FEATURED IN THIS FOLIO:
- Simon Moreton
- Nina Vandeweghe
- Malachi Lily
- Keren Katz
- Kelsey Wroten
- Jon Vaugh
- E.A. Bethea
- Dalbert B. Vilarino
It’s worth noting that I wrote and scrapped more than a couple of introductions before writing this introduction. At one point I was determined to provide multiple introductions to serve, in some way, the dynamism of this particular issue. Among them was a longwinded discussion of the history of comics, iconicity, media theory in the digital age, capitalism, avant-garde poetry, and the unprecedented linguistic evolution that now marks emojis as part of our lexicon. And then I remembered that I rarely give much attention to introductions, or as much as I’d like, and that comics themselves, given their iconic nature, carry an immediacy that requires little, if any, coercion.
And not only that, but why attempt to slow you down? If you haven’t already, you should be actively drinking in these amazing, amazing comics. Comics that are sometimes messy, sometimes precise, sometimes challenging and visceral, sometimes disorienting. These are comics that are sometimes ragged, often gorgeous, occasionally ugly. Sometimes simple, blessedly so, some transcendent, inventive. And all of them, every one, wholly awe-inspiring. These are comics marking the egresses of the form, together melting down and reinventing cartooning and the interplay between word and image.
I was nervous, and I suppose I still am, that you understand how important these comics are. And not only how important they are to me, but in the broader scope of an increasingly chaotic, increasingly interconnected world. Anomaly 27 arrives in the midst of longstanding chaos, in the wake of chaos, and many of these comics are themselves quietly chaotic, but it’s a different brand of chaos. These are comics that puzzle together with the widening gulf of absurdist darkness, and permit respite and rebirth, a shock of energy, resistance freshly emboldened.
I am humbled by the contributors to this issue, for their patience and kindness and talent. Please, don’t wait to read their work. These comics have been waiting long enough to be seen, and they’re brilliant comics—you’ll be glad to have seen them.
Nick Potter
Comics Editor
26 December 2018