Received the following from Family Style mini-comics stylist François Vigneault over the weekend:
Family Style is proud to be publishing the long-awaited "Elfworld" Vol. 1 in Fall of 2006!
"Elfworld" was the brainchild of indy-comics superstar Jeffrey Brown; an anthology of fantasy-themed comics by a wide range of alternative, independent, and self-published cartoonists. Although there was a lot of interest in the comics community and tons of submissions poured in, Brown found himself deluged by his more pressing assignments, and unfortunately "Elfworld" was put on the back burner for what promised to be an indefinite time.
At this year's Alternative Press Expo, young cartoonist (and member of the Family Style artistic collective) François Vigneault bought a copy of "The Basilisk" by Kazimir Strzepek. "He told me that he had originally drawn it for Jeffrey Brown's anthology, which was actually the first time I had heard of it," says Vigneault. "My first thought was that I wanted to contribute to it, but then Kaz told me that Jeffrey wasn't ever going to do it, so I had the audacious thought of editing and publishing it myself. I approached Jeffrey and asked him if he was planning to finish "Elfworld", and if not, if I could have it. 'What's your address?' was his response!"
The first volume of "Elfworld" will consist almost entirely of submissions created for Jeffrey Brown's original anthology and selected by François Vigneault. The 96 page, black & white book will feature fantasy-themed stories from over a dozen artists from across the indie-comics spectrum: Jeferey Brown, Martin Cendera, Erik Nebel & Jesse Reklaw, Matt Weigle & Sean Collins, Ron Regé Jr. & Souther Salazar, Grant Reynolds, Liz Prince, K. Thor Jensen, Jason Overby, Ansis, Dalton Sharp, Jason & Jody Turner, and Dave McKenna. There will also be a new, fully-painted cover by Jesse Reklaw. The book will be designed by Jonas Madden-Connor (another member of the Family Style collective).
The stories range from lyrically beautiful to absurdly funny, and the each author approaches the fantasy-inspired subject matter in a unique and often unusual manner; the overall result is a book that sure to please those who love the fantasy genre outright, those for whom it's a guilty pleasure (old D&D manuals hidden away in their closets?), and anyone with an appreciation for independent comics. "It seems like the perfect time for this kind of project," says Vigneault. "Jonas [Madden-Connor] and I have been working on our own fantasy collaboration for almost a year now, and I feel like I keep seeing new work that has a sort of fantastic bent, everything from "Basewood" by Alec Longstreth to "Crickets" by Sammy Harkham. It's like everyone's on the same wavelength." The first volume of "Elfworld" is currently scheduled to come out in October/November of this year.
François Vigneault is currently soliciting submissions for "Elfworld" Vol. 2 (currently planned for 2007), and Family Style intends to publish another book annually thereafter.
Family Style is a small group of cartoonists and other artists working out of the San Francisco Bay Area. They collectively publish several small-press comics and zines, their flagship title Family Style Jamboree has recently hit issue no. 7. "Elfworld" will be their most ambitious project to date.
For more information, links to "Elfworld" contributors, and submission guidelines for future volumes of "Elfworld" please visit: www.family-style.com/elfworld.html
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