Tuesday, January 14th, 7-9 pm. Andy Hartzell at Silver Sprocket in SF! In conversation with Dave Grossman! @ @andrewHartzell @silversprocket_ @phrenopolis link in reply.

Reserve your spot! @andrewHartzell @silversprocket_ @phrenopolis
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-launch-party-for-monday-an-apocryphal-comic-book-tickets-1129239348289?aff=oddtdtcreator

Andy Hartzell Book Launch at Silver Sprocket

The Uncivilized August Newsletter dropped last week. Here's what's inside. #newsletter #comics

Peter Rostovsky's Damnation Diaries preorders have finally started to ship. Why so late? The book got censored in China, and we had to scramble to find another printer. @RostovskyPeter #censored #censorship #graphicnovel

https://uncivilizedbooks.com/damnation-diaries/

Publishers Weekly interviewed Peter about the book and the censorship. Give it a listen if you're curious about the whole story. @PWComicsWorld  @PublishersWkly

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/more-to-come-580-peter-rostovsky-plus-flame-con-interviews/id451960536?i=1000624406156&goal=0_7d35f9dd8e-9961be40e7-288848885&mc_cid=9961be40e7

The Sickness 1 was a smash hit! The first printing sold out within days! We rushed a 2nd printing with a SICK GREEN FLUORESCENT cover. It's incredible to behold! The pictures do not do it justice. #thesickness #horror #comics @kale_satan @LonnieNadler
https://uncivilizedbooks.com/the-sickness-01/

Also, @kale_satan sent us the covers for The Sickness 3. Troy Nixey draws variant B, which looks seriously sharp with a limited color image. Now available for preorder! #horror #comics @LonnieNadler

https://uncivilizedbooks.com/the-sickness-03/

Meanwhile, issue 2 is at the printer and will hit stores in September! @kale_satan @LonnieNadler

https://uncivilizedbooks.com/the-sickness-02/

Maple Terrace 2 just arrived from the printer! It's a great time to subscribe. Issues 1 & 2 will ship together. #memoir #90s #nostalgia
https://uncivilizedbooks.com/maple-terrace-02-by-noah-van-sciver/

Noah turned in the art to the 3rd and final issue, and it's a doozy! When I saw the cover ideas, I knew we had to have some fun remembering the 90s collector mania. #90s #comics #nostalgia

The final issue of Maple Terrace will have two cover variants: Cover A and Cover B, a limited edition Rob Liefeld parody/tribute printed with metallic ink! Both are available for preorder individually or as a set. #90s #comics #nostalgia
https://uncivilizedbooks.com/maple-terrace-03/

When it rains, it pours! We also have copies of Cartoon Dialectics 4 and WEST 3! Both titles are now shipping! It's a great time to order if you've waited for them to arrive. Get WEST 3 here:  @johnwgrund
https://uncivilizedbooks.com/west-03-by-john-grund/

And Cartoon Dialectics 4 here: @BetaTestingTomK
https://uncivilizedbooks.com/cartoon-dialectics-4-by-tom-kaczynski/

Remember, you can also subscribe to our comics via our @Patreon Uncivilized Comic Book Club! Print ($5/month) and digital ($3/month) options are available! #patreon #subscription
https://www.patreon.com/unicv

And here's this month's episode of Aesthetic Education by Tom K: Young Enlightened Rationalists (after Schopenhauer).

Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with news and get discounts and exclusive stuff. #newsletter
https://mailchi.mp/uncivilizedbooks/uncivilized-territories-6051629

August Newsletter Highlights: Damnation Diaries, Censorship, the Sickness, and More

Our December newsletter dropped yesterday. Here's what's inside (New Noah Van Sciver, Sale, Ginseng Roots 11, etc.).  Thread.

We extended our big sale until Dec. 16th. You still have a few days to take advantage of 20-75% OFF!
https://uncivilizedbooks.com/sale/

We're super excited to work with Noah Van Sciver again! In his new series, Maple Terrace, Noah builds on the stories from his One Dirty Tree memoir (currently on sale!).

Maple Terrace is Noah Van Sciver's brand new three-part autobiographical comic series. Hilarious and forlorn stories from the author’s childhood, surrounded by 90s comics, cartoons, toys, deprivation, and painful nostalgia. April 2023.

You can also subscribe to Noah's Maple Terrace. We have 300 slots for early subscribers (151 remain open). This is what you get: individually shipped issues, free shipping, a 15% Discount, and limited edition bonus items.
https://uncivilizedbooks.com/maple-terrace-subscription-early-bird/

A couple of titles arrived just in time for the holidays! Ginseng Roots 11 by Craig Thompson and June, For Short 3 by @spookysperry ! Get 'em now!

We made a new Ginseng Roots Holiday set: issues 1-11 + Box. Inside contains 11 comics, one mini-comic, one sticker, one Box, one print, and 352 + pages of comics! Limited to 25 (18 left) sets.

All of the above is available on our site!
https://uncivilizedbooks.com/

December 2022 Newsletter

A great new interview with @mmaddencomics dropped recently. The questions are simple and open-ended, giving Matt space to elaborate on his new #graphicnovel Ex Libris and other interesting topics. A thread 🧵

@mmaddencomics on early days:
“When I started making minis, Daniel Clowes was still drawing Lloyd Llewellyn, Drawn and Quarterly was a flimsy, magazine-sized anthology, & Maus was shelved in the humor section of most bookstores, alongside Garfield & Sniglets collections...

... I realized that I was much more likely to mine new territory and make a mark on the world striking out in this little-explored territory.”  - @mmaddencomics

It can't be underestimated how open the American comics world was at that time (the mid to late 80s)...

...The average graphic novel looked like this and was still 25+ years away from dominating the industry, and Manga was a niche concern…

… The comics environment we see today was unimaginable. While superheroes ruled the shelves of still-relatively-new comic shops, a critical mass of independent comics began steadily rising on the margins.

He also mentions Factsheet Five: "Factsheet Five, the legendary pre-internet compendium of all things self-published and underground" — this was an absolutely essential resource! 

Matt @mmaddencomics on the magic of comics: "I like how I can string a series of moments together that will coalesce into an integrated [...] narrative sequence in a reader's brain. This simple process never ceases to amaze me."

The whole interview is well worth your time. @mmaddencomics 

https://blog.uncivilizedbooks.com/?p=600

I hope you've found this thread illuminating.

Follow us: @unciv and @mmaddencomics for more.

Like/Retweet the first tweet below if you can:

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/unciv/s4Hlq6I

Matt Madden Book Love Interview

We missed this the first time around. A nice and thorough review on @comicsworkbook of @Kriota 's Draw Stronger, a comprehensive guide for artists to preventing repetitive stress injuries and sustaining a pain free life. 🧵

"Draw Stronger covers a lot of ground in a compact little package. It starts with an overview explaining pain, injuries, and where they come from." - @comicsworkbook on @Kriota 's Draw Stronger.


Wisdom:  "My only complaint is that I want people to pick up this book and use it before they are experiencing problems, but I think most people won’t seek this out until they are already hurt." - @comicsworkbook on @Kriota 's Draw Stronger.


The link to the full review is here. Subscribe to our newsletter while you check it out.

https://blog.uncivilizedbooks.com/2022/08/01/draw-stronger-by-kriota-willberg-reviewed-on-comics-workbook/

Order Draw Stronger and follow @Kriota !

https://uncivilizedbooks.com/draw/

Draw Stronger by Kriota Willberg Review on Comics Workbook

A new thread on Gabrielle Bell's work while anticipating the upcoming release of Career Shoplifter (Sept). Here are all the Gabrielle Bell @luckygab comics we've printed. 🧵

L.A. Diary: a rare glimpse behind Gabrielle's creative process; the book also contains several strips taken directly from her real comics diary. (Sold Out)

Diary: stories set in Minneapolis, New York, and California. Also: Manifestation, Gabrielle's 'adaptation' of the notorious Scum Manifesto. (Sold Out)

San Diego Diary: a mini-epic encompassing the enormity of San Diego Comic-Con in a small package. Just like the Comic-Con, San Diego Diary is full of guest stars. Michel Gondry, Jeffrey Brown, Becky Stark, and others cameo throughout. (Sold Out)

July Diary: July is the seventh month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It's a warm month. On average, it's the warmest month in the Northern hemisphere. It's also the month Gabrielle Bell decided to do a comic every day. 31 days, 31 comics. (Sold Out)

The Voyeurs. See the thread: 

https://twitter.com/unciv/status/1549438943594029056?s=20&t=4ajJCFiHHi0BCKCpISwt5w

Truth is Fragmentary: "For an impoverished cartoonist, I do an awful lot of international traveling." 

"Best Graphic Memoir."—The Atlantic

https://uncivilizedbooks.com/truth-is-fragmentary/

Everything is Flammable: “Gabrielle Bell is able to create, with simple art and storytelling, the complexities of what are supposed to be life’s ‘simple’ moments with hilarious honesty and — fair warning — delicious cringe.” — @pattonoswalt 

https://uncivilizedbooks.com/everything-is-flammable/

Get Out Your Hankies: Musings on technology, small towns, pickling, mushrooms, spiderwebs, and bears. (Sold Out)

Cecil & Jordan in New York: explores a spectrum of human experience that ranges from the quotidian to the fantastical while always maintaining reliability. 

The title story was turned into a film by Michel Gondry (part of the Tokyo! anthology film)
https://uncivilizedbooks.com/cecil-jordan-in-new-york/

My Dog Ivy: Gabriell housesits a small Minnesota home: Complete with two cats & a neurotic golden retriever named Ivy, the month-long 'vacation home' proves to be a gargantuan responsibility. Gabrielle's only salvation is the turbulent relationship forged with Ivy. (Sold Out)

Inappropriate: Gabrielle Bell revels in skewering modern mores with razor-sharp humor and wry observations. Inappropriate collects Bell’s best short comics from the last several years.

One of the Best Graphic Novels of the Year — Library Journal

https://uncivilizedbooks.com/inappropriate-by-gabrielle-bell/

My Dog Jojo: Gabrielle Bell gets the task of helping her reclusive mother find a dog. The canine must be good with cats, scare bears, and keep deer from eating the garden. Does Jojo qualify?
https://uncivilizedbooks.com/my-dog-jojo-by-gabrielle-bell/

Career Shoplifter (September 2022)

https://uncivilizedbooks.com/career-shoplifter-by-gabrielle-bell/

All Gabrielle Bell Comics Published by Uncivilized

Continuing our impromptu Gabrielle Bell @lukcygab week in anticipation of Career Shoplifter (coming September!). Here's a thread on Gabrielle's The Voyeurs, the first graphic novel we published.

About the book:
The Voyeurs is a real-time memoir of a turbulent five years in the life of renowned cartoonist, diarist, and Gabrielle Bell. @luckygab 

Gabrielle travels to Tokyo, Paris, the South of France, and all over the United States. But, she remains anchored by her beloved Brooklyn, where her sidekick Tony provides ongoing insight, offbeat humor, and enduring friendship.

The cover was designed by @BetaTestingTomK with input from Gabrielle and Richard McGuire. Here are a few iterations of the design process.

The introduction is written by Aaron Cometbus of the Cometbus zine fame!

"[…] what makes Gabrielle's autobiographical comics interesting: she and her characters retain their mystery. …

… You're left to wonder where they came from, how they met, and what makes them tick—and in doing so, you put yourself in their shoes. You must fill in the blanks, looking for soft-spoken and unspoken clues. …

… Gabrielle's way of leaving you guessing is her way of turning life into art."

The book got lots of honors:

"Top 5 GN of the year" — Publishers Weekly

"One of the Best Nonfiction Books of the year" — Kirkus Reviews

"Best Graphic Memoir" — The Atlantic Wire

Impressive endorsements. 
Chris Ware!
"The Voyeurs is the work of a mature writer, if not one of the most sincere voices of her literary generation. It's a fun, honest read that spans continents, relationships, and life decisions. I loved it."

Alison Bechdel!
"Bell's pen becomes a kind of laser, first illuminating the surface distractions of the world, then scorching them away to reveal a deeper reality that is almost too painful and too beautiful to bear."

Françoise Mouly!
"A master of the exquisite detail, Bell provides a welcome peephole into our lives."

Art Spiegelman!
"One of the best things going in auto-bio-inflected comics these days."

Buy The Voyeurs by Gabrielle Bell:

https://uncivilizedbooks.com/the-voyeurs/

Gabrielle Bell's Career Shoplifter is coming in September! Preorder now: 
https://uncivilizedbooks.com/career-shoplifter-by-gabrielle-bell/

Gabrielle Bell's The Voyeurs

In anticipation of Gabrielle Bell's new comic, Career Shoplifter (coming September!), we decided to do an impromptu Gabrielle Bell week at Uncivilized. We start with a thread on diary comics. @luckygab  

This thread is based on an essay from the Gabrielle Bell mini-comic we published: LA Diary. The essay was written by @BetaTestingTomK . Without further ado:

Everyday Alchemy: The Comics of Gabrielle Bell @luckygab 

"Quit the night and seek the day"— from a Magick ritual.

The Diary as a form didn't begin to flower until the Renaissance and the "invention" of the individual. The existence of the Latin term "diarum" or day indicates a more ancient lineage of the Diary. The Diary is a daily act. But what kind of act?

Before a diary can be kept, time must be invented. In the Paleolithic, ancient astronomers transformed lunar phases, flood cycles, and other natural phenomena into marks on wood or bone. It was a way to gain knowledge and understand the forces that ruled their lives.

Imagine the cognitive leap: "if I make a mark every day, I will learn the moon's secret." It wasn't just the invention of time; it was also the invention of process itself: the daily act through which something can be learned or achieved.

At some point, the act of recording turned into the art of predicting and eventually into ritual. Natural phenomena became hidden behind the semantic inventions created to describe them. They became sacred calendars, traditions, and gods.

The original act of discovery turned into esoteric lore and occult secrets. The origins of these systems were forgotten and mutated into divine revelation. In the beginning, was the word.

The Renaissance, "Cogito, Ergo Sum," and Psychoanalysis ushered the individual onto the historical stage. Sacred law gave way to profane science.

The Diary as we know it today came out of that ferment of ideas and became a technology of consciousness, a way to construct the uniqueness of the individual. "I keep a diary; therefore, I am."

The Diary entered the world of comics in the 1970s through the work of Justin Green (RIP: https://www.tcj.com/remembering-justin-green/ @ComicsJournal ). Following Green's lead, significant artists like Harvey Pekar, Art Spiegelman, Robert Crumb, and Eddie Campbell contributed to the genre. 

By the 1990s, the autobio comic was a staple of alternative comics, and a new generation of artists like Julie Doucet, Chester Brown, Joe Matt, Joe Sacco, James Kochalka, Phoebe Gloeckner, and Marjane Satrapi pushed the genre into uncharted territories.

The intense confessional nature of Green's work set the tone for autobiographical comics that followed. From Crumb, through Brown, Matt, and Doucet, to David Heatly, etc., the genre's trajectory has been towards transgression. Authenticity constructed as a duel of grimaces.

Gabrielle Bell's comics have much in common with this lineage, but in her recent Diary Comics, traces of that more ancient tradition peak through.


Reading these pages, one gets the sense of the Diary as a daily magickal act: the declaration of fidelity to the Great Work. Individually the stories are small slices of mundane moments. Taken as a continuum, the accumulated moments transform into a world.

It's not just the world as seen by the artist, but an inner world of being. If Green's or Crumb's compulsive cartoon confessions resemble divine (or demonic) prophecy, Gabrielle Bell's comics diary is an assemblage of different revelations.

For Bell, the daily resolutions, reminders, and notes to self act as spells and enchantments to bind her to the task at hand: drawing comics.

Her daily comics are a reminder that the divine breath of inspiration is created from small everyday miracles. @luckygab 

Preorder Gabrielle Bell's @luckygab Career Shoplifter: 

https://uncivilizedbooks.com/career-shoplifter-by-gabrielle-bell/

Read the original essay here: 

https://blog.uncivilizedbooks.com/2019/07/06/everyday-alchemy/

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/unciv/gru1Q6r