Clark Burscough | July 25, 2025
A relatively quiet week, as San Diego Comic-Con rolls around and a large number of comics folk spent the last few days making their annual pilgrimage to the West Coast for the event’s start, however, I’ll just note up top, before diving into this week’s links, below, digital marketplace itch.io’s announcement yesterday that they would be capitulating to pressure initiated by anti-pornography group Collective Shout, following suit with gaming platform Steam, and delisting not-safe-for-work (read, adult) projects from their site “pending review”, which, from a quick check on 24th July, appears to include any comics and zines with the NSFW tag. Vice’s recent article on Collective Shout’s campaign targeting creators of adult work via pressure on payment providers was scrubbed from the internet shortly after publication, resulting in the resignation from Vice of the article’s writer, Ana Valens, and itch.io’s move has gone over about as well as you’d expect with creators who publish and sell their work on the platform, which claims that it has no choice in the matter, as refusal to comply may leave it unable to use online payment services, identical to the party line taken intermittently by sites that host sex work. But, other than that, it was just another week in paradise.
Ozzy
— Matías Bergara (@matiasbergara.bsky.social) 2025-07-23T01:45:39.853Z
This week’s reviews.
TCJ
• Valerio Stivé reviews the mature explorations of Tadao Tsuge’s Boat Life, Volume 1, translated by Ryan Holmberg - “That small, abased gesture speaks loudly about Tsuda — and about the way Tsuge Tadao tells his story. His late-career commitment to faithfully capturing reality is something rare and hard to come by. His approach is even more grounded and neutral than that of his brother's, whose stories — no matter how stark, even in The Man Without Talent — are often infused with a lingering sense of wonder, a bleak yet undeniable magic realism.”
• Tom Shapira reviews the ramshackle achievements of Marvel Comics’ Daredevil by Nocenti and Romita Jr - “If John Romita Jr. grew up in Europe he would do 60 pages a year and would have the reputation of a modern Michelangelo; but he grew up in the United States and drew 300 pages a year and as a result has a reputation of someone who can draw a mean Michelangelo (of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fame). Comics is filled with talented artists wasting their time on mediocre-to-bad scripts, but few have such terrible ratio of good-to-bad as Romita Jr. The man is an artist who seemingly doesn’t believe in art.”
AIPT
• Colin Moon reviews the singular voice of Yudori’s Raging Clouds.
• David Brooke reviews the lagging pace of Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee, et al’s Batman #161.
• Piper Whitaker reviews the shifting momentum of Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, et al’s Absolute Wonder Woman #10.
• Christopher Franey reviews the innovative layers of Al Letson, Valentine De Landro, et al’s Mr. Terrific: Year One #3.
• Chris Coplan reviews the rich details of Si Spurrier, Vanesa R. Del Rey, et al’s The Voice Said Kill #1.
• Crooker reviews the solid construction of Robert Kirkman, Conor Hughes, et al’s Void Rivals #21.
• Chris Showalter reviews the bloody setup of Matthew Rosenberg, Otto Schmidt, et al’s DC vs Vampires: World War V #11.
• Collier Jennings reviews the unique mix of Christopher Monfette, Miguel Martos, et al’s Texarcanum #1; and the striking contrasts of Curt Pires, Sunando C, et al’s Stillman #1.
The Beat
• Zack Quaintance reviews the interwoven narratives of Juni Ba’s The Fables of Erlking Wood.
• D. Morris reviews the cliched characters of Tim Seeley, Nikola Čižmešija, et al’s Godzilla – Kai-Sei Era #1.
• Clyde Hall reviews the earned payoff of David Pepose, Jonathan Lau, et al’s Space Ghost Annual #1.
• Tim Rooney reviews the frenetic energy of Rubine et al’s Look Into My Eyes #1.
• Matt Ledger reviews the emotional core of Joshua Williamson, Dan Mora, et al’s Superman #28.
• Jordan Jennings reviews the excellent start of Si Spurrier, Vanesa R. Del Rey, et al’s The Voice Said Kill #1; and the expanding scope of Murewa Ayodele, Lucas Werneck, et al’s Storm #10.
Broken Frontier
• Lindsay Pereira reviews the fitting tribute of Stephen Weiner and Dan Mazur's Will Eisner: A Comics Biography.
• Gary Usher reviews the beautiful illustrations of Catriona Q. Andrew’s Silver River, and the thorough recounting of Mandy Norman’s My Energy Thief.
• Lydia Turner reviews the delightful hijinks of Iliadtea’s Erin + Pig, the unexpected poignancy of Toria Scribbles’ Delayed Outing, and the academic fun of Kristen Haas Curtis' Abrupt Transitions: Diary of a Midlife Opsimath.
• Andy Oliver reviews:
- The dizzying experimentation of Jenny Robins’ A Woman’s (Art) Work is Never Done.
- The melancholy intensity of Rayne Booth’s Falcão.
- The genius construction of Mereida Fajardo’s The Keluarga Cable Ship Company.
- The wonderful creativity of Madeleine Burt’s Poet.
- The important questions of Moi Tu’s A Eye.
- The delightful sweetness of Chie Hosaka’s Tia and Guthrie.
Comics Grinder
Paul Buhle reviews the splendid collection of Fantagraphics’ The Spawn of Venus and Other Stories Illustrated by Wallace Wood.
Four Color Apocalypse
Ryan Carey reviews the impressive candor of Moa Romanova’s Buff Soul, translated By Melissa Bowers.
From Cover to Cover
Scott Cederlund reviews the daring approach of Rob Williams, Arthur Wyatt, Henry Flint, et al's Judge Dredd: A Better World.
House to Astonish
Paul O’Brien has reviews of Marvel Comics’ Astonishing X-Men Infinity Comic #29, Exceptional X-Men #11, X-Men: Age of Revelation #0, Deadpool/Wolverine #7, and Giant-Size House of M #1.
Kirkus Reviews
Have starred capsulre reviews of the stunning visuals of Bex Glendining's On Starlit Shores, and the riveting details of Allan Wolf and Jose Pimienta's The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur: A Graphic Novel Based on a True Story.
Library Journal
Thomas Batten has starred capsule reviews of the inventive humour of Jason’s Death in Trieste, and the rich insights of Ben Passmore’s Black Arms To Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance.
Liverpool Law Review
Hannah Baumeister reviews the thought-provoking questions of Graphic Law and Drawn Justice: A Legal Analysis, edited by Giuseppe Martinico and Gianpaolo Maria Ruotolo.
Yatta-tachi
• Reuben Baron reviews the skillful shifts of Inuhiko Doronoda’s Spacewalking With You, Volume 1, translated by Joshua Hardy.
• Dawn H reviews the winning intensity of Asao Takamori and Tetsuya Chiba’s Ashita no Joe: Fighting For Tomorrow, Volume 1, translated by Asa Yoneda.
• AJ Mack reviews the excellent narrative of Moto Hagio’s They Were 11!, translated by Ajani Oloye.
• Masha Zhdanova reviews the exciting pacing of Ryo Ishiyama’s Dragon and Chameleon, Volume 1, translated by Kevin Yuan.
• Wendeego reviews the masterful storytelling of Mitsuru Adachi’s Short Game, translated by Matt Schley; and the gruesome details of Shinichi Koga’s Mansect, translated by Ryan Holmberg.
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!! Gosh!Fest: Our own small presstival.Saturday 30th August 2025, from 11am.More info here: goshlondon.com/the-gosh-blo...
— Gosh! Comics (@goshcomics.bsky.social) 2025-07-19T17:34:44.347Z
This week’s interviews.
TCJ
Alex Dueben interviews Youssef Daoudi about The Giant: Orson Welles, the Artist and the Shadow, childhood memories, chronicling the life of Orson Welles, and the joys of sculpting — “Well, the process is very simple: follow the character’s desires. In fact, that’s the driving force behind any good story—every screenwriting theorist will tell you that. But there are limits to this approach if you don’t know the character well; you have to understand their madness or irrationality. You must forbid incoherence and arbitrariness.”
AIPT
Chris Hassan speaks with Murewa Ayodele about Storm and Rogue Storm, the allure of thunder gods, and omega mutant power curves.
Anime News Network
Rebecca Silverman talks to Manga ONE Editor-in-Chief Yuka Wada about editorial varieties, publishing world evolutions, and use of Artificial Intelligence.
The Beat
• Diego Higuera interviews Trevor Fernandes-Lenkiewicz about Rise, genre hooks, and juggling travelling on the promo trail with making the book.
• Avery Kaplan speaks with Chas Pangburn and Mari Yamauchi about Speed Racer, and the publishing partnership between Mad Cave and Tatsunoko Production.
• Nancy Powell interviews Paul Pope and Philippe Labaune about the 'Paul Pope ф Pulp Hope' exhibition at the Philippe Labaune Gallery, curating the exhibit, and Pulp Hope 2.
Fanbase Press
Barbra Dillon talks to Dillon Gilbertson about My Neighbor Necromancer, hitting the series’ halfway point, and the direct support crowdfunding brings to creators.
The New Indian Express
Diya Maria George chats with Red Eye Chapters’ Sumi Alexander Anup about making the move from reader to retailer, and filling an indie gap in the market.
Polygon
Josh Broadwell interviews Paul Allor about Marvel Rivals Infinity Comic, avoiding the self-referential trap of superhero comics, and the puzzle solving aspect of continuity restrictions.
Publisher’s Weekly
• Cheryl Klein speaks with Ben Passmore about Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance, learning about the Black radical tradition, and avoiding dryness when covering heavy topics.
• Pooja Makhijani talks to Amar Shah about Wish I Was a Baller, inheriting a love for New York sports teams, and the graphic novel’s origins as a prose memoir.
Some spot illustrations from this year's exhibitor guide, by the wonderful Lis Xu
— ShortBox Comics Fair (@shortboxcomicsfair.bsky.social) 2025-07-16T11:41:36.969Z
This week’s features and longreads.
• Here at TCJ, RJ Casey swears the oath, and welcomes in a new batch of Arrivals and Departures, as July’s edition focuses on the work of Henry McCausland and the River Rangers series — “It’s been said that the biggest compliment you can pay an author is if their byline was erased and their readers could still confidently identify the hand behind it. McCausland is not only a writer of that caliber but in River Rangers also takes up the mantle of architect, inventor, humorist, and choreographer as cartoonist.”
• Also for TCJ, Helen Chazan contrasts the flavours of transgression on display in Nick Bunch’s Desert Rats #1 and Quinn Amacher’s Frolic #1 — “Both Desert Rats and Frolic are proudly independent works of comic-making that defy commerce. In the world we inhabit today, despite their wild differences and starkly contrasting merits and weaknesses, the culture at large is no more willing to accept stupid jokes drawn incredibly well than trans women enjoying scat.”
• More for TCJ, as Steven Ringgenberg writes on the life and work of writer and editor Jim Shooter, who passed away last month at the age of 73 — “Jim Shooter was a complicated man, undeniably talented but sometimes tactless and domineering, perhaps because of his hard-scrabble childhood and youth in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was not a smooth-talking glad-hander like Stan Lee, and because of his height and brusque manner, he certainly intimidated people, his freelancers and editors among them.”
• Finally for TCJ this week, as San Diego Comic-Con rolls around once more, Chris Anthony Diaz presents photographs from last year’s edition of the pop culture behemoth — “Of the five years I have attended so far, San Diego Comic-Con International 2024 was a nice mix of indie and alternative cartoonists and creators as another option to Marvel and DC comics/cosplay/merch and Hollywood movie panels. And this is the first year I attended more than a day (Thursday to Saturday), so I got a chance to attend some panels and award ceremonies.”
• Following the passing of Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Steve Benson, who died earlier this month due to health issues following a stroke last year, The New York Times and The Washington Post have remembrances of Benson’s life and work.
• Elsewhere, for Solrad, Isaac Roller writes on the life and work of Peter Kaprelian, who died last year at the age of 58, presenting a selection of Kaprelian’s comics and illustrations.
• The Los Angeles Review of Books presents an excerpt from Dan Nadel’s introduction to Michael McMillan’s Terminal Exposure: Comics, Sculpture, and Risky Behavior, tracking McMillan’s move into the Underground Comix scene.
• For Publisher’s Weekly, Meg Lemke profiles Joe Sacco, ahead of the publication of The Once and Future Riot, speaking with Sacco about the making of the book, and the joys of analog processes.
• Forbes’ Rob Salkowitz previews this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, currently in-progress, as the event takes place during a period of economic upheaval for the comics market.
• Over at El País, Gregorio Belinchón writes on the adaptation of Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López’s The Eternaut for television, charting the Argentinian sociopolitical, and family, history tangled up in the story - Netflix last week confirmed that the adaptation was made using footage that involved generative AI.
• More comics on screen, as, for PopMatters, Ryan Dyer writes on 2012’s DREDD, and the influences on the motion picture’s depiction of Mega City One’s towering housing blocks.
• For Shelfdust, Holly Raymond continues a retrospective of the character of Arnie Roth in Marvel Comics, and a wider examination of Marvel Comics’ attitudes towards gay characters situated in the history of queer literature in the US.
• Brain Hibbs is Tilting at Windmills once more, over at The Beat, as comics retail continues to be on rapidly shifting ground in the wake of Diamond Comics Distributors’ bankruptcy earlier this year, this edition digging into the importance of Point of Sales systems in this new era.
• Broken Frontier’s Andy Oliver reports on last weekend’s Small Press Day, as the event celebrated its tenth birthday with events across the UK and over the Atlantic.
• More Mindless Ones missives, as the new new newsletter this week contains, amongst others, discussion once more of Moore.
• From the world of open access academia, for Studies in Latin American Pop Culture, Diego Labra writes on the cultural industry of comics in Argentina in the twenty first century, and the changes to the Argentine comics market seen before and after the Argentine great depression.
• Paul O’Brien’s registry of the villains of Daredevil continues to grow, over at House to Astonish, as issue 167 sees Edwin Cord make a brief debut, before shuffling off to bother Tony Stark instead, after realising that Iron Man makes for better nemesis synergy.
• Mike Peterson rounds up the week’s editorial beat, over at The Daily Cartoonist, as the names ‘Jeffrey Epstein’ and ‘Donald Trump’ continue to appear in the same sentences.
Cover of Nick Drake book
— john JASON saeteroy (@johnjasonsaeteroy.bsky.social) 2025-07-23T06:54:05.432Z
No more links this week, 48 hours of meditation before the Euros finals begins NOW.
Very honored to get to do an illustration for an interview with Yoshitaka Amano, appearing in the Italian gaming publication Pixel .02.
— Justine Jones 🐲 (@teanwitch.bsky.social) 2025-07-21T16:41:06.660Z
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