Sparkplug Highlights: The Golem of Gabirol, by Olga Volozova

Olga Volozova's portrait of the life of the late Solomon Ibn Gabirol mixes ancient Jewish lore with her unique, fluid style of storytelling in The Golem of Gabirol. Originally told by Ibn Yahya in "Shalshelet ha-Kabbalah," legend has it that a rival of Gabirol's, a jealous Muslim poet, murdered him and buried his body beneath a fig tree. When the tree bore an abundance of extraordinarily sweet figs, a search for the missing Gabirol was instigated, and his remains were found in the roots of the tree. The murder paid for his crime with his life.

It is also said that Gabirol created a rare female golem, a creature made of inanimate matter and brought to life by magic, to serve as his companion; when the authorities found out, they were outraged (some say because of the potentially romantic relationship between Gabirol and his golem), and so to save himself from brutal punishment, Gabirol withdrew his magic and turned his golem back into a pile of wood.

Volozova has woven these two fascinating, poignant stories together into an achingly beautiful story of unrequited love, jealousy, magic, and justice. Her watercolors, complex detail work, and her fairy tale-style pacing all work to create a thoughtful and vivid retelling of an incredible fable that remains powerful to this day.

 

 

 

 

 



New in the Store: Vortex #4!

Welcome to the psychedelic space fantasy cosmos of the Hyperverse, a realm filled with immensely powerful beings who battle over worlds with strange geologies and hoard advanced technologies left by ancient starfarers. The Vortex are shape-shifting berserkers created and enslaved by the Empire of Tolx. In Vortex #2, the Miizzzard entered the shred Vortex dreamworld to destroy the device by which the Empire controls the Vortex. In Vortex #3, the Miizzzard battled his way to the control device and stepped inside...

In this amazing conclusion to the Vortex series, the Miizzzard enters into a deadly battle in order to destroy the Empire's Vortex-controlling device...but does he succeed? Get this visually stunning final issue to finish Cardini's incredible series and find out!

Sparkplug Highlights: Watching Days Become Years #1, by Jeff LeVine

Be warned: the first issue of Watching Days Become Years will sneak up on you, make you feel like you're understood and in good company, and then, at the last possible minute, punch you right in the gut.

Knowing that, do you still want to read it? You should.

Jeff LeVine writes about his life (or a life, in any case), which in itself isn't anything groundbreaking. What makes him stand out in a sea of autobio comics is the way his vignettes -- most often depicting quiet, single moments -- speak to the broad human experience. The feelings he expresses, the small joys and dull pains of everyday life, are nothing I haven't felt a hundred times before, which makes them resonate that much more strongly. His slow spiral into depression and substance abuse hits harder because we understand exactly how he got there -- and maybe we've even been there ourselves. Watching Days Become Years is Jeff's story, but it's a story that belongs to a lot of other people, too. When do we realize that the minutes and hours gradually slipping by are our lives? How do we reconcile the way we spend our time with the people we want to be?

Honestly, though, Jeff's art is reason enough to read this comic. A skillful blend of chunky lines and precise crosshatching create beautifully textured scenes that convey the emotional weight contained in the mundane. His settings and cityscapes are incredibly realistic but never distracting or overly busy, as if he has distilled the most essential elements from a photograph. Occasionally, there will be looser panels or whole pages done in grayscale washes, and these serve to show the audiences flashes of the dark, uncomfortable emotions that have been roiling just beneath the surface the entire time.

Watching Days Become Years is an incredible addition to anyone's comic collection. And, when you're left at the end of issue one with your mouth agape and your brow furrowed, take solace in the fact that there's another issue right behind it.

 

 

 

Sparkplug Highlights: Neptune, by Aron Nels Steinke

Aron Nels Steinke possesses a rare talent: he has the ability to create stories that will appeal to children and adults in equal measure. This talent is exercised magnificently in his first graphic novel, Neptune. Co-published by Sparkplug Books and Tugboat Press, Neptune is a quirky, adorable tale about a precocious young girl named Erika, her brother, Patrick, and their dog, Neptune. The story begins with Erika starting at a new school and having to tell her classmates who she is and where she comes from. She decides to tell the story of how she was expelled from her last school, and the reader is instantly swept up in her strange and compelling yarn. Everything revolves around the mysterious Neptune, who appears in the kids' home one morning and quickly proves himself to be a loyal and faithful friend. After following the siblings to school, though, an incident occurs with the strict administration and a terrible storm floods the town, forcing the trio to find their way home alone. The bizarre series of events leads to their expulsion and subsequent move to Oregon, and everything seems like it will be alright...but what happens when Erika brings Neptune in to meet her new class? Stienke, surely drawing on his own experience teaching young children, perfectly imitates the way children tell stories: with the utmost conviction and belief in what they are saying, even if their version of the events seems fantastical or impossible.

Steinke's art also successfully straddles the line between children's and adult comics. His rounded shapes and simple characters ensure an easily understandable visual story, but his intricate textures, repeated patterns, and inventive panel layouts and splash pages will appeal to more sophisticated artistic eyes. Neptune is a delightful little book that will make you fondly remember the stories you told as a child; it will also make you want to go hug a big, friendly dog.

Sparkplug Highlights: I'm Not Afraid to Love (Gridlords Anthology)

Did you know that Gridlords is happening this Saturday, the 28th, at The Waypost? And did you know that several talented comics folks in attendance will be debuting work from the new Gridlords anthology, Other Worlds?! We're super excited about it! Other Worlds, edited and designed by Sean Christensen ABT and Graham Kahler, contains "an outrageously delicious collection of worlds out there in the outer zones" and features 132 pages of greatness from these amazing creators: Kevin Hooyman, Max Clotfelter, Dunja Jankovic, Rebecca Artemisa, Daria Tessler, Darin Shuler, Theo Ellsworth, Sophie Franz, Anna Ehlemark, Nusha Ashjaee, Elizabeth Pusack, Fiona Avocado, Graham Kahler, Ryan Iverson, Kelly Froh, Joel Statz, Matt Lock, Marsuplala, Luke Forsyth, Sean Christensen, Jesse McManus, and Lillie & Asher Craw.

 

 

 

In honor of this news, we wanted to showcase their first anthology, I'm Not Afraid to Love. This minibook is made up of 44 pages of black-and-white comics dealing with love; it features works from Rebecca Artemisa Urias, Elizabeth Pusack, Julia Gfrörer, Cameron Hawkeye, Eroyn Franklin, Tim Goodyear, Suzette Smith, Jesse McManus, Maryanna Hoggatt, Cari Vander Yacht, Graham Kahler, Kinoko, Nusha Ashjaee, Kevin Hooyman, Theo Ellsworth, Sean Christensen ABT, Daria Tessler, and Patrick & Vanessa Keck. The stories, short as they are, each portray some facet or viewpoint of love; whether you like your comics ultra-realistic, historical, comical, surreal, futuristic, or poetic, there's something in here for you. This is an awesome introduction to a wide array of talented creators and shouldn't be missed. Grab a copy and gear up for the Other Worlds!

 

 

Sparkplug Highlights: Reich #10, by Elijah Brubaker

I don't know about you, but I love graphic biographies, illustrated journalism, and historical comics. From the highly detailed, moving work of Joe Sacco to Kate Beaton's hilarious history gags to the recent and highly acclaimed March, learning about the past, the present, and people's lives seems so much more accessible and vibrant when there is a visual component involved. Emotions are right there on the page for you to see and empathize with; horrors are laid out and impossible to ignore; the abstract is made real and immediate. Since Art Spiegelman set the bar with his Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus, the graphic nonfiction canon has been one of the most consistently high-quality and exciting arenas of comics, and Elijah Brubaker is adding his own outstanding work to it right now.

Reich, the biography of the strange and fascinating Wilhelm Reich, is a thrilling, suspenseful ride -- quite the feat for a story that's over fifty years old. Issue ten, just released this summer, continues the gripping tale. From the intro:

"It has been a long, harrowing journey for Wilhelm Reich, from the excitement and progress of Vienna in the '20s studying under Sigmund Freud, through the conflagration of Hitler's Europe and into McCarthy era America. Reich, the ever intrepid scientist, delves deeper into the study of humn sexuality and into the very underpinnings of the cosmos. Reich discovers an energy, and élan vital, which he dubs "Orgone" energy and builds several devices capable of harnessing that energy. Several agencies of the US government suspect Reich of being a dangerous subversive and Reich's FBI file begins to grow. Later, Reich is approached a his home, Orgonon, by agents from the FDA. The agents question Reich about his devise and begin investigating his 'patients.' Around this time Reich begins to document his sighting of lights in the sky and several observations about his potent an seemingly universal Orgone energy..."

This issue is an ominous one, with the authorities closing in on Reich, his family life falling apart, and his associates losing faith in him. Brubaker's art, which is as textured and stylistically interesting as ever, illustrates this dark spiral well -- among his rounded characters and landscapes (that, honestly, are almost cute) are terrifying flashes of Reich's face in a rage, characters cloaked in darkness, and horribly vast expanses of sky and space. Even if you know what happens in the end, you can't help but feel a coldness in your gut and an intense desire to read on.

The Golem of Gabirol in Maximum Rocknroll!

Olga Volozova's The Golem of Gabirol got a great review in the September issue of Maximum Rocknroll (#364) from Mariam Bastani! Check it out:

"This is a comic rendition of 11th century Moorish Spain-based poet, scholar, kabbalist Ibn Gabriol's Legends Around the Name. The comic is grayscale illustrated with pen and ink, with washes creating watercolor gradients over busy, detailed, scribbly drawings with bold and slight lines. The story is a weird one, but has that heaviness of meaning that old texts like this usually have. The story is about a poet and scholar who creates people from puppets and magic. There is a love story intertwined, a tragic ending and mysterious behavior all told through the main female character trapped in a marriage. I loved this, mostly because it reminds me of old Persian stories (no surprise) and some of the strange and alluring fairytales that we all grew up with as kids, those that could be told to children, but have meanings that only adults can understand. Scary, but cool. Great artistic rendition of a cool story." - See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/comic-books/the-golem-of-gabirol/#sthash.WJRAy7RZ.dpuf

 "This is a comic rendition of 11th century Moorish Spain-based poet, scholar, kabbalist Ibn Gabirol's Legends Around the Name. The comic is grayscale illustrated with pen and ink, with washes creating watercolor gradients over busy, detailed, scribbly drawings with bold and slight lines. The story is a weird one, but has that heaviness of meaning that old texts like this usually have. The story is about a poet and scholar who creates people from puppets and magic. There is a love story intertwined, a tragic ending and mysterious behavior all told through the main female character trapped in a marriage. I loved this, mostly because it reminds me of old Persian stories (no surprise) and some of the strange and alluring fairytales that we all grew up with as kids, those that could be told to children, but have meanings that only adults can understand. Scary, but cool. Great artistic rendition of a cool story."

"This is a comic rendition of 11th century Moorish Spain-based poet, scholar, kabbalist Ibn Gabriol's Legends Around the Name. The comic is grayscale illustrated with pen and ink, with washes creating watercolor gradients over busy, detailed, scribbly drawings with bold and slight lines. The story is a weird one, but has that heaviness of meaning that old texts like this usually have. The story is about a poet and scholar who creates people from puppets and magic. There is a love story intertwined, a tragic ending and mysterious behavior all told through the main female character trapped in a marriage. I loved this, mostly because it reminds me of old Persian stories (no surprise) and some of the strange and alluring fairytales that we all grew up with as kids, those that could be told to children, but have meanings that only adults can understand. Scary, but cool. Great artistic rendition of a cool story." - See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/comic-books/the-golem-of-gabirol/#sthash.WJRAy7RZ.dpuf

"This is a comic rendition of 11th century Moorish Spain-based poet, scholar, kabbalist Ibn Gabriol's Legends Around the Name. The comic is grayscale illustrated with pen and ink, with washes creating watercolor gradients over busy, detailed, scribbly drawings with bold and slight lines. The story is a weird one, but has that heaviness of meaning that old texts like this usually have. The story is about a poet and scholar who creates people from puppets and magic. There is a love story intertwined, a tragic ending and mysterious behavior all told through the main female character trapped in a marriage. I loved this, mostly because it reminds me of old Persian stories (no surprise) and some of the strange and alluring fairytales that we all grew up with as kids, those that could be told to children, but have meanings that only adults can understand. Scary, but cool. Great artistic rendition of a cool story." - See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/comic-books/the-golem-of-gabirol/#sthash.WJRAy7RZ.dpuf

"This is a comic rendition of 11th century Moorish Spain-based poet, scholar, kabbalist Ibn Gabriol's Legends Around the Name. The comic is grayscale illustrated with pen and ink, with washes creating watercolor gradients over busy, detailed, scribbly drawings with bold and slight lines. The story is a weird one, but has that heaviness of meaning that old texts like this usually have. The story is about a poet and scholar who creates people from puppets and magic. There is a love story intertwined, a tragic ending and mysterious behavior all told through the main female character trapped in a marriage. I loved this, mostly because it reminds me of old Persian stories (no surprise) and some of the strange and alluring fairytales that we all grew up with as kids, those that could be told to children, but have meanings that only adults can understand. Scary, but cool. Great artistic rendition of a cool story." - See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/comic-books/the-golem-of-gabirol/#sthash.WJRAy7RZ.dpuf

"This is a comic rendition of 11th century Moorish Spain-based poet, scholar, kabbalist Ibn Gabriol's Legends Around the Name. The comic is grayscale illustrated with pen and ink, with washes creating watercolor gradients over busy, detailed, scribbly drawings with bold and slight lines. The story is a weird one, but has that heaviness of meaning that old texts like this usually have. The story is about a poet and scholar who creates people from puppets and magic. There is a love story intertwined, a tragic ending and mysterious behavior all told through the main female character trapped in a marriage. I loved this, mostly because it reminds me of old Persian stories (no surprise) and some of the strange and alluring fairytales that we all grew up with as kids, those that could be told to children, but have meanings that only adults can understand. Scary, but cool. Great artistic rendition of a cool story." - See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/comic-books/the-golem-of-gabirol/#sthash.WJRAy7RZ.dpuf

Sparkplug Highlights: Goodbye Turtle and An Unfilled Circle, by Yumi Sakugawa

I don't think there's a word in the English language for the feeling of simultaneously being sad and being happy that you're sad, because your sadness means that there is beauty in the world, even in small tragedies, and you are capable of being moved by such beauty. There should be a word for this, if only to make it easier to describe the effect Yumi Sakugawa's work has on me. Yumi's art is fascinating in that it tricks you into thinking it's simple, and therefore must only serve to illustrate the narrative in an economic, practical way. Suddenly, though, you realize that there is a startling depth and intricate texture in the dark river running across a blank page, or you nearly gasp at the claustrophobia and loneliness expressed in the hundreds of tiny windows in a cityscape. With her black pens and brushes and gray washes, she captures fleeting moments and distills huge emotions into quiet, contemplative scenes. Her stories, too, are captivating. Goodbye Turtle and An Unfilled Circle both deal, broadly, with relationships, how we respond to loss, and the things we gain from not having what we want. To describe more than that is to cheapen your own experience with the stories. Like kōans you are told in a dream, only to half-remember upon waking, they each provide a glimpse into the unknown and the unattainable. You will be compelled to read them over again, and then again, knowing that if you could just reach the light at their cores that you sense peeking out between the lines, you will be treated to a wondrous revelation.

SF Zine Fest pics on Facebook now!

We had a great time tabling at San Francisco Zine Fest over the weekend of Aug 31 to Sept 1.  Thanks everyone who stopped to say hi, buy stuff, or just to take a look.  Go to our Facebook page to see more fun photos of the event.

Sparkplug at SPX 2013 This Weekend!

Come see us at one of the country's largest and most celebrated independent comics and arts festivals: the 2013 Small Press Expo! We are so excited to be a part of this event; come visit Tom Neely at table J1 and check out our great new books!

The Expo will be held this weekend, September 14th and 15th, at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center on 5701 Marinelli Rd., North Bethesda, Maryland. It is open to the public from 11:00am to 7:00pm on Saturday and 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Sunday. Admission price is $10 for one day or $15 for the entire weekend.

The annual SPX comics and graphic arts festival presents the best and brightest established creators in independent comics. In addition to the opportunity for public exposure and potential revenue the festival provides to attending artists, the event also allows less established to network with publishers and prominent creators, providing unique opportunities for the comic creator that is just starting out. The festival includes a public exhibition where artists, creators and publishers and the public interact in an informal setting; a series of symposium held during the festival, where creators of comics engage in formal panel discussions and/or interviews open to SPX attendees; and off-site events the week of the convention, including academic seminars, book signings and school outreach programs.

SPX is also the home of the Ignatz Awards, the festival prizes of the Small Press Expo. Since 1997, they have recognized outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning by small press creators or creator-owned projects. The ballot is created by a panel of five cartoonists and is voted on by the attendees of the SPX festival. Come cast your vote for your favorite comic of the year!

Sparkplug Highlights: Rock That Never Sleeps, by Olga Volozova and Juliacks

What do we forget? How do we remember? At the heart of this arresting story by Olga Volozova and Juliacks is Rock That Never Sleeps, a mystical junkyard lost in time, filled with memories and kept by mysterious sages. If you take something from this place, though, you must leave something behind. This comic contains two connected stories about this mythical place.

The first, by Volozova, is done in a wispy sepia that recalls the fairy tales of old; it tells the tale of the beautiful, powerful, and female-dominated Katchia family. Puppetmakers who have skills and magic from the Old World, tragedy strikes when two members of the family lose their memories and are unable to continue their craft or carry on their heritage. They must risk everything to travel to Rock That Never Sleeps and reclaim their birthright.

Juliacks's stark and dreamlike black-and-white story takes place over one hundred years in the future; the majority of the Earth's population has lost their memories to technology, and only those with strange birthmarks can remember their own lives. Two of these seers take Redo, a young woman who has lost her past, to The Rock That Never Sleeps in order to play among their recollections and experiences. But what will Redo be forced to give up in return?

Like a surrealist folktale, Rock That Never Sleeps casually uses magical settings and scenarios to explore themes of family, the passing of time, the adherence to or loss of cultural traditions, the dangers of technology, and the importance of memory and storytelling itself. You will become ensnared in the characters' relationships and quests before you realize that you are thinking about how little you remember from your childhood, how you can't recall the song your grandmother used to sing, or how events you don't document online seem less real, or at least less memorable. Where would you go to get those memories back? What would you give to know what you used to know?

Sparkplug Highlights: Sorry Sheets, by Eroyn Franklin

The smallest things become imbued with meaning when we are living in a state of emotional distress: when we are leaving our home for good, or dealing with death, or living as one half of a failing relationship. Everything seems portentous, pregnant with omens. Erin Franklin illustrates this feeling of weary divination with skill and grace in her 2011 comic Sorry Sheets.

Done in her trademark black-and-white linework, Sorry Sheets quietly directs the reader's gaze to a modern woman lacking in love from -- and maybe for -- her partner. The action is simple enough. She attempts to take a relaxing bath, but slips and falls, breaking her glass and cutting her finger. Her partner comes in to perform his morning routine. He doesn't notice her, sitting on the floor, bleeding; or worse, if he does, he doesn't say anything. He takes her towel and walks out. She goes to follow him, but can't find him in their room. She takes his pillow from their bed, smells it, and then -- in an act of defiance, or revenge, or catharsis -- throws it out the window.

What makes this story aesthetically exquisite is Franklin's masterful grasp of pattern and motion. The sweep of her hand in the bathtub, the flow of water from the faucet, the etching of his beard, the padding of her feet down the hallway, the darkened hatching of dampened sheets all are woven together to create an intricate tapestry of sadness.

Sorry Sheets shines as an impressionistic collection of symbols that, together, feel like a cold hand slowly creeping around your heart. A torn book, a broken glass; a drop of blood in water. Hair, teeth, naked bodies with no hint of sexuality, confidence, or affection. Empty rooms and a sheet stained with the wet impression of a woman's body. A pillow. A bandage. The heart breaks.

Sparkplug Highlights: Mine Tonight and The Hot Breath of War, by Trevor Alixopulos

Stylish, violent, and sordid -- but also thoughtful and, occasionally, hopeful -- Trevor Alixopulos has crafted two powerful books about war, politics, and relationships that will draw you in and force you to take a hard, long look at the realities of our modern world. 

In Mine Tonight, individuals with high ideals and few scruples struggle and scheme among the backdrop of the second Bush administration, the giddy chaos of WTO protest-era Seattle, and the moral fog of post-9/11 New York. The tricks of memory and the ambiguity of politics add the the intrigue of a tale that is both intensely personal and widely relevant. Lukas, an amoral gun for hire, finds himself embroiled in the corruptions of the 2004 presidential election; his journey and demons are aggressively rendered in black and white drawings, which fluidly convey anger, fear, and motion.

The Hot Breath of War is a looser book, conceptually, but no less powerful. Entwining several seemingly unrelated episodes featuring vastly different characters and experiences, this book ultimately creates a vivid picture of life during wartime. Alixopulos uses subtle storytelling and skillful artistry to explore love amid conflict and the seduction and love of violence itself. While the art in The Hot Breath of War is more cartoonish than the art in Mine Tonight, it still remains graphically sophisticated and urgently shows movement and emotion.

The Hot Breath of War and Mine Tonight are perfect for fans of Joe Sacco or Jules Feiffer, but they stand on their own merits as unique graphic novels that speak to our current political and personal affairs.

"If you're anything like me, tales of the 2004 presidential election can still be a little traumatic. Luckily Mine Tonight deals only peripherally with that event, instead focusing on the maturation of a young man named Lukas, from his certainty that the world was going to end any minute to deep cynicism, all the way back to a belief that he could possibly make things a little better. The prologue gets most of that out of the way and is crucial to show just why he's willing to sign up for a fairly ridiculous mission: get 5 million dollars from a front group of a billionaire (with the permission of said billionaire) and pass it along to the Kerry campaign, all while keeping his famous name out of it. . .It's a wonderfully morally ambiguous tale. Although Lukas knows that his actions will likely have little to no effect on the election, and although he knows that his lack of ruthlessness might well be what keeps the people in charge doing their thing, he's still trying somewhat hopelessly to make things a little bit better. This is probably the best thing Trevor has done yet (although he has plenty of minis I still haven't read, so who knows), relevant for our times yet never preachy." Kevin Bramer, Optical Sloth

"The Hot Breath of War combines the loose, single-image essay style that was popular briefly in the '50s and '60s and marries it to a series of short stories interconnected by happenstance and theme. That's where things get difficult, because Alixopulos' latest seems like a meditation on life through war and, in one or two places, vice-versa. In some of the more affecting moments, there's a sense that life is way too fragile to insert the horrifying weight of seizure and goal-taking through violence and death into its delicate mix. Yet there's also a vitality present in some of the non-war sequences that relates to the human desire to connect in some way, that suggests the out-sized roles we play in order to place ourselves exactly where we want to be include that of soldier and victim." Tom Spurgeon, Comics Reporter

Sparkplug Highlights: Passage, by Tessa Brunton

Passage is so much more than a coming-of-age story; it is a heartfelt ode to growing up with parents filled with the best of intentions and embarrassing ways of acting them out. Using her brother's unique ceremony celebrating his entrance to manhood as a defining example of their shared experiences, Brunton recounts her adolescence in the care of her oddball parents. It takes a bittersweet and thoughtful turn near the end of the issue, reframing her  youthful mortification at the unconventional tactics of her parents. Through the wiser eyes of an adult, she is surprised to find that she sees them now as loving actions, ones to be cherished and missed. Passage is beautifully illustrated and perfectly toned; pattern and texture is created and played with in exquisite detail. Each page is a feast for the eyes. The small inclusions, to0, are to die for: the titles of books in the backgrounds and the band logos on t-shirts, particularly, add a whole new layer of realism and authenticity to the story. Passage was nominated for two Ignatz Awards in 2012 (Promising New Talent and Outstanding Comic), and those two categories describe Brunton's comic with complete accuracy. Read it and tell us what you thought -- did your parents do anything similar for you when you were a teenager? How do you feel about it now? And how about that killer skeleton shirt -- do you want it as much as I do?

Sparkplug at SF Zine Fest This Weekend!

We at Sparkplug are continuing our busy festival schedule and would love to see you at this awesome event we're attending! This weekend, August 31st and September 1st, is the San Francisco Zine Fest. Emily Nilsson will be tabling with new and old books, including the brand new Reich #10. SF Zine Fest is the Bay Area's premiere zine festival, featuring workshops, exhibitions, and public events. It will take place at the San Francisco County Fair Building on 1199 9th Ave. and Lincoln Way -- right in beautiful Golden Gate Park! It is a free event and will be held from 11:00am to 5:00pm both days. Come see Emily and check out Sparkplug's offerings at table 16! For more information, please go to www.sfzinefest.org.

Sparkplug at The Projects This Weekend!

Hi everyone! Come see us this weekend at The Projects, Portland's free festival celebrating experimental comics and narrative art forms. There will be four days of workshops, exhibitions, panels, performances, and more at various locations all over the city. On Sunday, the 25th, we will be tabling at The Projects Book Fair from 12:00pm to 5:00pm. We'd love to see you there and show you some of our great new books! For more information, visit www.theprojectspdx.tumblr.com.

New in the Store: Reich #10 and Eye of the Majestic Creature #3 and 5!

Have you been reading Elijah Brubaker's thrilling biography of Wilhelm Reich, the controversial psychoanalyst, sex researcher, and protege of Freud? Have you been anxiously awaiting the next installment of Brubaker's stark and brilliant take on this strange and tragic life story?

Your wait is over at last!

We have in our store today the brand new Reich #10, ready to impress and enthrall you. Brubaker's art remains sophisticated and evocative, while the story reveals a man standing on crumbling ground. Reich's paranoia is beginning to harm his personal and professional relationships, leading to the resignation of two of his closest associates. He carries on, creating a machine that draws deadly Orgone radiation out of the atmosphere -- but will his intentions change when he realizes the machine can be weaponized? By the end of the issue, Reich's former lawyer has filed an injunction against him, and someone close to him is dead. Reich's future is becoming less and less certain.


We also have issues #3 and 5 of Leslie Anne Mackenzie Stein's Eye of the Majestic Creature.

In issue #3, Larry goes back to Chicago to visit her family. She spends time with her mom, catches up with old friends, and endures a painfully awkward dinner with her dad. All the while, Marshmallow is entertaining himself at home. Their reunion is funny and touching -- in classic EOTMC style.

Issue #5 is an extra-long installment that juxtaposes Theodore Dreiser's classic1900 novel, Sister Carrie, with Larry's personal story. This creates a moving and surprisingly relevant narrative that adds a new and deeper perspective to Stein's comic.

psychoanalyst and sex researcher Dr. Wilhelm Reich, a protégé of Freud. He courted scandal throughout Europe where he became known mostly for his controversial and radical ideas. Reich claimed to discover a palpable sexual energy, which he called “Orgone.” Reich was forced to move to America in 1939. In America, Reich founded Orgonon, a commune/laboratory located in Rangely, Maine. There he continued his research into Orgone energy. Reich claimed the energy was a panacea and was determined to prove it to the world.
Reich was abruptly persecuted by the United States government.
Reich tells the story of a man who lived with unwavering conviction in his beliefs and shows the potential danger of that conviction.
In issue #10, Reich's paranoia begins to seriously damage both his personal and professional relationships, leading to the resignation of two of his closest associates. Reich carries on, creating a machine that draws Orgone radiation out of the atmosphere -- and then finding a way to use it as a weapon. By the end of the issue, Reich's former lawyer has filed an injunction against him, and someone close to Reich is dead. Things are beginning to crumble. Reich's future grows less and less certain.
- See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/comic-books/reich-10/#sthash.MktNxNGq.dpuf

psychoanalyst and sex researcher Dr. Wilhelm Reich, a protégé of Freud. He courted scandal throughout Europe where he became known mostly for his controversial and radical ideas. Reich claimed to discover a palpable sexual energy, which he called “Orgone.” Reich was forced to move to America in 1939. In America, Reich founded Orgonon, a commune/laboratory located in Rangely, Maine. There he continued his research into Orgone energy. Reich claimed the energy was a panacea and was determined to prove it to the world.
Reich was abruptly persecuted by the United States government.
Reich tells the story of a man who lived with unwavering conviction in his beliefs and shows the potential danger of that conviction.
In issue #10, Reich's paranoia begins to seriously damage both his personal and professional relationships, leading to the resignation of two of his closest associates. Reich carries on, creating a machine that draws Orgone radiation out of the atmosphere -- and then finding a way to use it as a weapon. By the end of the issue, Reich's former lawyer has filed an injunction against him, and someone close to Reich is dead. Things are beginning to crumble. Reich's future grows less and less certain.
- See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/comic-books/reich-10/#sthash.MktNxNGq.dpuf

psychoanalyst and sex researcher Dr. Wilhelm Reich, a protégé of Freud. He courted scandal throughout Europe where he became known mostly for his controversial and radical ideas. Reich claimed to discover a palpable sexual energy, which he called “Orgone.” Reich was forced to move to America in 1939. In America, Reich founded Orgonon, a commune/laboratory located in Rangely, Maine. There he continued his research into Orgone energy. Reich claimed the energy was a panacea and was determined to prove it to the world.
Reich was abruptly persecuted by the United States government.
Reich tells the story of a man who lived with unwavering conviction in his beliefs and shows the potential danger of that conviction.
In issue #10, Reich's paranoia begins to seriously damage both his personal and professional relationships, leading to the resignation of two of his closest associates. Reich carries on, creating a machine that draws Orgone radiation out of the atmosphere -- and then finding a way to use it as a weapon. By the end of the issue, Reich's former lawyer has filed an injunction against him, and someone close to Reich is dead. Things are beginning to crumble. Reich's future grows less and less certain.
- See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/comic-books/reich-10/#sthash.MktNxNGq.dpuf

psychoanalyst and sex researcher Dr. Wilhelm Reich, a protégé of Freud. He courted scandal throughout Europe where he became known mostly for his controversial and radical ideas. Reich claimed to discover a palpable sexual energy, which he called “Orgone.” Reich was forced to move to America in 1939. In America, Reich founded Orgonon, a commune/laboratory located in Rangely, Maine. There he continued his research into Orgone energy. Reich claimed the energy was a panacea and was determined to prove it to the world.
Reich was abruptly persecuted by the United States government.
Reich tells the story of a man who lived with unwavering conviction in his beliefs and shows the potential danger of that conviction.
In issue #10, Reich's paranoia begins to seriously damage both his personal and professional relationships, leading to the resignation of two of his closest associates. Reich carries on, creating a machine that draws Orgone radiation out of the atmosphere -- and then finding a way to use it as a weapon. By the end of the issue, Reich's former lawyer has filed an injunction against him, and someone close to Reich is dead. Things are beginning to crumble. Reich's future grows less and less certain.
- See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/comic-books/reich-10/#sthash.MktNxNGq.dpuf

Sparkplug Highlights: Wuvable Oaf, by Ed Luce

We are super excited to announce that we have copies of Wuvable Oaf #0-4 back in the store!

If you haven't picked up this series yet, you no longer have any excuses -- you simply must read it. Really, it has something for everyone: Bears. Drama. Kitties! (Lots of kitties.) Metal music. Tongue-in-cheek portrayals of hipster culture. Morrissey. Hilarious dating fiascos! Magic? Nods to more great bands than you can shake a stick at. Professional wrestling! Friendship. And perhaps even...love?!

Wuvable Oaf is a rare breed of story; populated with exaggerated characters and silly scenarios, it manages to keep from crossing the threshold into the territory of ridiculous caricature by maintaining a sense of genuine earnestness that completely charms the audience. The eponymous Oaf will win over even the most jaded reader: he is just too sweet, too big-hearted, and too bizarre not to love.

A review of Wuvable Oaf would be lacking, of course, without mention of the incredible art. Luce's round, bold style is especially expressive, and he provides perfectly placed hits of detail that add depth to each scene. The story is enamoring on its own; combined with Luce's drawings, it's doubly so.

"Luce’s style, in keeping with the tone of his writing, is in a cartoon vein. It’s all about line and form. Gay readers who’ve complained about the lack of body hair in superhero comics should take not that there is a great abundance of it here. Let’s hope Luce doesn’t develop carpal tunnel from drawing so much of it. Obviously I found Luce’s writing to be funny, but it was also refreshing to see the world from a different perspective. True, bears can be found in quality erotic comics from Steve MacIsaac, Dale Lazarov, and others. Luce’s approach is rooted in humor, a small dose of satire without bitchiness (is this a dying art?), and dare I say it, wuvableness. Kudos to Luce for embracing bear characteristics with Oafie and transcending them in style. I hope non-bear readers will be open to the idea of reading Wuvable Oaf." Gay League

"A visually and narratively witty breath of fresh (and very odd) air in the world of gay comics, Wuvable Oaf is the product of writer/artist Luce’s out-of-left-field imagination and make-everything-big-and-round drawing style." Dave White, Queerty

Tell us how much you love (wuv?!) Wuvable Oaf in the comments, on Twitter, or on Facebook!

Sparkplug Highlights: Yeah, It Is! by Leslie Anne Mackenzie Stein

Yeah, It Is! is a beautiful little book about Mack, a teenage girl. It takes a quiet look at growing up and some of the trials and experiences that come along with it: missing friends who've moved away, feeling irritated with the ones who've stayed behind, hanging out at cafes and head shops, and getting wasted for the first time. What really sets Yeah, It Is! apart from a slew of other coming-of-age comics, though, is its unusual medium and its visual style. Done entirely in earth-toned cut paper, the shape of Stein's characters and the detail of her landscapes are emphasized and highlighted to express the emotion of each scene. During our main character's alcohol-induced frenzy, Stein switches gears and portrays everything in vivid, hallucinogenic shades of blue and purple; this effectively communicates the feeling of being young and bold and wildly out of your element. Yeah, It Is! was awarded a Xeric Grant in 2003, and it completely deserved it. For a unique and, ultimately, hopeful view of that precarious place between childhood and adulthood, check out Yeah, It Is! and fall in love with Mack today.