CODE ORANGE
And Fraction does the "Why Don't You...?" Column
This is a long one. Maybe you want to warm up first? Do some stretches? Take your time. Ready? Okay, first —
Hey-o! Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons took home it’s third Eisner on Friday night — this time for “Best Graphic Album—Reprint” — and here’s why that matters: this one is for the whole team.
You all know how I feel about Phil Jimenez—his partnership on Book One was more than just career-defining work, it informed everything that followed. And his Eisner acceptance speech last year literally brought me to tears (which is hard to do, believe it or not. I almost forgive him for being the handsomest man to ever wear FUCKING JORTS). To share a moment like that with Phil, Clayton, Arif, Hi-Fi and Rom is… well, it’s personal. I dunno. It’s corny but it hits like monument to a friendship as much as a validation of a work. It also felt like a good start.
The title “Best Graphic Album—Reprint” suggests something that’s been re-issued, our book—our book as a Singular Thing—never existed before. Imagine releasing a prose novel in chapters. Chapter One gets recognized as an excellent first chapter! Yay! But once the following chapters are collected and the combined parts exist as a Singular Thing… well, that’s different, isn’t it?
Now what if everyone who joined the team for those subsequent chapters* came to the project in full command of their powers and ready to go all in? What if, in addition to being masterful artists, they were also loving and funny and intellectually curious and emotionally supportive and they came to be a kind of a family?
Yeah, well… it feels like that.
Congratulations and gratitude to Phil, Clayton, Arif, Hi-Fi, Rom, Gene, Wesley, Nicola, Annette, Chris, Andrea, Amy, Mark, Andy and everyone else who helped us along the way.
xo
Kelly Sue
PS Even though Volume One exists as its own thing with a beginning, middle and end, some careful readers out there will remember that Volume One was intended to be Volume One of Three. And it might still be one day! But that doesn’t change the fact that it stands alone.
Milkfed Clippings
CBR’s 10 Best Comics since 2020. Guess where Historia is on that list. Go ahead, guess.
Playing the Long Game - The Story of Slam Dunk in North America. Coop Bicknell did an impressive job tracing the history of Takehiko Inoue’s manga classic.
Sexy Voice and Robo by Iou Kuroda getting some love from The Beat.
Pics from the FML Zine Workshop and Signing at BWP Eugene!
Here’s my schedule for WorldCon Glasgow! I’ve never been before. Got any tips?
A Few Semi-Random Things to Call to Your Attention
Why Are People Shopping for Halloween Decor in July? - 🚨WARNING🚨: The article does not answer the question posed in the headline. That said, it’s kind of fun to see what’s all available and also I now know the term #codeorange. (Fraction would have already ordered the dog to go with Charles Flankenspider, but it’s sold out.)
Korakuen Hall Zine by David Brothers (of Mangasplaining and lots more). David made a zine about his favorite sports arena in Tokyo. Excellent wrestling content.
Did you seen this?? via Mike Roe at The Wrap:
Ahead of this week’s San Diego Comic-Con, TheWrap can exclusively preview the new animated short trailer for graphic novel “Justice Warriors: Vote Harder.” It features the voice talents of H. Jon Benjamin (Bob Belcher on “Bob’s Burgers,” Sterling Archer on “Archer”) and Jefferson White (“Yellowstone”). The project comes from writer/cartoonist Matt Bors and artist/writer Ben Clarkson. It’s set for release this September from Ahoy Comics.
Fully-animated! Amazing.
Clarkson himself directed the trailer. He describes the comic as “an ‘Akira’-meets ‘Lethal Weapon’-reboot of ‘The Simpsons[.]’”
More info on the book from Bors here, or check out his newsletter — where you an also read about his Toxic Avenger reboot.
‘The Fall Guy: The Extended Cut’ With Ryan Gosling & Emily Blunt Gets Premiere Date On Peacock - I have an irrational love of this film. Not irrational because it’s not deserving — it is and I will cut you — irrational because I’m an awful person to go to the movies with since I hate everything. Or almost everything. Except The Fall Guy. And now there is even more of it to love.
If you’re in OHIO, I’m jealous. (That is the first time those words have ever been said in that order.) (Oh, shush. I was born in Columbus and my family is Ohioan several generations deep. I’m allowed.)
The Ohio State University - Cartoon Library Book Sale is Back!
Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum is holding a book sale blowout!
Sunday, August 18 | 2pm - 5pm
BICLM LobbyIncluded in the sale will be:
Graphic novels
Comic strip and comic book reprint books
Cartoon collections
Comic and cartoon art history books
…and much, much more!
And hey, since we’re on a ride, let’s talk about
>air horn< CoLoReCtAl CaNcEr Y’aLl >air horn< >air horn<
…Seriously. Something’s up. Be careful out there. Down there? In there? Whatever. Eat some fiber and get screened.Horses
Do y’all subscribe to Laura Olin’s newsletter? I know I’ve recommended it before, but I’m bringing up again because it’s just so good. (I don’t know her, and there’s nothing in it for me, I’m just an enthusiastic consumer.)
Anyway, she linked to this gem:
…which I think prompted Fraction to send me this gem. I LOVE IT SO MUCH I had to share of course, so I sent that to Ben Acker, who responded with this. Maybe I have second favorite genre in Horse Songs?
Speaking of Horses — this is less amusing, but far more important:
Some of you know that our daughter, Tallulah, used to take Horsemanship lessons at Oregon Horsemanship. She opted to switch to guitar but we remain big, big fans of Letitia and the OH program. They train horsemanship, not just riding—not just grooming, even—but horse behavior, herd behavior and what it means to commit to stewardship over an animal. They practice what they preach too, taking in animals that others can’t afford to keep anymore, even rescuing horses that can’t be ridden for lessons, just giving them a safe place to live out their days.
My favorite in their herd is Faelin. She’s stout and powerful — a Galineers Cob (also known as a Gypsy breed, and yes, I know that word is offensive, I didn’t name the breed and I’m not gonna correct someone’s language in a crisis) — and she does not suffer fools. Faelin will bite and not feel bad about it at all. (Same, Faelin. Same.)
For whatever reason*, Faelin likes me. She used to trot up to the fence to visit with me while Tee was having her lesson. I even got to ride her on my birthday last year.
Here’s a pic:
Well, Faelin has had a medical emergency—you can read more about it below or on the OH Facebook page. She’s very much trending in the right direction but she’s not a out of the woods yet and the vet bills already are a threat to the barn. If you can pitch it, it’s very easy to do: Text FAELIN to 707070 to get started.
Email a receipt for a donation of any amount to me at info@milkfed.us and I’ll send you or your local comic shop a signed FML print/poster. Put “FML Faelin” in the subject line.
*No joke, I think Faelin liked me because every time we visited I took her picture and told her how beautiful she was. I’d like me for that too, tbh.
Why Don’t You…
Diana Vreeland helmed BAZAAR for 25 years, during which she very famously had a column called Why Don't You...
We miss the big weirdo fabulist that Diana was, so we are picking up the torch. This week is Fraction’s turn. BUCKLE UP.
Why don’t you…
Why don’t you create a new olympic sport?
Why don’t you be the Snoop you want to see in the world?
Why don’t you transcribe a chapter from your favorite book, just to get your fingers moving in the morning?
Why don’t you go check out some roller derby?
Why don’t you venmo me 14 bucks? No reason, I just think it’d be neat.
Why don’t you start a rap beef with Kendrick?
Do NOT do that are you insane
Why don’t you paint something?
Why don’t you make an old-school mix tape? I don’t even think we have a tape player anymore so I don’t know how *I’D* do this but I’d figure something out.
Why don’t you go see a horror movie first thing Sunday morning?
Why don’t you watch a movie you’ve never seen but always kinda-sorta felt like it should be a movie you’ve seen? Mine would be GONE WITH THE WIND but I’m not going to watch GONE WITH THE WIND, that’s loser garbage about garbage losers besides I already get the references so GONE WITH THE WIND can go eat rocks—
Do one of the above and tell us about it? We’ll publish any that make us laugh in the next newsletter.
Hey! You read all the way to the bottom — you get a prize. How about the FML Website? It’s not finished yet, but have a peek.
I will absolutely start a rap beef with Anna Kendrick
“Why don’t you…discover a new dinosaur?” (Working on it, working on it. Lots of new species discovered in the Dallas area in the last 20 years, as well as the earliest known mosasaur, appropriately named “Dallasaurus,” and the latest known ichthyosaur. Best of all, I apparently live right in the middle of an asteroid crater that hit about two million years before the big one that caused the great K-Pg extinction, so I’ll keep an eye open for impact glass for you.)