Artist August: Liz Prince [Art Feature]

Liz Prince’s comics are exactly the type of comics I want to see more of in the world. Her work lies somewhere between the self-reflection of Jeffery Brown and the raucous energy of James Kochalka, examining herself and her surroundings through the lens of a humorist. Her comics are easily digestible while simultaneously impactful and thought provoking, which gives her work an accessibility a lot of other cartoonists can lack.

When not focusing on punk rock or cats Prince’s comics can lean towards cynicism, but she uses humor to keep from ever becoming bleak. Even when she’s her own punchline, the laughs are never meant to be mean spirited or overly self-depricating. Instead, there’s a type of tongue-in-cheek feeling that comes from the cartoonist’s knowing that her reader can relate on some level to the situation. We laugh with her because we’ve all been there. Prince is incredibly honest about her relationships and inner-most feelings, inviting readers to join her in examining some of life’s pitfalls.

Prince’s forthcoming Tomboy will be her longest work to date, more than doubling the page count of her last book Alone Forever. From the excerpts that’re floating around, as well as some advance reviews, it’s looking like Tomboy is going to make a bit of a splash, and I’m super excited to read it! It’ll be available next month at finer comic shops everywhere. She’s also got a trio of books available from the good folks at Top Shelf.

Most of the images below are from Liz’s website and Tumblr, so you should check those out for even more comics.