is the name editor Ryan Standfest of Detroit, Michigan has given to his upcoming anthology of original narrative comics, art and essays by 42 international artists and writers, all focused on the expression of black, dark or absurdist humor. The book will be a co-production of Rotland Press and Comicworks.
Till March 4th, it’ll be up for funding on Kickstarter, with a goal of raising $2500 to help defray publishing costs. This will be a really handsome, well-produced piece of book art, deluxe volume stuffed with unique material. You can preview images from the book in a video at Kickstarter, and in continuous updates at the Rotland Press blog. The first images, of the cover and limited edition letterpress print by Paul Nudd and Onsmith, are there now.
I have a translation in BLACK EYE of “100 Good Reasons To Kill Myself Right Now” by Roland Topor, an amazing French artist and cult personality (actor, animator, writer, painter, illustrator). This will be accompanied by selected Topor cartoons. As a writer, Topor is perhaps best known for his first novel, Le locataire chimérique, the basis for Roman Polanski’s film The Tenant. Centipede Press recently reprinted Francis K. Price’s translation of the novel in an extremely limited edition with an introduction by horror master Thomas Ligotti. A great deal of Topor’s work remains untranslated, and what has been translated is often either out of print or in expensive editions scattered among small presses, but those interested in his art have this nice option from Picturebox, and a number of his animated short films, with or without Rene Laloux, can be dug up on Youtube.
But the real reason you should fund BLACK EYE is the awesome roster of artists, a veritable indie powerhouse: Stéphane Blanquet, Ivan Brunetti, Lilli Carré, Al Columbia, Ludovic Debeurme, Brecht Evens, Glenn Head, Paul Hornschemeier, Kaz, Michael Kupperman, Fanny Michaëlis, Olivier Schrauwen, Robert Sikoryak… Kickstarter features a full list.
Go check it out!