Shoujo Club Supplement, 1949

A small (approx 4″ by 6″) stapled pamphlet, this is an illustrated story called Satsuki Hime 五月姫, which seems to translate as “May Princess,” written by Manabe Kureo 眞鍋呉夫, with pictures by Watanabe Ikuko 渡辺郁子. 42 pages long on newsprint.

I would have guessed it to be pre-war, but it’s an early post-war publication. Though I’m not able to read the Japanese, the illustrations have a very classic shoujo look, reminiscent of artists like Hiroshi Katsuyama and Junichi Nakahara. Continue reading “Shoujo Club Supplement, 1949”

Boston Powers Y2 Kickstarter is Live

Now through September 17, Boston Comics Roundtable is raising funds for the second year of “Boston Powers,” Superhero comics for kids, set in and around Boston:

Kickstarter promo images, featuring Kurt Ankeny’s cover artwork.

I’m the editor of the books, plus contributing stories of The Blue Lobster…

…and other features, alongside the dozens of great stories from the artists and writers of the BCR.

Be a pal, won’t you, and help fund issues 4, 5 and 6 of Boston Powers?

Lunatic, reviewed

Two recent positive reviews for “Lunatic.” In the Boston Globe, Nina McLaughlin wrote on December 17: “Moonglow. Cambridge native Dan Mazur’s magic new book “Lunatic” (Ninth Art) is an elegant, moving wordless story of a woman’s ardent relationship with the moon. The illustrations move from her infancy to her adulthood, as she tilts her gaze upwards, dreamy and yearning, to see a companion peering back down at her. She devotes herself to its study at university, and launches herself towards it in more literal ways. The atmosphere of illustration shifts as time moves; Mazur, a co-founder of the Boston Comics Roundtable and the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo, uses ink washes, pencil and nib pen, acrylic paints, giving each lifestage a distinct energy. The main character has a force and vitality to her, and a solitude. There is ardor in her, and melancholy, too. Mazur takes her on an otherworldly journey, and opens us to the different incarnations intimacy and life meaning can take. He also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the process and decision-making that went into the making of the book, a compelling look at artistic choices for both artists and readers alike.”

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/12/17/arts/new-graphic-book-by-artist-dan-mazur-poetry-vermont-based-elizabeth-powell-forest-bookish-trees-concord-museum

On December 30, The Beat published “Everyone Should Be a Lunatic” by John Seven: