THE COMICS JOURNAL #301
When did The Comics Journal get so freakin' fat? Weighing in at one and a half pounds, this 624 page sucker features more of what you love (or hate) about comics criticism: long, detailed interviews and reviews that will take you days to read. Absorbing, or perhaps tedious depending on your mood, this is a beast I’ve been wrestling with for a few months. This issue features an interview with R. Crumb conducted by Journal publisher, Gary Groth. The topic of discussion is Crumb’s illustrated creation story, Genesis. Groth questions Crumb on the development of his technique over the years, his creative process for this project and what led him to begin his adaptation of the ultimate beginning. The interview is followed by a roundtable barrage of praise and criticism from over a half dozen art and culture critics, who either praise Crumb or take the artist to task for a variety of sins. Read more!

AN INTERVIEW WITH
JEFFREY BROWN

Jeffrey Brown is a very busy man. Not only is a film that he co-wrote currently in production, he's also held the titles of music video director, NPR contributor, children's book author, comics creator, diarist, husband, father and probably a cousin to someone as well. Mr. Brown is living proof that you can make a career out of drawing pictures of robots shooting lasers. Ok, maybe he doesn't draw pictures of robots shooting lasers exclusively, but still, that's pretty cool. So, if you are someone who draws pictures of robots shooting lasers, don't stop now! Read the Interview!

AN INTERVIEW WITH
HANS RICKHEIT

Hans Rickheit is a riddle, wrapped in an enigma, enveloped in a nocturnal hallucinatory fantasy nightmare. That's the effect that his comics and graphic novels can have on a person at any rate. Influenced by the ancient, the archaic and the gothic side of Americana, Rickheit exposes our collective underbrain and pokes it real good. Read the Interview!

AN INTERVIEW WITH
SIMON GANE

Like a lot of artists and writers working today, UK comics creator, Simon Gane, got his start in the underground music scene of the 90s. Fanzines and indie publishers (then as now) provided a stable of young creators who labored for years (with hangovers!) developing their art and style. If you don't believe me, track down an old copy of Simon's Arnie Comix and compare it to a more recent example of his work in the illustrated Paris series. Being a part of this small, intimate world without rules, artists like Gane were able to build a following and a portfolio which allows them to make a living today. Live from Bath, England, it's Simon Gane! Read the Interview!

From the Archives
AN INTERVIEW WITH
JOHNNY RYAN

Johnny Ryan walks the thin line between clever and stupid like a pro. And that thinner line between funny and just plain absurd? Well, he walks that too. Actually, he sort of drags his foot over it and smears it beyond recognition. Or, I guess you could say, he snorts that line like a five dollar bag of "skrank." But enough with the ridiculous metaphors already. Read the Interview!

From the Archives
MIKE DIXON ON
GARY PANTER

Gary Panter's answering machine sounds like a dilapidated robot. The creaky mechanical monotone is a perfectly appropriate voice for notifying callers that the artist is unable to answer at the phone. Since the late '70s, Panter has spread his inimitable alternate-universe visions across the world, in the form of countless books, comics, art exhibitions and installations, performances, animated cartoons, record albums, toys, housewares, and on and on into infinity. His work across so many mediums is an inspiring and true testament to the power of imagination. He's a really nice guy, too! Read the Article!

From the Archives
AN INTERVIEW WITH
DAN CLOWES

Hero to afficiandos of underground comics (and Chicagoan) Dan Clowes, is showing signs of breaking through to the masses with his work. Not only has he landed a Reglar Wiglar Interview, but there's also a soon-to-be-released Hollywood picture show based on the "Ghost World" series from his comic book Eightball (Fantagraphics) Eightball explores the freaky side of modern existence. Its often surreal and bizarre storylines weave through a noir world of sweaty foreheads, toothy grins, gunshots, and striped shirts, where Satanists and billboards are icons and punk rock nymphs and deformed creeps mingle freely. Read the Interview!

AN INTERVIEW WITH
JEF CZEKAJ

Battle-hardened in the mini-comics trenches of the mid 90s, artist Jef Czekaj has found a whole new audience: the kids of the kids who used to read his indie comics! Read the Interview!

AN INTERVIEW WITH
JESSE REKLAW

I had the weirdest dream last night. I dreamt that Sarah Palin ran a strip joint in Vegas and Justin Beiber was there drinking Old Fashioneds with Lady Gaga and they were both stuffing hundred dollar bills into Kanye West's g-string. It was freaky, man. Naw, I'm kidding, but artist Jesse Reklaw has been hearing that kinda shit for years, and transforming those nocturnal submissions into a weekly comic strip called Slow Wave. But that's not all he does, click on the link below to find out more. Do it! Read the Interview!

From the Archives
AN INTERVIEW WITH
PETER BAGGE

In the crazy world of underground comics only the insane survive. Only those few souls with the belly-fire burning inside of them can hack it. Only those creatures who are clever and cunning and perhaps a little devious and what in the hell am I talking about? I have no idea, but something's got to fill up the space before the interview starts, that's all I know. Presumably, if you've read this far, you already know who Peter Bagge is, so Read the Interview!

From the Archives
AN INTERVIEW WITH
SAM HENDERSON

If you don't laugh out loud at one of Sam Henderson's comic strips then you probably have bananas stuck in your eye sockets. If that's the case, I strongly recommend that you get 'em outta there 'cause with Sam's style of cocktail napkin cartooning, hilarious, if not downright absurd situations, and head slaps for punch lines, you're missing a good chuckle at the expense of such characters as Dirty Danny, Punctuation Duck and Vaudeville Gorilla. Read the Interview!

© 2012 Reglar Wiglar Magazine