(Slight Return) — This Week’s Links

The links return, below, after a brief sojourn to France, coinciding (correlation, not causation) with the glacé cherry on top of 2025’s almost complete news-cake, to stretch a metaphor past breaking, of the complete cancellation of 2026’s mooted edition of the Festival de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême, reported by various outlets, and with coverage from TCJ below, as we ease towards the bidding of farewells to a year marked by lawsuits, bankruptcies, and now the rescinding of public funds (and support) from a decades-old comics-event institution. Cor, and indeed, blimey.

Esnupi and the boys

— Victor Bizar Gómez (@bizargomez.bsky.social) 2025-12-02T22:28:41.538Z

This week’s news.

• Beginning this selection under the auctioneer’s hammer, as the record for the most expensive comic ever sold was broken yet again last month, with a highly graded copy of Superman #1, that had been discovered during an attic clearout last year, having sold for $9.12 million dollars.

• Comics prizes news, as the National Press Foundation last month announced Politico’s Matt Wuerker as the winner of 2025’s Berryman Cartoonist Award, named for cartoonists Clifford K. Berryman and James T. Berryman.

• The Comics Courier’s Tiffany Babb has opened the call for applications to 2026’s Comics Criticism Mini Grant, which will award four grants of $250 to currently active comics critics, with a deadline for submissions of 1st January 2026.

• The Book Industry Charitable Foundation launched the 2025 Stand with Book and Comic Stores fundraising campaign, which aims to raise $200,000 to support booksellers in need of financial aid, with $30,000 in matched funding pledged by Penguin Random House, AdventureKEEN, and HarperCollins.

• Drawn & Quarterly announced this week that Kennedy Rooke has been promoted to Retail Director at Librairie Drawn & Quarterly Bookstore, having joined D&Q in 2017 and serving as the bookstore’s manager since 2021.

• In memoriam, remembering those the world of comics has lost, as news was shared last month of the passing of journalist Rachel Cooke, graphic novels critic at The Guardian and The Observer, who has died at the age of 56 due to cancer.

Hello, MICE friends! Two pieces of news, we want to show you our gorgeous poster art for MICE 2025 by Matt Smith! And…our Exhibitors Page is live! Check out the link below for a sneak preview at who’s coming to MICE!www.micexpo.org/exhibitor-li...

— Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (@massmice.bsky.social) 2025-10-24T21:30:22.471Z

This week’s reviews.

TCJ

• Tim Hayes reviews the absent elements of Chris Ryall and Jacob Phillips’ adaptation of Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis — “What are the chances today of an adaptation jamming its fingers into the socket and producing an actual fully activated comic, something to sit on the table with steam rising from it? No marketing calculation prompted the high-board dives of Jack Kirby's 2001: A Space Odyssey and Jim Steranko's Outland, just an acceptance from all concerned that the source materials could be detonated into a thousand pieces before resurrection as different machines entirely.”

• Aug Stone reviews the powerful magicks of Laura Pérez’s Nocturnos, translated by Andrea Rosenberg — “Pérez’s use of color is masterful. Ghostly blues abound, washing over or giving way to more natural, earthy tones, all with a majesty that evokes a sense of something more. In fact, the book would make a beautiful advertisement for a Tourist Board Of The Unconscious if such a thing were to exist.”

• Tom Shapira reviews the successful simplicity of Lomig’s John Muir: To the Heart of Solitude — “Thankfully, once the book finishes establishing character and goes out into the wilds it improves by leaps and bounds. Lomig’s art truly captures that sense of venturing into nature after spending long periods of one's life in cramped urban spaces. The openness and vividness of these nature scenes is the main draw of the book and Lomig finds exactly the right balance between cartoonish simplification and detailing the flowers, trees, etc.”

• Tegan O'Neil reviews the serious accomplishment of Rick Quinn and Dave Chisholm's Spectrum — “I appreciate the effort taken to make Spectrum a rewarding experience in periodical. The pamphlets look interesting in your hands: colorful, well designed, ambitious. The kind of series that knows how to use a Graphic Designer to good effect. Likely anyone feeling compelled to track it down after reading this will almost certainly encounter the work in collection, that’s life. The book still looks great, but they put the effort into the floppies, it must be noted.”

AIPT

• Landon Kuhlmann reviews the unconvincing experience of Cullen Bunn, Dalibor Talajic, et al’s Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe One Last Time.

• Kevin Clark reviews the innovative storytelling of Dark Horse’s Creepy Presents: Alex Toth.

• Collier Jennings reviews the balanced equation of Paulina Ganucheau, Elizabeth Goode, et al’s The Terminator: Santa Claus is Coming to Town #1.

• Chris Coplan reviews the spellbinding finale of Simon Spurrier, Vanesa R. Del Rey, et al’s The Voice Said Kill #4.

• David Brooke reviews the brutal conclusion of Atsushi Kaneko’s Search and Destroy, Volume 3, translated by Ben Applegate.

The Beat

• Zack Quaintance reviews the connective tissue of Richard Sala's Night Drive.

• D. Morris reviews the forgettable flatness of Derek Landry, Ivan Fiorelli, et al’s Doctor Strange #1.

• Joe Grunenwald reviews the strong hook of Joshua Williamson, Sean Izzakse, et al’s DC K.O.: Superman vs. Captain Atom #1.

• Javier Perez reviews the quality scares of Jordan Hart, Chris Ryall, Luana Vecchio, Lee Ferguson, Keithan Jones, Walter Pax, Fabio Veras, et al’s Dread the Halls 2025.

• Tim Rooney reviews the heartwarming thrills of Benito Cereno, Seakae, Evan ‘Doc’ Shaner, Emmett Graham, Anthony Clark, et al’s Startling Tales of Santa Claus #1.

• Khalid Johnson reviews the building finality of Christopher Cantwell, Alex Lins, et al’s Briar: Night’s Terror #1.

• Jared Bird reviews the fantastic form of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Giant Size Criminal #1.

• AJ Frost reviews the smart approach of Kevin Dougherty’s documentary Drew Friedman: Vermeer of the Borscht Belt.

• Missy L. reviews the careful parallels of Mimi Pond’s Do Admit! – The Mitford Sisters and Me.

• Kathryn Hemmann reviews the cosy celebration of Karenza Sparks’ The Corus Wave.

• Merve Giray reviews the subtle touch of Chiuko Umeshibu’s Yankee & Carameliser, translated by Emma Schumacker.

Boing Boing

Gareth Branwyn reviews the gorgeous weirdness of Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes' Hobtown Mystery Stories: The Secret of the Saucer.

Broken Frontier

• Edward Picot reviews the deft humour of Teresa Robertson’s Twins: A Memoir.

• Andy Oliver reviews the lively visuals of Lara Pickle’s I Feel Awful, Thanks.

Comics Grinder

• Henry Chamberlain reviews the snowy delights of Corey R. Tabor and Dalton Webb’s Wally Mammoth: The Sled Race.

• Paul Buhle reviews the fascinating journey of Carol Tyler’s The Ephemerata: Shaping the Exquisite Nature of Grief.

Four Color Apocalypse

Ryan Carey reviews the impressive variety of Tommi Parish’s The Past is a Grotesque Animal, the curious weirdness of S.R. Arnold And Haleigh Couch Surfer’s Starseed/Open Exercise, and the skilful storytelling of Matt MacFarland’s Cookies and Herb.

French Forum

Robert Decker reviews the impeccable research of Michelle Bumatay’s On Black Bandes Dessinées and Transcolonial Power.

From Cover to Cover

Scott Cederlund reviews the diminished moments of Charles Soule, Steve McNiven, et al’s Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell; and the character focus of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Giant Size Criminal #1.

The Guardian

Adam Rutherford reviews the masterful reportage of Joe Sacco’s The Once and Future Riot.

House to Astonish

Paul O’Brien has capsule reviews of Marvel Comics’ X-Men: Age of Revelation Infinity Comic #2, 3, & 4, Rogue Storm #2, Iron & Frost #2, Sinster’s Six #2, Spider-Man & Wolverine #7, Unbreakable X-Men #2, X-Men Book of Revelation #2, Last Wolverine #2, Omega Kids #2, Radioactive Spider-Man #2, X-Men of Apocalypse #1, Expatriate X-Men #2, Cloak or Dagger #2, Undeadpool #2, and X-Vengers #2.

Hyperallergic

Dan Schindel reviews the fascinating legacy of Fletcher Hanks’ Turn Loose Our Death Rays and Kill Them All!, edited by Paul Karasik.

Image

John Hendrix reviews the expansive tableau of Manu Larcenet’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.

Kirkus Reviews

Have starred capsule reviews of:

• The engaging adventuring of Mike Lawrence’s The Lionharts.

• The terrifying research of Katy Doughty’s How to Survive the End of the World: A Graphic Exploration of How to (Maybe) Avoid Extinction.

Library Journal

• Martha Cornog has a starred capsule review of the poignant romance of Mari Costa’s The Demon of Beausoleil.

• Emilia Packard has a starred capsule review of the resonant energy of Kate Evans’ Patchwork: A Graphic Biography of Jane Austen.

• Thomas Batten has starred capsule reviews of the dizzying singularity of Kim Deitch’s How I Make Comics, and the gripping pacing of Rick Remender and Daniel Acuña’s Escape, Volume 1.

The New York Times

Sam Thielman reviews the dizzying brilliance of Gilbert Hernandez’s Lovers and Haters: A Love and Rockets Book.

Portland Mercury

Suzette Smith reviews the essential considerations of Shay Mirk and Eleri Harris’ Making Nonfiction Comics: A Guide for Graphic Narrative.

Publisher’s Weekly

Have starred capsule reviews of:

• The rousing swagger of Jibola Fagbamiye and Conor McCreery’s Fela: Music is the Weapon.

• The indispensable advice of Shay Mirk and Eleri Harris’ Making Nonfiction Comics: A Guide for Graphic Narrative.

School Library Journal

• Elisabeth LeBris has a starred capsule review of the well-crafted hijinks of Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man: Big Jim Believes.

• Katie Loomis has a starred capsule review of the cultural richness of Grace Lin’s Ling & Ting’s Lunar New Year: Two Times Lucky.

• Annamarie Carlson has a starred capsule review of the excellent explorations of Faith Erin Hicks’ Inbetweens.

Shepherd Express

Paul Buhle reviews the inside history of Conversations with Denis Kitchen, edited by Kim A. Munson.

Solrad

• Hagai Palevsky reviews the weakening straightforwardness of Gerard Way, Shaun Simon, Chris Weston, et al’s Paranoid Gardens.

• Kevin Brown reviews the skillful lines of Carol Lay’s My Time Machine.

• Tom Shapira reviews the artistic heights of Aaron Losty’s The Hanging.

Yatta-tachi

• Kai reviews the luscious art of Wagimoko Wagase’s Afterglow, translated by Minna Lin.

• Stephanie Liu reviews the sweet surreality of MISSISSIPPI’s Invisible Parade.

• Borealis Capps reviews the therapeutic poetry of Soejima Asuka’s Meet Me in the Unkempt Garden, translated by Molly Rabbitt.

• AJ Mack reviews the thoughtful romance of Umi Takase’s I Wanna Be Your Girl, translated by Erin Procter; and the stilted narrative of Tomohiro Tsugawa’s D’Artagnan’s Horse, translated by Kristjan Rodhe.

Snag a one-of-a-kind item for the indie comics fan in your life!Our Winter Auction features art and experiences from top publishers and comics icons like Junji Ito, @ryannorth.ca, Jillian Tamaki, @laufman.bsky.social, @faitherinhicks.bsky.social & more.www.torontocomics.com/winter-auction

— Toronto Comic Arts Festival (@torontocomics.bsky.social) 2025-12-01T23:36:41.004Z

This week’s interviews.

TCJ

• Gina Gagliano interviews Ngozi Ukazu about Flip and Check Please!, loving research, working with the Distinguished Competition, and the secret to a good romance — “Writing for The New Yorker has been fun. But the best part of The New Yorker is other cartoonists. There are hundreds of New Yorker cartoonists scattered all over the world. Whenever one or two cartoonists meet together, there's some weird electric Venn diagram overlap of talent, silliness, and cultural knowledge that makes every single interaction fantastic. That is by far the best part of being a New Yorker cartoonist, the people that you meet.”

• Gina Gagliano also interviews Lee Lai about Stone Fruit and Cannon, community as a concept, harassment in the service industry, and the allure of family dramas — “All the queer media I grew up with was about the process of coming out, often facilitated by the budding of a new relationship. Only well into my twenties did I come to appreciate how breakups are also a huge part of the social fabric of the queer world, and so I wanted to write a story that reflected that. It was important for me too to try and show a relationship fraying apart despite both parties’ best efforts.”

• J.D. Harlock interviews Rahil Mohsin about Hallubol, familial reading habits, comics career origins, and the linguistic diversity of South Indian languages — “Living through the ever-changing political landscape of South India was not easy, but drawing helped me cope with the anxiety. Much to my parents’ chagrin, I’d spend hours a day copying panels from comics I read into a plain sheet art notebook instead of studying. Eventually, they were forced to allot me a specific time limit to draw each day, depending on how I performed at school, which determined how much drawing time I got. It was sometimes fifteen minutes, an hour, or sometimes none at all. Unconsciously, this prepared me for life as a cartoonist.”

AIPT

David Brooke talks to Benjamin Percy about Punisher, jumping off from the character’s Red Band miniseries, and artistic shifts.

Anime News Network

Bamboo Dong speaks with Minetaro Mochizuki about Dragon Head and Chiisakobee, not showing too much to the reader, and changing the way you write your name.

Asian Movie Pulse

Giovanni Stigliano interviews KUCHiXO about Sleeping Brain, reflecting perceptions about the Taiwanese comics environment in the book, and special connections with insects.

Autobiographix

Nora Hickey and Amaris Ketcham talk to Edith Zimmerman about Drawing Links, secret Imgur publishing, and moving away from keyboard shortcuts.

AP News

Sophie Austin interviews Lecho Lopez, Eben Burgoon, and Jeff Trexler about the move to repeal a 1949 Sacramento law banning the sale of comic books to minors.

The Beat

George Carmona 3rd talks to Kevin J. Anderson about Dune: The Graphic Novel, the interwoven layers of the source material, and the process of adapting from the novel to the comics form.

Broken Frontier

• François Vigneault speaks with Pascal Girard and Cathon about Pastimes and Fruit Salad, the books’ publication in English, and the universal storytelling language of comic strips.

• Andy Oliver chats with Dominica Claribelle about Finding Home, the physical joys of comics, winning the Caliburn Prize, and not restricting artistic styles.

Cultured

Sammy Harkham talks to R. Crumb and George DiCaprio about first meetings, the business of comics, differing opinions on Timothy Leary, and varying forms of astral travel.

Fanbase Press

Barbra Dillon interviews:

• Yuki Tejima about translating Tetsuko Kuroyanagin’s Totto-chan, The Little Girl at the Window: The Sequel and the inspiration to be found in the book.
• William Gosline about Baby Barbarian and the Forgotten God and collaborative processes.
• Lorry Jamison about Nightmare Girl and horror story influences.
• Ellie Pyle, John Barber, and Mason Rabinowitz about Behind the Panels of Secret Wars and the logistics of crossover events.
• Austin Basis about The Kinetix and the Glowing Orb of Gorthon and the different iterations the story has developed across.
• Ridge Kiley about Rising Empires and the team’s aims for the project.

FreakSugar

Jed W. Keith speaks with:

• Luciano Vecchio about Marvel Voices: Iceman and superhero inspirations.
• Olivia Cuartero-Briggs about Fate: The Winx Saga - Dark Destiny and picking up where other forms of the series left off.
• Greg Weisman and Nate Cosby about Gargoyles Winter Special and seasonal film favourites.

KAORI Nusantara

Dany Muhammad interviews Comipara’s Fanny Aleutia about how the event’s fifth edition went over in October, the comic market’s focus on creators, and Comipara’s growth over the years.

Literary Hub

Paul Cornell, Stuart Moore and Chris Ryall discuss personal histories with Marvel Comics characters and series, and their drives for telling stories via the medium of comics.

North Kentucky Tribune

Jennifer Jahn talks to Kim Shearer about Double Booking, the student inspirations behind the series, and experiences with the comics creating community.

NPR

Ayesha Rascoe interviews Patrick Horvath about Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, Richard Scarry inspirations, and the universal experience of having your entire life upended.

Polygon

Samantha Nelson speaks with Scott Snyder about American Vampire, working with Rafael Albuquerque on the series, and the moments in American culture that the book captures.

The Revelator

John R. Platt talks to Peter Kuper about Insectopolis and Wish We Weren’t Here: Postcards from the Apocalypse, the societal importance of insects, and the joys of wordless comics.

The Seattle Times

Paul Constant speaks with Larry Reid about managing Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, connecting readers with their next favourite, and favourite local artists.

Style Weekly

Sommer Browning interviews Francesca Lyn about Everything is Fine, I’ll Just Work Harder, working with Street Noise, and comics academia practices.

Hey we have an updated event calendar!

— Northwest Museum of Cartoon Arts (@nwmoca.bsky.social) 2025-11-20T18:16:10.744Z

This week’s features and longreads.

• Catching up with recent pieces from the great and good of TCJ, as RJ Casey welcomed in November’s Arrivals and Departures, sharing thoughts on the current state of comics anthologies, in the form of Nib Rot #1, edited by RIMKI, Ryan Edge, and Scott Witmer; Dino Funnies #1, edited by George Olsen; The Furnace and Other Stories, edited by Nelson Vicens; and Bernadette #2, edited by Katie Lane and Angela Fanche — “The ripples of Nickelodeon Magazine — Measles, even — are officially no longer being felt in the alternative comics community at large and it’s a real shame. Dino Funnies does not restore the feeling. If anthologies choose to go the theme route, some artists can meet the challenge (rarely do they transcend the theme), but most succumb to the completely unnecessary restrictions. I hope editors learn from all these half-baked outcomes.”

• Also for TCJ, Claire Napier unpacks the resonant commonalities between Julia Gfrörer’s World Within the World and Moto Hagio’s A Drunken Dream, and the moral certainties to be found therein — “I don't think that Moto Hagio should be primarily considered as a woman when she's considered as a cartoonist, or that Julia Gfrörer should be either, but I do think that people create out of their own firmament, and that aesthetic is a delivery system for experience. I think that motif should be appreciated as the result of process, not only in the active sense but also in the absolute—the making of the artist.”

• More for TCJ, as John Kelly writes in remembrance of cartoonist J.D. King, whose work appeared in Weirdo, New York Press, Screw, The New Yorker, Time, and many more, and who passed away last month at the age of 74, collating memories of King’s life and work from those who knew him — “In the late 1980s, King was among a number of all-star alternative cartoonists–Charles Burns, Kaz, Mark Newgarden, Gary Panter and others — who worked on an extremely ambitious project the Topps Company created for the popular Pee-wee's Playhouse Saturday morning television show; he contributed designs for the "Pee-wee's Playhouse Fun-Pak" series of trading cards, stickers and other items.”

• Continuing recent TCJ pieces, as Alex Dueben looks back on James Robinson and Tony Harris’ Starman, on the occasion of the series’ recent 30th anniversary, and the narrative complexity afforded to superhero stories prior to the turn of the millennium — “Reading through the first few years of Starman, I am reminded how much comics have changed in the years since. There are story arcs, single issue stories, two or three issues stories, issues that are designed to transition between story arcs and catch up with multiple characters. A time before comics would “write for the trades”. That shift — and I say this as one who since the 1990s would wait for the trade — has not been a good thing.”

• Finally for TCJ, Maïa Hamilcaro-Berlin and Marlene Agius catch us up on the escalating controversy surrounding the 2026 edition of the Festival de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême, its cancellation in its 53rd year, and how things got to this point due to allegations surrounding managing company 9e Art+ — “In those new and tumultuous times, there is an urge to create a new festival for and by authors, one that's more inclusive for women and gender minorities. This festival would have a policy that respects everyone's artistic practices and would provide a safe space and fair compensation for all comic artists.”

• Proving that philately will get you everywhere, Canada Post Magazine took a look at the recent series of stamps celebrating Canadian graphic novelists, including Kate Beaton, Jimmy Beaulieu, Guy Delisle, Julie Doucet, Bryan Lee O’Malley, and Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.

• For The New Yorker, ahead of the upcoming publication of a new collection of Rea Irvin’s The Smythes strips, Françoise Mouly looks back on Irvin’s work, previewing some of the comics to be found in the new book.

• Over at Los Angeles Review of Books, Alexis Clements examines the mixed successes of the satire at play in Alison Bechdel’s Spent, and considers what success actually entails in the arts in 2025.

• Tom Ewing returns with a fresh season of Discourse 2000 for Freaky Trigger, charting the evolution of British comics in the '70s and '80s, and then diving into the meat of the matter with 2000 AD’s offerings from 1978, including Dan Dare and its similarities to Star Trek, and The Visible Man and the importance of Tammy in the changing Brit-comics landscape.

• A couple of recent profiles of the notables of comics, as Matthew Hernon profiles Shigeru Mizuki for Tokyo Weekender, and Alexander Sorondo profiles Alan Moore for The Metropolitan Review.

• A trio of articles from Shelfdust, as Tom Shapira wrote on the endurance comicking of Paul Chadwick’s Concrete #2; Steve Morris wrote on the changing identities of Mike Carey and Peter Gross’ The Unwritten #16; and T. Trewhella wrote on the cosmic horror of eternity in Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Miguel Sepulveda’s The Thanos Imperative #6.

• A triptych of Mindless Ones’ dispatches, as recent newsletters contained such diverse topics as Giant Robots, Grant Morrison and Chris Weston’s The Filth, Quality Communications’ Warrior, Simon Furman and Jeff Anderson’s Transformers, Work Punk, IPC Magazines’ Battle Picture Weekly, and the slam poetry of Frank Castle.

• Paul O’Brien’s survey of the villains of Daredevil continued, for House to Astonish, as the singular names of Tarkington Brown and Lord Dark Wind continue to usher in the tenure of Denny O’Neil on the title.

• From the world of open-access academia, in Mise au Point, Richard D. Deverell writes on the shift in the U.S. comic book industry during the 1980s, and the revisions to the Comics Code Authority that occurred as a maturing readership craved more experimental works.

• For Comparatismi, Fabio Vittorini examines the depiction of time, and the changing perceptions of time, to be found in Richard McGuire’s Here and Robert Zemeckis’ adaptation of the same for the screen.

• In Cognitive Science, Clare Kirtley, Christopher Murray, Phillip B. Vaughan, and Benjamin W. Tatler present a study on the act of reading sequential panels, and the disruption of this mode through the removal of upcoming panels and peripheral information.

• For Sexuality and Culture, Kristy Beers Fägersten writes on the work of Nanna Johansson and Ellen Ekman, in the context of depictions of dick pics to be found therein, and the extent to which satirisation of the sending of unsolicited pictures of male genitalia undermines the harm this behaviour causes.

• Mike Peterson rounds up the week’s editorial beat, over at The Daily Cartoonist, as social security, socialism, social rants, social snoozing were all a part of the milieu of President Donald Trump’s second term.

Our exhibition ‘Sunday Funnies' features a myriad of original art and newspaper comics from our permanent collection by the likes of Hal Foster ('Prince Valiant'), George Herriman ('Krazy Kat'), Walt Kelly ('Pogo'), and many others. cartoonart.org/sunday-funnies #artexhibition #comics #PrinceValiant

— Cartoon Art Museum (@cartoonart.bsky.social) 2025-12-03T19:18:58.346Z

No more links this week, but, if you press your ear firmly to the ground, you may yet hear the thundering hooves of 2025’s best of the year lists drawing close.

🔮 gate of persuasion 🔮

— sara 🌛 rubin (@sararubin.bsky.social) 2025-11-10T17:55:00.445Z