Newly Sprung in June — This Week’s Links

Summer looms, thanking spring for its service, and so we head deep into the heart of convention season, hacking away at the overgrowth to uncover this year’s comic-con bingo card, and then waiting, dabber pen in hand, poised to see which square will be marked off first — announcement of a new digital comics platform that is entirely comprised of tech-company buzzwords, but no actual mention of what comics/publishers will feature? Poorly advertised event that goes viral for the Backrooms-style photos that result from its hauntingly empty exhibition space? Comics company announcing and then quickly walking back their decision to embrace Artificial Intelligence following a public backlash? All of these have already occurred this year and so the game is cancelled, because everyone’s squares are already filled in before it even begins? This week’s links, below, will have the answer.

birth of a universe

— Deb JJ Lee (@jdebbiel.bsky.social) 2026-06-01T22:15:41.109Z

This week’s news.

• Starting this week’s selection with a continuation of one of last week’s stories, as Dark Horse Workers United, the union of workers at Dark Horse, announced that the publisher has expressed willingness to voluntarily recognise the union, prior to the deadline set for such recognition of June 3.

• Comics awards news, as Ao Kojima’s Hon Nara Uru Hodo (‘Books Aplenty’) was named as the winner of this year’s Manga Gran Prix at the 30th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, artist and translator Keum Suk Gendry-Kim became the first Korean graphic novelist to receive France's Order of Arts and Letters at the rank of Chevalier, and Cartoonists United (née the Cartoonist Cooperative) announced the winners for this year’s Minicomic Awards.

• Some upcoming comics funding deadlines, as this year’s call for applications to the Comics Advocacy Group’s Mini Grant program closes on June 7th, applications to 2026’s Make More Comics grant program closes on June 15th, and Cartoonists United’s Digital Comics Residency program is open to applications through June 30th.

• In memoriam, remembering those the world of comics has lost, as news was shared this week of the passing of multi-award-winning author, illustrator, and director Marjane Satrapi, creator of Persepolis and recent founder of the Mattias and Marjane Ripa-Satrapi Cinema Foundation, who has died at the age of 56.

• News was also shared of the passing of writer and illustrator Kayte Young, author of the graphic memoir eleven, who died last month following a brief illness.

Loose Tekkonkinkreet film still character doodles

— Mili SPX (@milimonster.bsky.social) 2026-06-02T17:23:47.722Z

This week’s reviews.

TCJ

Kevin Brown reviews the mirrored stories of Mohammad Saba'aneh’s Welcome to Hell: From the West Bank to Gaza — “[Saba’aneh] doesn’t want to merely portray suffering, but how some people did survive, often the people nobody would expect to survive. While he mourns those who have died, and he fears for the future of both Gaza and the West Bank, he still hopes for and believes in survival and resistance, despite the odds.”

 

AIPT

• George Loftus reviews the entertaining execution of Tate Brombal, Stephen Segovia, et al’s Batgirl #20.

• Deidre Freitas reviews the careful pacing of Al Ewing, Sid Kotian, et al’s Absolute Green Lantern #15.

• Christopher Franey reviews the surprising charm of W. Maxwell Prince, Martin Morazzo, et al’s The Deadman #1.

• Lily Abreu reviews the cheeky cuteness of Rosie Knight, Evgenia Verelik, et al’s Adventure Time Pride Special: PB & Marcy’s Infinite Mixtape #1.

• Justin Harrison reviews the critical success of Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans’ DIE: Loaded, Volume 1 – Zero Sessions.

• David Brooke reviews the unpredictable ambition of Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki’s Billy Bat, Volume 1, translated by Kristi Iwashiro.

 

The Beat

• Tim Rooney reviews the missed opportunity of Marguerite Bennett, Andrew Lee Griffith, et al’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #1.

• Gianni Palumbo reviews the bombastic conclusion of Kelly Sue DeConnick, David Lopez, et al’s FML #8.

• Clyde Hall reviews the punchy rawness of Zack Kaplan, Stefano Raffaele, et al’s Only the Savage Are Left #1.

• Matt Ledger reviews the effortless fit of Jadzia Axelrod, Nicole Maines, Nicola Scott, J. Bone, Brandt&Stein, et al’s Justice League: Dream Girls #1.

• D. Morris reviews the unambitious accessibility of Joshua Williamson, Juann Cabal, et al’s Iron Man #6.

• Sean Dillon reviews the surreal horror of Mohammad Saba’aneh’s Welcome to Hell: From the West Bank to Gaza.

• Kathryn Hemmann reviews the swirling brilliance of Candice Purwin’s The Book of Murmurs.

 

BoingBoing

Ruben Bolling reviews the fascinating insights of Joshua Kendall’s Trudeau & Doonesbury: A Biography – The Cartoonist Who Turned the News into Art.

 

Broken Frontier

Andy Oliver has reviews of:

• The instant appeal of Laura Zajacz’s Totally.
• The dynamic energy of Arthur Webber and Ang Hui Qing’s Jacob’s Transition Goals.
• The haunting imagery of Bhavani Bala’s Ghost Trains: Quotes from Partition.

 

Comic Grinder

Henry Chamberlain reviews the offbeat action of Daniel McCloskey’s Cloud Town.

 

Four Color Apocalypse

Ryan Carey reviews the guilt-free chuckles of Brian Canini And Michael Anthony Carroll’s Bootleg Cynicalman, and the demystified self-exorcism of Richard Alexander’s Tales From the Richy Vegas Psychoverse #5.

 

 Freedom

Jay Arachnid reviews the engaging presentation of David Lester and Marcus Rediker’s The Black Schooner: Rebellion on the Amistad.

 

House to Astonish

Paul O’Brien has capsule reviews of Marvel Comics’ X-Men #30, Generation X-23 #4, and Psylocke: Ninja #5.

 

Kirkus Reviews

Have starred capsule reviews of:

• The spectacular surreality of Shaun Tan’s Hometown.
• The heartfelt hilarity of Pedro Martín’s Mexikid Dreams.
• The delightful visuals of Alina Chau’s Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven.
• The effective chills of Beck Kubrick’s Dead Girls.
• The timeless humour of Roz Chast and Jason Adam Katzenstein’s The Two Saddest Kitchens.

 

Library Journal

Thomas Batten has starred capsule reviews of:

• The genre fusion of Katie Skelly’s Heaven.
• The bracing candor of Raquelle Jac’s Bimbo Agitprop.
• The thoughtful action of Chip Zdarsky, Valerio Schiti, et al’s Captain America: Our Secret Wars.
• The expressive illustration of Frederick Noland’s Major Taylor: The World’s Fastest Man.

 

School Library Journal

Angie Jameson has starred capsule reviews of:

• The haunting atmosphere of David Wilson’s Soulmates.
• The exceptional explorations of Saadia Faruqi and Shadia Amin’s Don’t Be Scared.
• The messy romance of Jennifer Dugan and Kit Seaton’s Bite Me.

 

Yatta-tachi

• Adam Wescott reviews the cartoon flourishes of Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki’s Billy Bat, Volume 1, translated by Kristi Iwashiro.

• Borealis Capps reviews the competent construction of Yuiko’s Dear Sister, I’ve Become a Blessed Maiden, Volume 1, translated by Katrina Leonoudakis.

— Mr. Joshua (@pantspants.bsky.social) 2026-06-03T16:58:46.976Z

This week’s interviews.

TCJ

From the archives, originally published in October 1980’s The Comics Journal #59, Gary Groth interviews Comics Journal contributor and former editor of Heavy Metal Ted White, who passed away last month at the age of 88 — “Whatever you want to say about the quality of the work published by Marvel and DC, and there is quality in some of what they do within the standards that they apply, but the standards are so basically limited that the quality is a limited kind of quality, which we transcend without thinking twice of it, because we don’t adhere to those standards.”

 

AIPT

• David Brooke chats with David K. Wilson about Empiria, writing inspirations, the need for heroes in fiction, and the themes at the core of the book.

• Chris Coplan talks to:

• Carlos Javier Olivares about Junk Punch and working with Paul Tobin on the series.
• Andre Frattino about We Are Pan and not sacrificing history for drama.
• Matt Kindt about Mind MGMT: New & Improved and how the concept of Mind Management lends itself to serialised returns.

 

Autobiographix

Amaris Ketcham and Nora Hickey interview Scott Finch about Introverts Illustrated, sideways journeys into comics, and eschewing the maintenance of a unified visual language.

 

The Beat

• Zack Quaintance speaks with James Tynion IV and Marguerite Bennett about Odin, reader responses to the book’s debut, and the influence of Kurt Vonnegut.

• Deanna Destito interviews Kelly Thompson about Buffy and Angel, keeping the key Sunnydale reveals secret, and plans for the future.

 

Broken Frontier

Andy Oliver speaks with Tilly Bridges and Susan Bridges about Just Another Summer and the key to a strong co-writing dynamic, and with LJ Nakamura about Spirelle and Intersex: Between the Currents and the boldness of science fiction as a genre.

 

Fanbase Press

Barbra Dillon chats with Mel Gillman about The Goblin Throne and making a horny and messy book, and with Mohammad Saba’aneh about Welcome to Hell: From the West Bank to Gaza and conveying the truths about Palestinian life in the comics form.

 

FreakSugar

Jed W. Keith talks to Zack Kaplan about Only the Savage Are Left and the moral quandary at the heart of the book, and to Jared Cullum and Zack Rosenberg about Usagi Yojimbo: Kaitō ’84 and the automobile inspiration for the anthropomorphic action.

 

GraphicMemoir

Joanthan Sandler interviews Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell about The Joy of Snacking, the eternal inspiration of Snoopy the beagle, and the decision to focus this memoir on an eating disorder.

 

Halifax Examiner

Philip Moscovitch speaks with Patrick Allaby about Ontario & Back, autofiction storytelling, and being more deliberate with the fictional and true aspects of a story.

 

The New York Times

Pamela Newton talks to Garry Trudeau and Joshua Kendall about Trudeau & Doonesbury: A Biography, Watergate history, and charting the contemporary political course.

 

Publisher’s Weekly

• Zach Rabiroff interviews Paul Chadwick about the return of Concrete, the changing verbiage of comics, and personal experiences with amnesia.

• Cathy Lynn Grossman speaks with Sergio Cariello about The Action Bible: God’s Redemptive Story, the origins of the project, and becoming the characters you’re drawing.

 

SYFY Wire

Josh Weiss talks to Tim Disney about The A.R.C., the changing realities of the film industry, and the key to good satire about serious subjects.

 

Willamette Week

Christen McCurdy speaks with Riley Van Dyke and Riley Pittenger about the aims of Dark Horse Workers United, the road to unionization, and concerns around Artificial Intelligence.

 

Yatta-tachi

Adam Wescott interviews Battan and Sumire Nobuto about their work together as mangaka and editor, manga origins, and Dadaism and surrealism.

Blind Alley Guest Strip No. 27 ( @richiepope.bsky.social )

— adam (@kumerish.bsky.social) 2026-06-03T15:11:02.651Z

This week’s features and longreads.

• Here at TCJ, Zach Rabiroff reports on the move to unionize by workers at Dark Horse, speaking with members of Dark Horse Workers United, and examining the union’s goals in the face of changes at Dark Horse since its acquisition by Embracer Group — “Indeed, that absence of transparency in financial and other matters is itself one of DHWU’s central demands. VanDyke elaborated that the workers’ group is asking for both open access to Dark Horse’s financials (“Once we are officially a union and we're recognized by the company, they will have to open the books to us, which means that we will see how and what decisions are being made monetarily,” VanDyke said), and a greater say in the company’s decision-making as a whole.”

• Also for TCJ, Helen Chazan writes on the creative legacy of Kiriko Nananan, whose death in 2024 at the age of 52 was announced to the public at the end of last year — “But there is a brutal yet poignant precision to Nananan's art that is totally her own. Her comics are fatal, lonely, quiet works, stories which linger like the dissociative calm after a breakdown. Nananan's art has the intensely real brightness of an overexposed photograph. Faces are obscured, emotions are delayed. To read Nananan's gekiga is to trespass into memory, the intimate moments of schoolgirls, the suffering of battered girlfriends, the vicious gossip of other womens' friends.”

• More for TCJ, as Andrew Farago writes in remembrance of cartoonist Nicole Hollander, creator of the comic strip Sylvia, who died in April at the age of 86, speaking with Hollander’s peers and colleagues about Hollander’s life and work — “Hollander’s dry, wicked sense of humor and unique style and format made Sylvia an immediate standout on the comics page, and she found an appreciative audience in women readers, who could count the number of syndicated strips by, for, and about them on a single hand in the early 1980s. Drawing some of its visual inspiration from Jules Feiffer’s celebrated strip Feiffer, the strip centered on the titular character, who was modeled in part on Hollander’s mother.”

• This week at TCJ continues, as Shaenon Garrity looks back to the early-00s landscape of manga licensing, with the history of Mixx Entertainment's evolution into Tokyopop, and the licensed translation of Fuyumi Soryo’s Mars, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and will soon appear on western bookshelves once more - “And good lord can Soryo draw attractive men. Much of the manga is a visual appreciation of Rei, an effortlessly handsome young lion with a lanky silhouette and sun-kissed mane. Soryo has a gift for capturing his charm in poses and expressions that feel like glimpses of a real teenage boy sidling into manhood. She makes it look like fun to draw hot guys riding motorbikes.”

• Finally for TCJ, Frank M. Young examines the playful hearts that link Sam Ashurst and Tony M. Clarke's Hanna and The Hells vs. The Beatles and Anouk Ricard's Animan (translated by Montana Kane), and the charms inherent to both, otherwise seemingly disparate titles - “A loopy, vicious farce, it’s done with an odd mix of tongue-in-cheek and sincerity, and is thus 100,000 times more interesting than whatever mainstream floppy comic book you might encounter at your neighborhood store. It sent me on a flashback to the mid-1980s, when independent black-and-white comics began to emerge from the underground and enlivened a miserable stretch of an unrewarding decade. It’s good to see this scrappy spirit still alive and well in our digital doldrums.”

• The passing of author, artist, and director Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, who has died at the age of 56, received widespread coverage, with pieces from the BBC, The Beat, Bloomberg, CNN, Deadline, Far Out, The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, ICv2, The Independent, The Los Angeles Times, Le Monde, The New York Times, NPR, Reuters, Rolling Stone, and Variety.

• Elizabeth Sandifer’s Last War in Albion continues, as Alan Moore’s magical awakening progresses, and consideration is given to the ideas of Steve Moore, the snake deity Glycon, the ingestion of psychedelics, the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit, and magical performances.

• For Solrad, Mina Ruyle examines the layered identities to be found in Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli’s adaptation of Paul Auster’s City of Glass, and the blurring of lines between its cast of characters.

• Shelfdust’s villainous Year of Evil turns its icy gaze to Gotham’s Joe Chill, as Bob Kane, Gardner Fox, Bill Finger, and Sheldon Moldoff’s Detective Comics #33 prepares the way for decades of reinterpretations of the inciting incident for one Bruce "Batman" Wayne.

• The Mindless Ones issue forth a newly minted newsletter, as this week’s edition contains writing on Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert’s Batman #656 and Rob Williams and Patrick Goddard’s Red Dragon, on the comics front.

• From the world of open-access academia, for In Education, Johanathan Woodworth, Andrea Fraser, and Phillip Joy present a study on how engagement with queer-themed comics can foster transformative learning in higher education through reflective writing.

• Paul O’Brien’s census of the villains of Daredevil continues, over at House to Astonish, as Ann Nocenti is joined on the book by one John Romita Jr. and they bring the (relatively) long-lived character of Bullet to the page.

• Mike Peterson rounds up the week’s editorial beat, for The Daily Cartoonist, as we begin looking ahead to the many chickens which may come home to roost with this year’s midterm elections in the US.

Nancy 6/4/26

— caroline cash (@cashbrowns.bsky.social) 2026-06-04T15:44:39.032Z

No more links this week, that newly translated volume of Billy Bat ain’t going to read itself.

#wip

— Javier Rodríguez (@javierrodriguez.bsky.social) 2026-05-27T10:45:38.058Z

The post Newly Sprung in June — This Week’s Links appeared first on The Comics Journal.