured in Crooked Teeth #3, #4 and #5!

Sparkplug at L.A. Zine Fest!

Emily is heading down to the L.A. Zine Fest this weekend with a ton of our books! Please stop by (and say hi to Tom Neely at the I Will Destroy You table, too). We're really excited to be part of this new fest! Admission is free, too!

New comics in the store!

We've been adding more and more stock from our distro books to the store, and here are the latest titles: The Mercy Killing by Justin Giampaoli and Tim Goodyear, and You Don't Get There From Here #21 by Carrie McNinch!

Rob Clough's Top Comics of 2011!

The wonderfully eloquent Rob Clough has posted his Top Fifteen Comics list. Included on the list is Sparkplug's own Passage! Please give it a read!

Birthday Coupon!

Hey all! Today is my 31st birthday and we are having a sale in the store to celebrate! With the coupon code VASBDAY you will receive 31% off all Sparkplug published titles in our online store. This sale is for today only, so get shopping!

-Virginia

New Website

So, our new website is up! We are still working out a few kinks, so please let me know if you have any trouble navigating or purchasing anything. virginia (at) sparkplugcomicbooks (dot) com

Electoral Surge

Friend of Sparkplug Gwenaëlle has been posting a page a day of her new graphic novel, Electoral Surge, over on tumblr. If you've enjoyed her work in the past or if you enjoy quiet, beautiful comics, please check it out!

Rock That Never Sleeps Animation!

Rock That Never Sleeps from Juliacks on Vimeo.

Juliacks was kind enough to send us a link to the animation she and Amy Johnson made, based on Rock That Never Sleeps. The book itself was written by Juliacks and Olga Volozova and is available in our online store.

Julia Gfrörer interview at TCJ

Sean T. Collins has done a wonderful, in-depth interview with Julia Gfrörer over at The Comics Journal. Julia and Sean cover a lot of topics, from the depiction of sexuality in her work to Game of Thrones. Well worth a read!

Windy Corner #2 Reviewed!

For our French-speaking readers: the tumblr blog 1 Fanzine Par Jour has posted a review of Windy Corner #2. Thanks JJM!

Coming Soon: NURSE NURSE by Katie Skelly

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Contact: Virginia Paine

virginia (at) sparkplugcomicbooks (dot) com

Nurse Nurse, a graphic novel by Katie Skelly, is slated to come out April 2012 in time for a debut at Stumptown Comics Fest and MoCCA.

If you are not familiar with Katie Skelly’s Nurse Nurse minicomics series, you are in for a double treat. Not only will this epic space adventure thrill you, Sparkplug is collecting all eight issues into one compact and easy-to-carry graphic novel! (180 pgs, black and white with color cover, paperback, $15 USD,ISBN 978097974654351500)

The story starts out with the main character Gemma traveling to her new assignment on Venus. She soon discovers a mysterious substance that is having an amorous effect on the Venusians, but is it a conspiracy, or just … science? And what’s with the butterflies? Sarah Morean of The Daily Crosshatch says: “The plot is smart and innocent and the panels are well-designed and full of gorgeous detail. Skelly’s a wonderful comic artist.”

Author Katie Skelly has been creating minicomics since 2003 and her work has appeared recently in Thickness#1. She holds a B.A. in Art History from Syracuse University and currently resides in Astoria, New York.

Please stop by our table at Stumptown Comics Fest or MoCCA to pick up your copy or visit our online store at sparkplugcomicbooks.com. Wholesale orders, please contact Tony Shenton: shenton4sales (at) aol (dot) com

J.T. Dockery's Top 5

J.T. Dockery has named Reich and Habitat #2 as two of the top 5 books of the year! Also included on the list are Tom Neely's The Wolf and Julia Gfrorer's Too Dark to See. Read the complete list here.

Best Ofs

Several Sparkplug titles and distro books have made it on Best Of 2011 lists - including one by Rob Kirby and Best American Comics Notable Titles. Congrats to all the authors! We will be posting our own Top 10 lists soon.

Also, Tom, Emily and I were interviewed by Tom Spurgeon at the Comics Reporter about the future of Sparkplug. You can read the interview here.

Our website update has had a few setbacks, but should be up soon!

Happy holidays!

End of Year Lists!

Virginia Paine's Top 10:
(Eleven, actually!)

1. Gay Genius Anthology

2. Passage by Tessa Brunton

3. Amy Kuttab's story in Dan Quayl

4. Papercutter #17 Anthology

5. The Wolf by Tom Neely

6. Mundane Fortunes for the Next Ten Billion Years and Other Stories by Yumi Sakugawa

7. 20 Girls in 20 Days by Greer Lawson

8. Outta This Comes the Crazy by Rina Ayuyang

9. Big Plans #5 by Aron Nels Steinke

10. Ignition Zero (webcomic) by Noel Heimpel

11. I Think You're Sauceome (webcomic) by Sarah Becan

Emily Nilsson's Top 10 (in no particular order):

1. Love and Rockets: New Stories #4 by Jaime Hernandez. I haven't even read this one yet, but I know I'm going to love it, because I've loved Jaime for the last 20 years and more.
2. Play Overlord by Theo Ellsworth, Sean Christensen and Amy Kuttab. Three geniuses, or is it genii?
3. Habitat #2 by Dunja Jankovic.
4. American Gun Culture Report edited and published by Ross Eliot. I'm anti-gun, and yet I find this zine engrossing. It's made by and for liberals, spanning issues such as politics, feminism, and LGBT.
5. Face Man by Clara Bessijelle. I got a preview copy at BCGF!
6. Big Plans #5 by Aron Nels Steinke
7. Shenzhen by Guy DeLisle.  I know this is a couple years old.  But I read it over the holidays and I really enjoyed it and learned a lot!  Travelogue comics are among my favorites.
8. The Holy Ghost Guide to The Stars by ??? - A mystery lady in bird/ghost costume handed this to me at BCGF.  Did you know that the Septagram is the "star of Babalon and the SFPD"?  You will know that and more if you read this.  See her blog here.
9. Have You Seen the DOG Lately? edited by Serena Lafler.  A great comic/zine anthology including the likes of Steve Lafler and Carrie McNinch.
10. Manifesto Items by David Lasky.  A collection of poems, comics, and thoughts.  David's been a great inspiration and support to me in my own work over many years!    



Tom Neely's Top 10 (that isn't a "Top 10" at all)

I can't call mine a "Top 10 of 2011" because I haven't read everything that came out in 2011 (I'm still catching up on the last couple of years of books).  Maybe I'm just excited about comics in general, and lately I'm in a mood to lean more towards entertaining comics than heavy literary tomes, but it seems like I've found a lot of really amazing stuff this Fall. I got some good stuff earlier this year at Stumptown and TCAF, too, but that seems like a lifetime ago. After several years of the comics industry at large proclaiming the end of everything from comic books and comic shops to the end of all print media, finding so many good comics coming out of the small presses and self publishers fills me with inspiration.

So, this is more of a "best of the comics I acquired on my Fall tour." In no particular order:
1) JOSH BAYER! Man, is he some kind of unstoppable force?! His new Raw Power is really amazing. Get it from Retro Fit Comics. While you're at it, subscribe to Retro Fit Comics! Who doesn't like getting comics in the mail?
2) Rub The Blood by Various. This book is a psychotic art attack on all things Rob Liefield and awful '90s comics that all nerds my age have a special soft-spot for. "Only available in person"
3) Gagged by Dan Wiekin. This is a ridiculous book of really dirty, somewhat evil, and really offensive "gags."  Uncivilized Books.
4) I'm really excited by everything I've read from Domino Books.
5) Sammy the Mouse Vol 1 by Zak Sally. This collects the first three issues of the series in one book. All hand printed by the artist on his own printing press. Amazing. Even if you have the 3 individual issues, I think the story reads even better in this format. Get it from Zak Sally's La Mano 21.
6) Things You Carry by Vincent Stall. A beautiful, wordless, dreamlike book that seems to be about loss. Get it from 2D Cloud
7) Mother Lover Anthology from 2D Cloud. A couple of really good short stories by a few good Minnesotans.
8) BENJAMIN MARRA! Getting a new Marra comic makes me as giddy as when I went to the comic shop on new comic book day when i was 12 years old and still liked superhero comics. Get Night Business and Gangsta Rap Posse from his own Traditional Comics.
9) King Cat # 72 by John Porcellino. What can I say? John P. is a national treasure. Everyone should be reading this series.
10) Andros by Max Clottfelter. This guys a genius! So funny. So surreal. I wish I could draw like this guy.
11) 3 Short Stories by Clara Bessijelle - Clara's drawings are mesmerizing. Domino Books
12) The Greatest by Kelly Froh. This simple little book makes me really happy.
13) Sad Sex minis by Heather Benjamin. The drawings in these things scare me. This girl is sick. I like it.
14) WEIRD Magazine #1 by various artists - Imagine if all the weirdest art comix stars were running things at the old Warren Publishing house in the '60s and '70s. Yeah... that woulda been awesome. And it is. From E. T. Press
15) Keenan Marshall Keller! I love his super-stoopid-sci-fi-drugged-out-EPIC Galatctic Breakdown series (not pictured above)
16) The Disgusting Room by Austin English (not pictured above) - I wasn't sure if I should promote a Sparkplug book on this list since I'm now a partner, but it came out before I was officially part of Sparkplug Books, so... This is probably my favorite book of the year. Austin English continues to blow my mind with his merging of art into the narrative comics form. This work deserves to be hanging in museums. I can't wait to see what he does next. I told Austin it was like if "DeKooning had made comics" and he frowned and said "I've never really been a fan of his work..." Which makes me like Austin's work even more.

I would also like to mention that I really enjoyed new minis from my partners Emily and Virginia.

Sparkplug's Website is Updating!

Big news! We are changing the Sparkplug website - making it a little more streamlined and easier to use. The address will remain the same, but expect a slightly different look and ordering system. The redesign is being done by Aaron Amstutz. The change should take place sometime within the next week; I'll post again when everything is finalized and the new site is up.

Thanks for supporting Sparkplug and happy holidays!

-Virginia

Gay Genius on Autostraddle!

Our fantastic anthology of queer artists and comic folks, Gay Genius, made it onto a gift guide on Autostraddle! Check out the full list here!

Poopsheet's Best of 2011

Austin English's The Disgusting Room has made it on Poopsheet Foundations' Best Mini-Comics and Small Press Titles of 2011 list! Also on the list: Sparkplug artist Julia Gfrorer's Too Dark to See and Sparkplug co-owner Tom Neely's The Wolf. A bunch of the honorable mentions are Sparkplug titles as well! You can read the full list here.

If you are planning on doing any of your holiday shopping at Sparkplug, now would be a great time to order! Please check out our store; a lot of our books would make great gifts. If you need some suggestions, please feel free to contact me - virginia (at) sparkplugcomicbooks (dot) com.

Have a great week!

Passage, Reviewed!

Justin Giampaoli has written a wonderful review of Tessa Brunton's Passage on his blog Thirteen Minutes:

... Her note perfect details in the pencils lend a sense of authenticity to her quirky upbringing. When you start cataloguing the shading technique, the rampant crosshatching, and the variable line weights, you realize her self-taught style is highly accomplished, culminating with a glorious two page spread that’s a cutaway diagram of her parents’ house. It comes with a penchant for creating rich panels that hum with a lived-in feeling evident in the clothing, the hair, the backgrounds, and the general sense of diversity in all of the figure work. ...

Good stuff!

Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Fest

Emily and Tom will be in charge of the Sparkplug table this weekend at Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Fest. Our special guest star will be Katie Skelly, author of the Nurse Nurse series! Please join us for this super awesome fest!

Here's the scoop, from the BCGF website:

BROOKLYN COMICS AND GRAPHICS FESTIVAL 2011

WHAT: Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival
WHEN: December 3, 2011 12- 9 pm
Free and open to the public

WHERE: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church
275 North 8th Street
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
and
Union Pool
484 Union Avenue # A
New York, NY 11211-3440

We are pleased to announce the third Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival, a festival of comics and graphic art featuring artists and publishers displaying and selling publications; lectures and conversations on comics; and associated exhibits and satellite events. Over 75 of the very best artists and publishers will gather on December 3rd to display and sell their work and engage in discussions and exhibitions.

In order to accommodate overwhelming demand, this year’s Festival expands its exhibition space to both floors of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church’s facilities, with a full weekend of programs and events taking place at an array of independent Brooklyn-area arts and culture institutions.

Our 2011 featured guests are: Jack Davis, Phoebe Gloeckner, CF, Lisa Hanawalt, David Mazzucchelli, Chip Kidd, John Porcellino and Brian Ralph. These guests are joined by an international array of publishers including Drawn & Quarterly, Fantagraphics, Adhouse, Nobrow, Pantheon Books, Last Gasp, Akashic, Top Shelf, PictureBox, and Koyama Press, who in turn will host artists including Adrian Tomine, Jordan Crane, Michael Deforge, Gabrielle Bell, Dash Shaw, Gary Panter, Frank Santoro, and Leslie Stein.

For our third edition we have partnered with like-minded organizations in the borough. Union Pool will host a cartoonist-studded rock show on Friday night, as well as our full slate of Festival panels all day Saturday. Scott Eder Gallery is the site of the exhibition Drawing Pop Culture: The Art of Jack Davis, while four days of comics-related films will screen at The Spectacle Theater, and a graphics and theater performance event will be presented on Sunday at the Brick Theater.

Full programming and Festival information will continue to be posted to our website: comicsandgraphicsfest.com

The Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival is an ongoing project by Desert Island, PictureBox and Bill Kartalopoulos.

Thanks to Some Extra-Special People

We here at Sparkplug have so many people to thank for their kindness and generosity to us in this transitional period.  At this time, we want especially to thank Jason Leivian of Floating World Comics, Jason T. Miles of Profanity Hill, comic artist Jim Rugg.  These awesome guys organized and promoted a series of eBay auctions of original art and collectible books to help support Sparkplug as we realize our goals. 

We also owe a debt of gratitude to the dozens of artists who gave their creations and books to be sold in the auctions, as well as friends and colleagues who made other generous donations.  Here are the names of those who contributed:

Adam Hines

Adrian Tomine

Aleks Sennwald

Allie & Jeremy Tiedeman

Annie Koyama

Art Spiegelman

Ben Dewey

Bill Boichel

Bill Kartolopuolos

Charles Brownstein

Chris Pitzer

Dan Clowes

Dan Nadel

David Lasky

Dunja Jankovic

Eric Reynolds

Eroyn Franklin

Ethan Rilly

Gabe Fowler

Greg Stump

Ian MacEwan

James Romberger

Jason T. Miles

Jeff Lemire

Jenny Gialenes

Jeremy Eaton

Jim Rugg

John Porcellino

Jonathan Case

Jordan Crane

Jordan Shively

Julia Wertz

Karn Piana

Katy Ellis O’Brien

Kelly Froh

Ken Dahl (Gabby Schulz)

Kevin Huizenga

Levon Jihanian

Luke Ramsey

Malachi Ward

Marc Palm

Martine Workman

Matt Fraction

Matthew Sheean

Max Clotfelter

Megan Kelso

Micheal Deforge

Michel Fiffe

Natalie Nourigat

Nate Powell

Nick Abadzis

Paul Hornschemeier

Pete Toms

Peter Bagge

Peter @ The Beguiling Books

Rebecca Artemisia

Renee French

Rich Tommaso

Ryan Standfest

Sarah Morean

Sean Ford

Skinner

Stephen DeStefano

Steve Lieber

Tom Scioli

Victor Kerlow

Warren Bernard

Review of Flesh and Bone

Attention Deficit Disorderly has done a great review of Flesh and Bone by Julia Gfrorer:

"Gfrörer’s intelligence shines through in virtually every particular, from pacing (the excruciatingly interminable sequence in which the bereaved man writhes first in agony then in resigned masturbatory ecstasy on his beloved’s grave) to dialogue (a devastating exchange between witch and demon in which love is dismissed as “mutual masturbation,” a form of slavery that prevents humankind from pulling itself out of the muck) to strategic absences of dialogue (a harrowing silent sequence in which an owl is sent to blind a young witness to a horrible crime) to character design (the man’s Byronic good looks, the demon’s disembodied lion head) to facial expression and body language (the witch’s arched back and closed lids as she copulates with a screeching mandrake creature) to a cover that nails the appeal of her wiry, frail characters and line."

You can read the review in its entirety here.

Rina Ayuyang and Lark Pien at Komiks Expo 2011

Rina Ayuyang and Lark Pien, both good friends of Sparkplug, will be tabling at the Komiks Expo in San Francisco this Saturday! Details below:

Komiks Expo 2011

Saturday, November 19, 1pm-5pm

It's going to be our own local version of Comic Con! Komiks Expo 2011 is a comic book convention to showcase Filipino and API artists in cartoon, comic book, and graphic novel media. Come out to see artwork from aspiring local artists/groups in the SF Bay Area and beyond!

Special Guest: Whilce Portacio!

About Whilce Portacio:
Whilce Portacio started as an inker before launching his career as a penciller over two decades ago. He has been a leading comic book talent ever since his big break through on Marvel titles X-Factor and Uncanny X Men in the early '90s. Whilce has worked on titles Iron Man: Heroes Reborn, Punisher, Wetworks, Stormwatch, Batman Confidential, and Superman/Batman.

Admission: FREE!

Come in a comic book character costume for a chance to win a prize pack worth $100!

ALSO:
Curating Komiks exhibit for I-Hotel Manilatown Center. Opening September 17, 4-6 PM at 868 Kearny Street, SF. A tribute to Filipino & Filipino American Comic Book Artists, featuring the work of Alfredo Alcala, Alex Niño, Ed Badajos, Vidda Chan, Dino Ignacio, Whilce Portacio, and Nestor Redondo..

Location:
I-Hotel Manilatown Center
868 Kearny St.
San Francisco, CA 94108

Manilatown Homepage

www.manilatown.org
Non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and fostering the rich cultural and artistic traditions of San Francisco's Filipino American community.

Back in Stock: Play Overlord, Death Deals & Ishi's Brain

We got a couple excellent books back in stock: Death Deals and Ishi's Brain by Eamon Espey and Play Overlord by Theo Ellsworth, Sean Christensen and Amy Kuttab! Take a look at them in our shop if you like!

Short Run Small Press Fest!

Join us this weekend in Seattle! I can already tell that Short Run is going to be a super fun fest, with lots of other great presses and artists involved. Emily and I look forward to seeing you there!

Short Run Small Press Fest
@ the Seattle Center
Saturday, Nov. 12th from 10:30 t0 4:30
Free Admission

Elijah Brubaker interview at Exquisite Things

Kevin from Exquisite Things has done a wonderful, in-depth interview with Elijah Brubaker, creator of the Reich series for Sparkplug. Please give it a read!

Small Press Love Fest!

Emily and I will be tabling for Sparkplug this Tuesday at Multnomah County Library's Small Press Love Fest! This will be a really fun event, with food, raffles and a chance to get a jump on your holiday shopping. It's free too!
The fest is on Tuesday, November 8th, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the beautiful Central Library in downtown Portland. Hope to see you there!

MIX reminder!

Just a reminder to come visit Sparkplug at the Minneapolis Indie Expo this weekend! It's from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday at The Soap Factory. Free admission, hope to see you there!

New Books in the Store: Ditko and YDGTFH #20!

Today we've brought you the newest Steve Ditko books, A Ditko #14. It's a whirlwind story from this venerated artist, including a new character, The Distorter!



And Carrie McNinch has sent us another issue of her endlessly entertaining meditation on her life, You Don't Get There From Here #20. Carrie gets a new kitten (really, the highlight of the issue!), goes for runs in the summer weather and enjoys 'carmageddon'.

Sparkplug at MIX!

I'm posting this now because I will be in rural Wisconsin for most of next week, haha. Julia Wertz and I will be behind the Sparkplug table at the Minneapolis Indie Expo next weekend. It's November 5th and 6th, 10am to 5pm both days, at the Soap Factory. Come out to say hi, chat and support indie publishing!

Restock: Blammo 7

We once again have Noah Van Sciver's amazing and surprisingly dark Blammo 7 in stock! Please check it out; you can click through several interior pages for every book in our online store!

New Papercutter, Jason Overby Restock!

We've just added Papercutter #17 to the store; it is awesome and you should definitely check it out!

Also, we've got Jason Overby's strange and complex minis back in stock: Exploding Head Man, Obligatory Artifact and Solipsist's Doodles.

The Future of Sparkplug

Dear Friends:

Some of you have been asking what will happen to Sparkplug now that my husband, Dylan Williams, is no longer with us.  This is to let you know that Virginia Paine, Tom Neely and I will be continuing to run things as best we can.  Our immediate plans are to continue online sales, and to get through the conventions for this Fall and Winter.  We've just been to A.P.E. in San Francisco, and we'll be present at MIX in Minneapolis next month, as well as the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival in December. 

We need your support now as much as ever.  We are grieving at the same time as we are trying to keep business afloat, and trying not to overstrain ourselves.  We want to publish again soon but that is a step we will consider more once we get through the next few months.

Thank you for all of the kindness you have given us in these recent weeks.

Emily Nilsson

Shipping and Orders Update

I've been emailing people today whose orders are still waiting to be filled. If you haven't heard from me, it's because I'm expecting your books within the next week! Please feel free to contact me with any questions - virginia (at) sparkplugcomicbooks (dot) com. Thanks for your continued patience and support!