In Brian Blomerth’s recently released book, “Bicycle Day,” the illustrator chronicles the first-ever ingestion of LSD by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann. The tale combines a loyal account of the 1943 acid trip with Blomerth’s beloved style, which has been featured in previous comics and zines—as well as album covers and other outlets.
Known for his lush and provocative illustrations and comics, Spanish artist Carles G.O’D. is the center of a major show at Tabularasa Tekè Gallery in Italy next month. “Closer to Heaven” kicks off on June 14 in the space and runs through Aug. 3. The massive trove of works on display include original drawings, comic pages, prints from his major projects, and more.
Anuj Shrestha’s comics and drawings encounter themes of identity and progress, in all of its competing notions. A new collection of the artist’s strips, titled “NEW FEARS,” offer some of his latest reflections. Elsewhere, the Philadelphia-based illustrator has had his work published in Wired, The New York Times, The Intercept, and other publications.
After a 12-year lifespan that began on Myspace, Pepe the Frog is dead. Creator/artist Matt Furie first shared the character with the world in Boy’s Club #1, and the anthropomorphic frog became famous for the line, “Feels good, man,” said in the strip as he justified urinating at a stall with his pants and underwear fully down to his ankles. However, after the character was co-opted by followers of Donald Trump during the 2016 Presidential Election, the continued negative use of Pepe forced Furie to make a decision.
Barcelona based illustrator Joan Cornellà admits that he’s had an unusual imagination since his early childhood. Labeled as the “king of absurd”, though colorful and playful on the outside, his artwork intentionally oversteps boundaries on topics of race, gender, drugs, and every social taboo imaginable. His images are populated by funny and always happy figures that live in a twisted world of happiness, he says, and they have no time to be politically correct.
South Korean illustrator and cartoonist Kim Jung Gi draws energetic and fantastical scenes inspired by a mix of comics, movies, and his everyday encounters. His drawings became a Youtube sensation when he posted this timelapse video of his process, where he sketches incredibly without hesitation or visual references. Using primarily brush pen and ink, he works purely from his imagination, often distorting his images as if looking through a fish-eye lens.