Devin’s Comics NEWS Digest - November 15, 2024
Not the most pressing news, but still important.
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
These stories might seem insignificant in the face of all that’s going on in the world and all that we’re about to face, but I believe art is important. I don’t offer them as a break from current events, but as a complement to them. There’s been no shortage of reactions and commentary to the results of the United States election, but I would like to direct people to this short video from
on the importance of art and kindness. Now, on to the comics news.New York Comic Con was last month, and arguably the biggest story to come out of it is the return of DC’s Vertigo imprint. It’s impossible to overstate how important Vertigo Comics were in the 1990s, and I’ve seen this news met with celebration and cynicism. I remain, as ever, cautiously optimistic.
On October 17, the Comics & Human Rights event was held to discuss the UN human rights report Palestine and the Right to Food, the first report of its kind to include graphic reportage. You can read cartoonist Sarah Shay Mirk’s write up of the event over at their Patreon.
In wackier, comics-adjacent news, Seattle police investigating a stolen car found meth, cocaine, basketball cards, and comics, including a signed and graded Classic X-Men #1.
ICv2 has released a white paper about comic shop sales for 2024 and the news is largely positive. Sales are up overall, though still dependent on superheroes and other familiar properties. The AV Club incorporated this report into their discussion of single-issue comic book price increases and how this might affect independent publishers.
Interviews & Criticism
I don’t normally cover adaptations or casting news in this space, but Aaron Pierre was announced as the actor to play Green Lantern John Stewart in a new HBO series. Anyone who saw him in Rebel Ridge would consider this perfect casting, but it wasn’t met without comment and for good reason. Black Nerd Problems had this succinct breakdown of colorism in Hollywood, which laid out the issue without detracting from Pierre’s excellent acting ability.
Also, check out this interview with Dr. Sheena Howard, one of the editors of the Eisner-winning book Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation. She’s the first Black woman to win an Eisner, which I could hardly believe.
Crunchyroll has this interview with Black manga creator Gigi Murakami about her new comic, Resenter. I also recommend checking out her YouTube channel.
Murakami was also on a panel about body horror at the 30th Small Press Expo (SPX). For an in-depth look at that milestone celebration and the 25th Baltimore Comic-Con, including a few local Chicago creators, check out this article from The Comics Journal by Jason Bergman.
Two more interviews of note: The Comics Journal spoke with Bianca Xunise about their first graphic novel, Punk Rock Karaoke, and NPR spoke with David Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson about their reimagining of Huck Finn, Big Jim and the White Boy.
I had never heard of the Latvian comics anthology š! before reading this celebration of its fiftieth volume by Hagai Palevsky, but I’m glad I’m aware of it now. Meanwhile, I first discovered Leo Fox’s comics on Instagram, and I was glad to discover they’d been collected by Silver Sprocket. SOLRAD published a wide-ranging interview with the creator that covers several topics.
Alan Moore has a new book out, The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic, along with the late Steve Moore (no relation). He discussed it with Publishers Weekly, but what he really made headlines for recently was the article he wrote for The Guardian about how comics fandom “toxified” the world and has led to such hate movements as comicsgate and the Trump presidency.
Awards
The Harvey Awards announced their Hall of Fame inductees for 2024. There were five people altogether, including a posthumous induction for Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama.
The New York Public Library released their Best New Comics for Adults for 2024. I’ll have to make a note for future Comics Book Club selections.
The Palmares Lucca Comics Awards were given out in Italy recently. The link is to an Italian website, but it translates well enough. The recipients represent a truly international roster of talent.
The National Endowment for the Humanities Medal was awarded to cartoonist Roz Chast. The Japanese government gave out seven Order of Culture awards, including one to Chiba Tetsuya, the creator of the Ashita no Joe manga.
Obituaries
Palestinian cartoonist Mahasen al-Khateeb was killed in an Israeli airstrike along with dozens of civilians. She was only 32 years old.
Greg Hildebrandt, a Marvel and DC artist largely known for creating the original movie posters for Star Wars and Clash of the Titans, passed away after a five-month struggle with medication side effects. He was 85.
Kazuo Umezu, also known as Kazuo Umezz and “the god of horror manga,” passed away at the age of 88.
Science fiction and underground comix artist Larry Todd, creator of the counterculture Dr. Atomic, died at the age of 76 of testicular cancer.
Finally, cartoonist and animation artist Bob Foster died while in hospice care back in September. He was 80 years old.
That’s all for this month. Did I miss anything? Comment below if I have. Feel free to subscribe if you haven’t already. The Comics Book Club will be meeting again on November 20 to discuss Earthdivers, Volume 1. Thanks again for everything.