Yule Be Sorry – This Week’s Links

It’s the penultimate links post of the year, and so it’s almost, but not quite, time to look back in wonderment on the 8,784 hours that have passed us by, in another circuit around the sun, and think “there really was a lot of tech start-up news this year, I wonder when companies, valued at astronomical sums to provide services nobody really wants, will resume their acknowledgment of the existence of vowels in their names?” However, for now, once more, with feeling, it’s ths wk’s lnks, blw.

Small spells for prosperity and compassion.

— danielle taphanel (@treelet.bsky.social) 2024-12-03T03:34:33.845Z

This week’s news.

• Opening this week’s selection with news out of Iran, as it was announced that cartoonist Atena Farghadani had been acquitted of blasphemy charges by an appeals court, and was subsequently released from Evin Prison after the original sentence of six years incarceration was reduced to 8 months, which had already been served. Farghadani was initially arrested in April of this year, after attempting to display artwork on a wall in Tehran.

• Elsewhere, Julia Alekseyeva, author-illustrator of the graphic novel Soviet Daughter, and assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, this week apologised for comments made regarding the alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Luigi Mangione, who was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania - the university also apologised, stating that “[Professor Alekseyeva’s] comments regarding the shooting of Brian Thompson in New York City were antithetical to the values of both the School of Arts and Sciences and the University of Pennsylvania, and they were not condoned by the School or the University.”

• In what may or may not be our last comics distribution story of the year, all eyes on the next seven days, Penguin Random House this week made the somewhat unsurprising announcement that they would be handling distribution of Boom! Studios’ comics, after acquiring the publisher in August, taking over direct market duties from Diamond and book channel distro from Simon & Schuster. This announcement comes during a period when Diamond have been struggling to fulfill their remaining commitments, due to the expedited closure of their Plattsburgh facility, as documented by The Beat.

No war but class war

— Jenn Woodall (@funeralbeat.bsky.social) 2024-12-09T01:41:03.044Z

This week’s reviews.

TCJ

• Kevin Brown reviews the varied amalgamations of Frances Jetter’s Amalgam: An Immigrant, His Labor Union, and His American Family in Brooklyn - “America often closed the door that makes up the cover of this work, but Jetter’s work reminds readers that behind that door are people who not only need a place of safety, but an America that needs folks like Jetter’s ancestors to make it safe and strong for all. That’s an idea with heft, and Jetter has crafted a book with enough strength to carry it.”

• Hagai Palevsky reviews the noncommittal gestures of Dustin Weaver’s 1949 - “Although aesthetically handsome, his style is both heavily preoccupied in a polish so deeply ingrained that it transcends the visual and becomes almost ideological. In Weaver's world, everything has to be clean, intact; where there is damage, it is heroic, a teleological suspension to guarantee strength even at a time of ostensible weakness.”

 

AIPT

• Vish reviews the grounded narrative of Zoe Thorogood, Claudia Leonardi, et al’s Life is Strange: Forget-Me-Not.

• David Brooke reviews the seasonal horror of Oni Press’ EC Shiver SuspenStories #1.

• Keigen Rea reviews the winning synergy of Ram V, Dan Watters, Laurence Campbell, Sumit Kumar, et al’s The One Hand & The Six Fingers.

• Collier Jennings reviews the gorgeous violence of Erica Schultz, Giada Belviso, et al’s Laura Kinney: Wolverine #1.

• Crooker reviews the well-trodden paths of Daniel Warren Johnson, Jorge Corona, et al’s Transformers #15.

• Nathan Simmons reviews the compelling beginning of Steve Foxe, Edgar Salazar, Peter Nguyen, et al’s Alien: Paradiso #1.

 

The Arts STL

• Jason Green reviews the bold experimentation of Bhanu Pratap’s Cutting Season.

• Sarah Boslaugh reviews the well-chosen details of Ginette Kolinka, Jean-David Morvan, Victor Matet, Richard Efa, and Cesc F. Dalmases’ Adieu Birkenau: Ginette Kolinka’s Story of Survival.

 

The Beat

• Steve Baxi reviews the emotional core of Eleanor Davis’ You and a Bike and a Road.

• Sean reviews the narrative focus of Mirion Malle’s So Long Sad Love, translated by Aleshia Jensen.

• Matt Ledger reviews the haunting weirdness of Dan Watters, Hayden Sherman, et al’s Batman: Dark Patterns #1.

• Jared Bird reviews the visceral payoffs of Luana Vecchio’s Doll Parts: A Lovesick Tale #1, translated by Edward Caio.

• Clyde Hall reviews the balanced humour of Heath Corson, Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum, I.N.J. Culbard, et al’s From the World of Minor Threats: The Brood #1.

 

Broken Frontier

Andy Oliver reviews the powerful stories of Re-Live’s Coming Home #2.

 

House to Astonish

Paul O’Brien has capsule reviews of Marvel Comics’ Astonishing X-Men Infinity Comics #1-2, X-Men #8, NYX #6, X-Force #6, and Wolverine #4.

 

Kirkus Reviews

Have starred capsule reviews of:

• The hallucinatory wonders of Anders Nilsen’s Tongues.

• The memorable poignancy of Craig Thompson’s Ginseng Roots.

• The vivid illustrations of Fred Fordham’s adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea.

• The nuanced insights of Huda Fahmy’s Huda F Wants to Know?.

 

Hyperallergic

Sarah Hromack-Chan reviews the tactical conversation of Adrian Tomine’s Q&A.

 

Solrad

Hagai Palevsky reviews the graphic arrangement of Lo Hartog van Banda and Thé Tjong-Khing’s Iris: A Novel for Viewers, translated by Laura Watkinson.

It’s happening!! After 5 long years away, Comic Arts LA is returning this weekend December 14-15th at 3015 Rosslyn St. LA, 90065. From 10AM to 5PM both days, FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!www.comicartsla.com

— Comic Arts LA (@comicartsla.bsky.social) 2024-12-11T18:38:58.380Z

This week’s interviews.

TCJ

• Aug Stone interviews Shelly Bond and Philip Bond about Off Register Press, comics discoveries and rediscoveries, Deadline and DC, work ethics, and feeling proud of your creations - “I always say to people when you’re working on something that’s deeply personal, if you’re working on it for like five or six months and you just feel like you’re not making any progress – even though you are – put it aside for something else, but always put something in print that reminds you that you’ve come this far.”

• Zach Rabiroff interviews Wow Cool Alternative Comics’ Marc Arsenault about comics retail history, comics publishing realities, and the factors leading to launching a crowdfunder for help with bills over the holiday season - “I mean, the main thing I want is: please visit my shops if you're in upstate New York, support us online by ordering books there, support all our artists who are still out there, they're also struggling. I mean, we've had a long, entangled history.”

 

AIPT

Chris Hassan speaks with Steve Foxe about Timeslide, editorial emails, guilty pleasures, and continuity plans.

 

Autobiographix

Amaris Ketcham and Nora Hickey interview Cara Gormally about personal comics journeys and the importance of the medium, finding the time, and the satisfaction of research.

 

The Beat

Jared Bird talks to Jim Zub about Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone, expanding on the source material, and working with Heroic Signatures.

 

Block Club Chicago

Dan Kelly interviews Quimby’s Bookstore’s Eric Kirsammer and Liz Mason about their leaving the store, and hopes that the shop will find a new owner to carry on its mission.

 

Brands Untapped

Ian Downes speaks with Gordon Tait about adapting Still Game for the comics form, the origins of the publishing project, and not enforcing a house style.

 

CBC

Mattea Roach interviews Charles Burns about Final Cut, the rich emotions of your teenage years, adolescent movie making, and the urge to tell stories.

 

Polygon

• Susana Polo talks to Tom King and Ryan Sook about Black Canary: Best of the Best, the concept of legacy at the heart of DC comics, Alex Toth inspirations, and combat sport research.

• Tasha Robinson interviews Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum about curating The Folio Society's Marvel: Unforgettable Stories, the process of picking the stories contained therein, and the varied forms of Marvel comics.

 

Publisher’s Weekly

• Libby Morse chats with Terry LaBan about Mendel the Mess-Up, writing for middle grade readers, publishing pitches, and comedy influences.

• Rob Salkowitz speaks with Rebellion’s Ben Smith about the publisher’s deep bench of IP, the UK periodical market, and ongoing expansion into the US market.

• Tiffany Babb interviews Jen Wang, Angie Wang, and Jake Mumm about this weekend’s return of Comics Arts Los Angeles, and why the event is returning to the calendar now.

 

Women Write About Comics

Jenna Ledford talks to Emma Rios about Anzuelo, the visual thinking behind the story, the artistic evolution on show, and the romance of the narrative.

 

WFYI

Kyle Long interviews Connie Zeigler about Dale Messick and Brenda Starr, Breaking Barriers and Hitting Deadlines, and the legacy of Messick’s work.

BASKET: the first 7 pages (1/4)

— lucky pocket (@luckypocketpress.bsky.social) 2024-12-10T17:15:08.740Z

This week’s features and longreads.

• Here at TCJ, Tegan O’Neil observes a quiet Sunday with Olivier Schrauwen, and considers whether the book’s contents outweigh its considerable mass - “That’s the guiding spirit, for better or for worse, every stray thought and deed, suspended in amber. He gets a James Brown song in his head and so too do we. We see Thiebault masturbating in the book’s opening pages, and that’s also coincidentally when we realize Schrauwen has no intention of going easy on our tender and delicate liberal sensibilities. Leopold Bloom takes the kids to the pool in the opening pages of Ulysses. Don’t you see? Our bourgeois comfort zone must be violated.”

• Also for TCJ, remembrances are shared of the great and terrible Kazuo Umezz, who passed away last month at the age of 88, comprising writing from Joe McCulloch, the Ghost of Tokyo Scum Brigade, Brian Baynes, Noel Freibert, James Bradshaw, and Helen Chazan (who provides our pull quote) - “Before I knew much about comics, before I knew much about myself, I knew Kazuo Umezz. That manic heartfelt voice in his art is the one inside all of us that knows childhood is not something we grew out of but something we survive even now. Kazuo Umezz survives his childhood, even in death his childhood lives.”

• I missed Tom Ewing’s retrospective series for Freaky Trigger on Dave Sim’s Cerebus the Aardvark when it first went up at the start of this year, but Ewing’s recent series on the history of 2000 AD added it to my bookmarks for a time when it would truly be needed, and wouldn’t you know it - Aard Labour is good (maybe perfect) insomnia reading.

• For ICv2, Rob Salkowitz writes on the peaks and troughs of the collectibles market in the year 2024, and whether changes in administration might mean changes in spending habits, which I suppose may (or may not) affect upcoming offerings from the Chic Young estate.

• Over at Outlook India, Debanjan Dhar looks back on Sarnath Banerjee’s Corridor, and the wandering journey the graphic novel takes through Delhi while musing on the disconnect of urban spaces.

• For Shelfdust, Alex Jaffe considers the marketplace of ideas to be found in Denny O’Neil and Bill Wray’s The Question #26 as Edward Nashton, aka Edward Nygma, aka The Riddler takes a bus to Hub City.

• From Cover to Cover's Scott Cederlund appraises Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov’s The Punisher: Valley Forge, Valley Forge, and examines how the coda to Ennis' run on The Punisher goes the meditative route, for the most part, and draws the perspective back to view the machine that Frank Castle was a cog in.

• Over at Hyperallergic, David D'Arcy reviews Molly Bernstein and Philip Dollin's upcoming documentary Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse, writing on Spiegelman's wider body of work, and noting recent comments about a future comics project focused on Gaza.

• From the world of open-access academia, in the Journal of Cultural Interaction in East Asia, Jianlong Yang writes on Wang Shupeng’s comic adaptation of Lao She’s story Vision, and the authenticity that Shupeng’s visuals bring to the narrative.

• For Sociological Research Online, Hanna Kovshoff, Charlie Raufi, Samantha Davies, Fate Keefe, and Sarah Parsons present work creating a comic transition support resource for autistic children and young people moving between schools, and the workshops and projects that went into the making of the comic.

• From Tamaddun Life, Alfia Tawaffani Muslima, Eri Kurniawan, and Budi Hermawan present an examination of the various forms of onomatopoeia to be found in a selection of Popeye comics.

• Mike Peterson rounds up the week’s editorial beat, over at The Daily Cartoonist, as CEOs, Donald Trump (naturellement), metaphorical rats, and Bashar al-Assad all got a bit of the spotlight.

SPIDER-MAN V SANDMAN

— Dan McDaid (@danmcdaid.bsky.social) 2024-12-11T01:38:07.062Z

Next week: [a snowy London street] you there, my fine fellow, what’s to day? // Why, sir, it’s the yearly collation of all the best-comics-of-the-year lists from around the internet, gor blimey, apples and pears!

Big Boi

— Alex Diboine (@alexdiboine.bsky.social) 2024-12-11T01:03:48.534Z

The post Yule Be Sorry – This Week’s Links appeared first on The Comics Journal.