While he does have a number of major book projects under his belt, going all the way back to the immensely influential late-1990s work, Skibber Bee Bye, has also made  numerous contributions to anthologies, for thirty years and counting, Ron Rege, Jr. has been preaching the gospel of hand-made, self-published comics and the personal salvation to be found in the practice.  In the process, he has emerged as one of the truest disciples of William Blake, carrying forth the Blakean spirit into the comics realm.  Since 2016 this practice has been flowing thorugh his most sustained self-publishing project yet, The Shell of the Self of the Senses.  Soon to hit its landmark 100th issue, the comics that fill the pages of The Shell of the Self of the Senses explore states of consciousness in lines on paper, in comics and drawings that, as the series title suggests, work to break out of and leave behind the limitations of the shell of the senses, and enter the realm of the spiritual. 

Ron Regé, Jr. is a true original, but he does have some peers, including Marc Bell, Theo Ellsworth, John Hankiewicz, Kevin Huizenga, and John Porcellino.  Anyone currently unfamiliar with Regé's work, who responds to and enjoys the work of any of these cartoonists stands a very good chance of connecting.

The Shell of the Self of the Senses contains a heaping helping of comics, illustrations and texts – in full color, tri-tone, duo-tone, monochrone, and black & white – by the one and only Ron Regé, Jr.  Also included are brief intro and outro essays by Regé and an essay by Brandon Avery Joyce that was originally written for the 2018 exhibit, From the Word of First Thought: New Work By Ron Regé,Jr. held at VCUArts' The Anderson Gallery in Richmond, VA.

Almost all of the work included here has only previously appeared in Regé's self-published, subscriber-only series of mini-comics; in other words, "all new" to all but those subscribers.  So, a real treat for the next tier of Ron Regé, Jr. fans,

Fanta sez:

"A compendium of comics and drawings from the first 75 issues of Ron Regé, Jr.'s minicomics series, The Shell of the Self of the Senses.

In 2016, Regé began this monthly, subscription only series in an effort to return to his 1990s self-publishing roots, with 100 copies or so published from month to month. This is the first time any of this work has been collected, with newly added color: Shell Collection brilliantly showcases Regé's poetic voice, his deeply humane worldview, and his sui generis visual vocabulary — all of which has made him one of the most distinctive stylists in comics."

Deets:   Pages:  176 | Format:  Paperback / Softback | Color:  Full-color | Dimensions:  9.4" × 11.1" | ISBN-13:  9781683969747

 

Learn more about Ron Regé, Jr and his practice in this 2017 TCJ interview by Kim Jooha.  Then gain some further insights into his recent work by reading this 2023 critical essay by Hagai Palevsky, also on TCJ.

 

 

FROM THE ARCHIVES

ONE COPY ONLY

Epic interview with John Romita conducted by Tom Spurgeon

Dan Nadel interviews Ron Regé, Jr.!

Mini-interview with Souther Salazar by Tom Spurgeon

more!