In the landscape of contemporary sequential art, few works have managed to bridge the gap between fine art abstraction and narrative comics as provocatively as Chris Harnan’s Big Pool. Published in the summer of 2025 by the UK’s Breakdown Press and France’s Fidèle Editions, the book has quickly become a touchstone for the "anti-technical"
The Art of Resistance: Gord Hill and the Unvarnished History of the Antifascist Struggle
In an era where the boundary between commercial art and political activism is increasingly blurred by corporate interests, Gord Hill stands as a defiant outlier. While mainstream cultural productions often sanitize radical ideologies into digestible fables of individual heroism, Hill—a Kwakwaka’wakw artist, author, and activist—utilizes the m
The Pen Behind the Punchline: Remembering Tom “SWISS” Wuthrich (1945–2026)
The world of American illustration and magazine humor has lost one of its most prolific and versatile voices. Thomas Frederick Wuthrich, better known to millions of readers by his distinctive pen name “SWISS,” passed away on May 14, 2026, at the age of 80. A resident of Royal Oak, Michigan, Wuthrich’s career spanned over five […]
The Pen and the Swastika: The Third Reich’s Relentless War on Political Satire
“No dictator is displeased by cartoons showing his terrible person stalking through blood and mud… What he does not want to get around is the idea he is an ass, which is really damaging.” These words, penned by the legendary British cartoonist David Low, encapsulate a fundamental truth about authoritarianism: power is often built on […]
A Surreal Descent: Dino Buzzati’s Masterpiece ‘Poem Strip’ Reclaimed for the 21st Century
MILAN/NEW YORK — The intersection of high literature and graphic art has long been a fertile, if occasionally fraught, ground for experimentation. Yet, few works in the history of the medium carry the weight and stylistic audacity of Dino Buzzati’s Poem Strip (Poema a fumetti). Originally published in 1969 and now revitalized in a definitive [&hell
The Architects of Dread: Analyzing the Most Terrifying Entities in Television History
In the contemporary landscape of prestige television, the "monster" has undergone a profound evolution. While current discourse is frequently dominated by the psychological torment of Vecna in Stranger Things or the trans-dimensional malevolence of Pennywise in the upcoming It: Welcome to Derry, the history of the small screen is populate
The State of the Graphic Arts: A Comprehensive Review of the Comics Industry (May 2026)
The first week of May 2026 has proven to be a watershed moment for the global comics and graphic novel industry, characterized by a poignant intersection of high-profile institutional recognition and the somber loss of several foundational figures. From the announcement of the Pulitzer Prizes to the release of critical economic surveys regarding cr
Beyond Sentiment: A Solemn Meditation on Memorial Day, the Rule of Law, and the Price of Freedom
Main Facts: The Evolution of Remembrance and the Erosion of Law Memorial Day, often relegated to the status of a holiday weekend marking the unofficial start of summer, serves as a profound juncture for national reflection. While popular culture frequently leans toward sentimental imagery—children saluting gravestones or flags waving over parades—c
The Ephemeral Tapestry: Analyzing Amanda Baeza’s ‘Wisps’ and the Evolution of Modern Graphic Poetics
The landscape of contemporary independent comics is often defined by its tension between narrative tradition and avant-garde experimentation. Few artists navigate this boundary with as much fluid grace as Amanda Baeza. With the release of her latest collection, Wisps, published by the esteemed Latvian press kuš!, Baeza reaffirms her position as a c
The Satire Paradox: India’s Supreme Court to Decide if Cartoons Belong in Classrooms
In a move that has reignited a nationwide debate over the intersection of pedagogy, politics, and satire, the Supreme Court of India has formally intervened in the long-standing controversy surrounding the use of political cartoons in National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks. On May 22, 2026, a three-judge Bench, led
