Spotlight on ‘Namby Pamby’
By: Christina Troup
Special to The Examiner
April 2, 2009
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| Semi-autobiographical: Rina Ayuyang’s self-published series isn’t inspired by superheroes. (Courtesy photo) |
SAN FRANCISCO — While it can be a source of frustration, sometimes not being able to score those much-needed classes in college can be a blessing in disguise.
For Rina Ayuyang, creator of the delightful slice-of-life mini-comic “Namby Pamby,” it ended up altering her eventual career path.
“I’m not sure if it was circumstance or not, but I couldn’t get the classes I needed,” says Ayuyang, who initially majored in animation at San Francisco State University.
“I ended up going back to art and painting, and that’s when a friend of mine introduced me to comics that I wasn’t really used to seeing — more alternative work from John Porcellino and James Kochalka,” she says. “It sort of opened up a new door for me. These were certain types of comics with topics that were closer to my heart than superhero-type stuff, and that ended up really inspiring my own work.”
By 2000, Ayuyang began to hit her professional stride within the mini-comic arena.
The combination of reading comics again, going to conventions and socializing with other Bay Area cartoonists led her to self-publish “Namby Pamby.”
Original art from the semi-autobiographical series, which is soon-to-be released as a collection by Sparkplug Comic Books and Tugboat Press in the fall, is on display at the Cartoon Art Museum as part of the “Small Press Spotlight.”
Funded by the Zellerbach Family Foundation and the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation, the spotlight focuses on the Bay Area’s small-press and alternative comics scene; Ayuyang’s exhibit runs through June 14.
With a full-time gig as a Web designer, the Oakland-based cartoonist has carved out a schedule of sorts to tackle her comic endeavors, which involves waking up around 5 a.m. to draw for an hour or two and then revisiting her projects later in the evening.
When Ayuyang isn’t creating comics, she’s most likely talking about them; she’s co-host of the podcast “Comix Claptrap” with fellow Bay Area cartoonist Thien Pham.
“Our podcast is more conversational and about having fun; we’re interested in the personalities behind the comics that are being made. It sort of came as a surprise that people actually listened to it,” she says. “It was kind of embarrassing at first; I realized that maybe we need to be a little more professional and actually get decent microphones and equipment. But it’s definitely a fun thing to do and we’ll have some new ones coming out soon.”
If you go
Small Press Spotlight: Rina Ayuyang
Where: Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission St., S.F.
When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except closed Mondays; show runs through June 14
Admission: $2 to $6
Contact: (415) 227-8666, www.cartoonart.org
