Features

Stormy May Day – This Week’s Links

| May 3, 2024

Changes afoot at TCJ this week, more on which can be read in this week’s links, below, but our collective perception of time remains a reassuring and/or terrifying constant, and so the upcoming weekend also brings with it the latest iterations of Free Comic Book Day, World Press Freedom Day, and Cinco de Mayo - one or more of which may also be mentioned below.

This week’s news.

• Making our way back into the courtroom this week, as a group of artists, including Sarah Andersen, Jess Fink, and Hope Larson have filed suit against Google, with a claim that the company used copyrighted materials without permission to train its text-to-image diffusion model Imagen - this lawsuit arrived the same week that eight newspapers filed suit against Microsoft and OpenAI for a similar claim of copyright infringement, as OpenAI earlier this year told the UK’s House of Lords that “...it would be impossible to train today’s leading AI models without using copyrighted materials.”

• Comics prizes news, and it was announced this week that Marjane Satrapi has won this year’s Princess of Asturias Foundation award for communication and humanities, which confers on the winner a prize of €50,000, and was described by the Spanish foundation as “...an essential voice in the defense of human rights and freedom.” Satrapi was also elected earlier this year to chair of the cinema and audiovisual section of France’s Académie des Beaux Arts.

• News closer to home, and TCJ this week bid a fond farewell to former co-editors Joe McCulloch and Tucker Stone, giving a warm welcome to new co-editors Chris Mautner and Sally Madden, who formally took over the roles of site editors on the 1st of May, promising to bring to the site “Just more good stuff in general.”

This week’s reviews.

TCJ

• Kevin Brown reviews the stark tone of James Spooner’s The High Desert - “​Spooner’s graphic memoir not only conveys the particular life he lived, but it also encapsulates a time in so many teenagers’ lives when they’re trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be. While his development begins with rebellion against his parents, as it did for so many of us, it develops into a philosophy that has shaped who he has become as an adult and creator.”

• Tom Shapira reviews the skilful anthropomorphism of Dan Abnett and INJ Culbard’s Wild’s End: Book One - “It’s the characters that keep one invested in the story, the old soldier with PTSD is cliché, but an extremely well-written one, especially as he avoids taking over the story and solving problems through sheer machismo. He’s just as much in the soup as the rest of the cast.”

 

AIPT

• Michael Guerrero reviews the wordy exposition of Travis Moore et al’s Nightwing Annual 2024.

• Collier Jennings reviews the eye-catching horror of Jed MacKay, Pepe Larraz, et al’s Blood Hunt #1.

• Lukas Shayo reviews the fun characters of Marvel Comics’ Superior Spider-Man Volume 1: Supernova.

• David Canham reviews the standard fare of David Pepose, Jonathan Lau, et al’s Space Ghost #1.

• David Brooke reviews the detailed silliness of Eric Powell, Lucky Yates, and Gideon Kendall’s Lester of the Lesser Gods #1.

• Robert Reed reviews the winning visuals of Louie Joyce’s Godzilla: Skate or Die! #1.

• Jules Greene reviews the emotional truths of Joanne Starer and Ornella Greco’s Total Suplex of the Heart.

 

The Beat

• Samantha Puc reviews the inviting warmth of Vera Brosgol’s Plain Jane and the Mermaid.

• Jordan Jennings reviews the frantic pacing of David Pepose, Jonathan Lau, et al’s Space Ghost #1.

• Joe Grunenwald reviews the exquisite humour of Erica Henderson et al’s Harley Quinn 2024 Annual.

 

Broken Frontier

Lindsay Pereira reviews the blended biography of David Good and FLuX’s Good: From the Amazon Jungle to Suburbia and Back, and the vital artistry of Lynda Barry’s What It Is.

 

The European Journal of Humour Research

M.W. Shores reviews the effective scrutiny of Shige (CJ) Suzuki and Ronald Stewart’s Manga:  A  Critical  Guide.

 

Four Color Apocalypse

Ryan Carey reviews:

- The literate mystery of Corinne Halbert’s Scorpio Venus Rising #1. 

- The maximalist conceptualization of Harrison Wyrick’s Orbs.

- The unwholesome fun of Rick Altergott’s Blessed Be: A Flowertown, U.S.A. Adventure.

- The disturbing effectiveness of Harry Nordlinger's Shadows Over Springfield.

 

From Cover to Cover

Scott Cederlund reviews the evocative empathy of Igort’s How War Begins: Dispatches from the Ukrainian Invasion, translated by Jamie Richards.

 

The Harvard Crimson

Claire C. Swadling reviews the excellent worldbuilding of Freddy Carrasco’s GLEEM.

 

House to Astonish

Paul O’Brien has capsule reviews of Marvel Comics’ X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #136, Rise of the Powers of X #4, Wolverine #48, Wolverine: Madripoor Knights #3, and Avengers #13.

 

Law, Culture and the Humanities

Ezra Rosser reviews the rich insights of Rhiannon Koehler’s Comics and Conquest: Political Cartoons and a Radical Retelling of the Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute.

 

Multiversity Comics

• Gregory Ellner reviews the riveting pacing of Jonathan Hickman, David Messina, et al’s Ultimate Spider-Man #4.

• Elias Rosner reviews the top-tier horror of James Tynion IV, Christian Ward, et al’s Spectregraph #1.

• Alexander Jones reviews the important moments of Gerry Duggan, Joshua Cassara, et al’s X-Men #34.

• Christopher Egan reviews the specific tone of Eric Powell, Lucky Yates, and Gideon Kendall’s Lester of the Lesser Gods #1.

 

PopMatters

Luis Aguasvivas reviews the accomplished reflections of Jordan Mechner’s Replay: Memoir of an Uprooted Family.

 

Publisher’s Weekly

Have capsule reviews of:

- The impressive energy of John Vasquez Mejias’ The Puerto Rican War: A Graphic History.

- The surprising intimacy of Chad Bilyeu et al’s Chad in Amsterdam.

- The stunning horror of Kawashima Norikazu’s Her Frankenstein, translated by Ryan Holmberg.

 

Solrad

Nicholas Burman reviews the surprising details of A.T. Pratt’s Dot Comics #1.

 

Women Write About Comics

Lisa Fernandes reviews the solid balance of Rainbow Rowell, IG Guara, et al’s The Sensational She-Hulk #4-6.

This week’s interviews.

TCJ

Jason Bergman interviews Jay Stephens about Dwellings, the perils of art school, and horror origin stories - “There will be more Dwellings someday soon. And if it's not broke, don't fix it. I'm going to continue making standalone stories. There is a background narrative. But see, I like the uncomfortability of horror. I think horror franchises and films more often than not ruin things by trying to define or over explain the background. The unknown is far more frightening than the Biblical devil.”

 

AIPT

• David Brooke speaks with Steve Orlando about Scarlet Witch, the series’ cataclysmic vibe, character drives, and the lore of Lore.

• Chris Coplan interviews Patrick Horvath about Free For All, the enduring relevance of the story since its initial publication, and the themes at the core of the book.

 

The Beat

• Avery Kaplan talks to Maia Kobabe and Sarah Peitzmeier about Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding, and getting academic knowledge to the people who actually need to use it.

• Christian Angeles chats with Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows about Babs, viewing fantasy tropes through a satirical lens, and evolving as a creator.

• Taimur Dar interviews Louie Joyce about Godzilla: Skate or Die!, the genesis of the series, the book’s setting and life in Wollongong, and skate video inspirations.

 

Broken Frontier

• François Vigneault speaks with Boum about The Jellyfish, working with translators for the first time, digital processes, and video game influences.

• Andy Oliver interviews Clio Isadora about Sour Pickles, processing life experiences though autobio comics, and upcoming projects.

 

CBC

Elizabeth Whitten talks to Heavy Sweater Comics’ Kevin Woolridge about the rapid growth of the publisher since its launch in 2023, and upcoming titles on the slate.

 

Forbes

Rob Salkowitz speaks with Civics for All’s Brian Carlin and Joe Schmidt about the program, using comics in an educational setting, and the creators they’re working with.

 

ICv2

Milton Griepp presents a two-part conversation with Marvel’s Dan Buckley about business models in the contemporary comics market, and the challenges of distribution. 

 

Publisher’s Weekly

• Brigid Alverson chats with Samuel Sattin about Unico: Awakening, updating Osamu Tezuka’s source material for contemporary audiences, and personal manga reading.

• Amanda Ramirez interviews Vera Brosgol about Plain Jane and the Mermaid, the enduring appeal of fairy tales, and the creative breathing room that the graphic novel format affords.

 

The Mercury News

Jim Harrington talks to Flying Colors Comics' Joe Field, originator of Free Comic Book Day, about how this is the last Free Comic Book Day for the store in its current location, and the importance of the annual celebration to the comics retail sector.

 

Smash Pages

JK Parkin speaks with Luke Arnold and Chris ‘Doc’ Wyatt about Essentials, the origins of the project, and bringing different artists in to depict the multiverse.

 

Style Weekly

Rich Griset interviews Brian Baynes about Bubbles Zine and the upcoming Bubbles Con, taking place this weekend at Richmond Public Library, with additional comments from Dash Shaw on Bubbles Zine's importance.

 

Victorville Daily Press

McKenna Mobley talks to James Spooner about The High Desert, the personal and geographical history behind the memoir, and the power of leaving for pastures new.

This week’s features and longreads.

• Here at TCJ, John Micek writes in remembrance of political cartoonist Don Wright, who passed away last month aged 90, speaking with Wright’s cartooning peers about the Pulitzer Prize winner’s legacy - “In all cases, Wright had a “classy, careful line that conveyed a cool, thoughtful approach to graphic commentary,” that won him the admiration of his colleagues in the tightly knit trade of editorial cartooning, [Ted] Rall told The Comics Journal.”

• For the New Yorker, Françoise Mouly previews Rescue Party an anthology of comics created during the pandemic, edited by Gabe Fowler, with a selection of pages to be found therein.

• The Mainichi’s Misaki Morokuma reports on recent moves by manga publishers to target piracy websites outside of Japan’s borders, and the difficulties inherent in taking broad-spectrum approaches to counteracting copyright infringement.

• Over at Defector, Asher Elbein writes on the history of Max Eisenhardt, aka Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, aka Magneto, and the editorial mandates and sociopolitical shifts that have shaped the character’s evolution.

• For Women Write About Comics, Leah Paloma writes on the history of Tara Markov, aka Terra, and the way in which the character’s abusive relationship with Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke, has been handled by various creators over the years.

• From the world of open-access academia, Luis Miguel Lus Arana and Simon Grennan present their chapter from Approaches to Drawing in Architecture and Urban Design on ‘archicomics’, interrogating architectural comics as a tool to represent and shape thinking about architectural forms and spaces.

• Mike Peterson rounds up the week’s editorial beat, over at The Daily Cartoonist, headlines were split between university protests and presidential candidates.

This week’s audio/visual delights.

• Katie Skelly and TCJ’s Sally Madden reconvened to appreciate the Thick Lines of Tony Millionaire, discussing The House at Maakies Corner and Sock Monkey: The Glass Doorknob, the disappearance of alt weeklies and what makes for a good daily strip, and the happy marriage of body humour and body horror.

• Brian Hibbs welcomed Beth Hetland to the latest meeting of Comix Experience’s Graphic Novel Club, as they spoke about Tender, differences between working on comics projects and animation projects, and thoughts on horror stories that engage with the experiences of women without the horror simply being derived from being a woman.

• 2000 AD’s Thrill Cast returned, as MOLCH-R sat down with Dan Abnett to discuss the latter’s storied career in writing, from work for the Big Two through Warhammer and the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, and how the creative industries have changed during that time.

• David Harper welcomed Patrick Horvath to this week’s episode of Off Panel, as they discussed the origins and reader reception of Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, anthropomorphic challenges, and creative processes.

• Closing out this selection with Publisher’s Weekly’s More to Come, as Meg Lemke, Calvin Reid, and Heidi MacDonald discussed new publishing endeavours from Abrams ComicArts, announced right around the same time that a ComicsPRO report on the retail sector made for less than rosy reading.

Those are all the links for this week, but already there are more amassing, truly.