» Other by Apollo Baltazar 

How being a furry helped me feel at home in my body.

» Ursa Minor by Joyce Rice 

I drew comics to document my new baby's life—the luminous, the overwhelming, and the gross.

» A Brief History of “Coming Out” by Hazel Newlevant 

Coming out is a queer rite of passage. This excerpt from the new book Queer and How We Got Here illustrates the history of how coming out has evolved. 

» I Won’t Pretend These Missiles are Stars by Anonymous

What does war feel like? This comic from an anonymous artist in Iran shares what life was like on the ground in Tehran as the United States and Israel carried out a bombing campaign.

Artist Talks

Nate Powell, the National Book Award-winning artist of March and acclaimed graphic essay collection Save It For Later, joins us for a free one-hour talk about the craft of making nonfiction comics. Register here.  Wednesday, July 1st, 5pm-6pm PST/8pm-9pm EST

Classes

✨ All of our classes and workshops are online and sliding scale.✨

» Make Your Dang Comic with Kane Lynch: Whether you’re new to making comics or an experienced illustrator looking to push yourself through an artistic block, this eight-week-long beginner-friendly class will kickstart your creativity and put you on track to create a finished comic you’ll be proud of. July 7 – August 25, on Tuesdays from 4pm-6pmPST/7pm-9pm EST

» Advanced Graphic Storytelling with Sanika Phawde: For this in-depth, six-week class on creating compelling graphic narratives, Sanika will walk participants through building a big project from an idea to the pencilling stage, with a focus on finding the core of a story and pacing a comic to express its emotional beats. Thursdays, September 3rd – October 8th, 4pm-6pm PST/7-9pm EST.

» Building a Sketchbook Practice with Anna Sellheim: In this four-week class, we’ll build a sketchbook practice that actually sticks. By the end, you’ll have a sketchbook that feels genuinely useful and the tools to keep it going long after class is over. Wednesdays, August 5th – August 26th, 4pm-6pm PST/7-9pm EST.

One-Off Workshops 

» Intro to digital drawing with Procreate: Want to get into drawing digitally? Or maybe you’re a seasoned Procreate user looking for some new tips and tricks? This beginner-friendly workshop with Audra McNamee will go over a basic comics-making workflow in Procreate. Monday, August 3rd from 4-6pm PST/7-9pm EST

→ Check out all our upcoming classes

A tribute to creator Marjane Satrapi, the author of the groundbreaking graphic memoir Persepolis who passed away on June 4th, by Benedicte O’Leary Rutherford.

About the artist: Benedicte O’Leary Rutherford (she/they) is a comics maker and artist based in Naarm, Australia. They make autobio comics and obsessively draw self-portraits in a never-ending attempt to express how they think and who they are. Their work has been published in Kill Your Darlings, Crucial Comix, Baby Teeth, and About Time. They are undertaking a PhD at RMIT University, currently researching the potential for comics to be sites of mutual affectation and animation.

» Have you heard about Cartoonist United? Shout-out to this cooperative community of cartoonists which aims to make comics accessible and fun. Our summer intern Chai just joined this week and they’re inspired to connect with other artists and keep improving their own work. Apply to join here. 

» The Rumpus is looking to publish more comics under new comics editor Aubrey Hirsch! They pay $500 for original comics they can publish online. Submissions are ongoing so check out all the guidelines here. 

» Want to write about comics? The online comics literary magazine SOLRAD is looking for people to write critical analysis, essays, and interviews about comics. They pay $100 an article. Check out all the details here!  

» Some rad comics festivals are now open for applications! Exhibitor applications are now open for Comics Arts LA, and Seattle’s Short Run. 

This newsletter was written by Shay Mirk. Crucial Comix is supported in part by our backers on Patreon and by the Sequential Artists Workshop.