Tairon At Night — This Week’s Links

15 hours ago 2

Watching the leaves outside the window change, beautifully, to the same hue of yellowy-orange as the post-it notes covering most available surfaces of my workspace, while compiling this week’s links, below — life imitates art imitates nature imitates the algorithm running the simulation we possibly inhabit.

— Evan Dorkin (@evandorkin.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T09:18:44.854Z

This week’s news.

• Comics prizes news, as the 2025 Ringo Award winners were announced at last week’s Baltimore Comic Con, with Eric Powell named as Best Cartoonist, Joey Esposito and Sean Von Gorman’s The Pedestrian named as Best Series, Jason Douglas’ Jane American named as Best Original Graphic Novel, and Lifeline Comics’ Transphoria named as Best Anthology — a full round-up of nominees and winners can be found here.

• Comics funding news, as applications opened for the 2026 round of Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries by the American Library Association’s Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table (GNCRT) and the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation, with a deadline to apply of January 11th.

the first time we talked <3 he is very attentive and knows how to keep the conversation going by asking follow up questions.

— natbu (@floodkiss.bsky.social) 2025-10-22T13:40:13.752Z

This week’s reviews.

TCJ

• Tegan O’Neil reviews the riveting fury of Sal Jiang’s Tough Love at the Office: The Complete Yuri Collection, translated by Alexa Frank — “The bitch of it is, my goodness, you come to love these people. They seem so alive on the page. Think about that aesthetic we mentioned a moment ago - can you imagine a more punishing and repetitive task for any comic book artist? Conan the Barbarian gets to have a different background every page. Shirakawa and Kuroda have a modern corporate dress code and an endless sequence of identical conference rooms and storage closets.”

• Tom Shapira reviews the pulled punches of Stephen Weiner and Dan Mazur’s Will Eisner: A Comics Biography — “Will Eisner, the writer, does not rise to the level of Will Eisner, the artist. Presented for years as comics’ own Philip Roth or Saul Bellow, what I saw was mostly second-rate Yiddishkeit, filled to the brim with one cliché after another. None of these figures had inner selves – their melodramatic outbursts perfectly equal their empty selves; like actors on the stage hamming it up for the back rows because they know the script sucks.”

AIPT

• Colin Moon reviews the hallucinatory magic of Laura Pérez’s Nocturnos.

• Kevin Clark reviews the brilliant weirdness of Mike Mignola, Bruce Zick, et al’s Captain Henry and the Graveyard of Time #1.

• Collier Jennings reviews the bold approach of Declan Shalvey, Rory McConville, Lorenzo Re, et al’s The Terminator: Metal #1.

• Alex Schlesinger reviews the timely focus of Benjamin Percy, Geoff Shaw, et al’s Red Hulk: Prisoner of War.

• Diane Darcy reviews the core problems of Mark Waid, Howard Porter, Hayden Sherman, et al’s New History of the DC Universe #4.

• Lukas Shayo reviews the excellent conclusion of Tate Brombal, Werther Dell'Edera, et al’s Green Lantern Dark #7.

• Ronnie Gorham reviews the masterful intensity of Rick Remender and Daniel Acuña’s Escape #3.

• David Brooke reviews the stylish sharpness of Oni Press and EC Comics’ Outlaw Showdown #1.

The Arts STL

Sarah Boslaugh reviews the perfect match of Bill Griffith’s Photographic Memory: William Henry Jackson and The American West.

The Beat

• Kerry Vineberg reviews the compelling approach of Joe Sacco’s The Once and Future Riot.

• Ian Thomas reviews the contemporary lens of Ben Passmore's Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance.

• Dean Simons reviews the engaging allegory of Ugo Bienvenu's System Preference, translated by Edward Gauvin.

• Matt Ledger reviews the welcome balance of Mark Waid, Dan Mora, et al’s Justice League Unlimited #12.

• Tim Rooney reviews the jam-packed conclusion of Jason Aaron, Juan Ferreyra, et al’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #12.

• Clyde Hall reviews the seasonal entertainment of BOOM! Studios’ Hello Halloween #1.

• Jordan Jennings reviews the expert execution of Mark London, David Pepose, Sebastian Píriz, Alessio Zonno, et al’s Speed Racer – Tales From the Road #1.

Broken Frontier

• Andy Oliver reviews the poignant humour of Claire O’Brien’s The Owl Lady, and the tactile joys of Bryan Lim Junyan’s Pamphlet 01.

• Gary Usher reviews the brutal beauty of Ramón Perales Cano and Will Aickman’s Down North Where, No One Goes.

• Edward Picot reviews the storytelling tactics of Francesco Barilli, Alessandro Ranghiasci, et al’s Socrates.

• Lydia Turner reviews the delightful cuteness of Jingo Li and Bertit Butturini's Bertilo the Little Baldy.

Four Color Apocalypse

Ryan Carey reviews the smart honesty of Darya Foroohar’s Homicidal Ideation; and the conceptual vision of 2dcloud’s Altcomics Magazine#7, edited by Blaise Larmee and Katie Lane.

House to Astonish

Paul O’Brien has capsule reviews of Marvel Comics’ X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #40, Unbreakable X-Men #1, Rogue Storm #1, Iron & Frost #1, and Sinister’s Six #1.

Publisher’s Weekly

Have starred capsule reviews of:

• The thought-provoking narrative of Kate Evans’ Patchwork: A Graphic Biography of Jane Austen.

• The hardboiled brilliance of Christopher Cantwell and Tyler Crook’s Out of Alcatraz.

• The meticulous details of Rintaro’s My Life in 24 Frames Per Second, translated by Montana Kane.

• The inventive intricacy of Carol Tyler’s The Ephemerata: Shaping the Exquisite Nature of Grief.

School Library Journal

• Emilia Packard has a starred capsule review of the exquisite visuals of Àlàbá Ònájìn’s The Case of the Missing Kolo.

• Taylor Skorski has a starred capsule review of the colourful comedy of Amy Chase, Stelladia, et al’s Abuzz.

• Adam Fisher has a starred capsule review of the resonant messaging of Jérémie Moreau’s Alyte.

Solrad

Kevin Brown reviews the apt descriptions of Joana Mosi’s The Mongoose.

Yatta-tachi

Stephanie Liu reviews the throwback treat of Tsukasa Hojo’s City Hunter, Volume 1, translated by David Evelyn.

Look Outside

— Richie Pope LBX Table 621 (@richiepope.bsky.social) 2025-10-21T22:15:43.785Z

This week’s interviews.

TCJ

Zach Rabiroff interviews Vika Lomasko about Other Russias and The Last Soviet Artist, familial influences, similarities between Russia and the U.S., and starting from scratch after leaving Russia — “As a person born in the USSR but who was formed after its collapse, I understand both sides. I also used to worship the West like these young people, and at times, I felt a strong nostalgia for the USSR like the old generations. I remember ideological control and pressure even at school. I remember the security and simplicity that I have never found anywhere else. I saw the memorials of repression. I saw the beautiful Palaces of Culture, encircled by sparkling mosaics. Now, I see no other way but to accept both the good and the bad.”

AIPT

• Chris Coplan talks to Jordan Thomas and Chris Matthews about Exorcism Island and demonic possessions, to Alejandro Arbona about Lake Yellowwood Slaughter and crowdfunding successes, and to Max Huffman about Dogtangle and keeping a manic art style legible.

• David Brooke speaks with Mark Russell about Thanksgiving and seasonal serial killers, and with Juan Ferreyra about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and closing out the experience of working on the book.

ara

Núria Juanico Llumà interviews Keum Suk Gendry-Kim about My Friend Kim Jong Un, the experience of living near the Korean Demilitarized Zone, and the need for conversation between North Korea and South Korea.

Autobiographix

Amaris Ketcham chats with Sarah Lippett about A Puff of Smoke, illustration work, comics making influences, and the difficulty of getting a first draft written.

The Beat

• Taimur Dar talks to Erik Burnham and Sarah Myer about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures and crocodilian differentiation.

• Ollie Kaplan interviews Kodansha USA’s Alvin Lu about Kodansha House, curating the experience for visitors to the SoHo space, and the Kodansha Mochikomi Fresh Ink program.

The Bookseller

Lauren Brown speaks with Marilyn Esther Chi about Aphrodite: Ancient Goddess, Modern Girl, eschewing a pharmacy career path, and Disney inspirations.

Broken Frontier

Andy Oliver interviews Rachael Smith about Nap Comix and motherhood, Alison Sampson about favourite projects from across a varied career in comics, and Katriona Chapman about Avery Hill’s recently opened ‘Vision & Labour: Making Comics’ exhibition.

Fanbase Press

Barbra Dillon talks to Robert Jeschonek about Legends of Indie Comics: Words Only and curating the second volume of stories, to Adam Rose about Huge Detective and detective mystery inspirations, and to Nandor Fox Shaffer about Seasons and evolving creative processes.

NPR

Andrew Limbong speaks with Joe Sacco about The Once and Future Riot, the process of separating fact from fiction, and working in the autobiographical tradition.

Publisher’s Weekly

Sally Lodge talks to Tony Weaver Jr. about Weirdo, the necessity of trying to make places better for others, and the importance of school visits.

Willamette Week

Nash Bennett interviews Future Dreams’ Donald Riordan about the Oregon store’s near 50-year history, and the changes wrought by the direct market.

☁️💫

— Maria Capelle Frantz (@mariacfrantz.bsky.social) 2025-09-22T21:08:25.757Z

This week’s features and longreads.

• Here at TCJ, RJ Casey returns from Cartoon Crossroads Columbus with a wagon full of Arrivals and Departures, this month having read Stipan Tadic’s Christmas in D.C., Stephen Pellnat’s Upstate #4, and Shaheen Beardsley’s Oboy Comics #8 — “What I held onto the most was that [Carol] Tyler told the packed house that in crafting a page, she strives to get to a place of complete emotional honesty and also wants to get the reader to meet her in that space as well. It’s a task, and a momentous mastery, that I don’t think many cartoonists outside Tyler are capable of committing to.”

• Inkstuds returns once more, as Robin McConnell takes a brief break from researching Canadian comics history to share thoughts on Shitaro Sanpei’s The Legend of Kamui, Beatrix Urkowitz’s The Lover of Everyone, Joyce Lorraine’s The Quadro Gang, Koga Shinichi’s Mansect, Mike Mignola’s Bowling with Corpses, George DiCaprio’s Baloney Moccasins Comics: A Magazine for the Medieval Mind, Jeff Bennett and Chris Short’s Demon’s Blood, Comics Blogger’s Death Spark anthology, the Insane Clown Posse trade paperback, Domino Books’ Crease, and Josh Pettinger’s Pleasure Beach.

• Following last week’s announcement that Humanoids, Inc was filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and initiating wind down proceedings for the company, RM Rhodes writes for The Beat on the complicated histories of Heavy Metal and Métal Hurlant.

• For yatta-tachi, wendeego covers this summer’s arrival of Young Magazine in English language form, as Kodansha targets those ever elusive new reader markets with a selection of new one-shot stories.

• Over at Shelfdust, Hank Kennedy looks back on Gerry Conway and Sal Buscema’s 1988 comic Spectacular Spider-Man #138, as Peter Parker and Captain America’s headline match-up ushers in some commentary on the Iran-contra affair.

• Elsewhere on the web, Brian M. Puaca presents the Comic Book Burnings Project, which documents and maps comics fires that took place in America from 1945-1955, including a map and timeline of burnings and key events, which would seem like a useful resource in this new age of book bannings and censorship.

• A fresh Mindless Ones newsletter brings forth continued coverage of British comics history, and strong opinions as to the relative reading quality of DC Thompson’s The Beezer.

• Mike Peterson rounds up the week’s editorial beat, for The Daily Cartoonist, as monarchs were refuted, sentences commuted, former-royals denuded, and historical building wings demolished.

Dog

— Ben Sears (@bensears.bsky.social) 2025-10-15T00:52:54.156Z

This week’s audio/visual delights.

A round-up of recent offerings from your media platforms of choice, as Ben Katchor hosted the latest meeting of the New York Comics & Picture-Story Symposium with a talk from historian Erwin Dejasse on comics as works of Art Brut; BBC’s Witness History presented a conversation between Reena Stanton-Sharma and Tove Jansson’s niece Sophia Jansson about Moomins; Paul O’Brien and Al Kennedy opened the doors to House to Astonish once more as DC announced the return of the Vertigo imprint (again); Off Panel’s David Harper spoke with Doc Shaner and Chris Conroy; and Publisher’s Weekly’s More to Come celebrated reaching 700 episodes with a live pencil conversation with Cliff Chiang, Ben Passmore, and Ngozi Ukazu.