The dust settles from this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, as discussed in this week’s links, below, but my eyes are firmly fixed on the curtains yet to rise at the latest iteration of the Death Note musical in London next week, bringing us up to a full hat trick of manga and/or anime adaptations for the stage I’ll have seen at the Barbican, alongside Pluto and My Neighbour Totoro, which means that if I had a nickel for every time I’d been there under those circumstances I’d have three nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it’s happened thrice.
The cover for this week’s issue is “Repose,” by Pierre-Emmanuel Lyet. See what’s inside: newyorkermag.visitlink.me/bMTwGn
— The New Yorker (@newyorker.com) 2026-07-27T16:00:42.920724Z
This week’s news.
• This year’s award season continues apace as last weekend saw the winners of this year’s Eisner Awards announced, first unofficially, and then officially, with DC taking home the most wins for a single publisher in 2026, as the Absolute line got its flowers.
• Elsewhere, the Graphic Medicine International Collective announced this year’s winners of the Graphic Medicine Awards, with Asiel & M. Giacomozzi’s It’s A Journey winning the Educational category, Shawn Forde’s What Have We Lost? winning the Short Form category, and Keezy Young’s Hello Sunshine winning the Long Form category.
• In comics prizes yet to be awarded news, the nominees for this year’s Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards were announced, with voting now open for comics pros, and winners of the tenth annual awards to be announced in September as part of Baltimore Comic-Con.
MegaBun Riso Print
This week’s reviews.
TCJ
• Aug Stone reviews the big emotions of Mollie Ray’s giant — “The artwork too is lovely. Understated, though when you stop to appreciate it, you realize how much care went into all that shading and composition. giant is deceptively detailed. The double-page spread of 156-157 is an anomaly populated by far more figures than usual, but given this is the hospital cafeteria, it is a wonderful, vital scene showing just how many others experience something like the family is going through. All the faces and postures show hard-hit folks resolutely doing their best in very trying times.”
• Tegan O’Neil reviews the precise consistency of Brad Neely’s Creased Comics — “Brad Neely has an interesting sense of humor, and he draws funny to boot. That’s really all it takes. Turn, please, to perhaps my favorite single piece in the book, an absolutely masterful panel very near the beginning — the strips aren’t dated (boo!), but if they’re in any order this is the late '90s. A man is standing in front of a burning Christmas tree. He’s pointing a pistol at the burning tree and saying “Free country.” If you walked into my office and gave me this cartoon I’d give you a TV show, too.”
• Doris Sutherland reviews the satisfying shake-ups of Cram Books’ Cram Comics #5, edited by Andrew Alexander — “This is going to squarely be a not-what-the-corporations-have-to-offer title, that much is clear; but will the contents necessarily be as colourful and carefree as the scene implies? After all, the theme of the issue (as seen on the banner held up over Bacchus’s nether regions by two balding cupids) is “Something Strong For When The Love Is Gone”, a phrase with rather heavier connotations than joyous inebriation.”
AIPT
• Rory Wilding reviews the shallow disappointments of Christian Ward, Tristan Jones, et al’s Event Horizon: Dark Descent.
• Chris Coplan reviews the perfect conclusion of Dave Chisholm’s Is Ted Ok?.
• Joe Jones reviews the exciting developments of Tony Fleecs, Trish Forstner, et al’s Feral #25.
• Lily Abreu reviews the overstuffed exposition of Christian Ward and John J. Pearson’s The Patron #1.
• Ryan Sonneville reviews the open-ended finale of Peach Momoko’s Ultimate X-Men, Volume 4: Children’s Whereabouts.
• Collier Jennings reviews the unexpected showdown of Greg Pak, Alan Robinson, et al’s Predator vs. the Planet of the Apes #1.
• Chris Showalter reviews the expert approach of Mark Waid, Joshua Williamson, Miguel Mendonça, et al’s Justice League: Knight Vision Special #1.
• Tiffany Leigh reviews the spicy fun of DC’s Hawk-Girl Summer #1.
The Beat
• Samantha Puc reviews the complex dynamics of Dan Panosian, David Ferracci, et al’s The Dirt Beneath the Devil #1.
• Tim Rooney reviews the frustrating boredom of Al Ewing, Iban Coello, Zé Carlos, et al’s Queen in Black #1.
• Zack Quaintance reviews the interesting disorientation of Joshua Williamson, Eddy Barrows, Yasmine Putri, et al’s The Superman Year One Thousand Annual #1.
Broken Frontier
Andy Oliver has reviews of:
- The stunning craft of Giorgio Pandiani’s The Two Pyramids.
- The versatile delights of the Oxfam Blackheath Volunteer Team’s Blackheath Folk: Local History and Folklore.
- The self-deprecating wit of Kate Hazell’s True Story: A Collection of Diary Comics.
- The universal experiences of Deepesh Sangtani’s Konni-Chhua.
Forbes
Ollie Barder reviews the immense scale of Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
Four Color Apocalypse
Ryan Carey reviews the grotesque wit of Andrew Pilkington’s Mole #12.
From Cover to Cover
Scott Cederlund reviews the enveloping horrors of Rob Williams and Henry Flint’s Judge Dredd: And to the Sea Return.
House to Astonish
Paul O’Brien has capsule reviews of Marvel Comics’ Uncanny X-Men #32, Wolverine #24, X-Men: The Hellfire Murder, Moonstar #5, and Gambit: Wanted #1.
Library Journal
Thomas Batten has starred capsule reviews of:
- The thought-provoking world-building of Jean Pleyers’ The Children of Light.
- The ambitious examinations of Derf Backderf’s The Dissidents: Autocrats! Vigilantes! Communists! And Cartoonists!.
- The sophisticated meditations of Ulli Lust’s Early Man Was a Woman: Reclaiming Prehistory.
Yatta-tachi
• Kai reviews the engaging education of Tsubuko Aratama’s Wild Love: A BL Guide to the Animal Kingdom, translated by Tristan K. Hill.
• Bill Curtis reviews the fast-paced fun of Jta Yamada’s Eko Eko Azarak Reborn, Volume 1, translated by Andria McKnight.
"Golden Meadow" charcoal on paper, 25 x 19 in.
This week’s interviews.
TCJ
Sally Madden interviews Brad Neely about Creased Comics, eschewing page numbers, ornithophobia, drawing smartphones, and How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way — “That anticipation of success or failure is also a painful thrill and maybe that's part of the chase. But like drawing is a tool for communication for me the same way as putting together a line of dialogue or poem or music. There's satisfaction in having the skill set, but there's always the anxiety of of fucking up a good feeling.”
AIPT
• David Brooke chats with Christian Ward about Forever Home, collaborating again with Sami Kivelä, and the dramatic tensions at the heart of the book.
• Chris Coplan speaks with Zac Thompson about Hellraiser: Resurrections and history with Clive Barker’s work, and with Dave Chisholm about Is Ted OK? and the constraints imposed on creators by the state of serialised comics publishing in 2026.
Anime News Network
Andrew Osmond talks to Telly Leung and Xander Pang about their roles in the upcoming London run of the musical adaptation of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s Death Note.
Autobiographix
Nora Hickey and Amaris Ketcham interview Christopher Sperandio about Rice University’s Comic Art Teaching and Study Workshop, and the art of saying what you want after achieving tenure.
The Beat
Zack Quaintance talks to Russell Mark Olson, Gustaffo Vargas, Martin Simpson, and Pete Taylor about SKRAWL: Comix Magazine and how the SKRAWLLORDZ came to be.
Fanbase Press
Barbra Dillon speaks with Bal Rogyrs about Milling Witless and the stream-of-consciousness origins of the book, and with Michael Schwartz and Rachael Schaefer about Till Death and the burial plot origins of the book’s plot.
Flagpole
Jarrod Lipshy chats with Bizarro-Wuxtry’s Devlin Thompson about the looming closure of the Athens store, as its current location is being sold to an undisclosed buyer.
Forbes
Rob Salkowitz talks to John Cusack about Momo, the basis of the book on a true story, wanting to make something unique, and taking inspiration from a bygone creative era.
The Mainichi
Takeshi Saito interviews Yoshiaki Kabashima about Chiran de no Yakusoku o Mune ni, documenting the firsthand experiences of the Nadeshiko Unit during World War II.
VICE
Emma Garland speaks with Anna Haifisch about The Artist: The Portfolio Edition, the joys of artists depicted in beds, and the real life inspirations behind The Artist’s stories.
WhatsOnStage
Tanyel Gumushan talks to Frank Wildhorn about the return of the musical adaptation of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s Death Note, and the gateway the production provides people to musical theatre.
the guys again, wip
— Linnea Sterte (@decassette.bsky.social) 2026-07-24T22:34:45.721Z
This week’s features and longreads.
• Here at TCJ, Robert Newsome writes on the impending sale of Athens’ Bizarro-Wuxtry, and makes the argument for manager Devlin Thompson having curated the greatest comic book store in the world — “Landlords sell buildings to developers to turn into apartments all the time. That’s what’s happened here. Bizarro-Wuxtry is just one of the more recent victims of this sadly universal occurrence. The modern world, though, has fine-tuned the process of stripping away anything that builds community and provides joy.”
• Also for TCJ, Hank Kennedy writes in remembrance of comics creator Will Franz, writer of “The Lonely War of Capt. Willy Schultz”, who died in May at the age of 75 — “He expressed his interest in historical weaponry and reenactment by helping found The League of Renaissance Swordsmen and the Newcastle Infantrie. Franz devoted much of his last years to working with adults with physical disabilities. At the Center for Independence of the Disabled New York and Wheeling Forward/Axis Project Independent Care Systems he hosted creative writing classes, movie nights, and other social events.”
• TCJ’s 50th anniversary retrospective Rebuttals and Regrets continues apace, as Jean Marc Ah-Sen writes in celebration of rooming house comedies and the (not unproblematic) pleasures of Frank H. Willard’s Moon Mullins — “It seemed that Willard shared more than a handful of similarities with his supertramping, slapstick-prone creation—a weakness for cigars, pool hall gambling, fisticuffs, and a nigh-permanent case of layaboutism; but this indeed might have been the final exposed layer of appeal to my lovesick mind. “
• Further Rebuttals and Regrets for TCJ, as Lee Keeler writes on the life and work of Stefanie Cragg, and the whereabouts of the second volume of Midcentury Modern — “The most amazing thing about Midcentury Modern is that it serves as a confluence of all of these disciplines, which shines through in the ink work. The front cover is an homage to Julius Schulman’s famous photo of the Stahl House, a marvel of LA architecture. Cragg has rendered the beams and shadows here line by line; her mother and younger self sit perched within. An honorable framing, given the context.”
• For Vogue, Anwesha Dutta writes on the increasing popularity of graphic novels in India, speaking with creators on their paths to publication and the use of social media to build readerships.
• Over at Solrad, Davide Calò surveys the work of Italian creator ZUZU (aka Giulia Spagnulo), examining the creator’s place amongst Italian peers, and the creative shifts between Cheese, Giorni felici, Ragazzo, and La locanda.
• Shelfdust’s Steve Morris returns from San Diego Comic-Con and celebrates the little freaks [complimentary] that can be found amongst the ranks of the Green Lantern Corps as evinced in John Broome and Gil Kane’s Green Lantern, Volume 2 #9.
• Reports from the aforementioned Comic-Con as Rob Salkowitz and Heidi MacDonald tally up the event’s hits and misses for ICv2 and The Beat, respectively.
• A fresh Mindless Ones newsletter winging its way across the World Wide Web, as one must imagine the Joker happy, and formative memories unlock courtesy of a Galaxy’s Greatest Comic.
• Mike Peterson rounds up the week’s editorial beat, for The Daily Cartoonist, as spectres are conjured of socialism, communism, the fourth estate, and pale riders.
two swell pals
— LEE GATLIN (@neilaglet.bsky.social) 2026-07-25T03:40:16.337Z
This week’s audio/visual delights.
• Starting this week with one of NHK World’s semi-regular officially translated broadcasts of Manben: Behind the Scenes of Manga with Urasawa Naoki, as guest Oshimi Shuzo was shadowed during 3 days of work on Blood on the Tracks and Welcome Back, Alice.
• Catching up with recent Inkstuds episodes, as Robin McConnell is faced with some Canadian comics research history mysteries, but also spoke with Adam de Souza about The Gulf and Blind Alley, and guest host bailey macabre spoke with Whess Harman about creative disciplines and community.
• Comix Experience’s Brian Hibbs reconvened the Graphic Novel Kids Club for a discussion with Julie Fiveash about Froggy Library and the inspiration of librarianship, and recent Eisner Award-winner David Harper welcomed Andy Kubert to Off Panel for a chat about Terminals and the (newly acquired) Kubert School.
Nancy 7/14/26
— caroline cash (@cashbrowns.bsky.social) 2026-07-14T13:46:40.005Z
No more links, thank you, time must instead be spent thanking July for its service once more.
30 years of Virtual Insanity
— Matías Bergara (@matiasbergara.bsky.social) 2026-07-30T00:21:18.839Z
The post Let’s Not, But Say We Did — 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment