Give Yourself A Present – This Week’s Links

A flurry of days spent listening to the work of Angelo Badalamenti while working (for fairly obvious reasons), and taking breaks to scrunch my face up and whisper “bloody hell” at slowly disgorging social media newsfeeds (for similarly fairly obvious reasons), gives a fraught but ethereal air to this week’s links, below, which I would ask you to visualise being hurriedly spoken in a dream to you in reverse, while you are seated in a big armchair surrounded by blood red curtains.

Yesterday's Rainlight Cope Aesthetic

— Gareth A Hopkins (@grthink.bsky.social) 2025-01-23T10:41:42.033Z

This week’s news.

• Starting this week’s selection with some comics awards news, as we head into 2025’s Festival international de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême, as it was announced that Alison Bechdel, Catherine Meurisse, and Anouk Ricard have been named as this year’s shortlist for the festival’s Grand Prix by a voting jury of their peers - the winner will be announced next week during the festival.

• Elsewhere, the winners of this year’s International Manga Award were announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, with Hiro Kawahara of Brazil taking home the Gold Award for The Forest Mermaid; and the shortlist for the 18th annual Manga Taisho Awards were named, with ten titles in the running for this year’s prize.

• Legal news, and Webcomic Name creator Alex Norris this week announced that a settlement has been reached in the long-running copyright case with ‘intellectual property company’ Golden Bell Studios - Norris spoke with Prospect last summer about the lawsuits, and the crowdfunding of legal fees that they necessitated, which serve as a semi-regular reminder to always get legal consultation on any contract you're thinking of entering into.

• In memoriam, remembering those the world of comics has lost, as news was shared this week of the passing of Pulitzer prize-winning cartoonist and writer Jules Feiffer, who died last week at the age of 95, due to congestive heart failure.

• News was also shared of the passing of Mike Ferrero of Fat Jack’s Comicrypt, Philadelphia’s oldest comic shop - Ferrero died late last week, and had worked in comics retail for 46 years.

• Finally this week, ICv2 shared the news that columnist Steve Bennett, who penned the article series Confessions of a Comic Book Guy for the site for nearly two decades, passed away last month, due to suspected cardiac issues.

Mothra

— Sophie Campbell (@mooncalfe1.bsky.social) 2025-01-20T02:02:07.410Z

This week’s reviews.

TCJ

• Kristian Williams reviews the skilful composition of Rick Parker’s Drafted - “Parker doesn't ruminate on the political or moral questions raised by the draft, military discipline, Vietnam, the arms race, or the Cold War more generally. Yet his memoir is not merely anti-war; it is anti-military. The cruelty and tyranny of army life is illustrated in one anecdote after another, but the thing that comes across most clearly is the sheer pointlessness of it.”

• Hank Kennedy reviews the bizarre valorizing of Sarah Kendzior, Andrea Chalupa, and Kasia Babis’ Dictatorship: It’s Easier Thank You Think! - “In surveying Dictatorship’s assortment of autocrats, it stands out that almost all of them are opponents of U.S. policy. Pro-U.S. dictators like the Shah of Iran, the Somoza dynasty in Nicaragua, or the various juntas in El Salvador and Guatemala are all absent. When dictators who leaned towards the U.S. are present, such as Haiti’s “Baby Doc” Duvalier and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, this aspect of their rule is ignored.”

• Megan Kelso reviews the straightforward lucidity of Sacha Mardou’s Past Tense - “It’s understandable that some of the artistic choices she made, to sacrifice the ambiguity of less narration and expressionistic drawings for a kind of plodding realism, results in a work that can be understood by all. The argument she makes for therapy as a way back to connection is a straight line that ends in victory.”

AIPT

• David Brooke reviews the compelling start of Dave Dwonch and Travis Hymel’s The Loose End #1.

• Colin Moon reviews the foundational explorations of Ed Brubaker, Pablo Raimondi, et al’s Doctor Doom: Books of Doom.

• Ryan Sonneville reviews the chaotic romping of Gerry Duggan, Patch Zircher, Kev Walker, et al's Savage Avengers, Volume 2.

• Piper Whitaker reviews the beautiful imagery of Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, et al’s Absolute Wonder Woman #4.

• Michael Guerrero reviews the perfect balance of Chris Condon, Montos, et al’s Green Arrow #20.

• Collier Jennings reviews the slow burn of Declan Shalvey’s The Terminator #4.

The Beat

• Zack Quaintance reviews the gritty visuals of Gerry Duggan, Garry Brown, et al’s Falling In Love On The Path To Hell; and the fresh excellence of Mike Mignola's Bowling With Corpses & Other Strange Tales From Lands Unknown.

• Jordan Jennings reviews the strong finish of Chip Zdarsky, David Brothers, Marcus To, Marvin Sianipar, et al’s Time Waits #3.

• Michael VanCalbergh reviews the stylistic range of Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas’ Jaj – A Haida Manga.

• Merve Giray reviews the comedic elements of Roku Sakura’s April Showers Bring May Flowers, translated by Leighann Harvey.

Broken Frontier

• Lydia Turner reviews the shifting perspectives of Sarah Lippett and Maria Stoian’s Kathleen.

• Andy Oliver has reviews of:

The remarkable immersion of Chris King’s Cold Chips.
The formal experimentation of Zhenyi Zheng’s Summer Maze.
The intricate cartooning of David Shenton’s Forty Lies: A Work of Ipsedixitism.
The relatable moments of David Robertson et al’s You Do What You Do – You Get What You Get.
The skilful layouts of Céilí Braidwood’s The Cave of Cats, Chapter 1.
The poignant wit of Abi Wye's Summit.

Four Color Apocalypse

Ryan Carey reviews the straightforward relatability of Brian Canini’s Airbag #3.

House to Astonish

Paul O’Brien has capsule reviews of Marvel Comics’ Exceptional X-Men #5, Storm #4, Laura Kinney: Wolverine #2, and Rogue: Savage Land #1.

Hyperallergic

Jesse Lambert reviews the raw tenderness of Keum Suk Gendry-Kim’s Dog Days, translated by Janet Hong.

The New York Times

Sam Thielman reviews the genius minimalism of Mike Mignola’s Bowling With Corpses & Other Strange Tales From Lands Unknown.

Polygon

Maddy Myers reviews the tonal choices of Yoichi Amano and ATLUS’ Metaphor: ReFantazio.

School Library Journal

• Amy Ribakove reviews the thoughtful explorations of Hope Larson’s Very Bad at Math.

• Kim Gardner reviews the captivating shifts of Jules Baker and Niki Smith’s Sea Legs.

Solrad

Hagai Palevsky reviews the frustrating errors of Thomas Merceron’s Les Trembles.

the poster!! here it is

— Linnea Sterte (@decassette.bsky.social) 2025-01-19T17:14:21.620Z

This week’s interviews.

TCJ

Jean Marc Ah-Sen interviews Troy Nixey and Yo Kuri about Blood Magic Tales, the origins of their creative collaboration, and art as communication that transcends mediums - “[Yo Kuri:] I sometimes think of what it was like to be in a society or an era that is ending. I planted this theme in Blood Magic Tales. What did the fall of the Roman Empire feel like to an everyday Roman? What does it feel like to lose your family? The comfort of your routines goes away. Is that why it is hard to switch careers or relationships? Maybe horror, on some level, is the fear of change.”

AIPT

Chris Hassan speaks with Tim Seeley about Rogue: The Savage Land, the allure of the original storyline, and the joys of adventuring in the jungle.

Anime News Network

Lucas DeRuyter talks to Taro Nagakawa, Brandon Chen, and Dan Porter about Overtime Elite, the webcomic to pro-sports pipeline, and comics-making advice.

Editor & Publisher

Rob Tornoe interviews Mike Luckovich about the return of President Donald Trump, cartooning during divisive administrations, and reader responses.

Fast Company

Zachary Petit talks to Barry Blitt, Jack Ohman, and Jen Sorensen about the state of political cartooning in 2025, and where the profession of editorial cartooning may go from here.

Forbes

Rob Salkowitz speaks with Brian Michael Bendis about Fortune and Glory: The Musical and comics career evolutions, and with Patrick Horvath about Free For All and pitting billionaire against billionaire.

Free Times

Kwasi Brown talks to Sanford Greene about Bitter Root being adapted for the big screen, writing for Marvel’s metal face villain, and future projects.

425 Magazine

Destiny Valencia interviews Josh Tuininga about We Are Not Strangers, the research challenges when making the book, and looking to the 90s for a new project.

Grimdark Magazine

Elizabeth Tabler talks to Marjorie Liu about Monstress, moving from practicing law to writing fiction, and upcoming projects.

Publisher’s Weekly

Amanda Ramirez speaks with Kami Garcia about Mixed-Up, familial experiences with dyslexia that inspired the story, and telling stories for different age groups.

A little comic about desire paths.

— Chaz Hutton (@chazhutton.bsky.social) 2025-01-15T19:18:17.745Z

This week’s features and longreads.

• Here at TCJ, Alex Dueben writes in remembrance of John Cassaday, who died last year at the age of 52, also sharing tributes from Cassaday’s friends and peers - “What is perhaps most striking is how many people who knew Cassaday talked about what a good person he was. Besides being shocked by his sudden death, they just wanted to say how much they liked him.”

• Also for TCJ, Michael Dean writes in remembrance of Pulitzer prize-winning cartoonist, playwright, and screenwriter Jules Feiffer, who passed away last week at the age of 95 - “Feiffer rarely spoke of his mother as an influence on his artistic career, but it’s hard not to notice that his comics were entirely centered on the human figure, just as his mother’s fashion sketches had been. Her figures were often in the act of walking, but there was no other panel for them to walk into. They progressed from dress to dress, always ready to go out, but hung motionless in space.”

• Returning to TCJ this week, RJ Casey ushers in the first Arrivals and Departures of 2025, this edition taking a look at recent offerings from Portland’s Speck collective, including Quinn Amacher’s Frolic #1, Molly Lecko Herro’s Meatloaf Castle #1, Phoebe Mol’s Extinction, and Re Pinter’s No Name #1 - “In conclusion, I’m rooting for Speck. They’re very easy to root for! They all make comics that keep the cynicism at bay. I hope they continue at their own sustainable pace and become the next true comics vanguard of the West Coast.”

• Finally for TCJ, Fantagraphics share an excerpt from Caitlin McGurk’s Tell Me A Story Where The Bad Girl Wins: The Life and Art of Barbara Shermund, taken from the book’s second chapter, looking back at Shermund’s early days providing work for The New Yorker - “Shermund loved to draw women. There are several distinct themes that run through- out her work, but none as consistently as women talking to each other. In private parlors and bars, at perfume counters or on picnics, Shermund’s women confide in or conspire with each other, gossip or goad, and create scenes in which the reader feels privy to a private conversation.”

• For The Museum of Modern Art, Malcy Duff continues the journey of the Uncertain Man, this time out confronted by a certain cartoon feline - more on the Uncertain Man can be read here at TCJ.

• Over at the Autobiographix substack, Amaris Ketcham kicks off a new series considering how topophilia, or love of a place or environ, can be explored through comics, and the differences between backgrounds and settings in visual storytelling.

• Elsewhere on the relatively new crop of platforms that are yet to implode thanks to their owner/operators, Tegan O’Neil shares The Best of Tegan O’Neil (2021-2024) for free over at Patreon, covering comic book writing from the last four years in a handy ebook (which you can read using the free Calibre e-reader software, or similar, format fans).

• As well as TCJ's obituary above, the passing of Jules Feiffer got further coverage across the web, including pieces from The Beat, Forbes, Forward, The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, The Independent, The Los Angeles Times, NPR (including Wednesday’s Book of the Day), The New York Times, Print, Publisher's Weekly, USA Today, Vulture, and The Washington Post.

• For more writing focused on those who have sadly recently passed, The Beat shares Dan Barton’s piece on the publication of David Lynch’s comic strip The Angriest Dog in the World, more on which can be read here at TCJ.

• Over at From Cover to Cover, Scott Cederlund looks back on Paul Chadwick's Concrete: Depths, the character and publication history of the eponymous hero, and the balancing act that Chadwick plays between grounded character piece and fantastical science fiction yarn.

• For Shelfdust, T. Trewhella writes on Jack Kirby and Mike Royer’s Mister Miracle #7, considering the form of fascism that Apokolips embodies, and the freedom that Mister Miracle represents, during a week when fascism is likely at the forefront of a lot of people’s minds.

• As Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen came to its conclusion last year in Weekly Shonen Jump, The Asahi Shimbun’s Takashi Tomioka writes on the manga’s portrayal of the figure of Ryomen Sukuna, and considers the varied perspectives of Ryomen Sukuna as both hero and villain.

• Over at AIPT, Ryan Perry writes on the history and changing origins of Wonder Woman, the feminism at the core of the character, and William Moulton Marston’s subversion of the myth of Pygmalion in Wonder Woman’s original creation.

• Convening for what will presumably be one of the last times, as the site begins to wind down operations, the team at Women Write About Comics present more WWACommendations, this edition sharing thoughts on Tara Booth’s Processing: 100 Comics That Got Me Through It, Patrick Horvath’s Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, and Ice Cream Man: Decompression in a Wreck.

• Paul O’Brien’s census of the villains of Daredevil continues, as this edition it is the turn of El Jaguar to flex, throw a punch, and leave.

• Mike Peterson rounds up the week’s editorial beat, over at The Daily Cartoonist, as I’m sure you’re not particularly surprised that the focus was entirely on the return to political office of one President Donald Trump.

popular store

— ながべ(nagabe) (@mucknagabe.bsky.social) 2025-01-18T12:43:12.335Z

This week’s audio/visual delights.

• The New York Comics & Picture-Story Symposium returned for its spring calendar of programming, as Ben Katchor hosted a talk from historian and translator Nick Stember on the manhua (short strips) and lianhuanhua (longform comics) published in Shanghai in the 1920s and beyond.

• House to Astonish opened its doors to the public once more, as this edition Al Kennedy and Paul O’Brien shared The Homies for 2024, providing a comprehensive listing of favourite comics from the year just (kind of) gone.

• Brian Hibbs welcomed Terry LaBan to the latest meeting of the Comix Experience Graphic Novel Club, as they discussed Mendel the Mess-Up, San Diego Comic-Con memories, and interplay with your reading audience.

• David Harper was joined by Deniz Camp for the most recent episode of Off Panel, as they spoke about The Ultimates and Assorted Crisis Events, childhood book-buying and -reading habits, comics-making origins, and telling darker stories through the medium.

• Calvin Reid, Heidi MacDonald, and Kate Fitzsimons reconvened for Publisher’s Weekly’s More to Come, as they took a whistlestop tour through last week’s overly full news selection, including Diamond’s filing for bankruptcy and more sexual assault allegations being levelled at Neil Gaiman, while Meg Lemke spoke with Rick Parker about new graphic novel Drafted.