Inkstuds

Festival Focus: Comic Arts Los Angeles

Inkstuds

Show Notes

Here’s another in a run of interviews with dedicated folks who put together independent comics shows in North America. Los Angeles’ CALA is about to hold their fifth annual event, and guest ‘stud Kit Brash talked to two of the team behind it, Jen Wang and Jake Mumm, a couple of weeks after last year’s show.

This yearâ€s CALA will run on December 8th and 9th, from 10am til 5pm each day. Guests will include Taneka Stotts, Sophia Foster-Dimino, Marinaomi, Laura Lannes, Cathy G. Johnson, Landis Blair, Ezra Claytan Daniels, and Hartley Lin. The venue, a gymnasium at 3000 Dolores St in Glendale, has that common LA curse of being five times quicker by car than by public transport, but thereâ€s parking onsite and in surrounding streets, with a food truck and tables to save precious table-browsing time. Entry is free, re-entry is probably because you had to hit the ATM and come back. All the details are at comicartsla.com.

If you like this podcast and want to hear more, please consider supporting Inkstuds on Patreon.

More from Inkstuds

Oct 23, 2026

Chicago based cartoonist, Ash HG joined me to discuss his graphic novel, East District. I’ve known Ash for a number of years and it’s great to see this book come together. Published by 2dcloud, East District shows a lot of promise and work that has gone into comic. Ash’s work is steeped in a dark ink that bleeds through and into a dark work that leaves you thinking.

Oct 15, 2026

It had been quite some time since I had interviewed Josh Bayer. I have really been enjoying his instagram feed. I find his passion for creating to be quite infectious. Josh’s latest book is Utzy and Dusty: Swan, Swan, Hummingbird, freshly out from Church Ghost. This is a follow up to a previous volume, Utzy and Dusty: Crystal Pool, published by Domino. You don’t need to read one to enjoy the other. It’s a pretty wide ranging conversation that goes in a bunch of different directions.

Oct 6, 2026

Dash Shaw joins me to chat about his latest book from New York Review Comics, Like Swimmers. It’s a colourful work that looks at a difficult moment through different perspectives. His previous work Blurry was one of my favourites when it was released and rereading it for the interview was a delight and still just as engaging and pulling me in.

Sep 24, 2026

This week, we have Blind Alley cartoonist, Adam de Souza in the hosting chair to talk to a cartoonist that really excites him. I think he made a great choice. Both Adam and Caroline are in top form and it’s great to hear them exchanging ideas.

Aug 28, 2026

Raquelle Jac’s debut graphic novel from Fantagraphics is a bit of a force of nature. Bimbo Agitprop is one of the most personally revealing books I have read in quite some time. It’s over 300 pages catharsis that just keeps you moving and pulling you in. I was really struck by this book and Jac’s ability to be so forthcoming about an intense and difficult upbringing. Her comics have an incredibly immediate feeling to them where she is able to bring across so much emotion and heart. One of my favorite books I have read in quite a long while. I think it’s an important work applaud her ability to be so open and just put this all out there.

See all episodes →