Peter Bagge needs no introduction. Okay, actually he probably does need an introduction; but in a perfect world, where comic book creators are granted the same sort of critical acclaim, discourse and popularity as other creative types, then Peter Bagge would need no introduction. In that world, where any sort of discussion about comics with a non-juvenile pedigree doesn’t carry a headline that reads, “Comics: Not Just for Kids Anymore,” Bagge’s work would be recognized by a much wider audience as the profoundly inspired mix of images and words that makes for the best sequential storytelling. And none of this is to say that Bagge is languishing in obscurity, because there those, like Publishers Weekly, which called his work, “American satirical cartooning at its most inventively hilarious,” that appreciate his genius.

Bagge was born in New York in 1957, three years after the publication of Dr. Frederick Wertham’s Seduction of the Innocent , a scathing examination of comic books that denounced the medium as little more than an inferior form of literature that would rot the minds of children. And while Wertham’s theories proved to be a bit extreme, there’s no denying that comics had a profound impact on many young minds, including Bagge, who was inspired by what he read in his youth. Discovering the underground comix of creators like R. Crumb while he was attending School of Visual Arts in New York City would leave a lasting impression on Bagge.

Carrying on the grand tradition of the underground comix that inspired him, Bagge’s work has evolved over the years into the perfect mix of hilarity and absurdity, the profound and the grotesque. Influenced by R. Crumb and Charles Shultz—an odd study of extremes that makes perfect sense when you really think about it—Bagge created the Bradleys, a dysfunctional suburban family that existed within the pages of Comical Funnies, which he co-published in the early 1980s. In 1985, Bagge created Neat Stuff, published through Fanatgraphics, which further chronicled the Bradleys. Neat Stuff gave way to Hate, the semi-autobiographical exploits of Buddy Bradley. Also published by Fantagraphics, Hate became a critical hit of the 1990s, praised by fans and critics alike for not only its characterizations, but its chronicles of the era itself. According to Rob Zombie, “Hate is the most hilariously depressing comic published today!”

Bagge currently lives in Seattle with his wife and children. He has worked over the years for various publications ranging from Mad to Oxford American to Hustler, as well as for major comics publishers like Marvel and DC. Bagge is a contributing editor and cartoonist for Reason magazine, his series Apocalypse Nerd was recently collected into a trade paperback from Dark Horse Comics, and his working on a new graphic novel for DC.

Jessica Abel

Writer and artist Jessica Abel is a multi-faceted creative talent who began making a name for herself in comics when she started self-publishing the critically acclaimed Artbabe in 1992. Winner of the prestigious Xeric grant, which helps emerging comic book creators publish their work, Jessica put out four issues of Artbabe before taking her book to Fantagraphics. The second volume of Artbabe, published by Fantagraphics in 1997, earned Jessica both Harvey and Lulu awards, garnering even more praise and helping cultivate a loyal fan base.

Raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Jessica first started reading comics as a child. She recalls long road trips reading issues of Casper and Richie Rich. A Wonder Woman collection published by Ms. Magazine in the 1970s also had a big impact on her as a child, helping cultivate her interest in the comic books, and her love of the medium, as well as animated television, carried over from her childhood into adolescence. While in college, Jessica discovered Love and Rockets, the seminal series by brothers Gilbert and Jamie Hernandez, which she recalls “made a huge impression on me. For the first time, I could picture having something to say in comics myself.”

The inspiration of Love and Rockets is evident in Jessica’s La Perdida, published as a series by Fantagraphics and then a graphic novel by Pantheon. As with her previous Artbabe, La Perdida was a critical hit, wining a Harvey Award for Best New Series in 2002. In 2006, Time magazine said Pantheon’s revised, collected version of La Perdida “stands out as not just the best “American’s abroad”-style graphic novel yet seen but as the best graphic novel of the year.”

Jessica has also received critical acclaim for Radio: An Illustrated Guide, her non-fiction collaboration with Ira Glass that offers a glimpse at how the radio program This American Life is made. Life Sucks, her new graphic novel collaboration with co-writer Gabe Soria and artist Warren Pleece came out in early 2008. Drawing Words and Writing Pictures: Making Comics from Manga to Graphic Novels, a text book on creating comic books co-written with her husband, Matt Madden, is due out in summer 2008.

In addition to her work as both a writer and an artist, Jessica teaches at New York’s School of Visual Arts in the Cartooning Department. At PNCA’s Graphic Novel Intensive this June, students can expect to find Jessica a “passionate and demanding teacher,” with “attention to detail, big ideas, and a warm affect.”
Visit Jessica Abel’s website.

Register for the Graphic Novel Intensive →

PNCA is proud to present the Graphic Novel Intensive, a unique nine day workshop on comics and graphic novel writing and publishing. All activities focus on creating effective relationships of images and words in storytelling and narrative. Traditional comics and illustrated narratives for youth and adult audiences provide the foundation for the Graphic Novel Intensive. In addition, the workshop addresses the growing prominence of visual narratives in new media and cover effective digital publishing strategies for comic and illustrated stories.

The Intensive consists of three interwoven segments, progressing in a structured and focused way that gives participants an optimal learning experience and a solid platform for producing and publishing their work. The first section led by comics creators Jessica Abel and Matt Madden, June 21-23, covers idea development and story creation. Participants will gain analytical skills and a vocabulary critical for working with image and text. This section will also review effective work and ideation processes. The second section, hosted by PNCA instructor and artistic talent, Daniel Duford June 24-27, focuses on developing characters and artistic styles that express a story concept at all levels and make every detail count. The third section, June 28-29, leads participants through exercises on preparing their work for publishing with special attention to digital production and dissemination of artwork. This section will be led by comic icon Peter Bagge

Registration options: before May 1, non-credit tuition $620; before June 1, non-credit tuition $670; 3 credit hours (undergraduate or graduate) tuition $2,319; plus department fee $175; see below for costs on selected workshop registration. For-credit participants will be required to complete by August 15 an extended project under the guidance of a mentor. All-week participants will have a campus space and digital tools available.

Please note that enrollment is limited and registrations are only accepted until the intensive has been filled. Limited enrollment in each workshop segments will be available on a non-credit basis:
Drawing Words + Writing Pictures tuition $345, Character Development + Experimental Narrative tuition $395, and Comic Art: Media Conversions tuition $295; plus department fee $75 each.

Concurrent with the workshop are several off campus events including:

Jessica Abel and Matt Madden book signing at Powells Books
Drawing Words & Writing Pictures
June 20th, 7:30pm at Powells City of Books
1005 W. Burnside, downtown Portland

Powells.com offers the inventory of Powell’s six brick-and-mortar stores and five warehouses, approximately four million books and 60,000 DVDs in all. The award-winning site features a daily literary blog, unedited book reviews from the Washington Post, Atlantic Monthly, The New York Review of Books, and others, plus staff picks, monthly contests, and exclusive author interviews and essays.

The Art of Peter Bagge
Gallery show at Floating World Comics
20 Northwest 5th Avenue, Portland, OR
June 5th- 30th

“Comics and the Internet”
An interactive discussion with comic creators at the Someday Lounge
June 28th 5pm
125 NW 5th Ave.