What's a good venue to publish an essay on Dan Clowes?

August 15, 2006 6:54 AM

What's a good venue to publish an essay on Dan Clowes?

I've written one. It's very long--maybe three to four thousand words and more like the kind of thing you'd find in TLS or the New York Review. So, it's more thoughtful than the typical comics essay, but it's about a theme that general interest literary magazines usually don't cover (comics). The ideal venue for it would be a general interest magazine (like those I mentioned above or the New Republic, etc.) as I use Clowes as a springboard to talk about larger issues of irony, kitsch, hipsterism, authenticity. Also, I spend some time "translating" Clowes for a general audience--something that readers of the Comics Journal don't really need.

I've tried a few journals but they either have enough graphic novel content or don't publish stories on graphic novels. I'm thinking of a magazine somewhere between the London Review of Books or the Boston Review on the one hand and The Baffler, The Believer, N+1, hermenaut on the other. Any tips?

posted by johnasdf to writing & language (15 comments total)

It sounds like the sort of thing that Jim Norton at Flak Magazine might dig, but in the spectrum you sketch, they're pretty close to N+1.
posted by blueshammer at 7:15 AM on August 15, 2006

Salon.com?
posted by bendybendy at 7:49 AM on August 15, 2006

This sounds like something that Harper's magazine would publish.
posted by NoMich at 7:56 AM on August 15, 2006

A public space publishes a pretty good mix of fiction and nonfiction. Not sure if comics would be interesting to them but you never know until you try.
posted by shownomercy at 7:56 AM on August 15, 2006

You may want to look at Juxtapoz magazine. They are all about art and culture and deal regularly with comix.
posted by JJ86 at 8:18 AM on August 15, 2006

Why not the Believer? That sounds like a good prospect for what you just described.
posted by umbú at 8:36 AM on August 15, 2006

Bookforum frequently cover lesser known authors and movements, so your backgrounding wouldn't be out of place. They tend to be about books and authors though, so I don't know if using Clowes as a "springboard" for discussing cultural issues would match their style.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 8:53 AM on August 15, 2006

Take a look at Kitchen Sink - I just got their latest issue and they're very pop-culture friendly while still maintaining a healthy sense of intelligence. I call them the Anti-Klosterman.
posted by beaucoupkevin at 9:37 AM on August 15, 2006

Try The Comics Journal.
posted by Smart Dalek at 10:43 AM on August 15, 2006

Sounds like perfect Believer material.
posted by matildaben at 11:02 AM on August 15, 2006

Seconding N+1 or The Comics Journal. I don't know that Salon will take already-written pieces—I think their freelance policies are more journalism-traditional.
posted by limeonaire at 11:11 AM on August 15, 2006

wherever it ends up, please let us know in-thread -- it sounds like an interesting read.
posted by fishfucker at 11:18 AM on August 15, 2006

You might want to contact TwoMorrows Publishing. They have several magazines that may be interested in a longer piece on Clowes.
posted by JDC8 at 5:31 PM on August 15, 2006

They only say they are looking for reviewers, but this doesn't seem out of line with something Bookslut would like.
posted by librarina at 7:30 PM on August 15, 2006

Hi everyone, thanks for the help. I've tried some of these already, like the Believer, but I'll try to post a link somehow when I get it published. Thanks!
posted by johnasdf at 9:29 AM on August 23, 2006