Dream Log: A Mini-Comic

Even though our Queer Comics Project class isn’t running this semester at the California College of the Arts, I had to post this! This is a mini-comic made by Yssa, an extremely talented CCA animation student, for the Graphic Novel Workshop class I’m currently teaching. It’s a moving document of queer love and loss, and a remarkable first comic by a remarkable woman.

Justin

yssadalawa:

Here’s the mini-comic we had to do for our Graphic Novel class! 

It was very cathartic making this because it was about something extremely personal and sensitive to me and a lot of other people around me. Making this actually helped me come to my own conclusion/closure, and it just really stresses how much art means to me as a means of expression and outlet. 

Therefore, please do not use or steal without my consent!

I hope you enjoy this (:

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The Queer Comics Project class at the S.F. Cartoon Art Museum, after just having framed the art for the show they curated of local creators of LGBTQ comics. From left to right: Kevin Huang, Devin Mireles, Megan Yamanaka, Steven Soundara, and Robyn Dalbey. The opening party for the show is Saturday, December 17th from 5:30-7:30pm. There will be art, music, cartoonists, an X-Men drag number… in other words, a damn good time!

The Queer Comics Project class at the S.F. Cartoon Art Museum, after just having framed the art for the show they curated of local creators of LGBTQ comics. From left to right: Kevin Huang, Devin Mireles, Megan Yamanaka, Steven Soundara, and Robyn Dalbey.

The opening party for the show is Saturday, December 17th from 5:30-7:30pm. There will be art, music, cartoonists, an X-Men drag number… in other words, a damn good time!

Jon Macy, in this second snippet from our interview with him at the Center of Sex and Culture, explains his use of fantasy elements in his gay comics. These have been particularly useful to him when dealing with the dangers of gay sex during the AIDS crisis, and the horrible blow of California’s Prop 8, which banned same-sex marriage. This interview was lead by CCA illustration major Devin Mireles.

Jon Macy talks about sex and assimilation in gay comics. We interviewed him at the Center of Sex and Culture, where he curated a show called Dirty Comics; the fabulous background is part of the Center. Jon recently won the Prism Comics Queer Press Grant and the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Erotica, the latter for his graphic novel Teleny and Camille, an adaptation of the dark, erotic novel attributed to Oscar Wilde. An excerpt of this will appear in the No Straight Lines book. The interview was spearheaded by CCA illustration major Devin Mireles.

Trina Robbins describes creating the first comic book story about a lesbian, which is the first comics story about any LGBTQ person that wasn’t derogatory, erotic, or a gag strip; this is the birth of the queer “literary” comics genre. “Sandy Comes Out” will be included in the No Straight Lines anthology.

Robbins describes the reaction by queer artists Mary Wings and Roberta Gregory, who were outraged that a straight woman beat them to it. What isn’t mentioned here is that the character Sandy was actually Robert Crumb’s sister!

This is the second snippet from an interview conducted by CCA painting major Robyn Dalbey.

The remarkable Trina Robbins talks about women making comics, and the audience she had of young, gay boys for her “girl’s comics” featuring paper doll designs. Having Trina come to class was fantastic; this woman has inspired generations of creators, and helped open up the world of comics for both women and queers. All hail Trina! She was interviewed by CCA painting major Robyn Dalbey.

David Kelly, co-editor of the Boy Trouble series, talks about the creation of his strip Steven’s Comics, which was published in gay newspapers, recently collected in a trade, and will be featured in the No Straight Lines book. Also, he describes how queer comics are gaining a wider audience. He was interviewed by CCA fashion major Steven Soundara.

Agnes Czaja, the creator of the masterful Acrobats webcomic, talks about the origins of yaoi (Japanese comics of gay male sex and romance, made by and for women) and slash (the American version of the same phenomenon).  The interview was done by the whole of the Queer Comics Project class, right before Agnes’ full slideshow presentation on yaoi.

Charles “Zan” Christensen, founder of both the LGBT comics advocacy non-profit Prism Comics, and the new LGBT comics publisher Northwest Press, as well as the writer of the comics Mark of Aeacus and The Power Within, talks about the importance of a queer perspective in comics.  The interview was headed up by CCA animation major Kevin Huang. 

The ever-dynamic Mary Wings discusses creating the world’s first lesbian comic book, Come Out Comix, in 1973.  We filmed her in class, but there was a problem with the sound, so this is from an iphone clip done later at her home.  The initial interview was conducted by CCA painting major Robyn Dalbey and CCA writing major Megan Yamanaka.

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Themed by: Hunson