Hitting that halfway point of the year for comics just a smidge past the fulcrum, as always, with San Diego Comic-Con hitting next week, followed by a smooth, downhill coast all the way through to the classic retail season at the end of the year, which I am stone cold certain will not have a pall cast upon it in 2025 by tariff-dictated economic upheaval and uncertainty fostered by the continued death rattles of a former distribution monopoly, a prediction that, I am sure, will be supported in full by this week’s links, below, or I’ll eat my novelty San Diego Convention Center Hall H bucket hat.
some colourful guys
— peony gent ✸ (@peonygent.bsky.social) 2025-07-17T06:57:14.471Z
This week’s news.
• Back to the courtroom again this week, as India’s Supreme Court overruled a decision from the Madhya Pradesh High Court, and granted interim protection from arrest to cartoonist Hemant Malviya, who is currently facing multiple charges, including outraging religious feelings and disrupting “maintenance of harmony” over subsequently deleted illustrations shared on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, relating to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and members of the right-wing organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Cartooning for Peace notes that India is currently ranked 151st out of the 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index.
• Elsewhere, as part of our regular series of check-ins with the Diamond Comic Distributors bankruptcy proceedings and related brouhaha (more on which below), multiple objections were filed this week to the company’s attempt to seize and sell stock currently held from publishers to pay off debts owed to JPMorgan Chase Bank, with further requests filed that a scheduled hearing be delayed until after San Diego Comic-Con, after Diamond also filed this week to move said hearing date from Aug. 18 to “either July 24 or 25, 2025,” i.e. the dates during which most publishers currently objecting to this proposed fire sale would be traveling to attend SDCC. That is, if they can still afford to do so after Diamond’s ongoing failure to pay their debts. Classic.
• In “this would be good news if not for the previous news” news, ICv2 this week shared estimated sales figures for comics and graphic novels in 2024, showing that numbers were up on 2023’s figures, with sales in the U.S. and Canada totaling around $1.94 billion in 2024 from $1.87 billion in 2023, driven in (very) large part by sales growth in comics stores.
• Hyperallergic this week reported on the postponement of an event set to celebrate the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Adam Zyglis, after alleged death threats were received over Zyglis’ recent illustration on floods in Texas earlier this month — Buffalo History Museum was scheduled to host the event, organised with the Buffalo Newspaper Guild, marking the end of the “Ink and Insight: 20 Years of Adam Zyglis Cartoons” exhibit.
• Comics awards news to close out this week’s selection, as the National Cartoonists Society announced that Art Spiegelman will receive the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Reuben Awards in August, “celebrating his extraordinary and lasting impact on the art of cartooning.”
1 of the tropical sketches, from last year. puerto viejo
— Linnea Sterte (@decassette.bsky.social) 2025-07-06T15:26:21.302Z
This week’s reviews.
TCJ
• Tegan O’Neil reviews the crucial core of Michael DeForge’s Holy Lacrimony — “So a fable — yes, that seems a good name for it, with a sci-fi motor under the hood. I wasn’t just namedropping Calvino and Kafka for my health, y‘know. Melancholy fabliaux with a speculative edge. Oft-unflattering magnifiers applied like diagnostics to fundamentally sick societies.”
• Leonard Pierce reviews the electric pacing of Shinichi Koga’s Mansect, translated by Ryan Holmberg — “I wouldn’t really argue that there’s a ton of depth here – we are talking about a book, again, called Mansect – but the tremendous, unsettling use of body horror combined with some of the more disturbing psychosexual elements of the book, with mother as temptress, lover, and destroyer, gives it layers I didn’t really expect it to have.”
• Sean McCarthy reviews the queasy pleasures of Shinichi Koga’s Mansect, translated by Ryan Holmberg — “The page structure is relatively simple and sober, a counterpoint to the hysteria of much of the imagery. Koga deploys one to nine panels per page and only vertical and horizontal gutters, eschewing the diagonals that appear frequently in postwar manga.”
AIPT
• Jonathan Waugh reviews the enjoyable chaos of Ludo Lullabi’s Ghost Pepper #1.
• Kevin Clark reviews the packed exposition of Mauro Mantella, Fernando Heinz Furukawa, et al’s Bloodshot #1.
• Nathan Simmons reviews the mixed successes of Oni Press’ Catacomb of Torment #1.
• Rory Wilding reviews the plodding narrative of Tsutomu Nihei's Tower Dungeon Volume 1.
• Alex Schlesinger reviews the explosive action of Declan Shalvey et al’s Mystique: Most Wanted; and the aquatic battles of Jason Aaron, Paul Davidson, et al’s Namor: Last King of Atlantis.
• Collier Jennings reviews the intriguing explorations of Greg Weisman and Frank Paur’s Gargoyles: Demona #1; and the balanced moments of Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Francesco Manna, et al’s Giant-Size House of M #1.
• David Brooke reviews the slick action of Gerry Dugan, Kelvin Mao, Robert Windom, Jae Lee, et al’s This Ends Tonight #1; and the fast pace of Post Malone, Adrian Wassel, Nathan Gooden, et al’s Big Rig #1.
Anchorage Daily News
David James reviews the exhaustive accounting of Tessa Hulls’ Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir.
The Arts STL
Sarah Boslaugh reviews the realistic details of Stephen Weiner and Dan Mazur’s Will Eisner: A Comics Biography.
The Beat
• Javier Perez reviews the dynamic lines of Chris Ryall, Jordan Hart, Nelson Daniel, Piotr Kowalski, Chris Anderson, Jimmy Kucaj, et al’s Dread the Hall H #1.
• Clyde Hall reviews the changing sensibilities of Oni Press’ Catacomb of Torment #1.
• Jordan Jennings reviews the pulpy violence of Post Malone, Adrian Wassel, Nathan Gooden, et al’s Big Rig #1.
• D. Morris reviews the refreshing stakes of Jonathan Hickman, Iban Coello, Frederico Vincentini, et al’s Imperial #2.
• Sean Dillon reviews the mournful optimism of Mattie Lubchansky's Simplicity.
• Jared Bird reviews the interesting perspective of Jeff Lemire’s 10,000 Ink Stains: A Memoir; and the overstuffed construction of Gerry Dugan, Kelvin Mao, Robert Windom, Jae Lee, et al’s This Ends Tonight #1.
• Zack Quaintance reviews the visual humour of Luke Horsman’s Oathbound #1; and the effective depravity of Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, et al’s Absolute Batman #10.
Broken Frontier
• Gary Usher reviews the refined simplicity of Maddy Buck’s (Don’t) Go To Law School.
• Andy Oliver has reviews of:
- The sophisticated storytelling of Tim Bird’s This Land Was Ravaged.
- The keen experimentation of Zhenyi Zheng’s Good Day.
- The joyful fantasy of Beatrijs Brouwer’s Shimmer Paths.
- The familiar experiences of Rachael Ball’s 1972.
- The essential experimentation of Myfanwy Tristram’s Running Out.
Comics Grinder
Henry Chamberlain reviews the magic touch of Desmond Reed’s The Horrors of Being a Human: A Cola Pop Creemees Comic.
Four Color Apocalypse
Ryan Carey reviews the delectable delicacy of Quinn Amacher’s Wilder.
From Cover to Cover
Scott Cederlund reviews the superfluous fun of Kevin Smith, Fernando Ruiz, et al’s Archie Meets Jay & Silent Bob.
House to Astonish
Paul O’Brien has capsule reviews of Marvel Comics’ Astonishing X-Men Infinity Comic #28, Uncanny X-Men #17, Laura Kinney Wolverine #8, Magik #7, and Wolverine and Kitty Pryde #4.
Logos: A Journal of Modern Society and Culture
Hank Kennedy reviews the admirable surveying of The Mad Files: Writers and Cartoonists on the Magazine that Warped America’s Brain!, edited by David Mikics.
NPR
Tahneer Oksman reviews the compelling creativity of Jeff Lemire’s 10,000 Ink Stains: A Memoir.
Publisher’s Weekly
Have starred capsule reviews of:
• The painful familiarity of Jesse Mechanic’s The Last Time We Spoke: A Story of Loss.
• The impressive ambition of Ben Wickey’s More Weight: A Salem Story.
Solrad
Ian Cordingley reviews the conspiratorial charms of Paul Cornell and Rachael Smith’s Who Killed Nessie?.
Yatta-tachi
• AJ Mack reviews the wasted opportunities of Tomato Soup's A Witch's Life in Mongol, translated by Amanda Haley.
• Wendeego reviews the varied storytelling of Keigo Shinzo's Hirayasumi, translated by Mitsuko Cash.
This week’s interviews.
TCJ
Jason Bergman interviews Jeff Lemire about 10,000 Ink Stains: A Memoir, the book’s origins on Substack, rural comics scenes (or lack thereof), and moving the pendulum on work-for-hire projects — “I've always been super organized, super structured. I think it goes back to what we were talking about earlier, when I was younger and I found this routine with comics and this work ethic. I guess I've always felt that the busier I am, the happier I am. The more I work, the less I think about things and I just can be in it, you know. So I like to be very busy and I structure my days and my weeks really well. I think most of my time is still spent drawing, which is really what I love to be doing.”
AIPT
• Chris Hassan speaks with Jeph Loeb about X-Men of Apocalypse, editorial prompts, the legacy of Age of Apocalypse, and creative collaborations.
• David Brooke chats with Ethan Parker and Griffin Sheridan about Godzilla: Escape the Dead Zone and Blink and You’ll Miss It, undead first families, and juggling a busy summer.
The Beat
Ollie Kaplan talks to Acky Bright about WcDonalds, upcoming projects, and geographical influences.
Fanbase Press
Barbra Dillon interviews Sarah Cooke about Faster Than Light, the anthology’s focus on the idea of ‘family’, and the book’s current crowdfunding campaign.
Forbes
Rob Salkowitz talks to Mark Waid about Superman and what makes a superhero story a superhero story, and to Daniel Noah about High Strangeness and encounters with the supernatural.
Mindless Ones
Illogical Volume interviews Kieron Gillen about The Power Fantasy, communication addictions, and reining in your ambitions.
SKTCHD
David Harper talks to Bulgilhan Press’ Zachary Clemente about the publisher’s founding, comics journalism and events planning origins, and focusing on the physical.
Times Union
Jim Shahen Jr. speaks with members of the Capital Region comic scene about their thoughts on what makes for a successful Superman story, and whether adaptations equate to comics sales.
WBEZ Chicago
Courtney Kueppers talks to Chris Ware about creating a new set of postage stamps for the U.S. Postal Service’s 250th birthday, making your mom happy, and the research that went into the designs.
We're hiring! Love Comics? Lead the Festival That Celebrates Them! Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC) is on the hunt for a passionate, driven Festival Manager to help shape the future of one of the world’s most exciting cartoon art events. Apply now and help bring CXC to life!
— Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (@cartooncrossroads.bsky.social) 2025-07-11T17:57:26.510Z
This week’s features and longreads.
• Here at TCJ, Brigid Alverson reports on recent goings-on with regards to Diamond Comic Distributors’ bankruptcy proceedings and the resulting fallout, as it currently appears as though a heist or caper may need to be undertaken to wrestle back publishers’ stock from the erstwhile distro monopoly — “Fantagraphics and the other publishers are unsecured creditors, and since the money Diamond raises by liquidating the inventory will go to paying off the creditors, it’s possible they may eventually see some of it. On the other hand, when it comes to paying off bankruptcy debts, unsecured creditors are pretty much the end of the line, so it’s unlikely they will be made whole.”
• Also for TCJ, Shaenon Garrity writes on the contemporary manga phenomenon of Chainsawin’ and the rude, crude, heartfelt ‘tude of Yukinobu Tatsu’s Dandadan — “If there’s a natural conclusion to the story, it will grow out of the characters. The cast of Dandadan is dynamic: these kids are growing up. Shonen Jump can stretch Dandadan out for a long time, but eventually Okarun and Momo will hook up, and the other characters will figure out their lives, and they won’t be the misfit, weirdness-hunting teens that this manga is about. The weirdness will always be around. The kids won’t.”
• More for TCJ, as an excerpt is shared from the third chapter of Eike Exner’s upcoming book Manga: A New History, which releases next month — “In Japan the furor over inappropriate reading material for children encompassed more than just comics and became known as the banish bad books movement (akusho tsuihō undō). It was also milder than in the United States, with reports of book burnings involving comics being primarily anecdotal in Japan. The movement’s furor reached its zenith in 1955–56, and this temporal proximity to its American counterpart was no coincidence.”
• Finally for TCJ, this week, Chris Anthony Diaz presents photographs from last year's Hot Off the Press Book Fair in Seattle — “It was my first time attending this show, and it was a scorcher, both weather-wise, and in terms of the number of talented cartoonists exhibiting. I also got to visit the Fantagraphics warehouse, which is in the old Rainer brewery building, and hung out with cartoonist Max Clotfelter, the warehouse manager; we had a Mexican lunch too, a short walk from the warehouse. It was a very memorable visit for me, an indie/alternative comics super fan! Thanks, Georgetown!”
• Print’s Steven Heller looks back on the history of PLOP! magazine, and its (brief) place in the zeitgeist in the age of the Comics Code Authority.
• For FAIR, Hank Kennedy writes on the cartoons of Dwayne ‘Mr Fish’ Booth, which have garnered a hate campaign from right-wing media, discussing the accusations of antisemitism levelled at Fish’s cartoons criticising Israeli military violence in Gaza.
• Over at The Conversation, Dominic Davies and Candida Rifkind write on the growing number of ‘refugee comics’ and how such stories can empower displaced people to tell stories on their own terms, challenging anti-migrant images and narratives.
• Autobiographix’s Amaris Ketcham reports from a recent teaching visit to the Glasgow Zine Library and the Scottish Storytelling Centre, checking out the local comics and zine scene and history while there.
• For Shelfdust, J.D. Harlock writes on Jim Zub and Andy Suriano’s Samurai Jack: The Tale of the Wandering Warrior #20, the closure that the issue provided for the source material’s narrative at the time of its publication, and the storytelling choices made in this conclusion.
• More missives from the Mindless Ones, this week with discussion of World’s Finest #295 and From Hell in the newsletter, while Illogical Volume illogical volume offers thoughts on the site proper on recent comics from either end of the independent/corporate spectrum.
• From the world of open-access academia, in the Journal of Academic Librarianship, Annis Lee Adams presents a survey of academic libraries’ collection, organisation, promotion, and use of graphic novels, comics, and manga, and their importance in said libraries’ collections.
• Mike Peterson rounds up the week’s editorial beat, over at The Daily Cartoonist, as the whereabouts of the files pertaining to one Jeffrey Epstein were the media’s primary focus.
Continuing our partnership with AFI Silver Spring, this July 20th, we’re presenting Married To Comics, a wondrous glimpse into the married lives of cartoonists, Carol Tyler and Justin Green.Tickets available at the link below:
— Small Press Expo (@smallpressexpo.bsky.social) 2025-07-16T13:38:22.909Z
This week’s audio/visual delights.
Thick Lines returned this week, as Sally Madden and a special guest host spoke with Mattie Lubchansky about favourite comics and the work of Gary Larson; A couple of recent At Home With sessions from Drawn & Quarterly, as Eagle Valiant Brosi discussed Black Cohosh and the personal experiences that inform the story, and Weng Pixin spoke about Wake Up, Pixoto! and processing repressed memories; NHK World Japan presented a new (officially) translated episode of Manben, as Urasawa Naoki met with Iwamoto Nao (portrayed in semi-manga form) to talk about Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom and The Seven Knights of the Marronnier Kingdom and shojo manga in general; Meg Lemke welcomed Mary Shyne to Publisher’s Weekly’s More to Come, as they discussed You and Me on Repeat and the allure of romance fiction for younger readers.
Call for Papers! Comics Forum has announced its theme for this year; Industry!Proposals are welcome from academics and industry participants (in any role). The deadline for papers the 31st of August. Find out more here: comicsforum.org/2025/07/03/comics-forum-2025-call-for-contributions
— Thought Bubble Festival (@thoughtbubbleuk.bsky.social) 2025-07-14T11:03:03.160Z
No more links now, as I still need to calm down from last night's Euros penalty shoot out.
Very excited to announce a partnership with London based Breakdown Press @breakdownpress.bsky.social , to distribute their books to the United States. through Floating World. All titles now available for order and wholesale to retailers!floatingworldcomics.com/archives/25213
— Floating World Comics (@floatingworld.bsky.social) 2025-07-10T18:48:55.606Z
The post We’re Off To Waterloo — This Week’s Links appeared first on The Comics Journal.
Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean.
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