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Philly: What do your comics say about us?

by Patrick Rapa

Published: Aug 12, 2009

Can you glean anything about the city of Philadelphia from the flood of submissions we got for this year's Comics Issue? We can pretend to try.

It appears we like robots, and ghosts, and animals. We like when animals do it. Sometimes, with people. We're nostalgic for our old toys — Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, etc. We think unicorns are neat. We hate hipsters. We're pretty good at drawing but lousy at geometry. We're weird. We're funny.

For ALL of the comics fit to Flickr, click here.

There was only one Garfield subversion this year, and it actually got a few chuckles during the roundtable selection process. You'll find "Guido the Invisible Cat" and a whole lot of other comics that didn't make the issue right here. As for the ones we managed to fit into our print edition, I gotta say, we're pretty damn proud of you. Our cartoonist-readers cut it close with the deadline, but came through in the clutch.

We are beyond pleased to have Nick Cassway doing the cover this year. Nick's been a favorite artist around the CP office for years, from his "Scary Monster" T-shirts to his Vaseline-on-paper pictures of Enron execs to his most recent portrait series. Just look at that cover. I told you we're weird.

(pat@citypaper.net)

Comments

Hating hipsters is so 2003.
by Drew H on August 13th 2009 10:58 AM

The comics in the issue were great (bias notwithstanding), but I must say I was more than a little disappointed you guys didn’t talk at all about Philly’s thriving comics scene. I understand the lack of space you have to work with, but nowhere in the issue even mentions the wealth of creators, professional and non, we have here. One of Philadelphia’s only saving graces is its DIY art scene. Unlike in other big cities, it doesn’t matter whom your grandmother gave head to; you can be a no-name with a bunch of no-name friends and start a gallery, or a collective, or even just a bunch of kids selling paintings on the sidewalk. And the same goes for comic-ers. Not only does Philly appreciate a good Xerox-and-staple affair, but the rise of the internet has given more exposure to creators than ever before. Moreover, comics are finally gaining adequate momentum as a legitimate storytelling and artistic medium—to not even devote a paragraph to either of these points in the “Comic Issue” seems like a waste.

I know this issue was probably more about you guys being able to relax for a week and run a bunch of free content, but I sincerely hope at one point you can spare the time and space to talk about one of the best things Philly’s got going for it.
by Cyn Why? on August 14th 2009 11:37 AM

I rember the first year you did the comic Issue,there was a contest to give sommeone a shot at being in your paper.What ever happened with that?
by Dani on August 17th 2009 4:14 PM



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