Friday, August 2, 2024

City Too Hot – This Week’s Links

August 02, 2024 Philippines , Pinoy 0 Comments

I would point to my VHS copy of The Simpsons: Too Hot For TV to serve as a visual metaphor for how uncomfortably warm London has been all of this week, but it’s melted into a pool of molten plastic, which I suppose will also serve, to be honest. Also hot? This week’s links? Below?

This week’s news.

• More allegations of sexual assault and coercion against writer Neil Gaiman were made public this week, as two women detailed their accusations on the podcast Master: The Allegations Against Neil Gaiman, and another woman made public claims of being groomed and manipulated on the podcast Am I Broken: Survivor Stories - Gaiman has denied the allegations.

• The California Department of Justice and the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force this week announced that a human trafficking sting operation carried out during last week’s San Diego Comic-Con, which was aimed at “recovering victims of sex trafficking and targeting sex buyers using the San Diego Comic-Con Convention to seek out potential victims,” resulted in 14 arrests and the recovery of 10 victims of human trafficking - SDCC organisers stated that “While we were not made aware of this operation, it is our understanding that the arrests were made outside of the event.”

• In less fraught SDCC news, the winners of this year’s Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards were announced last Friday, with Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki taking home three prizes for Roaming, Becky Cloonan receiving awards for The Kelpie and Somna (with artist Tula Lotay), and the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award going to Florida’s Blackbird Comics and Coffeehouse, while The Comics Journal #309 took home the prize for Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism - a full list of this year’s winners can be read here.

• Elsewhere, cartoonist Roz Chast has been announced as the recipient of this year’s Brooklyn Book Festival Best of Brooklyn award, and the National Cartoonists Society announced that Bill Hinds is to receive the organisation’s Gold T-Square award in recognition of 50 years of the syndicated daily comic strip Tank McNamara.

• Nikkei Asia reports on mangaka-turned-Politician Ken Akamatsu, creator of Love Hina and now a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, continuing to float ideas regarding the protection of artists from artificial intelligence companies, mooting the possibility for such companies to set aside revenue to reinvest in creative industries - Akamatsu has previously spoken about the possibility that AI companies may be breaching copyright law with their image generation, and suggested other policy responses that may be needed to protect creators’ rights.

• At the opposite end of the spectrum is Forbes' reporting on former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's new venture Lumi, which is, apparently, and I quote, “leveraging AI to streamline the creative process for comic books and manga, and could open up new avenues for storytellers who have traditionally faced high barriers to entry in the publishing world,” which it turns out is the exact combination of words needed to make me seriously consider flinging my phone into the Thames, so that I never have to run the risk of reading it again.

• In memoriam, remembering those the world of comics has lost, and news was shared this week of the passing of artist André Juillard, illustrator of Sept Vies de l'Épervier, and several volumes of the Blake and Mortimer series, amongst others, who has died at the age of 76.

This week’s reviews.

TCJ

• Jamey Keeton reviews the striking setting of Jasper Jubenvill’s Dynamite Diva #4: The Engine Whispers - “It has a level of heart to it that belies the violence and gore found throughout. It gets at something deeper, something transformative. It gestures at a paradoxical thesis that even anti-heroes carved from, and colored by, genre stuff—thriller, action, detective, vigilante, exploitation—can not only be redeemed but they can also be healed.”

• Helen Chazan reviews the sharp wit of Joe Matt’s Peepshow #15 and the ribald humour of Caroline Cash’s PeePee PooPoo #1: The First Issue - “There is no “end” to alternative comics. Indeed, there may have never been an end to the underground. What has arrived is a new generation of cartooning, one looking back on the alternatives with the same askance view that the alternative cartoonist of the 90s looked back on comix of the 60s.”

 

AIPT

• Kevin Clark reviews the mediocre selection of BOOM! Studios’ Hello Darkness #1.

• Collier Jennings reviews the changing dynamics of Geoffery Thorne, Marcus To, et al’s X-Force #1.

• Colin Moon reviews the precise cataloguing of Charles Burns’ Kommix.

• David Brooke reviews the compelling action of Atsushi Kaneko’s Search and Destroy Volume 1, translated by Ben Applegate.

 

The Arts STL

Sarah Boslaugh reviews the timeless sprawl of Eleanor Davis’ You and a Bike and a Road.

 

The Beat

• Cy Beltran reviews the future impact of Jed MacKay, Pepe Larraz, et al’s Blood Hunt #5.

• Zack Quaintance reviews the intriguing return of Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ Saga #67.

• Joel Savill reviews the character interactions of Suu Minazuki’s Excellent Property, Rejects For Residents (Bath, Lavatories, and Angel Are Communal) – Volume 1, translated by Noboru Akimoto.

 

Boing Boing

Thom Dunn reviews the consistent appeal of Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Raúl Allén, and Patricia Martín’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s DUNE: The Graphic Novel, Book 3 - The Prophet.

 

Broken Frontier

Lydia Turner reviews the extraordinary detail of Caitlin Cass’ Suffrage Song: The Haunted History of Gender, Race and Voting Rights in the U.S..

 

From Cover to Cover

Scott Cederlund reviews the open honesty of Joe Matt’s Peepshow #15.

 

House to Astonish

Paul O’Brien has capsule reviews of Marvel Comics’ X-Men: From the Ashes Infinity Comic #7, Deadpool vs. Wolverine: Slash ‘Em Up Infinity Comic #6, Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII #3, Wolverine: Blood Hunt #4, and NYX #1.

 

Kirkus Reviews

Have starred capsule reviews of:

• The melancholy nostalgia of Christine Mari’s Halfway There: A Graphic Memoir of Self-Discovery.

• The thoughtful complexity of Son M. and Robin Yao’s Thief of the Heights.

• The unabashed candour of Kathryn Ormsbee and Molly Brooks’ Turning Twelve.

• The emotive depths of Corey Egbert’s Visitations.

 

Library Journal

Tom Batten has starred capsule reviews of:

• The rich intricacy of Dash Shaw’s Blurry.

• The knotty plotting of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Houses of the Unholy.

• The masterful design of Alan Moore, Steve Moore, Kevin O’Neill, John Coulthart, Steve Parkhouse, Rick Veitch, Melinda Gebbie, and Ben Wickey’s The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic.

 

Women Write About Comics

• Kayleigh Hearn reviews the fantastic introduction of Stephanie Phillips, Alessandro Miracolo, et al’s Phoenix #1.

• Lisa Fernandes reviews the dry wit of Paul Reiser, Leon Reiser, Hans Rodionoff, Brian Volk-Weiss, Guiu Vilanova, et al’s Aliens: What If…? #2-4.

• Adrienne Resha reviews the academic discourse of Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Francesco Mortarino, et al's NYX #1.

This week’s interviews.

TCJ

Excerpted from The Comics Journal #310, Austin English presents a conversation between Lale Westvind and Aidan Koch - “[KOCH:] I think in terms of this idea of subtlety, the next image can contradict the first right, or it can add to it or it can balance it in some way. It just creates a more dynamic space. [WESTVIND:] There’s something so alluring about the potential for relationships when you start putting images together. It is very enticing. It encourages you not to write things and really just to put things down and see what happens.”

 

AIPT

• Ryan Sonneville speaks with Gene Luen Yang about The Books of Clash and Lunar New Year Love Story and telling stories across genres.

• Gary Catig talks to Top Shelf's Leigh Walton about the publisher's sweet spot for connecting with readers and the upcoming The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic.

 

The Beat

• Samantha Puc interviews Maria Sweeney about Brittle Joints, the many strengths of comics as a storytelling medium, and the universal issue of accessibility and disability inclusivity.

• Deanna Destito talks to Luke Lieberman about Red Sonja: Death and the Devil, history with the character, and finding the right artist for the story.

 

Broken Frontier

Andy Oliver speaks with Tom Philipson about CoCo Comics and Complicated Young Man, artistic struggles, and crowdfunding successes.

 

The Los Angeles Times

Jim Rulan talks to Alex Segura about The Legendary Lynx and Dark Space, comic book industry origins, and the joys of creative collaboration.

 

StanfordReport

Melissa De Witte interviews Ayça Alemdaroğlu and Burcu Karahan about utilising graphic novels when teaching Middle Eastern history, and the advantages graphic narratives have over traditional texts.

 

Print

Steven Heller speaks with Drew Friedman about Schtick Figures, curating the expressive faces of comedians, and the subjectivity of humour.

 

Publisher’s Weekly

Amanda Ramirez talks to Emma Hunsinger about How It All Ends, the horror of high school, and creative collaboration with Tillie Walden.

 

Smash Pages

JK Parkin interviews Fred Van Lente and Tom Fowler about Gamemasters: The Comic Book History of Roleplaying Games and tabletop RPG origin stories.

 

Xtra

H Felix Chau Bradley speaks with Walter Scott about The Wendy Award, bidding au revoir to Wendy, and leaving off the kid gloves.

This week’s features and longreads.

• Here at TCJ, Andrew Farago writes in remembrance of artist Michael Zulli, illustrator of The Puma Blues, who passed away last month at the age of 71 - “Zulli alternated indie and Vertigo comics with mainstream favorites like Spider-Man and Batman, and brought the same level of care and attention to each project.”

• Also for TCJ, Bart Hulley reports from Strasbourg, documenting the city’s comic book heritage, its museums and exhibitions, and selected highlights of its street art scene - “Coincidentally, in January 2025, I will begin teaching a new course called "European Graphic Novels" at the Syracuse University abroad faculty in Strasbourg. We’ll be studying visual storytelling from a European perspective and, I hope, meeting some of the world’s future stars of cartooning – who will surely be found wandering around somewhere in the vicinity of the Cathedral, soaking up its inspiration. “

• Finally for TCJ this week, Chris Anthony Diaz shares photographs from Comix Experience’s 35th birthday party, which took place in March of this year - “When it first opened, it mainly carried mainstream comics and some indie comics and zines. Now, it fully stocks just about everything published by every cartoonist who released something in any format and length and genre (and is not out of print).”

• For Nikkei Asia, Echo Wong reports on the popularity of Nagano’s manga Nanka Chiisakute Kawaii Yatsu with readers in China, and why the book resonates in a nation with rising youth unemployment.

• Over at The Hollywood Reporter, Roy Thomas writes on why Roy Thomas receiving a co-creator credit for the character of Wolverine is the correct course of action, actually, but still complains over the resultant billing order and how 'Roy Thomas' should have appeared first. Classic.

• For ICv2, Rob Salkowitz reports from last weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con, and details the status quo of a cultural juggernaut that’s trying to build a head of speed back up, post-pandemic.

• For Solrad, Tom Shapira compares and contrasts the anti-romanticism of Enrique Sánchez Abulí and Jordi Bernet’s Torpedo 1936 to Abulí and artist Eduardo Risso’s sequel Torpedo 1972.

• Latonya Pennington writes for Shelfdust on Mildred Louis’ Agents of the Realm, examining how the webcomic is influenced by, but also builds upon and departs from, the traditions of the magical girl genre.

• From the world of open-access academia, for Dive-In, Camil Valerio Ristè analyses Shirono Honami’s I Want to Be the Wall and Isaki Uta’s Is Love the Answer? in the context of rising numbers of media in Japan that discuss asexual and aromantic identities.

• In New Review of Hypermedia and Multimedia, Linda Berube, Ernesto Priego, Stella Wisdom, Ian Cooke, and Stephann Makri present results from a study aiming to understand how readers experience and respond to digital comics and the devices used to access them.

• For the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, Mark Hibbett writes on the triplicate existence and evolution of The Beano’s Dennis the Menace, and how these three ages of Dennis show the character’s changing with the times across nearly 75 years of publication.

• Paul O’Brien’s survey of the villains of Daredevil continues, for House to Astonish, as this week the Man-Bull sees red before being put out to pasture.

• Mike Peterson rounds up the week’s editorial beat, over at The Daily Cartoonist, as drawings of Trump and Biden gave way to illustrations of Vance (and sofas) and Harris (and the Olympics) and then Trump (again).

Those are all of this week’s links, back next week with more, and a return of the audio/visual selection, as most of the usual suspects were absent this week, which is fair, in the aftermath of SDCC, and I’ve uhhhr been watching 16 hours of Olympics programming a day.

The post City Too Hot – This Week’s Links appeared first on The Comics Journal.


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