Included: 9 short comics inspired by “Weekends” an interview with California writer, cartoonist and activist, MariNaomi.
What does the weekend look like to you? For me, it’s an escape, and an excuse to have an adventure. Whether it be at the beach, the desert, or a backyard pool party, there’s always something to do in Southern California. The choices are overwhelming.
For this issue of Beyond Sunset, we wanted to explore that idea in the weirdest ways possible.
Buy it on Gumroad.
Contributor Bios
Say Wickham (Front)
A rare born-and-bred Angeleno, Say Wickham probably didn’t get good sleep last night.
Instagram: @saywickham
Nicole Goux (Back)
Nicole Goux (she/her) is an Eisner Award-nominated illustrator and cartoonist from Los Angeles. She’s the artist of DC’s Shadow of the Batgirl and co-creator of Fuck Off Squad at Silver Sprocket Bicycle Club.
Twitter: @nicolegoux
Instagram: @ngoux
Emily Manthei
“Desert Weekend” (Words)
Emily Manthei is a filmmaker and writer working from Berlin and Los Angeles. Her short films and documentaries have appeared in international festivals, and she has contributed journalism, short stories, and long-form narrative essays to publications like Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, Roadtrippers, and Pipe Wrench. This is her first story for a comic, inspired by her grandmother’s retirement community in Desert Hot Springs, California.
emilymanthei.com
Twitter: @emanthei
Instagram: @filmsbyemilymanthei
Rahsan Ekedal
“Desert Weekend” (Art)
Rahsan Ekedal is a genderqueer Berlin artist and author. They were born in California, and studied illustration at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. Their notable works include the graphic novel Echoes, the Image Comics series Think Tank, and the Indigenous historical epic Soldiers Unknown.
rahsanekedal.com
Twitter: RahsanEkedal
Danny Djeljosevic
“Winner’s Purse” (Words)
Danny Djeljosevic is a writer and letterer whose comics include Big Fucking Hammer (with Diana Naneva), BattleArc 2088 (with Brett Marcus Cook), and Survivant (with Jhomar Soriano and Mark Dale). Originally from South Florida, he moved to San Diego in 2008 without visiting first.
djeljosevic.com
dannydjeljosevic@gmail.com
Alex Diotto
Winner’s Purse (Art)
Alex Diotto is an Italian artist. His comic book work includes YOUTH (Comixology Originals/ Dark Horse), OLYMPIA (Image Comics), Mayday (Black Mask), Southern Dog (Action Lab), and Skip to the End (Insight Comics).
Instagram: @alexdiottodraws
Twitter: @alexdiottodraws
Ben Fox
“Grannie Anne’s Dish Cabinet” (Words and Art)
Ben Fox (he/they) is a cartoonist and animator. His wide eyes see the infinite parallel universes surrounding us, and he’s currently on an endless quest to tell as many of those stories as he can.
Elizabeth Brei
“Mixology” (Words)
Elizabeth Brei is an editor and writer of comic books. She grew up in the cornfields of small-town Illinois before moving to San Diego, where she spends a lot of time getting sunburned, drinking beer, and not going to the beach.
Twitter: @peachchild
Camille Cruz
“Mixology” (Art)
Camille Cruz is a freelance artist and accidental drawer-of-comics from Toronto, Canada. She enjoys workplace TV dramas, foggy days, friendly dogs, and minty hot chocolate. She currently provides art assistance for featured webtoon originals.
theartof.camillecruz@gmail.com
Jett Allen
“New Blood Energy” (Art and Words)
Jett Allen is a nonbinary/trans cartoonist and illustrator living in Los Angeles, California. Their comics, visual essays, and illustrations have been published by The New Yorker (online), The LA Times, Spiralbound, Into, Granta, and more.
jettiallen@gmail.com
Kaj EK
“Raven Hour” (Words and Art)
Kaj EK is a queer non-binary artist and writer from the Tehachapi mountains, now living in Los Angeles. They’ve been self-publishing their surreal graphic novel, Warhead, since 2013 and have contributed art and stories to numerous anthologies, such as Advanced Death Saves, Modern Mythologies, and The Cthulhu Is Hard To Spell series. They publish and sell their art online and at comic conventions through their outfit Biolumen Press. You can find them hiding behind their booth at shows. They really don’t like writing these creator bios, but really do love cats, monsters, and rain.
BiolumenPress: biolumenpress.com
Warhead: https://monol.ink/warhead
Instagram: @k_sanzo
Jack Foster
“Vinegar Hour” (Words and Art)
Jack Foster is a writer and artist and the creator of the comic book Gun. “I grew up along the East Coast, but I always felt like a letter sent to the wrong address. I came out to L.A. on a lark, I stayed with a friend to see if I might like it out here since I like movies and hate rain, and it was love at first sight. Driving La Cienega back to the airport I cried — tears! I just knew I was supposed to live here. Every story about love at first sight ultimately becomes a referendum on whether love at first sight is real, and all I can say is whenever I catch a flight back home to L.A. I’m so excited to do it again.”
guncomic.com
Twitter: @TheVillainist