Don Unger

Fanzines about Small-Press Comics

Below I list U.S. publications that focused most of their coverage on small press, independent, and/or minicomics and their creators from the early 1970s to today. This list does not include publications that featured only artwork or strips, though some of them include comics. The publications on the list featured news, interviews, ads, reviews, con reports, and columns on small press and independent comics. Oftentimes, they also included articles on how to create, publish, and distribute comics.

Small Press Comics News Sources

Below you’ll find a list of print and online resources that should tithe you over in between reading and making comics. Each of the resources provides intelligent information about comic books, comic creators, and the craft of comics/cartooning.

Note: I only include resources that devote a substantial portion of their coverage to indie creators. There are plenty of sites and social media accounts that focus on Marvel and DC. They don’t interest me in the slightest. If those publishers interest you, Google them.

June 2020 Kickstarter Campaigns

I want to draw your attention to two awesome Kickstarter campaigns that are currently underway. I support both campaigns. First, Jim Rugg has a campaign to fund his black-light comic book called Octobriana 1976. The comic features the devil woman as she battles robot Stalin. To learn more about the character and her history asContinue reading “June 2020 Kickstarter Campaigns”

May 2020 Reading List

Here’s a list of all the comics, graphic novels, comic-related books, zines, and other small press publications that I read in May 2020 with brief descriptions and information on where I found each publication.

On Barry Blair, Founder of Aircel Comics

In this post I address Barry Blair’s history as a professional artist and comic book creator from the 1970s to the late 1990s, including his self-published work through Night Wynd Productions, the rise and fall of Aircel Comics, his resurrection of the Night Wynd imprint, his work for WaRP Graphics on various Elfquest titles, and his transition away from comics into fetish and kink illustration. I conclude by raising questions about Blair’s lasting impact on comics and addressing where his work stands today.

April 2020 Reading List

Here’s a list of all the comics, graphic novels, comic-related books, zines, and other small press publications that I read in April 2020 with brief descriptions and information on where I found each publication.

Becoming a Fan Again at San Diego Comic Fest 2020

In December 2019 I decided I was going to attend San Diego Comic Fest (SDCF) the following March. It had been decades since I attended a fan convention of any sort.