Passings: Indian cartoonist Mohan Tadi, described by one admirer as “a humanist cartoonist” and another as “the first cartoonist to introduce European satire to telugu journalism” has died at the age of 67. (Telugu is an Indian language.) Born in Andra Pradesh in 1951, Mohan studied at Andhra University and began his career in 1970 as a sub-editor at the Vishalandra Telugu, a daily newspaper. He worked for several newspapers and as an independent journalist as well as a cartoonist; he was also the head of animation for Sakshi News.
Interviews and Profiles
Ignatz Winner: Rosie Knight profiles Bianca Xunise, who describes her goal as an artist very clearly: “My mission is to give black women an opportunity to see themselves in stories just as nuanced and complicated as everyone else. I always wanted to see myself in the books I read, so one day I decided to do just that. The fact that so many people see themselves in my work, and not just black women but all types of people, that’s the greatest reward!” Xunise explains how Lucy Knisley’s French Milk truly resonated with her; now she draws comics for HelloGiggles and The Nib, and although this article doesn’t mention it, she won this year’s Ignatz Award for Promising New Talent.
Your Longread for the Week: Tom Spurgeon hosts a creator-on-creator interview at The Comics Reporter, as Noah Van Sciver talks to Peter Bagge.
Girl Power: Hassan Siddiqui, the creator of Pakistan Man, has a new superhero: Pakistan Girl, who wears a green cape (the color of Pakistan’s flag) and delivers beatdowns and lectures to men who beat women or take them hostage. Siddiqui hopes his heroine will become a role model for women in Pakistan, and he’s working on an Urdu version of the comic now, but he’s up against some steep odds, as 24 million Pakistani children don’t go to school, and half the eight-year-olds in the country are illiterate.
Ink’s All Around: In a podcast interview, inker Seth Mann talks about his job. Mann works with only one penciller, his twin brother Clay Mann, and they are currently working on Tom King’s Batman comic.
Local Hero: The Baylor University paper checks in on alumnus Ben Humeniuk, who has created a graphic novel, Waking Life, with a premise inspired by the classic comic strip Little Nemo: What is the story of the princess who ends Nemo’s adventures by waking him up, and what is it like to be immortal and have each of your friends outgrow you?
Reviews, Roundups, and Commentary
Home Girl: Rick Paulas writes about Oakland the way it used to be, and the way Mimi Pond’s Over Easy and The Customer Is Always Wrong bring it back to life.
The Life Changing Magic of Manga: Michelle Woo rounds up some examples of teens and tweens who actually cleaned their rooms after reading Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up.
The Biz
Savage No More: Brian Hibbs turns out the lights on Savage Critics, but he also lifts the curtain on a new Comix Experience blog that looks like it will be more tied in to his store.
Protips: Master letterer Todd Klein has some advice for comics writers from the letterer’s point of view.
Changes at Diamond Book Distributors: Josh Hayes has been promoted to executive vice president of Diamond Book Distributors, and his predecessor in that post, Kuo Yu Liang, is moving to a new position, vice president of international sales and business development.