Bubbles #9 runs 56 black-and-white pages and blends interviews, essays, and comics in the zine’s usual mix of underground and critical energy. The issue features conversations with Simon Hanselmann, Annie Koyama, and Jasper Jubenvill, alongside the Bubbles Readers Best of 2020 list. Ryan Holmberg contributes a deep dive into Tezuka Osamu’s American comics collection, while Kenneth Oravetz examines Lale Westvind’s Grip as a meditation on nonviolent action and labor.
Additional essays include James Bradshaw’s first installment reintroducing Tezuka Osamu, Tyler Meese on the interplay of emotion and technology in Sophia Foster-Dimino’s comics, and Jeff Alford’s tribute to King-Cat. Rounding out the issue are comics from E.S. Glenn and Audra Stang, plus a suite of comic reviews, making for a well-rounded snapshot of contemporary comics culture and criticism.
