NOW #12: The New Comics Anthology

Now #12

by Eric Reynolds (Series Editor)

The two-time 2021 Eisner Award-nominated comics anthology returns for its seventh year! The first new NOW of 2023 features all-new work from several contributors familiar to NOW readers as well as new artists from around the globe. Newcomers to this issue include Cynthia Alfonso (Spain) and Bhanu Pratap (India), while past contributors Noah Van Sciver (U.S.), Cecelia Varhed (Sweden), and Kayla E. (U.S.) all return with new work. As a special feature of this issue, legendary cartoonist Peter Bagge ( Hate ) collaborates with Brooklyn Nine-Nine writer Matt Lawton on “The Cartoonist,” a satire of the now near-obsolete profession of newspaper gag cartooning. NOW The New Comics Anthology is still the best value in every issue is a self-contained cross-section of the best short comics stories the globe has to offer and it has established itself as the preeminent anthology of first-rate international comics talent. With all-new, never-before-seen material from a mix of emerging and established talent, NOW is the perfect answer to the question, “Why Comics?” Full-color illustrations throughout

Genres: Comics, Anthologies, Graphic Novels Comics

120 pages, Paperback

First published February 14, 2023

About the author

Eric Reynolds is a Seattle-based cartoonist, critic and comics editor who is the Vice-President and Associate Publisher for Fantagraphics Books. His work has appeared in The Stranger, The Comics Journal, The New York Times, The New York Press and other publications. He has edited or co-edited The Complete Crumb Comics, Angry Youth Comics, Dirty Stories and MOME and has inked some of Peter Bagge's comics.

Reviews

[Bill Hsu · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty solid and interesting anthology. I'd love to read more Bhanu Pratap, but his collection Dear Mother seems to be impossible to get. Rahel Suesskind's psychedelic delirium is also impressive.

Update: Dear Mother now available at
https://strangerspublishing.itch.io/d...

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best anthology returns with one of the best volumes yet.

I enjoyed basically all of these stories.

One of the only names I can recognize from the back cover is Noah Van Sciver - unfortunately I’ve already read the strip he contributed here.

Alex Graham - Cover image

Cecilia Varhed - Coronation Station - A young women joins a new group of people and does some drugs with them. She goes on quite the trip. Fantastic stuff.

Bhangra Pratap - Big Head Pointy Nose - a silent comic sorta has a DeForge feeling to it. About a guy with a big head and a pointy nose struggling in the streets.

Cynthia Alfonso - Untitled - a cool graphical abstract comic. Reminds me of Patrick Kyle but with a bit less narrative and graphical instead of naturalistic characters. I’ll need to seek out more work by Alfonso ASAP.

J. Webster Sharp - Untitled - Highly rendered strip with a lot of disturbing imagery of… I’m not sure… naturalist mannequins/dolls.

Kayla E. - Precious Rubbish - a modern take on comic strips sorta in the style of the old school guys like John Stanley. It has some quotes from the bible placed into the plot. Hard to describe.

Rachel Suesskind - Monster Finger - Lovely watercolored trippy comic (think Matt Furie style). Just a guy eating his own boogers and having a weird dream about it.

Francois Vigneault - A well-researched documentary on the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon. I’ve read about this before, but this is the best story I’ve read on the topic. Weaves in a ton of historical quotes and laws people tried to pass. Great artwork too. I’d love to read a longer non-fiction style book by Vigneault.

Having Come in From the Rain - Unsure the creator here

Tim Lane - Li’l Stevie - Short strips in the style of 40s comic strips and picture books about the tragic upbringing of Steve McQueen. Told with lots of black comedy style humour.

Max Clotfelter - one page strip about a shitty friend

Matt Lawton and drawn by Peter Bagge - The Cartoonist - a short story about a guy who took over a daily comic strip from his dad and now lives like a slob and drinks all day. Pretty great stuff. I think Bagge fans will love it.

Well, I have a lot of creators to seek out now! Can’t ask for more from an anthology like this.



Tim Lane - Li’l Stevie -

[Radwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I'd be disappointed to wait months for an issue of an anthology of comics and end up only liking three or four stories of those, but I guess that's the risk with anthologies.

the stories i liked:
- Coronation Station by Cecilia Varhead
- Untitled by J. Webster Sharp
- Mellow Mutt by Noah Von Sciver
- Lil Stevie by Tim Lane

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The usual wide-ranging choice of styles and themes. I'm glad to see this series continue.

[Bob Comparda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cecilia Vårhed - Coronation Station ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bhanu Pratap - Big Head Pointy Nose ⭐⭐⭐
Cynthia Alfonso - Untitled ⭐⭐⭐⭐
J. Webster Sharp - Untitled ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kayla E. - Precious Rubbish ⭐⭐
Noah Van Sciver - Mellow Mutt ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rahel Suesskind - Monster Finger ⭐⭐⭐⭐
François Vigneault - The Bird is Gone ⭐⭐
Tim Lane - Li'l Stevie ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Max Clotfelter - Untitled ⭐⭐⭐
Matt Lawton and Peter Bagge - The Cartoonist ⭐⭐⭐

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this mostly for newcomers Bhanu Pratap (Dear Mother & Other Stories) and J. Webster Sharp (Fondant and Sea Widow). Both of their pages are wordless but feature some impeccably drawn body horror. Easily two great new cartoonists to keep an eye out for.

But pretty much every single feature in this volume of NOW was well done. Cecilia Varhed's "C0ronation Story" takes a funny twist on public interactions during the pandemic, Cynthia Alfonso delivers some mind-bending geometrical distortions, Noah Van Sciver does yet another funny bit on his childhood fascination with Jurassic Park, Rahel Suesskind does some pretty but disturbing bit of psychedelia, and Peter Bagge returns to do a nice little story. The Tim Lane story however was the easy standout for me. I won't say much, but it truly stood out for me as the strongest addition.

The painted cover by Alex Graham makes for a nice package and addition to the many other great NOW covers. I've been liking this anthology for quite a while and it's nice to see this going strong still.

[Ángel Javier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ni una historia mala o floja. Así es como deberían ser todas las revistas de cómics. Una cosa impresionante. En este número, brilla como una auténtica estrella Peter Bagge, este señor que yo ya creía acabado con ese nuevo estilo tan cutre que usó en la última y triste entrega de la mítica serie Odio. Pues bien, Bagge vuelve a su estilo de siempre, y, con una ayudita al guion, voilà, el puto genio de siempre está de vuelta. De entre el resto, destacar la dedicada a la terrible desaparición de las palomas migratorias como alegoría de la fragilidad de todo en esta existencia, y las del pequeño Steve McQueen, tristísimas y preciosas.

Premio Eisner seguro cada año.

[Charles Olivier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first time I read an issue of Now. Some stories were really fun, and some others were a little bit too abstract to my liking, but all of them had really great art.
My favorite are Coronation Station and Monster Finger, but really appreciated The Bird Is Gone and The Cartoonist. I will definitely buy the next issue.

[Rex Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

12 comic stories from a great range of artists. Like most anthologies the tone shifts from story to story. It goes from humorous, to surreal, to experimental, to informative, to historical. There wasn't a single entry that I did not enjoy. It was well worth the money.

[Regis Philbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very strong issue of this cutting edge comics anthology!