May 5: Cartooning Would-Be Kings - A World Press Freedom Day Celebration

On behalf of Cartoonists Rights,  Committee to Protect Journalists,  Freedom Cartoonists, The Herb Block Foundation, you're invited:

Kevin "Kal" Kallaugher

Barry Blitt

Signe Wilkinson

Joel Pett

Journalists and editorial cartoonists around the world are facing unprecedented attacks. Please join us May 5, in Washington, DC, to celebrate World Press Freedom Day with a panel of legendary cartoonists out on the front lines of free speech — and for the announcement of the 2025 Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award by Cartoonists Rights. Katherine Jacobsen of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) will deliver a keynote address on the state of press freedom in the U.S. and share findings from CPJ's April 2025 U.S. Report. Monday, May 5th Reception 6:30 pm Program 7:00 pm Dress Business Casual ADDRESS: Syracuse University's Institute for Democracy, Journalism & Citizenship, 1333 New Hampshire Ave NW (at Dupont Circle) | 9th Floor PARTICIPANTS: Barry Blitt, The New Yorker Kevin "KAL" Kallaugher, The Economist Joel Pett, Tribune Content Agency Signe Wilkinson, Philadelphia Inquirer KEYNOTE: Katherine Jacobsen, U.S., Canada, and Caribbean Program Coordinator, Committee to Protect Journalists MODERATOR: Roslyn Mazer, SU alumna and free expression champion Sponsored by Cartoonists Rights,  Committee to Protect Journalists,  Freedom Cartoonists, The Herb Block Foundation RSVP

May 9: Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft at Scrawl Books

On Friday, May 9th at 6:30 PM, Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft will be visiting to celebrate the release of their new collaboration, J vs. K! It's the biggest rivalry of the season! As kids, Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft were fast friends rivals! J (Jerry) was great at art, and K (Kwame) was great at writing. The two precocious kids have to learn how to share the spotlight as they realize their talents can be combined. All based on a true story! It's artist vs. writer with plenty of shady double crosses as J and K plot their way to the top. This epic match-up from Newbery medal winners Kwame Alexander (The Crossover) and Jerry Craft (New Kid) celebrates comics, creativity, and the magic of collaboration. Join both authors at Scrawl as they celebrate their contest collaboration.

Preorder your Signed Books and RSVP Here!

Bill Brown returns to DC ... as a lobbyist

From the man who brought us the President (then Citizen) Bill comic strip...

but seriously, he's working on the right side here. That's Bill in the white beard.

Ukraine's Future

Shiny young folk

William L Brown Apr 12 2025 https://nativecpeaker.substack.com/p/ukraines-future

Trading Texts by Daniel Boris

Kay Sohini's graphic novel reviews for the Post finally appear in print

They got a full page in Book World today, 2 weeks after appearing online, so here's the updated information.

4 new graphic novels to fill your spring days with color and mystery
Prepare to rethink ancient myths, explore the depths of the human mind and do more in these new books by Anders Nilsen, María Medem, Jason Novak and Rachel Ang.  [in print as Four graphic novels filled with color, myth and mystery]
Kay Sohini
Washington Post April 13, 2025: B8.

online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2025/03/29/new-graphic-novels-medem-nilsen/

 

Comic strip illustrates WaPo real estate section today

 I don't usually pay attention to the real estate section, having committed myself to a small house over 30 years ago, but I paged through today's Spring Home Buying Guide, and much to my surprise, found a cartoonist.

Offer high? Offer low? What’s a buyer to do? [in print as Offer high or low? Strategies vary]

By Tom Peterson

Washington Post April 13 2025: EZ 18-19

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/04/12/offer-high-offer-low-whats-buyer-do/

What we care about though are the illustrations by Jui Talukder that form a comic strip. (and bravo to the Post for actually printing them in color for a change).

 

 

Agent Orange by Daniel Boris

Cowboy cartoonist Ace Reid went to Abbott Art School in DC

Famed cowboy cartoonist called Kerrville home [Ace Reid, Cowpokes]

 Lanza Teague

Kerrville Daily Times April 11 2025

https://dailytimes.com/columnists/famed-cowboy-cartoonist-called-kerrville-home/article_7a451b2b-324c-4ad3-b036-340c8ce21c8a.html

Thanks to DD Degg for finding this article, which opens better in Chrome. DD's article has art samples.

"After his time in the Navy, Reid returned to Electra to work on the family ranch and attended the University of Kansas, Mexico City College and the Abbott Art School in Washington, D.C."

I've never heard of the school, but the DC Public Library and the Smithsonian's American Art Museum have folders on it. From the Smithsonian one, we can get her working name of Anne Fuller ABBOTT, and see that she ran her school from 1925-1955. She died in 1973 and is buried in Arlington Cemetery as Anne Abbott, but is recorded under her married name of Anne Fuller Abbott Uhler. Was there an earlier marriage? She's listed elsewhere as Anne Fuller (Lenox Uhler) Abbott.

Anyway, she wasn't a cartoonist, so I've spent enough time researching her.

Nate San's Paper Gold blog

 

 

I got a note from Nate today saying that he's a local collector of comic books who has a newsletter where he writes about them.  His most recent post is a review of Awesome Con:

Awesome(?) Con

In which I kick off this year's con season

Nate Sans

Paper Gold Apr 12, 2025

https://natesans.substack.com/p/awesome-con

I have subscribed and I'd encourage you to do so as well. Here's some of the previous comics content that caught my attention:

 

 Media & Memory: An Ode to Trash Culture and the Pack Rat [Helen of Wyndhorn]
Nate Sans
Paper Gold Jan 24, 2025
https://natesans.substack.com/p/media-and-memory

Two Reviews - Hollywood: The Oral History and MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios
Old Hollywood, New Hollywood, and Marvel Studios
Nate Sans
Paper Gold Oct 10, 2024
https://natesans.substack.com/p/two-reviews-hollywood-the-oral-history

Adventures in comic art: Part One of >1 - An introduction to "The Hobby"
Nate Sans
Paper Gold Jun 11, 2024
https://natesans.substack.com/p/adventures-in-comic-art

Further adventures in comic art: Part Two - the whys of it all
Nate Sans
Paper Gold Jun 25, 2024
https://natesans.substack.com/p/further-adventures-in-comic-art

Comics Research Bibliography citations update, 4/11/2025

FILING INDICATES DIAMOND WILL BE SOLD TO ALLIANCE ENTERTAINMENT

Based on Results of Hearing

Milton Griepp on April 10, 2025

https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/59297/filing-indicates-diamond-will-be-sold-alliance-entertainment

 

'WEREWOLF BY NIGHT' DIRECTOR PENS MARVEL COMIC

With Art by Messina

  Milton Griepp on April 10, 2025

https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/59292/werewolf-by-night-director-pens-marvel-comic

 

Lakes International Comic Art Festival launches the 2025 "Sophie Castille Award – English" for Comics in Translation

John Freeman on April 10, 2025

https://downthetubes.net/lakes-international-comic-art-festival-launches-the-2025-sophie-castille-award-english-for-comics-in-translation/

 

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest Podcast

Episode 198 - Sarah Booth

April 09, 2025 • Vin Coca, Beth Lawler, Paul Nesja, Nicole Chrolavicius • Season 5 • Episode 198

https://cartooncaptioncontestpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1719352/episodes/16949018-episode-198-sarah-booth

 

PANINI Comics takes over DC's Spanish-language publications from April onwards after ECC Ediciones folds

Ricardo Serrano Denis on 04/11/2025 https://www.comicsbeat.com/panini-comics-dc-ecc/             

 

TURNING POINTS by Maggie Thompson

Scoop April 11 2025

https://scoop.previewsworld.com/Home/4/1/73/1013?ArticleID=280984

 

Scoop Revamp Now Live on Overstreet Access!

Scoop April 11 2025

https://scoop.previewsworld.com/Home/4/1/73/1012?ArticleID=281083

 

Convention Recap: New Jersey Comic Art Con

Contributed by collector and Overstreet Advisor Art Cloos

Photos by Alice Cloos

Scoop April 11 2025

https://scoop.previewsworld.com/Home/4/1/73/1017?ArticleID=281062

 

New Jersey Comic Art Con in Photos

Photos by Alice Cloos

Scoop April 11 2025

https://scoop.previewsworld.com/Home/4/1/73/1018?ArticleID=281064

 

'Devil May Cry' Renewed by Netflix for Season 2

Tony Maglio

April 10, 2025  https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/devil-may-cry-season-2-renewed-netflix-1236187166/

 

A Villainous Force: Actor Mark Hamill Discusses Voicing King Herod in Angel Studios' Epic 'The King of Kings'

Ramin Zahed

April 10, 2025 https://www.animationmagazine.net/2025/04/a-royal-force-actor-mark-hamill-discusses-voicing-king-herod-in-angel-studios-epic-the-king-of-kings/

 

'The King of Kings' Review: A Remaking of the Christ

Alissa Wilkinson

A version of this article appears in print on April 11, 2025, Section C, Page 5 of the New York edition with the headline: A Familiar Story Keeps the Faith.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/movies/the-king-of-kings-review.html

 

'Dandelion' Director Zhengwu Gu Discusses the Inspirations Behind the Award-Winning Ringling Short

Ramin Zahed

April 10, 2025  https://www.animationmagazine.net/2025/04/dandelion-director-zhengwu-gu-discusses-the-inspirations-behind-the-award-winning-ringling-short/

 

ASIFA-Hollywood & Sotheby's Launch Animation Art Auction for AnimAid

Mercedes Milligan

April 10, 2025  https://www.animationmagazine.net/2025/04/asifa-hollywood-sothebys-launch-animation-art-auction-for-animaid/

 

'Ne Zha' Director Jiaozi's Hand-Painted Posters to Exhibit at Beijing Film Fest [China]

Animation Magazine

April 10, 2025 https://www.animationmagazine.net/2025/04/ne-zha-director-jiaozis-hand-painted-posters-to-exhibit-at-beijing-film-fest/

 

Alien Books To Publish Zorro Comics Through IDW Publishing

Alien Books adds Zorro comics to their line, alongside Valiant Entertainment, and will publish through IDW Publishing

10 Apr 2025  Rich Johnston  https://bleedingcool.com/comics/alien-books-to-publish-zorro-comics-through-idw-publishing/

 

CCG Gives Guidance On International Tariffs Over Slabbing And Grading

CCG gives guidance on international tariffs over slabbing and grading in the light of the current and planned moves by the USA and China.

  Apr 2025  by Rich Johnston  https://bleedingcool.com/comics/ccg-gives-guidance-on-international-tariffs-over-slabbing-and-grading/

 

Dav Pilkey's Latest Dog Man Sold 2.5 Million Copies Since December

10 Apr 2025  by Rich Johnston  https://bleedingcool.com/comics/dav-pilkeys-latest-dog-man-sold-2-5-million-copies-since-december/

 

Reviews: The War on Gaza [Joe Sacco]

Zach Rabiroff | April 10, 2025

https://www.tcj.com/reviews/the-war-on-gaza/

 

Graphic Novel Review: All's swell that ends WELL in Jon Allen's latest visit to Piney Bluff

François Vigneault on 04/11/2025 https://www.comicsbeat.com/graphic-novel-review-alls-swell-that-ends-well-in-jon-allens-latest-visit-to-piney-bluff/

 

GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: Anders Nilsen modernizes the Greek myth of Prometheus in his new book TONGUES, VOL. 1

Zack Quaintance on 04/11/2025 https://www.comicsbeat.com/graphic-novel-review-anders-nilsen-modernizes-the-greek-myth-of-prometheus-in-his-new-book-tongues-vol-1/

 

James Tynion with Tiny Onion Shocker! [Exquisite Corpses]

Heidi MacDonald.

Comics Beat

  Apr 11, 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCH7sChmT_c

 

Back to the Top of the Slide – This Week's Links

Clark Burscough | April 11, 2025

https://www.tcj.com/back-to-the-top-of-the-slide-this-weeks-links/

 

Sacha Mardou Conversation

Noah Van Sciver

  Mar 27, 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZAN3R2-zcc

 

Paul Auster's The New York Trilogy | Graphic Novels | Paul Karasik

Henry Chamberlain

The Comics Grinder Apr 6, 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kam98mOZ6dQ

 

EMMA RÍOS & DAVID BROTHERS in Conversation | February 16, 2025

Jacob Shapiro

Fantom Comics Mar 25, 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKjepsKI8HE

 

You Must Take Part in Revolution: Melissa Chan and Badiucao in Conversation

The Wende Museum

Mar 25, 2025  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fersc5rv1U

 

Exclusive: Hiveworks Comics announces it will end print, publishing division

April 9, 2025

https://www.tcj.com/hiveworks-comics-press-release/

 

Paul Auster's The New York Trilogy review – a classic that will be read for decades to come

Sketched in cinematic black and white, this illustrated interpretation of the late author's postmodern detective novel is a 'stone-cold masterpiece'

Rachel Cooke

7 Apr 2025

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/apr/07/the-new-york-trilogy-paul-auster-review-a-classic-that-will-be-read-for-decades-to-come

 

Rachel Ang review – an unforgettable graphic novel

In their darkly comic story, the Melbourne artist leans into the possibilities of the graphic novel, charting a young woman's frustrated attempts to be understood [Australia]

Claire Cao

Thu 10 Apr 2025 https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/apr/11/i-ate-the-whole-world-to-find-you-by-rachel-ang-graphic-novel-book-review

 

Fables for a post-truth world: Curt Pires talks politics, heroes, and big swords in 'Lost Fantasy'

'Lost Fantasy' will cut you deep (if you want it to).

Chris Coplan

April 4, 2025

https://aiptcomics.com/2025/04/04/curt-pires-lost-fantasy-feature/

 

Mark Waid on "We Are Yesterday": DC's wild, time-twisting crossover full of heroes, adventure, and apes

David Brooke

April 7, 2025

https://aiptcomics.com/2025/04/07/mark-waid-we-are-yesterday-qa/

 

"All I Had at the Beginning Was Vampire Brothel, Priest, Period Setting, Sexy!" – Paige Hender Tells All about 'The Confessional' from Silver Sprocket

Lydia Turner

    April 10, 2025 https://www.brokenfrontier.com/paige-hender-interview/

 

St. Louis author's new graphic novel leans into 'blood-soaked,' B-movie vibes [ Soman Chainani's "Coven"]

KCUR | By Laura Spencer

  April 7, 2025

https://www.stlpr.org/arts/2025-04-07/missouri-author-soman-chainani-graphic-novel-coven

 

Comics: The Superheroes of Classroom Diversity

By: Cindy Long,

April 4, 2025

https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/teaching-with-comics

 

Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud are cheering on kids who love cartoons

Clare Mulroy

USA TODAY April 9 2025

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2025/04/09/raina-telgemeier-scott-mccloud-cartoonists-club/82990283007/

 

Panelling Pain: Kayla E. comes to VCU with her new graphic novel featuring an unflinching narrative about a young girl's abusive childhood. ["Precious Rubbish"]

Sommer Browning

Style Weekly April 4, 2025

https://www.styleweekly.com/panelling-pain/

 

Sethi, Arundhati. 2025. Re-examining the refugee seascape in

comics: a plural-relational optics in Ali Fitzgerald's Drawn to Berlin, Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics (April 4): https://doi.org/10.1080/21504857.2025.2486382 and https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21504857.2025.2486382

 

Paula Fajardo, Martiña Ferreira, Celina Costas, Maria J. Chapela,

J. M. Vilariño & Xulia Pisón (2025) Fostering public awareness of scientific research

in the microalgae industry through a comic book, Applied Phycology, 6:1; April 4): 1-17,

https://doi.org/10.1080/26388081.2025.2475283 and

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/26388081.2025.2475283

 

Are scientists heroes or villains? The fascinating case of DC and Marvel superheroes comics

Alessandro Muscio and, Matteo Farinella

Technology in Society Volume 82, September 2025, 102895

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102895 and https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X25000855

 

    Drawing (in) the Feminine: 'Bande Dessinée' and Women ed. by Margaret C. Flinn (review)

    Maaheen Ahmed

    French Studies: A Quarterly Review

    Volume 79, Number 2, April 2025

    pp. 322-323

    https://muse.jhu.edu/article/956244

 

Need More Things to Break. by Daniel Boris

 

EMMA RÍOS & DAVID BROTHERS in Conversation | February 16, 2025

Jacob Shapiro

  

Fantom Headquarters

 

Fantom Comics Mar 25, 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKjepsKI8HE

Emma Ríos and David Brothers join us virtually at Fantom Comics in Washington, D.C. to discuss their work on the graphic novel Anzuelo, published by Image Comics. From Fantom Comics' archive of interviews with comics professionals.