Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Gumballs
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.erinnations.com/
CITY: Portland
STATE: OR
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
Unable to select in LOC
PERSONAL
Male.
EDUCATION:Southern Oregon University, graduated, 2005; Independent Publishing Resource Center, comics/graphic novel certificate, 2013.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and illustrator.
WRITINGS
Creator of several zines. Contributor to publications, including Vision Quest.
SIDELIGHTS
Erin Nations is a writer and illustrator based in Portland, Oregon. He holds a degree from Southern Oregon University and took part in additional studies at the Independent Publishing Resource Center. Nations works primarily in the comics genre and has released several zines. In an interview with Alex Dueben, contributor to the Beat website, Nations explained how he came to be a comic book artist. He stated: “I’ve been drawing cartoons since I was eight. I loved cartoons and spent a lot of time re-drawing my favorite cartoon characters. My dream was to become an animator. Then, when I went off to college and I started reading comic books, I felt inspired to make my own.” Nations continued: “What drew me into comics was Ghost World by Daniel Clowes. Visually, I was always attracted to comics. As a kid, I read Charlie Brown and Garfield in the Sunday paper and I loved the comics that appeared in the Simpsons Illustrated magazine. However, I became disinterested in comics as a teenage because I was under the assumption that they were mostly superheroes and that had little appeal to me. When I discovered Ghost World, that introduced me to a genre of comics I never knew existed. I became a fan instantly.”
In 2018, Nations released Gumballs, a compilation of comic books of the same title. He explained to Kate Kosturski, writer on the Multiversity Comics website: “It’s a collection of short comics and some illustrations. Each issue features fictional personal ads, unpleasant customers I encounter at work, personal anecdotes of growing up as a triplet, autobiographical comics about my experience as a trans man, and a teenage loner named Tobias who longs for a boyfriend. I also incorporate visual diaries of my daily excursions.” Nations continued: “Almost everything that appears in Gumballs comes from personal experience. The majority of the work is autobiographical with the exception of Tobias and the personal ads. At times, even Tobias is an exaggerated version of myself.” Regarding the inspiration for the title of the work, Nations told Matt Santori, contributor to the Comicosity website: “It’s a little obscure, but it’s a reference to my work being referred to as ‘candy colored’ like gumballs. To me, the word feels nostalgic and youthful, which is the same association I have with comics. Like a lot of people, my first exposure to comics was during childhood.” Nations also discussed his intentions for the work in the interview with Santori, stating: “I think some of the trans readers will be able to relate and find comfort in reading a comic about a character they can identify with. They’ll enjoy reading something they can connect with. Maybe they won’t feel so alone. Having positive representation of trans people in the media and in comic books is very important for trans people. It’s equally important for cis people too. It impacts how they perceive us.” “For readers with little understanding of what it’s like to be trans, I hope my comics are insightful enough that people gain some perspective and they are bit more aware,” Nations told Sarah Karlan, writer on the Buzzfeed website.
A Publishers Weekly reviewer described Gumballs as “whimsical and timely.” The reviewer concluded: “Nations presents a much-needed perspective on modern American life with a nifty art style.” “It’s good and vital for more trans authors to get footholds in professional publishing, but Gumballs is gratifyingly not just ‘important,’ but also worthwhile,” asserted Daniel Schindel on the Comics Journal website. Stephanie Tournas, critic on the Youth Services Book Review website, commented: “Gentle humor, mainly self-deprecating, makes the book feel realistic and truthful.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, April 30, 2018, review of Gumballs, p. 46.
ONLINE
Beat, http://www.comicsbeat.com/ (August 4, 2017), Alex Dueben, author interview.
Buzzfeed, https://www.buzzfeed.com/ (July 22, 2016), Sarah Karlan, author interview.
Comicosity, http://www.comicosity.com/ (October 27, 2016), Matt Santori, author interview.
Comics Journal, http://www.tcj.com/ (June 28, 2018), Daniel Schindel, review of Gumballs.
Erin Nations website, http://www.erinnations.com/ (September 6, 2018).
Forces of Geek, http://www.forcesofgeek.com/ (July 9, 2018), Lenny Schwartz, review of Gumballs.
Multiversity Comics, http://www.multiversitycomics.com/ (November 14, 2017), Kate Kosturski, author interview.
Portland Monthly Online, https://www.pdxmonthly.com/ (January 12, 2017), Jason Buehrer, author interview.
Youth Services Book Review, https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/ (July 24, 2018), Stephanie Tournas, review of Gumballs.
Erin is an illustrator and cartoonist living in Portland, Oregon. He graduated from Southern Oregon University in 2005 and was accepted into the summer semester of Comics/Graphic Novel Certificate Program at the IPRC in 2013.
He has shown work locally at The Pony Club Gallery, Benjamin Benjamin, and Gigantic Gallery. Since 2014, he has created a handful of zines and his first comic Twins-Triplet.
His forthcoming comic book series, Gumballs is slated for release in December 2016 with Top Shelf Productions. He is a frequent contributor to the quarterly comics newspaper, Vision Quest.
QUOTED: "I’ve been drawing cartoons since I was eight. I loved cartoons and spent a lot of time re-drawing my favorite cartoon characters. My dream was to become an animator. Then, when I went off to college and I started reading comic books, I felt inspired to make my own."
"What drew me into comics was Ghost World by Daniel Clowes. Visually, I was always attracted to comics. As a kid, I read Charlie Brown and Garfield in the Sunday paper and I loved the comics that appeared in The Simpsons Illustrated magazine. However, I became disinterested in comics as a teenage because I was under the assumption that they were mostly superheroes and that had little appeal to me. When I discovered Ghost World, that introduced me to a genre of comics I never knew existed. I became a fan instantly."
INTERVIEW: Erin Nations explores phone anxiety and gender identity in GUMBALLS
INTERVIEW: Erin Nations explores phone anxiety and gender identity in GUMBALLS
YOU ARE HERE: HOME / CULTURE / INTERVIEWS / INTERVIEW: ERIN NATIONS EXPLORES PHONE ANXIETY AND GENDER IDENTITY IN GUMBALLS
08/04/2017 2:00 PM BY ALEX DUEBEN
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One of Top Shelf’s recent releases – Gumballs – wasn’t a graphic novel but a new comics series. A quarterly series from the young cartoonist Erin Nations, the first issue contains multiple stories and illustrations that range from the humorous to the emotionally fraught. Nations talks openly about being transgender, while other stories involve growing up as triplets and phone anxiety, there are comics essays and illustrations.
The style that Nations uses and his use of color is striking, but it’s only reading through the book and all of its contents that it becomes clear just how well and how precise an artist Nations is and how he’s able to skillfully utilize this style for a wide range of emotions and approaches. Nations mentions that one of the seminal books of his life was Dan Clowes’ Ghost World, and like that book, Nations is interested in authentic voices, in dialogue, and in presenting individual characters in a unique world.
Nations is a contributor to the quarterly comics newspaper Vision Quest and the creator of many comics and zines who has shown his work at various local galleries. Recently, Nations sat down with the Beat to talk about the series in anticipation of the third issue, which comes out August 16th.
Alex Dueben: What is Gumballs?
Erin Nations: It’s a collection of both comics and illustrations. Most of the comics are pretty short and some are serialized. While some of the stories are fictitious, a majority of the material is autobiographical.
Dueben: Why did you decide to make Gumballs as a comic series as opposed to putting together enough material for a larger collection. Was there something about the form and this one person anthology that you really love?
Nations: Creating a quarterly comic book was never something I envisioned. My introduction into comics was through graphic novels, so I always imagined my first published comic would be a graphic novel. Creating a printed quarterly comic, featuring an anthology of work, was an idea Brett Warnock proposed. He was a former teacher of mine and he saw potential in me and provided a lot of guidance and help. He encouraged me to put together a comic book and to send it to publishers. He knew I had enough material. After seeing all the zines and comics I had created, he suggested I compile them into a comic book series. I was open to the idea so I decided to go for it.
Dueben: How much thought did you put into a combination of stories and styles and approaches. Were you conscious of, this book needs to be many things?
Nations: No, I wouldn’t say I was trying to create a book of many things. I think because most of my comics are pretty short and I have 32 pages to fill, I’m able to pack a lot of variety into one issue. Essentially, I was working on a several different on-going comics and I decided to put them all into one book. Readers will notice, that a lot of the stories in issue one will continue to appear in future issues.
I definitely want to incorporate something new in each issue, but for the most part, I want to provide stories that will carry over to the next issue. I like the idea of having something familiar for readers to come back to and/or look forward to in the next issue. However, to break up the monotony, I wanna throw in a few new things that are not reoccurring.
Dueben: Do you have an overall plan for the book. Do you have the next few issues partially or completely done?
Nations: Before I began working on the first issue, I constructed a plan for the book and I thought about the content I’d use. However, I’m sure down the road I’ll want to incorporate new story lines and retire other ones. Some of the comics will become longer. It’s hard to say what is in store for the future, but I think change is inevitable as I evolve as a cartoonist.
Dueben: Are you leaving yourself room to change your mind and do something completely different a couple months down the road?
Nations: The initial plan was pretty concrete. However, with three issues in, I’m already starting to feel the itch to create something new to incorporate. If I feel like something has run its course, or if I think a storyline has reached a conclusion, I plan to end it and start something new. Regardless of when that may happen, I’m sure the transition from one completed story to a new one will be smooth.
Dueben: How did you end up at Top Shelf?
Nations: I was interested in a publisher of alternative comics and Top Shelf was definitely on my list. I enjoy their comics and I thought my work and style fit in with the work they publish, which is important when considering a publisher.
When discussing publishers with Brett, Top Shelf was the first one he mentioned. He is one of the co-founders of Top Shelf and was a former publisher there. He spoke with Chris Staros and showed him some of my work. Chris was intrigued, so I put together the first issue of Gumballs, Brett submitted it to Top Shelf, and I got published.
Dueben: Why is it a quarterly publication?
Nations: It really boils down to time. I’d love to be able to produce something in a shorter time frame, but I have a full time job aside from making comics. I’m hoping, in time, that will change. In the future, I hope to devote more time to comics, but right now I need my other job to pay my bills. I think there is this misconception that once you’re a published cartoonist/author, you’re suddenly making tons of money. That is not the true. At least not for emerging cartoonist.
Dueben: You’ve been making comics for a little now but what made you interested in making comics? What brought you to comics?
Nations: I’ve been drawing cartoons since I was eight. I loved cartoons and spent a lot of time re-drawing my favorite cartoon characters. My dream was to become an animator. Then, when I went off to college and I started reading comic books, I felt inspired to make my own.
What drew me into comics was Ghost World by Daniel Clowes. Visually, I was always attracted to comics. As a kid, I read Charlie Brown and Garfield in the Sunday paper and I loved the comics that appeared in The Simpsons Illustrated magazine. However, I became disinterested in comics as a teenage because I was under the assumption that they were mostly superheroes and that had little appeal to me. When I discovered Ghost World, that introduced me to a genre of comics I never knew existed. I became a fan instantly.
Dueben: I know that you live in Portland – along a few other cartoonists – how do you think the city and the fact that it is this comics and zine hub has shaped you and your work.
Nations: I’m sure the education that’s provided here has helped shape my work. I took a class taught by Brett Warnock at PNCA and a course taught by cartoonist Nicole Georges at the IPRC. I was able to learn how to make a comic book and I learned more about the industry not only through them, but also through their guest speakers. They both invited editors, writers, and cartoonist to speak or teach. At the IPRC, we also learned how to bind books and we practiced lettering, among others things.
Aside from that, apparently zines have impacted my way of creating comics. I love small press publications, and self-published comics, and zines and there is an abundance of it here that I’ve been exposed to. Recently, I was listening to this podcast and the two hosts reviewed Gumballs and one of the guys actually said that my comic book kind of reminded him of a zine. I think that’s probably due to the fact that Gumballs does not follow a traditional comic book format, but I still thought it was an interesting observation.
Dueben: So where can people find you online?
Nations: I’m all over the Internet and most social media platforms (except twitter). My website is www.erinnations.com and people are welcome to follow me on instagram @elnations or tumblr at erin-nations.tumblr.com/
Gumball #3 will be released on August 16th!
QUOTED: "It’s a collection of short comics and some illustrations. Each issue features fictional personal ads, unpleasant customers I encounter at work, personal anecdotes of growing up as a triplet, autobiographical comics about my experience as a trans man, and a teenage loner named Tobias who longs for a boyfriend. I also incorporate visual diaries of my daily excursions."
"Almost everything that appears in Gumballs comes from personal experience. The majority of the work is autobiographical with the exception of Tobias and the personal ads. At times, even Tobias is an exaggerated version of myself."
Interviews
Erin Nations Talks “Gumballs”
By Kate Kosturski | November 14th, 2017
Posted in Interviews | 0 Comments
From zines to comics, Erin Nations has done it all. His autobiographical comic published by IDW/Top Shelf Productions, “Gumballs,” is the first professionally published autobiographical comic by a trans cartoonist. Prior to “Gumballs” Erin has created content such as Meow: A Collection of Cat Portraits with Descriptions, and contributed to comics periodicals Vision Quest and Original Plumbing. With bright colors and a cartoonish, sculptural style, “Gumballs” uses humor and heart to share childhood memories (Erin is a triplet), quirky personal ads, and life as a transgender person. The fourth issue of “Gumballs” comes out in December, and I had the privilege to sit down and chat with this comics pioneer about zines, artistic influences, and representation of the trans experience in comics.
Cover by Erin Nations
First, for those readers not familiar with “Gumballs,” tell us a little bit about the comic and its cast of characters.
Erin Nations: It’s a collection of short comics and some illustrations. Each issue features fictional personal ads, unpleasant customers I encounter at work, personal anecdotes of growing up as a triplet, autobiographical comics about my experience as a trans man, and a teenage loner named Tobias who longs for a boyfriend. I also incorporate visual diaries of my daily excursions.
Every superhero has an origin story. Tell us yours as both a comics fan and as a comics creator.
EN: They go hand in hand. I realized I wanted to make comics at the same time I started reading them. I was more interested in the visual components of comics. I was more interested in the linework and colors.
When I graduated High School, the film adaptation of Ghost World was released. I loved it. In college, my best friend asked me, “You know this is based on a comic book, right?” That changed everything for me. I finally discovered a comic book with a story I wanted to read. Ghost World introduced me to alternative comics and I became a fan.
I went to college for graphic design, but when I left, I realized I didn’t want to be a designer. I wanted to make comics.
What comics inspired you to create “Gumballs?” What inspirations — comics or otherwise — did you find to create the very unique cartoonish style we see throughout the books?
EN: I think Daniel Clowes Eightball and Adrian Tomine’s Optic Nerve were big inspirations for Gumballs. The style and content are different, but I liked the idea of creating a series of mini-comics.
My earliest influence was The Simpsons. I was obsessed with the show. I taught myself how to draw by copying those characters, so I’m sure it impacted my style. Beyond that, it’s hard to pinpoint other sources that have influenced my style because there’s an abundance of art that I’ve been exposed to. I’m sure it’s all influenced me in some ways that I wouldn’t even know how to pick apart.
The style I’ve adhered to for the past few years was a conscious decision. After college, I wanted a style that was unique and my own. I started to experiment with these square face characters. They used to be a lot more rigid and minimal. They’ve evolved in the last ten years.
You are a pioneer in the comics medium — the first trans cartoonist to publish an autobiographical comic. How has coming out and transitioning changed your view of the world, your writing, and/or your drawing style?
EN: It hasn’t changed my writing or drawing. I’m the same person I was before I transitioned. I draw the same and I write the same. Hormones changed my physical appearance and transitioning changed my state of mind (I’m happier and more confident now). If anything, I think time changes drawing and writing styles. Cis or trans, these things change as we grow as writers and artists.
Transitioning didn’t change my views of the world either because, while I knew I’d remain the same person, I anticipated a shift in how others would treat me. Society holds expectations of how we should behave and present ourselves based on our gender. Transitioning provided me with more insight. Now I know what it’s like to be treated as both male and female. For 33 years I felt societal pressures to act feminine and to take on female gender roles because I was read as a woman. For 2 years, I’ve felt societal pressures to act masculine and adopt stereotypical male roles because I’m read as a man.
Continued below
One can imagine a certain level of creative license in any work, but how much of “Gumballs” is from your own direct, personal experience?
EN: Almost everything that appears in Gumballs comes from personal experience. The majority of the work is autobiographical with the exception of Tobias and the personal ads. At times, even Tobias is an exaggerated version of myself.
You started out in zine culture before you made the move to comics. For those readers at Multiversity who may not be familiar with zines, could you explain what a zine is and what made you change your medium of focus from zines to comics? Any plans on contributing or returning to zines in the future?
EN: A zine is short for “magazine”. Generally, they’re self-published, printed in small batches, and created with a DIY approach. When zines first emerged, they were constructed by arranging text and images on paper and then xeroxed and stapled. Today, people still use copy machines to create zines, but they’ve also evolved to incorporate other printing processes, materials, and binding techniques.
Zines are generally circulated at zine symposiums, online, or at bookstores that offer consignment to self-publishers.
The subject matter varies. Zines can be about different subcultures, politics, fan fiction, poetry, art, etc. There are no rules.
For me, there isn’t a huge difference between my comics and art zines. In fact, some of the material in Gumballs came from zines I made. However, my zines mostly feature sketchbook drawings, so I think the switch happened because I wanted to create stories. I wanted to make comic books.
I’ll definitely make zines in the future. In fact, I just made one last month that I sold at Short Run in Seattle. I stopped making zines because creating comics occupy too much of my time.
What can readers expect from the upcoming fourth issue (out in December)?
EN: It’ll contain more personal ads and customer interactions. A new character enters Tobias’ world. I explore my anxiety with using public restrooms as a transgender person. There’s a new visual diary regarding my artist residency at an offbeat lodge in Seaview, Washington. Also, my sisters and I become spooked by a ’80s board game.
As this interview is timed for Trans Awareness Week, how do you think comics creators and publishers are depicting the trans experience in the medium? What are things that the industry is doing right — and where is there room for improvement?
EN: It has taken decades, but in recent years, trans characters are finally emerging in comics and not just as supporting characters, or shapeshifters, or stereotypes (even though it still happens occasionally). How transgender characters are depicted is much more positive and accurate today in comparison to 15 years ago. Lumberjanes is a great example. It’s an incredibly queer-friendly comic, featuring female-led characters, one of which has a crush on her fellow female camper, and another who is a transgender woman of color. This all-ages comic is getting it right. It depicts positive queer/trans representation and it allows the readers to know that it’s cool to be yourself.
As far as improvement, more is still better. The most diverse comics I come across are online and unpublished. It’d be nice for those folks to be published and to see mainstream comics reflect the same diversity seen in small-press or unpublished comics. It’s not just the inclusion of transgender characters that I’d like to see in comics, but the inclusion of characters and creators of all gender identities, sexualities, races, and ethnicities.
Outside of the upcoming “Gumballs” book next summer, are there any other projects on your horizon?
EN: I have a new comic that will appear in the first issue of Full Bleed, which is a new quarterly magazine published by IDW. It’s scheduled to be released in December. I’m also excited to be featured in We’re Still Here, an all-trans comic anthology edited by Tara Avery and Jeanne Thornton at Stacked Deck Press.
Continued below
Finally, Multiversity is a comics site for fans by fans. Give us a few comics recommendations of your own!
EN: Anything by Jillian Tamaki! I love her work. Especially This One Summer (written by Mariko Tamaki) and SuperMutant Magic Academy. I enjoy the work of Eleanor Davis. I just finished reading You & A Bike & A Road. Ben Passmore’s Your Black Friend. It’s a short story, but still profound. And check out the work of Lee Lai. She’s one of my favorites and such a brilliant artist. Earlier this year, she debuted her comic First Year at TCAF.
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Kate Kosturski
Kate Kosturski is your Multiversity social media manager, a librarian by day and a comics geek...well, by day too (and by night). Based in the New York City area, Kate is also a volunteer with Geeks OUT, a NYC nonprofit that empowers LGBTQ+ voices in geek culture. She spends her free time spending too much money on Funko POP figures, playing with yarn, drooling over Jensen Ackles, and rooting for the hapless New York Mets. Follow her on Twitter at @librarian_kate.
EMAIL | ARTICLES
QUOTED: "It’s a little obscure, but it’s a reference to my work being referred to as 'candy colored' like gumballs. To me, the word feels nostalgic and youthful, which is the same association I have with comics. Like a lot of people, my first exposure to comics was during childhood."
"I think some of the trans readers will be able to relate and find comfort in reading a comic about a character they can identify with. They’ll enjoy reading something they can connect with. Maybe they won’t feel so alone. Having positive representation of trans people in the media and in comic books is very important for trans people. It’s equally important for cis people too. It impacts how they perceive us."
Queer Visibility Interview: Erin Nations Pops Out with GUMBALLS
Interviews Queer Visibility Representation Top StoriesOctober 27, 2016
In the tradition of cartoon anthologies like Eightball and Optic Nerve, this December Top Shelf Productions introduces Gumballs, and new one-man comic anthology from Portland cartoonist Erin Nations. Taking a funny look at a variety of stories, including his own true-life story of gender transition, Nations brings his quirky humor and fascination with humanity to comics. Nations took some time to share his thoughts about the book’s arrival with Comicosity, including what a book like Gumballs can mean for both cis and trans readers.
gumballs-1-coverMatt Santori: Erin, congrats on the new title! Coming from a background in comic strips and illustrations, how are you approaching working on a sequential comic book for the first time?
Erin Nations: Thanks! I’m pretty excited about it. That was something Brett Warnock and I discussed before I started working on Gumballs. He has been a mentor of mine for a few years and he has played an instrumental role in helping me put together my first issue and advising me along the way.
Initially, I envisioned making a comic book in a more traditional style, following the standard format of 6.63″ x 10.24″, with panels on every page. It was Brett who suggested putting together a series that would include both comics, illustrations, and a variety of other themed work that I’ve already created or that is ongoing.
At first, I was apprehensive to deviate from an industry standard, but I trusted Brett’s vision and I think people are open to options that don’t necessarily conform to a traditional comic book format.
MSG: Where did the name Gumballs come from?
EN: It’s a little obscure, but it’s a reference to my work being referred to as “candy colored” like gumballs. To me, the word feels nostalgic and youthful, which is the same association I have with comics. Like a lot of people, my first exposure to comics was during childhood.
gumballs1-pg5
MSG: A number of the sequences in the book feature very personal, autobiographical stories about your coming out as trans and transitioning process. Talk to me about the impetus to document or share openly your experience.
It certainly wasn’t premeditated. When I was coming to terms with being trans, I spoke to a couple people I felt I could confined in, but I was too nervous to be completely honest with them about the extent of what I was going through.
As anyone who has ever been in the closet knows, it’s a burden. It’s depressing and isolating to not live authentically and be out and open about who you are. I was already making autobiographical comics, so as I accepted my gender identity, it was only natural to write comics about my experience as a trans person.
Making comics and sharing them on a public platform such as Tumblr was cathartic. I could be open on tumblr because not many of my family and friends use it. For me, it’s easier to be open with strangers than it is with people I know. I could handle a hateful remark from a troll (which has yet to happen). I couldn’t handle rejection from friends and family.
I also didn’t think anyone would really read my comics online, which is why I felt comfortable being vulnerable and exposing every detail of my transition. I was wrong about that.
gumballs1-pg8
MSG: Without question, trans individuals, particularly in North America, are at the highest risk for violence, depression, self-hurt, and suicide. I think a book like Gumballs is an important addition to the landscape of comics — for trans and cis readers both. What are your initial thoughts on your previous or potential effect on the audience?
EN: I’m sort of naive and imagine the audience won’t have any qualms with reading a comic featuring trans or queer stories. My transition has been a positive experience and so far I’ve never been confronted with negative comments regarding my comics. Because the messages I receive are often favorable or supportive, I assume the audience will be accepting. I think trans and cis readers will either relate or learn something new from my comics.
A cis reader may not be able to relate to a comic about coming out as trans, but maybe they’ll be empathetic and understand the hesitation and fear that comes with revealing something deeply personal to another person. A comic about the effects of testosterone on someone assigned female at birth is educational to anyone (cis/trans) who is not informed.
gumballs1-pg9
I think some of the trans readers will be able to relate and find comfort in reading a comic about a character they can identify with. They’ll enjoy reading something they can connect with. Maybe they won’t feel so alone.
Having positive representation of trans people in the media and in comic books is very important for trans people. It’s equally important for cis people too. It impacts how they perceive us. With the growing amount of trans visibility we are already seeing in the media, I think some cis readers will already be attuned.
MSG: You also introduce a cadre of other characters throughout the first issue that we’ll presumably follow throughout the series. Are they too based on people you know?
EN: Yes, I will showcase some of the same characters throughout the series, as well as introduce some new characters. Some of them are based on people I know or people I’ve met, especially in the autobiographical accounts I share.
For example, all the characters from “Pleasant People” are based on real people I’ve encountered. The characters that appear in my fictional comics are completely fabricated. There’s not much of an in-depth process that goes behind creating my characters. I’ve always been a shy person that sort of sits back and observes, so perhaps all those years of being a spectator of human behavior has unknowingly helped me form characters.
Humans are imperfect, so I invent characters that expose their insecurities and shortcomings. I don’t spend too much time developing their backstory. I simply give them a personality, a few quirks, and I do my best at drawing facial expressions and gestures that illustrate emotions.
gumballs1-pg14
MSG: What have been some of your favorite comics in general, and what comics — in addition to Gumballs, of course – would you recommend to trans readers in particular?
EN: Some of my favorite comics are Ghost World (Daniel Clowes), Optic Nerve (Adrian Tomine), Unlikely (Jeffrey Brown), Tomboy (Liz Prince), Fun Home (Alison Bechdel), Drinking at the Movies (Julia Wertz), and anything by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki.
For trans readers, I’d say check out Tomboy by Liz Prince. I absolutely loved it. It’s a memoir comic I believe anyone will relate to because at some point, we all question who we are. Growing up, Liz doesn’t conform to gender norms, which can be confusing in a world where society expects boys and girls to behave and express themselves in a certain way. She discovers her identity by questioning gender roles and gender stereotypes and ultimately, she decides gender is not defined by either.
MSG: Any final thoughts or special teases you’d like to share with the Comicosity audience about the December arrival of Gumballs #1 from Top Shelf?
EN: For folks interested in a new voice in comics with a unique style, go check it out! You can even pre-order Gumballs #2!
Top Shelf Productions (via IDW Publishing) will release Gumballs #1 by Erin Nations this December! Call your shop now to pre-order.
COMICS
This Comic by an Openly Trans Portlander Belongs on Your Reading List
Erin Nations’s Gumballs is a collection of brightly colored autobiographical vignettes tackling emotionally loaded moments in the author’s daily life.
By Jason Buehrer 1/12/2017 at 11:58am
Gumballs cover avamuf
IMAGE: TOP SHELF COMICS
Erin Nations has a lot to be proud of. The Portland-based cartoonist and writer inked a deal with IDW-owned Top Shelf for a new comics series called Gumballs, and the first issue hit stores last month. It’s the first new series from the publisher since 2005′s New York Times bestseller The Surrogates, and the first time Top Shelf has worked with an openly transgender creator. It’s a role Nations takes seriously.
“It’s just good to have positive accurate representation [of transgender people],” Nations says. “Especially coming from trans people, just having that authentic voice speak.” That said, Nations is quick to add he doesn’t assume his perspective is somehow universal. “It’s also understanding that this is my own voice, that I don’t speak for all trans people. There are so many people with so many different voices. Not just mine.”
Much like Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor or Allison’s Bechdel’s Fun Home, the scenes in Gumballs are lifted from Nations’ everyday life, and depict his personal struggles with things like being an artist and gender reassignment therapy. Nations, who both wrote and illustrated the book, uses bright colors and angular line drawings to make his material approachable even while exploring a range of emotional tones and subjects within short scenes and mini-narratives.
“Gumballs is sort of a variety—a little anthology—of different work. It’s not just one thing,” he says. “They are mostly about me.”
While much of Nations’s previous work has also been autobiographical, it’s Gumballs that really examines his experience as a trans person. Everything from catcalling to struggles with childhood gender identity are drawn into sharp focus.
“It all has to do with this identity and coming to terms with who I am,” he says.
Nations, who has been publishing zines for several years, found his way to Top Shelf through some of the connections he made while studying at Pacific Northwest College of Art and the Independent Publishing Resource Center. Later in his studies, Nations took a class with Brett Warnock—formerly of Top Shelf—at PNCA. Warnock encouraged Nations to submit his work.
“With his [Warnock’s] help, I put together a comic book, and he talked to Chris Staros, who is the chief editor of Top Shelf and co-founded it with Brett,” Nations says. “Chris really liked what he saw and just said I had a publisher.”
The Gumballs launch party takes place 5–7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 18 at Floating World Comics.
Filed underComics, LGBTQ
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QUOTED: "For readers with little understanding of what it's like to be trans, I hope my comics are insightful enough that people gain some perspective and they are bit more aware."
This Cartoonist Is Using His Artwork To Document His Transition
"It's always been therapeutic."
Posted on July 22, 2016, at 8:23 a.m.
Sarah Karlan
Sarah Karlan
BuzzFeed News Reporter
Meet Erin Nations, a 33-year-old artist from Portland, Oregon.
Instagram: @elnations
Growing up, Nations spent time redrawing cartoon characters or newspaper comic strips. He began creating his own characters in college, and now he's a talented illustrator and cartoonist who publishes several zines and comic strips.
Instagram: @elnations
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Instagram: @elnations
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A year and a half ago, Nations began transitioning and taking regular testosterone. As a trans artist, he's been using the power of illustration to document the physical changes he encounters along the way.
This GIF-ed timelapse was inspired by a video Nations saw last year of another trans man who took his own photo everyday for three years while transitioning.
Erin Nations / Via erin-nations.tumblr.com
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This GIF-ed timelapse was inspired by a video Nations saw last year of another trans man who took his own photo everyday for three years while transitioning.
"I realized the only way I'd be happy and feel like my true self was if I transitioned," Nations, who came out to his family when he was 30, told BuzzFeed News.
Instagram: @elnations
His Instagram and Tumblr is filled with doodles that confront the anxiety of living with gender dysphoria: the feelings of discomfort people experience when the gender they were assigned at birth does not match up with their gender identity.
Instagram: @elnations
But making comics about his transition was never something Nations actually planned to do. "It's always been therapeutic," Nations said.
"Before I was making comics about my transition, I was working on a comic about my experience as a triplet. However, I became so distracted by gender dysphoria, that I couldn't focus on the comic."
Nation's first memory of dealing with gender dysphoria was when he was 9 years old, before he even knew what it meant to be transgender.
"I vividly remember spinning on a tire swing, desperately wishing I had the same anatomy as all the boys," he said. "I came out as gay when I was 21 and by then I had repressed my trans identity, but by my mid-twenties I became more aware of my dysphoria and I began questioning my gender."
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"When the dysphoria got really bad, that's when I finally came to terms with being trans. Like any coming out, it's a process."
Instagram: @elnations
Nations receives messages from trans kids and teens who tell him they can relate personally to his work — or that they're just so happy to find a trans comic.
Instagram: @elnations
"For others, it's interesting or educational to them," Nations said. "For readers with little understanding of what it's like to be trans, I hope my comics are insightful enough that people gain some perspective and they are bit more aware."
Instagram: @elnations
You can follow Nation's transition story (and awesome art) on his Instagram, @elnations.
Instagram: @elnations
Nation's upcoming comic book, Gumballs (Issue #1), will be released in December and features not only comics about his transition, but an array of other short comics and illustrations.
QUOTED: "whimsical and timely."
"Nations presents a much-needed perspective on modern American life with a nifty art style."
8/11/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1534012696007 1/1
Print Marked Items
Gumballs
Publishers Weekly.
265.18 (Apr. 30, 2018): p46.
COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Gumballs
Erin Nations. Top Shelf, $19.99 (160p) ISBN 9781-60309-431-3
Nations' first book-length anthology, collecting Gumballs #1-#4 plus 30 pages of new material, is whimsical
and timely, though uneven. Much of Nations' material is autobiographical, detailing his upbringing as the
middle of three triplets, the tedium of work at a grocery store, and his journey through gender confirmation
as a trans man. But the collection also contains several unrelated threads, such as vignettes from
idiosyncratic or off-putting dating profiles, and the fictional saga of Tobias, a gay high school outcast.
Blocky and bold, Nations' novel, expressive character designs and depictions of his own character shift
subtly over the course of his transition. But some of the diary comics meander, and Tobias's struggle, while
charming, feels out of place amid weightier personal comics. The collection is at its most resonant when
Nations grapples with issues like his unwanted, troubling accumulation of male privilege, or the everyday
perils of social anxiety and depression. While the far-ranging scope distracts from the central story line,
Nations presents a much-needed perspective on modern American life with a nifty art style. (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Gumballs." Publishers Weekly, 30 Apr. 2018, p. 46. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A537852273/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=9905fe0e.
Accessed 11 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A537852273
QUOTED: "It’s good and vital for more trans authors to get footholds in professional publishing, but Gumballs is gratifyingly not just 'important,' but also worthwhile."
REVIEWS
Gumballs
Erin Nations
Top Shelf/IDW
$19.99, 160 pages
BUY IT NOW
REVIEWED BY DANIEL SCHINDEL JUN 28, 2018
Gumballs embodies a different sensibility than most autobiographical comics, and not just because it comes from a trans author. Erin Nations started out by making webcomics, and brings that in-and-out story style to this series, the first four issues of which are collected in this book. Influenced by Dan Clowes and Adrian Tomine, Nations winnows short stories down even further, assembling a montage of vignettes, often utilizing single-panel entries. Furthering the webcomic feel, the table of contents even comes with a set of color-coded “tags” categorizing each story (for diary entries, reminisces on his past, encounters with grocery store customers, etc.).
Such structuring is hardly new but usually the result of form restrictions – the small space on a newspaper page, or the one-page-per-day website update. Given the freedom of a 30-page monthly title, Nations instead chooses to consciously embrace such limitations. No story in this collection runs longer than six pages, and most are only one. This and the range of “tags,” the intermingling slices of real life, the past, fiction, and artistic exercises, give Gumballs a freewheeling mood. There’s something of a throughline strung by Nations’ documentation of his transition, during which he undergoes hormone treatment and becoming somewhat more comfortable in his own skin. But there’s no distinction between different individual issues of the comic, and the book does not end so much as it comes to a stop.
This is not a flaw, but instead built into the experience. The effect of Gumballs is less like a diary and more like a social media feed transmuted into book form, with scrolling a screen replaced by flipping pages. Nations gave the series its title in reference to descriptions of his color palette as bright and candylike, but the name also suits his vibe as a storyteller – reading Gumballs is like getting different bite-sized experiences vended to you one at a time. For Nations, self-described as intensely introverted, this is a middle ground between complete memoiristic interiority and incorporating other points of view into his work. Many of his shorts speak to a desire to connect but trepidation toward people, and with Gumballs he charts both his own gradually mounting self-actualization as a trans man and his imaginings of other people’s thoughts.
This manifests in both positive and negative ways. Nations has worked for more than a decade in customer service and thus has an (entirely justified) antipathy toward many customers, and real-life nightmare encounters find their way into various shorts. On the flip side are the good times, like the time a woman he didn’t know properly gendered him. In the middle ground are other experiences, or the fictional episodes, such as the humorously blunt personal ads. Another recurring bit follows Tobias, a hormone-addled gay teen, in a series of meditations on awkwardness and youthful romantic yearning. Gumballs finds its most poignant moments in the bleeding together of the quotidian and overwhelming emotion. In one sequence, Nations depicts going through a difficult New Year’s Eve with grief over the news of a trans teen’s suicide lurking in his head. It’s a powerful evocation of trying to maintain your center despite the world knocking at you from multiple directions.
Nations’ drawing style emphasizes angularity and few soft curves. He names Matt Groening as a major influence, and you can see it in the lovingly ugly-cute way he depicts people. Like many graphic novelists, the cartoony aesthetic cushions some intense subject matter, from physical dysphoria to mental illness to sexual assault. It also renders the mundane and the clinical, like descriptions of Nations’ physical changes during hormone therapy, into a visually engaging format. Nations continually expresses anxieties connected to his body, and in that light the abstraction of the human form on the comics page takes on new meaning. Gumballs isn’t a retreat from the real world, or precisely a safe space, but it lets him process the messier aspects of his life through a lens he controls. The book never preaches on any subject at a volume louder than respectful assertion, but that control imbues it with some hefty inspirational power.
A grab bag of ideas as varied as this is bound to include a few duds, and some of the individual “gumballs” fail to make much of an impact. Sometimes a chapter will go so deep into a slice of life that it runs past mundane into the banal. (Think an arcade machine labeled “Gambling for kids,” or a bit on a cat wavering between going inside or out which seemingly every single webcomic has done a variation on.) In general, the series doesn’t elicit more than a knowing smile or a sensible chuckle. That seems intentional, as Nations seeks gentle familiarity with the reader rather than anything too “big.” Everything about the book is modest, and that might come across more as muted for some readers. For myself, it was a comfortable read, sometimes too much so (inert jokes or passages that told too much instead of showed), but sometimes in a harrowingly intimate way (one segment about thinking over an argument you never actually make hit extremely close). It’s good and vital for more trans authors to get footholds in professional publishing, but Gumballs is gratifyingly not just “important,” but also worthwhile.
FILED UNDER: Daniel Schindel, Erin Nations, IDW, Reviews, Top Shelf
QUOTED: "Gentle humor, mainly self-deprecating, makes the book feel realistic and truthful."
Gumballs by Erin Nations
Posted on July 24, 2018 by Stephanie Tournas
1 Vote
Gumballs by Erin Nations. Top Shelf, 2018. ISBN 9781603094313
Format: Paperback
Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4
Genre: Contemporary realistic fiction/graphic novel
What did you like about the book? The travails and joys of being a triplet and daily life as a trans person are affectionately portrayed in this graphic novel memoir/short comics collection. There are short, long and one page features, so it’s easy to pick up and put down to enjoy. Nations helpfully color codes the categories of featured work, in a sweetly librarian-like way. Reading of his childhood of gender dysphoria and the process of transitioning must be comforting to other trans people, and is a great insight for the rest of us. Gentle humor, mainly self-deprecating, makes the book feel realistic and truthful. Fun is poked, and none are spared, including himself and the trans community. I especially like his reflections on male privilege, as he becomes more increasingly perceived as male by the public. The art has a unique stylization of people, which makes everyone look slightly ridiculous.
Anything you didn’t like about it? I didn’t love the blocky take on humans.
To whom would you recommend this book? Offer this to older teens or adults looking for graphic novel portrayals of trans people.
Who should buy this book? Public libraries
Where would you shelve it ? Teen or adult graphic novels
Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? Yes, especially if you are looking to increase your collection of LGBTQ materials
Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City and State: Stephanie Tournas, Robbins Library, Arlington, MA
Date of review: July 24, 2018
‘Gumballs’ GN (review)
July 9, 2018 by Lenny Schwartz
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Written and Illustrated by Erin Nations
Published by Top Shelf Productions
Top Shelf continues to publish some of the more interesting comic books out there.
Every book I read from them is different from the last. And they publish the most diverse comics in the field. Their Gumballs collection includes the first four issues and has 32 pages of new content. So it has a good variety of strips in it.
This is a personal comic for Nations but one that isn’t at all pretentious. This collection covers a whole bunch of different stories that have to do with Nations and his transitioning into a transsexual man. It’s a very brave work that doesn’t always work, but when it does it hits home.
The strips that are less successful for me in this are the incidental ones.
We have strips showing Nations working at a grocery store and it shows the tedium involved. It feels like we read that strip before elsewhere. The same thing with strips like the one Nations talks about hating talking on the phone. They are relatable sure, but they don’t exactly wow.
When Nations goes personal though, this book really takes off. The strips about gender confirmation and Nations’ inner thoughts are strong and poignant without ever being syrupy. Thus, they are incredibly heartfelt and unique.
While Nations discovers his identity so does the book, and that’s where the focus should have been. When it moves away from that, I cared a little less and tuned out a bit.
The art is expressive and shows the emotions of the pieces easily. It’s a style I haven’t seen from a comic artist before and I quite dug it. This is a decent book with some flaws for sure. It’s also well worth your time seeking it out. With some work, Nations could be a major league cartoonist. Let’s hope.
RATING: B+