It's another entry in Panel Patter's not Patented SPX Spotlight feature! We're ready to provide you with some great pre-show coverage for one of the best comic shows in the United States! In a show with nearly 700 exhibitors, we'll help you find some of the best! You can read all our SPX Spotlights from 2017 and prior shows here.
At Panel Patter, we cover quite a few of the really small presses, which often use their status to publish books that might not otherwise see print. The problem is, because they're on the margins of the comic world, it also makes it a bit harder to keep going, year after year.
Of all of those publishers, 2D Cloud really stretches the envelope. They are constantly one of the most experimental publishers, putting out work that stretches boundaries. We've covered quite a few of their books over time, and their authors include Mari Naomi, Noah Van Sciver, content/editorial work by Sean T. Collins and Julia Gfrörer, Will Dinski, and many many more. Their books are of the highest quality (Mirror Mirror II is simply a joy to look at, even before you get to the content inside the cover), and they're never afraid to publish books that others might not, such as Someone Please Have Sex with Me.
For the Summer lineup, you can pick up the following books:
Architecture of an Atom by Juliacks, another of 2D Cloud's experimental books, which look to pus the boundaries of what makes a comic a comic just that much further.
Retreat by Jaakko Pallasvuo is probably the one I'm most looking forward to in this batch. Look at the coloring, how the panels blend together and yet there's a very specific narrative structure going on, even as the colors bleep across the wavering lines! Plus, it's about gay artists surviving an apocalypse. What more could you ask for?
Lost in The Fun Zone by Leif Goldberg is a debut comic from a creator already well-schooled in visual media. I'm not quite sure what to make of it upon first meeting. That's a good thing, and it's just what I expect from 2D Cloud. Their preview info on the KS promises some Garfield riffing, and that's always a good time.
Kindling by Xia Gordon is another great example of 2D Cloud's willingness to experiment. The comic looks amazing, but it's unlike anything you'll see, even on the shelves of most indie-friendly comic shops. It's the type of flowing, challenging work that really needs our help when it comes to pre-funding.
So before you do anything else, go sign up to get one or all of these book at their Kickstarter now!
At SPX, 2D should have some of their existing titles ready to go for your reading pleasure. One of them, Yours by Sarah Ferrick, is an Ignatz nominee for Best Promising New Talent! Here's the cover and a few sample pages:
I'm sure they'll also have the other more recent books, such as Virus Tropical, Mirror Mirror II, and others as well as some older books, if they've still got copies. 2D Cloud also has an ongoing magazine, Altcomics, which is a love-letter to the type of work they've grown to be best known for publishing.
Here's the thing--a lot of experimental comics are very personal. You either dig them, or you don't. At first glance, these previews may not wow you, especially if you're more used to comics that have a strict narrative flow, even if they're outrageous in their execution. But one of the things I encourage people to do is go outside their comfort zone at least once per show and pick up a book they'd normally pass by. You never know what you're going to like until you try. At 2D Cloud, you'll find some of the best experimental comics out there. Backing their KS or getting their books at SPX could open a new world of comics for you. Why not give it a try?
Can't make it to SPX? 2D Cloud's website is here! Go buy their books!
