Wednesday, May 18, 2022

What did our reporter find when he visited more than 30 stores? Quirky meccas devoted to DC and Marvel releases, vintage issues and eye-popping collectibles.

By George Gene Gustines

A version of this article appears in print on May 6, 2022, Section C, Page 22 of the New York edition with the headline: A Citywide Tour of Comic Book Destinations.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/05/arts/new-york-city-comic-book-destination.html

Olivia Kolanek, April 28, 2022,

Not all heroes wear capes: Tomball community comes to the rescue of local comic shop

https://www.click2houston.com/houston-life/2022/04/28/not-all-heroes-wear-capes-tomball-community-comes-to-the-rescue-of-local-comic-shop/

NJ Gov. Visits Montclair Comic Shop To Highlight COVID Recovery Fund

East Side Mags is one of the New Jersey enterprises that benefitted from a small business fund launched during the coronavirus pandemic.

Eric Kiefer, Patch

May 6, 2022

https://patch.com/new-jersey/montclair/nj-gov-visits-montclair-comic-shop-highlight-covid-recovery-fund

Free Comic Book Day Will Return To Montclair Store For 2022

Eric Kiefer, Patch May 5, 2022

https://patch.com/new-jersey/montclair/free-comic-book-day-will-return-montclair-store-2022

Richmond restaurateur's appreciation of comic books as art leads to new store

Jack Jacobs

Richmond BizSense May 12, 2022

https://richmondbizsense.com/2022/05/12/richmond-restaurateurs-appreciation-of-comic-books-as-art-leads-to-new-store/

Tobyhanna Welcomes its Newest Comic Shop

Pocono Update May 9 2022

https://original.newsbreak.com/@pocono-update-1593042/2596488485255-tobyhanna-welcomes-its-newest-comic-shop

Gooches launch Nerd It Up comic store in Gerald

Reid Glenn

Missourian May 4, 2022

https://www.emissourian.com/local_news/gooches-launch-nerd-it-up-comic-store-in-gerald/article_38e8087e-cbe4-11ec-8f3a-379d9042991d.html

'Goodbye everyone' Iconic Dundee comic shop to close as pandemic losses bite

Stuart Kane - owner of Big Dog Books - announced the decision on Facebook 'with great sadness'.

James Moncur

4 MAY 2022

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/goodbye-everyone-iconic-dundee-comic-26870792

Coming Up for Air: A Johnnie Christmas Interview About the One and Only Swim Team

May 16, 2022 by Betsy Bird

https://afuse8production.slj.com/2022/05/16/coming-up-for-air-a-johnnie-christmas-interview-about-the-one-and-only-swim-team/

A Starter Manga Set: 15 Titles for Children and Tweens

by Brigid Alverson

May 13, 2022

https://www.slj.com/story/a-starter-manga-set-15-titles-for-children-and-tweens

Licensing Hotline: May 2022

By Karen Raugust

May 17, 2022

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/89345-licensing-hotline-may-2022.html

U.S. Book Show 2022: Mo Willems

By Shannon Maughan

May 13, 2022

A version of this article appeared in the 05/16/2022 issue of Publishers Weekly under the headline: Mo Willems

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bea/article/89297-u-s-book-show-2022-mo-willems.html

Scholastic Takes 'Alma's Way'

By Karen Raugust

May 17, 2022

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/89342-scholastic-takes-alma-s-way.html

5/20: Khoi Pham, Marvel Illustrator at WWI memorial at noon

U.S. Army Honor Guard to Lead Special Celebration in Honor of EMS Workers and WWI Veteran Dr. Frank Boston

An EMS Week celebration will be held to recognize all EMS workers and in particular to honor the historic legacy of Dr. Frank E. Boston, veteran, physician and the first African-American to start both a hospital and ambulance corps.

DATE: TIME:	Friday, May 20, 2022 noon
LOCATION:	World War I Memorial (Former Pershing Park) Pennsylvania Avenue, NW between 14th Street NW and 15th Street NW (Across from the White House Visitor Center)
DETAILS:	EMS Week is held May 16-22. It is a particularly special time to thank paramedics, EMTs and the entire Emergency Medical Services workforce for their service and sacrifices, and to recognize the historic legacy of Dr. Frank E. Boston. Dr. Boston was a World War I veteran, doctor and surgeon, who served in France with the 92nd Division (Buffalo Soldiers). Following his return to Pennsylvania, he went on to start the First Aid Emergency Squad (now the Volunteer Medical Service Corp.), and Elm Terrace Hospital (now Jefferson Lansdale Hospital, part of Jefferson Health). The ambulance corp. and hospital, both located in Lansdale, PA, continue to serve their communities to this day - almost 100 years later. Event participants include: United States Army Honor Guard The Washington Scottish Pipe Band (St. Andrew's Society of Washington DC Pipe Band) Deputy Chief Michael Knight, Washington DC Fire & EMS Gamunu Wijetunge, Director, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Emergency Medical Services Shane Wheeler, Volunteer Medical Services Corp. George Whitehair, Dr. Boston Researcher Khoi Pham, Marvel Illustrator Dr. Alvin Wang, Chief Medical Officer & Regional EMS Medical Director Kristy Van Hoven, Director, National EMS Museum & Authentic Scottish Dance Performer

About Dr. Frank Boston & the Boston Legacy Foundation

To learn more about Dr. Frank Erdman Boston, visit http://www.bostonlegacyfoundation.org. A comic book was also created highlighting Dr. Boston and his team of volunteers in action, http://www.docbostonadventures.com.

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

New comic book store opened in Richmond

Richmond restaurateur's appreciation of comic books as art leads to new store

Jack Jacobs

Richmond BizSense May 12, 2022

https://richmondbizsense.com/2022/05/12/richmond-restaurateurs-appreciation-of-comic-books-as-art-leads-to-new-store/

Comics Research Bibliography citations update, 5/16/22

Comic Book Artist Dijjo Lima Dies

By Narayan Liu

CRB May 16 2022

https://www.cbr.com/comic-book-artist-dijji-obit/

BUSINESS 3X3: ERIC CHILDS AT MIND'S EYE COMICS

Learned It's Tough to Un-Ring a Bell

Posted by Jim McLauchlin on May 16, 2022

https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/51184/business-3x3-eric-childs-minds-eye-comics

Comic Culture with Thomas Sniegoski and Jeannine Acheson

May 11, 2022

terence dollard

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

Comic Culture with J David Spurlock

May 9, 2022

terence dollard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-70jtOlyYCM

Garth Ennis previews The Boys Season Three!

Andrew Sumner

Forbidden Planet TV May 6 2022

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW9N7LyqiCY

Joshua Williamson: DC's explosive Dark Crisis is MUCH MORE than you expect!

Andrew Sumner

May 4, 2022

Forbidden Planet TV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=312A5dQMylQ

Thank God for Stilt-Man: A Graphical Understanding of the Life of a C-List Villain

By David Harper

May 10, 2022

https://sktchd.com/column/thank-god-for-stilt-man-a-graphical-understanding-of-the-life-of-a-c-list-villain/

INTERVIEW: Rainbow Rowell talks charting the ongoing SHE-HULK series

Joe Grunenwald

05/16/2022

https://www.comicsbeat.com/rainbow-rowell-she-hulk-interview-marvel/

Welcome Tundra comics!

Ken Harty

Fergus Falls Daily Journal May 14, 2022

https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/opinion/welcome-tundra-comics/article_87b61ff6-d2f9-11ec-8bc0-27df3445b889.html

Vancouver cartoonist named finalist for Pulitzer Prize, 2 years after switching professions [Zoe Si]

Meagan Gill

CTV News Vancouver

Updated May 16, 2022 11:17 a.m. EDT

Published May 13, 2022 3:37 p.m. EDT

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/vancouver-cartoonist-named-finalist-for-pulitzer-prize-2-years-after-switching-professions-1.5902349

Alhafis Hashim , M. E., Idris, M. Z. ., & Said, C. S. . (2022). Defining the construct and elements of Aesthetic Experience (AX) and User Experience (UX) in Augmented Reality Comics (AR Comics). International Journal of Creative Multimedia, 3(1), 17–34. https://doi.org/10.33093/ijcm.2022.3.1.2

https://ajlp.mmupress.com/index.php/ijcm/article/view/362https://ajlp.mmupress.com/index.php/ijcm/article/view/362/226

Amini, M., Rue, G. S., Saffari, N., & Amirdabbaghian, A. (2022). Using Strategies to Solve Problems in Translating Chinese to English Comics. International Online Journal of Language, Communication, and Humanities, 5(I), 74-84. Retrieved from http://insaniah.umk.edu.my/journal/index.php/insaniah/article/view/155

http://insaniah.umk.edu.my/journal/index.php/insaniah/article/view/155/89

How Multiverse Stories Invite Us to Envison Jesus' Alternative Community [Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness]

JR. Forasteros

Sojourners May 13, 2022 https://sojo.net/articles/how-multiverse-stories-invite-us-envison-jesus-alternative-community

The Holy Ghost by John Hendrix - A joint review

by Mike Rhode & Cathy Hunter

ComicsDC blog May 16, 2022

https://comicsdc.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-holy-ghost-by-john-hendrix-joint.html

Lettering: Ira Schnapp's Thirty-Plus Years in Motion Picture-Related Businesses

Alex Jay

Tenth Letter of the Alphabet blog

May 16, 2022

http://alphabettenthletter.blogspot.com/2022/05/lettering-ira-schnapps-thirty-plus.html

Monday, May 16, 2022

The Holy Ghost by John Hendrix - A joint review

by Mike Rhode & Cathy Hunter

When a publicist offered to send The Holy Ghost: A Spirited Comic by John Hendrix (Abrams Comic Arts, 2022) for review, I (Mike) accepted enthusiastically. I had just interviewed Grant Snider for his book, The Art of Living, from the same publisher, and am very fond of his philosophical one-page comics. I expected something similar from Hendrix, as his book has an introduction by Patrick McDonnell, another thoughtful and spiritual cartoonist who recently took a half year off to work on a project with the Dalai Lama.

I very much enjoyed Hendrix's art - his drawings of a little blue ghost, or more properly I suppose, a little blue spirit, and his foils, an anthropomorphic squirrel and badger.

The publisher's promo text reads:

Does God exist? Is there a heaven? What’s the point of it all? Do we even matter?

This collection of thought-provoking, humorous comic strips is a series of conversations between a squirrel, a badger, and a friendly blue ghost who may or may not be one third of the Holy Trinity. Charming, witty, and at times poignant, yet never holier-than-thou, New York Times bestselling and award-winning illustrator John Hendrix tackles some of life’s greatest questions. Whether you consider yourself faithful or a nonbeliever, these delightfully off-kilter comics deliver laughter, comfort, and philosophical musings with humble, honest spirit—and just the right dose of playful irreverence.

and this highlights my major issue with the book - it is a deep dive into Christian thought, not really philosophical musings writ large.

There's a strong tradition of religious cartoons and cartoonists - single panel cartoons such as Brother Juniper, odd excursions such as Al Hartley's Christian Archie comics, the evil evangelism of Jack Chick's tracts, so I should not have been surprised I suppose. Hendrix's afterword (not foreword) is clear -- he doodled a lot of these cartoons in church while listening to sermons. "The comics became a way to preach to myself over many years and many seasons of life." Fair enough, but as I've grown older, I've become less tolerant of proselytizing.

Still, the art is very well done, the cartoons are often clever, and I decided to turn to my wife Cathy, who is religious, to the point of being her church's volunteer librarian. She found this to be a book that reminded her of teachings she'd encountered over the years and enjoyed revisiting some of those big questions illustrated with a whimsical blue ghost. She sees Hendrix's claimed influences of Schulz and Watterson in the art. The following are her thoughts on the book -

Trying to make sense of the Trinity, particularly the Holy Ghost is one paradox after another. Many of the illustrations reminded me of the King James Version of the Bible's description of faith: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

I love the typography of the strip title. For each one, he does something different. A couple of cartoons stood out for me. On page 120, the very first cartoon done in his sketchbook, illustrates "Be Thou My Vision," my favorite hymn based on an old Celtic tune. However, the analysis is spot-on. Who does not care anything about money or being well-thought of? On page 115, the Ghost and Squirrel are playing checkers, and the Ghost says, "King of Kings me" to which the losing Squirrel replies "Enough with that." This very light-hearted cartoon is one of my favorites.

In the end, Hendrix succeeds in holding in equipoise the bad things happening in the world, but also the love and all the beautiful things. He shows that still, small voice that sees a small light in the dark.

So there you have it - two viewpoints on one book. We both agree that the artwork is lovely, and Abrams has done its usual fine job -- except for one thing -- the cartoons are too small. Many of them would have benefited from being European album-sized instead of a slightly larger-than-usual hardcover, both for the art and the text. Even the Artist's Note appears to be in 8 point type, which won't appeal to the older reader who is probably more likely to purchase this book. In the end, we were both glad of the opportunity to read the book, and glad the strips are collected for a broader audience.

An example of 'too small' reproduction

And Cathy's church library is getting the review copy...

Eric Orner draws Congressman Barney Frank's life, and speaks locally about it

Eric Orner: Smahtguy

Thursday, May 19, 2022
7:00 PM 8:00 PM

Solid State Books 600 H Street Northeast Washington, DC, 20002 United States (map)

Join us in store to welcome Eric Orner discussing his new book Smahtguy: The Life and Times of Barney Frank! This is an in-store, in-person event and is free and open for all to attend! Please RSVP here

https://www.solidstatebooksdc.com/events/2022/5/19/eric-orner-smahtguy

LGBTQ Pioneer Barney Frank's Story Is Now a Graphic Novel

The author explains why the ex-congressman makes a good comic.

Written by Bill O'Sullivan Washingtonian May 16, 2022

This article appears in the May 2022 issue of Washingtonian.

https://www.washingtonian.com/2022/05/16/lgbtq-pioneer-barney-franks-story-is-now-a-graphic-novel/

Comics Research Bibliography citations update, 5/15/22

'Heartstopper' is bursting with young queer love, cartoon hearts and fireworks

Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Mark Blankenship, Cate Young

Pop Culture Happy Hour

May 13, 2022

https://www.npr.org/2022/05/06/1097170431/heartstopper-is-bursting-with-young-queer-love-cartoon-hearts-and-fireworks

https://play.podtrac.com/npr-510282/edge1.pod.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/pchh/2022/05/20220513_pchh_pchh_220513_heartstopper_final.mp3

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1097170431

Twenty years later, 'Spider-Man' is still my superhero origin story

by David Betancourt

Washington Post May 15, 2022 p. E2

online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/comics/2022/05/04/spider-man-movie-20-year-anniversary/

Zdarsky and Loo Discuss the Future of The All-Nighter

By Dustin Holland

CBR May 13 2022

https://www.cbr.com/zdarsky-and-loo-discuss-the-future-of-the-all-nighter/

Flipping through the pages of the history of indie comics in Newfoundland and Labrador [Canada]

Elizabeth Whitten · CBC News : May 15, 2022

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-indie-comics-1.6438004

The labor laws of the superhero universe amount to disturbing propaganda

Somehow, without coordination, superhero movies adhere to the same unwritten, right-wing code

By Keith A. Spencer

Salon May 14, 2022

https://www.salon.com/2022/05/14/marvel-dc-superhero-labor-laws-propaganda/

The Spell 'Doctor Strange' Is Missing: Sam Raimi's Macabre Vision

By Calum Marsh

A version of this article appears in print on May 14, 2022, Section C, Page 2 of the New York edition with the headline: Macabre Vision Is Missing Here.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12/movies/spider-man-doctor-strange-sam-raimi.html

DIE: RPG Playthrough with Kieron Gillen and Friends

Nov 15, 2020

ThoughtBubbleComics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm8-Ut8pvek

'Married…With Children' Animated Series in the Works

Rick Porter

May 13, 2022

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/married-with-children-animated-series-original-cast-1235146231/

May 13, 2022

'M.O.D.O.K' Canceled at Hulu After One Season

Joe Otterson

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/modok-canceled-hulu-1235266682/

Talking Duo, new Milestone stories with Greg Pak, Khoi Pham, and Scott Hanna

David Brooke

May 8th, 2022

https://aipt-comics.simplecast.com/episodes/greg-pak-khoi-pham-and-scott-hanna-talk-duo

AIPT Comics Podcast Episode 171: Kyle Starks on crafting horror from all things scary in 'I Hate This Place'

Kyle Starks joins Dave and Colin on the AIPT Comics podcast to talk new horror series 'I Hate This Place.'

David Brooke and Colin Moon

May 15, 2022

https://aiptcomics.com/2022/05/15/aipt-comics-podcast-ep-171-kyle-starks/

PW Comics World: More To Come

More to Come 516: Mark Doyle Interview [IDW]

Heidi MacDonald

on 05/13/2022

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/podcasts/index.html?channel=2&podcast=1198

OPINION: Kickstarter won't explain their blockchain protocol, so I will

Beat 05/13/2022

By Erin Ptah

https://www.comicsbeat.com/opinion-kickstarter-wont-explain-their-blockchain-protocol-so-i-will/

The Great Unravelling May 10 2022

Why You Should Start Reading Comics with Ian Dunt

Ben Kelly and Mat Walker

https://shows.acast.com/62385893628ffa0013953c14/episodes/why-you-should-start-reading-comics-with-ian-dunt

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Comics Research Bibliography citations update, 5/17/22

5/20: Khoi Pham, Marvel Illustrator at WWI memorial at noon

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

New comic book store opened in Richmond

Richmond restaurateur's appreciation of comic books as art leads to new store

Comics Research Bibliography citations update, 5/16/22

Monday, May 16, 2022

The Holy Ghost by John Hendrix - A joint review

Eric Orner draws Congressman Barney Frank's life, and speaks locally about it

Eric Orner: Smahtguy

https://www.solidstatebooksdc.com/events/2022/5/19/eric-orner-smahtguy

LGBTQ Pioneer Barney Frank's Story Is Now a Graphic Novel

The author explains why the ex-congressman makes a good comic.

Comics Research Bibliography citations update, 5/15/22

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