Friday, October 11, 2024

Seeking the Successive Autumns – This Week’s Links

October 11, 2024 Philippines , Pinoy 0 Comments

A quick note up top, before we head into this week’s links, below, that the the Book Industry Charitable Foundation is providing funding to bookstore and comic shop employees and owners affected by the recent hurricanes in the U.S., with a number of publishers giving matched donations up to a fixed amount - information on donating can be found here.

This week’s news.

• Starting this week with a check-in on how IDW is faring, following recent downsizing efforts at the company, as ICv2 reports that Bobby Curnow is returning to the publisher to take up the role of Editor-in-Chief, while Andy Khouri is entering the fold as a senior editor on titles from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line.

• Elsewhere, following last week’s announcement that their lease was being increased by a usurious amount, as a liquor store attempts to poach their leasehold out from under them, Brooklyn’s Desert Island launched a GoFundMe campaign to try and find a new space or retain their current retail location, raising the desired amount of $79,200 in less than a week, with money in excess of the goal now going towards a future (free) comics anthology.

• In other funding news, the latest call for applications was opened for the Athenaeum Gives grant program, which awards $1,500 to a cartoonist who is “creating boundary challenging and socially conscious work,” with this call running through to the 21st of October.

• A round-up of recent awards news, as the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists announced that Dennis Draughton is the winner of this year’s Rex Babin Memorial Award for Excellence in Local Cartooning; the winners of Scholastic’s inaugural Graphic Novel Prize were announced as Mark Bradley’s Bumble and Snug and the Shy Ghost, John Patrick Green’s InvesiGators: All Tide Up, and the fifth volume of Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper; and the shortlist for this year’s Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics was announced.

• In memoriam, remembering those the world of comics has lost, as news was shared last week of the passing of writer Pierre Christin, co-creator of Valerian et Laureline, who has died at the age of 86.

• News was also shared of the passing of cartoonist Ed McLachlan, whose work appeared in Punch and Private Eye among others, who has died at the age of 84.

This week’s reviews.

TCJ

• Sadia Bies reviews the resounding success of E.M. Carroll’s A Guest in the House - “Key to bringing home the reality of these characters is not just the prose, but Carroll’s depiction of people who look realistic. Her ability to draw people simplistically, with an economy of lines, yet still imply fully realized characters is another clear strength. Characters have body fat, wrinkles, and unflattering haircuts. These details bring the reader into a story that feels more grounded and family issues that feel less contrived, as well as breathing new life into the ghost story genre.”

• Helen Chazan reviews the formidable array of Bernadette, edited by Angela Fanche, Katie Lane, Juliette Collet and Clair Gunther - “A rejection of coherence and embrace of the incomplete is not new to alternative comics. There is a bit of 2DCloud's Mirror Mirror anthology to Bernadette's palate, a bit of Mould Map, a bit of Kramers, maybe even a bit of the Santoro school. But what catches the eye here is the sheer diversity of approach that seems to reject a unified framework.”

 

AIPT

• Collier Jennings reviews the winning return of Declan Shalvey, Luke Sparrow, et al’s The Terminator #1.

• Kevin Clark reviews the seasonal treats of Keryl Brown Ahmed, Naomi Franq, et al’s Monster High Halloween Special.

• David Brooke reviews the opening weirdness of Clay McLeod Chapman, Leonardo Marcello Grassi, et al’s Seance In The Asylum #1.

• Chris Coplan reviews the explosive start of Matt Bors, Fred Harper, et al’s The Toxic Avenger #1.

• Marvel Maximus reviews the subversive setup of Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, et al’s Absolute Batman #1.

• Christopher Franey reviews the culminating confrontations of Jeremy Adams, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Salvador Larroca, Luis Guerrero, et al’s Green Lantern Civil Corps Special #1.

 

The Arts STL

Sarah Boslaugh reviews the inclusive journey of Stéphane Douay and Benoist Simmat’s The Incredible Story of Cooking.

 

The Beat

• Joe Grunenwald reviews the dramatic reimagining of Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, et al’s Absolute Batman #1.

• D. Morris reviews the toothless bite of Bryan Hill, C.F. Villa, et al’s Blade: Red Band #1.

• Arpad Okay reviews the unsettling beauty of Yasmeen Abedifard’s When to Pick a Pomegranate.

• Zack Quaintance reviews the charming execution of Steve Thueson’s The Night Never Ends, and the smart scares of Jenna Cha and Lonnie Nadler's The Sickness.

 

Broken Frontier

• Lindsay Pereira reviews the eerie surreality of Charles Burns’ Final Cut.

• Lydia Turner reviews the nuanced fights of John Kenn Mortensen’s Nightmare Factory.

 

The Brooklyn Rail

Naomi Elias reviews the dauntless inquisitiveness of Freddy Carrasco’s GLEEM.

 

Four Color Apocalypse

Ryan Carey reviews the singular approach of Bhanu Pratap’s Cutting Season.

 

House to Astonish

Paul O’Brien has capsule reviews of Marvel Comics’ X-Men: From the Ashes Infinity Comic #17, X-Men #5, Storm #1, and Wolverine: Deep Cut #4.

 

Kirkus Reviews

Have starred capsule reviews of the unforgettable juxtapositions of Maria van Lieshout's Song of a Blackbird, and the atmospheric honest of Remy Lai's Chickenpox.

 

The Los Angeles Times

David L. Ulin reviews the impressionistic self-portraiture of Adrian Tomine’s Q&A.

 

Publisher’s Weekly

Have starred capsule reviews of:

- The affirming indolence of Olivier Schrauwen’s Sunday.

- The astute encapsulations of Dani Diaz’s Dreamover.

- The vital reconsideration of David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson’s Big Jim and the White Boy.

- The elegant vibrancy of Hanna Harms’ Milk Without Honey, translated by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp.

- The potent portrait of Sacha Mardou’s Past Tense: Facing Family Secrets and Finding Myself in Therapy.

 

Solrad

Rob Clough reviews the connective yearning of Margot Ferrick’s Star Of Swan and Half Gold/Half Dung.

 

Women Write About Comics

Kathryn Hemmann reviews the disturbing resonance of Matthew Erman and Sam Beck’s Loving, Ohio.

This week’s interviews.

TCJ

• Emily Rems interviews Nina Bunjevac about An Alchemical Journey Through The Major Arcana of the Tarot, changing relationships to tarot, analog and digital processes, and moving away from the medium of comics - “It is true that there is very little money in independent comics for the creator, same as in the publishing industry, regardless of gender.  We’ve never enjoyed better diversity in comics as we do now, and I think we’re all equally mistreated.”

• Michael Dooley interviews John Holmstrom, and Mark Newgarden, Tom Sito, Mike Carlin, Bob Fingerman, and Dan Riba about studying under Harvey Kurtzman at the School of Visual Arts - “After you read these interviews, if you’re looking to learn more more about Harvey’s SVA days – and hey, about his entire, fascinating life and career – then you should definitely pick up Bill Schelly’s excellent bio, Harvey Kurtzman: The Man who Created Mad and Revolutionized Humor in America, comprehensive at nearly 650 pages. You won’t be disappointed.”

 

AIPT

• Chris Hassan speaks with Declan Shalvey about Mystique, the compelling nature of the character, and Marvel mutant methods.

• David Brooke talks to Jeff Lemire about JSA, the allure of the Distinguished Competition, and collaborating with Diego Olortegui.

• Chris Coplan chats with Chris Condon and Fernando Blanco about Judge Dredd: Chimpsurrection and balancing satire, and with Jordan Alsaqa and Vivian Truong about Cooking With Monsters and the freedom a fantasy world affords.

 

The Beat

• Jared Bird interviews JP Ahonen about Belzebubs, comics self-therapy, the improvisational nature of a weekly strip, and fears of the unknown.

• Taimur Dar speaks with Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt about Topsy McGee and the Scarab of Solomon, the character’s origins, and convention connections.

• Heidi MacDonald chats with Desert Island’s Gabe Fowler about the success of the store’s fundraiser this week, and next steps for the store.

 

Boston.com

Peter Chianca talks to Maria Scrivan about Nat Enough, creations taking on a life of their own, pitching the syndicates, and fictionalising frenemies.

 

Broken Frontier

Andy Oliver speaks with Anna Readman about Scream! and Fargo & McBane, classic horror comic appreciation, and changing approaches to comics-making.

 

Bucks County Beacon

Cyril Mychalejko interviews Alan Jenkins about 1/6, attempts to retcon history, comics as a way to connect with the general public, and conversations with insurrectionists. 

 

Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies

Bahar Momeni speaks with Marjane Satrapi about Woman, Life, Freedom and Persepolis, and using comics to share stories with a global audience.

 

Electric Literature

Carli Cutchin chats with Eric Drooker about Naked City, the legitimation of graphic novels, being a native speaker of visual language, and the enduring influence of Harvey Kurtzman.

 

ICv2

Brigid Alverson talks to Bad Idea’s Siena Fallon about the company’s distro plans, upcoming projects, and the publisher’s year-long break.

 

The Montreal Gazette

Bill Brownstein speaks with Barry Blitt about election fatigue for the political cartoonist, laughing through the horror, and cartooning radicalisation.

 

Polygon

Susana Polo talks to Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta about Absolute Batman, the core of the character of Bruce Wayne, and in-person collaborative processes.

 

Print

Steven Heller interviews James Sholly about Commercial Article #16 and the issue’s focus on Dale Messick and Brenda Starr, Reporter.

 

Publishing Perspectives

Porter Anderson talks to PromoComix’s Ivano Bariani and retailers Pablo Marchitto and Ambra Pallanca about comics sales numbers in Italy over the last few years.

 

Publisher’s Weekly

• Rob Salkowitz interviews Alan Moore about The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic, links between comics as a medium and occult consciousness, and the influence of magic on Pomethea.

• Michael Seidlinger speaks with Fantoons’ David Calcano about the founding and origins of the company, crowdfunding and book publishing, and working across mediums.

• Chris Vognar speaks with Alex Segura about Alter Ego, literary and comic book favourites, and comics fandom’s need for improvement.

• John Maher interviews Silver Sprocket’s Ari Ehrlich about the publisher’s 15th birthday, and its funding drive to bring aboard 200 new members to its subscription scheme.

• Present a conversation between Mel Hammond, Teghan Hammond, and Magdalene Visaggio about Lucy, Uncensored and Girlmode, and approaches to telling stories centred on trans characters.

 

USA Today

Felecia Wellington Radel chats with John ‘MrBallen’ Allen about Strange, Dark and Mysterious and telling stories on social media.

 

Women Write About Comics

Lisa Fernandes interviews Aubrey Sitterson and Megan Hutchinson about Archie Comics: Judgement Day and bringing obscure characters back into the spotlight.

This week’s features and longreads.

• Here at TCJ, as part of last week’s celebration of Harvey Kurtzman, updated from the 2012 TCJ archives, Drew Friedman writes on the experience of studying under Kurtzman at the School of Visual Arts - “Harvey encouraged chaos in his class. The first day of his course he'd hand out balloons and ask everyone to blow them up until they exploded, simulating the surprise you should get from a cartoon punchline, leading to inevitable class laughter. In the past I've sarcastically referred to SVA as The 13th Grade or (speaking of balloons) Clown College.  As far as the classroom insanity, Harvey usually enjoyed and encouraged the Stooge noises and the endless classroom chaos and hi-jinx, often instigated by me.”

• Also for TCJ, Jason Bergman reports from recent highlights of the Maryland comics event calendar, as September saw the return of the Small Press Expo and Baltimore Comic Con, speaking with exhibitors on the show floors of both gatherings - “These two shows frequently occur close to each other (last year they even landed on the same weekend) but with each celebrating a milestone, it seemed this was the time to cover both. Grab your Old Bay and slap on a Ravens cap, we’re diving head first into the Maryland comics scene.”

• Finally for TCJ this week, across the Atlantic, Valerio Stivé reports from Pordenone’s  PAFF! International Museum of Comic Art, and the Chris Ware: La prospettiva della memoria (“Chris Ware – The perspective of memory”) exhibition, speaking with the curators about putting the show together - “The room dedicated to Building Stories was possibly the most fascinating area of the show. A large column was covered to look like the eponymous building, and a truly huge little baby from the book looked at you from a wall. The light did not help me, so the picture does not make justice of how beautiful she looked.”

• Over at Shelfdust, Matt Mortal looks back on Steve Gerber, Ed Hannigan, and Ron Wilson’s Giant-Size Man-Thing #4, and the inspirational experimental monsterism to be found therein.

• For Boing Boing, Ruben Bolling reports from Los Angeles’ Subliminal Projects, and the American Punchline group exhibition, looking at the work of The Onion’s Stan Kelly (and “assistant” Ward Sutton) that can be found there.

• From the world of open-access academia, for the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, Anna-Sophie Jürgens and Will Visconti examine the varied identities and theatrical sensibilities of the Joker, to be found in various comic titles across the ages, and the character’s evolving cultural power.

• Paul O’Brien’s cataloguing of the villains of Daredevil continues, for House to Astonish, as Ramrod is now vaguely recognisable across a crowded bar.

• Mike Peterson rounds up the week’s editorial beat, over at The Daily Cartoonist, as this week the misinformation train pulled up to the stop marked ‘disaster response’.

No more links for now (audio/visual section to return next week, due to travelling and herding dogs this week) - the nights are drawing in, so I need to stare into my SAD lamp for a while and pray that the abyss does not gaze back.

The post Seeking the Successive Autumns – This Week’s Links appeared first on The Comics Journal.


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