One of the semi-regular editions of this week’s links, below, filed from the rails of these fair British Isles, as some time is to be taken completely away from the internet, staring out at the sea off the coast of Scotland, before inevitably caving to switching mobile data back on to check the cricket scores, and then a muscle memory cascade kicking in, with the twitching loop of app-checking beginning once more in earnest, just like 300,000 years of evolution intended for us.
This week’s news.
• Catching up with recent comics awards news, as the winners were announced for this year’s Ignatz Awards at the Small Press Expo last weekend (the sound on the livestream eventually kicks in around the 14 minute mark), with wins for Anand Shenoy for Zoo #5, Lee Lai for Cannon,Jesse Lonergan for Drome, Adam de Souza for Blind Alley, and Carol Tyler for The Ephemerata, amongst others.
• Elsewhere, the winners were announced for the 2026 Next Manga Awards, with the Comics category won by Ei Yamano’s Someone Hertz and the Web Manga category won by Taiyo Watabe’s Home at the Horizon.
• In memoriam, remembering those the world of comics has lost, as news was shared of the passing of artist and educator Andy Fish, who has died at the age of 60 following a battle with cancer.
The SPX Community proudly celebrated @fantagraphics.bsky.social’s 50th birthday with founder Gary Groth and the many talents under the Fanta banner. Happy birthday, Fantagraphics and many more! 🥳
This week’s reviews.
• Helen Chazan reviews the blended sensibility of Michael DeForge’s All The Cameras In My Room— “Regrets recur in these stories, gulfs between intent and reception, the mediation of it all. The performer is neurotic, the audience is neurotic, the stage and screen are themselves neuroses. All can be a blank slate, all can be full of meaning, true or contrary to the visions projected upon them.”
• Tom Shapira reviews the artistic strengths of Rob Williams, R. M. Guéra, Henry Flint, et al’s Judge Dredd: Rend & Tear With Tooth & Claw and Judge Dredd: And to the Sea Return— “I am forced, once again, to return to Kim Thompson – none of this stuff is novel or particularly smart (though it approaches clever) but if we are to have stories of tough men dispensing righteous ultra-violence let them be written, and certainly drawn, with the sort of head-at-the-wall determination ofRend & Tear, With Tooth & Claw.”
• David Brooke reviews the detailed sensuality of Guillem March’s Ofiusa #1.
• Collier Jennings reviews the gritty start of Jordan Blum, Tim Seeley, Scott Koblish, et al’s The Big Shakedown #1.
• Jonathan Waugh reviews the gory sights of Tini Howard, Jenna Cha, et al’s Hellraiser: Resurrections: The Deep Gospel #1.
Jon Osia Scorfina reviews the masterful storytelling of Derf Backderf’sThe Dissidents: Autocrats! Vigilantes! Communists! And Cartoonists!.
Abe Friedtanzer reviews the potent presentation of Phuong Mai Nguyen’s animated adaptation of AJ Dungo’sIn Waves.
• AJ Frost reviews the existential approach of Noah Van Sciver’s The Mess.
• D. Morris reviews the flawed quaintness of Alex Ross’ Marvel Dimensions.
• Jordan Jennings reviews the big reveal of Chip Zdarsky, Delio Diaz, Frank Alpizar, et al’s Avengers Armageddon #4.
• Clyde Hall reviews the home-run horror of Image Comics’ Creepshow, Volume 5, #1.
• Jared Bird reviews the flawed start of Amy Chu, Ariela Kristantina, et al’s Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft #1.
• Joe Grunenwald reviews the blossoming of DC’s Bad Seeds crossover event, taking root in Batwoman #7, Catwoman #91, Detective Comics #1113,and Nightwing #142.
Jeff Provine reviews the smooth flow of Frederick Nowland’sMajor Taylor: The World’s Fastest Man.
• Lindsay Pereira reviews the effortless encapsulation of Paul B. Rainey’s Murder School.
• Andy Oliver has reviews of:
- The beautiful vibes of Ben H. Winters, Fabio Moon, et al’sArchie #1.
- The anarchic humour of Max Huffman’sThem-Shaped Clouds.
- The standout journalism of Tom Humberstone’sDid Somebody Say Just Work: The Gig Economy, Platform Capitalism and the Battle for Worker Rights.
Paul Buhle reviews the stirring complexity of Jarrett Dapier and AJ Dungo’sWake Now in the Fire: A Story of Censorship, Action, Love and Hope.
- The fiendish cleverness of JMKE’sClaire Champagne.
- The expressive cartooning ofDeath Spark #3, edited by Thomas Campbell.
- The efficient absurdity of Brandon Lehman’s Womp Womp #4.
Scott Cederlund reviews the infectious imagination of Ian Bertram, Darcy Van Poelgeest, et al’sThe Karman Blade #1.
Paul O’Brien hascapsule reviewsof the relative successes of Marvel Comics’Wolverine #27andInglorious X-Force #9.
John Schwartz reviews the rich storytelling of Maurice Ashley, Steve Sheinkin, and Thien Pham’sMind vs. Machine: The Chess Match That Changed the World.
• Kai reviews the clashing expectations of Ataru Sonoguchi’s Raul and His Vampire Prince, Volume 1,translated by Kat Skarbinec.
• Borealis Capps reviews the fluffy simplicity of Najimi’s Workin’ the Night Shift at Akumart, Volume 1,translated by Evan Ward.
This week’s interviews.
• Brian Nicholson interviews Marie Lorenz about Holy Mountain, boat construction, narrative pulls, and artistic practices — “The Holy Mountain was supposed to be Mount Meru, but I do love Jodorowsky and theHoly Mountainfilm, so that’s in there somewhere, too. I had taken all of these photographs in Cambodia of the frescoes, so those images are mashed up in there. And yeah, I studied printmaking so I loved engravings, and all of that nautical stuff. Because I made boats and liked waterways and exploring, I feel like every gift I’ve ever gotten is “Here’s this book of etchings of sailboats.” Especially at that point, I was just so inundated and loved all of that.”
• Jordan Crane talked toGilbert and Jaime Hernandezon lives spent making comics, during an event at this year’s edition of The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books —“[Jaime Hernandez:] I’m here also because I wanna know how this turns out. I’m still doing it 44 years later because I want to know what happens. I’m outside of me, I’m inside of me. I have five people arguing constantly inside my head to see what’s the right move. And sometimes when it’s done it’s like, I don’t remember the last three weeks. How did this end up like this? I like it, and it works and everything, but I don’t know how it started.”
• Chris Hassan chats with Kieron Gillen about Aliens vs. X-Men, aesthetic combinations, mutant era choices, and writing for franchises you’re a fan of.
• David Brooke talks to Jordan Blum about The Big Shakedown, tectonic fears, Los Angeles noir specifics, and damaged detectives.
- Ed Brisson about Hammer Headand realities of the carceral state.
- Amy Chase about Fixation and the crime thread that underlies the comic’s horror roots.
- Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips about That Texas Blood and returning to the world of the book after four years away.
Amaris Ketcham and Nora Hickey speak withLaura Godfrey-IsaacsaboutScar TissueandA Graphic Guide to Pregnancy and Birth, and unconventional routes to comics making.
• Heidi MacDonald chats withDan HouseraboutAmerican Caper, contrasts between working on comics and video game franchises, and bande desineé inspirations.
•D. Morris interviews Jenn Woodall about Worrywart, the book’s minicomic origins, the autobio and autofiction aspects of the memoir, and Dragon Quest slimes.
Andy Oliver speaks with Lauren O’Farrell about the upcoming second edition of the inQ! queer comic fair, making a safe space for the community, and the challenges of curation.
Annie Nickoloff talks toDerf BackderfaboutThe Dissidents, the allure of Cleveland and Akron, student paper political cartooning, and the chilling contemporary parallels with the book’s story.
Barbra Dillon chats with<a href="https://fanbasepress.com/press/interviews/comics/item/59245-fanbase-press-interviews-shaun-tan-on-the-upcoming-release-of-the-graphic-novel-hometown-with-levine-querido/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Shaun TanaboutHometownand the singular nature of identity, andDerek JohnsonaboutThe Caretakerand the data privacy subtext of the story.
- Zack KaplanaboutThe Smart Divisionand the absurdity of the age of artificial intelligence.
- Joshua RossaboutDivinity Calls Shotgunand European artistic inspirations.
- Steve OrlandoaboutX-Men: Outbackand telling stories that fit between and with established continuity.
- Hank KalanzaboutMarvel Masterworksand Clover Press’ crowdfunder for the series.
- Ben WintersaboutArchieand the temporal conditions of Riverdale.
Jonathan Sandler speaks withSammy HarkhamaboutCricketsandBlood of the Virgin, family history, the Jewish diaspora, and the importance of creation and making as an artist.
- The Manga Spot’sJim Killenabout the American market for manhwa and webtoons.
- WEBTOON’sDeanna McFaddenabout the key pillars of WEBTOON’s publishing output.
- Baobab Studio’s Kane Lee about upcoming collaborations with WEBTOON and First Second.
Kurt Anthony Krug chats withJason DouglasaboutJane American, the book’s 2025 Ringo Awards win, and bringing comic books to the classroom.
Chris Burkhalter talks toDash ShawaboutLike Swimmers, Richmond inspirations, murder mystery research, and the dichotomy of Roy Lichtenstein.
Dominique Musorrafiti chats withJim WoodringaboutQuacky, the role of an artist in bringing ideas to reality, and the drive to make a modern day Big Little Book.
JK Parkin interviewsCraig Hurd-McKenneyaboutBest Friend Showand the challenge of writing for a younger audience, andZack QuaintanceaboutDeath of Comics Bookcase: Reign of the Comics Bookcasesand the influence of comics journalism and criticism on the book.
This week’s features and longreads.
• Here at TCJ, our eminent editors present an excerpt from Barbara “Willy” Mendes’ Queen of Cosmos Comix Trilogy, available now from all good retailers.
• The observance of another anniversary of 9/11/2001 brings with it further consideration of John Rose’s 9/11/2011 edition ofBarney Google and Snuffy Smithfrom Eridutorum Press’ Elizabeth Sandifer, as this year the ancient and recent history of Appalachia is examined, alongside the various forms of othering present across the region.
• For Nippon.com, Kuramochi Kayoko profiles Azuma Kiyohiko and Kiyohiko’s famous green-haired eponymous protagonist, Yotsuba, as Yotsuba&!approaches 25 years of cozy-living publication, building from Kiyohiko’s earlier work, Azumanga Daioh.
• Over at The Japan Times, Matt Schley reports on the booming market for live-action adaptations of manga works, as Hirokazu Koreeda’s adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Look Backarrives on the silver screen, continuing a storied tradition of getting as much value out of an IP as possible.
• For ICv2, Rob Salkowitz covers the changing state of the webtoon and vertical-scroll market, as digital comics platforms make somewhat flailing moves to try and retain that ever-elusive userbase of paying readers, and convert existing IP to different formats, to match the adaptation booms seen in the manga market.
• Over at Shelfdust, Andy Tuttle makes it so, considering the nature of obsessions, both in the real world consumption of pop culture, and the fictional world of Michael Jan Friedman and Pablo Marcos’ Star Trek: The Next Generation #10.
• For Solrad, Madeleine Jubilee Saito presents a visual essay in comics form on Joshua Kendall’s Trudeau & Doonesbury: A Biography: The Cartoonist Who Turned the News Into Art, and the life and work of its otherwise private subject.
• From the world of open-access academia, in the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, Cassia Hayward-Fitch examines the effect of republication on comics and how such repackagings can effect this can have on the readership of the book, taking as reference the specific example of the 2006 and 2022 editions of Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home.
• Paul O’Brien’s accounting of the villains of Daredevil,for House to Astonish, concludes its jaunt through the run of Ann Nocenti and John Romita Jr. on the title, as Shotgun blasts onto the scene, with 1990 looming.
• Mike Peterson rounds up the week’s editorial beat, over at The Daily Cartoonist, as a brief pause for tributes to the victims of 9/11 was swiftly followed by a return to the neverending (potentially) coverage of the trials and tribulations of President Donald Trump.
Mon Sept 21: Carousel at @bkbookfest.bsky.social with comics readings by @coinophoey.bsky.social @corinnehalbert.bsky.social @kriotaw.bsky.social Morgan Boecher, Perrin Ireland, and Makee! At the great Dixon Place! dixonplace.org/performances…
This week’s audio/visual delights.
• Clocking back in with the multimedia side of the comics internet, as the autumnal semester of the New York Comics and Picture-Story Symposium continued, with Lilli Carré hosting a performance talk from Sean Christensen about personal parallels with the Comfort Inn and artistic practices, and Ben Katchor hosted a talk from Paul C. Tumey on the work of Milt Gross that appeared in Judge magazine in the 1920s.
• Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Oregon Art Beat released the documentary Indie Comics City, looking at Portland’s place in comics history, and speaking with the comics creators and publishers that make the city their home, including Steve Lieber, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Rupert Kinnard, Shay Mirk, Jan Eliot, and more.
• Some other recent interviews from across the web, as Comics Grinder’s Henry Chamberlain spoke with Jared Sarnie about The Machine is Broken and the way in which the book engages with the topic of suicide, and Brian Hibbs was joined by Jen Xu and Kate Rhodes for the latest meeting of the Comix Experience Graphic Novel Club to discuss Haven and the Fallen Giants and choosing the format for the story.
• More interviews, as the return of Dan Berry’s Make It Then Tell Everybody continued apace, with discussions on making then telling had with Lee Lai about motivation during creative projects, Monica Gallagher about the various eras of webcomics, the Rickard Sisters about editing Edwardian political fiction for adaptation, and Jules Scheele about how much better the internet used to be.
• Catching up with how things are faring in the realm of the direct market, as Paul O’Brien and Al Kennedy opened up the doors of House to Astonish once more and considered what’s next to come for the House of Ideas, and David Harper welcomed Oliver Sava back to Off Panel to deliver their annual State of the Union and dissected the ongoing switch in the relative fortunes of the Big Two.
No more links, just haggis and delicious peaty whisky for the next couple of weeks. See you in October!
Mixed media: pen and ink, photoshop, tortilla
