Matt Madden Zine Workshop: Five-Page “Foldy” Comic

In conjunction with the exhibition Philly Comics Now: The Art of Graphic Storytelling, this constrained bookmaking workshop for artists, designers and/or writers will begin with demonstrations of inventive ways to cut and fold a single sheet of paper to create small booklets. Participants will then be introduced to the "foldy" format: a 5-page comic made using a single sheet of paper. They will also make dummies and brainstorm ideas for stories and drawings that will make use of the dynamic elements of unfolding, changing scale, and forcing the reader to manipulate and navigate the final booklet. Students can work using analog or traditional tools. In a follow-up session later in the month, attendees are invited back to critique and troubleshoot their works-in-progress and refine the projects in order to print out and share final editions.

About the Artist:
Matt Madden started self-publishing minicomics while living in Ann Arbor MI in the early 90s. In 1996 Madden began writing reviews for The Comics Journal and other publications—more recently he reviewed comics and graphic novels for Bookforum. His first graphic novel, Black Candy, was published by Black Eye Books in 1998; his second, Odds Off, was published by Highwater Books in 2001. He also translates from French and Spanish. In 2002 he was named foreign correspondent of the French avant-garde comics group, OuBaPo (the Workshop for Potential Comics). His book 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style (Penguin), a comics adaptation of Raymond Queneau's Exercises in Style, which has numerous foreign editions including Japan, France, Italy, and Spain, further cementing his position as a leading figure in experimental comics. Madden is based in Philadelphia with his wife, Jessica Abel, and their two children. Together they wrote the comics textbook, Drawing Words & Writing Pictures, published by First Second. The couple are also co-series editors of The Best American Comics from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Their follow-up to DW&WP, Mastering Comics, was published by First Second in the spring of 2012.

About our Exhibition Programming:

Philly Comics Now: The Art of Graphic Storytelling, on display until December 15.

Featuring Jessica Abel with Matt Madden

This Rankin Scholar Proposal focuses on visual storytelling and the practical means of bringing an idea through completion to production. Centering around graphic novelist, author, and business coach for creatives, Jessica Abel, this multifaceted program connects community and student body with DIY publishing and alternative inspiration. Designed to coincide with the exhibition in Pearlstein Gallery, the programs built around Jessica Abel’s engagement use the gallery as a starting point for hands-on workshops, practicums, panel and gatherings. Conceived in collaboration with Jessica Abel, her partner Matt Madden, and the creative team behind Partners & Sons (Tom Marquet and Gina Dawson) this ambitious (and fun) schedule of events will coincide with Philly Comics Expo, a national convergence of industry enthusiasts, and is planned in alignment with Drexel University’s Writers Room, Haggerty Library, The Graphic Design Department, DART- Drexel’s Student Run Art Organization, and the Department of Art & Art History.

Host or Publisher Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design