Jessica Abel was one of the hottest rising stars in the indy-comics scene of the 1990s, a reputation she first established with her series Artbabe, then cemented with the five-issue miniseries La Perdida (soon to be released in graphic-novel format by Pantheon). This issue, Greg Stump sits down for a long, comprehensive interview with the award-winning artist, tracing her career from the early, self-published minicomics to her first deal with a major book publisher, stopping along the way for the kind of digressions on life and art that have earned Abel her diehard legion of fans and admirers. Also: Bill Shafer talks to cartoonist Mark Bodé about carrying on the legacy of his famous father, Vaughn; Ana Merino catches up with one of the hottest young talents of the comic-strip page today, La Cucaracha creator Lalo Alcaraz; Ng Suat Tong offers an examination of classic Chinese tales translated into comics form; and Noah Berlatsky explains how modern copyright law may be hindering the creative works of tomorrow. Our comics section presents a gallery of gorgeous early 20th-century full-page newspaper cartoons by forgotten great Nell Brinkley. Add in the usual mix of news, reviews, commentary and comics, and you have another fine issue of the best magazine about comics available today: The Comics Journal!
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