Weekend Pattering for September 30th, 2016-- A NYCC State of MInd

** It's been a while since we've done one of these so let's do it right and look back at some of the panels we've pattered about lately.

• All-Ages or Small-Ages #17 (Phineas and Ferb by Jim Bernstein, Scott Peterson, John Green and Eric Jones) (Mark D.)
• All-Ages or Small-Ages #18 (Miraculous: Tales of Lady Bug and Cat Noir #1 by Thomas Astruc, Nicole D'Andria, Fred Lenoir and Cheryl Black) (Mark D.)
• The Story Never Ends-- a review of Jeff Smith'sBone: Coda (Scott C.)
• Kill or Be Killed #1 (James K.)
• Glorious Wrestling Alliance #1 (Mark D.)
• All-Ages or Small-Ages #19 (Dungeon Fun by Colin Bell and Neil Slorance) (Mark D.)
• Rob Kirby's Review Roundup: August 2016 Edition (Rob K.)
• Observational Autobiography in John Porcellino'sKing-Cat Comix and Stories #76 (Scott C.)
• The Black Monday Murders #1 (James K.)
• All-Ages or Small-Ages #20 (Rikki by Norm Harper and Matthew Foltz-Gray) (Mark D.)
• All-Ages or Small-Ages #21 (Dinosaur Project by Natasha Alterici) (Mark D.)
• Traveling with Sarah Becan in Stockholm is Sauceome (Scott C.)
• All-Ages or Small-Ages #22 (Marvel Tsum Tsum #1 by Jacob Chabot, David Baldeón, Terry Pallott and Jim Campbell) (Mark D.)
• SPX Spotlight 2016: March Book 3 by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell (Scott C.)
• SPX Spotlight/Graphic Nonfiction: Kevin Budnik Reflects on Life (Rob M.)
• All-Ages or Small-Ages #23 (DC Super Hero Girls - Volume 1 by Shea Fontana, Yancey Labat and Monica Kubina) (Mark D.)
• SPX Spotlight 2016: Dan Clowes' Patience (Scott C.)
• Rose City Preview: Sally Jane Thompson (Alex G.)
• SPX Spotlight/Graphic Nonfiction: Lucy Bellwood Ships Facts About Shipping (Rob M.)
• All-Ages or Small-Ages #24 (Squid & Owl by John Holbo) (Mark D.)
• SPX Spotlight 2016: The Love and Rockets New Stories Years (2008-2015) (Scott C.)
• SPX Spotlight: David Rubin (James K.)
• All-Ages or Small-Ages #25 (Bee and Puppycat Volume 1 by Natasha Allegri, Garrett Jackson and Patrick Seery) (Mark D.)
• Single-Minded for 9/21/16: Black Hammer #3 and Seven to Eternity #1 (James K.)
• Graphic Nonfiction: Matt Bors Tears Down Trump's Wall Plan (Rob M.)
• All-Ages or Small-Ages #26 (The Boy and The Dragon by Isaac J. Crawford) (Mark D.)

** It's odd that it's a week before New York Comicon and there's really not that much happening in comics right now.  No big publishing initiatives from Marvel or DC.  No Image Expo.  Not much.  Here's the publishers' big chance to push their holiday and winter agendas and there doesn't seem to be much really going on.  What's up with that? 

Now maybe everyone is waiting for the proper convention to make their announcements but that seems to be a change from what everyone's strategies have been for the past couple of years now where everything gets announced before the con to avoid getting lost in all of the other news.  It's now the legacy of SDCC that comic news gets announced before cons to avoid getting lost in all of the movie and television news that gets announced at these things.

** obstacles to critiquing chris ware's shitty political new yorker covers (The Shallow Brigade)-- O'Connor takes aim at Chris Ware's covers for The New Yorker and doesn't pull any punches.

While this cover is sort of confusing, I think what we can say for sure is that Ware is emphasizing sameness. These guys’ features are nearly identical. Their facial expressions are identical. The white cop is driving (get it? do you get it??), but otherwise the differences are literally skin deep. All lives matter? Cops have feelings too? We’re all worried about police brutality here in America? I don’t know, all I’m getting is “basically we’re the same and are united in how we’re freaking the fuck out,” and that just seems like a really unhelpful and misguided statement when it comes to the particular topic at hand. I’m just going to hazard a guess that Chris Ware riding his tandem bicycle over to Ira Glass’s place for dinner is not having the same thoughts and feelings about police brutality and race in America as…I don’t know. Anyone?? Certainly not the same thoughts and feelings about police brutality that a black man, police or otherwise, would have. One last clue: the title of the cover is “Shift.” Are we to imagine that we’re in Charlotte, where the latest episode of police brutality affected the special friendship of Old Bobby Hill and Black Bobby Hill? Are those the stakes of this cover? Just…what. why.

There's a lot to unpack in this whole piece.