1. The Solar Grid #5 is live!
THE SOLAR GRID #5 went life on Wednesday, garnering positive (and astonished!) reactions from our incredibly dedicated readership. Mark Allen at Flickering Myth called it as early as Chapter 3 when he said “each installment brings new angles and exciting concepts to the story.”
It would seem that Chapter 5 came out of left field for a lotta people. Not for me, I’ve had it mapped out as far back as four years ago already. An illicit trade on the Moon is interrupted by an event that will shake the entire Solar System, while famed Martian artist Mickie Stardust, struggling to make end’s meet, tries to find a solution with his art dealer. Rewind back to Japan circa 2019, and a certain Dr. Alexanteri Neuhaus attempts to sway the scientific community with a new idea he has for something called The Solar Grid!
Josh MacPhee pitches in with an awesome supplement that provides a speculative look at the history of guerrilla art on Mars.
This, my friends, is comix like no other. And (!) print-friendly high-res downloads are available for a limited time only (so you can go ahead and make your own bootleg copies) .
2. Review: The Age of Darkness by Caza
Caza's line art is clearly the demented lovechild of Moebius and Druillet, an exceptional combination. His color work I would argue surpasses both, bringing forth a quality that is at once painterly as well as designy; with gradients used minimally (and traditionally) in conjunction with flats within a color palette that rarely exceeds a handful of hues. This, together with his incredibly considered compositions make each and every page within this tome worthy of its own poster. Such a statement in my mind would mean the end result probably wouldn't bode well for sequential storytelling (something say, Sergio Toppi—who I love—is often guilty of), but THE AGE OF DARKNESS is evidence that Caza may be the shining exception to the rule.
3. Leaders Among Us
I don’t really derive much joy from making art about the “Egyptian revolution”—or any revolution for that matter—(there’s a difference between making work about a thing, and making work that is the thing). Not that I do not believe in the cause, but because it comes with bittersweet feels (more bitter than sweet at this point). The above piece though I was commissioned to do for a publication forthcoming from France, and it’s exactly that sort of thing—publications, lectures, exhibitions—that keep the memory of revolution and its ideals alive, for the next generation to carry forth the torch and do things better than we did. The thing about revolution though is that it isn’t only useful against despots and police states. We need it everyday wherever we are even even if on small, very personal scales. It is the spirit of rebellion that allows us to be everything we can possibly be, to be true to ourselves, to stand up to bullies and abusive bosses and and general injustice, to break barriers, challenge the status quo, and do the right thing!
Anyway. The above original just went up at Garage.Ganzeer.
4. Shiibashi Hiroshi’s Schedule
Realized I botched the link to this in last week’s newsletter, so here it is. This is what it takes to make manga in Japan, y’all. If you’re not sure what the terminology is in reference to: Storyboard is essentially thumbnail layouts, and the manuscript is finished original art, typically comprised of pencils, inks, zipatone, and lettering. I’m not sure how many pages per week Shiibashi and crew had to knock out, but it’s my understanding that the standard weekly installment of manga can run anywhere from 8 to 28 pages! (Do correct me if I’m mistaken.)
Again, thanks to Briantm at Restricted.Academy for finding the above graphic.
5. Restricted Radar
Meet Sarah Lopez — Blackbookdesigners.com interviews graphic designer and illustrator Sarah Lopez, 1/4 of the awesome crew that is Radix Media.
How long does it take a tech CEO to earn your salary? This online calculator will do the math for ya (via Nothing Here Newsletter).
Upcoming Periscope on Akhenaten — Ancient Egyptian visionary? Heretic? or just a dude who liked to sunbathe?
That’s it for this week, folks. Stay safe, and remember to make the best of wearing a mask by going full cosplay because why the hell not?
Ganzeer
Houston, TX