Author: JK Parkin

Tillie Walden named Vermont’s next Cartoonist Laureate

The creator of “Spinning” and “On A Sunbeam” will begin her tenure in April.

The Vermont Arts Council and the Center for Cartoon Studies have announced that Tillie Walden will serve as the next Cartoonist Laureate for the state. Her tenure will begin on April 13 when she will be recognized on the Vermont Statehouse floor.

“I’m so pleased Tillie Walden will serve as Vermont’s next cartoonist laureate,” said U.S. Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) in a press release. “She creates richly imagined worlds that transport readers on emotional and fantastical journeys and reminds us all of the importance of having a deep sense of self. Congratulations for this special accomplishment, and thank you for being part of a unique tradition that sets Vermont apart.”

Walden is the award-winning creator of several graphic novels, including the Eisner-winning Are You Listening? and Spinning, the L.A. Times Book Prize-winning On A Sunbeam and The Walking Dead tie-in graphic novel Clementine. She has two new graphic novels due out this year — a second Clementine book and Junior High, a collaboration with musicians Tegan and Sara.

Walden will be the fifth Cartoonist Laureate for Vermont, which I believe is still the only state that has one. Her term will last three years. She joins a list that includes James Kolchalka, Ed Koren, Alison Bechdel and Rick Veitch in holding the title.

Image releases more details on Lemire + Sorrentino’s ‘Tenement’

The Bone Orchard Mythos project will kick off in June.

Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino’s The Bone Orchard Mythos horror universe will continue in June with Tenement, which Lemire referred to as “the centerpiece of our new horror universe up to this point.”

Previously teased as a six-issue miniseries, Tenement will now run 10 issues beginning in June with an oversized first issue.

“Tenement is the first book I started developing in the early days of planning The Bone Orchard Mythos with Andrea Sorrentino,”Lemire told Popverse. “In many ways it will be the centerpiece of our new horror universe up to this point. It will be our longest story so far and, like Gideon Falls, this new series will follow an ensemble of characters and the readers will really be able to spend time with them and invest in their stories. This will also be a book that starts to connect all the threads of our previous Bone Orchard books and begins to reveal the larger mythology we have been building. Andrea’s work on this one is even more mind-blowing than usual (if that’s possible).”

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Joe Madureira’s ‘Battle Chasers’ returns with a new artist

Ludo Lullabi joins the creator on a comic two decades in the making.

It’s been more than two decades since the last issue of Battle Chasers came out, as creator Joe Madureira left comics for video games and issue #9 ended on a cliffhanger that’s been hanging out there since 2001.

But now Battle Chasers and Madureira are back, with issue #10 scheduled to arrive in June. The comic will feature artwork by Ludo Lullabi.

“I’ve been really moved over the years by the level of excitement Battle Chasers still generates decades after its original release,” Madureira told Gizmodo. “With the success of the Battle Chasers game ‘Nightwar’ and a TV show in the works, it felt like the perfect time to drop some new books. Working with these characters again has healed some part of my soul, and Ludo’s artwork is so incredible, I can’t wait for readers to get their hands on it.” 

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Marvel + Abrams will release ‘Marvel Super Stories’ anthology in October

Jerry Craft, Mike Curato, George O’Connor, Nathan Hale, John Gallagher and more will contribute stories to the new anthology, which is edited by John Jennings.

Middle-grade creators, assemble! Marvel and Abrams have announced a new anthology for later this year featuring stories by some of the hottest names in middle-grade graphic novels. They’ll be writing and drawing six-page stories featuring Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye, Shang-Chi, Hulk and many more.

The project is being edited by John Jennings, who heads up Abrams’ award-winning Megascope imprint. He’s also doing a Daredevil story for the anthology.

“I’m so thrilled to have helped bring this amazing collection of Marvel stories to a new generation,” Jennings said. “Working with these super-talented storytellers has been a dream. Marvel Comics is an institution that has inspired so many imaginations across the world, including my own. With Marvel Super Stories we get to continue that legacy, presenting the best and brightest creators coupled with the most marvelous heroes.”

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Nominees announced for the 2022 Bram Stoker Awards

Comics by Skottie Young, Jorge Corona, Sarah Gailey, Pius Bak and more were nominated this year.

Following the reveal of the preliminary ballot earlier this year, the Horror Writers Association has announced the final nominees for the 2022 Bram Stoker Awards.

The annual awards recognize “superior achievement” in horror and dark fiction, with a category dedicated to graphic novels. This year BOOM! Studios received two nominees, while Image Comics, Moonstone and Independent Legion Publishing each garnered one nomination.

The nominees for the “Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel” category are:

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Naso + Muhr look to crowdfund a ‘By the Horns’ deluxe hardcover

The Scout Comics series comes to Kickstarter for a hardcover collection + a range of extras.

Markisan Naso and Jason Muhr followed up the excellent Voracious with the even better By The Horns, creating a rich fantasy world with modern sensibilities — and a woman who hated unicorns. They’re looking to collect the first miniseries, By The Horns: The Wind Rises into a deluxe hardcover, and they’ve turned to Kickstarter to fund it.

The series and its follow-up, as well as trade paperback collections, were released by Scout Comics, but to do something special like a hardcover, the team said they had to turn to crowdfunding. Scout Comics is not involved with the crowdfunding campaign.

“Sure, By The Horns has a publisher and loyal fans, but the series still takes a lot to put it together and it’s a small, indie comic,” they said on their Kickstarter page. “All the costs to create the book come out of our pockets up front. So, when it comes to doing something really big thing like a hardcover edition, we just need a little help to make it happen.” 

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Uncivilized Books launches a new ‘Comic Book Club’ on Patreon

See what comic books will arrive from the publisher later this year.

Uncivilized Books is probably best known for their graphic novel releases these days, but according to publisher Tom Kaczynski, “The stapled floppy comic book is a perfect format.” So they’re doubling down on comic releases in 2023 and have even launched an Uncivilized Comic Book Club on Patreon.

“I love graphic novels, but the comic book is my first love,” Kaczynski said in their most recent newsletter. “Uncivilized started as a mini comics publisher; eventually, we transitioned to graphic novels, with only rare comic book thrown into the mix. Since we began to serialize Ginseng Roots a few years ago, the comic books bug has taken hold!”

Craig Thompson’s 12-issue Ginseng Roots series may be wrapping up soon, but you’ll be able to find plenty of comics from Uncivilized. Here’s a look at what they have planned for 2023:

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Can’t Wait for Comics | Lemire + Walta hit the ‘Phantom Road’ this week

Check out what new comics and graphic novels will arrive in stores this week by Jeff Lemire, Gabriel Walta, Stephanie Phillips, Juann Cabal, Tom King, Greg Smallwood, Casey Gilley, Joe Jaro, PrestonPlayz, the cast of the new Shazam! movie and more.

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

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.

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Andrews McMeel severs ties with Scott Adams, drops ‘Dilbert’

“… we will never support any commentary rooted in discrimination or hate.”

Following a racist rant by Scott Adams on YouTube last week, comic strip publisher/syndicator Andrews McMeel Universal has said they will sever their relationship with the Dilbert creator. “The process of this termination will extend to all areas of our business with Adams and the Dilbert comic strip,” they said.

The statement, which was signed by both Chairman Hugh Andrews and CEO and President Andy Sareyan, said that while the company values free speech, “we will never support any commentary rooted in discrimination or hate.”

Here’s their statement in full:

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Literati Press will publish Devin Kraft’s ‘Silence’ in April

The series, about a woman and her friends who seek to save her missing father, began life on Kickstarter.

Devin Kraft, creator of the Sumerian Comics series Neverender, will remix music and mythology into Silence, a new five-issue miniseries coming from Literati Press.

The new series is about a woman who searches for her lost-at-sea father in, of course, a yellow submarine.

“Silence is exactly the kind of unique, distinctive story we love at LP Comics,” said Steve Gooch of Literati Press. “It’s unlike anything else out there, combining Greek mythology, a working-class story and the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll. We’re thrilled to welcome Devin Kraft and Silence to Literati Press Comics.”

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What Are You Reading? | ‘Porcelain,’ ‘Godfell,’ ‘Local Man’ and more

See what the Smash Pages crew has been reading lately.

Welcome to What Are You Reading?, our look at what the Smash Pages crew has been checking off their “to read” list lately. Today’s reviews include first issues of Godfell and Local Man, as well as Porcelain and some classic DC Comics Presents.

Let us know what you’ve been reading lately in the comments below or by tagging us on social media.

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Eve L. Ewing visits The Today Show to talk about ‘Black Panther’

Ewing and Chris Allen will kick off their run on the title in June.

If you had tuned into The Today Show on Friday, you would have seen a segment on Eve L. Ewing, the new writer of the Black Panther, as well as the debut of T’Challa’s new costume.

But hey, it’s 2023, and nothing’s ever lost to the whims of a network’s early morning TV schedule. You can check out the clip below:

Ewing talks about her approach to the character, his new costume and more. Speaking of the new costume, you can see it on the cover to Ewing’s first issue, drawn by Taurin Clarke:

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