Pandora’s Box
By Ken Wong

It’s hard to compete with the infinite canvas, and while few artists achieve anywhere near Webcomics’ potential as laid out by Scott McCloud in Reinventing Comics, such abstract concepts make the world of print seem downright quaint. Pandora’s Box, a two-page mini-comic (front and back of a single sheet) was born out of a defense of the medium—a conversation that left former MoCCA president Ken Wong to ponder what manner of benefits a physical comic holds over its digital counterpart.

The answer, of course, is space, a concept that can be mimicked—but not duplicated—on a two-dimensional computer screen. Print comics can ultimately manifest itself into a three-dimensional object. More often that not, that object is book, a form which, in the right hands—say a Seth, Chris Ware, or Art Spiegelman—can become a work of art in and of itself.  In the hands of Wong, however, the comic itself has become the object, with the help of some simple origami.

Read the rest of this entry »

[Above, Hi-Way Wonders. Below, Dispatch delights.]

Read the rest of this entry »

Based out of the alternative publishing capital of Portland, Oregon, Sparkplug Books is regularly issuing some of the most exciting work being released in comics today. When he first launched the company, cartoonist Dylan Williams was seeking to expose unsigned talent, while keeping check to make sure that the publishing house largely adhered to his DIY roots.

To true to its mission statement, Sparkplug has occupied a happy medium between the world of self-published, photocopied zines and the kingpin indie publishers like Fantagraphics and Drawn & Quarterly.

In this final part of our interview with Williams we discuss the importance of being Portland, artist loyalty, and why the hell an indie comics publisher would be caught dead in the hall of the San Diego Comic Con.

[Part One] [Part Two]

Read the rest of this entry »

While it was the release of Jason Shiga’s Eisner-nominated Bookhunter that brought Sparkplug Books to the attention of cultural critics across the country, without an equally strong roster of subsequent releases, it would have been easy to write the Portland-based publisher’s single book success off as a fluke.

Much to his credit, however, founder Dylan Williams—himself a cartoonist—has continually demonstrated a keen eye for spotting some of the most exciting artists toiling away in the small press universe, a fact reflected by a recent string of intriguing new releases by artists like Chris Wright, Trevor Alixopolous, and Elijah Brubaker.

In this second of a three part interview, we discuss Williams’s editorial role in the creation of books, the importance of staying small, and answer that question that is no doubt weighing heavy on everyone’s mind: just what the hell is Jason Shiga up to, these days?

Read the rest of this entry »

[The above image was named from my MoCCA 2008 Flickr set, with apologies to Aaron Renier.]

Though it’s existed for a half-dozen years, it was the publication of Jason Shiga’s Eisner-nominated Bookhunter last May that truly established Sparkplug Comics as an indie comics force to be reckoned with. A labor of love turned career for Dylan Williams—a cartoonist himself—the Portland-based publishing house has continued to impress, with a continued to build steam with roster of books from the likes of Renee French, Dash Shaw, Andy Hartzell, and Elijah Brubaker. Still, as a business, Sparkplug has remained decidedly understated, ostensibly a three-person operation, Williams included, a direct result he insists, of the punk rock ethos on which he was weaned, growing up in Berkeley, California.

Having re-introduced myself to Williams at this year’s MoCCA, now seemed the opportune time to sit down with Sparkplug’s owner, during these few moments of much needed downtime between HeroesCon and San Diego.

Read the rest of this entry »