Sparkplug Highlight: Whirlwind Wonderland by Rina Ayuyang

Diary and journal comics are addicting.  There is something magical about glimpsing into someone else's life and seeing what drives them, what worries them and what they daydream about.  This collection of stories by Rina Ayuyang is a perfect little dose of her life.  The stories cover growing up Filipino-American in Pittsburgh, the author's love of football, a trip to the Phillipines, conversations with her dad, commuting and much more.  Her eccentric, expansive and often nosy family is central in many of the stories.  The art is dense, colorful and cartoony. A wonderful little book, and a must-have for anyone who loves diary comics or just plain good comics.

"Ayuyang has a simple drawing style, but packs a lot into each page and panel. Her whimsical, cartoonish characters seeming to jostle for space with an abundance of thought and speech bubbles." - Michael Machosky, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

(128 interior pgs, 5.5" x 7.5", color cover with black and white with color interiors, Sparkplug Books and Tugboat Press)

Whirlwind Wonderland is available here!

Sparkplug Highlight: The Shortest Interval by David King

The Shortest Interval is a bizarre, hilarious little jaunt through the Planck Epoch, filled with questionable "facts" and quirky personifications.  Visit the researchers working at Gash Mountain Lab on Beaver Island.  Let the squeal of Gravity's tires ring in your ears as he drives off, flipping you and your pals the bird.  Contemplate your (meaningless) place in an ever-emptying universe.  This book is hot and dense, just like its namesake.


(20 interior pgs, 5" x 5", two colors throughout, Sparkplug Books)


The Shortest Interval is available here!

Linework NW Seeks Volunteers for Event!!

Hi friends, this is Emily Nilsson with a special request. Linework NW needs volunteers for the event, Saturday April 12th, for various jobs: setting up, taking down, helping people find their tables, to name a few.  We're hosting an after-party as well, at which we'll need some helpers.  We need a few people with an OLCC license, so if you have one, let us know!

If you are interested, please email me at: lwnwvolunteers@gmail.com

Include your phone number, and if there are times during the day when you would best be able to be there.  The main event is at the Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th, from 2-9pm.

Linework is going to be a great event showcasing illustrators, comic artists, zine creators and small press publishers.  It's free to attend so even if you can't volunteer, please stop by to see everyone!

Thanks folks!
Emily

Reading at Powell's!

Just to let y'all know, I (Virginia) will be reading from Milkyboots #14 for Powell's Books Smallpressapalooza on Monday, March 17th.  It should be fun, and there will be lots of other talented folks reading as well.  Hope to see you there!

Cover preview of our next book!

Here's a peek at the next book in the Sparkplug Minis Series, The Anthropologists by Whit Taylor.  The Anthropologists follows the author's trip to Australia and subsequent reevaluation of her chosen field of study.  It will debut at this year's CAKE in Chicago.
Get the first of the Sparkplug Minis Series, Hungry Summer by Asher Craw, here.

Sparkplug Highlight: The Virtuous by Fiona Smyth

The Virtuous is visceral in both senses of the word; provoking a strong emotional reaction and having to do with guts.  Intestines pour from torsos and crotches on every page.  It sounds grotesque, and it is, but also beautiful.  Bodies in this art zine are distorted, elongated, embedded with diamonds or dripping with strange tentacle-like growths.  I love this book because of the way Smyth skewers the way the female form is usually presented and embraces the body in all its disgusting glory.  Even without a narrative, it is a powerful, gorgeous work.

(20 interior pages, 5.5"x 8.5", b&w with screenprinted cover, self-published)


Available for purchase here.

(20 interior pages, 5.5"x 8.5", b&w with screenprinted cover, self-published) - See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/distro-books/the-virtuous/#sthash.TGYSesPA.dpuf

Sparkplug Highlight: Dream Grant by Sean Christensen

How much do I love Sean Christensen's Church of Awesome Thought books?  I can't even explain it.  It's so much fun to read about everyday, almost mundane life in this strange universe and Dream Grant is one of my favorites.  The loose psychedelia of the art, the absurdly charming dialogue and plot, the sparkly cover are all just perfect.  Take a look for yourself!

(40 interior pgs, 4.25" x 5.5", B&W with color cover, self-published) $4.00 in the store.

(40 interior pgs, 4.25" x 5.5", B&W with color cover, self-published) - See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/distro-books/dream-grant/#sthash.NaNSUkiS.dpuf

(40 interior pgs, 4.25" x 5.5", B&W with color cover, self-published) - See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/distro-books/dream-grant/#sthash.NaNSUkiS.dpuf

(40 interior pgs, 4.25" x 5.5", B&W with color cover, self-published) - See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/distro-books/dream-grant/#sthash.NaNSUkiS.dpuf

(40 interior pgs, 4.25" x 5.5", B&W with color cover, self-published) - See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/distro-books/dream-grant/#sthash.NaNSUkiS.dpuf

(40 interior pgs, 4.25" x 5.5", B&W with color cover, self-published) - See more at: http://sparkplugcomicbooks.com/shop/distro-books/dream-grant/#sthash.NaNSUkiS.dpuf

New books from this month!

Just a reminder!  This month we added two new books to Sparkplug's published catalog.  Reich #11 is the second to last book in Elijah Brubaker's Reich series.  Reich's world is beginning to crumble in this not-to-be-missed issue!

Also out this month, we added the first of the Sparkplug Minis Series, Hungry Summer by Asher Craw.  Craw's modern spin on fairy tale tropes is exactly as weird and hilarious as you hope it will be.

We also managed to snag a couple minis from Yumi Sakugawa when she was in town for her book tour - please check out Intergalactic Telepathic Pen Pal and Moon Between the Mountains for more Sakugawa goodness.

LA Zine Fest this weekend!

Hey all!  Sparkplug will be tabling at LA Zine Fest this Sunday, February 16th, at Helms Bakery in Los Angeles.  For more info on the fest, click here.   We'll have our normal, awesome collection of books and zines PLUS the new issue of Reich and the first of the Sparkplug Minis Series, Hungry Summer.  Hope to see you there!

Sparkplug Highlight: Intergalactic Telepathic Pen Pal by Yumi Sakugawa

A friend of a friend said that she found another of Sakugawa's comics to be very sad.  I agree, but I think they are my favorite kind of melancholy: the kind that reminds you that, however impermanent this world is, there is a place for you in the universe.  You belong here.
Intergalactic Telepathic Pen Pal very much embodies this sentiment.  It is a collection of Sakugawa's short stories, many of which deal with death and endings.  From the sudden inexplicable spaceship departure of family members in "Happy Birthday, Lisa" to the self-reflective grief of "Cigar Butt", these are stories that are very sad but also a reminder to breathe and that you are not alone.

Book Announcements and Convention Schedule!

HELLO ALL!

Hope you are enjoying your winter and New Year so far!  Sparkplug has a couple announcements for you.

First, due to some paper mix ups, Reich #11 is taking a little longer than expected to print.  It is still available to pre-order here.  I am expecting to have it in time for LA ZineFest or directly afterward, so if you have pre-ordered it already, expect it in the next couple weeks.

Second, you may remember me announcing a new project we're doing called the Sparkplug Minis Series.  It's a series of short-run (500 copies) mini comics by new and/or underappreciated artists.  I don’t plan on reprinting  these so when they sell out, they are gone.  Be sure to order yours early!

The first of the series, Hungry Summer by Asher Craw, is now available for pre-order.  It's six dollars and you get a 4.5"x5.5" original drawing by the artist when you pre-order!  Here are some examples:

Hungry Summer is a strange, beautiful tale of bros, Baba Yaga and curses – thoroughly enjoyable and utterly bizarre.  I will have Hungry Summer available at LA Zine Fest next week as well!

And speaking of the Sparkplug Minis Series – I’ve already let you know that the second in the series is Infinite Astronaut: Corpse Exquisite by Ariyana Suvarnasuddhi.  It will be AMAZING.  The preliminary sketches look great.  Infinite Astronaut: Corpse Exquisite will be debuting at CAKE at the end of May.

And now I’m happy to confirm the third in the series will be The Anthropologists by Whit Taylor!  The Anthropologists is an autobiographical story about Taylor’s trip to the Australian Outback, with a focus on her personal and philosophical thoughts  about the field of anthropology.  I’m really interested to see where Taylor goes with this, and hope that you are too!  The Anthropologists will be debuting at the Portland Zine Symposium in July.

Our convention Schedule for 2014 so far:

Feb. 16^th: LA Zine Fest, Los Angeles, CA
April 12th: Linework NW, Portland, OR
May 31st & June 1st: CAKE, Chicago, IL

July  12^th & 13^th: Portland Zine Symposium, Portland, OR
Sept. 13th & 14th: SPX, Bethesda, MD

And finally if you'll forgive a little personal promotion - I have started doing a webcomic called The WHYs about queer teen superheroes.  I'd be so grateful if you would check it out!  Thanks.

-Virginia

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."

 



Sparkplug Highlights: Danny Dutch, by David King

A brilliantly absurd collection of strips, David King's Danny Dutch features the eponymous Danny and his gang of friends going about their lives and pondering the various vagaries and truths of existence. Let me just prepare you right off the bat: the pictures and words don't line up. That's the beauty of it. Without the text in the perfectly placed speech bubbles, most of these strips could be in a newspaper; the characters' chubby, highly detailed bodies recall classic cartoons of yesteryear, though the occasional landscape or city scene is so finely rendered it puts the average comic strip to shame. The text, though, is all dull malaise, contemplations on life, death, and sex, soul-crushing observations of relationship politics, reflections on art and childhood--and more. Soon enough, however, through some strange alchemy, the two disparate elements (visual and verbal) begin to line up and inform each other, until suddenly you're laughing at your own mortality or feeling melancholy over your favorite childhood memory. It's a weird ride, one that will leave your stomach feeling wobbly for a while after you get off, but you'll want to hop back on again nonetheless.

 



Support Sparkplug and get fantastic original art - here's how!

Hi folks, Emily Nilsson here.  I'm throwing lots of art on eBay for the benefit of Sparkplug's future endeavors.  We had a few pieces left over from the Indiegogo upper donation tier gifts, for which the artists have granted permission for us to sell.  I'm also adding a lot of stuff that my husband, Dylan Williams, and I collected over the years.  There are great originals and a number of high-quality prints that are being added to the mix.  Work by Sparkplug alums Jeff Levine, Elijah Brubaker, Chris Cilla, and Aron Steinke have been featured.  Be sure and at least check it out! 

Link here to the auctions currently in full swing!

If you have any questions feel free to email: emily@sparkplugcomicbooks.com.  If you live in Portland, I'll waive shipping and work with you on a pick-up arrangement.

Thanks friends!  You're the best!

Active right now - "Crazy Legs" by Chris Cilla.  Start the insanity!

Sparkplug Highlights: Zebadiah, by Asher Z. Craw

It's actually a little difficult to express in words how wonderful and affecting Asher's Zebadiah is. It's not just the art, though it is breathtaking. Asher's artistic style recalls rough-but-intricate woodblock etchings and works equally well at depicting the deep woods of Appalachia and modern-day Portland, Oregon. Every character's face, even (especially) the animals', is infinitely expressive and intimately human. The religious iconography, ethereal supernatural entities, and visually referential characters blend seamlessly into the narrative to create a world that feels both rooted in very specific, portentous periods and, paradoxically, timeless. It's this amazing art in conjunction with a truly brilliant story, though, that makes Zebadiah such an incredible creative achievement that has won the adoration of everyone I know who's read it. Asher takes two stories--that of Zebadiah and Eula-Lee, a reclusive couple living in the Appalachians in the 1970s, and that of (somewhat fictionalized versions of) Asher and, later, his wife Lillie in the present day--and weaves them together with an overarching narrative that explores the intersection between rural and urban lifestyles, separated souls, Asher's character's trans experience, damnation versus salvation, and (most importantly) eternal love.

On top of it all: ANTHROPOMORPHIC GUARDIAN POSSUMS (possibly some relative of the Grumplords?!).

To say too much more is to deprive you of your own experience with the story, but trust me: you will feel changed after you finish reading it. It is a perfect example of everything a great comic should be; it hurts your heart, it's so good. Read it today, and don't forget to pick up Asher's contribution to our upcoming Sparkplug Minis series, due out on February 16th at LA Zine Fest--his will be the inaugural issue, and it's a modern tale of Baba Yaga. You're going to love it.