PW Comics World: More To Come

A preview of the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con, which runs from July 24-28; the 7% decline in 2023 comics and graphic novel sales; DC’s Absolute revamp and move to Discord; American Manga Award nominations; Omnibus Digital’s shut down, and AI art on Etsy.

PRH acquires Boom! Studios; Macmillan’s 23rd Street Books adult GN imprint, DC’s Absolute comics revamp, DSTLRY picks Diamond, Hollywood picks a D&Q graphic novel; Jim Lee gets paid, PW’s Fall Comics and Graphic Novel Preview, and Tapas Entertainment.

Writer Joe Casey talks about his new take on Jonny Quest for Dynamite Comics (along with artist Sebastián Píriz) and his career from Ben 10 to Blood Squad Seven, including the state of corporate comics, working for Image and more.

The coming Webtoon IPO and Blackstone’s $1B acquisition of Japan’s Infocom digital comics platform; job moves: Jamie Rich!; Japan Society, AnimeNYC launch the American Manga Awards; Marvel Rebrands, Get Jiro and Super Mutant Magic Academy go to Adult Swim; VanCAF controversy; AI trouble at DC; and the cost of a table in NYCC’s Artist Alley.

Calvin and PW graphic novels reviews editor Meg Lemke discuss John Vasquez Mejias’s ‘The Puerto Rican War: A Graphic History,’ a dynamic, visually surreal history of violent Puerto Rican nationalist uprisings in the 1950s; and Anna Härmälä’s ‘Singlemothering,’ a funny yet reliable guide to the social and emotional challenges facing single moms.

Frank Miller talks about 'Frank Miller: American Genius', the new documentary about his career, his line of books at Abrams ComicArts, manga and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Also short interviews with cartoonists Joel Priddy, Grace Desmarais, and Kevin Huizenga.

Calvin interviews Eddie Ahn about his new graphic memoir ‘Advocate: A Graphic Memoir of Family, Community, and the Fight for Environmental Justice’, a warm and affable record of his immigrant family and their life in Korea before moving to the U.S. Ahn also discusses his journey from working in the family store to his work as a committed environmental activist, lawyer, and administrator in San Francisco, alongside his equally passionate efforts to continually develop his skills as a cartoonist.

The 2024 Eisner Award nominations; changes at Kickstarter, Webtoon, and Kakao; and the June release of Book 2 of Emil Ferris’ ‘My Favorite Thing Is Monsters'; plus live interviews with Keith Knight, Emma Hayley, Josh O'Neill, and Tom Kaczynski.

An interview with Sara Gómez Woolley, graphic novel author, illustrator, and CUNY assistant professor, and Sandy Jimenez, cartoonist and longtime contributor/editor at 'World War III Illustrated', about the Art of Visual Memory, a class in graphic memoir at the CUNY Graduate Center. With the assistance of Jimenez, Woolley developed and taught the class, producing 'Comics As a Second Language', an anthology of student work offering a wide range of autobiographical comics.

Orange raises millions for a Manga translation AI; creator compensation on Webtoon; ICv2 interviews with Marvel’s Dan Buckley and Boom! Studios’ Filip Sablik; Free Comic Book Day; the Black Comic Book Festival in Harlem; the return of Neil Gaiman’s Miracleman series; and women creators in superhero comics.

Meg Lemke interviews Vedika Khanna, senior editor at Ten Speed Graphic, a new imprint dedicated to graphic novels and nonfiction at Penguin Random House, about how it fits alongside other comics imprints at PRH. Khanna offers a sneak peek at her own growing list of forthcoming books—including Eddie Ahn’s 'Advocate'—and reveals her approach to scouting and developing comics talent.

Abrams new adult manga imprint Kana; a breakdown of 2023 sales data; a tough ComicsPRO report on retailers, Webtoon contracts, DC and AI; and a tribute to the Earth 2 Comics Book Store in Sherman Oaks, California.

Calvin interviews Italian cartoonist/illustrator Manuele Fior, author of the graphic novels ‘5,000 KM Per Second’ (Best Book Angouleme 2011), “The Interview’ in 2017, and a new book “Hyericum.’ Fior talks about the beginnings of his publishing career, visiting U.S. comics conventions, and living and working as a cartoonist in Venice.

Remembering recently deceased comics creator, activist and historian Trina Robbins as well as the late comics artist Mark Bright; Webtoon contract issues; turmoil at IDW; PW's summer reads; and a comic tops the list of most banned books.

Meg talks to Liz Frances, founder and director of the Brooklyn-based small press Street Noise Books about her move from the corporate publishing world to start up an indie with a passionate mission to showcase underrepresented voices.

A look back at MoCCA Fest 2024; how Steve Ditko became a Disney Legend; the high physical cost of cartooning in Japan; the latest digital comics news; and advertisers discover anime.Note: This episode has been edited from its original form in the light of recent events.

Cartoonist/editor Jonah Newman talks with Heidi about his new queer and baseball-themed semi-autobiographical YA graphic novel, 'Out of Left Field', and about making the book, his real life story, and working for Scholastic. Plus, Meg Lemke talks with indie comics publisher Avi Ehrlichman of Silver Sprocket, and comics creator Evan Dahm ('Vattu', 'Island Book') at MoCCA Fest 2024.

A talk with Brigid Alverson about her retailing and the middle grade graphic novel features in the most recent issue of PW; plus a tribute to the late Akira Toriyama of Dragonball; ‘The Atlantic’ magazine’s Great American Novels List and the three graphic novels on it; Marvel’s launch of new X-Men series at SXSW; Scout Comics’ new investor; and comics at the Oscars.

In a special crossover episode, Heidi MacDonald and Brigid Alverson talk to comics retailers Siena Fallon, COO/managing partner of Ultimate Comics, and Sarahti Gassmalla, manager at Fantom Comics to talk about the recent ComicsPro meeting, what's hot in comics shops, and why Wednesday is new comics day.

Calvin interviews comics creators James Romberger and Marguerite Van Cook, the artist and colorist that worked in collaboration with the late artist and AIDS activist David Wojnarowicz to create his acclaimed graphic memoir ‘7 Miles A Second,’ originally published by DC/Vertigo in 1996 and later by Fantagraphics in 2013. The book is now available from Romberger and Van Cook’s Ground Zero Books.