Brooklyn’s local BKReader spotlights Lesser Evils, a new comic series from AWA Studios that is set in the NY borough. The comic debuted digitally earlier this week on GlobalComix, as part of a “Global First” localization partnership between the online comics platform and AWA. GlobalComix plans to release it in multiple languages, including English, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian and Hindi.
“It’s not just going digital first, it’s going Global First,” said Christopher Carter, founder and CEO of GlobalComix, in a press release. “We believe that when companies go digital first, they are no longer constrained to the same up-front investment costs of physical market validation, distribution, supply chain, required for localization and global audiences.”
Emmett: A Lesser Evils Story, written by Ian Grody with art by Yishan Li, is available now on GlobalComix.
Publishers | The United Workers of Seven Seas have said that their employer, Seven Seas Entertainment, has refused to voluntary recognize their union. The UWSS anticipates a union vote could happen in 4-12 weeks, “depending on how hard they fight us.”
Organizations | The American Library Association and the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation have announced the recipients of this year’s Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries. The grants will go to libraries in Evergreen Park, Illinois; Miami, Florida; and Revena, New York, the last of which has partnered with the Coxsackie Correctional Facility Library to bring “graphic novel collections and programming resources to both their populations.”
Censorship | Speaking of libraries, Bridge Michigan reports on the many challenges libraries in the state are facing for books like Gender Queer and Patience and Esther: an Edwardian Romance, among others.
“Librarians work extremely hard, are well trained and educated to develop library collections that reflect the diversity of their particular community or school as well as the larger world,” one librarian said. “The implication by individuals that they would intentionally include books that are harmful undermines their best efforts and erodes public trust.”
Interviews | Rasmus Lykke interviews Kieron Gillen about the Die role-playing game that’s currently being crowdfunded (and has made more than 10 times its original goal).
Conventions | A church in East Rockaway, New York has come up with a clever way to raise money for a new furnace — FurnaceCon, a comics convention featuring local comics dealers and creators.
Podcasts | At Shelf Dust, Al Kennedy hosted a 12-part podcast series that looks back at the original 1980s Secret Wars miniseries, issue by issue, with a variety of different comics critics.
Reading lists | The Washington Post shares “18 YA books to read with your teens this summer,” which includes graphic novels by Colleen AF Venable, Ngozi Ukazu and more.
Reading lists | Book Riot shares a list of wordless graphic novels to check out, by Sara Varon, Shaun Tan and more.