Summertime and the living is hot, just constantly hot and humid and sticky, it’s all I can think about, and there’s no amount of ice lollies and gelato that can make up for this — I’m permanently be-jorted at the moment, but I can’t put comics or novels down on my legs, as even my knees and thighs are sweaty, so covers will debride after a few minutes, leafs curling recto/verso in a vain attempt to model a golden spiral in communion with Sol, and it would honestly just be nice to work on this week’s links, below, without the chorus of laptop fans harmonising as though they’re about to blast my device up to the heavens and finally release me from the torments of the online age. Anyway, Eisner Award results detailed next week, and then it’s basically autumn, right? Right.
This week’s news.
Starting this week’s selection with our semi-regular check-in on just what it is that’s going on with Silver Sprocket, as,almost exactly a calendar yearsinceThe Comics Journalreported on financial woes at the publisher, which has recently enacted layoffsnecessitating GoFundMe’sfromformer employees, and the closure of Silver Sprocket’sSan Francisco store, Cartoonists Unitedpublished a statementfrom the Silver Sprocket Artists Collective, which seeks to draw attention to the continued lack of communication from owner Avi Erlich regarding payments and statements pertaining to publishing royalties, presentation of sales data, and treatment of aforementioned laid off staff, without going so far as to call for a boycott of Silver Sprocket, in spite of a repeat pattern of behaviour demonstrated by the publisher. Plus ça change.
I drew some fanart for “SOUP FROGS” an Adult Swim Smalls series from Mikey Heller @yoyorobot.bsky.social Go watch it!
This week’s reviews.
• Brian Nicholson reviews the buoyant cartooning of Andrew Alexander’s Caught Lookin’ #1— “Due to the risograph process, this is where Alexander the publisher was likely most present in post-production, printing multiple passes; a sad irony. I know that the economics being what they are, printing and folding all the copies of these books will likely be the most it.”
• Whit Taylor reviews the deft explorations of Lou Lubie’s The Roots of My Hair,translated by Makedah Hughes — “The book as a whole has a “clean” look with a limited color palette, simple yet refined linework (the school scenes in particular are stylistically reminiscent of Daryl Seitchik’s Missy), and efficient text, making for a nicely-paced read.”
• Jonathan Waugh reviews the gripping conclusion of Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips’ The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #6.
• David Brooke reviews the gleeful excess of Gerry Duggan, Javier Garrón, et al’s Godzilla Conquers the Multiverse #1.
• Deidre Freitas reviews the dissatisfying mystery of Marvel Comics’ X-Men: The Hellfire Murder #1.
• Collier Jennings reviews the milestone celebrations of Gene Luen Yang, Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Freddie E. Williams II, et al’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #300.
• Chris Coplan reviews the inventive approach of Julio Anta, Jacoby Salcedo, et al’s No Gods, No Masters #1.
• Clyde Hall reviews the excellent start of Tini Howard, Amilcar Pinna, et al’s Sicko #1.
• Gianni Palumbo reviews the hollow violence of Robert Kirkman, Joe Casey, Andy Kubert, et al’s Terminal #1.
• Jordan Jennings reviews the monstrous fun of Stan Sakai, Greg & Fake, Dan Jurgens, Margeaux Pepoy, et al’s <a href="https://www.comicsbeat.com/wednesday-comics-reviews-sicko-1-cures-boring-comics-syndrome-and-much-more/#:~:text=Godzilla%20Vs%20America%3A%20Godzilla%20Vs%20San%20Diego%20%231″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Godzilla Vs San Diego #1.
• Khalid Johnson reviews the magical action of Christopher Hastings, Denis Medri, et al’s Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers #1.
• Tim Rooney reviews the compelling remixing of Zack Rosenberg and Jared Cullum’s Usagi Yojimbo – Kaito ’84.
• Joe Grunenwald reviews the satisfying package of DC’s Action Comics #1100.
• Mike Donachie reviews the empowered voices of Conundrum Press’ 30 X 30 – Thirty Years of Conundrum Press,edited by Andy Brown.
• Samantha Puc reviews the breathtaking visuals of Renée Nault’s Salvage.
Jeff Provine reviews the societal examinations of Shirato Sanpei’sThe Legend of Kamui, Volume 3,translated by by Richard Rubinger with Noriko Rubinger.
Andy Oliver reviews the deft balancing of Shazleen Khan’sBuuza!! Volume 1 – Good Morning, Salwa,and the varied approaches of Hants Comic Club’sAnthology 01: Travel.
David Starkey reviews the visual fun of Susanne Kuhlendahl’s adaptation of Virginia Woolf’sOrlando.
Paul Buhle reviews the incredible adventures of Jacques Tardi’sThe Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, Volume 1.
Ryan Carey reviews the unmediated rawness of Joshua Rievel’sHenry E. Roll Collection,and the restless creativity of Brian Canini’sRandom Short Stories by a Future Bestseller, Volume 2.
Scott Cederlund reviews the character motivations of Nick Spencer, Steve Lieber, et al’sThe Superior Foes of Spider-Man.
Paul O’Brien hascapsule reviewsof Marvel Comics’X-Men #34andInglorious X-Force #7.
Have starred capsule reviews of:
- The charming hijinks of Emma Steinkellner’sNell of Gumbling: My Holiday Diary.
- The multi-layered insights of Kayla Miller, Jeffrey Canino, and Sarah K. Turner’sBesties: Crush It!.
- The emotional poignancy of Marina Lisa Komiya’sOn Their Frontlines – The Lives of Japanese War Brides, Volume 1,translated by Diana Taylor.
- The engrossing entertainment of Nicolás Schuff and Mariana Ruiz Johnson’sThe Adventures of Odysseus, translated by Lawrence Schimel.
Sam Thielman reviews the vital reminder of Roberta Gregory’sBitchy!: The Exasperating Existence of Midge McCracken.
Have starred capsule reviews of:
- The delightful hyperbole of Serge Lehman and Frederik Peeters’Lantern Pass: A Supernatural Alpine Thriller, translated by Christopher Bradley.
- The delirious mystery of Dash Shaw’sLike Swimmers.
- The innovative interpretation of Albert Monteys’ adaptation of John Kennedy Toole’sA Confederacy of Dunces.
- The unflinching history of Dana Mashoian Walrath’sThe Book of Genocides.
Tynan Stewart reviews the relentless focus of Joe Sacco’sThe Once and Future Riot.
I saw a video of Doja Cat doing this and I was like oh okay
This week’s interviews.
• Chris Hassan speaks with Luciano Vecchio about X-Men: The Hellfire Murder and Uncanny X-Men and the design challenge of coming up with a dress code.
• David Brooke talks to Riad Sattouf about The End of the Arab of the Future, capturing the sensation of a moment in time, and the inherently contradictory nature of humans.
Mark Tweedale interviewsJeff Lemireabout the tenth anniversary ofBlack Hammer, telling superhero stories through the indie lens, and finding the right artist/s for each story.
Andy Oliver talks toAlison Sampson, Dave Elliott, Fred Van Lente and Cathy KwanaboutA1 Deadline, and the particulars behind the anthology’s return.
- Roberta GregoryaboutBitchy!: The Exasperating Existence of Midge McCrackenand the takes on the 1970s depicted therein.
- Warrick WalkeraboutFlesh & Steeland the sword and sorcery elements found throughout storytelling.
- Jeff Lilly, Katie Hodges, Pam Bliss, and Ervin JohnsonaboutThe Extrasand finding common ground.
- Christian WardaboutForever Homeand the book’s apocalyptic high concept.
- Dillon GibertsonaboutMy Neighbor Necromancerand what to expect from the series’ penultimate installment.
- Karl Christian KrumpholzaboutIn the Cityand the elements of the book inspired by real life experiences.
- Giulie SpezianiaboutThanks! Rominaand the realities of the contemporary job market.
Jonathan Sandler interviewsYolanta GawlikaboutHenryk’s Escape, the research involved in bringing the story to print, and making every page feel different.
Rob Kirby talks toDana Mashoian WalrathaboutThe Book of Genocides, comics as a platform for multilayered storytelling, and the liberation of cutting through taught systems.
Dominique Musorrafiti speaks withKatie SkellyaboutHeaven, intuitive approaches to colouring, and the inherent fear of the unknown.
Domenico Rotella interviewsCassandra CalinaboutThe New Girl, the realities of publishing work online in the age of algorithms, and the workload involved in bringing a graphic novel to print.
i need to draw her shoulderpads bigger
This week’s features and longreads.
• Here at TCJ, David Apatoff writes in remembrance of award-winning political cartoonist Pat Oliphant, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 90 — “It turned out that Oliphant’s talents were perfectly suited for the U.S. in the 1960s. If he had come to America today, when the newspaper industry is anemic and editorial cartoonists are on a tighter leash, he might have fallen flat and the world would’ve been deprived of thousands of brilliant and witty drawings.”
• Also for TCJ, John Kelly writes in remembrance of artist and educator Jerry Moriarty, who died earlier this year at the age of 88 — “Moriarty’s space was filled to the brim with his large paintings, art supplies, filing cabinets, empty coffee cans, arcane scrapbooks, old comics and magazines, and many other items of curiosity. He was an obsessive collector whose inventory included many original art pages of Ernie Bushmiller’sNancy, as well as curated examples of stories by the psychotic cartoonist Fletcher Hanks, clipped from their source and organized by his own system.”
• TCJ’sRegrets and Rebuttals retrospective series continues, as we celebrate the 50th birthday of The Comics Journal, as this week Greg Hunter compares and contrasts the post-colonial natures of Olivier Schrauwen’s Sunday and James Joyce’s Ulysses — “As Sunday advances, Thibault descends into something like existential chafing — not the urge to revolt against the neoliberal status quo so much as an urge to surrender even harder. “No longer do I chase some unattainable dream,” he says as he turns on Netflix after rolling a joint, following a day of procrastination.”
• Further Regrets and Rebuttals for TCJ, as Tom Shapira looks back on Byron Priess and Howard Chaykin’s adaptation of Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination, and the formal strangeness of ‘illustrated fiction’ in this mode -— “The graphic adaptation is such an odd beast that even while making the claim I find it hard to call it “comics,” changes little. The reason one struggles with what to call to it is how little it exorcises from the original text. I didn’t do a line-by-line comparison, but it seems at least 80% of Bester’s text survived directly. The changing is in the adding rather than of subtracting.”
• For Seven Days, Cecilia Luce reports on the claims that Tillie Walden’s Charity & Silthe same name, and unpacks the work that goes into making a nonfiction graphic novel of this kind
• Autogiographix’sAmaris Ketcham reports from Kyoto International Manga Museum’s Prescriptions of Essay Manga for My Heart exhibition, examining the overlap between essay manga and autobio comix.
• Over at Shelfdust, David Brothers writes on Afrocentrism, the various versions of Superman to be found through the canon of the Last Son of Krypton, the importance of effort, and the extent to which one can appreciate a hero who oftentimes embodies an archetype with which you do not vibe.
• For The Beat, Troy-Jeffrey Allen writes on the Black creators nominated for this year’s Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, speaking with creators, editors, scholars, and critics about the importance of awards recognition, and what comes after receiving a nomination or win.
• Once more unto the Mindless Ones newsletter, dear friends, as A Brief History of British Comics considers The Sleeze Brothers, and physical connections are sought through the Moore-Morrison comicstime continuum.
• From the world of open-access academia, in Advances in Health Sciences Education, Alice Scavarda, Veronica Moretti, Roberta Chardulo, and Michael J Green present a study exploring the use of comic books in medical training environments, and how health educators incorporate the medium into their teachings.
• Mike Peterson rounds up the week’s editorial beat, over at The Daily Cartoonist, as the march continues towards this year’s midtermelections.
No more links this week, as it is time to learn once and for all how to emulateBloodborne, seeing as we’re apparently no longer doing physical games media.
