November's Things brings comics, posters of dogs and newsprint delights

With the rapidly dropping temperatures in the last week, November’s Things brings publications, posters and prints to warm the hearts with their captivating creativity. From a couple of familiar names to unexpected surprises, we received a great variety of printed goodies including charming illustrations of smiley-faced objects, and a cloth-bound photographic journal. Below check out our top picks from all the printed memorabilia sent our way in the last month.

Elliot Kruszynski

Over here at It’s Nice That, a big poster tube decorated with stickers arrived at our door; a sumptuous amount of fun-filled prints inside. Grinning Russian Doll-esque sausage dogs that fit into each other, in warm brown hues, a green bottle with the sweetest expression and an amalgamation of stickers that includes a rather fed-up Henry Hoover. Elliot’s work brings undeniable joy through his simple yet effective illustrations. Bold, block colours with their thick outlines create a dynamic style combining flat, digital compositions with hints of 3D contouring.

Tommi Musuri: Future

Future is a new comic published as a series of ten magazines. The “weird science fiction epic” enthrals the viewer through a “confusing net of stories that happen on several time levels and locations throughout the universe.” The comics narrate a possible future of mankind, intertwining the past, future and present as well as time and space. Each issue features 24 pages of vivid colour, illustrated by Tommi’s masterful hand which provides intricate detail to the sci-fi comics. With each story, the layout of the comics boards changes to fit the style of the narrative and the varying visual aesthetic. As a result, the viewer is never bored, as each spread offers a different perspective on the theme of time and space.

Rental

Issue one of Rental features eight photographers who bring their individual style to the glossy pages of this new magazine. With 120-pages of high-quality print, this first edition has enjoyed a run of 300 copies. Printed in Toronto and designed by Sebastian Rodriguez, the exhibiting photographers introduce their work from their subjective, personal contexts. For instance, Zoë Waldman discusses her relationship with photography which was “born out of a period of depression” she experienced as an early teen. Another chapter of the book documents Ryosuke Takamura’s street photography and the “hidden meanings” that are concealed in plain sight. The publication is thoughtfully designed by Sebastian who tastefully incorporates full-bleed images which fully immerse the viewer in the textural landscapes.

Prima Materia: Enclosed Expanse and Negative Entropy

Prima Materia is an Ontario-based press publishing zines on the subjects of art, design, history and philosophy. All its booklets are printed on a Risograph MZ790 and boldly designed to highlight the vibrant, dense colours that Risograph printing creates. Enclosed Expanse is a collaborative zine based on the theme of polarities and continuums. Published in an edition of 200, with 32 pages, the blue and black inks are used at varying opacities to demonstrate the versatility of Risograph printing. Angular, architectural illustrations feature within the zine alongside narrative comics-structured spreads, as well as photographs. In Negative Entropy by Errol F. Richardson, the designer explores “a psychedelic origin myth” that deals with the rise of life from matter, evolution, self-knowledge, enlightenment and the projection of the self across time through creative acts.

Icinori: Et puis

French press Icinori released Et puis in late September this year. A picture book for the young and old, the surreal illustrations by Albin Michel Jeunesse depict a surreal, seasonal landscape. With one full spread dedicated to each month, the illustrations follow the same characters whose stories intertwine across the months. Hybrid creatures with spanner-shaped heads and human bodies control different elements, while tiny people with mushrooms for hats ride stoats with long bodies in the foreground. Muted colours compliment different layers of the illustrations, creating a sense of depth from the background scenery to the sticks and stones at the front of the sequences.

Peter Cline: Ocular Anecdotes and Sausage Egg Beans & Chips

Ocular Anecdotes issue three showcases Peter Cline’s scrupulous eye for detail in this highly structured comic on newsprint. In the form of a newspaper, the comic depicts playful observations from daily life in a traditional comics layout executed in a graphic style. Peter’s aesthetic is influenced by early 20th Century drawings and historic printing techniques. Additionally, the use of the newsprint adds an extra element of tactility to the publication.

Sausage Egg Beans & Chips is a four-colour Risograph book printed across 16 pages of different coloured paper. Presenting a range of illustrations by Peter, the minimal graphic drawings show a completely different visual style to Ocular Anecdotes, proving the illustrator’s adaptability.

Specht Studio: The Elusive Archive No. 239

Specht Studio is the creative practice of Stephanie Specht, a freelance graphic designer from Antwerp. Her work is intuitive, abstract, typographic and minimalist as seen in the sophisticated design of this large-scale publication. The Elusive Archive No. 239 is a collaboration with Levi Lanser and contrasts opposing compositions to form a vague narrative around the fragmentation of shapes. Drawing inspiration from architecture and music, the joy of this book is in its size, as the viewer sees minute details in type and design that are often overlooked.

Stickerbomb

Stickerbomb is the first collectable, fully-peelable sticker book featuring illustrations, graffiti and graphics from around the world. Since 2008, Stickerbomb has released over ten publications, confirming its status in the sticker art movement. From satirical stickers of tyrants such as Mao, Putin and Assad to a variety of stickers campaigning for environmental causes; this book encompasses a visual style for everyone.