Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Enter the ‘House of Brainiac’

Check out what new comics and graphic novels are arriving this week by Joshua Williamson, Rafa Sandoval, Tony Fleecs, Dave Wachter, Erica Schultz, Cullen Bunn, Patrick Piazzalunga, Kevin Maguire, Travis Dandro, Emily Carroll and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital.

This week the House of Brainiac kicks off in the Superman Family and related titles, while another comic emerges from the Spawn universe. Meanwhile, Winnie-the-Pooh entering the public domain nets us a beautiful new graphic novel, while a classic by Emily Carroll returns to print.

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights below, but for the complete list of everything you might find at your local comic shop and on digital this week, you’ll want to check out one or more of the following:

As a reminder, things can change and what you find on the above lists may differ from what’s actually arriving in your local shop. So always check with your comics retailer for the final word on availability.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Enter the ‘House of Brainiac’”

‘Gender Queer,’ ‘Flamer’ among the most banned books of 2023

For the third year in a row, a record number of books were challenged in libraries and schools.

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe was once again the most challenged book in libraries in 2023, as reported today by the American Library Association. This makes the third year in a row that the graphic novel about gender identity has topped the list.

Gender Queer was one of seven books in the top 10 that was challenged based on LGBTQIA+ content, along with two other graphic novels — Flamer by Mike Curato, which was the fifth most challenged book, and Let’s Talk About It by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan, which was the ninth.

“In looking at the titles of the most challenged books from last year, it’s obvious that the pressure groups are targeting books about LGBTQIA+ people and people of color,” said ALA President Emily Drabinski. “At ALA, we are fighting for the freedom to choose what you want to read. Shining a light on the harmful workings of these pressure groups is one of the actions we must take to protect our right to read.”

Continue reading “‘Gender Queer,’ ‘Flamer’ among the most banned books of 2023”