Skip to main content

Strip Search, Episode 40 — Joel Christian Gill


The inaugural chair of the Master of Fine Arts in Visual Narrative at Boston University, Joel Christian Gill recently talked to Strip Search about the exhibit he curated there, “Comics Is A Medium, Not a Genre,” running through March 24, 2023. It’s a free exhibit that covers a century and a half of American comic books, comic strips, graphic novels and more, in an attempt to show how comics can tell any kind of story to any age group or demographic. (Not just kids, in other words.)

“It becomes this really pure art form,” Gill says, explaining that comics, with their unique blend of words and visuals, have a way of reaching readers that other media might not. “It teaches you things because it talks to you on this subconscious level,” he says. Gill talked about curating the exhibit, about his own work — including the great graphic novel series "Strange Fruit" — and about why comics sometimes scare people to death. Plus, learn about his new project with Ibram Kendi, "Stamped From The Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America."
Also, in our intro: We discuss the big announcement that "Calvin and Hobbes" creator Bill Watterson is coming back to comics! (Sort of.) Listen or watch below, and scroll down to see more from "Comics Is A Medium, Not a Genre." (And read the Boston.com Q&A with Joel here!)
   



Two of the graphic novels by Joel Christian Gill.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Introducing Strip Search, the cartooning podcast

Hello all! Welcome to Strip Search, a new podcast where we'll be interviewing cartooning professionals and talk comic strips: their history, classic comics, the current state of the industry, and comics to watch out for. If you're a cartoonist or humorous illustrator and want to appear on the podcast with Dave and Pete, email us at petpeevescomic@gmail.com .

Strip Search, Episode 47 — Jonathan Todd, author of "Timid"

Trigger warning: If you would rather not remember what middle school was like, you may not want to read “Timid,” the new middle-grade graphic novel by local cartoonist and illustrator Jonathan Todd, coming April 2 from Scholastic . But if you happen to be in middle school right now, or know someone who is, it’s unlikely you’ll find a better depiction of just how fraught and awkward those years can be. We find out how Jonathan did it when he appears on the latest Strip Search podcast! (For more on Jonathan and "Timid," check out his website here .) Also, we discuss the latest collateral damage from Gannett's comics page "consolidation" — specifically, female cartoonists — and give an update on "Nerd Dad!" the Pet Peeves collection coming later in 2024. Watch or listen (and check out some highlights from "Timid") below, and if you're in the Boston area, here are some places where you can catch Mr. Todd in person: Book release and talk , Bel

Strip Search, Episode 41 — Jimmy Craig

When most comic strip animals talk, they don’t exactly scream “realism.” It was hard to imagine that Garfield was speaking for most cats when he declared his hatred of Mondays or his love for lasagna. But the animals that populate “They Can Talk,” the wry, brilliant weekly webtoon by cartoonist Jimmy Craig, don’t just sound authoritative — they’re downright relatable. And fans of both comics and animals are clearly listening to what Craig’s creatures have to say. In the seven years since he launched the strip, it’s amassed 615,000 followers on Instagram, 658,000 on Facebook, and has spawned two books; the latest, “Are You Gonna Eat That?” from Ulysses Press , hits shelves this month. Listen or watch below as we catch up with Craig to talk about talking to the animals, and them talking back. You'll find samples of his work at the bottom of this post, and for more you can visit Jimmy's website, theycantalk.com , or his Facebook and Instagram feeds. (Plus, for his standalone New