There are three links I want to draw your attention to today, my dear readers. The first is the Irish Comics Wiki. Ireland’s comics scene is small but lively, and while the Wiki is so new that it doesn’t have much information up at the moment, with participation from knowledgeable types it’ll grow into an essential resource. Wikis are only as good as the people who edit them, so if you know anything about Irish comics or Irish comics creators (Pádraig Ó Méalóid we’re looking at you here – Joe), click that link, make yourself an account and share what you know.
The second link is to one of my favourite blogs, The Life and Opinions of Andrew Rilstone. I’ve been following Andrew’s online writings for years now; he’s one of the funniest, most intelligent, and most incisive cultural writers on the web; whether he’s defending C. S. Lewis raising a sceptical eyebrow at a production of The Flying Dutchman, or analysing the classic Fantastic Four story “The Coming of Galactus”, he’s got a knack for seizing on insights others have missed and expressing them with wit and precision. At the moment he’s doing a multi-part essay on the recent works of Dave Sim, which is fascinating and thought-provoking as usual. Check it out, and then check out his archives: he’s been blogging for years, and he’s always worth reading.
(a strip from Compulsory Reading which articulates the nightmare scenario of many a bibliophile, art and (c) Alison Bechdel)
The third link is to Compulsory Reading, a new piece by Alison Bechdel. After hearing that Bechdel, probably best known for her memoir Fun Home, was putting her ongoing strip Dykes to Watch Out For on hiatus, I felt a sense of loss. Dykes To Watch Out For has been running for 20 years, and I’ve been reading it since I was a teenager; it’s sad to think of Mo and Toni and Clarice and Sydney-the-evil-women’s-studies-professor and all the rest of them being in limbo. So I was delighted to see new work from Bechdel, especially since the subject is one I can identify with… maybe a little too much. As I type this, I can see a pile of unread graphic novels staring at me reproachfully from the floor, not to mention all the ordinary books I’ve bought or borrowed and never got round to reading. I know it’s silly to feel guilty about it, but I can’t seem to help myself; there’s some comfort in knowing that I’m not the only one.
Katherine Farmar writes regularly on comics and culture from around the world, you can read more on her comics blog Whereof One Can Speak.
July 4th, 2008 at 6:45 am
I’ll go look at the Irish Comics Wiki, and I don’t doubt that there’ll be something I can add…
October 13th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Just to let you know, the Irish Comics Wiki has been so successful – more than 250 articles and still growing – that it’s been moved to Wikia, which uses the same software as Wikipedia and should be easier to register with and easier to edit. The new address is:
http://irishcomics.wikia.com/