The Comics Journal #304

by Gary Groth, Simon Hanselmann, Kristy Valenti (Editor)

This issue of the award-winning magazine features an interview with Megahex cartoonist Simon Hanselmann and focuses on economics. In this issue of the award-winning magazine, Tasmanian cartoonist Simon Hanselmann discusses how his webcomic ― starring a witch, a cat, and an owl ― became an internationally acclaimed, best-selling phenomenon. Thematically, #304 highlights labor and economics ― the past and the future of organizing a comics union, work-for-hire contracts, and how comic conventions can better serve creators ― with the Journal’s hallmark candor. Other features include an exclusive look at the unfinished graphic novel that Eisner and Geisel Award winner Geoffrey Hayes was working on before his untimely death in 2017, a peek inside the lush sketchbook of Sophie Franz, a timely work by Brazilian cartoonist Laura Lannes, and more! Full-color illustrations throughout.

Genres: Comics, Anthologies, Criticism

200 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2019

Reviews

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always happy to see a new issue of The Comics Journal. No one does in-depth interviews quite as well as they do.

In this issue, Simon Hanselmann, of Megg and Mogg fame, tells all. I knew he was originally from Tasmania and all, but I had no idea his upbringing was so … colorful. He’s an intelligent and articulate fellow, and his own story is every bit as interesting as the comics he draws.

Another standout for me, was the first (and, sadly, only) chapter of Geoffrey Hayes’ graphic novel, Lovo and the Firewolf. Hayes, a veteran children's book illustrator and author (and younger brother of underground comics legend, the late Rory Hayes) had been working on Lovo at the time of his death in 2017. Only the first chapter was ever completed, and not enough notes survive to even attempt the rest of the book. It's a tragic look at a beautiful graphic novel that might have been …

Any issue of The Comics Journal is, as far as I'm concerned, highly recommended!

[Dominick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical, unexceptional issue of the Journal. Close to half of it is taken up by an interview with Australian cartoonist Simon Hanselmann, which is perhaps both the strength and the weakness of the issue. There is much to be said for long, detailed interviews in which one can explore deeply a creator's work. However, I've never heard of Hanselmann, and close to a hundred pages of an interview with him did not convince me that adding him to the list of cartoonists I follow is essential. For me, therefore, the interest value of this piece was not commensurate with its size. I'd have preferred to see the other main topic of the issue--the economic realities of the comics industry--given more space, and the interview given less. The other features are of moderate interest. There are several pages of a comics project by Geoffrey Hayes that will never be finished, as he died with only the first chapter done. Nice as it is to see this work preserved, it's also somewhat frustrating to see something that will never be completed. And since I am not very familiar with Hayes's work, anyway, seeing this incomplete final project is of less interest to me than it might be to others. Indeed, most of the cartoonists covered here are unfamiliar to me--no doubt a testament to how out of touch I am with the contemporary scene, but also something that makes this issue overall of less interest to me than I had hoped. Recommended for those deeply interested in Hanselmann, or those who want to keep up with the current art comics world.

[Christoph Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Interview". It spans almost a hundred pages!

I like it quite a lot.