Afternoon Stuff

Books and PeriodicalsIllustration

Afternoon Stuff

Skip to commentsPublished: <a href="https://comicvibe.com/invincible-vs-open-beta-begins-october-13-what-you-need-to-know/” title=”Invincible VS Open Beta Begins October 13: What You Need to Know”>October 3, 20261 minute1 comment

Sergio Aragonés and Frank Quitely, Ernie Bushmiller and Tom Gammill, Teresa Burritt and Clay Jones, Romance books and Cartoon Covers, Mo Willems and Adults, Supergirl and the U.S. Mint.

Frank Quitely Wins the 2026 Sergio Aragonés International Award

John Freeman (downthe tubes) reports that Frank Quitely has been named as the recipient of the 2026 Sergio Aragonés International Award for Excellence in Comic Art.

“Frank Quitely was first published in the underground comic scene in Glasgow in the early 1990s. This led to work with the Judge Dredd Megazine, Vertigo, DC, Marvel, and Image. Best known for All Star Superman, New-X-Men, We3, and Jupiter’s Legacy.”

“The Sergio Aragonés International Award for Excellence in Comic Art, named after the world-famous cartoonist, best known for his work on MAD and as co-creator of Groo, was established in 2017 by The National Cartoonists Society, the world’s largest and most prestigious organisation of professional cartoonists, in partnership with the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, and is presented annually to an exceptional comic artist, animator, or cartoonist.”

A Morning with Ernie Bushmiller, An Evening with Tom Gammill

Stephi Wild for Broadway World covers Tom Gammill’s off-braodway play AMorning with Ernie Bushmiller.

“Written by and starring veteran television writer [and cartoonist] Tom Gammill … Set in 1976, A Morning with Ernie Bushmiller finds the creator of the once wildly popular ‘Nancy’ confronting a world that seems to be moving past him … The production also features original songs by Gammill and Peter Lurye”

“The performance schedule is Thursday, October 8 – Saturday, October 10 and Thursday, October 15 – Saturday, October 17 at 7pm at The Mark O’Donnell Theater, Entertainment Community Arts Center, 160 Schermerhorn Street.”

Fun With Clay

Romance Books with Cartoon Covers

First Post addresses the emerging trend of romance books replacing photograph covers with cartoon covers.

“Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game came out from William Morrow in 2016 with a slick cartoon cover. Berkley, part of Penguin Random House, went all in two years later with Jasmine Guillory’s The Wedding Date in January and Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient in June. Both were contemporary romances written like film rom-coms, with the banter doing as much work as the sex scenes.

“The covers had two jobs. They had to keep core romance readers happy, and they had to tell women who’d never touch a clinch cover that this one was for them too.”

“Younger readers who came to romance through TikTok are said to be more embarrassed than older fans to carry something that looks like a romance.”

Words and Pictures and Mo Willems

Angel Saunders for People reports on a new Mo Willems book with a twist, a book for adults.

“The No. 1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator is taking a personal, philosophical and pragmatic look at the art of writing for children but adding a couple of decades in his upcoming book, Words and Pictures by Mo Willems: Writing About Stories, Stories About Writing“

“‘I hope this collection of anecdotes, explorations, drawings, doodles and story breakdowns encourages readers to rediscover the joy that is central to the act of making up their own stories,’ the author adds.”

Supergirl and the U.S. Mint

Darrin Lee Unser at Coin News has news of the U.S. Mint and its 4th DC superhero coin.

“Supergirl joins the United States Mint’s Comic Art Coin and Medal Program today [Oct. 1, 2026], with a new gold coin and two silver medals.”

“The fourth release in the series includes a half-ounce 24-karat proof $50 gold coin struck at the West Point Mint and two matte-finish .999 fine silver medals produced in Philadelphia. All three feature designs showing Supergirl in flight and alongside Krypto the Superdog.”