The Comics Super Blog!
See what the Smash Pages crew has checked off their “to read” list lately.
Welcome to another edition of What Are You Reading?, our weekly look at what the Smash Pages crew has been checking off their “to read” list lately. You can play along in the comments if you wish.
Now here we go …
Continue reading “What Are You Reading? | Spider-Man, Star Trek, JSA and more”Featuring news from AHOY, Quarantine Comix and the CBLDF.
Mail Call is a roundup of the announcements we received from publishers in our mailboxes recently. Hit the links for more information.
The latest issue of the Quarantine Comix guest series features Al Ewing and PJ Holden, telling a short story that’s a “riff on Animal Crossing and Wicker Man.” Proceeds for this latest issue will go to the Equal Justice Initiative and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Visit the Quarantine Comix website for more information.
Continue reading “Mail Call | AHOY Comics moves ‘Captain Ginger’ to digital only”Retailers, publishers and industry react to DC dropping Diamond as a distributor.
DC’s announcement that they’ve ended their relationship with Diamond Comics Distributors in favor of working with Lunar and UCS, the two distributors that sprung into being during the coronavirus pandemic, sent shockwaves through the industry yesterday.
Diamond founder Steve Geppi responded to the news with a message of his own to retailers:
Continue reading “Diamond, others respond to DC’s direct market decision”After 25 years, DC will distribute their comics to shops without the help of the industry’s traditional distributor.
DC Comics is cutting ties with Diamond Comics Distributors and will use the two new distributors that came into existence during the coronavirus pandemic to deliver comics to retailers.
Lunar Distribution and UCS Comic Distributors, the distributors with ties to comics retailers Discount Comic Book Service and Midtown Comics, will distribute periodicals to stores. Retailers can also order books through Penguin Random House, who handle DC’s trades and graphic novels for the book trade.
“After 25 years, DC and Diamond Comic Distributors are ending their long-standing relationship,” a spokesperson from DC told The Hollywood Reporter. “Moving forward, comic book retailers can obtain their DC books from Penguin Random House, or their books and periodicals through Lunar or UCS comic book distributors. DC continues to be committed to providing the Direct Market with best in class service and the fans with the world’s greatest comic books.”
Continue reading “DC Comics drops Diamond as they shift completely to Lunar, UCS”‘Maybe Someday: Stories of Promise, Visions of Hope’ launched on Kickstarter this week, offering ’25 inspiring stories about a brighter future.’
Tyler Chin-Tanner, Matt Miner and Eric Palicki have worked together in the past on the anthologies This Nightmare Kills Fascists and All We Ever Wanted, both of which were published by A Wave Blue World. This is of course in addition to the many other comics they’ve written.
Their new comic anthology is Maybe Someday: Stories of Promise, Visions of Hope. I honestly don’t know whether this is the best or the worst time to kickstart an anthology of optimistic science fiction stories, but they’ve gathered a talented group of creators to tell stories about possibilities, hope and the promise that our struggles today will lead to a better tomorrow.
The Kickstarter just launched and the three were kind enough to answer a few questions about the project.
Continue reading “Smash Pages Q&A: Tyler Chin-Tanner, Matt Miner & Eric Palicki”Details on the awards ceremony will be shared at a later date.
Comic-Con International announced the nominees today for the 2020 Eisner Awards, which are traditionally given out in San Diego every July.
This, of course, is not a traditional year. While they still plan to give the awards out in July, details on what the awards ceremony might look like haven’t been announced yet.
“The judging process was very challenging this year,” says Eisner Awards Administrator Jackie Estrada. “Normally, the judges all meet in San Diego for four days in a room filled with all the submitted comics and books and they are able to interact with each other in person. With the country in lockdown, they all had to stay in their respective homes (as far away as Maine, Pennsylvania, Kansas, and Kingston, Ontario) so had to communicate via email, a social media group and Zoom. Packages of books went back and forth all over the country. Fortunately, we were able to work with the folks at comiXology and many of the publishers to have digital versions of hundreds of submissions available to the judges.”
The 2020 Eisner Awards judging panel consists of graphic novel reviewer Martha Cornog (Library Journal), comics journalist Jamie Coville (TheComicBooks.com), academic/author Michael Dooley (L.A. Art Center College of Design, Print magazine), comic writer/novelist Alec Grecian (Proof, Rasputin, The Yard), journalist/blogger/podcaster Simon Jimenez (longtome Comic-Con volunteer), and retailer Laura O’Meara (Casablanca Comics, Portland, ME).
“The process took two months longer than usual, so the window for voting is significantly shorter than in previous years,” Estrada said. “We encourage professionals in comics to cast their votes as soon as they can.”
Voting for the awards is held online, and the ballot will be available at www.eisnervote.com. All professionals in the comic book industry are eligible to vote. The deadline for voting is June 18.
Check out the list of nominees below:
Continue reading “Nominees announced for the 2020 Eisner Awards”See what’s hitting stores this week from DC, Marvel, Image and more.
This week is a bit lighter for comic shops than the previous one, as both Dark Horse and Marvel aren’t releasing any single issues today — just trades/collections. Marvel does a have a few of their digital-only titles available on comiXology, however.
If you’re wondering what to get this week, check out a few recommendations the Smash Pages crew. You can check the Comic List page to see what’s arriving in your local shop, and the comiXology new releases page for what’s available digitally. As always, you should check with your local shop on their hours, curbside pick-up, etc. in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Stay safe out there.
Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Comics | Catwoman, She-Hulk and more”Learn more about ‘Decoded,’ a daily anthology for Pride Month featuring comics and fiction from a wide range of LGBTQ+ creators.
Sara Century is a writer and artist who’s written for Bustle, The Los Angeles Review of Books, SyFy, and one of the creators behind the webcomic. S.E. Fleenor is a freelance writer who’s contributed to Electric Literature, them, Vice and is a managing editor at Bella Media Channel. Together, the two host one of the best podcasts about comics that there is, Bitches on Comics.
Their current project is Decoded, a daily anthology for Pride Month featuring comics and fiction from a wide range of LGBTQ+ creators. The work coming out runs the gamut from fantasy to horror to science fiction to superheroes, from long stories to short ones, from prose to comics. This year Pride will be a virtual event because of the pandemic, and in the anthology and their podcast, Century and Fleenor are doing a great job of centering queer voices and perspectives in a way that is exciting to see. They were kind enough to answer a few questions.
Continue reading “Smash Pages Q&A: Sara Century and S.E. Fleenor”On Blackout Tuesday, take a look at eight graphic novels that explore the issues of police brutality, the experiences of Black people and working toward change.
It’s Blackout Tuesday, and we’re centering Black creators with a short list of comics and graphic novels that explore issues of police brutality, the experiences of Black people, and how to work toward structural change. To find more Black creators, follow the #drawingwhileblack hashtag on Twitter and check out Sheena Howard’s Encyclopedia of Black Comics (full disclosure: I was a contributor).
Read. Learn. Then go out and change the world.
Continue reading “Reading for Revolution: Black comics, Black lives”Creators offer commissions, comics and more, with proceeds going to Black Lives Matter and other organizations.
As protests against policy brutality continue around the United States, many comics creators and publishers are currently helping to raise money for Black Lives Matter, the Bail Project, the Minnesota Freedom Fund and other organizations dedicated to this cause or, in some cases, helping the protestors.
Here’s a rundown of several we’ve seen who are drawing commissions or selling their comics, with proceeds going to these organizations. If you see others, let us know on social media or in the comments below.
Continue reading “Creators, publishers raise money for protestors + related causes”
