Comics Lowdown | Zunar is in trouble again

Plus: A new graphic novel looks at Japanese Americans who resisted internment.

Zunar’s cartoon critiquing the minster of the state of Kedah, who canceled the festival of Thaipusam. The cleaver says “No Thaipusam” and the caption on the right reads “Kedah’s inhabitants lived in peace until he came.”

The Malaysian political cartoonist Zunar is in trouble with the law again. Police in the state of Kedah have summoned him to appear before them on May 7 (the original date, given in the linked article, was May 2 but it was rescheduled) for violating the country’s sedition law, a much-criticized relic of its colonial past, with a cartoon criticizing the Kedah state minister’s decision to cancel the traditional Tamil Hindu festival of Thaipusam.

Zunar got into lots of trouble during the tenure of Prime Minister Najib Razak, whom he mocked endlessly for his corruption; Razak was not amused and his government repeatedly raided Zunar’s studio, confiscated his books, banned him from traveling, and brought charges against him that could have led to lengthy prison sentences. The pressure eased once Najib was voted out.

Ironically, Zunar’s latest skirmish coincides with World Press Freedom Day, which was Monday; several national and international groups have criticized the Malaysian government for its repressive stance.

Continue reading “Comics Lowdown | Zunar is in trouble again”

Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Heroes Reborn’ arrives; ‘Die’ begins its final act; Richard Sala’s final work gets collected

New comics arrive this week from Jason Aaron, Ed McGuinness, Zander Cannon, Ed Piskor, Charles Soule, Steve McNiven, Stephanie Hans, Kieron Gillen, Richard Sala, Garth Ennis and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital this week. This week brings new comics and graphic novels by Jason Aaron, Ed McGuinness, Zander Cannon, Ed Piskor, Charles Soule, Steve McNiven, Stephanie Hans, Kieron Gillen, Richard Sala and more.

Check out a few highlights below, or visit ComicList for this week’s full list of new comics arriving in stores, and the comiXology new releases page for what’s available digitally.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Heroes Reborn’ arrives; ‘Die’ begins its final act; Richard Sala’s final work gets collected”

Drawn + Quarterly announce their 2021 winter catalog

New works by Aminder Dhaliwal, Darryl Cunningham, Michael DeForge and more are coming next year.

Drawn and Quarterly’s winter 2021 catalog, which they shared last week, includes new work by Aminder Dhaliwal, Darryl Cunningham and Michael DeForge, and new manga collections by Shigeru Mizuki and Yoshiharu Tsuge. They’ll all be released between January and April of next year.

Take a look at them below:

Continue reading “Drawn + Quarterly announce their 2021 winter catalog”