A panel discussion during this year’s WonderCon comic book and sci-fi/fantasy convention tackled the significance of the term “all-ages,” which has lately been slapped on everything from books like David Petersen’s Mouse Guard to Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time series. Panelists argued over the category’s definition, its usefulness, and the kinds of titles that it should […]
graphic novels
Networking Resources for Illustrators
By Brian Parker SwankyPlatypi
In the world of publishing professionals, the graphic designer and the illustrator are finding that their skill set is being outsourced more and more often. Publishing houses are finding that they have access to a larger pool of potential talent than ever before through their online sources, and with the growing popularity of art-share sites […]
Webcomics and Their Effect on the World of Graphic Storytelling
By Brian Parker
Like a lot of comic fans, my relationship with the medium started at a young age. I would pick up my stack of books at the corner store, generally along with a large bag of Atomic Fireballs, and pay at the counter. Comics have never been very expensive, unless of course you travel in the […]
A Journal for Comic Books: Gathering Input for a Possible New Project
By Chris Thomas chris_the_nerd
Comics are an important part of Portland’s cultural landscape. Creators, consumers, conventions, cosplayers — they can all be found here. It is therefore, with great pleasure, that I introduce a new project group that began this term within Ooligan Press: The Graphic Novels/Picture Books Exploratory Committee. The group consists of Alex Haehnert, Molly Hunt, Bess […]
What Comic Book Stores Can Teach Us
By Brian Parker SwankyPlatypi
Portland is a great town for readers, so it’s hard to know if the trends in book sales here follow those for the rest of the country. Many who study the trends claim that the future of the publishing and bookselling worlds is grim, but you only need to look past the doors of Cosmic […]
The Role of Craft in Indie Graphic Novels
By Brian Parker
“Self-publish or perish.” These words can be found on every original work created by indie comic superstar Becky Cloonan. It’s more than a personal motto—it’s a call to arms to every creative individual in the comic book community. Traditionally, most graphic novel professionals strove to work for a large comic publisher and devoted their writing, […]