WINTER
A year ago, we were in much the same spot, reflecting on the previous year and taking stock of how far we’d come as a company. We’d just put out Bug Boys vol. 1 by Laura Knetzger and Erin Curry’s beautiful Ley Lines contribution, “Poems to the Sea” and were gearing up for our next releases. In particular, we spent this time in serious plotting mode, getting ready to make some very big moves in 2016.

We also launched the Ley Lines 2016 schedule (co-published by Grindstone Comics) with Aaron Cockle’s “Medieval War Scene” at the fifth Paper Jam in Brooklyn. This year of Ley Lines would be the first to receive funding from Koyama Press, which continues to be the highest honor. Another highlight was heading out to the woods of Providence to do a Bug Boys fashion shoot with cartoonists and Ley Lines authors Cathy G. Johnson and Mimi Chzranowski.

SPRING
The convention season kicked off in earnest with our annual trip to Toronto for TCAF. We were finally debuting Puiupo and Adonis Pantazopoulos’ Úlcera as well as Mimi’s Ley Lines, “Made with Love in Hell.” This continues to be one of our favorite cities anywhere, and we had the pleasure of meeting up with Kelly Kwang to discuss future plans. We then jetted across the continent to Portland for Linework NW (where Laura had a brand new issue of Bug Boys!) before heading back to Providence for Cathy and Mimi’s book release party, and then on to Chicago for another record-breaking CAKE.

Along the way we managed to sell out of Fütchi Perf, less than a year after it debuted, and Jessi Zabarsky self-released the fifth and penultimate single issue of Witchlight. Both Bug Boys vol. 1 and Fütchi Perf were included in the Society of Illustrator’s Comic and Cartoon Art Annual show at their gallery in New York. We also let the word out that Czap Books was planning a little fundraiser…

SUMMER
Our entire summer was devoted to the Kickstarter — final planning, accumulating resources, shooting the video, running the numbers, sweating through sheets, etc. Dubbed the “Rise of Czap Books,” our whole idea for this Kickstarter was to help put us on the map, and give us the cash we would need for a solid year of growth. Spearheading the charge was our strongest lineup of books yet — Jessi’s complete, collected Witchlight and new work from Kelly Kwang and Liz Suburbia in the new year.

Most of July and August was spent in front of a computer screen, scheduling social media posts and watching the digits go up and down, but we still managed to hit the road, doing a few new shows like the Boston Hassle Black Market and Queer Between the Covers in heavenly Montreal (where we debuted “The Letting Go” by Kevin Czap, our 8th Ley Lines), then back to Boston for New Zineland! Let’s just say it all worked out really well. So thank you all again.

FALL
With the funding in the bank, it was time to hit the road again, beginning a relentless string of appearances in the remaining months of 2016. The victory march began in Maryland at SPX, which would be our best selling convention to-date (and the debut of Liz Suburbia’s final issue of Cyanide Milkshake, #8). Immediately afterward we returned home to be a special guest at RIPE. Next up would be another pilgrimage to Columbus, OH for CXC, where we were taken by complete surprise with a novelty check. If the Kickstarter was incredibly validating, then this was a clear message from the comics community that “we see you.” So thank again everyone. While the award itself was for the Comics Mom of Czap Books, it’s given us the opportunity to promote our books in a number of interviews, an opportunity we’re so thankful for.

We continued the tour with MICE, CAB, Genghis Con, and finally CALA in beautiful LA. We debuted our final Ley Lines for 2016, Laila Milevski’s “Enter, Holy Pilgrim” and finally debuted Jessi’s… well, we’re still waiting on the Witchlight books, but good things come to those that wait, I hear. With the convention season over for another year, we’ve been recharging the batteries and working hard to keep all the plates spinning. As 2016 came close to an end, we were told Czap Books had been voted Most Remarkable micro-publisher of the previous year for the Tiny Report’s Micro-Press Yearbook. If nothing else, 2016 has shown us that we’re on the right path.

Now that it’s January again, we’re in planning mode, preparing to make good on the promises we made in 2016. While our main lineup has already been revealed — Witchlight by Jessi Zabarsky, don’t tell me not to worry (i’ll worry all i want) by Kelly Kwang, and Egg Creme #1 by Liz Suburbia — there are still some cool surprises waiting to be revealed, like our amazing Ley Lines 2017 schedule.

Despite the liberal use of the editorial “we,” Czap Books continues to be a one person operation, and our success relies so much on everyone reading and buying and talking about the books we publish. Thanks also to everyone who put us on a panel at a convention, and everyone who came to those panels. A big thank you to all the distributors we worked with this year and hope to continue with — Radiator Comics, Birdcage Bottom Books, and Spit and a Half. It’s so cool to have Czap Books in stores across the country, and you all make it possible. Thank you again and again to everyone who backed the Kickstarter.

We wanna ride this wave with y’all, so follow Czap Books on twitter, instagram, facebook and tumblr if you don’t already. Gonna have some good, wholesome content for you in 2017. ❤ ❤

As a big fan of Puiupo’s work for several years, it was a great pleasure and honor to work with them to bring Úlcera — a visceral sci-fi headtrip in the vein of Jodorowsky by way of Masaaki Yuasa’s Kaiba — to English-speaking audiences. That pleasure was doubled when it meant I also got to work with Adonis Pantazopoulos as part of the deal. I emailed both São Paulo-based cartoonists some questions, to get a better sense of where they’re coming from. Read on to find out more about these rising stars!

Kevin — Puiupo, you’re originally from Portugal — what brought you to Brazil?
Puiupo — “My whole family is Brazilian. When I was around 15, my mother passed away and I had to come to Brazil and live with relatives. People often ask me about it and it can get a little awkward when I explain the reason for my emigration, but it’s been a while and talking about it is no longer a big deal for me.”

K — Is this the first project you’ve collaborated on?
P — “Yes, we tried doing short comics together before, but Úlcera was the only project that worked out (laughs)”

K — How would you each describe your section of Úlcera, in one or two sentences?
P — “Hum… I think mine is more like a dreamish vision of the overall story. To me, it feels like I’m only showing a small part of a much larger universe.”

K — I believe the idea for this comic started with Puiupo, is that correct? At one point you were talking about expanding on the comic you did for PUPPYTEETH 4. How did that idea evolve into Úlcera?
P — “(laughs) Yeah at first it was supposed to be a continuation of the story I came up with for PUPPYTEETH 4, but it ended up changing a lot in the process. The main idea is still there, tho.

As soon as I started expanding the original universe, I realized it needed to adapt to my narrative and visual standards at that time (which had changed since the PUPPYTEETH contribution), and later on when Adonis got involved in it, we made more changes together as well.

Neither of us wrote much before drawing, so that explains a lot too (laughs) we pretty much just kept on going (drawing, erasing, redrawing, erasing again…) until the story gained form.”

K — How did you get involved, Adonis, and how was the experience of working within this universe? How much collaboration was there?
Adonis — “Well, I guess me and Puiupo were trying to produce stuff together ever since we met, so between 2013 and 2015 we started some projects together (our first collaboration that did work out was in Pero Pero, a Portuguese/Brazilian zine published online, edited by Puiupo theirself) and in 2015 we decided to develop a long, shining, handsome, good-looking comic book. Pui had this idea about expanding the universe they created for a previous comic, and I was working on a story about a fragmented fascist civilization that faces an imminent apocalypse. We mixed these concepts all up and our story ended up getting close to what Puiupo wanted to do in Úlcera. At some point they invited me to work on Úlcera with them, AND I SAID YES. So we created this universe together but we had freedom to explore it in our own ways, writing and drawing our sections ourselves. It was A BLAST.”

K — Do you think either of you will return to this world for future comics? Or maybe a further evolution of these ideas?
A — “I guess so, yes — there’s a lot of background we created that didn’t make it to the final version, like some thoughts I have about the Ambidextrous and Mirra that I feel are worth exploring.”

K — Adonis, what is your background? You paint as well as make comics, did you go to art school?
A — “I did, here in São Paulo there’s an art school called Quanta that I attended between 2010~2012 and I’ve recently dropped out of an animation college (I did only one period, [laughs]).”

K — Puiupo, you’re currently studying animation, right? What kind of animation influenced that decision — is there anything out there that you’re really excited about?
P — “Well, I’m really into modern Japanese animation and it’s been my main influence since I started drawing. [Being] Masaaki Yuasa has to be my life goal without a doubt (laughs). I am also very exited about the pace that the Brazilian animation scene has been growing at recently, and I want to be a part of it’s growth, if I manage to stay motivated (laughs).

Generally, an animation major was the thing that made more sense for me at the time, coming from comics and all, you know. But I don’t want to restrain myself to it, personally or professionally. I have a deep interest in comics and animation just as much as I have for fashion, painting, and performance. I hope to get the time to work on these other creative areas at some point.”

K — What is the scene like in Sao Paulo? I think the original [Portuguese-language edition] Úlcera debuted at a big show last year, can you tell me a bit more about that?
P — “The scene is exciting and it feels like a big group of friends! Yes, Úlcera debuted at FIQ (Festival Internacional de Quadrinhos) which is held every 2 years in Belo Horizonte. It is the biggest comics festival in latin america and it lasts five days.

FIQ plays a huge role on keeping the scene alive and launching Úlcera there was amazing, we got a lot of feedback and met many artists we admire, from all over Brazil and abroad.”

K — What other Brazilian cartoonists should we be aware of?
P — “Aaaa there are so many, uhm… But Mazô, Tais Koshino, Julia Balthazar, Pedro Cobiaco and Wagner William are the ones whose work has caught my eyes the most recently.”

A — “I’ll probably forget someone but the ones with the work that I’m getting more into lately are Julia Balthazar, Pedro Cobiaco, everyone from Mês, Flavushh, Mazô, Vidi Descaves and Laura Athayde (aka Boobie Trap).”

K — Finally, are there any projects either of you are working on right now that you’re excited about?
P — “Yes!! I’m collaborating on a couple anthologies and am working on a ‘solo’ bigger project. This year’s looking great!”

A — “Yes! Me and Gabriel Carvalho (Jornal Altamira) are working on a short comic called “nubi” and I’m also slowly working on a solo comic book for this year.“

Thanks so much to Puiupo and Adonis for answering my questions! You can see more of there work at their respective websites and you can buy a copy of Úlcera at czapbooks.com For more information about the Brazilian comics scene, see this report on Comics Workbook. ♥

Czap Books is holding a Kickstarter for our 2017 Collection on July 27-August 25 kevinczap.com/kickstarter