August 2024 - Sunshine & Surrealism
SDCC Recap - Rose City Comic Con - Earthstars- Švankmajer - The Pixies
It has been a busy month in the Great Green Woods.
San Diego Comic-Con came and went in a whirl of sunshine and cosplay. I’m pleased to report I won the Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award at the Eisner Awards, which was a joyful yet surreal experience. It was incredible and humbling to sit in the company of so many hardworking and creative individuals who have given so much, and sacrificed too much, to live the Art Life, and to tell us their dreams—so we may dream them, too. To be acknowledged amongst them, if only for a brief moment, will be a memory I shall hold close and use as fuel during the wintery seasons of lonely labor artists must pass through to make such make-believe.
Meanwhile, Steph and I have been soaking in the PNW sun (while it lasts), hiking through rainforests, splashing in lakes, and climbing a few very tall mountains. No mushroom foraging this season, though I did encounter some fun specimens on the trails.
Back in the studio, production is underway on the next episode of The Mushroom Knight, and we’re gearing up to promote Volume 2, which will be in stores November 5th - Election Day. If you think you might be looking for a breath of fresh air amongst the heightened political drama, I suggest sidestepping into a world of mycological drama, by way of your local book store or comic shop. Volume 2 hits differently than Volume 1. It is a, dare I say, more conventional part of the story, with a lot of sweet character development and moments of connection. For those wondering, the first story arc of TMK is broken into three acts, with Volume 1 being the first, Volume 2 being the second, and Volume 3 (coming next year) being the third and final. Together they tell one story. And after that? You’ll have to wait and see.
Next week, Steph, Ori, and I will be driving down to Portland for Rose City Comic Con, where I will be tabling through the weekend at K-27 in the Artist Alley.
Until September.
As always—it goes on,
Oliver Bly
Calendar:
September 6th-8th - Rose City Comic Con
Look for me in Artist Alley all weekend long, table K-27
October 17th-20th - New York Comic Con
Appearance info TBA
November 5th - THE MUSHROOM KNIGHT, VOL. 2 release date!
Pre-order now!
My thumbnails are rough. I have a hard time getting motivated to draw something that might wind up in dumpster, so I scribble out my initial ideas as quickly and crudely as possible, saving time for the stuff that counts. These are the four options I sent to my editors, Christina and Mike, and we all agreed that Option B, “Heroic Gowli”, was best. You can see how the idea bloomed in the initial inks below. Later on, Options A and D were combined to create the as of yet unrevealed cover for Volume 3.
One of the most common questions I am asked at comic conventions is “what’s your favorite mushroom?”
As a general rule of thumb, I don’t do favorites. I don’t have a favorite food or song or artist. I’m big into the concept of ecology—I like how things work in tandem with each other in community or system, and I usually move in seasons with my tastes and interests.
However, that’s not a satisfying answer, so in response to that question I tell people my favorite mushroom is Gaestrum triplex, or the Earthstar mushroom.
Why? Well, just look at the thing! It’s amazing. The above photo was taken during my first foray with the South Sound Mushroom Club. The mushroom sprouts out of the ground as a tiny little ball that later unfurls like a flower, revealing a pudgy spore sac framed by four to eight exoperidium “petals.” If you squeeze or press on the sac, you’ll be rewarded with a lovely poof of dusty fungal babies sprayed from the beaky peristome.
How evocative and haunting! Subsequently, the Earthstar has inspired several organisms depicted in my comic, including these things in The Mushroom Knight.
This month’s magic comes from the Czech surrealist Jan Švankmajer, one of my favorite artists and filmmakers. This animation, entitled “Factual Conversation” or “Exhaustive Discussion” is pulled from his Dimensions of Dialogue three-part film, and viscerally illustrates what it is like to have a conversation on the internet.
As a bonus, here is a picture of me as a young slinky lad sitting outside of Švankmajer’s house and art gallery in Prague.
Here Comes Your Man by The Pixies blasted through my earbuds as I stepped off the plane in San Diego, and it became my theme song for the convention all weekend long. I used it to steady my roiling nerves before the Eisners, and I played it as a victory song afterwards while we ate pizza outside of Landini’s in Little Italy at 2am. While this punchy bop is apparently about a deadly California earthquake, I chose to channel the song’s meaning as the earth-shaking excitement built and released around gigantic spectacles like SDCC.