A love letter to The Nib, in its final days

When I first heard about The Nib shutting down, I felt like I’d been gut-punched. It’s bizarre, but it surely had felt like, in some way, The Nib would all the time be there, supporting superb comics journalism, political cartoons, memoir, and brief nonfiction comics. It grew to become an establishment.

I bear in mind assembly The Nib founder and editor Matt Bors at an Alternative Press Expo (APE) in San Francisco someday round 2010. I finished at his desk to purchase a guide, and chatted with him briefly about his work. At that point, he was already placing out expert, perceptive comics journalism like War is Boring (that one along with David Axe). His confidence and mission already appeared clear, so the truth that he went on to do much more nice issues in nonfiction comics didn’t shock me.

Bors has been joined at The Nib by a stellar crew, together with options editor Eleri Harris, affiliate editor Mattie Lubchansky, contributing editors Shay Mirk, Whit Taylor, and Andy Warner, and designer Mark Kaufman.

They’ve given me hope for the medium. They’ve incubated and elevated a era of gifted creators and handled them with respect (paying out over $2M to contributors!). There’s a pleasant interview about how they view their legacy right here.

When The Nib stops publishing new items on the finish of August, they are going to depart large footwear to fill. Who will fill that area? And it raises a bigger query in my thoughts: if they can’t make it work, with their superior high quality and acclaim, who can?

I additionally felt somewhat ashamed. Despite admiring The Nib enormously, I’d by no means opened my pockets to them earlier than. Somehow I assumed they have been doing nice. Of course, I alone wouldn’t have been a deciding issue, however I nonetheless wished I had supported them extra.

In a tragic sprint to gather a few of their print work earlier than it’s gone, I bought a number of collections from their retailer and tracked down one other out-of-print quantity at an indie bookstore. They are stunning.

Support your indies

Now, greater than ever, maintain tight to your favourite indie comics publication. Support them in any means you may. With spiking publication prices, inflation, and different useful resource challenges, it’s tough waters forward and it’s solely getting tougher, even for the perfect. (Is this a nasty time to point out The Beat’s personal Patreon? I’m a proud member.)

Here are just a few different notable publications and platforms for brief nonfiction comics, political comics, and comics journalism to take into account supporting, in no explicit order. If you’ve got different favorites, please share them in the feedback under!

I’m tremendous grateful that—per Bors’ personal message—The Nib is making preparations to protect their digital archives on-line. Be positive to test them out in their final month of latest comics!

I additionally know The Nib crew and creators will do nice issues irrespective of the place they go subsequent and want all of them the perfect. (Go purchase issues from them when you nonetheless can!)

But I ache for the way forward for paid brief comics journalism, editorial cartoons, and nonfiction comics. It’s an amazing loss, as a result of it’s been an amazing present for the last decade they’ve served us comics. Thank you, The Nib.