PW Comics World: More To Come

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.

A potential Marvel and DC collaboration; the ALA’s GNCRT Adult and Kids Graphic Novel Reading Lists; the French comics market's sales boom; James Tynion’s Tiny Onion media venture; the Warner Bros/Funimation content debacle; the MCU is back; and revisiting our Brian “Box” Brown interview.

Heidi talks to Brian "Box" Brown about his cartooning career, including his Andre the Giant graphic novel, his time running Retrofit Press and his current comic strip, Legalization Nation. He also talks about his career path and changing direction in an industry without a safety net.

A salute to the winners of the 2024 Angoulême International Comics Festival awards; judges for this year’s Eisner Awards; the Chengdu Hugo awards debacle; business news—ICV2 Direct, Kadokawa/DSTLRY, Depuis/Kodansha, and the cancellation of Diamond’s Retail Summit.

Calvin moderates “The Comet Cometh”, a panel discussion on Tim Fielder’s forthcoming graphic adaptation of W.E.B. Du Bois’ celebrated 1920 Afrofuturist short story “The Comet,” featuring Afrofuturist scholars Reynaldo Anderson and Julian Chambliss. Part of Carnegie Hall's, “Dancing On the Precipice” festival, the panelists explore Du Bois’s life and career as a Black scholar, Pan African activist and Afrofuturist and the creation of the graphic novel.

The most anticipated graphic works coming in the spring; AnimeNYC 2024 sells out in 2 hours, and partners with Japan Society; comics journalism category dropped by Eisners awards; comics retailers speak; Diamond Book speaks too; Superman’s copyright; and Ramona Fradon retires.

Meg Lemke and Calvin Reid discuss three graphic titles in our Stargazing review feature: graphic memoirs by Edel Rodriquez, author of ‘Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey,’ and Ai Weiwei, author of ‘Zodiac: A Graphic Memoir’, and Manon Debaye’s graphic novel ‘The Cliff.”

The winners of the PW Graphic Novel Critics Poll, plus we recap the Top Ten comics stories of 2023, break down The Beat’s annual creator survey, applaud 50 years of the Direct Market, and report on Steamboat Willie in the public domain, and Disney’s corporate crisis.

Greason and Fielder discuss the creation of ‘The Graphic History of Hip Hop’, a comprehensive history of the music and its components that is being distributed throughout the New York City public schools.

A recap of the biggest news and trends of the past year, including the fight against book bans, graphic novel sales and retail distribution, changes at ReedPop and DC, new graphic novel imprints, unions at Image and D&Q, and a few of our favorite titles and artists.