PW Comics World

08/03/2019

More To Come 382: DC and Hollywood Retreat at San Diego Comic Con 2019

This week we recap Comic-Con 2019 and discuss DC’s future under AT&T, the new DC/Warner booth at SDCC, the retreat of Hollywood, and celebrate a crop of new publishers looking to the next 50 years of Comic-Con and comics publishing. Also check out our podcast interviews from SDCC 2019.

This week on More to Come, Kate adds her perspective to Heidi and Calvin’s experiences at Comic-Con 2019 as they discuss DC’s future under AT&T, the new DC/Warner booth, the retreat of Hollywood, and celebrate a crop of new publishers looking to the next 50 years of Comic-Con and comics publishi...

08/03/2019

Chris Ware (l.), author of the new graphic novel 'Rusty Brown,' was interviewed by Chip Kidd (r.), noted book designer, art director and Pantheon graphic novel editor at large, at #sdcc2019 Photo by Jody Culkin

08/02/2019

Boom to Publish ‘Big Black,’ A Graphic History of 1971 Attica Prison Riot

Boom! Studios announced plans to publish 'Big Black: Stand at Attica' by Frank “Big Black” Smith, writer Jared Reinmuth and artist Améziane, a graphic biography of Smith, a former prisoner turned prisoner advocate, and a history of the bloody 1971 prisoner civil rights uprising at Attica State Prison.

Boom! Studios announced plans to publish 'Big Black: Stand at Attica' by Frank “Big Black” Smith, Jared Reinmuth and artist Améziane, a graphic biography of Smith, and history of the bloody 1971 prisoner civil rights uprising at Attica State Prison.

07/27/2019

Jen Wang holding he two Eisner Awards she received for her graphic novel, 'The Prince and the Dressmaker,' published by First Second. Photo by Jody Culkin #sdcc2019

07/27/2019

The Next 50 Years of Comics Publishing

The San Diego Comic-Con’s half century of celebrating comics and the broader popular culture serves to mark how much the landscape of popular culture has changed since its inception 50 years ago.

The San Diego Comic-Con’s half century of celebrating comics and the broader popular culture serves to mark how much the landscape of popular culture has changed since its inception 50 years ago.

07/27/2019

More To Come 381: New Publishers, New Plans Panel at San Diego Comic Con

Recorded at SDCC 2019: "PW Presents: New Publishers, New Plans," a panel, moderated by PW's Calvin Reid with comics and graphic novel publishers Ted Adams, Andrew Arnold, Liz Frances, Sebastian Girner, Tyler Chin-Tanner, and Stuart Moore.

In this episode, recorded live at San Diego Comic-Con, More To Come presents the 'Publishers Weekly Presents: New Publishers, New Plans' panel, moderated by PW's Calvin Reid and featuring panelists Ted Adams (Clover Press), Andrew Arnold (HarperAlley), Liz Frances (Street Noise Books), Sebastian Gir...

07/24/2019

More To Come 380: SDCC 2019 Interview Special Pt. 4

Calvin Reid interviews the veteran comics creators and collaborators writer Andy Diggle and artist Shawn Martinbrough about Promethee 13:30,' a new three issue prequel to Christophe Bec's epic science fiction bande desinee 'Promethee,' published by Comixology Originals.

Live from San Diego, in part four of More To Come's San Diego Comic-Con special, Calvin Reid interviews the veteran comics creators and collaborators writer Andy Diggle and artist Shawn Martinbrough about Promethee 13:30,' a new three issue prequel to Christophe Bec's epic science fiction bande desi...

07/24/2019

Expanding the Black Comics Canon, a panel at #sdcc2019 featuring (l. to r.) the moderator PW's Calvin Reid, Ezra Claytan Daniels (BTTM FDRS), Ebony Flowers (Hot Comb), Alitha Martinez (Black Panther: World of Wakanda), and David Walker (Bitter Root). Photo by Jody Culkin

07/24/2019

More To Come 379: SDCC 2019 Interview Special Pt. 3

Recorded live at Comic-Con: In part three of More To Come's SDCC podcast special, Calvin Reid interviews comics creator Lilah Sturges (Jack of Fables and House of Mystery) and acclaimed fantasy author Lev Grossman about their collaboration on 'The Magicians: Alice's Story’ (along with artist Pius Bak) an original graphic adaptation of Grossman’s bestselling sci-fi epic Magicians trilogy.

Recorded live at Comic-Con: In part three of More To Come's SDCC podcast special, Calvin Reid interviews comics creator Lilah Sturges (Jack of Fables and House of Mystery) and acclaimed fantasy author Lev Grossman about their collaboration on 'The Magicians: Alice's Story’ (along with artist Pius ...

07/23/2019

More To Come 378: SDCC 2019 Interview Special Pt. 2

Calvin Reid interviews writer Gene Yang about 'Superman Smashes the Klan'; Hall of Fame editor Karen Berger about Berger Books, and comics legends Frank Miller and John Romita Jr. about collaborating on 'Superman Year One,’ a new reimagining of the Superman origin story. Plus Heidi interviews Ronan Huggard of the new comics start up Inky Pen.

Recorded live at Comic-Con: in part two of More To Come's SDCC podcast special, Calvin Reid interviews writer Gene Yang about 'Superman Smashes the Klan', an adaptation of the famous 1940s Superman radio show; Hall of Fame editor Karen Berger about Berger Books, her new Dark Horse imprint; and comic...

07/23/2019

Photo Mania: San Diego Comic-Con 2019

The San Diego Comic-Con International, held July 17-21 at the San Diego Convention Center, marked its 50th anniversary, celebrating the show’s rise from a small gathering of fans to a showcase for global pop culture.

The San Diego Comic-Con International, held July 17-21 at the San Diego Convention Center, marked its 50th anniversary, celebrating the show’s rise from small gathering of fans to a showcase for global pop culture. Publishers Weekly was there to capture images of the events, artists, publishers an...

07/23/2019

More To Come 377: SDCC 2019 Interview Special Pt. 1

in part one of More To Come's San Diego Comic-Con special, Calvin Reid interviews 'Supergirl' comics writer Marc Andreyko; and Heidi 'The Beat' MacDonald interviews British Publisher Stephen Robson of Fanfare

Live from San Diego, in part one of More To Come's San Diego Comic-Con special, Calvin Reid interviews 'Supergirl' comics writer Marc Andreyko about his history with comics, his work at DC, and the art of making characters feel real; and Heidi 'The Beat' MacDonald interviews British Publisher Stephe...

07/22/2019

Friends of Lulu: We Changed Comics, a panel at SDCC organized to honor and recognize the pioneering work of Friends of Lulu on the 25th anniversary of its founding. Friends of Lulu was organized by women to fight the deeply-ingrained misogny of the comics industry, get more women and girls involved in the industry, and document and convince clueless publishers and retailers that women and girls buy and read comics. This pioneering group of comics-focused women paved the way for the inclusive women-pervasive world of comics we enjoy and celebrate today! Pictured (l to r) are Lulu cofounders Trina Robbins, Liz Schiller, (moderator Alexa Dickman is behind her), Annina Bennett, Heidi MacDonald, Jackie Estrada, and Lee Marrs. Photo by Jody Culkin #sdcc2019

07/21/2019

Ed Brubaker, Tom King Shine at 2019 Eisner Awards

Ed Brubakers’ My Heroes Have always been Junkies, created with artist Sean Phillips (Image), a seductive noir tale of a young woman’s fascination with drugs, won the 2019 Eisner Award for Best New Graphic Novel, while writer Tom King took home four Eisner awards, among them Best Reprint Graphic Novel, awarded for The Vision, with artist Gabriel Hernandez Walta (Marvel), the story of a man-made superhero’s efforts to be an ordinary human with an ordinary family.

Ed Brubakers’ 'My Heroes Have always been Junkies', created with artist Sean Phillips (Image won the 2019 Eisner Award for Best New Graphic Novel, while writer Tom King took home four Eisner awards, among them Best Reprint Graphic Novel, awarded for 'The Vision' (Marvel).

07/20/2019

NPD, ComicHub Bring Graphic Novel Sales Data to BookScan

ComicHub, a point of sale software platform that collects sales data from comics shops, has reached an agreement to supply POS data on graphic novel and comics sales to NPD BookScan.

ComicHub, a point of sale software platform that collects sales data from comics shops, has reached an agreement to supply POS data on graphic novel and comics sales to NPD BookScan.

07/15/2019

LAAB: The Art Newspaper Powered by the Radical Imagination

The next issue Ron Wimberly'sacclaimed broadsheet newspaper on comics, art, pop culture, race and aesthetics is close to making its goal. The only thing missing might be you!

An annual broadsheet magazine full of art, comics, criticism, interviews. Our second issue takes on horror, death & the end of days.

07/13/2019

6 Classic Baseball Manga

Japanese manga artists are particularly skilled at bringing baseball to life on the page, so we’ve put together a short list of classic manga series inspired by the game of baseball as it is played and celebrated in Japan, and by the ways baseball has been mythologized in Japan.

We’ve put together a short list of classic manga series inspired by the game of baseball as played and as celebrated in Japan.

07/13/2019

Creating a Diverse World of Comics, a panel held at ALA annual meeting 2019 with (l. to r.) moderator Brigid Alverson, Rosarium publisher Bill Campbell, Iron Circus publisher Spike Trotman, Gallimard editor Thierry Laroche, Uncivilized Books publisher Tom ‎Kaczynski, and D&Q publisher Peggy Burns. Photo by Calvin Reid

07/12/2019

Square Enix Sets Up U.S. Manga and Book Imprints

In partnership with Penguin Random House, Japanese video game developer and manga publisher Square Enix is setting up two New York City-based imprints to publish manga, light novels, and other titles based on its gaming and anime properties.

In partnership with Penguin Random House, Japanese video game developer and manga publisher Square Enix is setting up two New York City-based imprints to publish manga, light novels, and other titles based on its gaming and anime properties.

07/12/2019

More To Come 376: San Diego Comic Con Preview 2019

This week we discuss the upcoming 50th San Diego Comic-Con; the end of ‘Mad’ magazine, and The Walking Dead comics series after 16 years; the launch of HarperCollins’ new graphic novel imprint HarperAlley; and Iceman writer Sina Grace’s charges of homophobic meddling at Marvel.

This week the More to Come crew—Calvin Reid, Heidi “The Beat” MacDonald and Kate Fitzsimons—discuss the upcoming 50th San Diego Comic-Con with a preview of panels, events and a look back at the show’s history; the end of ‘Mad’ magazine, and of Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comics...

07/09/2019

Celebrating 50 San Diego Comic-Cons

The San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) started as a meeting of a mere 300 fans and professionals in the basement of a hotel in the summer of 1970. Back then, comic cons were few and far between and were viewed as obscure meet-ups for hardcore fanatics—not events that could hold the world’s attention. Now Comic-Con International: San Diego, as it is formally known, is the world’s foremost pop culture–centric gathering.

Tracing SDCC’s evolution from a small gathering of fans to the biggest pop culture event in the world.

07/06/2019

Calvin Reid: Art, Comics, and the Book Industry

PW's Calvin Reid will give a talk about comics, art and the book industry as part of 'Beyond the Cape' and exhibition on comics and contemporary art at the Boca Raton Museum of Art

Calvin Reid, the senior news editor of Publishers Weekly and leading expert in the field of comics, discusses how his life has been shaped by art, comics, and the book industry. Mr. Reid is a central figure in the rise and success of graphic novels as a publishing genre, and was instrumental in orga...

07/05/2019

Mixing Prose with Manga, Light Novels Attract North American Fans

Anime and manga are some of Japan’s biggest contributions to overseas popular culture, but the light novel, a work of prose fiction with some manga-style Illustrations, has become a fast-growing category in North America.

Works of prose fiction with quirky fun plots and manga-style illustrations, Japanese light Novels are attracting a growing audience of fans in North America.

07/05/2019

Pictured (l. to r.) at the NBM booth at ALA Annual Meeting 2019 are Larry Hancock and Michael Cherkas (Silent Invasion) and Ted Rall (The Year of Loving Dangerously).

07/05/2019

More To Come 375: ALA 2019 Interviews

This week on the More to Come podcast we have interviews from ALA 2019 in Washington D.C, including Karim Friha (‘Rise of Zelphire’), Wilfrid Lupano (‘Curtain Call’), Christophe Ferreira (‘Milo’s World’), and Typex (Andy: the Life and Times of Andy Warhol’).

This week on More to Come, live from the 2019 American Library Association annual meeting, Calvin Reid interviews three creators with graphic novels coming out from Lion Forge: Karim Friha, artist and writer of 'Rise of Zelphire'; Wilfrid Lupano, author of 'Curtain Call'; and Christophe Ferreira, ar...

07/04/2019

MAD MAGAZINE is ending as we know it… and it’s a truly tragic end of an era

The end of a culture-changing American comics and satirical publishing institution. Although the mag will continue to reprint past material and be available in comics shops and by subscription.

Will continue as a reprint edition only available in comic shops or via subscription

07/04/2019

The Beat is marking its 15th anniversary with a new design and plans a big celebration at this year's San Diego Comic-Con

06/15/2019

Bill Jemas Returns with a New Comics Venture

Former Marvel publisher Bill Jemas is back, this time as CEO and publisher of Artists Writers & Artisans, a new comics venture, and he’s brought James Murdoch (yes, that Murdoch), Lightspeed Venture Partners, and a combined $10 million in investments along with him.

The former Marvel publisher is back as CEO and publisher of Artists Writers & Artisans, a new comics venture with big investors behind it.

06/13/2019

Christian Rock Band-Inspired Graphic Novel Goes Back to ‘Eden’

A graphic novel featuring the Christian rock band Skillet is coming from New York City-based publisher Z2 Comics on Aug. 27. Eden: A Skillet Graphic Novel is the latest project from the indie press, which focuses on a variety of graphic novels that each have a musical connection.

Indie publisher Z2 has partnered with the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band Skillet on a post-apocalyptic graphic novel, ‘Eden,’ slated for publication in August.

06/12/2019

A Strong Pulse for Dead Reckoning Graphic Novels

The Naval Institute Press sets a course for graphic novels on the military with Dead Reckoning, a new graphic novel imprint.

The Naval Institute Press has set a dramatic course for its graphic novel imprint.

06/12/2019

The ALA Is Ready To Shake Things Up...With Comics

The ALA’s new Graphic Novel and Comics Roundtable aims to transform the way that books in the medium are collected and circulated by libraries.

The ALA’s new Graphic Novel and Comics Roundtable aims to transform the way that books in the medium are collected and circulated by libraries.

06/12/2019

PW graphic novels reviews editor Meg Lemke (l.) with Lion Forge editor Amanda Meadows at the French Comics Association party at #bookexpo2019. Photo by C.Reid

06/12/2019

Comics writer Kelly Sue Deconnick signs copies of 'Aquaman' (DC Black Label) at the DC booth during BookExpo/BookCon 2019. #bookexpo2019 #bookcon2019

06/12/2019

A Wave Blue World editorial director Joe Illidge and AWBW sales and marketing v-p Lisa Wu show off several AWBW titles at BookExpo 2019. The indie graphic novel publisher is adding staff (like Illidge and Wu) and ramping up their publishing program with new initiatives aimed at the direct market and at the book trade. #bookexpo2019

06/12/2019

The #BookExpo2019 graphic novel buzz panel with (l. to r.) Chris Ware ('Rusty Brown'), Jen Wang ('Star Gazing'), Melanie Gillman ('Stage Dreams'), and John Muth ('The Seventh Voyage') moderated by PW's Calvin Reid. Photo by Steve Kagan

06/07/2019

BookExpo 2019: Graphic Novels For Everyone

While comics publishers generally offered mixed to positive reviews of this year's BookExpo, they were enthusiastic about the expansive presence of graphic novels throughout the programming presented at the show.

While comics publishers generally offered mixed to positive reviews of this year's BookExpo, they were enthusiastic about the expansive presence of graphic novels throughout the programming presented at the show.

06/07/2019

Panel Mania: LaGuardia By Nnedi Okorafor, Tana Ford, and James Devlin

In this engaging graphic novel, Nebula Award winning sci-fi author Nnedi Okorafor wittily turns New York City’s LaGuardia Airport into LaGuardia Interplanetary Airport and into a pointed allegorical indictment of the U.S.’s current bigoted anti-immigrant policies. A 12-page excerpt.

In this engaging graphic novel, Nebula Award winning sci-fi author Okorafor wittily turns New York City’s LaGuardia Airport into LaGuardia Interplanetary Airport and into a pointed allegorical indictment of the U.S.’s current bigoted anti-immigrant policies. 'LaGuardia' by Nnedi Okorafor and art...