Even though we’re still in the thick of summer, I’ve already got my sights set on the fall. See, this past spring I taught a sixteen-week comic book workshop at the California College of the Arts where we spent most of our time MAKING comics. If you want to see the results, make sure to stop by this year’s Alternative Press Expo where CCA will be sponsoring a table featuring student work.

But this September, I pick up where I left off with a seminar focusing on the study of comics. My required reading list was due last Friday and it was a scramble to pare down the massive stack of books I’d been considering as reading material for the course. Gene Yang focused on world comics during his summer CCA class. I’m aiming to design a semester that will challenge both experienced comics readers as well as students who have never picked up a comic before. It wasn’t an easy task. I wanted a range of books that hinted at where comics have been, but focuses mostly on where it seems that comics are going. I went back and forth for weeks on a bunch of titles and collections. There’s still a stack sitting on my studio floor ranging from Paul Pope’s 100% to Skyscrapers of the Midwest to Notes for a War Story to Exit Wounds to Demo to Maus and Watchmen and many more. But, in the end, you just can’t do them all.

After stepping back and looking at the shape of the course as a whole, I’m happy with what I see. For those of you playing along at home, here’s what we’ll be reading:

So, there you have it. Wish I had more room to fit everyone in the class. I think it’s going to be challenging, but it should also be a lot of fun.

Today in the Studio

Quick San Diego commission to finish up and get in the mail before the end of the day.