Eclipse week here in the UK, so I spent some time out of doors on Wednesday grumbling that I couldn’t see the pages of the issues ofZot!orMiraclemanthat I was trying to readwhile wearing the special protective glasses being handed out at the Royal Observatory, before being roundly booed out of Greenwich Park by hordes of disapproving astronomers and journalists, as the light of the day disappeared for a handful of eerie moments behind the moon – just some of the exasperatedly whimsical humour you can expect on a regular basis here at this week’s links!
This week’s news.
• Starting this week’s selection with the latest from the summer’s awards season, as the National Cartoonists Society announced the winners for this year’s 80th annual Reuben Awards, with Mark Tatulli named as Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year for 2025.
• The executive committee of the Small Press Expo released a statement this week regarding the nationwide boycott of its current venue, the Montgomery County Conference Center, which last year entered into a contract with the Marriott hotels group, for continued management of the facility, without the inclusion of a clause allowing for collective bargaining – due to its own contract with the venue, SPX has stated that it is unable to partake in the boycott, as cancelling their agreements would result in fees being imposed that would mean that the festival has to be permanently closed.
• “Stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen” news, as Forbesthis week reported on the slowing of Webtoon’s user growth, as the company continues to tout its AI translation program; and J. Michael Straczynski, for reasons best known to J. Michael Straczynski, decided that a new volume of Harlan Ellison’s I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream would be well served by feeding the story into an LLM plagiarism machine and asking for its “opinion” on the tale “for fun,” which I’m sure the Allied Mastercomputer in question would just love, and is in no way setting up the book to become a self-fulfilling prophecy a few years from now.
• Finally this week, enough time has apparently passed since the last attempt that Image Comics decided to once again float an announcement of publishing work by Warren Ellis, after <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/warren-ellis-image-comics-fell-canceled-1234974036/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>previously stating that “Image Comics will not be working with Warren on anything further until he has made amends to the satisfaction of all involved,” following allegations from multiple women and non-binary individuals of sexual impropriety. The last update from SoManyOfUs, the collective of people targeted by Warren Ellis, dated January 2023, notes that “Warren Ellis took none of the steps we hoped he would,”and Image makes no reference to their previous statement in the PR for Ellis’ new book. Abhay Khosla’s reporting from 2020, at the time that the allegations surfaced, for TCJ, can be readhere.
Colouring in the vertical forest
This week’s reviews.
• Zach Rabiroff reviews the expansive surprises of Tony Millionaire’sThe Oddball’s Odyssey—“MaakiesandSock Monkeywere thrillingly bizarre, yet at the same time, it was never clear just how aware of himself Millionaire was. Everything about him, right down to his last name, might have been true or might have been a studied work of fiction – it was impossible to say. WasMaakiesjust the work of pure, unfiltered id, or was it a knowing wink of an artist drawing for other artists in his circle? Was it just a big joke about death, or was he actually trying to tell us something?”
•William Schwartz reviews the impressive presentation of Living the Line’s The Complete Charles Dana Gibson, Vol. 1— A Widow and Her Friends (1899-1901) –“ThroughoutThe Education of Mr. Pipp, full images on the right page side are flanked by singular posing figures on the left page side. This serves an excellent dual-purpose. The white space on the left draws attention to the magnificent way the characters are posed and crafted. But the full backgrounds on the right also benefit from the white space because they call attention to how seamlessly the characters are integrated into the environment. Even where you can see the cross-hatches, the illusion is entirely convincing.”
• Jonathan Waugh reviews the continuity placement of Charles Soule, Will Sliney, et al’s Star Wars: The Fall of Kylo Ren #1.
• David Brooke reviews the exhilarating start of Christopher Cantwell, Dennis Menheere, et al’s Star Trek #1.
• Alex Schlesinger reviews the impressive conclusion to Deniz Camp, Juan Frigeri, Federico Blee, et al’s The Ultimates: Uprising.
• Collier Jennings reviews the balanced spectacle of Kyle Baker’s Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre: Roar of the Worlds.
• Colin Moon reviews the indelible illustration of Minetarō Mochizuki adaptation of Yamamoto Shuguro’s Chiisakobe.
•Robert Reed reviews the wonderful storytelling of Marguerite Bennett, Helena Masellis, et al’s Gastronomique #1.
• Diane Darcy reviews the perfect beginning of Corrina Bechko, Kano, et al’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1.
• Clyde Hall reviews the stunted ambitions of Cullen Bunn, Fico Ossio, et al’s Cult-de-Sac #1.
• Gianni Palumbo reviews the promising setup of Patrick Kindlon and Ludovic Lalliat’s Regicide #1.
• Khalid Johnson reviews the significant groundwork of Mike Mignola, Chris Roberson, Christopher Mitten, et al’s The Foundry #1.
• Tim Rooney reviews the throwback flair of Bryan Edward Hill, Nico Leon, Valentine De Landro, et al’s Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1.
• Samantha Puc reviews the cerebral scares of Lonnie Nadler, Dennis Menheere, et al’s Little Nightmares: Descent to Nowhere.
• Zack Quaintance reviews the bold honesty of Raquelle Jac’s Bimbo Agitprop.
• Kerry Vineberg reviews the unflinching approach of Derf Backderf’s The Dissidents: Autocrats! Vigilantes! Communists! And Cartoonists!.
Jeff Provine reviews the dedicated details of Cedar Van Tassel’sAppleguy & Beefwood.
• Andy Oliver reviews the extensive research of Joe D’Esposito’s The Outsider.
• Swati Nair reviews the civilian focus of Marina Lisa Komiya’s On Their Frontlines: The Lives of Japanese War Brides, Volume 1, translated by Diana Taylor.
Ryan Carey reviews the expert pacing of Kelly Froh’sEverybody Dies!.
Scott Cederlund reviews the pervasive darkness of Patrick Horvath’s Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rites of Spring.
Andrew Pulver reviews the flashy fun of Frank Wildhorn, Jack Murphy, and Ivan Menchell’s musical adaptation of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’sDeath Note.
Paul O’Brien hascapsule reviewsof Marvel Comics’Uncanny X-Men #33andX-Men of Apocalypse Omega #1.
Killian Fox reviews the memorable moments of Emil Wilson’s<a href="https://observer.co.uk/culture/books/article/graphic-novel-of-the-month-the-nightingales-by-emil-wilson” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>The Nightingales.
Alun Hood reviews the swaggering ambition of Frank Wildhorn, Jack Murphy, and Ivan Menchell’s musical adaptation of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’sDeath Note.
• Adam Wescott reviews the admirable coziness of Yoshika Komatsu’s The Elf Husband and Dwarf Wife, translated by Joshua Martin-Corrales.
• Kai reviews the snappy jokes of Sasami Nitori’s Wonder Cats,translated by Alethea Nibley and Athena Nibley; and the expressive antics of Pandania’s Catnaps, Catnaps Everywhere!, translated by Minna Lin.
sometimes I gotta do all these dots to feel alive
This week’s interviews.
Emily Rems interviewsTillie WaldenaboutCharity & Sylvia, the central truth of small-town life, the research process behind the book, and the difficulties inherent with the solitary nature of making graphic novels —“Ahh, I am very pleased to be 30. I look forward to being treated like an artist, not a young artist. It’s been 12 years of this, I’m over it. I know it came from a place of love, sometimes, but my relationship to that term has only grown more negative over the years. It made me feel sectioned off, and a little despised. I felt like through my 20s, I could never really speak on how it felt, either, because it would come across as entitled.”
• Chris Hassan speaks with Benjamin Percy about Big Guns, bringing Wade Wilson and Frank Castle together, and plotting crossover events at full throttle.
• Chris Coplan talks to Seth Green and Hugh Sterbakov about the 20th anniversary of Freshmen and how the superhero genre has changed since 2006, and to Christopher Cantwell about Star Trekand the pressure of taking on such a high-profile title.
• David Brooke interviews Jim Woodring about Quacky and incorporating prose into a return to the world of Frank, and Tillie Walden about Charity & Sylicant gaps in the record
Nora Hickey and Amaris Ketcham talk toNick Abadzis and Angela WatsonaboutMy Beloved Other, their individual histories with comics-making, and their collaborative process.
- Stephanie WilliamsaboutRoots of Madnessand inspiration for telling historical stories.
- Cullen BunnaboutDelugeandRipcordand balancing busyness.
- Tim SeeleyaboutNo PlaceandEveryone Loves a Jewel Thiefand relative pitch lengths.
- Dave WielgoszaboutShowdownand editorial experience as a writer.
- Rob GuilloryaboutInnardsand differences in writing scripts for yourself and others.
Andy Oliver interviewsRaquelle JacaboutBimbo Agitprop, the origins of the book’s title, the cathartic nature of memoir, and the fickle nature of memory.
Borys Kit talks toFrank MilleraboutPush the Wall, portfolio reviews from Neal Adams, work at Marvel and DC across the decades, and upcoming projects.
Barbra Dillon chats with Yudori about Lovers of the Empire, researching life in 1920-30s Korea, and connecting to the story
Milton Griepp speaks withJohn Neeabout Pan-Universal Galactic Worldwide and theMarvel Artist Archive: Jim Lee, the founding of WildStorm, and the status quo of comics in 2026.
Dan O’Mahony interviewsLuke HealyaboutDogs on Dates, sticking to theBoss Babyrule, rom-coms requiring happy endings, and pursuing emotional honesty in stories.
Marta Fanasca speaks withTadao TsugeaboutBoat Life, formative memories from World War II, depicting history properly, and observing society to draw what happens.
JK Parkin talks toMatthew Dow SmithaboutAmelia Shadows and the Monster in the BoxandThe October Girl, writing for different audiences, and freeform creative processes.
i had the idea that xiaoya lives in a cracked teacup
This week’s features and longreads.
• Here at TCJ,Brigid Alverson writes in remembrance of writer Ted White, former editor of Heavy Metaland Amazing Stories, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 88 — “And then a new opportunity beckoned: White became the editor of another iconic magazine Heavy Metal, in 1979. White’s comics credentials are not as well known as his work in science fiction, but he was a lifelong fan of that medium as well, and he brought that knowledge to the magazine. During his year-long tenure, he made a number of changes, including adding columns on music, comics, movies, and science fiction, but his vision clashed with that of the owners.”
• Also for TCJ, Tate McFadden reports from this year’s edition of San Diego Comic-Con and the Eisner Awards, charting the waiting/wandering around inherent to attending one of the largest pop culture events in the world — “I continued to hunt for PollackNew Godsto no avail. I also couldn’t find any PollackDoom PatrolIssues, but I did manage to find some beautiful issues of Nancy Collins’sSwamp Thing, which is probably the greatest run of the comic after Moore’s. I also came away with a sole issue ofSwamp Thingfrom Rick Veitch and Alfredo Alcala’s run with a Steve Bissette cover in which Swamp Thing sits on an asteroid, comforting the imprisoned god Prometheus.”
• Finally for TCJ, continuing the Journal’s 50th anniversary Rebuttals and Regrets retrospective series, Bart Hulley writes on 30 years of Lewis Trondheim’s The Hoodoodad, and why Kim Thompson’s translation of the book should be revisited, in spite of its lackluster sales when originally published — “Thompson also, unashamedly, added words and phrases that weren’t in the French original, employing what you might call a co-creative approach to translating Trondheim’s dialogues. His additions are well chosen though, as they all help you identify the tone and voice of each character in fluid, idiomatic, believable English. An approach he admits was heavily influenced by Art Spiegelman, the celebrated author ofMaus.”
• For Solrad, Ryan Montoya writes on the ongoing need to improve communication between patient and doctor, and how graphic medicine can convey the lived experiences of patients to student doctors to facilitate this improvement.
• For The Conversation, Ronnie Scott, Elizabeth McFarlane, Gabriel Clark, and Pat Grant, the team behind Folio, write on the history and evolution of comics and graphic novels in the Australian scene.
• Rob Salkowitz assesses the status quo of direct market distribution in the wake of Diamond Comic Distributors’ bankruptcy and the recent settlement regarding held inventory arising from this, as the comics industry can now begin to settle into a more diversified distro landscape.
• Shelfdust’sSpawn de Replay continues, as Steve Morris looks back on Grant Morrison and Greg Capullo’s Spawn #17 and gives consideration to what makes for a truly enjoyable throwaway nonsense arc.
• From the world of open access-academia, as presented at the 9th International Conference on Business, Economics, Social Sciences & Humanities, Aries Setiawan Satrio Nugroho, Taufan Hidayatullah, and Zara Aziza Abidin write on Hergé’s Tintin in Tibet, and the author’s history with Catholicism and depression, to examine the spiritual values and messaging of the comic album.
• For the Journal of Jewish Identities, David Hadar analyses the origin stories and character histories of Daredeviland Moon Knight to explore the incorporation of Jewish and Irish identities into the evolving retelling and retconning of superhero narratives.
• Flagging down the latest Mindless Ones newsletter, as A Brief History of British Comics welcomes into its annals IPC’s Action, and considers how the young yearn for transgressive media.
• Paul O’Brien continues surveying the varied villains of Daredevil, for House to Astonish, as consideration is given to the legacy of Mary Alice Walker (aka Typhoid Mary aka Bloody Mary aka Mutant Zero), as introduced in Ann Nocenti and John Romita Jr’s Daredevil #254.
• Mike Peterson rounds up the week’s editorial beat, over at The Daily Cartoonist, as the relativity of justice, election promises, and presidential travel-plans were considered.
No more links this week, but the eclipse was pretty cool, to be fair.
