Art
When Comics Abandon Narrative and Venture into Abstraction
An exhibition at Printed Matter features 15 artists whose serial comics play with the conventions of narrative.
R. Orion Martin
R. Orion Martin is an Iowa-born writer and translator who currently lives in Chengdu, China. You can find more of his work at www.rorionmartin.com.
Art
Why Marvel Fired an Artist for Inserting Religious and Political Messages into an X-Men Comic
Artist Ardian Syaf included religious references and an allusion to recent Indonesian political demonstrations in an X-Men comic.
Books
A Comic Whose Characters Swim in Apathy and Cynicism
A comic written by Pete Toms is peopled with bleak characters in a state of resigned existential crisis.
Books
A Graphic Novel Reimagines 'Romeo and Juliet' in 1980s Brooklyn
Combining a deep examination of Shakespeare’s play with memories of Wimberly’s own teen years, Prince of Cats is electric.
Books
From White Cube to White Panel: Comics Informed by Contemporary Art
Blaise Larmee was a natural choice to edit the first issue of Mirror Mirror, the new flagship anthology from Minneapolis-based comics publisher 2dcloud.
Art
Despite Scandals and Slashed Funding, an Art Museum Perseveres in China
CHENGDU, China — Four years after opening, Chengdu MoCA had to radically reorient itself after several prominent officials connected to it were investigated for corruption.
Interview
The Meandering Comics and Narrative Paintings of an Independent Chinese Cartoonist
SHANGHAI — When Yan Cong started self-publishing comics in the mid-2000s, his work ignored the conventions of the manga-influenced Chinese comics industry and looked instead like characters from children’s cartoons had wandered into an unexpectedly adult world.
Art
A Chinese Performance Artist Who Balances Politics and Poetics
CHENGDU, China — In a series of eight-hour-long actions titled Puzzling Tracks, Zhou Bin placed an ant on a piece of rice paper.
Art
The Shifting Seasons of One of China’s Oldest Public Parks
CHENGDU, China — The first public parks began appearing in China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but it wasn’t until after the Communist revolution that they became centers of urban life.
Art
An Opinionated Chinese Art Critic Who Breaks the Mold
CHENGDU, China — ARTWOCA’s writing is part ferocious critique, part gossip, and part adventure in typography.