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UNCIVILIZED TERRITORIES: RUINS

August, 2021. Issue 006.

CONTENTS

  1. Intro: Ruins of the Independent Comics Industry

  2. New Comics: Chut Gai and West by John Grund

  3. Reviews of Ex Libris and New Realities

  4. Matt Madden on Things by Dan Podcast

  5. Tom Kaczynski & Patrick Crotty (Peow) Talk about Comics Publishing

  6. Ginseng Roots: Issue 9 and Ginseng Roots Box

  7. On Press: Ex Libris

  8. Aesthetic Education: Cycles

INTRO

Ruins of the Independent Comics Industry

I was staring blankly at the hypnotic spiral on the cover of Ex Libris a couple of days ago. I was about to hop on a panel with Patrick Crotty (Peow), moderated by Brian Heater, Anthony Ha, and Heidi MacDonald. We were about to talk about the challenges of independent comics publishing and other news du jour (recently Koyama, Adhouse, and now Peow announced that they’ve closed or are closing soon!). Is the independent Comic Book Industry approaching a state of ruin? I began to think of the cyclical nature of the many things we take for granted…

Uncivilized has always thrived on the edges and in the cracks of the system. Since our inception, we’ve experimented with formats, comics, and genres. We like to hang out on the edges of what comics as a medium can offer. Our manifesto spelled out our commitments. We’re deciding to look at the present moment as an opportunity. “Everything under heaven is in utter chaos; the situation is excellent,” Mao said once. What can we grow in the ruins of the old comics industry?

Read the full essay here. Check out the video of the conversation below.

Best,
Tom K

NEW COMICS

Introducing New Comics by John Grund: West #1 and Chut Gai

We will be publishing a new comic series by John Grund. It’s called West. It’s a mind expanding melding of science fiction and fantasy.

Here’s a description: Mo and Sal live and work on a farm selling their harvest at city farmers' markets, practicing magic, and smoking herbs with their cat, Jynx. As society becomes over-reliant on technology, magic is quickly dying out, and industry pushes smaller farms out of the picture. Sal and Mo struggle to keep the land they've worked so hard to cultivate. To make ends meet, they concoct a heist on the most prominent tech corporation in the West, Solomon Corps… Intrigued? Preorders will get a signed print!

We’re also making available his wonderful RISO comic, Chut Gai: A young man tries to fit into a small suburban town, a strange place not his own. A simple party turns into a wild and dangerous night, revealing the cracks in the life he's tried to build for himself. Limited to 100 copies! Signed and numbered!

John Grund is a comic artist and illustrator from New Jersey. If he’s not drawing, he can be found somewhere in nature. John lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Lots more info on both comics and John next time!

PREORDER Comics by John Grund

REVIEWS

Another Great Review of Ex Libris by Matt Madden

Another major review of Ex Libris by Matt Madden hit recently! It is courtesy of Library Journal:

“Madden (99 Ways To Tell a Story) displays a keen mastery of numerous visual and narrative styles. A formally inventive, deeply emotional tale, reminiscent of Italo Calvino’s If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler.”

PREORDER Ex Libris by Matt Madden

REVIEWS

First Review of New Realities: The Comics of Dash Shaw by Greg Hunter

Just in time for the debut of Dash Shaw’s new animated feature, Crypto Zoo: the first major review of New Realities: The Comics of Dash Shaw dropped! It’s from Publishers Weekly:

“Comics critic Hunter debuts with a perceptive survey of the idiosyncratic oeuvre of Dash Shaw, a “changeable” cartoonist whose “stylistic leaps have become his most obvious constant. […]

It’s a great starting point for anyone wanting to know more about the work of this restless and relentlessly curious artist.”

PREORDER New Realities: The Comics of Dash Shaw

MEDIA

Make It Then Tell Everybody featuring Matt Madden

Matt Madden and Dan Berry talk about the challenges of being a mid-career cartoonist, exercises in style and working inside constraints. Enjoy!

Listen to Make It Then Tell Everybody featuring Matt Madden

MEDIA

Ruins of the Independent Comics Industry

Here’s the panel with Tom Kaczynski, Patrick Crotty (Peow), moderated by Brian Heater, Anthony Ha, and Heidi MacDonald. We talk about the challenges of independent comics publishing and other news du jour (recently Koyama, Adhouse, and now Peow announced that they've closed or are closing soon!). Is the independent Comic Book Industry approaching a state of ruin? I began to think of the cyclical nature of the many things we take for granted. Let us know what you think by commenting here.

Panel to Panel 3: Featuring Tom K and Patrick Crotty

GINSENG ROOTS

GINSENG ROOTS #9 and BOX

Finally! We have Ginseng Roots #9 ready for preorders! We expect copies in late October. Subscribers will get the issue together with the Ginseng Roots Box (which finally arrived!)!

PREORDER GINSENG ROOTS #9

ON PRESS

Ex Libris by Matt Madden

Finally! We just got a few finished copies of Ex Libris by Matt Madden! The printing is tremendous! We are very happy with it. The third picture below has a good depiction of the spot UV spiral on the cover. Now we wait as the remaining copies make a long voyage from overseas!

PREORDER Ex Libris by Matt Madden

AESTHETIC EDUCATION: Cycles by Tom K

Thank you for reading good comics!

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