January/February 2024 Comics Book Club NEWS Digest
Or NEWS Digest #1 if we want to go the numerical route
Hello, everyone! This is our inaugural NEWS digest, so I’m sending it as an email, but I’ll refrain from doing that in the future to avoid flooding your inboxes. I hope you’re all having a good 2024 so far! Here are the top stories that caught my attention and that I thought you might enjoy hearing about if you missed them.
NEWS
First, the good news: We won! Sorta. I guess. As reported by Platformer, Substack said it would remove Nazi publications. Ultimately, they removed five, none of which had paid subscriptions and had a total of around 100 “active readers.” Not great, but better than it was. Substack also said it will take a stricter stance on “incitement to violence,” which is better than some places that like to pat themselves on the back for being “free speech absolutists.”
For those interested in the craft of comics, Women Write About Comics (WWAC) published the third part in a series with Jamila Rowser about how to craft a good comics script. You can find part one here and part two here.
In adaptation news, the seminal indie fantasy comic series Elfquest by Wendy and Richard Pini will be getting the animation treatment. Don’t expect me to write too often about adaptations; I’m covering this more because of how revered Elfquest is. I’m glad that more people will hopefully discover this series and its place in comics history.
I have my own complicated feelings about comics adaptations that I may write about in the future, but I’ll share this much before moving on: Don’t mistake this as some kind of legitimization; Elfquest hasn’t “arrived” as a result of this, it’s always been here to be read and enjoyed. :)
Another category of news I won’t necessarily cover very much in the future is previews. I get excited about upcoming titles as much as the next person, but there’s simply too much ground to cover when it comes to solicitations. However, Publishers Weekly put out their Spring 2024 preview and My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Book 2 is listed with an April 9 release. If that doesn’t excite you, don’t tell me, because I will gladly offer up a dissertation as to why it should. The Comics Book Club basically exists because of My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, and it is that rare work of art that exceeds any hype you can generate around it.
The world of collecting comics suffered a scandal recently, with scammers passing off lower-grade comics as more valuable, that you can read about here.
Awards
The GLAAD Media Award nominations were announced, including Outstanding Comic Book and Outstanding Original Graphic Novel/Anthology. Congratulations to all the nominees! The winners will be announced on March 14 and May 11. Clip Studio Paint announced the Global Comics award for anyone who’s interested (apply now!). The entry period is open until March 31 for aspiring comics artists with a theme of “Time.” Good luck!
Lastly, the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are now open for voting, but the Comics-Related Journalism/Periodical award will be merged with the Comics-Related Book award. While many thought the former was eliminated entirely, journalists can reportedly still submit their work for consideration, though it’s unclear how it will be considered and for what.
I hope the Eisners reverse this decision. It feels like part of the larger trends of devaluing art, artistic criticism, and journalism all in one swoop.
has written a lot of great stuff lately at about these topics that I highly recommend reading.Festivals
The biggest news recently has been the 51st International Comics Festival in Angoulême, France from January 25 to 28. A couple of official Comics Book Club members were able to attend, including our resident retailer. Posy Simmonds won the Grand Prix for lifetime achievement, the first British artist to do so, and Moto Hagio won a special honorary award. There was also a special pavilion dedicated to Taiwan manga.
Obituaries
As always, there’s sad news to report with the passing of comics historian Roger Hill at the age of 75 from cancer. Wonder Woman artist José Delbo has passed away at the age of 90.
British comics artist John M. Burns died late last year after a career spanning nearly seven decades. Comics scholar David Kunzle, who introduced Rodolphe Töpffer’s work to contemporary audiences, died January 1 at the age of 87.
Underground Spanish artist Martí Riera Ferrer died January 22 of cancer. I’m sorry to run through these so quickly, but you can learn much more about these people and their work at the links provided. It’s all very sad and I wish I had more time and space to dedicate to them.
That’s all for now! What comics news stories are you excited about? Did I miss any stories you felt deserved more coverage? Feel free to share any thoughts or comments below! Please subscribe if you haven’t already. The Comics Book Club will be meeting again on February 21 to discuss Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, and you can expect another one of these sometime in mid-March. Thanks again for everything!
Moto Hagio should win literally all the special honorary awards ✨
"If that doesn’t excite you, don’t tell me, because I will gladly offer up a dissertation as to why it should."
I know the feeling! 😂
Great news breakdown!