Family Style

Family Style | Press Gang at VanCAF + "Gang Related" Art Show and Mixer

2012-05-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

Family Style will be exhibiting at the first ever Vancouver Comics Art Festival this Weekend, in Beautiful Vancouver, British Colombia, CANADA! This is getting straight up international in scope.

François and Jason Leivian will have all the usual Family Style, Study Group, and Floating World goodies, including the still newish ELFWORLD #3, DIY Magic, American Psycho, Study Group Magazine, and much more... Presuming our package makes it through customs in time! Yikes!!

Aditionally, the kind folks at Lucky's Comics are feting Press Gang, hosting a one-night-only art show featuring works by Sean Christensen, Andrice Arp, Zack Soto, Jennifer Parks, Keith Carter, François Vigneault, and more... if you are in Vancouver this weekend don't miss us!

Vancouver Comics Art Festival | May 26-27 | 101 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver BC, Canada

"Gang Related"— Portland Art Comix from Press Gang and Beyond | May 26 8:00pm | Lucky's Comics | 3972 Main Street Vancouver BC, Canada

Family Style | Press Gang at Stumptown Comics Fest This Weekend

2012-04-27T13:29:00.003-07:00

The whole Press Gang team of Family Style, Study Group Comic Books, and Floating World Comics will be out in force at this weekend's Stumptown Comics Fest in Portland OR. This will actually be the first show where all thre Press Gang founding fathers (Jasn, Zack, and François) will be present! There is a solid chance that the awesome will simply be too much and the Press Gang pavilion will burst into flames.

In addition to all of our awesome publications, such as ELFWORLD, Study Group Magazine, D.I.Y. Magic, and much more, we'll also have all of the Good Ink titles from Scout Books which François has been editing, and bonus titles and art from some of our many contributors and friends. We'll have a wonderful array of creators hanging out and signing at our massive Press Gang pavilion including Zack Soto, Jason Leivian, François Vigneault, Benjamin Marra, Kaz Strzepek, Ian MacEwan, Andrice Arp, and more!

Come by any time this weekend to visit!

April 28 & 29, 2012 • Oregon Convention Center • Sat. 10-6, Sun. 12-6

ELFWORLD #2 Nominated for Best Anthology at Stumptown

2012-03-30T08:13:00.006-07:00

For the second year in a row, ELFWORLD has the honor of being nominated for Best Anthology at the annual Stumptown Comics Art Awards! We're really so delighted! Just like last year, we're in some excellent company, all the nominees are worth taking a look at:

Study Group Magazine #1, edited by Zack Soto
Lies Grownups Told Me, edited by Nomi Kane, Jen Vaughn, Caitlin M.
Kus! #9, edited by Ryan Sands
Dark Horse Presents, edited by Mike Richardson

and of course, ELFWORLD #2, edited by François Vigneault

The Stumptown Comics Awards are an "audience choice" style award, so please feel free to vote for ELFWORLD (or really, any of the nominees) online! Vote early, I don't know when the voting ends but it closed quite early last year.

Big thanks to all the creators of ELFWORLD #2: Cover artist Daria Tessler, Dylan Horrocks (Hicksville), Jeremy Tinder (MOME, Cry Yourself to Sleep), Matthew Reidsma (High Maintainance Machine), Marek Bennett (Mimi's Donuts), and Eve Engelos & Josh Moutray (Icecreamlandia), and Anna Hurley. Special thanks to James Tucker for the beautiful printing on the covers.

Nice Little Review of EW #1

2012-03-29T00:45:00.002-07:00

Quick little review from Susan Damon on the site "Why Not Indie?" Why not indeed? She sez: "There’s a story in it for anyone, provided you’re into fantasy." Awesome.

Hmm... the only thing is, media folks, please double check stuff like links and images... Susan's got drawings from the Vol. 1 paperback and a link to the Amazon listing of that book, not the newer issue #1 that has the comics cited in the review. Thanks!

ELFWORLD available at Image Comics Fest & Online!

2012-02-23T19:22:00.003-08:00

Huzzah! The third issue of ELFWORLD has arrived!

This issue is just jam-packed with genre goodness! This is the biggest single issue yet, clocking in at 48 pages (does that count as "Gargantuan" or just "Large?") of crazy fantasy comics from your fave indie-cartoonists. We've got Ed Luce (Wuvable Oaf), Malachi Ward (Expansion), Tom Biby (Two Fine Chaps), Jesse Reklaw (Slowwave), Maris Wicks (Project: Romantic), Julia Gfrörer (Too Dark To See), Ryland Thomas, Jess Smart Smiley (Upside Down: A Vampire Tale), and Eve Engelos & Josh Moutray (icecreamlandia), and endpapers by Anna Branning (Dutch Door Press). All wrapped up in a lovely letterpress-printed cover with artwork from EW founder Jeffrey Brown, hand-printed with the aid of Julia Gfrörer!

All in all this is bang-up issue, with everything from delusional ant warriors and role-playing owl bears to kindly witches and vengeance-seeking shapeshifters. Also, I designed the craziest table of contents yet for this issue, with heraldic shields for all the stories AND a full on miniature battle scene! Check out a bevy of preview images below, if you are doubting the majesty of this tome!

Available now for orders online and also making its premiere at the first-ever Image Comics Expo in Oakland this weekend!

Press Gang/Family Style at Image Comics Expo this Friday-Saturday-Sunday

2012-02-19T11:02:00.000-08:00

Family Style and Press Gang will be at the first annual Image Comics Expo for three fun-filled days of comics insanity! This looks to be a pretty cool and unusual event, with a massive line up of Image Comics dudes celebrating the 20th anniversary of that company and a wide variety of other creators showcasing their creator-owned, self-published, or otherwise artist-directed comics. With Image having a banner year with the new Prophet, Walking Dead, and much more, this seems like it will be a very fun and zeitgeisty convention, nicely straddling the mainstream and indie parts of the comics scene. We're gonna be at table # A608 in Artist's Alley, come say "hi!"

Family Style will be releasing the long-awaited third issue of ELFWORLD, which features fantasy tales from Ed Luce, Julia Gfrörer, Jesse Reklaw, Tom Biby, Malachi Ward, Maris Wicks, Jess Smart Smiley, and Eve Englezos & Josh Moutray, all wrapped up in a lovely letterpress-printed cover by Jeffrey Brown!

Floating World Comics will be premireing DIY Magic by Anthony Alvarado, with all new illustrations... Its gonna be a lovely little book. We'll also have a full range of Press Gang goodies, including the newest issue of Study Group Magazine, Diamond Comics, Object 5 by Killian Eng, and a bunch of comics from Jonas Madden-Connor, Zack Soto, François Vigneault, and more!

Image Comics Expo • Friday, 2/24 - Sunday, 2/26 • Oakland Convention Center • 550 10th Street (Right by the 12th Street BART Station) • Tickets $20 and up

Coming Soon!

2012-02-14T09:24:00.001-08:00

Press Gang Debuts on Robot 6

2012-01-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

We've been working with our pals Zack Soto (Study Group Comic Books) and Jason Leivian (Floating World Comics) on a new publishers group called Press Gang, which joins Family Style to their respectable small-press companies to create something a little bit more hefty and hopefully awesome. Sean Collins interviewed the three of us over at Robot 6, so check it out for lots of chatter about the pleasures and perils of collaboration, lots of previews of upcoming projects including ELFWORLD #3 and much more! We've got big plans for PG over the coming years, so stay tuned here and thePress Gang Tumblr, too!

Family Style at EBAP Book Fair this Saturday!

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Family Style will once again be exhibiting at the East Bay Alternative Press Book Fair, aka EBAP, which will be returning for a second year this Saturday, Dec. 10th! We had a great time last year, and Jonas will be representing us again this year. Come check it out, its FREE and fun, and there's a ton of other great creators and cartoonists there to buy all your DIY holiday goodies from.

EBAP Book Fair • Saturday, Dec. 10 • 10am - 4pm • Berkeley City College 2050 Center Street, Berkeley (right by Downtown Berkeley BART Station) • FREE! • RSVP on Facebook

Short Run This Saturday + Press Gang is an Awesome New Thing, I'll Tell You More Later

2011-11-11T19:12:00.000-08:00

Family Style will be exhibiting at the first annual Short Run small press show this Saturday in Seattle... And we'll be doing it as part of the brand new Press Gang publishers' party... A trio of like-minded publishers (Family Style, Floating World Comics, and Study Group Comic Books) banding together to increase the awesomeness in a variety of as yet super-secret ways and shapes. But to start off with, Press Gang will be exhibiting at killer shows like Short Run and the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Fest in December. Oh yeah!

So if you are in the Seattle area this Saturday, do swing by... Short Run is free and open to the public, and there's a great mix of comics creators, small-press publishers, intellectual illustrators, and convivial crafters... it's gonna be great!

Short Run • November 12, 2011 • 10:30–4:30 • The Vera Project • Seattle, WA

Tales Art Show Up Thru October

2011-10-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

Wow, I somehow forgot to mention that the big indy-fantasy group art show I organized for APE was going up! Yikes! Well, in case you see this, don't forget to check out this super delightful fantasy panopticon, on display at Mission Comics & Art for the remainder of the month! There's some beautiful art on display from past and future ELFWORLD contributors, including Roman Muradov, Dylan Horrocks(an awesome and rare chance to see his originals in the States), Andrice Arp, Eve Englezos (a truly awesome piece of art), Daria Tessler(a crazy-detailed screenprint), and many more... Definitely worth a gander, and many of the pieces are priced very reasonably, too!

Here's the somewhat expired Facebook event page. The show will be up thru the end of the month!

Tales Indy-Fantasy Art Show • Mission Comics and Art • 3520 20th Street, San Francisco

Nice bit about ELFWORLD in Robot 6

2011-08-24T07:43:00.001-07:00

I was going through my Google Reader this morning (I'm trying to keep up with the world of the comics biz better... and check out DC New 52 art, sadly), when I spotted the cover to ELFWORLD #2 topping this "What Are You Reading?" post on Robot 6! Mike Baehr picked up ELFWORLD at the Stumptown Comics Fest, and had this choice praise: "Elf World from Family Style is a fun anthology series of fantasy stories by independent and small-press artists, and the first 2 issues of the 2nd volume have the nicest production values I’ve seen in minicomics, with gorgeous letterpress covers illustrated by Sammy Harkham and Daria Tessler."

Nice... He's also mentions some other comics selections he liked from Stumptown, including Too Dark to See by Julia Gfrörer and Wuvable Oaf by Ed Luce, both of whom have ELFWORLD stories coming up very soon!

ELFWORLD at Chicago Comic Con this Week!

2011-08-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

I (François) was really surprised when the folks at the Chicago Comic Con asked me to be a guest at their show, which is taking place this Thursday - Sunday. I was quite delighted (I haven't ever been a guest before!) and a little confused... Chicago Comic Con, put on by Wizard World, definitely has more of a mainstream comics/sci-fi/genre media profile. But hey, I used to live in the Windy City, and there are some fantastic ELFWORLD creators in residnce there, including the original ELFWOLRD mastermind, Jeffrey Brown. So why not!

Well... Unfortunately I won't be in attendance this weekend. My August schedule is just quite crowded, and flying out for the weekend was a bit prohibitive financialy, too. So no François Vigneault at this weekend's show!

Luckilly, I've got some fantastic ELFWORLD alumni and their pals to represent us. Grant Reynolds (seen in EW vol. 1 and vol. 2 #1) and Jeremy Tinder (with a tale in EW vol. 2 #2) will both be there, selling the anthology and their own very awesome artwork. They'll also be joined by fellow Trubble Club dudes Bernie McGovern and Nate Beaty... All in all a terrific line up! So if you are in Chicago this weekend, please swing by and say hi to those dudes, and complain to them about how angry and disappointed you are that I'm not there, too!

Chicago Comic Con • Aug 11-14 • Donald E. Stephens Convention Center (Rosemont)

Portland Zine Symposium the Weekend!

2011-08-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

The 11th annual Portland Zine Symposium is taking place this weekend, and Family Style will be there! François will be sitting with Greg Means of Tugboat Press and the wonderful Aron Nels Steinke all weekend, selling comics and gossiping.

Family Style doesn't have any new releases for this weekend (shame on us!), but François will have his new illustrated chap-book of Ambrose Bierce stories, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", which is being published by the fantastic team at Scout Books! This is the first in a series that François is editing for Scout Books, go and check 'em out!

Finally, if you are in Portland, head on over to Floating World Comics to check out a show of Wuvable Oaf creator Ed Luce's artwork, including the originals for his upcoming story in ELFWORLD #3!

Nice review of EW #1 + #2 in Osmosis Online

2011-07-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

I just saw this positive review of the first two issues of ELFWORLD vol. 2 today... How nice! Jeremy Nisen gives some nice praise for the series overall ("the French flaps, the amazing designs on end papers, the very, very cool portrayal of the table of contents as a castle/mountain cavern") and about some of the individual stories in each issue (On Dash Shaw's story: "'The Orc of Nagwath' is amusingly depraved," David Enos' work "has more of an otherworldly or center-of-the-Earth sort of vibe; pulpy and reminding of both old Heavy Metal stuff and classic Kirby," and Daria Tessler's "Fun House" pairs "wonderful visual storytelling and some effectively odd humor. Really wonderful stuff."

Great to hear... Nisen also brings up some points about ELFWORLD'S price point, which is understandable. I'll try my best to keep costs under control while putting out a hand-crafted bit of awesomeness. As Nisen points out "I guess DIY spirit + personal touch = more a meaningful experience."

Read the whole review here!

Nice Review of EW #1 in the Daily Texan

2011-06-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

Just saw this nicely detailed review of Elfworld Vol. 2 #1 online, from Ao Meng of the Daily Texan (the newspaper of the University of Texas at Austin... Chris Ware's alma mater!)... EW #1 is called a "ridiculously sophisticated book," and Ao has some great stuff to say about our many contributors, from the "king of the short, one- or two-page feature" Dash Shaw to David Eno, who's "Gary Panter-indebted art fits perfectly with the weird, yet wonderful dialogue" of his story "The Mute." The reviewer also delves into Tim Root's new anthology, "Barfwater," which I haven't seen yet, but sounds cool... love that cover!

FS at the Olympia Comics Fest this Weekend

2011-05-20T00:28:00.000-07:00

Family Style will be in attendance along with a sizable crew of other Portlanders (including Sparkplug Comics, Jesse Reklaw, Andrice Arp, Julia Gfrorer, Sean Christensen, Amy Kuttab, and many more) at this years Olympia Comics Fest! François will be manning a table at the Northwest Cartoonist Expo from 1:30pm - 6:00pm, with beloved favorites like ELFWORLD, Bird Brain, and more. There's also a stage show, signings, an art show, great special guests (Paul Chadwick, Larry Gonick, and Megan Kelso!) and more, so if you are in the Olympia area, definitely swing by!

Olympia Comics Fest - Northwest Cartoonist Expo • 1:30 – 6 P.M. • Olympia Center (222 Columbia St. NW, Olympia, WA) • FREE!

Stumptown + More This Weekend!

2011-04-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

Family Style will be making a splash at our new hometown show this weekend... We've been coming to the Stumptown Comics Fest almost since it began, and we're delighted to be here again, with lots of new work and involvement in some awesome events, too!

On Friday, 4/15, Jonas Madden-Connor, ELFWORLD cover artist Daria Tessler, and many others will be reading from their recent work at the Stumptown Comics Fest Friday Night Party at Guapo Comics & Coffee! We'll be officially debuting ELFWORLD issue #2 that night, featuring Daria's story as well as work from lots of other indy-comics luminaries. What's more, François Vigneault will have some art in the "Haunted Cartoon Vaults" group show opening that night! Whew! And there's much more to draw you out early, including the awarding of the Maisie Kukoc Award for Comics Inspiration.

All that weekend, you can find both Jonas and François at the Family Style table, #D14. We'll be sharing space with the fantastic Julia Gfrörer, who has a brand new mini-comic coming out for the Fest! We'll of course have ELFWORLD, Bird Brain, Ochre Ellipse, and more for your viewing and purchasing pleasure.

On Saturday night, don't miss the Stumptown Afterparty, at the Jupiter Hotel. Be there at 8:00pm for the Stumptown Comics Art Awards, where you'll get to see ELFWORLD #1 get trounced in the Best Anthology category (unless, of course, YOU vote for it!).

Okay! See you there!

Family Style at WonderCon! New Titles!

2011-03-27T15:56:00.000-07:00

Family Style will be exhibiting at WonderCon in San Francisco for the first time ever! WonderCon is definitely a more mainstream/superhero/cosplay sort of event than Family Style is used to exhibiting at, but we've been long-time attendees, and we always have a fun time, so we've decided to try it out this year! Jonas will be sharing our table with Kane Lynch, creator of The Relics.

Jonas has a big new story in the latest issue of Papercutter from Tugboat Press, which he'll have for sale at the Family Style table! The story, “The Most Gripping Mind-Exploding Triumphantly Electric of Our Time,” is a fantastic nested tale that intermixes science fiction and mythopoetic elements to remarkable effect.

François can't attend WonderCon, but his long-delayed fifth issue of Bird Brain will be premiereing at the show! This issue of his ongoing nature journal series features illustrations and field notes from his vacation to Louisiana and Arkansas last summer, and includes coverage of the then-ongoing BP oil spill, herons, ibises, lots of songbirds, and even alligators and beavers!

We'll also of course be selling our Stumptown Comics Award-nominated anthology Elfworld Vol. 2 #1, the original Elfworld collection (with a special convention price of just $5!), Ochre Ellipse, Friends, and all the excellent comics and zines that the world has come to expect from Family Style. We're excited to meet new comics fans in this new venue!

WonderCon takes place April 1-3 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Look for us at table #SP19.

New Stories by Jonas in Papercutter and The Comic Book Guide to the Mission

2011-03-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

Jonas Madden-Connor fans rejoice! This month, Jonas has two new stories out from other publishers:

Papercutter #15 features a 17-page cover story by him, a mind-bending, nested story construction that is sure to tickle your fancy. Incorporating mythological and science fiction structures, this is sure to please fans of Ochre Ellipse. Papercutter #15 (which also features Melinda Boyce, MK Reed, and Drew Weing)is published by the fantastic Tugboat Press and is available at Buy Olympia. Jonas will also have copies for sale at next week's WonderCon, at the Family Style table (#SP19)!

Jonas also has a one-pager in the just released The Comic Book Guide to the Mission from our pals over at Skoda Man Press. This book is jam-packed with good stuff, and is sure to be a pleasure for anyone with a love of San Francisco's most interesting neighborhood. Buy it on Amazon!

Elfworld #2 Available for Pre-Sale! Save a Buck!

2011-03-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

Elfworld Vol. 2 #2 is now available in the Family Style store for pre-sale! Elfworld #2 will be coming out for the Stumptown Comics Fest in just under one month, but until then you can order online and pay just $6, rather than the cover price of $7.00. Just think of all the cool things you could do with that dollar! You could by a mini-comic at the next festival you go to!

Just to remind you, the second issue of Elfworld is a groovy 40 pages of genre greatness, featuring comics by an amazing cast of indy stars and up-and-comers: Dylan Horrocks (Hicksville), Jeremy Tinder (MOME, Cry Yourself to Sleep), Daria Tessler, François Vigneault (why, that's me!), Matthew Reidsma (High Maintainance Machine), Marek Bennett (Mimi's Donuts), and Eve Engelos & Josh Moutray (Icecreamlandia). What a line up!

I'm so delighted to be bringing out another amazing issue of this comic; the ball really seems to be rolling now, with new great new artists signing up for future issues left and right... the coming year is sure to be fantastic, as more and more issues of Elfworld start stacking up next to these two. Stay tuned for more!

Elfworld #2 Out for Stumptown, Elfworld #1 Nominated for Best Anthology!

2011-03-16T01:19:00.000-07:00

Well, when the good news rains, I guess it pours (what did I expect here in Portland?): I just finished up with the layout of Daria Tessler's awesome cover for Elfworld #2, and I wanted to officially announce that Family Style will be premiering the book at the upcoming Stumptown Comics Fest, when I heard that Elfworld #1 was nominated for a Stumptown Comic Art Award! Yay!

We're just wrapping up the final work on the upcoming issue... it looks to be a rad one, with comics by cover artist Daria Tessler, Dylan Horrocks, Jeremy Tinder, Matthew Reidsma, Marek Bennett, Eve Englezos and Josh Moutray, and yours truly, François Vigneault! Clocking in at a whopping 40 pages, this issue is full of magic and monsters... a lot of ogres and trolls in this issue, for some reason! Just like the first issue, this will all come wrapped up in a beautiful 2-color letterpress cover with French flaps, printed this time around by the very talented James Tucker (he's got a fantastic solo show of his prints up in Aspen, CO at the moment, you should check 'em out!), and endpapers designed by illustrator Anna Hurley. All in all this is gonna be a great book, and I am so proud to be bringing it out for Stumptown, my new hometown show!

Elfworld #1 was nominated for Best Anthology in the Stumptown Comic Art Awards, where it is in good company (and fierce competition!): Study Group 12 #4, Gazeta, AX: Alternative Manga, and Nix Comics Quarterly. I'm extremely honored that Elfworld is in with this top-notch crowd, and my thanks go out to all the contributors, readers, and store owners who have helped Family Style and Elfworld out over the past few months. If you enjoyed Elfworld, I certainly wouldn't dissuade you from voting for it to win!

I'll have more EW news in the coming month as we countdown to Stumptown, including some sneak previews.

Updated - On The Road Again: Family Style Show Calendar for 2011

2011-02-27T09:53:00.000-08:00

This year Family Style is hitting the road again, with appearances at some further-flung shows than we've done in awhile! Here is a preliminary calendar of some of our upcoming shows, I'll of course update and post again as individual events approach and we add others!

Wonder Con (San Francisco) April 1-3
We have attended this miniaturized version of the San Diego Comic Con in Family Style's old home town often, but this will be our first year as exhibitors. Jonas will be representing Family Style at table #SP19, which we'll be sharing with the indomitable Kane Lynch. Family Style will have some very cool new stuff: Jonas' cover story in Papercutter (!!!) and Bird Brain #5!

Stumptown Comics Fest (Portland) April 16-17
This is Family Style's new official hometown show, so we'll be there in force. We'll be sharing our space with the fantastic Julia Gfrörer. Premiering at this show: Elfworld Vol. 2, #2, including comics from Dylan Horrocks, Daria Tessler, Jeremey Tinder, and more! Stay tuned for more info.

TCAF (Toronto, CANADA) May 7-8
Yay! We are so proud to have been selected for the Toronto Comics Art Festival! We've heard so much good stuff about TCAF, we're delighted to be attending for the first time. We have some secret projects that might be ready for this show... again, I'll keep you posted!

*We are super sorry to have to back out of TCAF this year due to financial constraints. We're hoping to go next year.

Chicago Comic Con August 11-14
I've been asked to be a Guest at this con! What!?! Should be really fun, I (Francois) lived in Chicago for a few years, and this will be a great chance to re-connect with old pals and all those genius Chicago cartoonists (including a bevy of Elfworld contributors, old and new: Jeffrey Brown, Grant Reynolds, and Jeremy Tinder).

San Francisco Zine Fest September 3-4
These dates haven't been officially announced yet, but the SF Zine Fest is likely returning to its Labor Day Weekend slot again this year. This is the 10th anniversary of the Fest, and we at Family Style have been heavily involved in running the show for more than half of that time, so we will be there with bells on!

APE (San Francisco) October 22-23
We'll be back in SF one more time this year for APE, where we always have a great time. I don't know if I mentioned it in this blog before, but the 2010 APE was a vast improvement on the previous year, so we have high hopes for this year! Premiering at the show: Elfworld #3! We'll also be hosting another "Tales" indy-fantasy reading to celebrate, this time at Mission: Comics and Art! This should be a really, really fun weekend!

OryCon (Portland Fantasy/Sci-Fi Convention!) November 11-13
Finally, we'll be wrapping the year up with an appearance at OryCon, a long-running Portland sci-fi/fatasy con. We're hoping that we can reach a new audience for Elfworld, and I think the show will be a lot of fun, too! I am a long-time fantasy fan and I've never been to a dedicated fantasy con, looking forward to it.

Family Style Jamboree Archive

2011-02-23T19:41:00.000-08:00

Our original flagship title, Family Style Jamboree, is now sadly defunct, never quite making it to our initaly intended 12 issues. However, for historical purposes, here is a bibliography of our collective zine-making efforts! There just might be a collection in the works!

•••

You can get to know the original members of the Family Style collective by reading Family Style Jamboree, our original flagship title. It's a bizarre cocktail, equal parts scandal-laden tell-all and a warm and fuzzy toast. Each issue focuses the entire Family's collective gaze upon one of our founding members, with each contributor expressing themselves as they see fit, whether the verdict be kind or cruel; and the subject being none the wiser until the issue sees print! Everyone is allowed free reign with regard to the content and form of their section, which makes for an exciting and sometimes surprising mix of comics, prose, and more. It's a fascinating look into the lives of strangers through the eyes of their loved ones.

"The most affable and friendly zine of the year!"
-Greg Means, Best Zine Ever

•••

Family Stlye Jamboree #8

The longest-awaited issue in the Jamboree's history is finally here! A slim but power-packed collection of thoughtful essays, harsh rants, and even a couple of gentle comics; this issue will give the brave reader a brief yet exciting look at Gabe Ramos' vaunted musical mastery (NRSZ, Hello Noisy, etc.), complex inter-personal conflicts, and humble self-image.

FSJ08. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", 16pp, b&w. $1.00 SOLD OUT!

Family Stlye Jamboree #7

Social colossus, bon vivant, raconteur, and the only member of Family Style's International Dep't (based in Berlin, Germany), Pablo Roman-Alcalá is celebrated in this issue. Lots of sordid tales of debauchery with a layer of bittersweet remembrances on top. This was almost the Jamboree's final issue, so it comes in an appropriately grim (and oh-so-fashionable) screen-printed black-on-black cover. Inside you'll find the usual assortment of comics, essays, and more.

FSJ07. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", 24pp, b&w. $2.00 SOLD OUT!

Family Stlye Jamboree #6

Antonio Roman-Alcalá's many remarkable talents, intriguing idiosyncrasies, and occasional foibles are examined in our longest issue to date! Comics, essays, and even an archival interview from 1999; not to mention an excerpt from the subject's own forthcoming "Encyclopedia of My Beliefs". What more could you ask for? Gocco-printed cover on brown craft paper.

FSJ06. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", 40pp, b&w. $2.50 SOLD OUT!

Family Stlye Jamboree #5

Find out why Jonas Madden-Connor sings. Heartfelt remembrances, amusing anecdotes, and embarrassing incidents all rear their ugly heads... many copies even include a bonus mini-comic, "10 Reasons to Love Jonas"! All this and more, wrapped in a very stylish, hand-assembled cover with genuine book cloth on spine and corners and lavish letterpress coverplate. Click here to read the entire issue online!

FSJ05. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", 28pp, b&w. $3.50 SOLD OUT!

Family Stlye Jamboree #4

François Vigneault is fondly derided in this extravagant issue. Is he an arrogant prick or a sensitive artiste? All the usual contributors weigh in on the debate as well as some special guest stars from François' past and present. Incredibly lush production on this one: double thick French-fold pages, hand silk-screened dust jacket, and a special fold-out bonus feature.

FSJ04. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", 34pp, b&w. $4.00 SOLD OUT!

Family Style Jamboree #3

The mysterious art maven Erin Ruch takes a break from her hectic social schedule to grace our pages. Family members examine Erin's stunning wardrobe, secret raver past(!), and penchant for making out with older men in bathrooms(!!). Additionally, Erin discusses her previously secret love of mushrooms, ferrets, and Debbie Harry.

FSJ03. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", 24pp, b&w. $2.00 SOLD OUT!

Family Style Jamboree #2

Our funniest, harshest issue to date! Occasionally scathing commentary from the friends of the man who broke the Kryptonite/Bic pen story (as seen in the New York Times!). Hilarious parodies of both Archie comics and Spider-Man daily strips, as well as the usual set of diatribes and illustrated essays. Fancy silver cover w/ cut-out Chris Brennan mask!

FSJ02. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", 32pp, b&w. $2.00 SOLD OUT!

Family Style Jamboree #1

Featuring Beth Bouffard. The premiere issue of the Jamboree, this showcases all eleven original Family members sharing their (generally benevolent) feelings for Beth in comics, essays and even a Venn diagram! This issue is generally considered to be the least "catty" of the bunch, and has even been known to cause our more sensitive readers to "tear up." Fun for the whole family.

FSJ01. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", 28pp, b&w. $2.00 SOLD OUT!

Party People - Susie Cagle, Jonas Madden-Connor, François Vigneault, and Sophie Yanow.

2011-01-25T17:31:00.000-08:00

During the East Bay Alternative Press Fair late last year, Jonas and I expanded our usual convention drawing chalange to encompass some of our great cartoonist pals: Sophie Yanow and Susie Cagle.We have joined forces to produce a D&D adventuring party! Some of us are old hands at this nerdly activity, others are newcomers. Here is our party, for your enjoyment:

Lichen, Halfling by Susie Cagle

Pickpocket, Sneak Thief, and Backstabber Extraordinaire by Jonas Madden-Connor

Audra, Human Fighter by Francois Vigneault

Penelope, Holy Crusader by Sophie Yanow

Sophie pointed out that this party might have a rough time in certain situations, bring mostly combat and sneaking oriented... but at least we look good! We might have been helped out by Kane Lynch's shapeshifting Jewish cleric/druid (!!!) , which he also drew at the show, but Kane can't find his illo... He tells me he is re-drawing it now, so I'll post it here on the Family Style blog when I get it... maybe he'll be joined by some other drawings, from Family Stylers and friends!