Comics Lowdown | Supply chain issues cause delays for DC Comics

Plus: Free Comic Book Day woes for New York library, Marvel’s vaccination comic, Osamu Tezuka and more.

Newsarama has reported that several titles from DC scheduled to come out over the next few months have been delayed due to supply chain issues.

“DC faces an unprecedented strain on the global supply chain, affecting all of us in the comic industry and beyond,” DC Marketing Manager Albert Ching said in a statement to retailers. “Up to this point, we’ve been able to keep delays and shortages to a minimum, but with recent notifications about COVID-related port closures, international and domestic freight delays, workforce shortages, and a severely allocated paper supply, we are unable to continue to manage this situation without disruption.”

Some Batman Day comics, DC has said, will be allocated to retailers as well due to these same issues, but

Supply chain issues have been in the news recently as manufacturers face raw materials shortages, transportation delays, higher energy costs and of course COVID-related issues. They are expected to continue into next year and will likely be exasperated with the upcoming holiday season.

The Farmingdale Public Library in New York was in the news for handing out copies of Tales of a Grown-Up Nothing, the Free Comic Book Day offering from Silver Sprocket and created by Elizabeth Pich, to kids. The comic includes explicit imagery; Coca-Cola, the primary sponsor for this year’s event on Aug. 14, had their ad removed from that comic in particular.

The comic was accidentally put in giveaway bags that were handed out to six families by the library, according to a report on ICv2. The library has decided they will no longer participate in the event, and a Diamond spokesperson said they are reviewing their guidelines for FCBD content.

“We are reviewing guidelines out of an abundance of caution,” Diamond Director of Marketing Emily Hunter told ICv2. “Some library staff and volunteers may be less familiar with the variety of content available in comics. We want to help libraries avoid this type of incident in the future and ensure a positive experience for all participants.

Writing for NPR, Zack Quaintance has a really nicely done article about comics creators who meld their heritage, folklore and culture into their art, including Juni Ba, creator of Djeliya from TKO Studios, and Ethan Young, creator of The Dragon Path from Scholastic.

Marvel has teamed up with New York City’s SOMOS Community Care to help spread the word about the importance of the COVID vaccination in Black, Latino and Asian communities. Part of their efforts include the creation of a short comic, by Henry Barajas and Craig Rousseau, that features the Avengers and MODOK. You can read it here.

“Marvel has always told stories to entertain, inspire and reflect the world around us. As many communities continue to grapple with the effects of COVID-19, it was important to us to help promote vaccine awareness and confidence in New York City,” Marvel Entertainment President Dan Buckley told Variety. “We are thrilled to collaborate with SOMOS Community Care for this new comic book and campaign to continue to educate and encourage our communities during these trying times.”

Writing for The Beat, Arpad Okay shares the love for Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka’s shōjo work. “These books are branded as fairy tale romance, but they have all the thrills, clashing duelists, close calls, and lost lives of the boys’ adventure yarns that were their contemporaries. Plus romance!”

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