Posted in: Comics | Tagged: beehive books, kickstarter, laab, Ronald Wimberly

Ron Wimberly's LAAB Magazine Aims To Explore Identity And Pop Culture In Age Of "White Supremacists In The White House"

Beehive Books has launched a Kickstarter to fund a new annual magazine called LAAB, described as "a newspaper-format cartoon full to the brim with comics, essays, illustration, interviews and analysis." Masterminded by cartoonist Ronald Wimberly, the comics tabloid (hey! that's our gimmick!) contains contributions from Saul Williams, Trenton Doyle Hancock, James Romberger, Alexandra Bell, and more. The Kickstarter seeks to raise $30,000 for the launch, and they're already more than a quarter of the way to the finish line after just one day.

"Identity can be imaginary, but also deadly," said Wimberly in a press release. "What blackness means in the white lens can lead to someone losing their life."

With that in mind, LAAB Magazine aims to explore the themes of race and identity in pop culture, but to do that, they need your help to fund the project. Or, as the press release explains:

In the age of white supremacists in the White House, Nazis and KKK members rallying in the streets, and the endless roll call of victims of police violence still growing, these issues are more urgent and relevant than ever. Help us create a powerful venue in which to explore them.

Printed in full color newspaper format and weighing in at 32 pages, the first issue, LAAB #0: Dark Matter, can be had digitally for a $7 pledge or physically for $17. Additional reward tiers include delivering multiple copies to a local school or library ($250), being listed as co-publisher of the magazine ($500), and an original page of Brandon Graham's Prophet artwork ($1000), amongst others. Stretch goals, if met, could add up to 8 pages to the first issue and donate up to 1500 copies to public libraries around the country. Funds go to making the magazine, donating at least 200 copies to libraries, and, perhaps most importantly, affording an extra "A" in the word LAB (those don't come cheap).

Here's the lineup for the first issue, as listed on the Kickstarter:

• An interview with musician and actor Saul Williams 
• A conversation with graphic artist Trenton Doyle Hancock
• James Romberger on Jean-Michel Basquiat
• A discussion with the poster artist Alexandra Bell
• A critical analysis of George Lucas's THX 1138
• Ronald Wimberly's visual tribute to Sun Ra
• A review of BLACK, the new comic from Black Mask Studios
• Over a dozen pages of comics and illustration by Ronald Wimberly
• …and much more!

If you'd like to contribute, head over to Kickstarter and pledge by December 1.

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