Devin’s Comics NEWS Digest - July 12, 2024

Bad news, genAI news, manga news, and MORE!

Hello, everyone! This is the Comics NEWS digest, an aggregation of all the top comics and comics-related stories that caught my attention that I thought you might enjoy reading. I post these two weeks after every regular newsletter.

NEWS

We’ll start with arguably the biggest and worst news, which is that Neil Gaiman, the co-creator of Sandman, has been accused of sexual assault by two women. I’m already seeing the same wearying and demoralizing pattern that often happens after such news repeat itself. Yes, this news broke right before an important election in the UK, and, yes, it is unfortunate that it is being weaponized by transphobes as some weird attempt at discrediting all allies. Also, I like Sandman as much as the next person. But none of that means the allegations aren’t true. Believe women. Don’t force me to turn off the comments.

In more bad news, the PEN Foundation released their findings on the nearly 3,400 banned books in Iowa, which continues a disturbing and troubling trend. Fortunately, there are plenty of people willing to stand up to such censorship. You can read creator MariNaomi recount their experience as a “cowardly activist” here.

In hopeful news for anyone interested in creating comics, publisher Mad Cave Studios is performing their annual Talent Search. This year, they’ve broadened their scope to two writers, two illustrators, two colorists, and two letterers! I was hoping to submit this year, but it doesn’t look like the timing is going to work out. Submissions are open until August.

Also, manga publisher VIZ Media is running their Originals One-Shots program for manga creators working in English. It’s being led by Hisashi Sasaki, the former editor-in-chief of Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, which is a big deal. Good luck out there, everyone!

In more good manga news, Masako Watanabe’s manga adaptation of Nobuhiko Obayashi’s 1977 cult classic horror film House has been recovered after being seemingly lost for fifty years. Watanabe’s career has spanned half a century and she’s still working today at 95. Here’s hoping her work becomes more available in the United States. Also, it looks like Adult Swim’s adaptation of Junji Ito’s masterpiece Uzumaki will finally be released later this year.

I’ve been clear, if not adamant, about my disdain for generative AI having no value whatsoever as a replacement for actual human creativity. Unfortunately, artist Francesco Mattina was caught using it for a variant cover at DC Comics. Some people got a little overzealous and blamed the editorial staff, but there are plenty of circumstances to address if we’re going to make sure this doesn’t happen again, including overworked staff, over reliance on variant covers, and the proliferation of genAI in the first place.

There’s also the worry of over correcting and accusing artists of using genAI when they haven’t. I’ve seen this happen already to people I respect and admire (social media really is a cesspool), and the case mentioned above was pretty clear, but tools designed to flag genAI are proving to be very inaccurate and are costing people their jobs. The people who got us into this mess are not going to be the ones who get us out of it.

Fortunately, it looks like the United States government is starting to realize that regarding a different tech monopoly as it has sued Adobe over its subscription plans. This might not seem directly related to comics, but if you’ve seen your favorite artist celebrating this decision recently, know that they were a victim of Adobe’s price gouging.

Speaking of monopolies, Penguin Random House has purchased comics publisher Boom! Studios. Also, Macmillan’s comics imprint, First Second, is launching a “sister imprint” for graphic novels aimed at adults called 23rd Street Books.

One story we’ve been following at the Comics Book Club since before this newsletter was on Substack is that of Christian Cooper. His legacy as a gay Black editor at Marvel Comics is important, but he came to national attention a few years ago as the Central Park Birder. He now has a show on National Geographic for which he recently won a Daytime Emmy.

Back in April, I reported on the Band of Bards co-op forming with Dauntless Stories. Last month,

dead 💀 hours

AKA Chris, the publisher’s co-founder, provided an update that has me even more excited about the whole thing.

A new digital platform for comics called Bindings is currently in development.

The Cartoonist Cooperative is holding their 2024 Comics Worker Survey. If you’re a comics creator who earned any money from your comics work in 2023, please fill this out. They also offered this helpful guide for how to point out possible scams.

Interviews & Criticism

Last month, I included as much coverage surrounding the release of My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book Two as I could, but this interview with the Chicago Tribune came out shortly afterwards. Also, Local NPR affiliate WBEZ talked with her last weekend. Enjoy!

For another interview with a Chicago creator of independent comics, check out this one with John Aviña at Pages and Panels.

SOLRAD published this piece about haiku comics. Poetry comics are enjoying a renaissance lately, and I’m happy to see that. It feels like the medium has been stuck trying to strike a balance between too many words and not enough without attempting any innovation, and this feels like a step in the right direction.

For anyone interested in comics in Europe, The Comics Journal published this look at Italian comics creators Fulvio Risuleo and Antonio Pronostico.

Awards

Cartoonist Roz Chast was awarded the first-ever Thurber Prize for American Humor in Cartoon Art. In addition to her frequent contributions to The New Yorker, she also has one of the best titles for a memoir comic ever.

Pop Culture Classroom announced their 2024 Excellence in Graphic Literature Award winners. Lots of great work in several categories. The National Cartoonists Society announced their nominees for the 2023 Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.

The Hugo Awards announced their nominees, including Best Graphic Story or Comic. The winners will be announced August 11.

Obituaries

As always, there is unfortunate news to share. Ben Potter, better known as the YouTuber Comicstorian, died in a car accident last month. He was 40 years old. Comics YouTube can often be a strange and hostile place, but Comicstorian provided fun looks at superhero comics and by all accounts was a good person. He will be missed.

John Adcock, Canadian cartoonist and comics historian specializing in the 19th and early 20th century, died at 74. Comics writer Peter B. Gillis, who began his career in the late 1970s and largely worked for Marvel, died at the age of 71 after battling health issues.

John F. Ronan, a comics scholar and editor, died in May. He was also a teacher, and was the news editor for The Comics Journal for only three issues, but clearly left an impression with all who met him. He was 62.

Cartoonist Don Madden, a regular Playboy cartoonist for 50 years, passed away at the age of 96. WildStorm editor Sarah Becker died at the age of 52.

That’s all for this month. As usual, I’m writing this down to the wire so not everything was given the depth it deserved. Feel free to subscribe if you haven’t already. The Comics Book Club will be meeting again on July 17 to discuss It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth, and you can expect another one of these on August 9. Thanks again for everything.