SOLRAD (noun) sol∙rad | sōl-răd – 1. a wavy line in illustration (especially comics) that represents light and/or warmth emanating from the sun or other light sources.
2. a literary magazine for comics founded in 2020
SOLRAD is a nonprofit online literary magazine dedicated to the comics arts. Run completely by a volunteer staff, SOLRAD publishes original content ranging from comics criticism, original comics, essays, interviews, and the promotion of small-press events and releases. The site is a platform for new, underrepresented, and otherwise marginalized creative voices, in addition to commissioning work from well-established cartoonists, critics, journalists, and authors.
SOLRAD is published by Fieldmouse Press, a 501(c)(3) public charity nonprofit.
One of the foundational principles behind SOLRAD is that comics are art and that, as such, the medium deserves the same access to venues, discourse, and educational opportunities as any other art form. Because of this, we believe that criticism of the comics arts is equally essential for the betterment of the form, education of the public, and to give the comics arts a place for reflection, discernment, and connection with the larger world. As more and more people are introduced to comics as an art form, the stronger our community becomes.
SOLRAD is a transparent, mission-driven literary journal that acts as a platform for the diversity of creators and critical voices that makes the comics community so rich. We believe that such a platform will raise awareness of the comics arts outside its own bubble of support and into the larger public sphere to the benefit of everyone involved.
— Daniel Elkin, Publisher
While the culture of comics is important for many, SOLRAD‘s focus is directly on comics art itself. The comics arts are an essential part of culture, and demand their own space for creative and insightful discussion.
As David Levi Strauss notes, art needs criticism “because it needs something outside of itself as a place of reflection, discernment, and connection with the larger world.” SOLRAD exists to serve as a foundry for critical discourse.
SOLRAD works closely with writers and artists at all stages of their career to help them realize the best versions of their work. We also actively seek out new and underrepresented voices from the comics art and criticism communities.
SOLRAD exists to recognize and cultivate a diverse and vibrant spectrum of artists, critics, and art. People of all genders, races, ethnic & cultural backgrounds, sexual orientations, ages, and abilities are welcomed at SOLRAD.
Fieldmouse Press is a nonprofit publisher of comics and literature, based in Grass Valley, California. Founded in 2019, Fieldmouse Press is committed to expanding the reach and appreciation of the comics arts.
Fieldmouse Press publishes the online literary magazine SOLRAD, and since 2021, has begun publishing international and American comics. We are passionate about comics and our goal is to advance the medium through the publication of new and underrepresented voices. We believe that comics should be a place for every story and every person.
Logo and header illustrations for SOLRAD are © Keren Katz and Julia Gfrörer.